this lagging sense of dread
We're in the last days of the year. And I have such a list....
I have a million house-keeping things to do; no, not that kind of house-keeping. Well, yes, that kind of house-keeping, but I meant computer-wise. My files are in a mess; e-mails not filed/deleted/labelled, fic archival list (aka The Roster) with a long tail of stories tacked on and not put in their place, the 'what I wrote' list for 2011 to do, AO3 miserably lagging in archiving, things to read, things to write, trying to think of something to set up for no_shadows_fall for Valentine's Day. When my computer died last December, there was a dark down-time, then it was re-born like a Phoenix sporting Linux (OpenSuisse old version). All my old Vista files are in a files named 'Old Vista Files'. Contained within the Old Vista Files is a remnant of HP Classic files from the first laptop. My files are in worm ouroboros status. I did update the Music files. The Picture files are particularly bad, with icons and screencaps and stuff everywhichwhere. Ack.
R is off to Ohio to look over the situation with his Dad and StepMom. Involving recurrent cancer, breaking bones and multiple hospital stays for StepMom, Dad alone back in independent living, with some help that is temporary. The main caretaker is StepMom's daughter S, who's breaking under the strain of it all. There goes R's lovely long break, but S could sure use one. R's Dad still has communication issues after his last stroke, and R understands him best. The pull between what they want, and what's best for them and those around them, is becoming more of a hard yank than a gentle tug.
It reminds me how I've been putting off the next stage of dealing with own parents' re-location. Which now includes going over the papers on the options for my Dad's macular degeneration treatment. He's had three years of extra eyesight but the stuff he'd been taking isn't working any more. Options are another drug (low success rate as with the first drug...which did work for him, for a while), surgery (with really bad downsides if it doesn't work), and New!WonderDrug (high success rate, but even with his gold-plated legacy insurance paying 75% it's $450/month, forever). His hearing is mostly gone too and hearing aids don't seem to work for him. The world is closing in on my parent's generation.
I was supposed to work this week, and will shift experiments forward as possible, go in tomorrow for a few hours, then work from home both Thursday and Friday in order to finish up some paperwork due in January. That's the theory in any case. Nice that #1 is old enough to watch out for #2 while I go into work/work from home. There are playdates and birthday parties Friday, then we'll see about the weekend. I may run in to set up the shifted experiment for the next week. Frankly I don't remember what I'd already scheduled, and will check and make that decision when I'm in tomorrow. I need to put the experimental schedule on my computer, which I can access from home, rather than scribbling it on the deskpad calendar and whiteboard at work. It changes so much, you see, dependent on circumstances, reagents, etc.
We are both lucky to have workplaces that allow us this much flexibility, the transportation and money to take off and help our parents, and the support at home to make sure things keep running. Really lucky. If I can keep my mind focused in on that, maybe I won't miss R so much.
We're in the throes of the big family room re-do. The last of the skanky once-white carpet is up and littering the back hall trussed up for its trip to the dump upon R's return. We have a lovely black and tan and grey cement floor, partially sealed and partially patchworked with carpet remnants. With baseboards yet to pull and carpet tacks yet to yank up. Everything off the walls then, repair of dings and holes, massive cleaning of the dingy 'white' panelling, and then paint. Lovely fresh paint which covers a multitude of sins. I plan to paint the fireplace too, but mayhap later. The idea is to paint before we put down the tile. Which is still being ordered in small lots, since Home Depot only ever has three boxes at one time. Probably just as well, considering how heavy the boxes are and how very many we have to have. This project will take months of weekends to finish and a year to pay off.
Better get to work, eh?
This entry was originally posted at http://vjs2259.dreamwidth.org/247403.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
I have a million house-keeping things to do; no, not that kind of house-keeping. Well, yes, that kind of house-keeping, but I meant computer-wise. My files are in a mess; e-mails not filed/deleted/labelled, fic archival list (aka The Roster) with a long tail of stories tacked on and not put in their place, the 'what I wrote' list for 2011 to do, AO3 miserably lagging in archiving, things to read, things to write, trying to think of something to set up for no_shadows_fall for Valentine's Day. When my computer died last December, there was a dark down-time, then it was re-born like a Phoenix sporting Linux (OpenSuisse old version). All my old Vista files are in a files named 'Old Vista Files'. Contained within the Old Vista Files is a remnant of HP Classic files from the first laptop. My files are in worm ouroboros status. I did update the Music files. The Picture files are particularly bad, with icons and screencaps and stuff everywhichwhere. Ack.
R is off to Ohio to look over the situation with his Dad and StepMom. Involving recurrent cancer, breaking bones and multiple hospital stays for StepMom, Dad alone back in independent living, with some help that is temporary. The main caretaker is StepMom's daughter S, who's breaking under the strain of it all. There goes R's lovely long break, but S could sure use one. R's Dad still has communication issues after his last stroke, and R understands him best. The pull between what they want, and what's best for them and those around them, is becoming more of a hard yank than a gentle tug.
It reminds me how I've been putting off the next stage of dealing with own parents' re-location. Which now includes going over the papers on the options for my Dad's macular degeneration treatment. He's had three years of extra eyesight but the stuff he'd been taking isn't working any more. Options are another drug (low success rate as with the first drug...which did work for him, for a while), surgery (with really bad downsides if it doesn't work), and New!WonderDrug (high success rate, but even with his gold-plated legacy insurance paying 75% it's $450/month, forever). His hearing is mostly gone too and hearing aids don't seem to work for him. The world is closing in on my parent's generation.
I was supposed to work this week, and will shift experiments forward as possible, go in tomorrow for a few hours, then work from home both Thursday and Friday in order to finish up some paperwork due in January. That's the theory in any case. Nice that #1 is old enough to watch out for #2 while I go into work/work from home. There are playdates and birthday parties Friday, then we'll see about the weekend. I may run in to set up the shifted experiment for the next week. Frankly I don't remember what I'd already scheduled, and will check and make that decision when I'm in tomorrow. I need to put the experimental schedule on my computer, which I can access from home, rather than scribbling it on the deskpad calendar and whiteboard at work. It changes so much, you see, dependent on circumstances, reagents, etc.
We are both lucky to have workplaces that allow us this much flexibility, the transportation and money to take off and help our parents, and the support at home to make sure things keep running. Really lucky. If I can keep my mind focused in on that, maybe I won't miss R so much.
We're in the throes of the big family room re-do. The last of the skanky once-white carpet is up and littering the back hall trussed up for its trip to the dump upon R's return. We have a lovely black and tan and grey cement floor, partially sealed and partially patchworked with carpet remnants. With baseboards yet to pull and carpet tacks yet to yank up. Everything off the walls then, repair of dings and holes, massive cleaning of the dingy 'white' panelling, and then paint. Lovely fresh paint which covers a multitude of sins. I plan to paint the fireplace too, but mayhap later. The idea is to paint before we put down the tile. Which is still being ordered in small lots, since Home Depot only ever has three boxes at one time. Probably just as well, considering how heavy the boxes are and how very many we have to have. This project will take months of weekends to finish and a year to pay off.
Better get to work, eh?
This entry was originally posted at http://vjs2259.dreamwidth.org/247403.html. Please comment there using OpenID.