The New Year has arrived, with a new, fresh and unsullied threat of a third world war. For me, personally, that would be more than enough to jump with joy /s, however, there is more.
Closer to home we hadn’t any decent snowfall this winter, only rain. Which does not seep very well into the frozen ground. Even the mountains have no more than a few cms of snow, and to get the skiing business running, they keep depleting groundwaters to make artificial snow. So in all probability extreme droughts are going to continue for the third year in a row. But global warming definitively does not exist, because right now there is about two mm of snow outside that fell overnight. Yay!
Even closer to home, I was pain-free for a whole week, so I felt confident I can manage the transfer from Windows 7 to Windows 10. The update went reasonably well, after only four tries I have managed to install the system without needing to buy a new license (or doing anything illegal), and mere two days were needed to install all the software I use and get it running. Some older programs and HOMAM III needed some persuasion, but I managed it alright. The PC runs better than ever before (clean system installation does that) and everything is ship-shape. Now the only thing that remains is to backup and clean all my data when I am at it. True joy. Except that both my pointer fingers flared up from typing, the right one with extra helping from all the mouse-clicking before I got my old drawing tablet running so I can use left hand too (I have an ergonomic mouse, so I cannot use it left-handed). And it was not that difficult work to do, to begin with :-(.
So the new year is off to a very “good” start, even the good comes with some bad.
On a cheerier note, I heard that it helps to keep new year resolutions when you write them down publicly, so here are mine with commentary:
1) Exercise at least 2 minutes, daily, no other specifics (last year I tried an hour two times a week, that got thrown out of the window with subsequent 6-week illnesses – 2 minutes daily should be more manageable and possible in some form even when ill, less exhausting and still at least somewhat useful).
2) Absolutely no using phone or PC after 21:30, I shall be reading books instead before bedtime (I think I was staring into my phone more than is healthy, even without facebook or twitter, especially these last two months when I could not do much else).
3) No YouTube or movies or internet or games on PC or phone from after breakfast till 19:00 on workdays, only perhaps audiobooks to listen to at work (I do not need to watch as many vids as I did, neither do I need to obsess over what new idiotic thing the conservatives the world over have done right this minute).
4) Most relevant to you all – at least one blog post a week, however short and inconsequential.
5) Start painting and drawing again (to have something to blog about).
So, happy New Year to you all. The farce is definitively with us.
Cheers.
Happy New Year.
I started it by finally catching up with the horrible cough the kids came down with one after the other last year. the horrible thing is that it lasts a long, long time. The little one started some time in November, #1 caught it shortly before Christmas and is still occasionally coughing. Yay.
Hope your health keeps improving and cheers to your New Years Resolutions. I don’t bother with them. I always tell people mine is not to smoke a single cigarette and it’s one I’ve succeeded at splendidly all these years.
Happy New Year Charlie, I hpoe your index fingers have settled down.
I feel the lack of snow. Though artificial snow should be good because it will reflect off some sunlight in the spring, and when it melts, at least some of the water seeps back into soil instead of evaporating.
In September I planted some snowdrops and pearl hyacinths in a box at my glasshouse balcony. Now they’re slowly growing leaves, though not flower buds yet. I also saw a Lonicera caerulea (?) bush opening flowers but not leaves.
Happy New Year, Charly! As a gouty old bastard, I have a slight idea on finger joint pain, but it’s never been that bad for me. I’m hoping your fingers will get better. Have you tried the speech recognition (for writing, at least in Android it’s nowadays surprisingly good*, in both English and Finnish, not sure about Czech, but by no means perfect) or keyboard navigation (for Windows)?
Giliell, the long-lasting cough/cold seems to be widespread, a lot of people have had it here. Is the whole Europe developing asthma? I hope not. I may have to copy your New Year’s resolution, but extend it to snus (which isn’t sold here legally, but they smuggle it from Sweden, nowadays mostly the brands that contain insane amounts of nicotine and artificial flavourings).
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* = Last time I tested it, it can recognize most English words even with sloppy pronunciation.
Happy New Year, Charly! I hope to see you around more often and that it means your health keeps improving.
Ice Swimmer,
I can confirm that. I’ve had it for over a month now, another person in the lab has it too and so do my parents. Licorice tea gives me some relief but I don’t want to overdo it. I really just want this damn cough to go away already.
Glad to hear that you’re able to do a few more things, and I look forward to seeing you around more often.
Those seem like good, manageable resolutions. I don’t make them any longer, except perhaps to keep active and Jack looks after that for me.
So far this season I’ve avoided both coughs and colds. And no shingles since my mother died.