Progress, though!

Walletectomy, indeed.

We've gotten two cavities filled + prepped the tooth that's receiving the crown + removed my Invisalign grabby thingies (I failed at Invisalign; getting an orthodontist consult in Wednesday for actual braces), and we're waiting for my crown to be done so she can jam it in there. Big doings here, I tell you what.

We'll have to run this scenario past Plei's Prepper Plans.

I think you'd need to also be growing or raising your own food to avoid knowing about a collapse. So really, the most shocked would be the Amish.

I think you'd need to also be growing or raising your own food to avoid knowing about a collapse. So really, the most shocked would be the Amish.

I like the scenario where the Amish save the world because they are the only people who can raise a barn against the oncoming hordes of revenants.

Why was this never part of Walking Dead?! (confession: hasn't watched any Walking Dead so it may well have been)

Fellow Buffistae, I'm mindful not to be spreading AI art around, but there's this channel which does AI animations of various IPs (MCU, Harry Potter, LotR etc) and creates trailers of the same stuff as if it were mid-50s Panavision epics.

They're really compelling (though amusingly off-model at times). Especially if you're nerd enough to have watched any kind of fantasy/horror from England in the 50s or early sixties Roger Corman, because they get the vibe spot on. Like there's a type of British character actor you see in Hammer films that was obviously a four pack a day smoker who never used sunscreen and had disastrous dental care, that you just don't see anymore.

Anyway, I apologize in advance for sharing any AI but they did Buffy and you have to see how they did the bats, and ghosts and Angel and the Master et al.: [link]

I think you'd need to also be growing or raising your own food to avoid knowing about a collapse.

Oh I was thinking more “you’re taking a two week vacation” not “it’s been months”. But in these books there’s always a return to like, horses and carts, and dead cars are everywhere once people ran out of gas, but these days…it might just be the lucky few who have cars but they’d have them!

Well, the Amish often rely on non-Amish for work so I imagine even they’d figure it out pretty quickly.

Yeah, as one of the Peak Oil bloggers I used to follow said, "Even the Amish shop in town."

Side-stepping the post apocalypse and resultant zombies, Todd, get one of those dusting wands for the two-story exposed rafters, with the extending wand. You can stay at your desk and wave it around at full stretch and maybe it will be long enough to trigger the lights. Worth a shot.

Oy, Dana, sending you home, home, home! vibes and a tailwind.

OOC, Jen, what does "failing at Invisalign" entail?

I sent a link to the memorial to Matilda's school counselor, who's been such an advocate for her during the last year.

She wrote back...

• ********

Hello David,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing this, and my sincere apologies for my own delayed response .

I watched this a few weeks ago, and shared in passing with Matilda how proud I indeed was for her poise, strength and grace in taking the mic at this beautiful memorial.

I returned to this today (forever the sentimental counselor), as we get ready to send off the graduating class. Through everything Matilda has gone through in high school, she has been an inspirational model of poise, strength and grace - among many other admirable qualities. In my experience, this has never felt more rare and precious among young people.

I imagine you are blooming with pride as we approach graduation day, as I am for Matilda. She is a very special "bulldog", who will be missed - but first celebrated and cheered for. Trust I will be right there on the field with her tomorrow for anything she needs!

Wishing you all the very best, Katie

Todd, get one of those dusting wands for the two-story exposed rafters, with the extending wand. You can stay at your desk and wave it around at full stretch and maybe it will be long enough to trigger the lights. Worth a shot.

In my office's previous configuration, I had this problem because I worked later in the day than most of the others. We still had semi-cubicles then, and the sensor happened to be on the other side of a room divider/cube wall that ran about 30 feet. One of the engineers usually started even later than me and sat on that side, so if the lights went out I could yell to him & he'd wave his arms to turn them back on. But if Joel was away from his desk, I had to get up and walk around the 30ish foot wall (I was nearly centered, of course), then walk a good 10-15 feet down the other side before the sensors saw me. If you're wondering whether throwing a few stress balls in the general vicinity of the sensors is enough to turn the lights back on, my experience is no. (Huh, finally one - ONLY one - way in which the current open design desks are superior).