Tuesday evening things

 * Slowly working on the hat

Still a couple more inches before I do the decreases. (You can see the pattern there, in a free Burda magazine that came bundled with Simply Knitting)

* Still getting over what was probably a little stomach virus. This was the first day since Saturday I could eat more or less normally.  And I always worry with these things: "could it really be gall bladder" - both my father's brothers had to have theirs removed. (Granted: one of them is a vegetarian who ate a tremendous amount of cheese). I don't think it is; I think I'd have more pain and it would get worse instead of better. (And I'm sure doing yardwork - including lots of work with the heavy weed whacker, which always strains the upper abdominals - before I realized I was sick didn't help)

* Busy week this week - last night was CWF, tomorrow night is Board Meeting. I do get Friday off - we get a one-day mid-fall break (the local public schools get 3 days). 

I'm considering taking the day and going up to Chickasaw but then again, if all the state public schools are closed these three days, the place may be crowded with people wanting to get in late-season camping. (Or maybe not; it gets cooler at night now, though then again - it seems many of the people who camp have RVs, which are typically heated). Still, I might take a chance that it won't be that crowded right after it opens for the day; I would also like to go to Spice and Tea exchange up there and one or two other little places; it's time to start hunting for Christmas gifts. (We typically do the hand-off to my brother's family at Thanksgiving - they don't travel at Christmas and I don't like trusting the USPS for this any more after in 2020-2021 they took a month and a half to deliver the gifts I sent early and by priority mail)

*I'm trying to focus on the small things of my life; too many other horrors out in the larger world - venal politicians, murderous people, lots of death, earthquakes, all kinds of horrible things.  And I can't do anything to make any of it better, which when I think about it, drives me to despair - the sense that really nothing I do has any kind of impact on anything.

* Sort of an interesting evolution again in people's thinking - this past year, I saw people talking online pivot from "air conditioning is killing the planet, how dare those of you living in hot climates use it" to "AIR CONDITIONING IS A HUMAN RIGHT" (as some of those previously-cooler places got a heat wave similar to a typical summer month for us). And now, the pivot is from "If you're not outraged and posting about the atrocities and maybe even sharing photos, you aren't paying attention and are probably a Bad Person" to "honestly, our brains can't process this kind of tragedy without being warped by it, don't over post about all the horrors happening to be kind to those around you" and while yeah, I don't love the whole Internet Rando Presumes To Direct What Everyone Else Can Do, I also feel like it's a relief not to be expected to post about the Bad Things 24/7. 

* And yeah, I still miss scripted tv shows. Been watching re-runs of Law and Order and Chicago Fire when I find them on some of the cable channels, just because I need "stories" - I don't like game shows, usually don't have the energy to invest in a 2- hour movie, and I hate reality shows. I hope the actor's strike gets resolved soon so we have AT LEAST a January new-season. And I hope the stupid networks don't go "well they accepted endless Big Brother and Evening Price is Right so why not do that forever, it's cheaper"

No, I don't have Netflix; I balk at paying yet another service fee. And if I want local channels (so, like, I know what's going on in my town that might make it unsafe to go out or drink the water) I have to have cable; we're kind of in a donut hole of poor reception here.