A few Measly Steps a Day #2

Sent off the book review. I reminded myself the last one I did was late 2024 and invoiced in 2025.

Near the end I got more excited about finishing. The idea was, "Oh, I'll have more time for the condo stuff." And I stopped cold! NO, no, can't have THAT as my motivator.

After sitting with it, I shifted my motivation to getting back to routine, connecting with friends I'd had to put off, see more art, music, movies, and theater. Read books. There are some fun half-day errands to complete as adventures. As soon as I sent the email, I went and checked out 4 books from the library.

Much better.

I think I am onto something useful!

Yesterday, I alternated preparing Google Slices for a presentation at work and sweeping the floors/tidying up during break. I rather liked both the process and the results, in both spheres (work and keeping my little household). I plan to do more of this to see whether it can be made into a long-term habit.

Yes, TCJ, I do the same sometimes. I call it The Weave and I discovered the same thing: At the end of the day you have 2 things done and both were manageable.

Today: we have a jump in appt with yet another bookkeeping service. 3rd. And I have some other drafts to complete, related.

Yesterday, my afternoon suddenly opened up so I moved a short trip I thought I'd do today a day earlier.

Today is already re-filled.

Sigh.

Hi, friends,
I can't believe I've been away for so long. Tomorrow is our plant sale, and I've been busy and tired, so that's why, I guess. All kinds of drama regarding the plant sale. Last September a friend showed us how to propagate roses, and I ended up with seven beauties. As the weather warmed up, I battled rust, powdery mildew, aphids and white fly. Annoying but manageable. Three days ago, two roses went from healthy to droopy to dead - as if I hadn't watered them, which I had. I found no help either from the internet nor from any of my friends. Meanwhile, my other roses were looking less than wonderful. i brought them inside, and that seemed to help. This morning found aphids - armies of them. I'd been picking them off the plants as I found them, and I've been checking almost every day. I will never again try to propagate roses. We have a LOT of succulents. No surprise, since they're so easy to propagate. And I'm really tired. I haven't done that much. I guess I just tire easily these days. Rats.
On the bright side, I'm writing like crazy and it's coming out better than it used to. Well, you're supposed to get better the more you do something.


Good wishes.

Elaine

Yesterday I spent almost all day in bed with a bad case of vertigo, but in late evening I felt better and tidied up the apartment to my delight. Now I look forward to doing great things in this bright, picked up environment.

CTJ, I'm also dealing with recovering my full health. I've been youtubing on the construction of pianos. Of all things. It began when a musician in an interview mentioned her new Fazioli grand piano. I'd never heard of the brand so I looked them up ...

One interesting tidbit to fall my way out of all of this was a short "improve your practice" style video's advice to listen more. And he had a story of one person who'd advanced to some amazing level in just one year. An n of 1 is a start, but not convincing.

Still, I am doodling and drawing as a hobby and wondered if I might apply this advice to this skill. What would that be? Hm, watch more people drawing and sketching. And youtube casts another sticky tentacle around my brain.

After cancelling a stack of appointments, I had time at home to dig my out some from the stack of magazines set aside "to read some day." Mostly NY Review of Books. Yesterday I followed up on 3 I thought might be interesting to read by borrowing them from the library. Today I've looked into all of them. All passes.

This reminds me that the most frequent "bid" in bridge is pass. I'm sure I can find a lesson there, too.

plant sale went well. Yay!
Square Peg, does your wife like her permanent teeth? I think my problems stem more from the incompetence of the dentist than from the appliance, plus my own teeth plus dentures was a better choice than the hybridge.

My writing is going well most of the time. I'm a bit stalled today, because I'm heading into unknown territory. My heroine is discovering Austin Texas, and that means I'm discovering it too. Have any of you been there? Apparently, sixth street has some great places. My heroine is going for the rowdier parts of town. I'd probably hit up the more conservative places.


Good wishes.

Wow, just propagating roses is a major accomplishment! Maybe you could run classes on the subject. Roses do tend to require a lot of maintenance.

Keep on writing!

If piano construction interests you, you might like the book "Grand Obsession" I could see myself falling so madly in love with an instrument, too.

Austin. I was in my early twenties waiting to have my car's oil changed. An older, not unattractive woman makes small talk with me. She says "Austin Texas is a really great city." It's forty years later and I still believe her.

Oh, well, Mrs. SPG would like her permanent if they'd stay in her mouth and didn't cause pain.

Being that I'm unemployed, we put on hold any major effort toward restoration or replacement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SquarePegGuy If piano construction interests you, you might like the book "Grand Obsession" I could see myself falling so madly in love with an instrument, too.

Oh, my, this comment is WHY I love sites like this. As I write, I'm listening to an interview with Perri Knize on KPFA and just placed a hold on the book from the library.

Had this been a private journal entry, I'd never have gotten your tip and possibly never heard of this book. Just in the bits of video where players compare brands and models I've seen how each piano has a soul and this calls to players in ways that are beyond description or prediction. The president of Steinway, in a segment on Tiffany Poon's video log (vlog) goes on camera saying each separate piano has a soul.

Ah, then there's Tiffany's vlog ... I've been watching this off and on from about 2019? Pre-COVID in any case. She began it while a student at Juilliard. She lets us watch her rehearse. Tells us how she's feeling (fingers feeling stiff today) and where she's needing to focus, etc.

Can I play the piano? Naw. Any musical knowledge. Nope. Just like watching people being passionate and sharing the experience excites me.

I am taking an online course that promises to teach me mastery of ChatGPT. It is quite engaging, but the whole thing gives me an eerie feeling. When I think about how AI might have crafted an email I receive from a person, I am not sure I even want to read it.

Still, we must learn to be competent and proficient users of this technology, and I will keep at it.