Life in General

Patience

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Patience. “Please be patient,” advises Joe Biden. Some people filled with worry have problems being patient. There is a whole big chunk of counting to do. In our times of Covid there are more ballots to count. People did it remotely to protect themselves.

Oregon, and a few other states, had it easy. With our vote by mail with all (in Oregon) ballots due by 8:00 on Tuesday, the counting was business as usually done. We don’t have things like the North Carolina provision of allowing ballots to arrive before the 12th. So we have our ballots counted. They need to wait for all their ballots to be counted.

What if you did not have the chance to wait? What if you knew you would have to wait for results? Like for five years? Warren Buffet advised investors to do just that, make your investment and ignore it for years. Or tax the short term gains at 100%. Patience is good.

Or consider a person with a cancer diagnosis. The rule of thumb is to call it “in remission” for the first five years. You just do not know if your cure is a cure or not. You will not know for those years. Yes, you can believe it, or not, but you do not know.

You cannot know, You can only be patient.

One Again, Again

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A year ago I posted this:

If you are familiar with a place that works, that makes things, you are perhaps familiar with the sing X Days Without an Accident.

I am starting a sign at my house. As of today we have

One Day Without Hospitalization.

I was up to 366 days. It is time to work on a new record.

I am back again again. I have made it, a year. Back into over a year without being hospitalized. We are at 366 days without being in a hospital. Now I am shooting for as much as I can. This is a streak for the first time in five years or more.

I Am Obsessed

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[This is a reprint from My Typed Page. It seems big.]

I am obsessed. My name is Michael and I am obsessed.

I don’t know when it started. It grew on me. I did not admit to it early in my life. But now, well now, I need to admit it and live up to it.

I find something that is neat, bicycling, Linux 0S for computers, roasting coffee, watercolors, woodworking… the list of things that I have been obsessed goes on and on. I hear about something I read up on it. I buy a thing. Then another. And another. And it goes on. At least with software for Linux it is all free. Want to do video editing? Which one do you want? Download the top three or four and try them out. Yes, that is cheap. Not so with everything. But, you know, I have to have things and try them.

Lately, my obsession is with fountain pens. Why? They do write beautifully. Especially colors! I have a set of cartridges there are six colors there. But the blue is not quite right. So I bought a set of three Japanese, ooohhh Japanese!, a sampler set. And then, as I do I was in a group on the internet, there is always a group on the internet, I heard about a company in Pennsylvania that made inks. Oh so pretty! “Weathered Brick” is a brownish-reddish I am waiting for, along with two other inks. They are only nine-ounce ones. And pens. I am looking at four pens, all different. I “needed” to have the four pens to find out what one is right for me. Well, there is a set coming from China – eight pens for $10. I had to try them. And then today. Yeah, today. I was watching reviews. Wouldn’t you? And there was one on “Five Best Pens for under $5” OK it was put out in January but it was also Australian. Hey, that means 71 cents USD to one AUD. Wow! That means pens for around $3.50. I watched. Hey! There is a pen I ordered today! And those! They are like the TWSBI pens, err sorry, pen I have. I checked eBay and still today you can get a set of four pens for $7.50. Holy cow. I did.

Because I am obsessed. What is a couple of weeks of waiting for a shipment from China Post? I could have bought one for $7.95 … but I am obsessed.

— MichaelRpdx :: h3k

P.S. – Why have so many inks to choose from and only a pen or two?

Falling to Prey

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A Dutch Oven, three (more) Fountain Pens, they have lured me and I fell prey to their charms. Like the Sirens that bade Odysseus (or Ulysses if you are Latin) to join them. He was tied to a mast so he could hear but not fall prey to their sweet songs.

I fell prey to a Kickstater lure because it has a … reversible? … lid on it. Flip it over and you have a grill for backing on. You can see it here.

I fell prey to Fountain Pens because, well, they’re nice. And I tried a couple of them here at home with all the other pens. And one that was $5 and it works. I’m trying three of the Jetpens Top Five Fountain Pens for Beginners. We shall see how they flow and all that kind of stuff one looks for in a pen. In contrast, I like a refillable ben point pen that takes to the paper and flows. Which I have. But what will I like from Fountain Pens? They arrive in a week or so. I get to try them out.

At least with books, there is Project Gutenberg. Thousands of things to gluttony be a book slut over. All for free. When I’ve got an urge to get something I think I will go with Project Gutenberg. Not that I have a desire for more books. I have a TBR pile from the library.