BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 Dec 25 - 07:27 PM

As for my neighbors staying out of trouble,
I had supper in the dining hall this weekend with two fellow residents
who live down the hall with their pet cat Angus, whom I have not met.
One of the ladies recalled a dining room disaster from a few years ago,
when she tripped on the rug and landed face first, breaking her nose.
Ambulance to the ER and so on. She can laugh about it now.
You wouldn't know to look at her that her nose had been broken.
What a scary thing.
But ambulances are well acquainted with our retirement community. It is teaching me to walk slowly and carefully.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 14 Dec 25 - 05:13 AM

It is teaching me to walk slowly and carefully.

Be careful not to talk yourself into being old.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Dec 25 - 11:26 AM

In the radio news headlines this morning my ears perked up about the murder of Rob Reiner. The BBC news was on covering non-US stuff so I pulled up the New York Times report. His father Carl is still alive (98), but I fear the loss of Rob and Michele, possibly at the hands of his grandson, is going to take out both Carl and his best friend Mel Brooks, who was so tight with that family.

That family is going to have a terrible time sorting out the trouble ahead. Murders don't usually happen without anger and/or mental illness accelerating the violence.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Dec 25 - 03:48 PM

According to The Guardian, Carl Reiner died in 2020.
A terrible tragedy, what just happened.
Mental illness is a terrible scourge.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Dec 25 - 07:19 AM

Troublemakers wanted for Democracy.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Dec 25 - 10:43 AM

I was mistaken, Carl Reiner passed away in 2020. Just as well, to be spared this pain. It's something that occurs to me these days, as horrific things happen in the world, what would my parents have thought of them.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: r.padgett
Date: 21 Dec 25 - 01:09 PM

I have had my fb pages deleted it seems ~ I assume my political messages have got through to someone in US ~ I have lost my folk group and all contacts in UK and beyond ~ I cannot also use twitter/X

I am still alive thanks

Ray

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Dec 25 - 01:13 PM

FB has opaque policies and seems to act when malcontents complain about accounts. Good luck in finding anything to restore.

I missed keb's correction here after my Reiner post (thanks), it has been a week of headaches from allergies that don't bode well for depth and accuracy. I've upped the medications to try for some control of symptoms.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Dec 25 - 04:57 PM

Update to my post of July 7 of this year.
I reported on my friend's prison ministry, and on one parolee who was born in Vietnam. ICE detained him and deported him to Vietnam in September.

I wrote recently to my friend the prison chaplain.
Her response is so sad:
the parolee was found dead in his Vietnam apartment in early November.
The chaplain didn't say the cause of death.
I guess the former prisoner is in a better place now.
But the people he left behind are in mourning,
especially the chaplain:
she says he was like a son to her.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: keberoxu
Date: 24 Dec 25 - 06:57 PM

Mention was made of Hildegard von Bingen.
My chorus is one of several choruses under one umbrella, actually.
One of the choruses is a group of teenage girls called Melodious Accord.
They opened our Christmas concerts with
Hildegard von Bingen's "Ave generosa",
it was hypnotic and it set a tone for the rest of the concert.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Helen
Date: 24 Dec 25 - 07:49 PM

I love Hildegard von Bingen's music. I wish I had been there to hear it.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: JennieG
Date: 24 Dec 25 - 08:14 PM

I'm with Helen - that would have been wonderful to hear.

Best wishes for a Christmas season full of peace and love, keberoxu.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Helen
Date: 24 Dec 25 - 11:01 PM

I have similar sense of wonder for these songs on a CD set Vivaldi's Complete Sacred Choral Works:

Domine Deus, Rex Coelestis
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei
RV 595: Dixit Dominus, in D: 07. Judicabit

And on Bobby McFerrin's Paper Music CD:

Vivaldi Cello II: Largo

And one of my all-time favourite orchestral pieces by Anton Bruch:

Adagio Appassionato for violin & orchestra, Op 57

Music like these pieces take me into another more peaceful world.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Dec 25 - 04:38 PM

I am getting used to the foibles of my fellow residents at the retirement community, in Independent Living.
The nosy neighbor who moved to Assisted Living, is fiercely hanging on to the relationships and associations
that she has in Independent Living.
Although Assisted Living has its own dining room,
every chance she gets she is someone's guest in the INdependent Living dining room, so I see her at lunch and dinner.
And then there's the happy hour that she runs on my floor.
Yes, even though she has moved, she still runs the happy hour every week
and she still implores me to come back to it. Shudder.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Dec 25 - 05:15 PM

Good luck having a social life while she lingers in your part of the facility. Have you done any more reviews for their newsletter?

I think I'm prepared to do some cleanup on a new website (under development now, but I still haven't gotten my hands on it). The old site had a lot of junk that I've quietly unpublished or set to not view in any directories, but there was a lot more of that to do. The new site is supposedly moving everything from there so who knows how much junk I'll still have to clean out.

With new people running parts of it and many changes ahead, they could decide to shift work away from me, though so far it sounds like I will have more work. Whichever, if the operation goes pear-shaped and I'm out of work, I'm ok with it. I have other things to do (and staying afloat won't be too difficult). I've saved the wages for the last year's part-time work for a modest buffer.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 25 - 02:20 PM

A friend is trying to figure out how to set up a portable surface on which to work jigsaw puzzles. In a small apartment and with four cats. She's disabled so uses a motorized chair or sits in a large recliner.

Inventing the right device that can be moved out of the way without disturbing the puzzle under construction will keep her out of trouble.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Helen
Date: 31 Dec 25 - 05:18 PM

SRS, my sister recently started doing jigsaw puzzles and has been on the hunt for a portable jigsaw board and found one which suits her jigsaw requirements. There are a few on the market and they have different methods for keeping the jigsaw pieces in place while the board is not being used.

I did a quick search and found some hits for

jigsaw board portable foldable

Some are very expensive but others are more affordable, or the information and images may help to design a workable solution at home.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 25 - 07:41 PM

We've looked at and compared notes on several of them. Part of it has to do with the approach to putting together a puzzle. She likes the side trays for pieces and she starts with a clear field and putting the outer edge together, bringing in pieces from the side. I usually start with everything in the middle and sometimes go for a large charismatic part that is easy to start with and build from (my last one shared on Instagram, for example, where a distinct color of sunset on one area was where I started). So she's more interested in trays with a central workspace and side panels or drawers to put other pieces and then pull them to the middle and not disturb anything when putting it away until next time. I work my puzzles on a table dedicated to this activity that has an acrylic cover to clip on at the sides of the table to keep the piece in place when I'm not there.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Helen
Date: 31 Dec 25 - 08:17 PM

I haven't done jigsaws for decades but I used to always try to put the outside edges together first and then work from there, or look for the obvious larger parts of the image like your sunset.

A decade or so ago I used to do online jigsaw puzzles. That was fun, and I could even create some from my own images.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 Jan 26 - 09:43 AM

Staying out of trouble on New Year's Day means
dodging the little brunch that my very social floor/hallway
is hosting starting at 11 in the morning.
I'll just plan on going to lunch at noon in the dining hall,
having had breakfast already.
Not very sociable of me, but better for my sanity.
I'll just wish them Happy New Year from a safe distance.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Helen
Date: 01 Jan 26 - 12:33 PM

I can totally relate to that, keberoxu. Doing what is best for you is a good thing.

Hubby and I did our usual NYE activities, i.e. ignoring it. We used to be able to see the 9.30 pm harbour fireworks from our upstairs balcony but the trees on the hill a few streets away have now blocked the view. We were asleep soon after and didn't even say Happy New Year to each other. We never stay up until midnight and now the local harbour fireworks only happen earlier and not at midnight.

My big gripe every year is that the supermarkets already have hot cross Easter buns and are advertising them in their catalogues. Give us a break! That's months away! We haven't recovered from the silly season yet! :-D

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jan 26 - 11:58 AM

I have a few visits to make soon, people I haven't seen for a while face-to-face who don't get out much. I'll deliver some homemade breads or cinnamon rolls to sweeten the visit.

The time right after xmas and the new year are statistically when there are more deaths (or this used to be the case - my mom the social worker had lots of odd facts about this kind of thing). The excitement of the holidays and visiting is followed by the darker quiet months of winter (perhaps this is just a northern hemisphere phenomon) of nothing to look forward to. Getting through the dark months is another way to stay afloat, so everyone, take care of yourselves.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Helen
Date: 02 Jan 26 - 12:50 PM

Interesting SRS. So maybe the hot cross buns are for treating PXD (Post Xmas Depression). I should look at them with a more positive view. Like the cinnamon dough, the message is "He is risen". I'm trying to shift my view to a more positive one, instead of my cynical view of supermarkets looking for the next big marketing opportunity. :-)

Down here in full summer we don't get the winter blues straight after Christmas but some people do get sad or down, especially if they are missing their loved ones. Also, SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is often associated with less exposure to sun in winter.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jan 26 - 04:19 PM

Helen, I think it has to do in particular with older people in poor health and people fighting terminal illnesses, something about the energy boost of the holidays and looking forward to things keeps them going, and that runs out after the holidays.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Helen
Date: 02 Jan 26 - 05:02 PM

Yes, the big high after the long build-up, and then the long slow let-down.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Jan 26 - 07:37 PM

From my university days, I remember that the roughest month was February;
I called it the infirmary month, because that was when students tended to show up at the infirmary with the flu or serious viruses.

I'm not going to post again, change of subject,
to the Bardot obituary thread.
But I used searches to look up the occasions where
she was convicted under France's hate speech laws,
she had to pay fines something like six separate times.
It leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, I must say. Phew.

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jan 26 - 09:09 PM

I read this just after I posted links to two obits for her. I think The Guardian gave her a bit of a pass about her hate speech acts and fines.

Today I shopped for the ex then set up a website called Giftster that our daughter set up (so we can avoid using Amazon for our family list - Amazon might appear in someone's choices if they share the URL, but it is more versatile for lists and lets you mark things as purchased while the person who posted the list doesn't see a change.) This month I am going to get him to an orthopedist one way or another. He's getting too comfortable with me driving him around and shopping, and it's time he solve the trouble with that knee.