The Cure

I had a cold toward the end of last year, one that lingered for weeks and seemed to subside, only to return with a vengeance. My symptoms were (for me) particularly bad — lots of sneezing, with fits of violent coughing that aggravated a weakness in my back, which lingered and left me uncomfortable for weeks. I don't recall doing much of anything in November and December besides feeling rotten.

And now I've caught something again. This is very irritating. I hope this doesn't last as long.

As a remedy, I've taken to drinking chicken soup by the mug. But this is soup in a postmodern sense, the kind that comes in an envelope, the kind that makes grandmothers everywhere who work magic with large steaming pots frown with disdain. Heavily salted broth, with freeze-dried bits of chicken and little ring noodles — I love this stuff.

Not only that, but it actually seems to make me feel better. I would have thought this has something to do with the salt, but a quick look at Google reveals that "Chicken soup contains a mucus-thinning amino acid called cysteine, and some research shows that chicken soup helps control congestion-causing white cells, called neutrophils."

Jailbreak

I adore my iPhone. But it's still missing a few useful features, and the one that I've come to rely on most is a Voice Memo application. (It's great to have while driving.) So as methods to open up the iPhone, metaphorically, to the installation of additional software have been discovered (this is popularly referred to as a "jailbreak"), I'm usually willing to try them — provided that process is made reasonably simple (and reasonably risk-free).

I can't claim any particular expertise in this — I'm just good at following step-by-step instructions, I try not to be intimidated by the stuff I don't understand, and I'm willing to try.

At first, this was all very simple. But as the software that operates the iPhone has been updated, and vulnerabilities eliminated, the process has become more and more complex.

I spent several (occasionally frustrating) hours yesterday following a lengthy series of instructions designed to open up the latest version of the iPhone software so additional applications can be installed. I had to repeat this process four or five times — I think the first two times, I missed a crucial step, and then when I did complete the process there were other problems that came up, but using my limited knowledge in an attempt to solve them only made matters worse, so I had to start the process again from the beginning. But somehow, I was finally able to sort everything out.

And after all that? My Voice Memo application doesn't work, after all. It needs to be updated.

Jewelry

I brought my earring in to be repaired, something I'd been meaning to get around to for months. This is my favorite earring, and one with great sentimental value — it was handmade, a fire opal set in onyx, the gift from a girlfriend many years ago. Apparently, because of the delicate nature of the piece, a laser will have to be used to reattach the post. (I lost the other one many years ago attempting to make this same repair.)

In fact, I love this piece so much, I'm even looking into having a duplicate made.

I also brought in another earring, one that my wife gave me some years ago — a large fire opal that was rather precariously perched atop four slender posts. I've never felt entirely comfortable wearing it, because it seemed so delicate (and in fact, the jewel has come loose over the years, even while I wasn't wearing it) , and I've wanted to have it placed in a more secure setting.

That I've resisted wearing this earring has long been a source of irritation for my wife, who seems to take it as a personal affront (though I've tried to explain otherwise). I might reconsider once it's been set — but the truth is, all sentimental value aside, I just prefer the size and the simplicity of my beloved favorite earring.

In my attic is a box of old earrings, the most outrageous, ostentatious things you could imagine. I used to accumulate them, though I cannot recall ever having worn many of them. I've always preferred simplicity.

Apology

I've wanted to write more often — I really have. But I don't seem to be able to find the time these days. Or, it's been difficult to find time to myself (as ironic as that might seem). I've come to rely on writing here as a way to clear my head, to sort through my thoughts — and believe me, my thoughts are still in need of settling. There is much I've been thinking about, much that I want to write about. But after removing my older posts, the urgency seems to have vanished. So much is happening, that it often seems there's never enough time in the day, and always something else that needs to be done.

I'll try to do better. Promise.

Brew

I've been thinking of brewing my own beer. I don't have much interest in drinking beer — or any alcoholic beverage, for that matter — but it seems like it might be fun.

Restless

It seems I'm too tired to sleep.

Why?

A series of very disturbing, extremely unsettling events has encouraged me to remove posts from this past year — mostly out of caution, and concern for my own self interest, though also for the benefit of another. I have been writing this blog anonymously, though it seems someone who should have had no reason to find it (much less any way to associate it with me) has been reading.

Perhaps it's just as well. My life is changing. Perhaps this should be about looking forward, rather than looking back.

Magic

A good friend gave me a most unusual gift for Christmas. I have often suggested, while discussing our mutual woes, that all I wanted was a Magic Wand to make everything better for both of us. It's since become a running joke, that the Magic Wand is still being worked on. (It's not quite finished yet, but work continues dilligently.)

So she bought me a Magic Wand kit!