I know it bites into their profits to pay out

But I'm really pissed off at PetPlan insurance right now.

Loki had bad breath. Upon exam, it turned out he had an oral infection, and ONE, just ONE of the steps to clear him of the infection was to have under the gum line near the infected areas cleaned.  He was lucky, he didn't lose any teeth. The other steps were to give him antibiotics, and to 'clean his mouth', if I could without getting bitten.. too much.

However, according to PetPlan, this wasn't a cure for an oral infection, oh no no no!  It was 'a preventative dental scaling'. 
I have sent this to them. Not that I actually expect them to do the right thing.

Consider this angry feedback.  I've been a client of yours for 12+ years. 

My cat, Loki had bad breath. Upon exam, it turned out he had an oral infection, and ONE, just ONE of the steps to clear him of the infection was to have under the gum line near the infected areas cleaned.  He was lucky, he didn't lose any teeth. The other steps were to give him antibiotics, and to 'clean his mouth', if I could without getting bitten.. too much.

However, according to PetPlan, this wasn't a cure for an oral infection, oh no no no!  It was 'a preventative dental scaling'.  That was your 'loophole'. You consider any and gum/teeth treatment as preventative. If it was preventative, he would have had it done without me submitting a claim, just like I did with Ziggy, and Keito, Loki and Trance over the years.  But this was a needed MEDICAL procedure to CURE an infection.

Don't bother calling me, because I know you will just give me the same excuse, that it was preventative.  And my reply is the same: If it was preventative, he wouldn't have had an oral infection.

Yesterday, I cleaned out "Ziggy's Corner".

I had been putting it off because it felt like I was erasing her. But Ziggy can never be erased, or forgotten.

I moved some of her things, and got into the corner behind the footstool. And in the corner I found at least 20 small batteries. AAs, AAAs, single use, rechargeable.
The little wench had been hoarding them! I laughed through the tears as I cleared out her 'treasure trove'.
Now we know why she was always with her butt in the air, on the edge of the footstool, rummaging around in the corner.
What I didn't realize how much having just that much of her history with us cleared away would hurt today.  Finding her toys, some with her fur and scent still on them.
I miss her... and I miss Keito. But I didn't know I'd miss them this much.  Maybe it's because losing two in a month to the day was a bit to take.

With Amazon support, you have a 50/50 chance

I found my old Windows 7 phone, and its spare battery, so decided to charge it up, and see what I can do with it over WiFi (no sim chip in it)

It charged up very quickly and I started putting it through its paces.  Sadly, there are some things that no longer work, because Zune, the desktop software you used to be able to use to update programs, no longer works. Microsoft shut off Zune's access to the servers sometime around June/July 2019. 

Be that as it may, other programs were working fine.  I fired up my Kindle app and at first, all seemed well. It started to sync, cancelled the sync, deregistered itself, and deleted the books I had on the device.  Ok, this intrepid device user went through the usual "register your device", and it failed. I tried again, and again, and again, meticulously making sure every letter/character in name and password was correct and it was.  But kept getting "Email and password not recognized".  BUT I could login via the phone's internet browser.  Time for TECH SUPPORT!  I start a chat, and I explain the situation. I was clear and succinct so I wouldn't be wasting any time.  Even though I told the person, designated by the letter P, that everything, even the Microsoft Store, said I had the app installed, it wouldn't work. My question was "Did Amazon discontinue support for the Windows Phone version of Kindle App?" 

P said no, and insisted I check MS store to see if it was there. It was. He insisted I try to login, over and over. The, P's bright idea was to switch my location, even though I told him NOT to.  Well, he did (that lead to a different bunch of trouble).  Even so, still same "email and password not recognized" message.  After P fiddling around with things, telling me to try things, and if I didn't get back to him in 60 seconds he would discontinue the chat (I reamed him about that, telling him it takes longer than 60 seconds for MS Store to launch, to search for something and get a result. He pseudo-apologized for that), for a solid 90 minutes, P finally tells me that Amazon no longer supports or has available for download the Kindle App for Windows*.  Ok, I will admit, I textually, without swearing, lit into him for not finding that out and telling me earlier. I also told him to put my Amazon setting BACK to the way they originally were. (Although I live in Australia, I am U.S. citizen. I opened my Amazon account in the US over 20 years ago. Yes, I know there's an Amazon Au, but their selection sucks. Can't get the ebooks I want on the Amazon AU site, so not ditching my Amazon US account) Ended chat, gave honest if low rating. Turns out the little $hit didn't put my settings back.  So, none of my echo dots/alexa settings worked anymore.

I admit, it was late, and I was in no mood to go searching for reason/solution, I started another Amazon help chat regarding Alexa devices, with support person, Amir. I explained I was living in Australia, but had opened amazon account when I was in the US and wanted to keep it that way.  He fixed the issue in under 30 seconds. I profusely thanked him for his friendly, quick service, ended chat, gave 5 star ratings across the board.

Next thing, I'm checking to see if I can use it as a portable audio book device. Wish me luck!

Next episode of what passes as my life

Yesterday, I saw Mr. S, the osteo surgeon who replaced my worn out right knee.  The right knee replacement is great, and even though I still have some pain from the operated on compartment syndrome, all is ok with it.

Left knee..  *sigh*  bends back and forth ok, but it also moves left to right too easily.  That means the osteo-arthritis is getting worse, and I'm losing knee stability.  And today, unlike other times, my left knee fekking HURTS.  Have compression/support bandage on it.  Between that and pain meds, I'm able to walk somewhat normally.  I did have to order another compression bandage, as the velcro on the one I'm using is worn out and tends to let go.  So, the time of LTKR is coming closer. Just not yet.

Today was appointment with D, my counselor.  Because of pain meds, I was all over the place.  But I was able to focus on the one thing that is stressing me out;  tomorrow, Trance and Loki get home visit by the vet, and Loki gets boxed up to get his teeth cleaned. He really needs it, as he has really bad breath.  If the vet that gave wrong advise that caused Keito's death shows up, I will show him the door.  Call out fee be damned.

Also, discussed the possibility of getting another purrkid.  She said the way we love animals, and how much they mean to us, there is probably no way we won't, when we're heart healed and read, get another rescue or two.  I personally would love a 'house panther', or maybe a bonded pair looking to be re-homed together.  Just not yet... not ready. I, and Loki, are still in mourning over Keito's sudden death.

Ok, I gave Windows 10 a fair go

Close to 2 months, I used Windows 10 boot drive.   Stability; good.  Updates; too many, too annoying. Updates have a horrible habit of overwriting/removing anything you might have done.

Nannyware/nagware; I so wish Microsoft would understand that people want to control their OS and computers, not have Microsoft do it for them. 

Customizations are more than just a wee bit difficult to do (some impossible), and I can't say how much I dislike..no, loathe that desktop tile layout. It is sloppy.  I installed StartMenuX and got it back to a configurable, cleaner layout. 

Biggest Bugbear for me (and for my husband, too) was not only the total removal of Windows Media Center, but making it so you couldn't even install it even if you had the ability to do so.

I am currently back on my Windows 7 Boot drive.  It took a while to get all the programs and Windows updated after such a long time of not using it.  After that was finished, I can't say how much better Windows 7 is from Windows 10.

It's not just using legacy software that can no longer be installed due to software maker using different authentication service, or legacy hardware (the hardware works in Win 10, but the software for it doesn't. Go figure.

But I find Windows 7 also stable, the updates have only broken one software makers programs (Yes, I really liked ArcSoft MediaCenter. It was better than anything else that has so far followed, but they rather stupidly didn't pay Dolby licensing fees so no updates after v6x, and Microsoft closed off the program's ability to use the kernel for better performance, thereby it no longer would work).

It's not even the desktop layout, because by use of StartMenuX, both Win 7 and Win 10 look the same.

Overall, I find Windows 7 the winner over Windows 10.  So, as long as I can install software on Windows 7 boot drive, I will.  I know that sooner or later I will be forced to move over to Win 10 only as software makers will be painted into a corner of "Make it work with only our latest OS".

Ah, dammit.

‘Benson,’ ‘Star Trek’ actor René Auberjonois has died at 79


Cancer sucks.

It takes a specialist

To see a specialist?

For 19 years I have been asking 4 different GPs to please get my records from Dr R, an endocrinologist in Florida regarding my hypothyroidism, and how it was being successfully treated in the U.S.   4 different GPs, and all I got was hemming and hawing, and my weight going up and up and up, no matter what I did.

I kept food diary for a month. 

It wasn't believed. 

I wore a pedometer for a month. 30k steps per day on average.  But still, I could get no where with my GPs to prescribe me the medication that Dr R did, or even contact Dr R for my records (I had signed a release form, so that couldn't have been the problem)

Today, after a consult with my osteo surgeon, Mr S.,  regarding bariatric surgery. I told him that I had been under the knife for the past 4 years in one way or another.  I want a gap year.  There is also the fact that I have FND, and surgery could start triggering it again.  Also, I have a history of anorexia. Turning me into an instant anorexic by get gastric sleeving done isn't a great idea.

So, I told him about Dr R, the endocrinologist in Florida.  I told Mr S the above history with my GPs, and he said again, this just won't do!  I get to fast, and get a Thyroid function test, not just testing to see if I have the Thyroxine in me.  Will also get a BGL test, too.  Once those results are in, I will be FINALLY seeing an endocrinologist!

Halli-fucking-luiah!

I tried

I tried to take the dress I wore during Keito's last moments with me out of the closet to wash.  Even after a month, it smelled like him, and I just burst into tears.  I couldn't do it. I held it to my face, and could smell him. The tears just started rolling. Typing this through salty goggles right now.

I can't bring myself to wash it, just like i can't bring myself to wash the blankets I made a bed out of for him. 

I miss him. 

I miss you.

I miss you. I catch myself watching and waiting for you to come out of your hidey-hole in the closest.  Or waiting for you to come into the bathroom when I'm 'busy', to demand pats and pets. Looking for you in the window, 'solar charging'.

I miss the feel of your light landing on the bed, and the delicate way you would start walking up my foot, ankle, leg, hip, side, to sit on my arm/shoulder to bat and paff me on the cheek, or nose. Or to gently bite my cheek, purring so hard
. 
I miss you peeking at me over the curtain, meowing because it was "Time to eat!".  I miss that when you were standing at the side door, you would look at my reflection, right into my eyes, and know that was me, meow to be let out to sit on your cushion. I miss you knocking on the door to be let back in. I miss you meeping at me when I said "Echo, bedroom light on" thinking I was talking to you.

I miss how you never left my side when I was sick, or would stay with me after I got home from being at the hospital, and how you would let me 'cry in your fur' when I was down.

I miss you in a myriad of small ways, that has left a hole in me, that will take a long time to heal.

I miss you.

#keito

I am seriously torn between which photo raw editing program to use, that isn't Adobe.

I love On1 PhotoRaw, but the stand alone has problems that seem to crop up with every iteration since before it was name for years (aka on1 2018, 2019 etc etc) 

With the latest version, On1 PhotoRaw 2020, when using it as a stand alone, my graphics tablet is almost unusable with the local adjustment brushes. At first I thought it was because I was watching a video on 2nd monitor, so I shut that down. And I made sure nothing else was playing/running other than ordinary computer programs.

The second the stylus tip touched the tablet, not only did the cursor move glacially slow, if at all, but the program would have the "Not Responding" in the program window frame. When that vanished, SOMETIMES what I was trying to do succeeds, but more often than not, I end up with some weird brush stroke adjustment somewhere it doesn't belong.

That being typed, if I use On1 PhotoRaw 2020 as a PLUGIN with Photoshop, I don't get those horrible slow downs.  But having to the the Raw adjustments, then punt the JPG into Photoshop, shut down On1, only to launch it as a plugin isn't a very efficient workflow

DxO PhotoLab 3 standalone.  About the same price to buy/upgrade as On1.  And I am sad to say that I can do all the adjustment brushes I want without it turning  my computer into an 8088.  I might not have all my nifty presets and custom brushes in it (yet) but performance-wise, it's much better than On1 2020 Standalone.

This has got to be one of the most bogus scam I've seen

Hey, I know your password is: 9041

I haven't used a 4 character password ever.

Your computer was infected with my malware, RAT (Remote Administration Tool), your browser wasn't updated / patched, in such case it's enough to just visit some website where my iframe is placed to get automatically infected, if you want to find out more - Google: "Drive-by exploit".

More bullshit.

My malware gave me full access and control over your computer, meaning, I got access to all your accounts (see password above) and I can see everything on your screen, turn on your camera or microphone and you won't even notice about it.

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Uhh no.

I collected all your private data and I RECORDED YOU (through your webcam) SATISFYING YOURSELF!

Seeing as I keep my webcams covered with a microfiber hood unless in use for video calls, again, nope!

After that I removed my malware to not leave any traces.

No traces because it was never on my computer to begin with.

I can send the video to all your contacts, post it on social network, publish it on the whole web, including the darknet, where the sick people are, I can publish all I found on your computer everywhere!

Go ahead... I dare you.

Only you can prevent me from doing this and only I can help you out in this situation.

But wait! There's MORE!

Transfer exactly 1400$ with the cryptocurrency DASH (DSH) to my DASH (DSH) address.

It's a very good offer, compared to all that horrible shit that will happen if I publish everything!

You can buy DASH (DSH) here: www.cex.io , www.binance.com , www.bitpanda.com , or Google for other exchanger.

You can send the DASH (DSH) directly to my address, or create your online wallet first here: www.cryptonator.com , www.freewallet.org or download and install your hardware wallet EXODUS first from: www.exodus.io and then send to mine.

My DASH (DSH) address is: XnfypYUMso855erq8vmsdGcFPcnWeUh1G4

Copy and paste my address, it's (cAsE-sEnSEtiVE).

I give you 2 days to transfer the DASH (DSH).

You've got a better chance of seeing God.

As I got access to this email account, I will know if this email has already been read. If you get this email multiple times, it's to make sure you read it, my mailer script has been configured like that and after payment you can ignore it! After receiving the payment, I will remove everything and you can life your live in peace like before. Next time update your browser before browsing the web!

If you think I believe this, I have a big green statue in New York Harbor for sale... cheap!

Silver linings aren't always great

Had the MRI on my left knee after an exam by Mr S (osteo surgeon)

My silver lining is this: if it wasn't for the lack of sensitivity/feeling in my left leg because of spinal surgery 9+ years ago and the nerve damage occurring when the disc collapsed, requiring said surgery, I would be in considerable pain.

You see, my left knee is bone on bone, with the small exception of an itty bitty piece of meniscus on the outside left of the knee. The weight bearing inside right of the knee.. it's gone.   I also have nothing but serous fluid behind my knee cap.  Yup, I need another knee replacement.

So, my 'silver lining' is preventing me from feeling pain.  Mr S said I would know when it's time.  Right now, I can get around without much of a problem. And since I am still struggling with the nerve pain, and recovery from the surgery for the compartment syndrome, I'm rather grateful for my dead-ish feeling leg.

On happy/sad news, I got a stainless steel bracelet for "Keito's Heart Pendant".   I also had his fur filled pendant engraved with a small ornate K and Ziggy's fur filled pendant engraved with an equally ornate Z.  I'm still crying about the loss of Ziggy and Keito.  Last week, I got tired of waiting for the mythical "time" to be found to help me, so dug a hole in the back yard, sprinkled some of both Keito and Ziggy's ashes in it, and planted a young rosemary shrub.  I cried my eyes out afterward.  I miss them more than I thought I would, especially Keito. 

Keito is home

I've placed the toy mice he would hoard, and the laser pointer that gave him so many hours of play time trying to catch the red bug next to his urn.  My heart is both breaking and numb at the same time. 

RIP Keito

Keito, my 'babykitty', who I have had since he was 5 weeks old, is gone. We helped him cross the rainbow bridge at 11:38pm, October 5, 2019.

This morning is the first time I haven't greeted by him. I wasn't followed into the bathroom, my glasses ear pieces weren't snogged and chewed on, my fingers weren't licked and nibbled on, and my jewelry/watch cheek rubbed on.  I miss his sound, his silky soft fur, and his calm loving personality.

He was mine and I was his.  I feel as if I've had a limb removed, or a big chunk of my heart.  I think part of me has died inside as well.

Keito, aka Mister Meow-Ge, aka The Purrminator isn't well

A few weeks ago, after a bout of chemo therapy, the vet told us to just feed Keito whatever he wanted, when he wanted.   I wish I had known he hadn't read Keito’s entire medical history, because that was probably the worst possible instructions to give us.  I thought he knew Keito was diabetic, and instructed accordingly.

What 1 week of following his instructions was Keito going into acute hyperglycemia, on top of being treated for lymphoma. He spent a week at the vet, and he was doing so well. Alert, active, after insulin, and IV glucose, and regular feeding.   But what we weren't told is that what that did to his diabetes is made it uncontrollable.

We have brought him home for the weekend, according to Dr J, to say goodbye, to get or last cuddles and loves in, because she believes Keito is just giving up.

But when we brought him home, he demanded to be fed, and even though he only ate half of the cat food we gave him, he chowed down on the fresh roasted chicken I gave him.  This morning, it was the same routine, my legs swung out of bed, and he was there snogging my toes, meowing, following me into the bathroom, pestering me while I was... umm sitting to pet him, causing him to slide all over the tile floor.

He then followed me out to the kitchen, demanding to be fed, ate about half of the food that was given, but two hours later ate some more.  Then I got some cuddle time with him. Relaxing, purring and drooling.

He's not ready to do, no matter what Dr J thinks or said.  I'm hoping for the best though, but preparing for the worst, in case this bright behavior of his is just the final spark of the loving being  that is our beloved Keito.

It hasn't even been three weeks

And I know I shouldn't expect it any other way, but I miss Ziggy.
She was so much a part of my day, and daily routine.  She would climb up onto the arm of my chair, and from behind, tap me on the should when she wanted something.  I would open the window, and she would hop up on the sill to look outside.  She also had a special set of meows for "Feed me", "I'm bored, let's play", "Hey, this is in my way!" (when she wanted in the closet) and she would dig at her sofa tent when it wasn't arranged to her liking, or if she wanted her wheat bags heated up.

I was cleaning my office, and my eyes kept getting drawn to the spots she would normally be, and it was like a twist in my guts.  I took a toy and put it under the blanket on the sofa, where Ziggy used to sleep. Her 'sofa tent'. It's a mind fake, but at least it stops the hurt for a little while.

I had one rather unfeeling person just say "Get another cat."  (and yes, it was unfeeling, as the person went on to say one cat is pretty much like another).  I was polite, and said "Thank you, but no thanks."

Non-pet owners don't understand. It's not just losing an animal. It's losing a member of your family.  Pardon me while I go cry for a while... again.

Ziggy is home.

Brett from Lawnswood brought Ziggy home yesterday afternoon.
I’m now wearing the sealed locket containing a bit of her fur.
Also, they went a bit extra, and not only brought her home, brought some of her fur home for us, too.
Much crying has and is being done.

Yes, funeral arrangements for our beloved cat

Have made arrangements for Ziggy's remains to be cremated and placed in an appropriate urn. Will have some of her ashes sealed in a locket, and some of her fur also sealed in another locket. Some of her ashes will be placed in a lined velvet bag, which will be buried in her favorite spot in the yard.
 
This was Ziggy before she was ill, and this is how I want to remember her.

Thank you, Lawnswood, for all your assistance.

Ziggy is gone

At 10:17pm, September 4th, 2019, Ziggy was helped across the rainbow bridge.  She had been rallying but she took a sudden down turn, was laboring to breathe.  Took her to emergency Vet, and ultra sound showed her cancer had progressed to the point that it was only the fresh O2 feed keeping her oxygenated.  Move the O2 and she would start gasping with her mouth open again.
It was time.
We made the heartbreaking choice, while she was purring, alert and calm, to help her cross.  We all spent some time with her, and when she was given a relaxing sedative, her head drooped, and she stopped breathing. She had been breathing from sheer force of her will. When she was given the sleep shot, it took took less than 2 second for her heart to stop. She was ready. 
We gave her g’bye cuddles, whispered in her ear how much we loved her.
Heartbroken now. I see her things, like her basket, empty.  I’m going to have to do something to remove these reminders, or I will be crying every few minutes.

Ziggy had a seizure

Ziggy just had an episode of thrashing around, as if in a panic. Then she was gasping for air, as if she couldn't breathe. I managed to get her untangled from the computer cords, as this happened while she was on the towel covered box on the battery back up.

She ok, or as ok as she can be right now, but we needed to have her seen by the vet.

Vet said it was an idiopathic seizure. And since it's not happening all the time, and that she is bright and alert (even though with all our feeding her she's still losing weight) and eating, drinking, walking around, using her litter box, she will be with us for a while longer.
When we got home, I warmed a plate, cut up some beef on the warm plate so it wouldn't cook, and carried it into the room where she was. She poked her head out of the top of the basket and YOWLED to be fed. Ate everything, and tube treat! Yeah, she will be here for a while longer. Just weeks, but it will have to be enough.

When  she can't get around on her own, or starts soiling herself, and refusing to eat anything.... then it will be 'that time'.

It took about 2 hours of trial and error

Because On1 no longer uses the same authentication service, some really great OnOne tools that didn't make their way into the latest versions of On1 PhotoRaw could no longer be installed. 

This really sucks because OnOne Focal Point was the best DOF plugin I had ever tried.  And this is coming form someone who has AlienSkin Bokeh 3!  So, even though I have Windows 10 up and running properly (so far so good) I can't install the OnOne suite that had Focal Point on the Win10 boot drive.  Nor could I install PhotoTools Professional on the Win 10 boot drive.  Good thing for me I have them installed on the Windows 7 boot drive.

But here's the conundrum: One the Windows 7 drive, there is something in the latest On1 plugins that won't let the older plugins work.  If I pulled the On1PhotoRaw plugins out of the Photoshop plugin directory, the older OnOne plugins worked.  So, it became a case of trial and error juggling these four OnOne/On1 products between Adobe CS6E and Adobe CC:

On1 PhotoRaw 2019
Perfect PhotosSuite 5.5.4
Perfect PhotoSuite 9
PhotoTools 2.6 Professional.

This is what I finally got.

Adobe CS6E: I can use Focal Point 2, PhotoTools 2.6, and just On1 PhotoRaw 2019 Develop plugins.  Doesn't matter I don't have the On1 Portrait or Effects plugin, because when you launch the Develop one, you can just click on over to Effects, Portrait, or Local adjustments.  But I can't use any of the Resizing plugins.  That's ok, I can use AlienSkin BlowUp.

Adobe CC:  I can use Focal Point 2, PhotoTools 2.6, On1 PhotoRaw Develop and Effects plugins.  BUT I can also use all the Perfect PhotoSuite 9 plugins, including Perfect Resize.  Yay, go me.

Now, this is if I am using Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw. Yes, even though On1PhotoRaw is wonderful, I import the finished image into Photoshop, and there are plugins/tools I have there that On1PhotoRaw just doesn't have.

Part of me wants to upgrade my Win 7 boot drive to Windows 10 just to see if those plugins will still work, but, I am going to err on the side of caution (even though I have a clone of the Win 7 drive as a back up) and since it ain't broken, I'm not going to fix it.  If I have to stay with Windows 7 to do photo editing, so be it. 

Nerdz Ruul!

Keito, two plus weeks post op

He's definitely put some weight back on. He no longer has bony face/cheeks.  Also, his back doesn't feel like a stegosaurus, meaning weight gain. Called South Street Vet to postpone Keito's fructosamine test, as he was at the vet overnight a few times the past month, and his BGLs were fine.  Since we are concentrating on his having Chemo, the fructosamine test can wait.

Ziggy still has her cough, but it's not as severe.  The Bisolvon works to break up the mucus, but turns her into a very sleepy cat.  And when that happens Wing wrings his hands in worry.  Today, Ziggy has only had one coughing episode, and it was over in less than a minute.  If she has another, we will dose her with the Bisolvon, and she will end up sleeping the night through.  As long as she isn't in any discomfort, is eating, drinking, and doing other cat things, she will stay with us.  We know time is limited, but we will love her as long as she is with us.

Vet report on Keito

Vet report on Keito - the vet was very pleased at Keito's recovery. Not only has the surgical site healed perfectly, our moggie has put on some weight. He should be seeing how much he's been catching up on missed meals.

Regarding the diagnosis of lymphoma: There are three treatments.

We could just treat the symptoms, which would suppress them a while, and it will come raging back in 3 to 6 months.

Another option: there is a treatment for small cell lymphoma. It does work, but it's toxic. Keito doesn't have small cell lymphoma. So gave that one the flick.

Third option: It's the most used one. It has a 25% chance of cure (wishful thinking) and a 75% chance of a 1 to 3 (or longer)  year remission. The protocol is given by weight, so his low weight isn't an issue. AND because the lymphoma was caught early, gives him a damned good chance of remission. We have chosen option three. The vet said I have reasonable expectations. Sure, a cure would be great, but that is a slim chance. He said remission is very likely.

Also discussed Ziggy and her coughing. We were given the name of an OTC cough remedy that would work to break up the mucus. It's not a cure, but it will help her breathing. As long as she eats, does other cat things, and her gums are pink and her ears are pink and warm, she will stay with us.

Take another little piece of my heart out

Keito was xrayed and a mass was seen in his gut.  Surgery was scheduled immediately
He came though the surgery just fine. There was a 6cm necrotic blockage in his intestine. It had ruptured slightly, which is what caused the infection, and what was quashing his appetite. The blockage was removed, an extra 4cms from either end of the resection removed to get clean margins, and stitched back together. A swollen lymph node near the blockage was removed just to be safe.
Kidneys, liver, spleen heart, lungs, all good.  Pristine was the word the vet used.

Sent the blockage off to pathology for testing.  The results.  Keito has lymphoma. Don't know what stage it is, or how involved it is. Will be seeing vet tomorrow to discuss palliative care (low doses of presnidone ) vs chemo.

I'm gutted, because the surgical vet said he did open the mass and it didn't look like any sort of cancer he had ever seen.
First Ziggy, with lung cancer, and now Keito, Mister Meow-Gi, the Purrminator? 

Ziggy Update (and other sundries)

Ziggy seems to be holding her own.  Instead of feeding her twice a day, been giving her small meals throughout the day.  Still pinning hopes on the CBD oil arriving soon enough to be of use to her. I gave her a catnip leaf, and she enjoyed it. Got her to eat a bit more, and she's resting comfortably now on two heated wheat bags.

Keito:  he's had his course of antibiotics.  His eating is still hit and miss, meaning sometimes we have to follow him and put the dish of food in front of him to make him eat.  Have scheduled an appointment for him to have a glucose curve test, 7am tomorrow morning.

I know pets are ephemeral, and live faster than we humans, but having two ill, one with a terminal illness, at the same time, is breaking my heart.   I feel so helpless.

I've been getting intermittent shooting pains down the back of my thigh. Seeing as I had a spinal fusion, it's not sciatica.  Could be that I missed a few doses of my dystonia meds, and stress has been on the high side the past few weeks.  *sigh* 

Wow, I remember when having a 10mb hdd was a lot of room.

Today, I got my fully functioning Windows 1903 (build 18362.239) that was on a small 500gb drive, onto a 2tb drive.  All is working. The only issue I had was RoboForm AI whining about it not being activated.  Seeing as Windows 10 is the only place I have this version of Robo AI on it, I just reactivated it, disregarding the "this will deactivate from the other machine!"

Cloning your HDD to a larger HDD or even to an SSD shouldn't be so fekking fiddly. But it was. After two days of trial and error (making sure to NOT do anything that would endanger the 500gb drive) it's done! 

Wow, I remember when having a 10mb hdd was a lot of room. 

I swear

Windows 10 has been installing more patches, cumulative updates and security updates than Windows 95, XP, or 7 ever did in the same time period. 

Every time I turn around, another patch or update.

Ziggy is back home from the vet, and the news isn't good.

She has lung cancer, more than likely already seeded from when she had mammary cancer. There is a silver lining to it because of the type it is. She isn't in any pain or distress, still eating and "Catting". She just won't have the breath to do a lot of running around, or other aerobic activities.

It will get worse, but there's no real time scale, as it took a year for it to even become noticeable. Vet said months. He said she could prove him a liar and last out another year.

EDIT: He did say this is probably the worst time of year for this, too because of the cold and damp. Well, we will make sure she stays warm and cozy.

Whatever time our girl Ziggy has, we will make it quality of life.

No stiff upper lip here.

Our girl Ziggy is at the vet, where she will get xrays first thing in the morning.  The vet is concerned that the cancer she had last year, has metastasized.  It was something we were told could happen.

Regardless of the results tomorrow, we will do what is best for Ziggy. We gave her an extra year by treating the cancer last year. I'm a blubbering mess right now.

"NEW AND IMPROVED" not always a good thing

Too often, I see people getting caught up in what I call the iPhile loop. Regardless of what the item is, they have the get the NEWEST version, even if the one they have is perfectly serviceable and works. Even to the point of camping out to be FIRST!

This goes for phones, cameras, computers, cars. Are some of the newer phones better/packed with more features? Sure, but will I USE those new features? Probably not. I wouldn't have gotten a new phone, just a new phone plan, if Alan's phone wasn't dying. He inherited my S7, I got an S9.

Cameras. Same thing, do some of the newer ones have better features? *SOMETIMES*. I have found that different abilities/features aren't necessarily better, or of any use.

Computers? Doesn't matter what you get/build. It will be 'obsolete' in 3 to 6 months.

Cars? Given regular maintenance, they can last well over a decade. So what it doesn't have the latest GPS or bluetooth.

Software? Sometimes the old adage of "IF it ain't broken, don't fix it" applies. I have on many occasions rolled back to earlier version of certain programs because the older versions work better. (One example, Luminar 3. It was a complete disaster. IMO, they released a beta test, and then when the complaints about it crashing, hardlocking the computer, failing, they blamed the person's computer. Regardless how kick ass of a machine they had).

I have my cameras. They work and I like them. I know most of their workings inside and out. I don't see the need to get the newest version. If anything, I'm thinking of trading in something to get an OLDER camera that will suit my needs.

Another computer, another Win10 update

Windows 10 updated on Wing's computer, and just like with mine, the latest update well and truly killed off Windows Media Center. At first, he kinda got upset with us about it, that he liked the computer the way it was, didn't want any updates. I had to explain to him that with Win 10, you don't have the option to NOT update. You can put it off for a week, but it will still end up updating.

I tried to get WMC to work, and it would.. partially. It would scan the channels, load the EPG, but when you clicked on a channel, it would shut down. I did everything I my bag of tech tricks to get it work, short of installing a VM, and nothing worked.

I ended up installed NextPVR on his computer. It's free (donations are appreciated by not necessary. Since we are both using it, would be a good thing to do) Scanned for channels twice, found 31. Set up recording directory, and showed him how to use it.

Doing the great data shuffle/juggle

Windows 10 has issues with the 5 bay external drive (really long boot login time, powering it down without ejecting the drives first, causing data loss), so what I'm doing is shift data/files.  Putting certain files (installation files, back up files, video files)  and others that aren't often accessed on the external drives, and moving the data that is on the external drives, that is (will be was) accessed on a regular basis (photography, downloads, audio files) to the internal drives.

It has taken two days to juggle and shift files.  Currently copying the downloaded videos (ie my UltraViolet and other digital content files) to one internal J drive to the internal O drive, so I can shift my photography files on the external M drive, to the J drive once the digital content files have been moved.  MS time says about 2 hours to shift 1.2 tbs of said content.

Then I get to shift 2.6tbs of photography to the J drive. That will probably take overnight.

Physio appointment

With Simon, the Nice Sadist. (I have explained this to him, as all physiotherapists have to be a wee bit sadistic to deliberately hurt patients in order for them to get well)

He's amazed he can hit something painful, and I might yelp, but I don't move the sore leg he's working on.

This will come as no surprise to those who know me, but I have been overdoing the exercises... again.  Part of the problem is I'm in a hurry to get back to were I was prior to everything going to shit. Also, the lack of activity has skewed my sense of time. I thought it had been 3 weeks since surgery, but it's only been 2.

 
So, after some massage therapy to help with the fluid build up, and the over tightness of my leg, I was sent home with instructions to slow down a little.

Bets as to whether or not I heed those instructions?

EaseUS.. you suck

I had a HDD go RAW due to a power flicker. I started running EaseUS Partition Master to recover it.  Wanting to make sure I was doing the right thing, I started a support chat with EaseUS tech support.

The agent, Warren, told me that none of my programs would work. EaseUS Partition Master, nor M3 RAW Drive recovery.  He told me to cancel the Partition recovery I was doing.

He then put some program on my computer called WinHex, and did something for about 90 minutes, saying he recovered this but it would cost me a couple hundred dollars for a full recovery service.  He kept pressuring me, and using scare tactics saying the files would deteriorate if they weren't recovered right away.

I paid, and started running the program he set up... then it crashed.  I emailed support about it, got nothing but an autoreply, so I went back to using M3 RAW drive recovery, which recovered EVERYTHING.

Yes, Warren, you LIED to me.  I will be contacting my bank to have the charge reversed.

So, if you need to recover a RAW Drive, do NOT use EaseUS products. Use M3 RAW Drive Recovery.  It not only fixed the partition, I was able to shift the files from that drive to another after, clearing it off, as I had planned to do this weekend.

Customer Service at its best

Wing  and I (I'm still using crutch) went grocery shopping, and had a rather full cart.  All the lines were long, so we did like usual; no matter which line you get into, the other will go faster.

I hear someone say behind me "slide over to Number One".  It was one of the cashiers I know rather well. He opened up the register a few minutes early, before someone else's shift, so we could go through the check out.
Very grateful for that, more than he knows.  Home now, sore, tired, but a bit of faith in humanity and manners restored.

PostOp Check up

The wound is healing nicely, no signs of inflammation or redness.  Dressings were changed (dayam, having that 'surgical glue' plug removed fricken HURT!). Saw Dr S, and when I told him that the 'help' vanished because one day I didn't use the crutches around the house, and I was doing deep knee bends/squats to get things cleaned, he told me to have a discussion with Wing  and Alan.  I promised I would (and I did) and then off to the physio.

New physio, Simon.  First off, nice sadist, like all physiotherapists. But he was left kind of out in the dark, so I had to give him a quick rundown of my past medical history.  That took a while.  He also agreed that doing things like feeding the cats, or cleaning litterboxes needs to be done by someone else for a while, because we are trying to recover from compartment syndrome, not re-create it.

Then it was time for business. Poke, prod, stretch, rotate, twist. You know, the usual things.  I have to say, that even though the rehab exercises are simple, they're tiring!

Leg hurts like hell now, too.  Time for "Better living through Chemistry" aka take what Dr S prescribed.

One week, PostOp

One week after the surgery for compartment syndrome. It hasn't been all sunshine and flowers. Leg hurts, but hurts in a different way. Seeing as to how Mr S described what needed to be done, it's not too much of a surprise it's going to hurt, but it's causing sleeping issues again. Mostly because I can't sleep on my right side, as it's the outer leg/calf that had the surgery. Tomorrow, I get to see the practice nurse, and my first visit with a new physio, Simon. Oh joy.

Keito, Mister Old Cranky it seems, has taken to biting me really hard to wake me up around 4am. He came >.< this close to getting a reflexive backhand. Wing  put Loki in the back yard, think he was the one that bit me.  No, it was Keito. So Wing put him in the back yard with Loki.

It's so frustrating!

I know that with each new OS, there is teething pain, and a learning curve, but Windows 10 is a right pain in the ass.

After an MS Assure tech totally bollixed up my PC (she tried to kill a mosquito using a nuke. Task manager didn't work.), I ended up taking that HDD with Windows 10 installed on it out, and putting the original 500gb drive with pre-Assure fuck up Windows 10 back in it.  I had to reinstall a few programs, all the updates installed without a problem, but everything was working.... well, almost everything.

Windows 10 automatically presumes you're on a laptop, and hamstrings your system. You have to go through certain settings in the Device Manager, and in Power Management, to keep external drives from shutting down. 

Certain programs on Windows 10 Pro will not run unless you run them as administrator. Of course, if those files are in the Windows directory, you can't go in and adjust it to always run as administrator. There's a work around, make a short cut, then adjust the properties of that short cut to run as administrator. (Notepad is notorious for this) One would think if you were logged in as the administrator, this wouldn't be a problem, right?  Wrong.

Also, since the update, screen saver just will not work. Doesn't matter if I use the native Windows 10 screen saver, or a 3rd party screen saver. It *used* to work prior to the updates, so something in the updates screwed something up. Yes, I know that with and LCD, you really don't need a screen saver, but I want one.

Well, that was sneaky

I have been using Cole online grocery shopping, coupled with the Coles credit card for free deliveries over $100 for years.  It's been useful due to health issues (knee, knee replacement) and when Wing  was working for companies that sent him out and about for weeks.

Today, I go to place an order and see I'm being charged for delivery.  Whohunwha?

I started a chat window and it turns out that starting May the 5th, they no longer offer free deliveries for orders over X amount anymore.  They have "Free Zones" which is a wide window of time (typically 8 hours) on specific days.   Can no longer order two days ahead of time and be waiting on the day.

I told them that I was very disappointed, and seeing as the free delivery if I used my Coles Credit Card was the only reason I got the credit card.  I feel like it was a long play bait and switch. 

Not happy, and I will tell them about it in more than just a brief chat window.

And so it continues

Even though it's been 16 months since I had the total knee replacement, I have been having chronic, sometimes jacking up to sharp, pain on the side of my shin, that would run down to the top and side of my foot.

Today, I had the muscle pressure test done.  I have to say, it was not what I would call a pleasant experience, whatsoever!

Normal muscle pressure is between 5 and 10.

But since when is anything normal about me?  Mine; 35 and 42.

I see my OS next Tuesday... probably for a surgical appointment to be made.

I am medically tired.  Spinal fusion, followed by gall bladder removal, followed by large ruptured cyst on my back, followed by knee injury, followed by total knee replacement, followed by car accident injuries, followed by pneumonia, followed by seizures. 

My name isn't Job, but am beginning to understand what he went through.

Keito's not doing well

More like not quite right. He's back to being ravenous all the time, and peeing where he shouldn't.  I know diabetic cats have a problem with their bladders feeling over full, and having to empty it, but he went from doing well and normal, to constantly hungry, getting twitchy and getting glassy eyed. 

Have called the vet and made appointment for him.  They will be getting blood and urine samples, and a possible overnight stay for observation. 

Even though OLW 0.6.3 or 0.6.2 doesn't display the right WP Template

They are the only ones that will post to one of my blogs.  It's kind of a pain.  Turns out I should have kept Office 2007 instead of upgrading to 2010 a while back, because you can't connect or post to certain blogs with Word 2010, but can with 2007.  But Microsoft won't allow two installation Office. I can edit Typepad entries with Semagic, but I can't POST to Typepad with Semagic.

Why can't programmers get together and cooperate?  Hell no, that is too much to ask for.

What I learned last night:

I can't get by taking only one lorazepam a day.

Last night, after only taking 1 tablet a few days, my right my leg would not stop kicking and twitching last night. I even felt my foot wanting to 'curl' under.

Felt pins and needles in my right palm, too. Took med about midnight, some time after 1 am, issues with leg and arm stopped and I was finally able to get to sleep.

Lesson learned. One in the morning, one in the afternoon to keep hemidystonia at bay.

As if I really needed another reason to dislike Windows 10

Did I say dislike?  No, I mean LOATHE.

Windows 10 took into its programing to 'scan' two of my external drives.  One drive it wiped every file out of that in one directory of one drive, and then blew out the partition on another drive. 

I am currently on my Windows 7 drive, using data recovery software. So far, it's found the missing partition and all the file. When the scan is complete, i will click on RECOVER, and that will be one problem fixed.

What gets me, is the drive with the folder wiped clean, reads as if those files are still taking space, so hopefully, they can be recovered, also.

It was inevitable, I guess

Plodding through the last of the Windows 7 Cumulative updates. Started with 18 of them, been working my way through the list in chronological order.  I read people raving about Windows 10, how great it is, but I read even more people ranting about it, especially since many tried and true pieces of software are blocked from being used (unless you know how to get to the PowerShell or othersuch things to work your way around it)  

I threw in the towel for when it came to the Windows 7 updates.  Total Media Center was a helluva lot better than anything else out on the market now.  BUT the idiot company 'forgot' to pay Dolby their royalties, and further development came to a halt. That media center is what kept me from installing the Quarterly Roll Ups, because it would disable TMT.  But alas, all good things must come to an end, whether you like it or not.  I've had a few hiccups and glitches after updating Win 7 (my Hotkey program isn't loading at start up, but I can start it afterward. Might just need reinstalling to fix whatever the updating has screwed up)

Once I get Win 7 set to rights, then comes the fun part. Finding a way to get %#$#$$% Windows 10 to update like it's supposed to WITHOUT having to 'refresh', as some software I have is charged per installation, not per machine. And let me tell you, that really sucks.  And when I get fed up with the nagging nannyware of Windows 10, I will hie on back to Windows 7.

Hurray, for the dual boot system.

Poor Loki

He's resorting to sleeping on my foot.  Since I had the total knee replacement, I can't cross my left ankle to the top of my right knee, because the right knee hurts when I do that.  And I can't flex the right knee enough to  rest my right ankle on my left knee. 

He used to sleep on my lap, using my dress as a hammock, but now he has to resort to sleeping on my foot.  And now my foot is asleep, but I'm not going to move him.

A moment of silence

For our 19 year old refrigerator.  Luckily I noticed it before everything in the freezer thawed. It was the the small turkey I got last weekend that was frozen that kept most of what was in the freezer frozen. 

Measured the how wide and deep the now dead fridge was, then headed out to Fridge and Washer City.  This time, I was in the market for one with the freezer on the bottom. Armed with measuring tape, and reading labels, I selected on that was exactly what I wanted.  I asked if it could be delivered today, as I had insulin and other medications in need of refrigeration (I put them in a small insulated lunch box, with some semi thawed ice packs to keep them cool).  Was told it could be, and they would take the old one.  Worked for me! Made the credit card temporarily smoke by paying for it.

Alan and I went home, and started offloading what was in the freezer into an 'esky' aka cooler. We packed everything we could around the turkey.  Then we went to the fridge.  Yuck.  The smell of things that went off combined to create a really nasty smell.  While we were cleaning that out, the new fridge arrived. We weren't done yet, so we busted out butts getting everything out, sorted, packed or tossed.

Talk about an intense 30 minute work out!  I am sore... Tramadol sore. This is the first time in months I have needed the prescription pain meds.

Wing said he would cook tonight. Gawd, I Love that man. He's also bringing home some 3M sticky tabs so we can re-hang the cooking utensils on the side of the fridge.

 

Did I mention I was sore?  Oh yeah, I did.

Just two a day

Slogging through all the Windows 7 "Cumulative Updates" I passed on installing so I could keep using one my favorite Blu-Ray players.  But it's come to the time that I just uninstalled it, and have installing the rather backed up Cumulative updates.  There are quite a few, but they take so long to download, and then to install, just going to do two a day.

Have to say, not happy about having to do this, but seeing as Micro$oft is going to be ending official support in 2020, it behooved me to get the updates installed, regardless how many programs Micro$oft suddenly deemed unworthy or out of date.

Had a good conversation with my GP today

We discussed the blurry vision when trying to focus on something (like reading books) and it is a normal side effect of Lyrica. It *should* settle itself after a while.
 
Discussed the Lorazepam. I told him I was taking half of what he proscribed. I had tried with the two tabs, three times a day, but I was just too wonked out. I told him I discovered that a sharp, loud, sudden sound would start to trigger a seizure. Even watching a car accident on TV would make my leg and arm start twitching.  Discovering one seizure trigger is a good thing. 

Got my flu shot, and my arm is already sore, but it was something I expected.  Ordered vaccination for shingles, which is currently in my fridge, as I have to wait a few weeks between vaccinations.

Oh, yes, forgot, told him about doing 30 minutes a day on my stationary bike, and how it makes the tendons in my leg feel very stiff and sore. He suggested I get an elliptical trainer. It will be discussed with Wing, and I will try one out first. If my leg can't handle the elliptical treadmill/trainer, I can still keep using the stationary bike.

Keito has turned into a cranky old man

Before dawn, I felt a nip on the back of my upper arm. This isn't anything unusual, as it's something Keito has done for years. But when he didn't get the response he wanted, he *bit* me. Hard enough to bruise and break the skin, but not hard enough to bleed.

I yelled at him, swatted at him, and told Wing to put him outside. My upper arm looks like I have a healed miniature vampire bite.

Ok, but some will have no need to bother.

Skylum has come out with Luminar Flex, which as far as I can tell, is Luminar 3 but without the system crashing 'cataloging' feature.

It claims to support Lightroom (classic) and Photoshop, but the plugin didn't install in Photoshop CS6, even though there was nothing about what VERSION of Photoshop as in it had to be "Creative Cloud" (aka Rent me Forever)  As I have typed before, I have an older version of CC on my computer, and it just sits there for issues like this. I installed Luminar Flex, then went into Programs\Common Files\Adobe\PhotoshopCC\ and copied it over to the Photoshop CS6 (and CS5)directory, and it works without a problem.

Skylum claimed it was a freebie for those who purchased that disaterous Luminar 3, but I had to use one of my Luminar 3 license activations to use it (I will be emailing them regarding that).  As for Flex's functionality, it's much better than Luminar 3. As I am old school, and make my own catalogs of photos, and events, the cataloging feature was of no use to me, so having Flex as a straight up plugin works much better for my work flow.  I still use On1PhotoRaw for developing and the majority of the 'heavy lifting', but sometimes, I have to add a little something from other photo processing programs that On1 lacks.  (Sorry, On1, you know I'm a big fan, but even well known On1 photographers use Lightroom for other tweaks).

If your system can handle Luminar 3 (mine is no slouch, but even with this beast, Luminar 3 would grind things to a glacial crawl) there's no real need for Flex.  But for me, personally, Flex is a much better fit than Luminar 3 in my Photoshop workflow.

Back to using Windows 7

Just when I was getting close to.. appreciating Windows 10.

Shut everything down as normal, and when I booted back into Windows 10, it all seemed to go ok. Tried to start my browser. It wouldn't start. I tried to start compatibility mode to see if that was the issue, and that wouldn't start for it.  Next step, reinstall and reinstall. Nope, didn't work.  Searched the web. Why isn't it the only solution Windows Tech comes up with is either : a clean boot, or reinstall of the OS.  Well, the clean boot didn't do diddly squat, and a reinstall is like killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer.

And for some bizarre reason, both Windows 7 and 10 want to run chkdsk on all the drives.  Why?  I have no idea. I can see running it if the system drive shut down unexpectedly, but this wanting to scan external data drives?

So, booted into Windows, and everything is running just fine.  Browser started without any problems.

I think the next time I boot into Windows 10, I will make a back up of my browser profiles, deactivate programs, and just f**king reinstall windows 10. There's something wrong with it. Maybe start fresh.  I cringe at all the time I'm going to have to waste reinstalling program, and begging one software maker (Panolapse) to please give me a new key for my program, and just reinstall.

It was bizarre

I was so so when I went to bed last night. I have no idea why, but all I know is I couldn't get to sleep because of it. Got up, took some ibuprofen/paracetamol tablets. Must have worked because the next thing I knew, we were being annoyed by three of the cats to get up and feed them.

Picked up a Canon 1DmkIV in immaculate condition, looks brand new, for cheap cheap.  Tested it out and it's ok, and although it does focus faster than the 7DmkII, and has a larger sensor, it's not better than then 7DmkII.  So, plan b: bundle them both together for a trade in. 

Yeesh

I updated my tablet driver, as the Wacom Desktop Center instructed.  Rebooted and wow, color me so not surprised, Windows 10 no longer detected my tablet.  I did all the at home trouble shooting, uninstalling everything, rebooting, reinstalling, rebooting.. nada, bupkiss.

Called Wacom help center, and a very nice young man named Jay, who was very grateful I could give him concise details on what I had done, we were able to figure it out. It seems the driver the WDC had was glitchy, and he had me download a new one. While it was downloading, I uninstall all things Wacom.  After the download, when through the inevitable cycle of reboot, install, reboot.

Plugged tablet in, and Tada! All I had to do was remap all my stylus/pens.

Thanks to the honest pharmacy person

Because of the knee replacement, my right foot and ankle have an issue with swelling. Doesn't matter how active or inactive I am, it puffs up. Doesn't hurt, but is uncomfortable, and rather unsightly. A pudgy baby foot only looks good on a baby, not an adult.
I have tried ankle support, you know, for athletes, but each one was either too tight, or too far up the leg.

So, back the thanks to the pharmacy person.  I was looking to see if an adjustable version of an ankle strap would be better, and she came up to me and asked if I needed assistance.  I explained the above paragraph, and she showed me a less expensive product, that I could cut to suit. If not getting enough compression with one layer, it could be doubled up, increasing the compression.  Well, it works at 1/4 the price.

Kudos to her.  It's small things.

Update on the dystonia/seizure issue: haven't had a full blown one for over 2 months.  Still getting the warning signs of when one starts, but now that I recognize it, I can forestall it (massaging, deep breathing)  Change up in medication is doing its job... when I remember to take it. It's already in a pill caddy, but I still forget.  Activity levels have been increasing slowly. The numbers had plummeted when the dystonia attacks happened. Every one made my body felt as if I fell down a long flight of stairs.. like the stairs in the Washington Monument.  I was barely getting 1500 steps a day, zero time on the stationary bike (even trying to get on it would start a episode), and no cooking. Can you imagine me trying to use sharp knives or boiling water when I was having between 4 to 12 seizures a day.

Getting close to the 10k mark, and over 30 minute on the bike.  I would have never thought I would be cheerful about doing laundry, cooking meals, vacuuming floors, taking care of the purr kids.

I just want to get back to the level I was when we went to Broome. Then keep improving from there.

WTF IINET??!!

A few years ago, we switched to the NBN, and when negotiating the switch from Naked ADSL to NBN, I clearly stated that our phone number was to be ported over to the NBN service, that we did NOT want a new phone number.  I was assured by the sales person that it would be done.
Well, I guess she didn't know how to do it, left the ADSL up and running with our home phone number.  We have been paying for not only ADSL but NBN. Being charged double.
Now, according to our records IINET has overcharged us, over the course of these years, over $2000.
I wonder if they're going to try to find a way to wiggle out of their screw up.

New day, new medication regime

Saw Dr. H. yesterday. No more Ativan 2.5 and only 1 Lorazepam in the morning, maybe another one in the afternoon, and then Lyrica before bed time. I can after a week or so, if I don't wake up groggy, take another Lyrica at the start of the day.

I've been off the Ativan, an on half doses of Lorazepam for a while, mostly because I would forget to take it.  I was told it would take a few days for the Lyrica to work. Joy. 

This morning, my right hand and foot were tingling, and my right hand was shaking.  I took one Lorazepam.  45 minutes later, the tingling and tremors stopped. 

I'm hoping the Lyrica will put the brakes on the chronic nerve pain I have had since the spinal fusion, and now the knee replacement.

Busy and tired

Managed to get to Sculptures By The Sea at Cottesloe beach for some sunset photos.  I got one in particular that probably pissed people off standing behind me, but it was so worth it.

Funny thing happened though. A little boy, about 3 maybe 4 years old… if I had taken this shot below a few seconds earlier I would have gotten a photo of him wizzing on the  placard in front of it. Oh well, when you gotta go you gotta go. His parents took out a bottle of water and some wetwipes and cleaned it up.  Kudos to them.
.

The next day, we took Keito, our 16 yr old moggie to the vet for a dental cleaning.  There is a lot of inherent problems with putting a 16 yr old cat under anaesthesia, but he had no problem.  I was told to just offer him some water to see if he would drink and if he didn’t throw up, to give him food. 



















Really? He RAN into the kitchen and YOWLED and demanded to be fed. I gave him a little bit, and he yodelled for more. I gave him the rest of the cat, and he pretty much polished the bowl clean.  After that, I was a MEAN HUMAN, and made him resort to the kibble in his dish.
Today, I had appointment with Dr H.  Change up on medication.  No more Ativan, as the seizures seem to be under control. Going to be taking Lyrica for nerve pain.  Hoping for the best. My mother swears by it.

Just feel incredibly tired today, but it has been non-stop running around, or tension. Don’t really want to take a nap, because then I wouldn’t sleep well at night.  Conundrum!
So, I will just slog through the day as awake as I can be, and go to bed early, Purring Godlings permitting.

Back in the day I didn’t have a RAW processor

Nor did I know how to use it, I shot all my photos as high res JPGs. Now, everyone knows that now there are raw editors, and I alos know how to use them now, but what to do with the old JPGs? Are they to be relegated to the "Meh" category? Enter Topaz Labs to the rescue with Topaz JPEG to RAW AI. Now this doesn't just convert the image to a DNG, but carefully, with what AI they use, convert it into a RAW editable image.

I chose one image, applied the same edits, with the exception of lens corrections which is not available in JPG editing.

Here is the jpg, edited with camera raw.

 

Here’s the same one, but pre-processed with Topaz JPEG to RAW AI:

 

The difference in the full sized images are amazing.   Now, I have a lot more work to get done, going through older images, that I liked, but just could not get them edited the way they should be.

Talk about overkill

Microsoft's answer to fixing to small, almost negligible problems, with Windows 10 is like killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer.

After an update, that 'succeeded', I noticed task manager wouldn't run.  Since I subscribe to "Assure", I hopped online, and told them this one itty bitty problem.

Well, the first tech tried to do an "in place upgrade" which had no good result. Got to 17%, the the computer rebooted, got the message "UNDOING CHANGES MADE TO YOUR COMPUTER".  Ok, Task Manager still not working, but I tend to use Process Explorer. 

Then I noticed my Bluetooth was no longer working. It had the day before, as my graphics tablet was is bluetooth, and I was editing photos with it.

I checked device manager: yup, Bluetooth device is there, but driver not loading? WTF?  Ok, off to Asus, and get the proper signed Windows 10 driver for it. Nope, still nothing.

Again, I head on over to MS Support, and not only do they NOT take the sfc/scannow and DISM logs, they're advice is just to nuke it from orbit. Only way to be sure.  Ahem, do a full HDD wipe and reinstall.  I really miss the way Windows XP did backups. If you had a corrupted file, you could load up your back up and MANUALLY copy the non-corrupted version right on over.   

So, now it's a matter of picking a date and time, email serials and license numbers, deactivate programs, and doing a full blown reinstall. Oh effing joy.

On an aside: The bluetooth and task manager work fine on Windows 7 drive.

Yesterdays session with counselor:

Difficult to put into words. I discussed somethings, and as much as D agreed with my assertiveness, my choice of homilies could be different. Part of my problem is I don't have much control over much, but what I *do* have control over, I keep getting offers of help which I don't need, but when I *do* need help, it's nowhere to be found.

Conundrum, yes?

Also, things that have become habit. Have to find a way to break some of those. I do have a quick wit, and sometimes inappropriate repartee' . (Like after I was finished doing something I did need help with, that it was KNOWN I need help with, I had someone pop into the room. I said "Fashionably late again?". *sheepish shrug*)

Also, people asking me to do things, or be there for them. I'm having a hard enough time keeping my own socks pulled up, without pulling up theirs.

I made big mistake today, though. I watched the news. Stress causes the hemidystonia seizures. Hearing that the fucking moron in the oval office has reignited the nuclear arms race by backing out of the Non Proliferation Treaty Pres Reagan signed with Russia... my right leg and arm started twitching. I turned it off right away, but the information is still in my brain. Is that orange reject from a circus trying to get everyone killed?

We keep getting scammer calls

This time it's someone calling from Telstra. I decided to play with him for a few minutes as I was bored.

Scammer (in very heavy New Delhi accent): I am calling from Telstra, to tell you your internet will be turned off tomorrow for 20 days.

Me" Uhh that's interesting. Why?

Scammer: Because your computer has sent out a message to Telstra that is wirused and because of that your internet access will be cut.

Me: Ok, but why will it be shut off for 20 days?

Scammer: It will take about that long to de-wirus your computer and any other devices connected to the internet. Phones, tablets, laptops.

Me: Hmm, really. There's a problem here.

Scammer: What is that?

Me: I don't have Telstra Internet, which you should be calling BIGPOND.

Scammer: Oh, no no, you see all the internet services are part of Telstra.

Me: Actually, that is incorrect. All internet services might lease lines from Telstra, but there is no way my computer would call Telstra about viruses. I would get notifications on my own computer, as I have BitDefender, and Malwarebytes.

Scammer: (getting angry) Oh, those do not stop wiruses.

Me: Ok, I've had enough fun for today, my system isn't virused, you aren't from Telstra, and I don't subscribe to Telstra internet. I've worked in the Tech field, and I know you're full of shit. Computers NEVER contact Telstra regarding anything. You really need to update you lame ass script.

Scammer: *angry sputtering and words I can't understand*

Me: Buh bye now! *click*

The dramas of Windows 10 never seem to end

Where do I start...  We all know that Windows 10 disables some software Microsoft deems unworthy, and ignores hardware it considers too 'old'.

But when updates not only remove programs, but then suddenly decide to red flag software you've been using for months, it screwed up hardware configuration that's been used since day one. 

I've had my DeathAdder 3.5 has been working just fine, plugged into the USB port on the keyboard, for years with Win 7, and for months with Win 10.  An update, and suddenly, nope. Not only won't it recognize the Adder, if I roll back and install the OLDER version of Synapse, it'll work fine, but the the other two Razer devices won't.  ARGH!

Then, the Windows 10 update disabled Windows Media Center. Didn't uninstall it, just disabled it. There's nothing inherently dangerous regarding WMC, so this really pissed me off.  I use a TV capture card in my computer to watch TV. Sure, I could use that poorly designed software that came WITH the card, but Windows Media Center works better.  Plex is useless for what I want, so no suggestions of it please.

After a few hours of websearching, trail and error, I got WMC reinstall and working. This will probably last until then next unnecessary Windows 10 update.

And then there is the sudden "An administrator as prevented this App to run!"... Dafuq?  Not only have been running the program for months, I am THE ONLY AND ONLY ADMINISTRATOR!!!  No amount of 'un-nannywaring' would help.  So, found an alternate program, that is ugly AF, but does the same thing.

Redmond, you suck. I want to control my PC. NOT have my PC control me!

Yesterday with counselor

I'm not going to say it's all weeping, or thrashing about, sometimes, there is humor involved. 

I had a questionnaire thing to fill out.  They were all multiple choice, three choices.  Never, sometimes, and always.

I got to one of the questions, and none of them actually fit. So, I wrote in the word OFTEN and circled it.  And on another part about being superstitions (believing in magic or other supernatural things)  I wrote "Abracadabara"  and the word NO underneath it.

Then we got down to the brass tacks.  D did agree that my childhood ticked off all the "at risk of" (insert drug abuse, alcoholism, self harm, abusive etc etc) but I surprisingly came through it without being any of them.  Some people will just shrug and think that's no big deal, but it is.  It made me strong, and stronger than most.  Put it this way, my first husband was a controlling abusive SOB. He put his hands on me ONCE in anger, and he bullied my youngest son, and that was it!

I left... packed three suitcases, and my young son, and we were out of there.  I was so sick of his whining, I cut him the check to pay to file for no fault divorce.   A lot of abused partners/wives/husbands stay because they're too afraid to leave.

Was I scared? Yes, but I did it. I won't let ANYONE abuse me or my child the way he did.

I still have depression, it hasn't gone away.  But I find reasons to enjoy life. I will go out of my way to do so.

Yesterday with counselor

I'm not going to say it's all weeping, or thrashing about, sometimes, there is humor involved. 

I had a questionnaire thing to fill out.  They were all multiple choice, three choices.  Never, sometimes, and always.

I got to one of the questions, and none of them actually fit. So, I wrote in the word OFTEN and circled it.  And on another part about being superstitions (believing in magic or other supernatural things)  I wrote "Abracadabara"  and the word NO underneath it.

Then we got down to the brass tacks.  D did agree that my childhood ticked off all the "at risk of" (insert drug abuse, alcoholism, self harm, abusive etc etc) but I surprisingly came through it without being any of them.  Some people will just shrug and think that's no big deal, but it is.  It made me strong, and stronger than most.  Put it this way, my first husband was a controlling abusive SOB. He put his hands on me ONCE in anger, and he bullied my youngest son, and that was it!

I left... packed three suitcases, and my young son, and we were out of there.  I was so sick of his whining, I cut him the check to pay to file for no fault divorce.   A lot of abused partners/wives/husbands stay because they're too afraid to leave.

Was I scared? Yes, but I did it. I won't let ANYONE abuse me the way he did.

I still have depression, it hasn't gone away.  But I find reasons to enjoy life. I will go out of my way to do so.

Quirks of Windows 10

Beside the constant "You do not have permission to view this fold. Click here to have permanent permission" even with the UAC set to the lowest it can go, I have found interesting things.

Make sure you have your wireless/blue tooth tablet already powered up before starting ANY graphics program, especially Photoshop. Program just sits there doing nothing and you have to restart it.

Color schemes - they just go from bad to "WTF? Is this Windows 3.1?"

Forced updates whether you want them or not, will overwrite any customizations you may have set up. And since some of them require registry editing, make sure you have saved how you did it the first time. (This holds especially true with Surface Pro tablet. Some of the menus are so microscopic, you don't have to be Mister Magoo to not be able to read them).

Still not a fan of the floating tile interface. Which is why with some customizations, I have it set up to a more User Friendly configuration.

Microsoft didn't include updated camera codecs. Which is why you seen nothing but thumbnails of raw files with just Icon for RAW/CR2/NEF/ORF etc etc. Inexpensive solution is Fast Picture Viewer Codec, on sale for $9.99. Make sure you KEEP that download link handy because when there's updates, you will reuse that link.

Also something not quite Win10 related, but system related. Don't bother using Microsoft Windows back up making a full system image. Get EaseUS, and make an exact copy of your HDD or SSD. Should something go wrong with your drive, you just swap it out with one ready to do. Might have to contact software companies to tell them about the change of drive, and to reset or reissue your license but it will take a helluva lot less time.

Quick fix for everyone with Win10 explorer not showing Camera Raw thumbnails

I present to you!

Fast Picture Viewer Codecs

For the HUGE currently on sale sum of $9.99 for a single user license, you can once again be able to view your camera raw files in Win10 Windows Explorer, and in programs that rely on Window Explorer to select and view CR2, ORF, NEF  etc etc etc… 

I had purchased Fast Picture Viewer and the codec pack years ago to use on my computer years ago to be able to view Camera Raw files because Adobe Bridge CS6 was glacially slow in showing the images. 

Kind of expected this

After a session with a Microsoft Tech regarding not being able to see camera raw files from specific cameras (Olympus OMD EM1mkII and EM5mkII, and Canon 5DmkIV) I was told it was a Canon issue and to contact Canon for 'the fix'.

Three guesses what I got in response... and the first two guesses won't count.

It's a WINDOWS issue.

Meanwhile, some versions of Windows will let you view CR2 files natively (for example, in a folder view). In previous versions of Windows, you needed to download the Microsoft Camera Codec Pack, which provides support for viewing RAW image file format thumbnails and image information in Windows Explorer.  In Windows 10, the default app for opening RAW image files is Windows Photo Viewer. However in some cases, Windows 10 operating system cannot open the RAW files in "preview mode" for images taken using new EOS camera models.

Now the cameras I mentioned aren't 'new'. They are a few years old now.

This was my reply:

Not being snarky here, but I had a feeling this was the answer I was going to get. Microsoft said it was a Canon issue, and Canon saying it was a Microsoft issue. How about you two get together and fixing the problem, rather than fixing the blame.

I don't use DPP, although I do have it installed because I wanted to see if that would install a camera codec in Windows 10 and it didn't. I use On1Photo Raw, which sees the CR2 files just fine. Also, Photoshop CC & bridge with latest camera raw update sees the CR2 images just fine. The problem is OTHER software (Aurora HDR, Luminar, Affinity) rely on Windows 10 native Windows Explorer in program to select and process images.

I will pass this along to Microsoft, and I am going to wager they will once again tell me it's NOT a Windows 10 issue, but a Canon issue.