A few Measly Steps a Day

I think the world is a better place because you're in it, R. Obviously, I can't tell you what do about rent control. You can't solve the whole problem single-handedly. You're not Gandhi, Jesus, or MLK. (I don't think.) Still, you can make a difference. The only suggestion I have is to take your thinking out of the emotional sphere and think about the concrete actions you would take if you decided to get involved. Can you do them? What concrete goals do you want to achieve? If you're a praying sort, you could pray about it. Who would be working with you? What would success look like? What would the work look like?
And if you are Gandhi, MLK or Jesus, forget what I just wrote. Anyway, good wishes.

You can get COVID test kits from Amazon. It takes about two weeks to get them. They're not completely accurate, but they' re useful when you're trying to decide whether to lay low or be among people. I figure a neg test, mask, sanitizer, no fever, and feeling well and I've done due diligence.

Most of my battles are mundane - home repair, health, finding a new primary-care doctor.
Writing - It took me ten years to write my first novel, and when i re-read it eight years later, I hated it. It took me six years to write my second one, and I liked it better. It's going to take me less than two years to write the third one, and I hope it's good. So that's progress. Yay!

Hi thread, Thanks D. for your take on this. As you can tell, I've run the steps and actions before in 2015. All doable, but at what costs to my other priorities? I wouldn't want to disappoint myself and anyone I connect with and get in "over my head" and heart and quit. Maybe better not to start?

So, I'm still imagining where I might have a somewhat manageable role. The difficulty when I step away from my "studio" where I write and dream alone as I wish, is other people. The engaged ones are partisan— take a side—and I'm working from the apparent "weaker" one.

To paraphrase a military maxim: no plan survives contact with other people. Some of those people are willfully hostile and happily mis-educated and also in places where they can make decisions (legislatures). The "cruel rules" of capitalism have been well burnished by the economic academics so there's the amazing wordy work of unpacking both the ideas and the lopsided advantages they give. They don't want to engage their moral and compassionate imaginations because truly connecting with the pain capitalism thrives on right in front of the and into their wallets would mean change—they may have to accept new social arrangements and let go of some the wealth that flows to them seemingly by the magic of the "invisible hand."

Around and around.

Good wishes finding a manageable role, R.

Me - I'm just fixing broken things, one thing at a time.

Poker & Life Choices

A choice about time is a choice about living. I've been reading a lot of the poker literature, and unlike chess lit, there are very few hands picked over. Mostly it's about mental stuff; understanding the odds, various strategies, psychology, bluffing, and chip stack management.

I've looked into "folding" a little and this is a metaphor for what I face with my rent certainty decision. My chips are my time and attention. The other players are the mysterious "public citizens," journalist, activists, & lawmakers. If I were the "dealer" and could pick the game, I'd say let's play "repeal and replace" the state cap on local authority.

Turns out, very very few seem to want to play as I've been calling this game since 2015. 6 years.

I'm folding. What's more, "I'm done. Cashing in my chips."

Now I have all this stuff from my previous playing: letters, diagrams, analyses, links to good stuff on this idea from Europe.

As I 'degoal' rent certainty, what minimum posts can I leave online for others to stumble upon or I can direct them to? What if I put up my ultimate diagram (one pager, based on one from Ireland)? 2. My last letter about the state situation from 2018? 3. Resources links (10 max)?

4. Leave a note withdrawing from my efforts to "sit at the table"? Could I do that and transition from "folding" to "quitting" and here are my tools. From here on I'm with you in spirit but not devoting any more time?

5. Or should I not bother until I'm directly asked? This options is out as I don't want to re-engage (look up musty digital folders, make a set of attachments, etc.)

Having this thread to reflect on this has been very helpful. Thanks for lending me your minds & hearts.

Revu2

That's a hard question to answer, R. I'm not sure you expect a reply since you know so much more about the problem than I do. If you do want my thoughts, here they are. And I feel like a kindergartener giving advice about nuclear physics. As I understand it, you have a lot of great information, and you don't it to disappear. Stash it in one place, maybe your blog. then look for groups working on rent control and post on their website that there's great information at _______. Then let it go.

Me - a question. If I reply to a tweet, do I reply to just one person or to everyone that he/she sent the original tweet to? I want to reply all.

p.s. You can get free COVID test kits from the gov. I bought some on Amazon. It takes a while to get them - a couple of weeks, but then you have a kit for the next time that you want to find out of a cold is just a cold.

p.s. this is the link.

COVIDtests.gov - Free at-home COVID-19 tests

A few moments before I get ready for a live, in-person retreat.

I'm going to post my research on a web site and switch to a spider strategy: when someone expresses interest directly to me, I'll send the link. Otherwise, I'm walking away.

Ordered the kits the first day they were available. Still don't have them.

Gottago, R.

Closing out a good week. Monday's retreat went very well. I also went to a Saturday Jung Society café or salon. First time. I really love the mix of experience, myth, and reflection sitting around discussing how our dreams or a myth relates to something we are going through.

My own inner work is getting a boost tomorrow when I discuss what's going on with a friend who studies Tarot over dinner. Chest high in books, podcasts, and other stuff to dig into.

Got to another live bridge game. Didn't play at all, but attended a short class and them just watched the action while keeping a low profile. A couple of incidents happened and I watched the Director deal with it. Learned how it's organized and even read the rules book.

Keeping a daily streak going on yucklist taxes. Pressure on to get these done before I get swamped with paid projects (2 of them) in the pipeline.
R

HI, R,
I've been kinda poopy about posting. Sorry.
I've finished the third??? draft of my novel. I still don't have a title I'm happy with. Now I get the annoying job of looking for typos, boring parts, and other mistakes. No matter how hard I try, I can't find all the grammar problems and misspellings.
I too have a yuck list which includes taxes and other things. It amazes me how much time I have, and how my yuck list is still long.
I'll try to write a happier post next time.
Good wishes.
D

Mid-project celebration—just completed my partnerships 1065 informational return. I got a letter a few months ago from our friends at the IRS seeking to ding us $400 for a "late" return from last year. I did mail it but maybe a few days after 3/15 and they certainly had it by the end of March. Turns out asking for their grace and forgiveness is allowed, but the taxpayer has to ask. They waived the fines.

So, this year I'm sending it some way that's tracked and will get a tracking number copy the page when it's delivered. Don't get me started.

Back to ... Mid-project celebration!
R.

Congratulations on a successful dealing with the IRS. I had a similar experience and have been taking blood-pressure medication ever since. No, I hadn't done anything wrong. They were the ones who screwed up. Twice.)
Most exciting thing in my life: (The bar is very low.) I received some "Great Courses" DVDs. The one on gardening taught me some things, but I disagree with the lecturer on several issues. Now, I'm working on a series about mindfulness and meditation. I'm feeling optimistic about it.
Later, R.

Gave myself a treat: a visit to a Korean Spa for 3 hours. Ahead of me in line to check in were a mom and a pre-teen son. Ah, what did my family know about spas? Nothing.

Got a book review assignment that I'm keeping the streak alive with. Mostly going for a chapter a day.

For work, an information and support conference call one project instituted around COVID will host its last meeting today at 1. It was a great idea and they correctly, we hope, sense its time is over.

This frees up my Thursday afternoons once a month.##

My husband came down with shingles. Yuck! Luckily, I got vaccinated - a month and a half ago. Talk about timing!
Celebrated Chinese New Year with a friend. Chinese food, tangerines, cherry blossoms.
My friend is having a lot of trouble thrown in her lap at once and needed to take a break.
I'm enjoying the course on mindfulness and meditation. I'm taking the meditation part slowly - very small baby steps. I don't want to get too ambitious and give up on the whole idea.
I need to write some goals and use this forum for accountability, which I will do, but not right now.
I'm getting a lot of critique on my writing, which is good, but right now, I'm not up to reading it carefully.

I'm sick. The COVID test I took came out negative, but I'm feeling a lot worse than I did when I took it the first time. I'm seriously worried about my friend who visited yesterday. She has a lot of troubles without getting covid and passing it on to her unvaccinated son. Also, my husband who has shingles is also feeling punk. He's a little old guy. Shingles prus COVID - yuck!!!!!!!
Life was so wonderful when I had nothing to write about.
Hope you're doing better than me.
D

prus should read plus. I blame the misspelling on my fever.

Hi Ms. D, calamities abound so close on the heels of things feeling wonderful. No fun at all. I'd think we could expect a bit of slow transition time.

I'm not sure the shingles vaccines work post getting it, but it might be worth researching. At the time I got my vax for it, they said come back in so many years (I forget how many). In other words, no one knows how long the protection lasts.

I'm bumbling through my taxes; finding errors in my calculations and then researching/figuring my way out again. I'll have another go at them tomorrow.

Good times with your friend I hope had the desired effect of shoring up her strength.

It's late & as soon as the jazz I'm listening to finishes their song I'm crawling back into bed. ##

Got my 1040SR finished today. Every year I learn a few things.

Today's docket:

• Walk (done)
• Continue book review assignment (one chapter per day)
• nap
• zoom call @ 6:30

Congrats on finishing your taxes. I haven't started mine yet.

ON my end of things - This time the COVID test was positive. My husband tested + also. So he has shingles plus COVID. Yuck!

I just feel kind of tired, so I'm not setting any goals for myself for a while. I don't feel too bad as long as I don't actually try to do anything.
I'm seriously worried about the friend I mentioned earlier. She really doesn't need COVID.

I have two phone calls to make, and then I'm watching the Olympics.

Later,
D

If you haven't heard, the word game Wordle has ballooned into a phenon. Apparently created by a Mr Wardle for his sweetie for Valentine's Day, its flash popularity induced the NY Times to buy the rights for "low 7 figures." Not bad for a gift!

The game is this: you face a 5 x 6 grid of tiles and a keyboard. Enter a 5-letter English word and the game will color each letter tile gray (not in the word that day), gold - in word, wrong location, and green, in word right location. You get 6 tries. I've found that my first 2 words need to cover all the vowels. Then I figure out the other letters from there.

I've played several times. It counts streaks, and I've seen streaks used in other gamelike contexts. I like the word, it's says a string of events, and is a lot less of a tonguefull than "never break the chain." It also gives you a little congrats message, and interestingly enough, you can only play once a day.

Likewise, I'm working my way through an editing project, one chapter a day. At the rate I'm going, I'll have it ready to ship about 3 weeks before the extended deadline I bargained for. Everyday I think I'll get through 2 chapters, but find I feel my mind drifting after my low-bar commitment of 1-a-day. ##

Lots of things popping into my mailbox. I'll list them here:

[] 3/3 - 3/13 Jewish film festival streaming movie about bridge cheaters.

[] Monday, March 7th at 1pm PST, streamed interview with director and player that led the detective work.
[] Wed 3/9 3 - 4:30 Liberating Structures event based in DC.
[] Soon: Begin practice with new Bridge Partner!
[] Arrange 3rd of 4 sessions with my Tarot Reading Friend
[] Finish first flight through book I'm reviewing; begin drafting detailed review.
Enuf 4 Now. R

Hi, R.

Feeling better but still testing positive (very faint line.) I'm imagining doing all kinds of beautiful things with my garden and in front of my house - probably more than I'm actually capable of doing. I can do anything as long as the project is still in my head. Then reality hits.
I just bought a couple of pictures to hand on my walls.

Sort of cool idea: I watched a gardening video, and the professor said that the soil in our gardens is not native soil; it's fill that the contractors brought in when they built our houses. We buy California native plants thinking that they'll do well in our soil, and they don't. That's been my experience with California natives.

But . . . I do have native soil - in the crawl space under my house. I want to try taking a bit of it and planting some natives in it. An experiment. I won't take more than a couple of cubic feet at the most - I don't want the house to collapse. I was thinking of replacing the soil that I take with the fill junk in my garden. My husband says not to bother.

Maybe, on my next post, I'll write a to-do list.

COVID is a good excuse not to do anything - a valid excuse, but it's time to start doing things again.
Keep the steps!

Hi Measly steppers,

Ms D, I agree with your husband. It'll be an interesting experiment to see how the soil makes a difference. Where would developers import soil from? Native ought to be best, but nearly everywhere, even among humans, the native varieties have problems holding up against the invasive ones.
R

The soil in my crawl space is a light gray/brown, fine silt.

The soil in my back yard is black and clay-like. Most plants do not do well in it. Years ago, when a contractor covered my lawn with the black, clay-like soil, nothing grew there for a year - not even weeds. (the weeds came back the following year.)

When they dug the trench for the new sewer line a few months ago, the soil five feet down matched what is in my crawl space.

So, we'll see if native plants can grow in the crawl space soil. They still have to contend with me as their caretaker.

Updating time:
Lots of things popping into my mailbox. I'll list them here:

NO~ 3/3 - 3/13 Jewish film festival streaming movie about bridge cheaters. Trailer.
NO ~Monday, March 7th at 1pm PST, streamed interview with director and player that led the detective work. Restricted to Canadian residents.
[] Wed 3/9 3 - 4:30 Liberating Structures event based in DC.
[] Soon: Begin practice with new Bridge Partner!
[] Arrange 3rd of 4 sessions with my Tarot Reading Friend
YES ~Finish first flight through book I'm reviewing; begin drafting detailed review. Done, getting my notes up to grade. Keeping the streak alive.
Carry on, R