Month: December 2018

Happy Winter Solstice

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From here in rainy Providence RI where the thermometer is at 58F or 14.4C for you metric people out there.

Rainy to the point where my phone keeps getting warnings about flooding. This does not bode well for having a snowy winter. And besides the point, we’ll be in Atlanta before the New Year celebration so we’ll miss any heavy snow fall. I am told by several folks that the Atlanta area does get ice storms and that said storms shut everything down for a few days. I can deal with that. In fact right now it’s warmer here than in Lithonia, GA right now. Of course once the rain is gone we go back to the 30’s temp wise. Maybe.

Getting out of the northeast U.S. for good

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As life is wont, I had to withdraw funds from a cryptocurrency site. They definitely obfuscate the ability that’s for sure.

Anyhow I had a good chunk of Ripple currency. So I wanted to convert it to USD and withdraw it.

What an oddesey. First you have to sell the currency to convert it into USD. Then go through withdrawal, enter all your bank information and click withdraw.

Part of the reason I needed the money – we’re relocating. After over a half century in the Providence/Boston area I’ve decided I’ve had enough of brutally cold weather, getting three feet of snow in one event dumped on us, etc. Plus the assholes in the area really irk me.

One of the thing about me, I love a calm, reasoned conflict. I give the example of my current outgoing state senator. I recall one hearing over granting marriage equality in RI I said to him – can you honestly tell me you have no LGBT people in your family and friends who you are harming with your refusal to grant these rights? I got a nod from him then and there. I think he saw the the error of his opposition. And to this day he respects me.

Then there’s this here site plus facebook et al where I’ve so gotten under the skin of politicians that they’ve called me up to talk about it. I love that. I think part of it is be king maker not king. But I’m tired of swimming in the little incestuous pool of a small state and city. Think about it, our legislature is 75 people. That’s the STATE legislature.

The city council in say NYC is bigger.

But where are we going? Two friends of ours relocated to the Atlanta area. And they rave about it. Even talking to a gentleman on amateur radio mentioned his son is going to school in Atlanta and loves it there. Plus most of both our friends have left the state of Rhode Island for greener pasture. I think it’s high time I did the same. I’ll miss the people of the Providence Emergency Management Agency, and Providence Democratic Socialists but I have to move on.

Plus I did something – I put Atlanta on my linkedin jobs profile. I have been aggressively headhunted by just doing that.

Add to that – no excise tax on motor vehicles, and tax rates on property are low in comparison to what we have in the northeast. And foolishness of standing at the RI DMV for a few hours to renew a licence or car registration – where in Georgia you can go into a supermaker, and electronic kiosk is there where you enter your registration number, swipe your credit/debit card and it spits out renewal stickers for the car. The only similarity is car inspection – it’s mainly emissions check and nothing more both in RI and GA now.

So long Rhode Island and all the folks I’ve known here. And goodbye to my cousins that are still in the state and nearby Connecticut. The time has come, as I said, I have a fair bit of southern Italian ancestry in my blood and it demands go south old man, go south. So I’m going. Farewell Rhode Island.

Decembers Cheery Post

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Ut si – Latin for As If!

So I’ve had issues with a slight scoliosis in my spine. It’s latest manifestation is my right leg on occasion just completely gives out. As I result I’ve received a number of contusions and bruises. The latest though I face planted – resulting in breaking off 1/4 of my front incisor. I gotta wonder how they’ll be able to fix that one. Not much to anchor a repair to be honest. Maybe glass-ionomer but again it’s an incisor, and they take a fair amount of abuse.

Someone says go see a doctor/pc – I say that:

a) Muscle relaxants are almost all benzos. They work when my leg and back muscles spasm but won’t help with the leg going out from under me. In fact I’ve been on them prior to the latest.
b) I’m not too keen on surgery for the scoliosis. I suspect too that it’s congenital because dear old dad had serious back problems too, as in slipped discs etc. It finally ended with them fusing his spine. That didn’t work so well. Plus I don’t want to be laid up for weeks whilst it heals.
c) Maybe a little physical therapy would be warranted.

Now all this started because when we were getting someones eyes examined in Boston they had a screen up and it ran an advertisement for back surgery. Scoliosis was one of the conditions mentioned and they showed one guy with just a band-aid on it. Now I’m one skeptical of advertisement. I know what they’re trying to do .

Part of the problem is I do not trust medical pros beyond the ability to patch things. For example a decade or so ago I had severe vertigo, nausea, etc. Found that anti-inflammatory alleviated the symptoms. But visited a doctor then an Ear, Nose and Throat place. Blood tests, MRI scans, auditory tests, etc. The end result was what I found out was a catch all syndrome that met some of the symptoms. The underlying cause however was not apparent.

A visit to an allergist I’d had a long history with solved it. He looked in my ears and said “Your eardrums are retracting. It’s due to the ear infections you had as a child.” I was dumbfounded, all the tech and just knowing the history solved it. So I’m not very trusting of the medical profession.

Another was where an NPC thought 68 inches was 5 foot 6 on someone. I pointed out 12×5=60 and the reminder of that is 8 inches. At least she had the grace to accept she was wrong.

December Grab Bag

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Making almond butter

You will need approximately 10oz. of raw almonds, and a bit less salt, appoximately 1 teaspoon. Plus you’ll need 1/4 cup of oil, you can use peanut, soybean or even olive if you want that flavor.

Dump it all in a food processor and pulse until it reaches texture you’d like. Simple – delicious too. It’s amazing.

One thing I did discover – if you want a fine grind be prepared to process it for some time on the order of 20 minutes. Someone stopped me because he detected a burning smell from the food processor.

I put some on a celery stalk – it’s awesome. Didn’t add any sweetener to it but the savoriness of it is what I like most.

In other news, packing the house up for the big move. Dear non existent deity – 12+ years in one place and you really do have a lot of stuff to pack. The bookshelves alone are 20 boxes.