Sheltering in Place

[Drunk Monk]

You will not find the one you have until you have bought its replacement.

[Drunk Monk]

Well crap.  That didn't work.  I need a usb a to hdmi cable converter.  

[Greg]

Aren't those different signals?

[Drunk Monk]

...which is why i need the converter. 

our tv has a usb a plug but it doesn't register as an input.  

i might not bother.  maybe i'll figure a work around. I have one other idea which i'll experiment with tomorrow.

[Greg]

Good luck. I'm thinking that USB is so you can attach a disk to watch photos.

[King Bob]

Is there another port out of your laptop to connect an HDMI adapter to? That's usually the case. Check the manual online. It used to be that only Macs needed adapters, but I see more PCs now that need them as well. And if possible don't get the StarTech brand adapter. They break easily.

I think adapters are a huge money maker for Apple; they used to be about $15 a piece, but now over twice that. Maybe that's why PC makers are going that route as well.

[Drunk Monk]

I figured a work around.  Actually, I just remembered how I did it last time, only instead of using Tara's friend's hotspot, I flipped it to the xfinity wifi using my mom's account (she doesn't have email so all of that is managed through my account) using my chromebook which has an hdmi port along with the perfunctory usb ports.  My surfacepro is a laptop/tablet hybrid so it only has two ports usb a and usb c.  That's a bit of a flaw.  My TV has multiple ports, like 4 hdmis, 3 avs, a coaxial and that usb but that's labelled 'service port'.  Anyway, it's solved.  I can now stream to my TV.  

Thanks for the helpful hints.  If I had just thought it through, I could've saved myself the trip to Best Buy.  Now, how to return this cable...

On with DAY 9.  So far, I woke up, ate breakfast, washed the dishes, played IT with my laptops, and surfed the web.  Stacy is off hiking (she left before I got out of bed).  Next on today's packed agenda, workout, get water, read, write, draw, maybe some beach time.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Glad problem solved.

Today is get up, breakfast, wash dishes, get coffee, go to shop to do some repairs, get more coffee, give one fencing lesson to fellow coach, do more goddam push-ups, go back to cave, go pick up German food for dinner at GF’s place.

[Drunk Monk]

I got my little bungalow workout done and read a little.  I'll probably read some more later.  It's clear and beautiful today but windy and Seabright beach kinda sucks when it's windy, so I may forego that part.

[Drunk Monk]

day 9 so far...what is it?   thurs?  water gotten, read more.  remembered that i need to call the hearing specialist for my mom.  but maybe a nap next...

[Greg]

Tuesday, dude. What the hell?

[Drunk Monk]

Tuesday, dude. What the hell?

[Drunk Monk]

Well, I never got around to drawing or writing (unless you count some social media posts and that no one counts that).  I'm torn between taking this time to start some writing project - that great American novel I've been planning (actually I haven't but I do have two book projects that I've been ruminating over for years) - of just being lazy.  Lazy is winning. 

I've also been meaning to draw more, but I'm uninspired there too.  Lazy wins again.  

I think I'm just going to watch some mindless vids.

[The Queen]

Must be nice, all this sleeping and relaxing I’m reading about. My colleagues from the home office in the Chicago area are all telecommuting for the first time, and for some reason, they’ve suddenly decided that means they need to include me on every web conference meeting on every topic. Usually they just meet in a conference room and they don’t think about bringing me in, except for one weekly department meeting. Now: I’ve had to attend and give my opinion at a dozen meetings in the last four days. At the same time, I’m still supposed to keep up with what’s happening in social media (which has tripled, in terms of relevant content for me to keeo an eye on), do all of the regular tasks of my job AND, somehow I’m now singlehandedly respnaible for giving the sales reps brief but practical content they can use as an excuse to contact their customers regularly without having to sell them anything, just so the customers know they “care.” Oh, and the new president that everyone hates wants me to “ghost write” some blogs that he can claim to have written so that people will think he’s nicer and more in touch than he is.

Anyway, one thing they had me working on for the last three days was a video that explains how to use web conferencing applications to do remote depositions or hearings. They don’t even have to so any scheduling. All they have to do is click a damned link, make sure they can hear and then start writing, just like they do in person. How on earth does anyone under 80 need video training for that?! Sigh. It’s done. Tomorrow I get to write scripts for four or five more “under 5-minute” videos addressing different aspects of remote reporting.

And research the “Stamp” tool in Acrobat Pro DC to figure out how to teach people to use it to digitally mark exhibits, since no one can hand them an exhibit for them to put a physical sticker on it, the way they do in person. And all of my regular stuff. And two meetings, that will kill 90 minutes of my day.

Fortunately it’s a Friday and soon I will be able to escape to the garden, to plant cucumber seeds and remove the weeds, and to the trails to prune more trees.

[Drunk Monk]

Must be nice, all this sleeping and relaxing I’m reading about. 

It's denial of that ticking clock...until the money runs out.  You're actually lucky that you can still pull in a paycheck.  It depends how long this goes, but if it's too long, my company could collapse.  The skeleton crew keeping TC running is working their asses off too, but there's no business because all of our clients, all the schools, are closed.  We've already tapped some rainy day savings and are good for now, but it's all about duration for us.  

Most of my friends that are still working are medics so they are on the front lines of this.  They don't have the PPEs they need to do their job safely, and they're swamped.  I've been chatting with some of them (being the psych supe, they figure I have some console to offer, but not really).  Many are getting close to breaking point.  They aren't there yet, but it is brutal what they are experiencing right now. The headlines aren't even getting at what's happening in their immediate experience.  I'm so proud and fearful for them.  

I have this instinct to pitch in but I'm triple deep in the high risk demographic for covid.  Besides, my cert is just basic health provider, which is just glorified cpr.  And given that I have to caretake for my mom, who is also very high risk, I'm playing it safe.