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That was a health-related aaargh I could have done without

Monday, June 2nd, 2025 03:20 pm

Today I already had the fret of a physio appointment re the neck & shoulder issue coming up in early afternoon.

During the morning I had an email from online pharmacy that ooops, migraine prophylaxis drug I have been taking for some years (and which I apprehend one is not supposed to cease abruptly) they are having supply problems with. Log in to account to contact them.

(This involved a certain amount of faff with their chat client, which froze my browser.)

a)Various options involving see if I can source it from local pharmacy and they will send prescription.

b)Wait and see if they can acquire supply.

c)Contact GP about possible substitute.

I discovered that at least one local pharmacy did have it in stock, so went for first option.

Though on reflection thought I would at least see if other local pharmacy, which was not responding to call to number on NHS site, and which was more or less on the way back from physio appt, also had it.

They did, and also the staff there are a lot more agreeable than the last time I had occasion to visit it.

I hope this was just a temporary supply blip....

Physio resulted in Yet Another Set of Exercises, which we may hope do not set off massive excruciating lower back pain, and also a repeat appointment in a fortnight, with this therapist and their supervisor -

Modified yay, even if it is a) at 1 pm and b) at the uphill all the way health centre.

Tags:

skipping out and serendipity

sistawendy

Monday, June 2nd, 2025 06:33 am

Saturday: skipped Modular at Gas Works, which gave me FOMO, but the weather wasn't cooperating. Hit the Merc. J made me shake my booty, which was good for me. It got going late because of Mechanismus, from which A had record recommendations that I really should look into.

While waiting for the bus home at about 0045, Much Younger Woman and her boyfriend stopped by to chat. Happiness.

Sunday: chores, sleep, and making social engagements.

Resolved: Modular on Saturday when it's indoors at Substation. I'm all about inexpensive bleepy goodness from local folks.

Current Mood: refreshed
Current Location: the living room of the Devil Girl House
Current Music: Cocteau Twins, "Fifty-Fifty Clown"

Tags:

clubbing,
music

Three In The News

minoanmiss

Monday, June 2nd, 2025 09:27 am

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: distressed

Two Informational Resources concrning US Sociopolitics

minoanmiss

Monday, June 2nd, 2025 08:49 am

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: determined

FENRIR: Chapter 37

seawasp

Monday, June 2nd, 2025 07:51 am

And this is the last chapter to post, because Fenrir will be out tomorrow!

( Time was growing very short... )

Go, indeed!

(Keanu-as-) Constantine 2!

firecat

Monday, June 2nd, 2025 01:52 am

"Peter Stormare Gives Update on ‘Constantine 2’; Keanu Reeves Reportedly Unhappy with Script" by Meagan Navarro (very similar articles seen on a number of other entertainment news sites).

"'But to do a sequel, the studios want to have, you know, cars flying in the air. They want to have people doing flip-flops and fighting action scenes,' Stormare said."

I think I agree with Keanu. We already have the John Wick franchise. IT IS AWESOME. But we don't need the Keanu-as-Constantine franchise to turn into another John Wick franchise.

I hope they resolve this soon because I am DROOLING at the chance to see Stormare play Lucifer again.

Tags:

so there

(no subject)

oursin

Monday, June 2nd, 2025 09:37 am

Happy birthday,

bearshorty,

sylvaine and

trinker!

Photos: House Yard

ysabetwordsmith

common_nature

Monday, June 2nd, 2025 12:17 am

These pictures are from Sunday, but it's after midnight, so the post says Monday.

( Walk with me ... )

Current Mood: accomplished

Tags:

New Substack post

twistedchick

Sunday, June 1st, 2025 11:46 pm

This is what I want to see again, in my lifetime.

ETS Martinez, Shade Cloth

ranunculus

Sunday, June 1st, 2025 07:27 pm

Thursday and Friday were spent doggedly trying to get shade cloth set up for the garden. Last year the shade cloth undoubtedly saved the garden from burning up. My rule of thumb was to put the shade cloth up if it was over 103F. The shade cloth was stored on pipes, or pieces of wood that were attached to 7' or 8' t-posts. I would reef them up like sails when they weren't needed and then haul them out and hook their ends up to stretch them. Very labor intensive. This year I installed a new system. Each section of shade cloth gets shower curtain rings on each end. New, 10' tall t-posts have been installed with electrical conduit pipes as horizontal cross pieces. Here is a picture.

I need to spend a little time fine tuning the system, but it seems to work really well. Friday it got to 100F. I worked in the heat finishing the project and then loaded the car for the trip to Martinez. It was a quick trip, out Sat morning early with just one overnight but it still required a lot of stuff. I jammed the car full of camping equipment and 5 flats + of spare plants. Chena was quite miffed that the only space for her was in the front seat.
Donald met me at Martinez, did several nice walks with Chena and at least one with Cole, Susie's dog. It was hot in Martinez, 95F, and I got terribly hot and tired. Slept for 10 or 11 hours. Sunday was cooler and altogether nicer. We had a great group of riders with a number of new riders, all of whom seemed nice.
On Saturday night I was disappointed that only a very few plants had been taken. Sunday was another story entirely. Plants flew off the picnic table. I said they were free, though I would happily take a dollar donation to cover pots and soil costs. I think I collected $42. All of the plants I brought went to new homes. I'm so happy not to need to water them!!
I'm home now, tired. Need to remember to fix my camping mattress which has an air leak, or possibly a leaky valve.
Tomorrow or next day Firefly comes back. I will be glad to see her.

Why nobody likes whole life insurance policies

spacefem_finance_feed

Sunday, June 1st, 2025 05:58 pm

Posted by Kim

https://peacelovespreadsheets.blogspot.com/2025/06/why-nobody-likes-whole-life-insurance.html

Life insurance can be a good idea. If you browse around GoFundMe, you'll find a lot of stories of families dealing with heavy emotional losses while ALSO trying to raise money for funerals, pay their rent, put food on the table, because they don't have money to cover these things. Life insurance can help.

I personally have term life insurance, so if something happens to me in the next few years while we still have kids at home, my husband will have a couple years to get his feet under him, find a job, and support the family.

Term life insurance isn't expensive - think $20-$25 a month for a $250,000 policy. If you die, your family gets the policy amount. It's called "term" because if you do not die during the term, the policy goes away. If you're 30, you might get a 30 year policy, because by the time you turn 60 years old you might be retired and your kids have grown up on their own. They'll be sad if you die, but you'll have enough in savings to pay your final expenses, and they're not depending on you for housing or food.

Whole life insurance sounds good because it pays you no matter what, whenever you die, even if you're 100. But for this to happen it's a LOT more expensive - think 10x more. Insurance salesmen pitch it as an investment. You might pay $250 a month for a $250,000 policy that has a cash value of, say, $80K after 20 years - meaning if you don't want to keep the policy going at age 50, you can say "No thanks, I just want my money back" and walk away with $80,000.

That sounds great, until you do the math on how much a $250 a month investment should really be worth after 20 years - I have a calculator for that. It turns out if you can find a way to get 5% interest, you'll have over $100,000. If you invest in the stock market and average around 7%, you'll have $130,000. These monthly premiums are so high they'd BETTER be worth a lot - that's why they'll give you back $80,000. The problem is that they could be worth more.

That's why a lot of us in finance communities tell people to keep insurance as insurance - low cost, there for catastrophes only, a bit of payment for peace of mind. And keep your investments as investments. Anyone who's trying to combine them is likely to have some financial interest, and if the numbers don't work out, they don't work out. The numbers I used are pure examples, yours might be different. You're welcome to run your own spreadsheet.

https://peacelovespreadsheets.blogspot.com/2025/06/why-nobody-likes-whole-life-insurance.html

Sunday 1 June 1662

pepysdiary_feed

Sunday, June 1st, 2025 11:00 pm

Posted by Samuel Pepys

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1662/06/01/

(Lord’s day). At church in the morning. A stranger made a very good sermon. Dined at home, and Mr. Spong came to see me; so he and I sat down a little to sing some French psalms, and then comes Mr. Shepley and Mr. Moore, and so we to dinner, and after dinner to church again, where a Presbyter made a sad and long sermon, which vexed me, and so home, and so to walk on the leads, and supper and to prayers and bed.

Read the annotations

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1662/06/01/

0bservation station, part 2,

somedayseattle

Sunday, June 1st, 2025 04:27 pm

When my days are finally winding down and I am nearing the end, lying in bed surrounded by loved ones, I implore them all to lean in to hear my final message. When they’re all within earshot I was smiling the last smile and muster up the energy to depart this world. I clear my throat, lean forward put my hand on Erica's shoulder and gently whisper.....

'Tag. You're it.'

Culinary

oursin

Sunday, June 1st, 2025 06:47 pm

This week's bread: a loaf of 50:50% strong white and einkorn flour, with a little splash of oil when making up, turned out very nice.

Saturday breakfast rolls: brown grated apple, strong brown flour, and Rayner's Classic Organic Barley Malt Extract, which is much nicer than most other malt extracts.

Today's lunch: pseudo-spanokopita, spinach sauteed in butter and seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon thyme, pie-dish lined with sheets of filo brushed with olive oil, layer of the spinach, soft cheese, rest of spinach, more sheets of filo, baked for 45 mins in a very moderate oven; served with baked San Marzano tomatoes and white chicory quartered, healthy-grilled in walnut oil and splashed with bramble vinegar.

Tags:

cooking,
recipes

Prompt: Favorites

runpunkrun

gluten_free

Sunday, June 1st, 2025 08:22 am

Our prompt for June is favorites! Could be a favorite cookbook, frozen dinner, or lip balm. As long as it's gluten free it qualifies.

To fill this prompt, you can:

Slide into the comments of this post and share a link to a recipe, product, or resource and why you like it.
Write up a favorite recipe and post it to the comm.
Post a review of a related product or cookbook to the comm.
Try someone's recipe and reply to their post (or comment) with any changes you made and how it turned out.

Monthly prompts are only for inspiration and not a requirement. You can post whatever you like to the comm whenever you like as long as it meets the community guidelines.

And, a reminder, you can now tag your own posts!

Here's what's going on in the comments:

Tags:

admin: prompt

sunday

summersgate

Sunday, June 1st, 2025 11:07 am

Right now I'm wasting time in my room, painting and being on the computer, avoiding being in the basement. I did do one thing down there - I put the recycling into Dave's truck - got that out. Tomorrow Dave is picking up a dresser that has been in his family for many years that is at Chloe's old place. She doesn't have room for it in her new home so we are taking it back and I need to find a place for it in the basement. So I have a deadline to do something down there. I suppose that is good, otherwise I'd keep avoiding it forever. Perhaps I'll even get to my ceramics area and clear that so I can do clay work! That would be SO GREAT.

My art-a-day isn't done but I can leave it for now. I'll figure out what to do with those circles later. I like the look of it so far.

I took this picture of my room yesterday. I wanted to chronicle the confusing look of it. But it's not confusing to me. I know where to find things in this mess. My wonderful studio has turned into a storage room, with just a tiny place to work on art, over by that far window. I remember when I first set up this room as a silver workshop and writing spot how beautiful and roomy it was. A place for everything and everything in its place. Now there is a place for everything but there's too much of everything. If I could totally turn my back on silver jewelry making and say I was done forever with it I could get rid of lots of stuff. I would have so much more room to organize my other stuff. I could make a whole new (painting/collage/art) world out of it. But it is SO hard for me to let go of the old. So hard. I'm stuck.

Well, time to get back to the basement and deal with that old stuff. Wish me luck. God help me.

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