Happy 2018 Winter Solstice!

[http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert (Robert)]

Happy Winter Solstice!

Here is my latest contact information:

Robert
 .
where-I-live 
my-Oakland-voicemail-number (voicemail)
our-San-Jose-phone-number
our-Oakland-cell-phone-number (cell)

http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert
http://www.

My solstice update is below.

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News

Lifestyle
  * Health
    * Back
      * Get back to where I once belong.  In mid-January, my sciatica
        started acting up.  It was mostly annoying at first.  I made,
	possibly, a mistake by looking things up online and the internets
	told me that most sciatica goes away after an average of 12
	weeks.  I figured out that could navigate the pain until
	mid-April.  I continued to do any activity that I wanted to (see
	below for what these activities entailed), with the hope that
	the pain would be gone in just a few short months.  During this
	time, I popped a number of anti-inflammatories -- doing things
	that you're probably not supposed to, like taking a little bit
	of multiple types of NSAIDs.  Things were barely tolerable.
	For example, I hated going to bed because I knew that, when I
	awoke in the morning, my leg would be in total pain and it would
	take all day to recover.
      * Belief in relief.  The end of April was well in sight and there
        was no relief nor improvement.  The pain was daily, but I had
        confidence that there would be light at the end of the tunnel.
        One day close to the 12th week, my back started hurting along
        with the leg pain and it was unbearable.  (See theories on the
        source of this below.)  For the first time in a long time, I
        called in sick to work.  I went to see my doctor.  She
        prescribed me some strong steroidal anti-inflammatories and
        physical therapy, and sent me home.  At this point, I finally
        gave up my usual activities and, because I had trouble sleeping
        and didn't want to bother Noelle, I slept on the futon in the
        living room.  Then, I get a call from my doctor telling me that
        my MRI results from 2008 had shown that I had had a herniated
        disc; my previous doctor never shared these results with me,
        unfortunately.  In April, she referred me to a neurosurgeon.
      * Nervous about nerves.  In mid-May, in preparation for my visit
        to the neurosurgeon, I got an MRI.  It went fine.  When leaving,
        the person who did the MRI said, "So, you're planning on having
        surgery?"  I was taken aback and was a bit surprised; I was
        wondering if she saw something that provoked this question.  To
        downplay it, I responded "I hope not!"  After a bit of
        complication with getting the results (it's all electronic these
        days), the next week was the first time I saw my neurosurgeon.
        He examined me and told me that I already have permanent nerve
        damage to my sciatic nerve in my left leg.  He said that in
        these cases, he suggests surgery, and that it would be a
	microdiscectomy.
      * Surging toward surgery.  I decided to go ahead and schedule the
	surgery, with the assumption that I would get a second opinion.
	Little did I know that these things happen very quickly.  The
	surgery was scheduled for 3 days after I met with the surgeon.
	(It was later scheduled for 5 days after that due to a
	conflict.)  I had no time for a second opinion.  The instruction
	sheet said that I could not take anti-inflammatories.  I was in
	severe pain and I could not sleep at all.  (I was bingeing on
	Netflix until I could get a few minutes of sleep; then, the pain
	would wake me up again and I'd binge some more.)  After some
	clarification, I found that I was allowed to take the neurontin
	I was prescribed along with some Tylenol.  Tylenol and caffeine
	soon became my friends (not sure why caffeine helped with my
	pain) during those days; still, I did not sleep much.
      * Cuts like a knife.  The entire procedure is outpatient.
        Nevertheless, there are a number of hoops to jump through,
	including fasting, showering with certain chemicals, and getting
	various exams and tests, including x-rays; various things are
	put on your skin.  Of course, you strip down and get into a gown
	and then you stop walking because you're put on a gurney.  The
	funniest parts were when the doctor came in and asked me what
	painkillers I wanted (percocet, of course) and when the
	anesthesiologist came in.  The anesthesiologist explained
	everything to me and said that, after she injected the
	anesthetic, I should count down from 10 to 1.  I got to 9, and
	that's the last I remember.
      * Untethering the burden.  When I came to afterwards, I no longer
	felt any pain.  It was a miracle!  The operation itself took 2
	hours (it took half an hour longer than expected because, we
	were told, there was so much disc material that needed to be
	removed).  All-in-all, we were at the hospital for nearly 8
	hours.
      * Hi-ho, hi-ho.  I wasn't allowed to work for 2 weeks (the doctor
	wanted 4 weeks, but I negotiated him down to 2).  Prior to
	surgery, I had moved my personal laptop and my work laptop onto
	the futon so that, after the surgery, I could use them.  For 2
	weeks after that, I worked at home.  The primary recovery
	involved walking around the block 3 times per day.  (I wasn't
	allowed to pick up more than 5 pounds; I think my laptop was
	just on the edge of that, but I never picked it up since I could
	just slide it around on the futon.)  Also , although the
	painkillers helped (I was actually not in much pain at all), I
	continued to wake up during the night and, again, Netflix saved
	me.
      * Back to bed.  After about 8 weeks and lots of physical therapy,
	I moved off the futon and started sleeping in the bed again.  I
	had flare-ups at various times during my recovery, but each of
	them subsided after a few days of rest.  I'm now much better
	off.  I've already resumed a number of activities prior to the
	surgery, but not yet all of them.  (Some things have permanently
	changed.  For example, I no longer wear a backpack to work;
	instead, I use a rolling backpack for carrying my things.)
      * Disability in a seller's market.  I was put on strict weight
	lifting and movement restrictions during this time.  As one
	would expect, it was very frustrating.  I couldn't even empty
	out the dishwasher.  We had take-out (take-away) during the
	first few weeks.  I was on the phone and emailing to try to get
	help for basic things, like cutting back trees and weeds, and
	moving stuff (e.g., installing an air conditioner into the
	window).  Around the bay area, it's really hard to find people
	to do stuff, even if you're willing to pay well, since the
	unemployment rate is low and the cost of living is out of
	sight.  Eventually, I got everything taken care of, but I am
	glad to have ended this phase of my recovery.
      * Follow the money.  The bills started coming in after all this
        medical attention.  I was a bit worried about how much this
	would end up costing.  Noelle suggested that I order the
	complete bill for the entire procedure.  It was a bit tricky to
	get (I had to call a few people and they only send it to the
	address that they have on file), but we finally received it.
	For this outpatient surgical operation, the total was around
	$70,000 (!), not including the anesthesia.  As it turns out, my
	health insurance covered a vast majority of the cost; I did end
	up reaching my maximum out-of-pocket for the year, 'tho.
    * Exercise
      * There's a hole in my bucket list, dear Liza.  My work place
	moved from one town to another earlier this year.  Soon after
	that happened, I remembered that there was an Aikido class in
	that town.  The martial art, Aikido, has been on my bucket
	list for a number of years and thought that this was my
	opportunity to give it a go.  As it turned out, the class was
	no longer in that town; however, I found out that the gym I
	belonged to was offering the classes.  This was in late
	January -- fatefully, soon after my sciatica started acting up
	again.  Over time, I started filling up on painkillers just
	before each class.  (Again, my thinking was that all this pain
	was just temporary.)
      * To be a rock and not to roll.  My back was in pain by the time
	I rode into work on my bicycle in late April.  This sometimes
	happens -- usually when I do something stupid, like adjust the
	seat height thinking that I'll be more comfortable (in this
	particular case, that I would be more comfortable on my seat
	with my sciatic pain in my leg).  That night, as usual, I went
	to my Aikido class.  Being a beginner, I was tasked with
	improving my rolls (basically, forward rolls, but on the
	shoulder and arm so as to protect the head).  I was going back
	and forth, alternating sides, up and down the mat when, in an
	instance, my back spasmed and I was in total and utter pain.
	It was at this moment that I declared "something is not
	right".  My sensei recognized that I needed to stop this, and
	we spent the rest of the class working on standing stuff
	involving very little movement.  That night, I could not sleep.
	I saw my primary doctor before the next class and she said I should
	stop going.  I would like to return to it once I am fully
	recovered.
    * Gym
      * Lots of pain, not much gain.  Throughout what is now called the
        sciatic period, I plowed through my exercises at the gym.  Not
        sure if it was a factor leading ultimately to my back surgery,
        but I endured the pain with the hope that, after the magical 12
        weeks, I'd be all better.  As described in my surgery experience
        above, the reality turned out differently.
  * Home
    * Don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.  At the beginning of
      the year, we gave into the popular notion that a mattress is
      supposed to be replaced every 7-10 years.  Indeed, our mattress
      was sagging, but I was fine with it.  Nevertheless, I gave in.  We
      found a mattress.  It was delivered.  The guys came in and pulled
      off the old mattress and began slashing away at it, basically
      irretrievably destroying it.  When they put in the new mattress,
      it turned out to be the wrong size -- it was too small.  For some
      reason, we kept it and, for a while, Noelle slept on the futon and
      I, on the mattress.  Our idea was to see if I would sleep better
      with this make of mattress.  However, it was exactly during this
      period when my sciatica began to emerge.  I missed my now gone
      mattress.  Eventually, we replaced this mis-sized mattress with a
      correct-sized and firmer one, we were unified into the same bed,
      but my sciatica continued to worsen.  (Ironically, it was soon
      after this that I had to start sleeping on the futon due to the
      sciatica.  I didn't come back to this mattress for a few months
      after.)
  * Transportation
    * Bicycle
      * Lie not lay.  Both my physical therapist and my neurosurgeon
	agreed that, post-op, riding on a regular bicycle was
	unacceptable and that riding on a recumbent bicycle would be
	fine since it puts less pressure on my back.  Noelle has a
	recumbent tricycle and I rode it a few times during my recovery
	when the regular bicycle was off-limits per my doctor's
	instruction.  After I had recovered enough to mount again a
	regular bicycle, we participated in the SJ Viva Calle where
	streets are closed off to cars and people are allowed to walk
	and bike and use other human-powered transportation.  While
	riding around, Noelle saw another recumbent tricyclist.  We met
	up with him, and Noelle recognized him from her recumbent
	cycling meetup group.  We talked about trikes and noticed that
	he had a for-sale sign hanging on his trike.  We had the idea
	that this may be a good way to get a recumbent for myself and to
	give my back some relief, at least some of the time.  There was
	a bit of back-and-forth and missed calls, but, eventually, I
	ended up buying it.
      * Commuting with nature.  My long-term plan for the trike is to
        ride to work.  (Presently, I'm riding my "regular" bike.)  There
        are several obstacles to this plan, including that this trike
        cannot be brought onto the trolley (I typically use this as
        back-up transit when there are problems, such as flat tires) and
        there are no good places to store the trike while at work (I
        have been given permission to store it in the back, but I
        haven't scoped it out yet).  The primary obstacle now is that I
        need to purchase a compatible head lamp since my commute
        involves riding in the dark this time of year.
    * Car
      * Get real!  My driver's license was up for renewal this year.  I
	waited for my renewal notice and, by the time I realized that it
	would never arrive, I could only get an appointment after my
	license had expired.  I figured that, since my license will have
	expired anyway, and that Ca started issuing them, I
	should try to get the so-called "enhanced" REALID-compliant
	license.  The appointment wasn't for many weeks which gave me
	time to gather all the needed documentation.  And, believe me,
	there was plenty of documentation that needed to be gathered.  I
	spent hours trying to find all the right stuff.  When the
	appointment day finally arrived, the protocol was a bit
	confusing.  I took a ticket, eventually got called and found
	that I had filled out my paperwork wrong.  I refilled out the
	paperwork, got another ticket, and eventually got called again.
	I went from window to window, trying to figure out what was
	needed.  Thankfully, I brought the correct documentation (I
	overheard lots of others saying that their documentation was
	inadequate).  With all the waiting and getting pictures taken,
	it took a bit over 1.5 hours to complete the process.  I hope
	never to have to go through all that again.
  * Travel
    * There's no stopping now.  We needed to figure out how to get to
       (see Family section below) from where-I-live.  The only
      direct flights were at 7am meaning, of course, that we would need
      to get up at 5am or earlier to make the flight.  We figured out
      that the hour that we'd spend driving to another airport (Oakland)
      and getting a direct flight from there could just as easily be
      spent in a lay-over on a non-stop flight, spending that time
      eating a leisurely lunch.  And, we gave it a go except it was
      a 45 minute lay-over.  What we didn't factor into our clever idea
      was the deplaning and enplaning time.  Thus, when we landed in
      Phoenix, we had to scramble to make our connection; we were lucky
      to buy a small snack before getting onto the plane.
    * Quirky event in Albuquerque.  Our return trip to where-I-live seemed
      to flow swimmingly.  We drove the hour trip from Santa Fe and
      returned the rental car at the ABQ airport with plenty of time to
      spare.  It was when we actually arrived at the airport that we hit
      the wall.  The entrance to the airport was packed with people and
      the lines were very, very long.  It was also loud due to the
      people talking.  We had a feeling that something was wrong and
      kept straining to hear when announcements came, but we didn't hear
      a thing.  While waiting in our line, someone told us that all
      flights had been grounded.  We didn't know why.  We finally got to
      the check-in counter, were told that our flight would be taking
      off soon, and we could check in our luggage, but the person at the
      counter didn't know when we could board.  After a while of sitting
      around on the floor (it was all that was available), we found out
      that someone had been trying to commit suicide and all the gates
      had been locked down.  Meanwhile, watching the departures, we saw
      our flight leave without us -- with our luggage on board!
      Eventually, after 4 hours, they started letting people through in
      batches.  We went to the counter and booked another direct flight,
      which wasn't leaving until the next day.
    * Things'll be great when you're downtown.  Noelle insisted that,
      after waiting around, feeling exhausted and uncomfortable, that we
      find a nice hotel in downtown Albuquerque.  (Our airline would pay
      for the rescheduled flight, but not our stay at a hotel.)  We
      found a spot at the luxurious Hotel Andaluz.  Without a change of
      clothes or shavers or jackets (recall that our luggage was in San
       at that point), it was a bit rough.  The view was great,
      however, and the room very nice.  Pictures are here:
      https://www.flickr.com/photos/noelle/albums/72157695008234000/page8
    * A curtailed sleep.  We were unable to get a direct flight to San
      .  We settled for Oakland, and it departed at 7am.  Thus, we
      needed to be at the airport at 6am.  We schedule a taxicab to pick
      us up at 5:45am.  That means we need to get up somewhere in
      neighborhood of 5am.  We didn't want to miss that flight!  We
      asked for a courtesy call and we set the bedside alarm.  Tossing
      and turning ruled the night.  We woke before the both the courtesy
      call and alarm, went downstairs, and found that the taxicab was
      early.  The flight to Oakland was nice and uneventful.  We decided
      that, once we reach Oakland, we'd jump in the first taxicab we saw
      and just take it to where-I-live.  Like the hotel, it wasn't cheap, but
      we were happy to be home.  Thankfully, I had taken the next day
      off, and was able to retrieve our luggage; it arrived unscathed.
  * Family
    * The Monstrosity.  My sister got very excited about the idea of
      having a family reunion in .  Somehow, that excitement
      must've spread because we did end up meeting in  in the late
      summer.  After spending a night in a hotel after landing, we were
      met by my sister at the Pueblo Indian Cultural Center across the
      street from our hotel in a large SUV we lovingly came to call The
      Monstrosity.  The idea was to have us share car rental expenses
      for a single car where we could all travel together.  This it did.
      But, the downside of this huge thing was trying to park it -- it
      was always a scary experience.  In any case, we did drive to
      Ruidoso where my parents live.  While all of my extended family
      stayed at parents' place, Noelle and I stayed in a lodge down the
      street (walking distance) from there.
    * A reunion divided.  It was completely expected that there would be
      conflicts between certain members and extended members of the
      family.  What I didn't expect was that food would be the center of
      all the conflict.  In the end, I did regret even getting wrapped
      up in the hubbub; it would've been better if I had just went along
      and even skipped meals if necessary.  Not staying at "the big
      house" turned out to be a blessing, a welcome break from the
      constant battle going on.
    * Goin' mobile, keep me movin'.  Going on day trips in The
      Monstrosity pulled us out of the volatile situation at home.  One
      day, we drove a big circle ( is very big) around, from
      Carrizozo Malpais Valley of Fires park to a Smokey Bear museum
      (where we learned it was not Smokey THE Bear) to a small wild west
      town called Lincoln (where Billy the Kid was active).  My sister
      brought along some music on her iPad, she streamed them through
      The Monstrosity's bluetooth, and we sang along together.  Another
      day, we went to The Space Museum in Alamogordo and to White Sands.
      See photos at
      https://www.flickr.com/photos/noelle/albums/72157695008234000/page2 .
    * A change of scenery.  The extended family dispersed towards the
      end and we were ready to move on.  On our previous trip to ,
      we missed a lot in Santa Fe.  So, this time, we made it a point of
      going there and, prior to our flight back, spent 2 days there.
      Noelle had reserved a "casita" for us.  It was reasonably priced,
      walking distance to downtown, and, the most important part, cute.
      As it turns out, because one of the residents did not want to
      leave, we were upgraded to the "full" size.  It was roomy, 'tho I
      didn't care much for the stairs since I was still recovering from
      my surgery.  Santa Fe has become a very hip place and vegan
      options were plentiful.  Thanks to my sister being a vet, we got
      into the  History Museum for free.  I found the info
      enlightening.  See pics at
      https://www.flickr.com/photos/noelle/albums/72157695008234000/page6 .
  * Pets
    * Kitty
      * Invasion of orange cat.  In October, an orange cat suddenly
	appeared in our back yard and was hanging out.  It was very
	friendly, but our cat (Gary) was not very happy about the
	situation.  After nearly every interaction with Noelle, the cat
	thought that it was OK to come into house.  Both Gary and I did
	not want that.  He and I both did not want another member of our
	household.  (Noelle was more open, but it was a 2 against 1
	vote.)  Since it was a male cat and hadn't been fixed, we
	captured him and Noelle brought him to the animal shelter so he
	could get fixed, get chipped (if he didn't already have one),
	and be adopted by someone.  Since he was friendly and young, it
	was no surprise that within about 3 weeks, he had been adopted.
  * Finance
    * Looking forward to death.  Noelle thought it was important that we
      create a trust, to pass along our belongings to others after we
      pass away.  After attending a presentation on trusts, wills,
      estates, and health directives, Noelle hired someone to create the
      documents.  After signing a zillion pages and getting a pile of
      notarizations, it was up to us to fund the trust.
    * Ready to join the Axis Powers.  Among the first funding source for
      the trust was Noelle's credit union, Alliance.  This particular
      trust allows each trustee to act independently and can
      independently add to the trust.  Alliance was having none of it.
      We repeatedly went to their office, gave them copies of trust, and
      talked with them on the phone, but they refused to move the
      existing accounts into the trust.  Finally, after three times of
      going through all this, we gave up.  Noelle decided to open an
      account at another, more trust-friendly, credit union.  She is
      slowly moving her assets from Alliance.  It's confusing that a
      bank would want to pass on an opportunity to keep someone's money.
      In any case, we're still in the middle of funding the trust, but
      this has been the toughest, by far.
    * A temporary dependency.  In June, I began having problems with
      Bank of America's shopsafe, a service which generates temporary
      credit cards.  I like temporary credit cards because they allow me
      some small level of anonymity and some level of security.  In
      desperation, I tried Abine Blur, a commercial service.  It was
      pretty problematic.  First, I was unable to generate cards for
      over a certain amount.  There is a probationary period before you
      can generate cards.  Second, after passing the probationary
      period, I found that a substantial fee was charged per dollar and,
      worse, none of the cards worked.  I wish I could get back the cash
      that I put into the service, but now I know that Abine Blur is no
      alternative to shopsafe.  I was able to get shopsafe working again
      after finding out that it was a problem on Bank of America's side;
      I'm now able to generate cards to my hearts delight.
  * People
    * Missing persons.  I continue to no longer have email addresses
      for these people:

        Clayton Glad
        Louise Zivnuska
        Bruce Moreland
 
      If you're in contact with any of these people, please tell them that
      I am missing their email addresses.

Entertainment        
  * Books
    * The upsides of being bed-ridden.  I managed to burn through a few
      books while being stuck at home and going to physical therapy
      visits.
	Live, Work, Work, Work, Die
	  About the dystopia of working in the technology world.
	The Undervalued Self
	  Why rejecting and circumventing power relations leads to a
	  happier life.
	Verax
	  A graphic (non-fiction) novel about the evils of drones and big
	  data.
	Logicomix
	  A graphic novel about Bertrand Russell and other logicians.
    * No looking forward.  Chris Hedges has a book out "America: The
      Farewell Tour".  As is typical from Hedges, it is a cynical and
      depressing examination of where the United States is headed.  We
      heard him interviewed at a local bookstore.  It's interesting how
      he is among the many recent authors who are pointing out that
      identity politics weaken movements and that concentrating on
      something unifying like economic inequality is a stronger
      position.

Politics/Society
  * Misc
   * I feel pretty in pink.  Our local Planned Parenthood were giving
     away pink "I support Planned Parenthood" t-shirts at the March for
     Women in January.  Noelle and I both grabbed one each.  It was my
     first pink t-shirt.  We walked along with the crowd to the park
     where there were food trucks, but it was packed.  We escaped to the
     local Whole Foods to eat something there and met up with some
     friends.  It was good, but, after sitting around the table talking
     with friends of friends, I realized how radical my politics are,
     even among left-leaning people.  I know that there are pockets of
     people like me in the Bay Area, but I still need to actively seek
     them out.
   * Beer drinkers disenfranchisement.  As with last year, the brewery
     coop that Noelle and I belong to had board elections.  (Sadly, I
     still do not like the taste of beer.)  I was more involved in these
     elections this year because Noelle, who would otherwise be
     primarily involved in this operation, was running for the board and
     had to bow out.  I worked with another guy and we thought that we
     had all the elections perfect; we finished the whole electronic
     voting set-up -- cutting, pasting, and creating spreadsheets -- in
     under an hour.  That should've been my first clue that something
     was wrong.  We didn't find out that all was not good until the next
     week when one of the members asked us where his ballot was.  It was
     then that we realized about 25% of the members were missing from
     the voters roster.  So, we scrambled to fix the problem.  An
     announcement was sent out, thus exposing to everyone the egg on our
     collective faces.  I guess the only consulation is that learning
     only happens through mistakes and we know we'll do better next
     year.  (Noelle wants you to know if you are a Ca resident
     over age 21 you can join the co-op http://www.unumhumbrewing.com .)

Technology
  * Computers
    * Software
      * I didn't leave Firefox; Firefox left me.  It was an unfortunate
	year for my relationship with Mozilla.  Extended Support Release
	61 came out and destroyed all my addons and extensions.  I was
	forced to find an alternative.  I made the switch to Waterfox,
	which is a derivative of Firefox 57.  It keeps some
	compatibility with old addons and extensions.  It's far from
	perfect.  A number of web pages don't work normally,
	unfortunately.
  * Telephones
    * Phone?  I don't need no stinkin' phone.  It became necessary for
      me to use Signal, the app for secure communications.  I do not own
      a smart cell phone and did not want to get one, especially for
      only a single function.  There is, in fact, Signal for the
      desktop -- even Linux.  Which is awesome.  I did need to use a
      real phone to get the initial set-up, but now I have Signal
      without the use of any phone or android simulator or anything.
      (There are rumors that a version of Signal which does not require
      a phone number is being developed.  I am hopeful.)
  * Internet
    * We are all anonymous.  Really?  This year was finally the time to
      renew my domain.  I had thought seriously about sending in another
      money order, like I did last time.  But, I knew that the days of
      renewing that way were probably running down.  I read about ways
      to keep anonymity, and one way was to buy a temporary debit card
      based on a fixed cash value.  After searching around my local
      area, I found a place which would sell them (a Simon Giftcard).  I
      bought it and used it.  What I unfortunately only discovered after
      I purchased it is that you cannot use the entire value because of
      some sort of fee which is charged upon using it (or something -- I
      could never figure it out).  I was unable to renew for the full
      time I wanted; I also struggled to find a way to spend the
      remaining on the card so that it wouldn't go to waste.  Anyway, I
      will add about 3% to any value I buy in the future just to try to
      avoid this situation.