Blog/January 2022/Jan 7th

January 7th

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Happy birthday to me! It’s been my “birthday mo`ed” most of the week, but don’t fret! I’ll accept gifts for as long as you’re willing to send them…

We went out to a restaurant one evening, our first “date” in quite a long time. The following evening we met up with Sarah and Yarin, and had dinner out with them — twice in one week, I think that might be a record for us!

Besides my birthday, we had been unable to celebrate Sarah’s birthday in its proper time; not to mention Yarin’s is coming up soon. So we tried to hit all the bases. Whether or not we succeeded in that, we did enjoy ourselves.

We also spent a fair amount of time and effort this week trying to reclaim our room. We had turned it over to my mom when she moved in with us, because it’s on the first floor. Mom continued to be a secretary long after she retired: there were some 50 or so years of papers we have had to sort through. Most of them we need to destroy (because of privacy concerns), and it’s a big honkin’ pile of paper.

She also had some odd collections. Of medical thermometers, for instance — she had half a dozen. Scissors — at least that many. Likewise magnifying glasses and spectacles. But her favorite collector’s item — by far — was pencils. I think we can now open a gemach for children whose parents can’t afford a pencil. It’s the write thing to do.

Stuff and nonsense:

• Israel has now “cancelled” all red countries. That’s as of right now; of course, since there’s not a shred of a hint of any sort of plan in place, that could change next week. Maybe all countries will be “red”, or perhaps “chartreuse”.
• NBC “reports” that you “probably don’t need to rely on a VPN anymore”. If there were one single thing the MSM could have said to make me trust them even less, that was it. So much journalisming!
• Trump blasts Biden’s “year of misery”.
• Michael Knowles’ COVID survival story.
• It is claimed that nature hates brown people.
• And a man has been named as “the most winning woman” in Jeopardy history. #PatriachySoCrafty, indeed…

In our zeal to reclaim our room, we both managed to hurt our backs a bit. Nothing like a strained muscle to let you know you’re no longer twenty years old!

On that note, my physical-therapist basically forbade me from working on my laptop in a comfortable position. She said I need to use an external monitor, a detached keyboard, and “sit properly and ergonomically”. So here I am, using a Bluetooth connected keyboard-and-touchpad combo, with a nice big monitor. But it’s not nearly as comfortable as my traditional, slouching with legs-crossed modality. Perhaps, though — just perhaps — it will help improve my assorted and sordid pains.

I’m considering going into business as a serious handyman. I’ll call the company “Grim Repair”…

Our guests this shabbat will perhaps enjoy:
sourdough loaves (but no fishes), roasted sweet-potato apple and leek soup, corn pie, spanakopita, roasted veggies, baked chicken, various salatim, and birthday cakes.

Plural. Yeah, that’s right!

Until next time,
shabbat shalom!

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