Douglas E. Berry

So, 2019 has wandered in and just made itself at home. In defiance of my personal promise to try to be more social, I'm sitting at home writing this while Kirsten is off at a "brunch" that has now extended into the early hours of the evening. I will try to be better about getting out and seeing people and going to events, it's just hard for me to accept that I can actually go somewhere and not people out quickly. That's my biggest social fear, that we'll go somewhere and I'll be done after ninety minutes and drag Kirsten away from a good time.

Another reason I avoided partying last night and today is I've been making some headway on my cleaning binge. Our alleged living room, the space in the front room where the bookcases, TV, and futon are, has been picked up, sorted, dusted and vacuumed. We have a nice bag of stuff for Goodwill, and that Halford the garbage is being picked up tomorrow because there was absolutely no room in either the trash or the recycling bins. I'm taking my time, doing a little and stopping to watch some TV, then picking up and doing another bit of the work. This works best for me, pacing both body and brain.

As I mentioned last time I posted in the journal, one of my goals for the new year is to write more. An opportunity has opened up on that end. Chris Garcia mentioned that he was planning a slew of fanzines for this year, and I asked him to send me a topic list. He replied by saying he would love for me to co-edit again (I did some of the work on the Heavy Metal and Horror issue of The Drink Tank last year) and asked for topic suggestions. Being me, I threw out the idea of doing an issue on the Queen of Cities; Byzos, Nove Roma, Constantinople, Istanbul . . . by any name, it is a city of a thousand tales. So that will be a thing.

Honestly, at this point, I'm really eager for the school year to start up again so I can back to work. It's not just the money, I really enjoy what I do and love the kids. Also, just being out there on the corner when there's no one to cross means my mind can wander and it takes me some interesting places. I need to start carrying a small notepad and pen to jot ideas down as they come to me. That will work better when it warms up a bit and I'm not wearing gloves every day.

Another thing I'm working on is a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition game. The campaign I'm in is nearing its climax, and our DM has said he wants to step back for a bit. Fine, I'll jump in! Planning on using the Earthdawn setting, because I love games of exploration and mystery. I think I've explained Earthdawn recently enough, but without going into too much detail, the world was ravaged by a magical horrorshow and people are just starting to come out of their bunkers to a vastly different world. I will keep the frontiers open, and avoid over-civilizing Barsaive.

On the health front, we are trying to make it a habit to go to the gym three times a week. Even if we do almost nothing there, it's the habit of going that's important. I'll be heading over tomorrow, and work on getting back into a good rhythm. Once spring arrives, I'll do my cardio by taking long walks in Santa Clara's Central Park. Getting my bike out and doing ever-longer rides is also on the schedule. I'm already signed up to walk a 5K with Kirsten, and I want to get more use out of my bike at Burning Man.

Speaking of That Thing In The Desert, we officially opened Burn season by visiting Harbor Freight the other day. There was a mechanics bag on sale that is perfect for all our towing hitch gear. As we are Lords of the Impulse Buy, we also grabbed two pairs of work gloves; a tester for the light connector; and since the current one broke, a new spray nozzle for our hose here at home. Next up on the list: an impact driver and some lags to better secure our shade structure, a kilt for me, and we need to schedule some time and money to replace the door on the Free Trailer Beowulf. We'll be getting together with friends for that.

That where I stand - sit, really - on this first day of 2019. Of course, the toilet is acting up. I'm trying very hard not to see that as an omen.

Everyone knows that kshandra and I aren't the best at keeping a clean house. It's not garbage, but clutter, that is our personal demon. But now that we have some nicer furniture, and have dealt with a lot of the clutter issues, I really want to work on the cleaning side.

In the past, the trouble was we both worked long hours. But now that I'm on the shelf, I really want to clean if only because it will give me a daily goal and something to do. Since we live so close to the railroad tracks, dust is a big issue. Those trains rumbling by shake things out. With my lungs, this is bad. Getting air cleaners is on the agenda, but cleaning comes first. I also want to have a clean place to reduce my fall risk. To that end, I've made a schedule for cleaning.

• Monday - The living room. Everything from the futon to the far wall. This includes Kiri's workstation, most of the bookshelves, and the TV unit. Dust, clean the ceiling fan, straighten things up, take out any trash, vacuum.


• Tuesday - My workstation and the kitchen. Dust, clean the ceiling fan, straighten things up, take out any trash, vacuum. Wipe down the stove, clean the sink, sweep the floor, mop if necessary.


• Wednesday - Hallway and bathroom. Vacuum hallway, clean bathroom sink, toilet and shower. sweep up, mop if necessary, take out trash.


• Thursday - The bedroom. Dust, change sheets, all laundry into bags, tidy things up, vacuum. Re-arrange all the critters.


• Friday - Laundry day! Usually this will be 2-3 loads.

I figure this will take an hour or so a day on cleaning days. Fridays will take longer, but most of that is me playing Civilization IV or Madden 11 while waiting for my timer to tell me it's time to switch loads. Having a beer will be my reward for finishing.

Yesterday we went out with two main goals: pick up my meds and get me a trekking pole at REI. The cane I had been using was too short and heavy. The therapists suggest a lighter trekking pole and had me work with with one. Much better feel. At REI, a very helpful young lady showed us the options and I ended up with a Leki Wanderfreund AS.



Made in the Czech Republic. Cool!

What made this fun was the guy checking us out used to work at Lord & Sons as a machinist. There was a line, so we didn't really have a chance to chat, but I'd love to learn why he left a good position at a skilled trade to work retail.

The plan was to hit Pizza My Heart so Kiri could have lunch. Alas, it was still a while before they opened and I could feel myself fading, so we went to RiteAid, got my pills, and headed home. The only other big thing was making a big order from Safeway and clearing out all the things in the fridge that had died in the past month.

After a night that led to us calling to cops on our normally quiet-if-not-gone neighbor, I felt the need to do something. I took out some garbage, straightened up around my desk and the back of the futon, vacuumed, cleaned out Vera the Vacuum, did some dishes, and was then order by Kirsten to stop now so I wouldn't burn out.

I obey those kind of orders now.

Just waiting for the Safeway order to arrive, and then the Niners' game tonight. Tomorrow I have OT.

Next weekend we're going to try to make the Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival for as long as I can hold out. Any locals who want to meet up there, just let us know!

I was going to use the money from the Great Sale 2 for a new bike. However, a new opportunity has arisen, and I must strike! Strike now!

Saddle my horse, for we ride to Ikea!

In short, we have been stuck with an ugly, awkward shelving unit since we lived in San Francisco. The thing is over eight feet long and looks like crap. Next week begins the annual neighborhood clean-up effort here in Santa Clara, when you can throw away anything.

So I'm taking advantage of this fact to ditch the shelving unit and get one of these. Ideally, I'd also like another smaller shelving unit. This, along with some more culling of the book and game shelves, will give the living room a ton of storage space and a better look. This would also allow me to lose the second ugly, broken bookcase.

Now I just need to devote part of my weekend to clearing off the shelves, and doing a major book-sorting. We also need to figure out when Kiri and I can get over to the store, as I'm not allowed in Ikea or game stores alone.

De-cluttering your life is not something that you just do and it is done. It is an ongoing process. You need to constantly look over your stuff and ask if you really need it, want it, or are going to use it.

I'm really proud of kshandra right now; without any prompting from me, she took a hard look at her Playa gear and really whittled it down. Throwing things away is hard for her, and it is an important step.

Now it's my turn. Setting up the new bookcase has given me the chance to take a good hard look at our books, DVDs, and my gaming shelf. I'm finding books that we could give to my sister's kids, books that I practically have memorized, and yet more RPG stuff that I haven't touched in a long time.

So I'm pulling a lot of stuff out to be sold or giving away. My goal is to cut things down to where I can get rid of the second crappy old bookcase. The first one we ditched went to out neighbor, who is 21 and has an excuse to decorate in Early College Student.

So watch this space! A second Great Sale may be coming!

The first day of Spring Cleaning and Decluttering is done, and it turned out to be a money maker. After clearing out trash and putting things where they (allegedly) belong, I tore into our two large boxes of CDs. Kirsten and I were pretty vicious about eliminating things, and we ended up with a nice load of stuff we didn't want any more. Off to Streetlight!

We dropped off the stuff, and went browsing for about a half hour. Came back, and asked what our stuff was worth. We walked out with a check for $128 and about a quarter of the CDs we had brought in that they didn't want. This was just the first load as we clear out unwanted books, games, CDs and DVDs.

Decluttering can be profitable!

A Talent For War - Jack McDevitt

A couple of years ago I picked up Seeker, which is the third Alex Benedict novel. Really enjoyed that one, and was pleased to learn it was a series. A Talent For War is the first book in the series, and is a joy to read. Alex, the protagonist, is an antiquities dealer living about 9,000 years from now in a galaxy of loosely-allied human worlds. When he learns that his uncle has perished in the disappearance of an interstellar liner, he is charged with finishing his uncles last archaeological quest.. What makes this book great is it takes a very human approach to investigating a mystery. Alex doesn't even know what he's looking for, and has to piece together his uncle's actions, do research, quiz people, and all along you are drawn into the action. A parallel story is that of Christopher Sims, legendary leader of the Resistance during a war 200 years ago. His story is revealed through Alex's investigations, and it becomes clear that whatever Alex is after, it has to do with the near-myth of Christopher Sims and his ship. To say more would spoil things. This isn't so much a science-fiction novel but a mystery novel in a SF setting. Excellent, engaging, and the revelations at the end are satisfying. This is a book for people who enjoy heroes who solve problems with brain power and methodical work and preparations, rather than their fists. Five penguins.

Cyber Clean Electronics Cleaning Putty

If you're like me, you live in front of a computer. Especially now that I'm on disability, I tend to spend a lot of time camped out in the Command Papasan. I eat here, scratch my beard here, sneeze and cough here.. which means my keyboard is a mess a lot of the time. Compressed air and wipes work OK, but I wanted something to really get the crap out from between the keys. Order thi9s stuff from ThinkGeek. Out of the jar, it looks like it should be starring in a 50s SciFi shlock monster movie. But it works wonders. Press it into the keyboard, pull it up, and all the crap comes right off with no residue. The surface doesn't even feel damp or tacky. I've used it to get the last bits of dust off the monitor as well. Very useful, and worth the price. Especially if you use your GeekPoints to get it. Four penguins

Since it looks like I'm going to be on the shelf for at least a little while longer, I'm going to start posting a list of daily goals and accomplishments. Not too much, since I'm still hampered by these damn lung problems, but 3 or 4 actual, real world things I want to do each day. I'll also post long term needs and goals as reminders, along with some peripheral things like topics I need to research and the like.

( Read more... )

Those two giant binders, all the material between them, and three other smaller binders make up my Hârn and HârnMaster collection. And I'm *years* behind. They really need to get this all out on a CD-ROM or something. Yes, that's the original 1981 Chaosium Thieves World boxed set sitting on top. Complete and intact. I never throw away good stuff! At far left is the 1983 boxed version of the World of Greyhawk. I think the box lid is missing, but all the contents are there. Including the TSR catalog that was included at the time.

The nice thing is, along with owning this bits of gaming history, they're all on shelves and out of boxes!