a good week (for a new project PC)

I enjoyed a pleasant week and am quite delighted by the profound change in my thinking that led to my having a nice week. I did enjoy some retail therapy when shopping for software and then computer parts. The need for computer parts started with a simple upgrade that resulted to a dead PC. Most likely the motherboard died when from being touched by my hand or wire insulation.

In the past, mechanical problems would provoke my abandonment issues causing me to feel alone, lonely and small inside. This week I got to feel grateful for having two other working PCs, money to afford to buy upscale parts to fix my PC and the skills to put the parts together. Plus, I had planned on buying a new PC in the next six months to run Windows 8 on. My PC problems turned into a good excuse to buy new guts for the computer so that it would be all new on the inside. The new mobo did not fit in the old case, so I also had a good reason to buy a new case. Once I put it altogether and get Windows 7 installed, I will have an awesome PC that is ridiculously overpowered for surfing the web!

Lacking many functional hobby activities, it will be a different experience to spend my time in creating something for me to use for years to come. It will be a nice hobby challenge to put the new PC together and get it working. There is no time stress since I still have working PCs. If none of my PCs were working, I would not go the do-it-yourself route.

I am grateful for all the resources in my life that allow me to buy fun projects that lead to useful devices while having a good time shopping, talking and working on a crafty project.

being happier [aka increased well-being?]

I have been blogging away about gratitude for nine months now. Daily focus on gratitude has changed my brain and how I feel for the better. The change in thoughts between what it was like 13 years ago, what it is like now, and reading about neuroplasticity have me firmly convinced that our brains can be changed with diligent practice. This change is much like changing our fitness through exercise. It works if you work it.

Having a bit of a writer's block in getting the words to flow tonight about existential changes in my thoughts and life. I will post a few words about having a good day today and be grateful for that. Made a tasty ham. turkey, lettuce & cheese sandwich on wheat-berry bread for lunch today. It was good.

I met with Charlie for a couple hours at the Mall after lunch. We talked about neuroplasticity and then inexplicable (to us) right-wing politics. Charlie kinda ranted on their crazy self-destructive actions (Charlie is a calm person so it was not much of a rant compared to what a real rager could do). I asked him if he thought it was counter-productive to believe in neuroplasticity and rant about others. He visibly deflated acknowledging the point. Then we talked about e-technology. (We need a good term encompassing PCs, tablets, smart phones, Kindles, etc, I will go with e-tech.)

We read a half-dozen pages on gratitude and well-being. Talking about what we read was reassuring that our lives are going well for us. Charlie headed for the used bookstore and I went across the parking lot to see my mother.

My sister and I are seeking to have our mother's estate placed in guardianship by a professional guardianship service. Our mother is convinced that we are trying to steal her money through legal means. Conversations with my mother can be surreal when discussing the guardianship process. Dying of dementia in a state-run senior care facility is not the way to go. It would not be nearly as plush as the corner 1-bedroom apartment in the assisted living facility that our mother lives in now. Our mother may be coming to terms with the fact that we are trying to help and protect her. Angry and hostile are two of mother's basic moods. I don't expect her to acknowledge gratitude for the help and support in this life.

I went through Joanne's Fabrics on the way back to my car to get something to hang the colorful wool blanket I bought last week on the wall. They were having a 40% off sale. I got a stylized curtain rod and spring-clip hangers. My friend Alma might help me install the rod & blanket tomorrow. She came by today to say hi and said she would come over tomorrow.

I am grateful for a warm sunny day with pleasant activities that went well today.

buying Microsoft Office at retail with my own money

My parents bought me my first IBM PC in 1984. It came with DOS 2.2. In 1985, I installed a hard drive in place of a one of the two 5.25" floppy drives. DOS 2.2 did not support hard drives, so I had to upgrade to DOS 3.3. Since that time, I have never paid retail prices with my money for Microsoft software until tonight.

I bought PCs and software with other people's money or MS employees would give me software they bought the MS employee store at a large discount. Office 2007 was installed on my PC, but I was having problems creating a multiple page booklet with landscape orientation. The directions I had were for Office 2010 and seemed like they should have worked for 2007. The booklet didn't look like it would print correctly while viewing with print preview.

Having decided change primary PCs, it seemed like a good reason to buy Office 2010. Costco was $60 cheaper than online at Microsoft.com, so off I went. I had a great time shopping based on the $500+ worth of food & software purchased when I went to Costco to buy kitty litter, toilet paper, and $220 worth of software. Shopping just before closing at Costco was a mixed blessing. It was not very crowded, but everything all looked so good! At least I got everything on my shopping list—plus a lot more.

Three years ago, I bought a new PC to replace one that was dying. It was my fastest PC, but slightly louder than my other PC, so I used the quieter PC as my primary PC for the last three years. The slower PC has now become the louder PC so it was time to setup the new PC as my primary. Thanks to the miracle of online shopping at Amazon.com, a solid state hard drive and a 1 TB HD will be delivered tomorrow.

It has been two years since I last installed Windows. I still got it. I installed Windows 7 and Office 2010 on my faster PC tonight. It turns out that Word 2007 likely created the booklet the way I wanted it to be. Word print preview is too smart for my own good. On the screen, it was displayed in a way that scrolled. On paper, it printed as needed to fold several sheets of paper together to make a booklet.

Tomorrow I will install new hard drives, Windows and Office along with a score of other applications and applets to get my PC setup the way I like it.

Things are looking good. I have a bale of paper towels, a bunch of food in the fridge and a project for tomorrow.

I am grateful that I have the resources to upgrade my PC, drive to Costco, buy food and bring it all inside to be put away. I was so efficient I was dumping the trash on the way out to the car to bring in more groceries.

.......................

Here is a bit of a post-script reinforcing the benefits of writing about the good things in my life. (Oh yeah, I bought flowers while at Costco—I love their bouquets—they are the best value around for flowers.)

From http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_trick_your_brain_for_happiness/

Rick Hanson, Ph.D.

Taking in the good

This brings me to one of my favorite methods for deliberately using the mind to change the brain over time for the better: taking in the good.

Just having positive experiences is not enough to promote last well-being. If a person feels grateful for a few seconds, that’s nice. That’s better than feeling resentful or bitter for a few seconds. But in order to really suck that experience into the brain, we need to stay with those experiences for a longer duration of time—we need to take steps, consciously, to keep that spotlight of attention on the positive.

So, how do we actually do this? These are the three steps I recommend for taking in the good. I should note that I did not invent these steps. They are embedded in many good therapies and life practices. But I’ve tried to tease them apart and embed them in an evolutionary understanding of how the brain works.

1. Let a good fact become a good experience. Often we go through life and some good thing happens—a little thing, like we checked off an item on our To Do list, we survived another day at work, the flowers are blooming, and so forth. Hey, this is an opportunity to feel good. Don’t leave money lying on the table: Recognize that this is an opportunity to let yourself truly feel good.

2. Really savor this positive experience. Practice what any school teacher knows: If you want to help people learn something, make it as intense as possible—in this case, as felt in the body as possible—for as long as possible.

3. Finally, as you sink into this experience, sense your intent that this experience is sinking into you. Sometimes people do this through visualization, like by perceiving a golden light coming into themselves or a soothing balm inside themselves. You might imagine a jewel going into the treasure chest in your heart—or just know that this experience is sinking into you, becoming a resource you can take with you wherever you go.

choices for what to do next

My life is simple, easy and pleasant. I am blessed with a pension that provides financial security. The big decision in my life is what to do next, and after that, and so on. The choices are whatever I want to do (within the limits of my abilities & resources).

Today was the first rainy day of Fall. My response was to hang out at home surfing the web, watching TV, enjoying a fresh salad and leftover pasta with hot Italian sausage for dinner.

The next two days are supposed to be relatively warm (compared with the rest of the year). I am considering a trip to Vancouver, BC. Weather.com predicts the temperatures to be in the mid-sixties and sunny for the next two days.

The other choices are read books, work my way through the exercises on Flourish by Seligman, meet with friends, go to meetings, work on a gratitude booklet (needs to be done in the next week), watch TV, go to a museum or whatever else I might want to do.

On Friday I will see my GP-MD, Dr Lucy, for the last time at the local clinic for my monthly protime blood test. Next month, she will be practicing at the University Village Clinic since that is a lot closer to home for her. I really like her a lot. Dr Lucy has been my GP for 10ish years and we have a great relationship.

I don't like the idea of driving the 520 bridge to see my GP. Combining appointments at the U-Village with my monthly luncheon with Dan might work. We will see. While I am losing the convenience of seeing a doctor I really like at a nearby clinic, her new clinic isn't really that much further away. I can also get a new doctor at the old clinic. There will be change. My choices are good.

I am grateful for the decisions to be made in my life these days. Current choices generally involve making my life more pleasant, more fun or better. I am blessed to get to choose between activities I want to do instead having to make a Hobson's choice between the lesser of two evils.

meeting a good friend at the mall

My friend Leslee meets for a walk & talk at Bellevue Square on Sunday evenings. She is an avid hiker so it is not like she needs the exercise of walking around the mall. She is a great friend and an important relationship in my life. Tonight I gave her a token of my appreciation of her by giving her a book and a thank-you card.

It is great to have two malls in Bellevue that I visit nearly every week. Bellevue Square is an upscale mall with well over 100 stores. Crossroads Mall has less than half that many that are not all connected by an indoor corridor. Bell Square is great for people watching and for walking around thanks to having two floors with multiple indoor corridors. Crossroads Mall is best for chatting with friends or low budget dining at the food court.

While I almost never shop at Bell Square, I am grateful for having a large upscale mall close by for walking and talking on those NW days when I am not up for an outdoor walk. I am also grateful to have a convenient meeting place to chat with friends that have more options than a cup of coffee or a pastry. Most of all, I am grateful for good friends such as Leslee and Charlie that meet with me at the malls.

an afternoon in prison => change

In December, I will have been volunteering at a local prison for 10 years. We go once a month on the second Thursday night of the month. We meet with the inmates for 60 - 90 minutes depending on the latest whim of the prison administration.

Today, we went out to the prison for a Saturday afternoon event. This was their equivalent of an all-day conference. Nine volunteers went in the morning for several hours and seven of us went in the afternoon for almost 3 hours. The inmates had arranged to have packaged Danish pastries and apple juice. One inmate said it was the first time he had apple juice in six years. This was a big deal for them. They are extremely fortunate to have an administration that strongly supports 12-step programs.

There were 11 inmates and 9 volunteers. That worked out as a good number for our event. While most of us have the default mindset that bigger is better, the reality is that we had a really powerful experience today.

We talked about change and spirituality as two separate topics. Most of us talked about change and then some of us talked about spirituality.

I read a book about change earlier this week. The big idea that I got as a take-away from the book was to expand my horizons sufficiently so that I occasionally fail in some project or another. Sort of like the boy who grows up wanting to be President. He studies really hard, gets good grades, goes to a great university, gets a graduate degree, has a great job, great family life and fails to become President. Failures don't get much better than that.

I had a lot of small change this week. Nearly all change is small and/or incremental. Added up over the course of the last 12+ years, I have made miraculous strides and achieved fantastic change.

I have a friend that wants to change, but is not willing to do the work. Her physical and mental health are failing rapidly. We went to dinner tonight. Her left leg was swollen from hip to ankle. She thought if might be a problem with her vitamins. I thought (to myself) her alcoholism is killing her and the swollen leg is symptomatic of impending liver failure.

I am grateful for the progress I made today by working on changing myself a little bit at a time most days.

a warm first day of Fall

The 23rd was the first day of Fall. Today was a warm sunny muggy day with clear skies. After a cool cloudy Spring and Summer, it was a treat to get off to a good weather start for a new season this year.

My future tripping leads me to miss the sun more than warranted at this point. There will still be 4 more minutes of sun-up than sun-down today thanks to the equilux effect which is the apparent diameter of sun being larger than a single point in the sky.

On my way to a meeting tonight, I was blessed with the beauty of a tree with scarlet autumn leaves lit by the golden glow of the evening sun. From the shadows, I paused to enjoy the study in colors. It was a good time to be present in the moment.

I am grateful for warm days and the great natural beauty of the changing seasons here in Western Washington.

something new for me…stable relationships

I had my teeth cleaned today at the same dentist's office that I have been going to for the last 13 years. Next week, I will go see my doctor at the same clinic I have been going to for about 20 years. I have lived in this apartment for almost 8 years. All of those relationships are adult life longevity records for me.

The dental hygienist is 49. She got to talking about her next birthday being the 'big one' meaning turning 50 years old. Being 52, I assured her that life got better after 50. For me, it is a matter of accepting the status quo in my life and being okay with who I am. I am still evolving internally as a person. The externalities have become stable as exemplified by the increasing length of my relationships.

Last week I read a short book on personal change by Ralph Bruksos called Turning Change Into A Payday: Re-inventing Yourself Through The Eight Stages of Change. The book had a challenge in it that I am taking to heart. It talked about failure being a vital part of personal growth. I have a project that I wanted to do but was hesitating on due to possible negative feedback/criticism from others. My project was to create a short booklet on gratitude to hand out to others at a weekend conference in October. I will let you know how that goes!

I am grateful for the stable relationships in my life today.

an embarrassment of reading riches

My friend and sponsor Charlie and I try to get together once a week. We caught up on our lives, read a random recovery piece and then discuss the philosophy of that.

A couple of months ago, he brought a book that referred to The Seven Laws of Hindu Spiritualism. Having found multiple copies of the Seven Laws last week, we read the first law today. The first law is there is an infinity of potential in our lives.

To go with that infinite potential, we read from two other books to acknowledge the literary blessings in our lives. All three readings discussed having great potential in our lives and that it is our responsibility to utilize that potential to our best advantage.

After that discussion, we walked across the Crossroads Mall parking lot to where my mother lives at the Sunrise Assisted living facility. Charlie is the second friend I introduced to my mother in the last 20 years. He did really well with her and she liked the attention.

I am grateful for the many reading riches and other resources in my life today.

a nice road trip to Walla Walla

For the first time in over a year, I slept in a bed that was not mine. I went to Portland on Sunday afternoon, spent some time with a friend there and then stayed in a hotel there. On Monday, I went to visit a friend in Walla Walla and stayed in another hotel. Probably do to my purchasing preference location on the price/rating curve, I ended up at a Comfort Inn both nights.

The drive to Portland was uneventful as it was the first Seattle mistrainfall of the coming winter. Seattle mist makes everything wet without much by way of measurable precipitation. It is how Seattle built its reputation for being a really rainy place even though we average less rainfall than, say, New York City (38 vs. 47 inches respectively).

By the time I got to Portland 150 miles south of Seattle, the sky was clear. I had a good time talking with my friend that night and then got some sleep. I did write a short gratitude list on paper being grateful for good roads, a reliable car, good gas mileage and more. T

he good gas mileage part was significant this trip since I started my trip with a short half-tank of gas. My guess was I would have to stop to get gas within 100 miles. As the trip progressed, I could see that my chances of a non-stop trip to Portland were going from no-way to maybe. When I got to Kelso, the rain had stopped and that was already a bonus. When I got to Vancouver, WA, I still had enough gas to ensure making it over the Columbia river bridge into Portland. I was quite pleased. In Oregon, they don't have self-service gas. That meant I did not have to get my wheelchair out to pump my own gas. I was unseemingly pleased with my car and its gas mileage!

On Monday, I drove up the Columbia river gorge on a perfect day for a drive. I stopped at the Maryhill Museum in the middle of nowhere. It had a fantastic display of Rodin sculptures, artifacts from Queen Victoria of Romania, over 100 different elaborate chess sets and a great display of Native American tools and art. There was also a Charles Russell painting The Buffalo Hunt. It was an impressive piece of art.

I visited a Stonehenge replica overlooking the Columbia river and then drove to Pendleton. I stopped at the Pendleton Mill wool textile factory and went on a fast spendy shopping spree. My favorite coat ever was a Pendleton. I got another in the same style although instead of the original gray, the new coat has a Indian blanket sort of motif on the torso. I also bought a colorful blanket to use as a wall hanging and a jean-vest for my friend in Walla Walla with a wool print on the back of the vest. Joy liked her new vest.

Today I drove home via Yakima. In Yakima, I had lunch with Sarah. It was the first time I had seen Sarah in two years. The drive home was pleasant and uneventful. Passed a bunch of trucks on the interstate, had to slowdown a couple of times for road construction projects and made good time overall.

I am grateful for many things that helped make my lap around SE Washington a pleasant trip. Good friends, good weather, good roads, a good car, a good credit card(!) , good food and a clean functional hotel room.

post # 200…again (actually at 201 now)

For some reason, the Blogspot counter should me at 199 posts last week on 9/13. This week, I was somehow still at 200. My reading and comprehension skills are reasonably good. Historically, I have been able to add 1 to 199 to get 200 nearly always. It could be worse, I could be like the Seattle Police and have lost tens of thousands of dash-cam videos without acknowledging until a local TV news station broke the news on TV tonight announcing they had filed a lawsuit against the Seattle police for violating Washington State public records laws—which could not have come at a worse time since the SPD is already under Federal investigation for multiple incidents of police misconduct.

I am grateful that the miscount of a couple blog posts doesn't matter in the least little bit unless I choose to worry about it as a precursor of "senior moments" yet to come in my life. J

serendipitous finds

Went to meet a friend for dinner tonight at Crossroads. She never made it. A cell phone call determined she was at a different mall—once I went out to my car to use my cell phone since I rarely carry it with me.

While waiting for her to show up, I went to the used book store and looked around for a minute. Between large print from the library and my kindle, I no longer buy novels to read. I didn't browse long in the book store.

Much to my delight on the way out, I spied a short stack of The Seven Laws of Hindu Spiritualism. I tried getting a copy from Amazon four months ago and was told they would try to get it for me. That never happened.

I bought 3 copies, one for me and two for my friends.

I am grateful to have the resources to afford spontaneous retail therapy when unique and unexpected purchasing opportunities present themselves.

a free haircut

My shopping habits are at least erratic if not quite eccentric. While grocery shopping, I usually buy whatever is on sale at the grocers that have the 'loyalty' cards. Milk & veggies are rarely discounted so I just buy what I like which are mostly the standards like lettuce, broccoli and onions.

A good example of a bad purchase was the DVD drive on my primary computer died a couple of months ago. Last week, I bought another one off Amazon for $40. Then I canceled my Netflix subscription a day or two later as planned at the end of my monthly subscription cycle. Now I have no use for a new DVD drive. Plus, the DVD drive on my other two PCs work fine. My Blu-Ray player also plays DVDs. Oh well, I guess I can think of it as the first component of my new PC that I will get when Windows 8 is released. My rationalization skills are top-notch!

I often go out to eat with friends that are poorer than I am and so will treat them to a dinner they really can't afford on their own at a more upscale restaurant than basic franchise fast food. Cheap at the grocers, spendthrift at the restaurants. I make up for that in part by buying lots of prepaid restaurant coupons such as Groupons where I pay, say, $15, and get a $30 voucher.

Haircuts are something that is never on sale. Since I go with the electric shears and a #2 setting (about a quarter inch long) every month or two, I have no need for a fancy glamour styling cut. Cheap, fast and convenient are the only criteria. I vary between having a friend cut my hair with my shears (too many 'racing stripes' when I do it!), going to the local beauty college and a barber across the street from my pharmacist. Those prices range from free to cheap to $20 plus tip.

Today I got a more upscale haircut with the #2 shears thanks to the power of reading my junk mail and finding a coupon for a free haircut. The lady barber was quick, skilled and a pleasant conversationalist. I skipped the free shampoo and scalp massage after some paying customers started to stack up in the waiting area.

I am grateful for coupons that save me money and get me to try new things that I would not otherwise experience.

a minor meltdown

Had a minor meltdown the last two days. Was going to go to Vancouver BC and did not make it out of the apartment. In the past, that type of behavior (flaking on myself and/or others) would all too often serve as the snowball that started an avalanche of negative thinking.

As it was, I watched movies and read from my Kindle. Not exactly a big change in lifestyle, but a bit demoralizing when I had planned on doing something else. I know fear of pain was a big part of the issue. I have a baker's dozen pillows on my bed so I can most comfortably prop up my right leg to reduce the chronic pain in my right hip. A hotel bed does not have a chance of being nearly that comfy.

The good news is that tomorrow I will get back out there and face the world. My meltdowns are a lot shorter and far more pleasant than how they used to be. I have picked up many tools in the 12 years since I started recovery. The power of gratitude that I have learned this year helps me use those other tools far more quickly and skillfully.

Vancouver was a goal to make during the recent spate of warm weather. That has gone by the wayside for the winter. I have a friend in Walla Walla that I want to visit. It is still 75F+ in Eastern Washington. I hope to go next week via the Columbia gorge and stop at the Maryhill Museum. It is a great museum in the middle of nowhere with a Stonehenge replica.

I am grateful that my meltdowns are now fairly pleasant and reasonably short-lived. It is a lot better than how it used to be.

my 200th gratitude post in 2011

My goal has been to post 5x/week for the year. I have earned 3 weeks' vacation by posting more often than that since May. I have learned a lot about gratitude and well-being. It has been a treat and a privilege to share what I have learned with others.

I will make a short presentation on gratitude to many others the first weekend in October in an effort to persuade them to take action. For the rest of the year, I hope to work with community leaders to implement an as yet undefined program of well-being as described in the book Flourish in Bellevue.

I am grateful for what I have learned, the tremendous positive progress and the impact my studying gratitude brought to my relationships with myself and others.

living with values

Prior to recovery, I had ethical knowledge of right and wrong, but lacked moral integrity to live by my values of right and wrong. My life was unmanageable.

I match words, thoughts and deeds with right action in my life today. While I am still far from perfect, it is a lot better than how it used to be and is good enough for today. These days, I spend a lot more time helping others than needing help. I believe that things will work out okay and do my reasonable best to make that happen.

I am grateful to live life with values today instead of having a mismatched ethics & behavior way of life like how it used to be.

a week of perfect weather

The weather this week was incredible. All month (10 days!), the weather has been clear blue skies, 80F during the day and 60F at night. The forecast is for a few more days of this cooling off into rain into the 70s and then rain in a week.

I am grateful for 2 weeks of perfect weather.

This site is protected by the FBI!

Good news everybody! (Phrase uttered by the crazy mad scientist in the cartoon Futurama right before he sends the crew on yet another high-risk mission.)

From wired.com

The graphic you see on this page—the FBI's Anti-Piracy Warning Seal—was specifically created to deter illegal practice and to increase public awareness of the penalties associated with piracy.

Why? Because piracy of media and other commercial goods causes huge losses to the U.S. economy each year…and it's American consumers who are paying the price.

Where will the seal (and all statements that say "FBI Anti-Piracy Warning") appear? On a lot of different kinds of goods…subject to the terms of licensing agreements. But right now, we're just getting started.

Since August 2006, the FBI has authorized use of the FBI Anti-Piracy seal and warning by members of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), subject to each member entering into a formal Uniform Authorization Agreement. Association members should contact the MPAA, RIAA, SIIA, BSA, or ESA for more information.

We are evaluating the licensing arrangements we have with members of these associations with a view towards permitting the broadest possible public use of the seal by all individuals and businesses with a copyright interest.

In the meantime, it is perfectly fine for anyone, without FBI approval, to use the following generic language on material protected under U.S. copyright law: "Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000."

A last word to the wise: Unauthorized use of the FBI seal, name, and initials are subject to prosecution under Federal Criminal law, including Sections 701, 709, and 712 of Title 18 of the United States Code.

I am grateful that while the FBI was busy protecting the rights of the RIAA,BSA, MPAA, etc, they have not had time to stage yet another siege on homeowners murdering innocent pregnant housewives in since Ruby Ridge, err, make that Waco. Even better, the FBI is now protecting my blog for internet piracy both those who would steal my gratitude…thoughts.

Family law court system

My mother is cognitively incapacitated by dementia and will not admit it. My sister and I are going through the process of having a court appointed evaluator, a "Guardian Ad Litem" (GAL), determine if our mother is cognitively capable of taking care of herself. The answer is clearly not. Our mother is contesting the issue and so what is normally a mutually agreed upon process is now an adversarial process in the legal system by proxy of lawyer vs. lawyer. This puts our mother in the unenviable position of paying for 3 different attorneys to fight amongst themselves over whether or not she needs a guardian to protect her from being ripped-off by those who prey on the incapacitated elderly.

It would be nice if our mother manifested more rational behavior. That is not going to happen.

The good news is that the system works. I went to family court today to watch the process as the GAL filed for the court's permission to have a psychological evaluation of our mother along with reasonable requests for more time and money. Court started close to on-time and we were the second case called. 5-10 minutes was spent in a semi-private conversation with the judge (technically a "Commissioner" in this matter).

I had a hard time finding the courtroom since it was not merely in room 325, but in w325. Fortunately parking had gone well and I was able to find my way to the room before court started. The GAL explained the process to me in a kindly way. My mother's attorney badgered the GAL about obvious legal points of procedure. The GAL repeatedly stated she had sent the information to his office and did not want to answer his questions. Finally she was so annoyed by his badgering with basic questions she walked left the courtroom.

What I was impressed by is how well the system works. Even in tough economic conditions with homeless people sleeping on the lawn outside the courthouse, the inside of the courthouse was clean, uncrowded and seemingly well-staffed with competent workers taking their job seriously. I felt reassured that justice would be served fairly even if it was a little slower than what I wanted.

I am grateful for legal system that is not completely overrun with corruption based on a rule of law instead of literally who has the most big guns.

The Crossroad's Farmers Market

It was a warm sunny September Tuesday and the Crossroad's Farmers Market was open. Charlie and I wandered through the booths of about 20 local farmers with fresh produce, fruits and products for sale. The prices are a bit higher at the farmers markets that I have toured compared with local grocers. The fruit is peaked at the peak of ripeness and freshness in a way the bigger stores can't possibly match.

I tried beef jerky, a white nectarine and an artisan chocolate macaroon. The beef jerky was $40/lb. The nectarine was delicious. The macaroon made me wonder if the other flavors tasted better.

We will likely start meeting at the mall on Tuesdays to have our get-togethers coincide with a trip to the farmers market located in the back parking lot.

Today Charlie and I read from Flourish. A book about how to improve well-being (happiness + satisfaction) with the latest research from positive psychology. We were keyed-up after a invigorating reading and discussion.

I am grateful for friends, fresh foods, sunny days and choices.

Helping Ludy

Ludy is a friend of a friend that needed help with a cover letter and resume. You know someone is desperate for help when to they go to the guy that went 19 years without a job for help apply for jobs!

Ludy was a nice lady that came from Ukraine when she was 40. Her English is obviously ESL, but pretty good with an easily understood Russian-like accent. She was applying for jobs on Craigslist doing short-term food service jobs such as cooking food sample demonstrations in grocery stores.

I am sure a great writer could custom tailor a cover letter and resume for each CL job. That is not my method. My technique is to create several versions of cover letters and resumes, and then use numerical superiority to send out as many job applications as possible. That cuts down on the feeling of rejection and yields a sense of achievement for at least having sent out a bunch of resumes. Obviously the goal is to get jobs, not send out resumes.

My understanding of the low-skill job market is that there is a glut on the market of underemployed and unemployed workers. Those two [lack of] employment conditions combined are estimated to range from 16% to 20% of the workforce. I am glad I am not trying to get a job now. The competition is ferocious.

One thing working with Ludy made clear is that my computer skill level is much greater than what I give myself credit for. I guess I most have learned something in the two Microsoft Certification programs and the AA in Database Admin courses that I took—along with having a computer for the last 25 years.

I don't have the skills and/or experience to get a good computer techie job. I do have plenty of skills to use Google to pull up examples of cover letters and resumes.

I am grateful to have the skills to be able to help others use computers and for my technical literacy.

a walk & talk with friends

Usually, I walk with Leslee on Sunday evenings. Today, Charlie and Margie joined us for a walk at the Bellevue Downtown Park. They told us stories of their 2x 2-week vacation to Costa Rica and Ireland. It was quite the trip.

We had a nice walk and talk in the park on a warm afternoon followed by a meeting about walking working with others. There are many fantastic role models for me in the program. I am forever indebted to them for the skills I have learned from their examples.

I am grateful for healthy friends that inspire me to rise above myself.

A nice road trip to La Conner

It was a beautiful day for a drive. Gigi and I went to dinner and a meeting in La Conner. We stopped at a produce stand near La Conner to buy local veggies ($3/21 ears of corn) and smoked Sockeye salmon. We had the best Cioppino made with fresh local seafood at Kirsten's restaurant in La Conner. We got to chat with chef Tom while having the downstairs section of the restaurant to ourselves while everybody else dined upstairs.

After that, it was a short drive to the No Reservations once-a-month speaker meeting with two excellent speakers. Before the meeting, during the break, and after the meeting was a good time chatting with friends.

It was a great day for a drive, pleasant company and a check-mark on my bucket list for the summer. I have been to dinner and a meeting for the three out of the last four years. Always a great trip.

I am grateful for great food, great friends, and great speakers. A beautiful day with a pleasant drive surrounded by gorgeous green scenery made it all the better.

USPS = 'snail mail'

Ordered some books for my Friday night meeting on Wednesday afternoon. They arrived today in time to take them to the meeting tonight. For a $6 mailing fee, it was a lot cheaper to have the books mailed to me than it was to drive to Seattle, pay for parking, get the books and drive home. The convenience factor was incredible. On my way out the door to the meeting, I picked up the books and was on my way.

I am grateful for the convenience of having literature mailed to me. I have had more literature mailed to me this last year (thanks to Amazon.com) than I have in the rest of my life put together.