Morning Update: 07/09/24

Morning Update: 07/09/24

July 9, 2024

Down To Business [2013 original with AI background]

Most of the rain we were expecting overnight stayed South of I-70. We did get a couple of showers, but nowhere near the deluge of rain we were expecting. Apparently, this concerned Belvedere, who woke me up at 1:30 and insisted we go outside and check on the yard and the weather and whatever else was bothering him. Of course, he came back in and fell right back asleep. I was awake until almost 4:00. He snuggled like a champ, though.

The cloud cover did help make the temperature a little more palatable for getting the rest of the lawn mown. The electrical tape we needed to make things safe finally arrived. I even demonstrated that it was safe by running my hand over the taped areas. I thought about startling Tipper by faking a shock, but the chances that she might overreact and then not finish her part of the mowing were too high. She hadn’t wanted to mow in the first place. I needn’t be giving her any excuses.

While the kids were mowing, I was finally able to grill the ribs and corn we had originally planned for the 4th. Never mind that it was 89 degrees when I started. I wasn’t going to let the meat spoil after having waited so long to get to it. The cloud cover coming up and dropping the temp was a nice bonus. Inside, I made bacon and spinach, a combination that G was unsure about until he actually tasted it. I tried telling him that bacon makes everything better, but he was a little reluctant to trust me.

I’m feeling unsettled and confused and I’m not sure I can identify exactly why. I know part of the confusion came when I was checking the status of things on the Social Security website and found out that my SSI disability is listed as suspended. There was no explanation why. I assume that there’s a letter coming, but unlike FSSA, SSI doesn’t list all the documents they send you. I’m also feeling concerned about the toll all of this is taking on Kat. She’s so preoccupied with everything she has to do, all the pressure that falls on her, that yesterday she forgot to eat anything until she got home at almost 10:00 pm. She was standing in the kitchen and wobbled as though she might fall. Hey, that’s my job! She ate and felt a lot better, but her stomach issues have only gotten worse. I need to find a safe place to live so that she can relax a little bit.

At the same time, I’m feeling some severe wanderlust, but where can I even go without someone going with me? I know one place I’m not going: Death Valley. Would you believe tourists are still flocking to that hell hole despite the fact it’s seeing some of the hottest temperatures ever? A number of people have died from the heat because, you know, I guess they wanted to test that “Death” part out for themselves. Flying anywhere is out. Between doors blowing out and a wheel falling off yesterday, it would take a lot of alcohol to get me on a Boeing jet right now. Airbus, maybe, but we don’t see as many of those on this continent. I can’t cross international borders with my chemo meds at all, so sailing anywhere is out of the question. I need someone to come and get me then take us somewhere fun. Preferably somewhere with naked people. Some place well away from volcanoes.

Both Kat and G are already up and awake. Maybe we’ll have breakfast together. Maybe someone will bring me more coffee. I keep hoping for a fairy coffee server to appear. Hasn’t happened yet.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/28/24

June 28, 2024

Before you bother asking, no, I didn’t watch the debate. I never do. There’s little point. First, there was no question from the beginning that the lies were going to be flying everywhere and by all accounts they were. Here is the AP list of lies. It’s not comprehensive because many of them were repeated in different forms throughout the night. Second, we have YouTube and other video sources now, so we don’t have to sit through all the punditry and pedantry of a live broadcast. From what I’ve seen this morning, President Biden looked a lot like Ronald Reagan did in ’88. The Orange Felon looked orange and spoke felonious. Third: Most people have already made up their minds and there’s little, if anything, that will change them. In that regard, the debates are merely moments of malarky. Are we good with that? Yes, I have my concerns, but they’re more at the state and Congressional level, not presidential (just yet).

If you’re wondering how my day went yesterday, I slept a lot, which wasn’t surprising at all given Wednesday’s fun activity. I woke up thinking I might be able to power through it, but by 7:30 I was back in bed and snoring. Nonetheless, the kids did finish mowing the yard and the construction crew finished enclosing the new house next door.

The moment of disappointment for the day came when there wasn’t a USPS morning scan email. In case you weren’t already aware, you can sign up to get an email notification of the mail expected to be delivered each day. This really helps when you’re expecting something valuable and/or important, such as a debit card. Unfortunately, there was no email yesterday which meant we didn’t have any new mail. No debit card. This is a problem because it has been 10 days since the card was ordered.

The letter containing the PIN for that card gave me the number to call and report the card missing. Of course, a missing card is a big deal. So, they had to cancel that card and issue me a new one. Fuck. Another wait. This time, they put a rush on the processing, so it should go into the mail today and be here by Monday. They kindly waived the standard rush fee since it’s already been 10 days and the other card never arrived. I’m sorry, but that means it will likely be Tuesday or Wednesday of next week before I can show you the pictures we took Wednesday.

What was entertaining is that the customer service person I had was quite happy. One of the first things she told me was that my name made her smile. She proceeded to call me “Mr. Let-Us-Be-Better” for the rest of the call. If that’s what shows up on my card, I’m not changing it. 😊 She hummed while she typed, and once was even singing along with a song I assume was playing either in the background or in her earbuds. Her positivity went a long way toward calming my anxiety about not having access to my funds, as meager as they are.

Reuters was kind enough to tell me that Fourth of July cookout costs in the US have risen by 5% this year over last year, and 30% over 2019. Meat and lemonade are the biggest factors there. I was able to catch a rack of ribs on sale earlier this month, so that’s sitting in the freezer. Hopefully, the few other things we’ll need won’t cost too much more, especially since it will likely just be me and the kids. It’s going to be too loud and chaotic in the neighborhood for Kat. In fact, I wouldn’t blame her if she ran and hid for the whole week. Our neighbors tend to start “celebrating” early.

Processing this morning’s picture reminded me that it’s been 14 years since I was last out on the West Coast. This lack of travel thing is starting to get to me. Wednesday’s adventure was fun and really hit at my inert wanderlust. I’m ready to go trekking into whatever wilderness, urban or jungle. Yet, flying with chemo is apparently a problem and Social Security gets upset if I’m out of the state for more than two weeks of the month. I’m sure there’s a solution out there somewhere, but my brain is too addled to think of anything that isn’t filled with prohibitions. Feel free to help me out there.

There’s rain in the forecast. The skies to the West looked dark and menacing when I took the dogs out earlier. Storms are in the forecast for Sunday as well. That will make for an interesting start to “Blow Your Brains Out” week. The rain might prevent houses from catching fire, but it won’t do much to keep digits from being blown off. We’ve been doing the whole fireworks thing long enough you’d think folks would have learned by now that black powder and stupidity don’t mix well. Yet, every year, emergency rooms fill up with too many examples of “watch this” syndrome and “we didn’t expect that” disease.

My stomach wants me to eat but it’s another hour before I can check my glucose. We don’t really have anything for breakfast, anyway. We’re out of bread, bacon, and cereal. Eggs by themselves don’t cut it. Maybe I’ll just eat leftovers from the other night.

Feel free to amuse me.

Advertising / Photography

Planning An Escape

March 20, 2017

When you want to get away but are short on cash

The Short Version

Not everyone has their parents’ credit cards to finance their galavanting around the world but we still want our shot at fun, adventure, and, be honest, a chance to escape the lunacy of the president and his administration. How does one finance any kind of escape? There’s a new player on the web that aims to help solve that problem by allowing companies to hire freelancers by paying for their travel, room, and board. Sounds good, doesn’t it? We decided to check it out.

A Little More Detail

[dropcap]I had gone through the process of reading the morning’s news and was in the process of banging my head on the desk yet again when I came across this article in AdWeek that captured both my attention and my imagination. The article introduces a new service that aims to connect companies with freelancers in an effort to save companies money and provide freelancers with the adventure and escape that we all want. Well, most of us. I do know a couple of people who are afraid to leave their own living room.[/dropcap]

The website is Wanderbrief and it works like some other freelance-oriented services in that it collects “briefs” from companies and then tries to match those with freelancer’s skills. Companies get to review the profiles of appropriate freelancers and then negotiate a deal. The company pays travel, room, and board and the freelancer completes the assigned project on location. Sounds like a nice way to get out of town for a few days, doesn’t it? The projects range from 1-4 weeks, so we can fit them in between the actual paying assignments so that the lights stay on at home and we don’t come home to find all our junk on the curb. They also hold the potential for increasing one’s network and thereby increasing the amount of paid work one gets.

We really liked how the article sounded, so we decided to take a slightly deeper look.

Jumping Through The Hoops

Remember, this is still a new site and service and there are places where that really shows. The form for freelancers to join is really short. The “bio” section has a 100 character limit, so they don’t really want to know too much about you. They want to check your socials and the top three items on your bucket list, so have those handy.

They only require that you list two projects, but more can be added (we don’t know that there’s a limit). The kicker here is that you can’t upload files, such as photographs and such. You have to provide a link to online content instead. Now, that could be something on Facebook or Instagram, but stop and think about what could happen after someone looks at the content you link. They start with that picture, but then they continue browsing through all your other pictures, including that one of you smashed off your ass at the Irish pub crawl this weekend. If you don’t already have your own website, ya’ might want to take care of that before you start in on this.

I was rather surprised by how short the form was. I understand the need for brevity, especially given the short attention span of many creatives. However, there are some simple things that I think would help companies make a better decision, such as:

Do you hold a valid passport?
Have you ever been denied a visa, and if so, why?
Have you ever been convicted of a felony (including DUI)? Trust me, we’ve lost team members at customs because of this one.
Have you ever been denied a bond?

These are issues that regularly come up when freelancing and it always concerns me when a prospective client doesn’t ask them. But again, the service is new. I’m sure they’ll adapt as they grow.

We Have Some Questions

Our initial experience on the Wanderbrief website was surprisingly short. It took about 15 minutes to complete the form, so now all we have to do is wait. On one hand, this seems like a lot of fun. However, after downloading the Ts & Cs, we have some questions that don’t seem to be answered anywhere on the website. These are things that come mostly from our experience and/or tails from friends who’ve gone through hell while traveling. With Wanderbrief being new, they’ve not had much chance for bad stuff to happen, but be sure that it will. We’d like to know someone is thinking about these things in advance.

How are we defining “room and board?” While I don’t ever expect a client to put us up in four-star facilities, I don’t appreciate the cheapskate who offers the pullout bed in his den at home, either. “Board” usually refers to meals, but how much, how many, and how often? I’ve gone hungry on assignments like this. I don’t like it. You probably wouldn’t, either.
Who’s responsible if you get stranded? This is a biggie. I’ve never had to deal with it personally, but almost every traveling model I know has encountered it at least once. Worst case scenario was a couple who were in Spain, left with no money, on a holiday weekend, and no way to get back home. Not every company is nice. Folks need to know someone has their back.
What are the freelancer’s rights if the company requests something different from the original agreement? The conversation starts with something like, “Our scope has changed and I know we talked about you doing xyz, but now we really need you to do lmn instead.” As long as the two are related, no problem. Unfortunately, if they’re not and if the freelancer tries to refuse then the company starts making threats that can be uncomfortable, such as not paying for things. Worst case scenario: the company’s representative requests sexual favors. Sure, it’s illegal, but if that person holds your ticket home you’ve got a problem.
How thoroughly are companies vetted? The Internet makes it relatively easy for small companies of one or two people look a lot bigger than they actually are. If companies are not thoroughly vetted, freelancers could find themselves essentially working for an individual, which doesn’t do much to pad the resume and makes the financials a bit shaky. Have you ever stood at a hotel desk and had them tell you the client’s credit card was declined? It’s not a fun situation. They expect payment from you. We need to know that companies are secure enough to handle the details.
How are disagreements between the company and the freelancer handled? Again, this is something that’s inevitable for anyone who freelances. We turn in a finished project. The client says, “That’s not what I asked for.” Both the company and the freelancer stand to lose in these situations. What law applies? Is arbitration an option? If so, who handles that? Since Wanderbrief is an international company, this matter really needs to be resolved before they send freelancers roaming across the countryside.
What happens if a freelancer becomes ill and is unable to complete a project? We hate it when this happens, but it does happen. You arrive in a city, your stomach feels a bit queasy, and the next thing you know you’re heaving up airplane food. Gross. Disgusting. You may try to ride it out, but if it doesn’t let up after a couple of days one may have little choice but to throw in the towel and go home. So, what happens? Is the company still on the hook for the full bill? Do you re-schedule and start over next month? You really want to know before you’re trying to handle calls between moments of intestinal pain.

Companies are likely to have some similar questions regarding their rights as well, and if the company side of the website is as brief as the freelancer side, agreeing to a project could mean taking on considerable risks on both sides.

Conclusions

I love this concept. While it’s certainly not for everyone, for those who are available to travel this service is a godsend. I want to see it do well. However, there is a lot that is missing as far as mitigating risks and legal liabilities. I would worry especially about international travel where political situations can force a change in travel plans without any warning. The US government has proven too erratic and too unstable to be trusted. Rex Tillerson’s State Department is still missing hundreds of key employees so going to the nearest consulate may not provide any help at all.

I’m anxious to see what happens next. How long will it take for us to get a brief we can consider accepting? What additional information becomes available when we enter into that conversation? I’m assuming there are more details behind that curtain. I look forward to seeing what they are.

We’ll update this story if/when something happens that makes a difference. In the meantime, go ahead and check it out for yourself. This might be just the thing to help you retain your sanity a moment longer.

Nature / Photography / pop culture

Waterfalls And Sunshine

June 14, 2016

Many a calm river begins as a turbulent waterfalls, yet none hurtles and foams all the way to the sea. —Mikhail Lermontov

charles i. letbetter - waterfalls and sunshine

We returned last week to one of my favorite places in Indiana and found it glorious.

For eleven years these waterfalls have haunted my memories.

When I first moved to Indiana and was looking for places to shoot, McCormick’s Creek State Park was one of the first places recommended. I wasn’t expecting too much in the way of excitement because, after all, this is Indiana; the state’s not exactly well-known for its dramatic topographical variances. When I first experienced the waterfall, though, I was hooked. I bought an annual pass and made the trek down there two, sometimes three times a week. I would arrive at 7:00 AM, right as the gate opened, shoot through the early morning sunlight making its way down the canyon, and be eating breakfast in Bloomington before 10.

Some of the pictures we took here that summer are still among my favorites. Not only are the waterfalls beautiful, but the creek itself meanders softly through the canyon giving home to incredible amounts of wildlife, if one take a moment to explore. Small snails cling to the rocks. Minnows dart back and forth in the shallow waters. Uniquely colored birds fly through the trees. As a photographer, the choices of scenery and background are never-ending. One could shoot here for innumerable days without capturing the same scene twice.

Sadly, after that first summer, my circumstances took a severe change and I wasn’t able to go back. Even when I did have access to a vehicle and sufficient time, I knew I didn’t dare make the trip alone anymore. I’m not as sure-footed at clambering over the rocks as I once was. Excuses were easy enough to find.

Until this past week, that is, when I decided to put excuses aside and take the family on a day trip. We don’t get many chances to wander now that Kat’s in school full-time, but we had an opening and took advantage of it. Even as we packed the water and snacks we would need for the trip, though, I wondered if everything would still be the way I remembered it. Would the stairs down to the waterfalls still be steep? Would the waterfalls still be as broad or would natural erosion have taken a toll? Would the pool below the waterfalls be too deep or too crowded for the kids to enjoy? Would the creek itself be as I remember?

The drive to McCormick’s Creek is only about an hour South of Indianapolis. There are three different totally reasonable routes to take, but I suggest using state highway 67 South through Mooresville, Friendswood, and Paragon. The drive is much more quiet and serene, void of the traffic on Interstate 70 and without the maddening construction on state highway 37. Note: You’ll want to use Google Maps, not Bing, for directions. Bing won’t give you highway 67 as an option.

Since we were taking the kids, we didn’t arrive as early as I might have wanted for my own purposes. Putting kids in the car at 6:00 AM would have created challenges we didn’t need. So, we didn’t arrive until nearly 11:30. The sun was high, which normally makes for horrendous photographs, except that the canyon prevents much direct sunlight from getting through. As the light bounces off the bare limestone, the light is diffused so that there is almost always a good angle for taking pictures.

The kids, of course, loved the waterfalls and were thrilled that we actually let them get into the water (Kat tends to be a bit cautious). Little man tried climbing the falls while Tippy enjoyed sliding down the rocks. While there, we met an old hippy with dreadlocks in both his hair and his beard, a couple with a six-month-old great dane puppy, and plenty of other families out exploring. I have always been pleased that McCormick’s Creek is not one of those places where a constant presence of park rangers is necessary to prevent trouble. People who come here do so to relax, not act like assholes.

Of course, I have pictures and what we’re showing you today is just the first set. I made Kat take a swimsuit and do the model thing, but we’ll save those pictures for tomorrow. These focus more on the kids and the natural surroundings of the waterfalls. Peaceful. Quiet. I processed most in black and white because I feel the look is more dramatic, but I did keep a couple of images in color; one because Kat requested such, and the other because the bright orange of Little Man’s shirt against the dark rock of the waterfalls was too powerful to mute.

We’ll be returning to McCormick’s Creek a couple of times in the next few weeks. One will be with a friend I’ve not seen in a while, and the other will be to camp for the weekend with extended family. Both will give us ample opportunity to explore even more and capture additional pictures and different times of the day.

For now, we hope you enjoy these and that they’ll encourage you to get out, stop making excuses, and resuscitate your imagination with waterfalls and sunshine.

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PotD / Social Commentary

The Art Of Being Chill

March 22, 2016

I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old man, but nothing winds me up more than people saying, ‘Chill out’ to me when I’m irritated! —Martin Freeman

Being chill comes easily for many people, but there are some who have turned it into an art form

Like many people my age, I have to deal with high blood pressure. Medically, there are a lot of reasons for having blood-pumping issues: our lifestyles being hectic, our diets being too high in sodium, and a general fear that we might die without having accomplished enough. There are plenty of things that would probably solve all but the worst of blood pressure problems without medication, but that would require we actually alter how we live rather dramatically. We’re not likely to do that, being the stubborn folk that we are, so the doctor gives us pills that try to force our blood pressure back down to a manageable level that won’t kill us quite so quickly.

The pills don’t always work, though. The doctor has increased the strength of my medication twice before and I’m still generating systolic and diastolic readings that are far too high to be safe. Kat keeps telling me I need to chill. She makes it sound so easy. She makes it look so easy. Just “chill.” She drinks coffee and relaxes. I drink coffee and feel the need to take a thousand new pictures. She sees something stupid in her news feed and ignores it. I see something stupid in my news feed and am ready to rip someone’s head off their shoulders. I am so very much not chill.

About a month ago, Forbes magazine published a story Finding Chill in Valparaíso, Chile. The article contains beautiful photos full of the color and culture of this relatively small Chilean city. The author talks about his hotel with hammocks on the roof, the delicious yet inexpensive food, and stray dogs that will walk you home at night (not kidding). Everything in the article sounds so wonderful that I was almost ready to pack my bags and go, until the author discloses that, while there, he tripped on a seawall and broke his leg in two places. That’s a risk I can’t take. Scratch Chile off my travel list.

It seems obvious that I need to go somewhere to chill. Indianapolis is definitely not a chill type of city. We get uptight about almost everything around here. With the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 this year, the entire neighborhood around us is anything but chill. But with Valparaíso off the list, where should I go?

Back in 2010, Forbes also published a list of the most relaxed cities in America. The twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul topped the list. They won because they have short commute times, get plenty of exercise, and had good insurance. Note, this survey took place before the Affordable Care Act took affect so that last detail might have changed. Looking through the other cities on the list, Milwaukee, Portland, Seattle, Denver, San Jose, it seems to me that all those cities have experienced some significant change in the past six years. Political changes have ruined Wisconsin. Portland’s population of hipsters has exploded. Seattle has become one of the most expensive cities in the country. Denver won a Super Bowl. San Jose’s Silicon Valley has experienced a lot of employment upheaval while real estate prices soared. Not seeing a number of benefits there.

Music is supposed to help people chill, right? According to the British Academy of Sound Therapy, the song Weightless is the best choice to help people chill. In fact, the song is apparently so effective one some people that the scientists involved in the study recommend that one not drive while listening to the piece. The song, which was specifically composed for this study. starts at 60 beats per minute and gradually slows to 50. I tried listening. I made it about 30 seconds before wanting to shoot something. Weightless has no freaking melody! It’s just electronic noise with carefully constructed pulsing.

From what I can tell, if one is going to master the art of being chill, they need to successfully do the following:

Live somewhere inexpensive. Paying a lot of bills or not being able to afford food is stressful.
Exercise. Being able to get out and walk without getting killed seems to be a plus.
Have friendly neighbors. You know, the kind that don’t fire weapons indiscriminately in the middle of the night.
Consume fresh food that is easily accessible. Having stores within walking distance helps (hint, hint).
Enjoy live, non-sedentary entertainment. I’m not sure whether Netflix and chill counts or not.
Have something constructive to do that you enjoy and provides sufficient income. Stressful jobs are inherently chill killers.
Don’t over-commit your time. Saying “no” and not feeling guilty about staying home helps.
Avoid toxic people. That friend who is constantly inducing drama? Ditch ’em.
Sleep more. Not getting enough rest is one of the primary causes of stress.

Anyone who can successfully do those things can master the art of being chill.

I’m probably going to die.