Jerry CGI+

Got the emails archived for the half year, and closed up Sweet Mail. Mail is now on the new laptop, both IMAP and POP3. IMAP on the phone and pad too. Big change of habit, as I’ve used Sweet Mail for a couple of decades. The good news, spell checking as I type.

I was expecting a work crew this morning, but none showed. Just as well, I slept.

I got an email from HostPapa, telling me that my listed credit card had expired, and I can’t tell if I’m getting charged for my domain or not. It shows a $17 fee for 1 year, whereas it has always been free. I won’t get charged for the hosting until next year, and I don’t know if I get grandfathered from the merger or if they are going to raise the price considerably and drop 2 years off my plan. Time will tell.

Most of the chores are done today. Tomorrow will be a busy one. Payday, recycling, modem, work crew (?), jam, etc. I’m glad I got the emails archived today, a few hours ahead of time.

Plenty to eat in the fridge. Avocado got devoured last night on a spud (pork and cheddar). Need to focus on the risotto, a couple of servings to go. Rib eye, pork tenderloin, smoked turkey, boudin, brats, tamales… Brisket chili tomorrow.

No one has called me since I got the phone set up. I don’t know if the ringtones work or not. It should work, but proof would be nice.

Well, I got the COVID internet discount, starting next billing cycle (I think, it might be immediate). I also got a 25 mbps > 75 mbps upgrade at no extra cost, not counting the $100 installation fee for swapping modems (I think, I get contradictory signals on the info). I will let the smoke clear before I pay anything. The scheduled swap is Thursday afternoon. I need to do some cleaning.

A quick calculation shows that I have burned 346G of bandwidth in the 2.2 months since I acquired the new MBP. With 1T/mo, I am way under limit.

Made my first call on the new phone, acquiring the above discount. It works okay, a little different from the mini-slab. I’m getting used to it. I also sent my first SMS from the phone, while I’d had the day paid. It’s my day to experiment with the cellular.

I have a rib eye steak in the fridge to broil. I was going to do it last night/this morning, but I fell asleep and missed the cool window. I also thawed pork tenderloin and a pack of boudin, plus bought gourmet tamales. Flautas and taquitos went in the freezer. Spuds and avocado are on the counter. Pound cake too. No shopping for a while. Spud, pork, cheddar, avocado for lunch in a bit.

I still need to cut my hair. Finding both the right temp and adequate focus simultaneously has proven difficult.

Payday is 36 hours away. It will help alleviate the dent I’ve taken in June. At least I’m not hurting. Thursday is also jam night.

I paid the phone bill this morning, prepaid for a year. My phone related payments are done until June 2022. I have everything set up correctly on the phone, from wallpaper to original ringtones. Now I can turn my attention back to finishing up on the MBP.

Not much else happening, being summer. Risotto will be made this morning while it’s still cool, if I achieve my intentions. The fridge looks pretty bare.

I qualified for the federal COVID internet discount that started last month. While there is still a declared emergency, the discount will apply. I need to call in tomorrow during business hours to get it applied, first use of the new phone. I might be able to double my speed as well. I’d seen that I’m paying the same rate as a 75 mbps line for 25 mbps, but it really wasn’t that big of a deal, as I’ve been pulling 33 mbps, and the tested ceiling is around 65 – 70 mbps. The discount is more important.

Myka is flea free. The Seresto collar worked as advertised. And the price is now more than double what I paid for it, from one third to five sixths MSRP. Good timing. The only thing that Myka is scratching now is the collar.

Finally got my script.

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Found my new email client, I think.

It’s summer. A string of days in the 90s, approaching July, which is where the heat kicks in overtime, or is that overdrive? Ten weeks of oven outside the office.

Still waiting on word from the pharmacy. I need to switch the phones and get a protective case for the iPhone. I found a 10 foot drop case for $12, an iridescent finish. I will go ahead and get a full year on the plan if I can get it switched over on the same plan like they told me. If I don’t get a text on the script, I’ll go ahead and take of the phone this morning.

Looking for a new mail client for the new MBP. Mail, games, and QT7 are the only things keeping the old MacBook up and running on a daily basis. July 1 is when I cycle the email, so that is my target date for a new POP3 client.

I need to cook. I got milk and pan sausage for gravy to help whittle down the two loaves of bread. And there is cheese risotto on the menu too. Gouda and bread is a quick item for a cool lunch.

I am starting to miss the ability to get on the road. Not that summer is the time of year to travel in the old truck. But I would enjoying seeing familiar faces.

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Myka got a Seresto collar placed on her this evening to combat the fleas. She is not thrilled about it, but they are effective. Her fleas should be dead by this time tomorrow. I’m glad I got a discount on it, costing less than a third of its base price. They are expensive.

The iPhone has been activated and is in service. Same everything in the plan as before, $2/day, no data, same payments, so I’m a happy camper. Sunday is the next payment, a full year. All the contacts have been transferred (manually), minus a few that are never used any longer. New wallpaper that I made, with more to come. Custom ringtone, with more to come (*clacking bones* “Jerry, someone you don’t know is calling you. Ignore them.”). I will certainly flesh it out a little more, but not drastically. I have it in basic service mode now, the money traps turned off. I wasn’t able to get the iridescent case, so I settled for a black, rubbery, grippy, opaque thing with the same drop specs. I can live with it.

The old phone has had the battery pulled. It is permanently retired. It served me well.

I need to get back to finishing out the laptop. I still have a long learning curve on the MIDI/MPK mini. The installation folder is loaded again. This weekend will see another push.

I need to cook.

I bought an iPhone SE today, now titled jPhone. It’s black, set for AT&T, and the apple Pencil won’t connect, but the Bamboo stylus will. I can live with that, because it will fit in a pocket, and the pencil won’t. The good news is that I can retain the $2 per day plan without data, which is how it currently stands. Wifi works just fine on it. I will head over to the AT&T store tomorrow morning to make the switch. A year payment to be made on Sunday.

I am currently upgrading the phone’s system to iOS 13.4 using the MBP. 5.3G transfer. Then I can load it with the phone apps I want on the phone, won’t be that many. 57.2G capacity (64G), 45.8G available. More than adequate for my needs.
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I am trying to find a painless way to transfer PDFs en mass to the phone. I’m pretty sure that I can find a way. No big hurry. (I found it, all the tab sheets are on the phone, albeit a tad hard to read.) Music has been transferred too.

Another warm day, sunny and warm. 93°F. Good thing I have office stuff to do on the new phone and laptop.

Script was sitting in limbo, as they were trying to contact Dr Vaughn instead of Dr. Pierce. That’s okay, as I need a protective case for the phone. I wanted to wait on that to make sure I’d keep the phone. I will. But I got everything else on the shopping list.

A slow weekend. A store run Sunday pm. Otherwise, it was hunkering in the cool cave, same ol same ol.

I was the only strong leader at the jam last night, though there were four leaders total. But I had to support the others as much as I could. Hence, my pads failed me toward the end of the evening, about two hours of music total. It was a warm night, so the crowd was minimal. It was fun, and I brought my own stool, so my glutes survived. And I brought home the chili, as usual these days.

There isn’t a whole lot else going on. Summer is keeping things down. The dryer was connected and runs, but there is no wall vent for the hot air to escape. So there is still no dryer in operation.

I am looking at toolboxes. I decided that the one I have is inadequate, too small for the tools I have. They fit, but only with the skills of a topologist. I need something a little more forgiving, but something that fits in the same spot in the pickup bed. So I am looking for specific parameters.

I have lots of projects to tackle this summer, outside truck repair, when I have the energy and ambition. Tool handle dipping, purpleheart bones, wash and wax the truck, MIDI set up, backup the drives… The list is a long one. I will stay as busy as I like.

The installation of the 220V line for the dryer is done, all that remains is connecting each end and cutting a hole in the wall for a vent. A work break is in progress, so Myka is freed from the office for the time being. Myka was perplexed by the sound of drilling under the house. Ironic that my clothes finished drying while the installation was in progress.

I got the 512G USB-C stick, and it has been reformatted, excluded from Spotlight (while it’s empty), and otherwise readied for use as a bootable clone for the new MBP.

Ordered more vanilla Piroulines from Amazon using the Texas card, my first online purchase with it. Another batch of Knorr too. Shouldn’t take too long to get here.

Haven’t cut my hair yet, but any day now, when the distractions let up. Haven’t cooked either. I did get the list of installations done, excluding the MIDI/VST stuff. That is notorious for issues, so I left it for later to make the process smoother. I’m getting close to having the drive set for action.

It’s summer, and the distinction fades in the haze. I am still a cave dweller. 95°F at the airport, 91°F outside the window, 89°F in the house, 77°F in the office. No brainer. Had a soak, getting hair ready for the annual lop.

Jambalaya is gone. Next, I think, will be chicken penne alfredo, I think (maybe shrimp too). The future is a bit hazy. There is pastrami, Popeye’s, smoked turkey, brats, and freezer stuff to hold me until it’s cool enough to cook.

Have a new list of installations, more than a few gig. Many are updates, but a fair chunk is MIDI/VST. I’ll get to them soon enough, when I find the ambition in the haze.

Having a chance to get my sleep, which I have been doing. I’m about caught up, feeling a little better for it. I want to make progress on the truck.

It’s summer. There is a rhythm to it.

It’s summer. Cave dwelling, vampire shift, minimal cooking, movie watching, waiting for sunset summertime. From here to September.

I’ve already accumulated another installation list. However, a fair portion is updates. Not in any hurry to get them in place.

The new electric lines have been installed by the city, ending the upgrade (I think, they might remove the old ones). I’m wondering if they got the street light reconnected.

Made the store runs, finally got a 90 day script for the spironolactone. Did some maintenance on the truck, but it still needs work. I added some fuel cleaner to the gas tank, which should help the roughness. That leaves brake cylinder and alternator.

Had avocado spud today with pork tenderloin. Put me down hard for the afternoon.

A: Texas

The interior of the truck’s hood was fairly dry today, and the ignition was good. I might be able to start a decent diagnostic. It needs attention.

I’ve been a homebody lately. I need to refill a script, grab a few other things. I think the truck will manage that during daylight.

I rescheduled the ophthalmologist appointment to December 10th, the first slot available. My primary is okay with that, after seeing my blood pressure readings. I’m doing well, in no hurry for medical attention.

There is not a whole lot going on. Made the jambalaya, but haven’t been all that hungry. Haven’t washed the dishes either. Again, no big hurry. Laundry, ice bin, those are on the list. A lot just waiting for it to dry out a little, with the dew point consistently forecast for the mid-70s. In the 90s this week. It’s finally summer, here to September.

Laptop continues to progress, not in huge leaps very often, but it continues to shape up. To remind myself: Art is a state of fascination applied to a sensory medium that results in a state of fascination. Subjective scheduling, everything happens at the proper time. Not in a hurry.

My pads are peeling after half a dozen songs. They need a coconut oil soak. And more playing.

Ordered a 512G USB-C stick as a bootable clone for the MBP. $30, less than I expected.

The headphones are nice. A nice long cord. Proper sound quality, excellent isolation. Well worth the $30.

The Akai MPK mini MK3 is a tiny monster. The software manager app is a royal pain. Registration at four websites. No moving the apps once installed. Security at the expense of the user. Nice for getting started, but the DAWs will be the meal ticket. It plays notes, I laid down some basic progressions (1-4-5-4, 1-5-4-5, 1-6m-4-5, etc), but hardly music yet. Give it time. It will be a gem with a learning curve.

Truck seems to run okay, though I need to reset the battery terminals. Too wet to get serious on diagnostics, though hopefully I’ll get a dry spell to work it. (Eau d’ lemon eucalyptus.)

Piroulines (dark chocolate) due today. I won’t need to ration the last can of the first batch.

Gravy and risotto are gone. Time to cook, probably jambalaya. Popeye’s, brats, pastrami are the remaining fridge stock.

There was no jam session, called on rain. (No chili.) Just as well, because I was not ready on several counts. Lake Somerville is 5.4 ft above stage. There is no drought anywhere in eastern Texas. Skeeter Fest 2021. Indoor living.

I could probably use a bit more sleep. Not suffering from a lack, but I could use more.

I ordered the Akai MPK mini MK3 from Musician’s Friend yesterday. I was lured by a $100 set of TASCOM professional studio headphones for $30, the Stupid Deal of the Day. I also got a 9′ long, 1/8″ stereo to dual 1/4″ mono splitter (computer output to amp or mixer), a 1/8″ stereo to 1/4″ stereo adaptor, and a sustain pedal for the MPK. $200 damage. Everything allows me to augment the audio studio with looping MIDI and a drum kit. Everything is on the way.

The truck repair is on hold because of more rain. It looks like I’ll have to postpone the ophthalmologist appointment. November is the next available slot. My primary will not be pleased. Then again, a quick check just now showed that it might just be a battery terminal issue.

Chicken and marinated pork tenderloin is in the freezer, maxing it out. Risotto and sausage gravy in the fridge, along with a half of a Popeye’s spicy (4 pieces) and a previous half of a pork tenderloin. Brats, pastrami, and smoked turkey round out the options. Jambalaya in the wings.

Down to my last can of Piroulines. *sigh* Dark chocolate is my next batch.