lisaviolet's diary

Monday, May 03, 2021

craftstuff
09:56 AM - 05/03/2021

The topic: A couple of items off of my to do list
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Since I found dies and stamps, I've accumulated a few. Well, more than a few, I've accumulated a lot. Since I found Lawn Fawn, my collection has gotten pretty big.

The problem is organizing them. I'm still working on this. The ongoing, slow organization is using an ancient inkjet printer (I got it to use for our Disneyland trips, actually took it with us when we went) and an Epson scanner. The plan is to copy every stamp and die I have and add the pages to binders, so I can flip through those instead of digging through storage containers. There may be multiple pages for individual stamps or dies. Say, holidays, pets, transportation, birthdays, stuff like that. A page for each category the stamp or die can be used for. Each stamp/die will have a color button on it that corresponds with the color button on the storage container. The pages will also have the same color button so I know where to look for that particular stamp or die.

Lots of work and very time consuming. I hope I'm done by the end of the year because it's really super boring to do.

The most recent organization, the one I took off of my to do list, is with the L awn Fawn products. I have colored index cards. Stamps, stencils and dies each get their own color card. Dies that work with stamps get their own color card. On the card I add the other items that this will work with. Here's an example (link to a Lawn Fawn product page). Each Lawn Fawn product is numbered and that's how I have them ordered. And I found out I have more duplicates that I'd like to admit. Hopefully, this will take care of that from happening in the future.

Remember this?

And that's one thing off of my list.

The other was reorganizing the storage container that has my fun supplies (glitter! embossing powder! ephemera! paint! markers! pens! pencils! adhesives! etc, etc, etc....) to work with. That took all weekend, just in the mornings because it was cooler, but even though I'll still need to look for stuff, I'll have a good idea WHERE to look.

Accomplishing things is a good feeling.

organization craftstuff

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geekstuff
09:19 AM - 05/03/2021

The topic: Other stuff
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Brian finally had the time to set up the new television on Saturday, April 17. More than a month since it had been delivered.

We thought it would be an easy install.

It wasn't.

The mount we have is from our first flat screen television that we got in June 2008. In the years since then, televisions have gotten much lighter. Televisions come and go, but we've kept that mount. It is a nice one, you can move the television, pull it out from the wall, which in our situation is the back side of the entertainment center. We bought it at CostCo for like a hundred bucks. It's heavy (heavier than the new television).

Before it was set up, I did my due diligence to make sure we had the right screws for mounting the television. I was a little concerned about the old mount, but Brian pointed out that there were a lot of pre-drilled holes and that it would work.

Old television removed, Brian took the mounting plate that went on that television and put it on the new television. No problem. Yet. He attached it to the mount in the entertainment center. It was three inches too high. The mount wasn't in the center of the television, but on the lower half. This wasn't going to work.

He spent a couple of hours trying to get the mount to work without having to actually unscrew the entire mount and then drill more holes in the entertainment center. He took the mount apart and what ideally should have worked (in a perfect world), didn't.

The mount was re-assembled and he had to move the mount. But once that was done, it worked nicely.

It's a TCL Roku television. I spent the next two days figuring out how to set up the components, you know, the DVD players, the cable connection and the Amazon Fire Cube (that I bought on sale with money I made from taking surveys). Set the tv up so when it's turned on it goes directly to cable (this is for Brian). I really wanted him to learn how to use the remote to access the streaming services we get and having a television with the built in Roku makes it tons easier. ("See that little house outline on the remote? Just push that and you'll see the menu for the streaming services! Easy peasy.")

I'm really happy with this system now that it's set up. And I think I'll like not being the one that has to find Marvel movies on the Disney+ service. Now he can do it. The only immediate problem I could see was at night, you can't see the keys on the Roku. I found some little keychain flashlights that fit nicely in the Roku tag at the bottom of the remote. I put one on both of the remotes and they help a lot.

roku new tv geekstuff

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catstuff
09:04 AM - 05/03/2021

The topic: About Rory
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Back on Monday, April 19, we noticed that Rory was having some sort of litterbox issue. Since she's getting older and has been losing weight, I made an appointment for a check up. Including a complete blood panel and thyroid check.

The appointment was that Thursday (the 22nd). The bloodwork wouldn't be done until the following day, it had to be sent out and they were unable to get any urine for testing. I had to bring her back in on Friday morning.

So, they got the urine, the test were run. Not as bad as they could have been but they weren't all that good. She has mid-stage kidney disease and her thyroid isn't doing its job. The vet prescribed daily subQ fluids (100cc) for the kidney problem and methamazole for the thyroid. We're okay with the fluids, I replenished the stock on the 22nd, and I still had the methamazole left over from her mom (Lorelei). When the vet called to tell me the results, she also said she wanted to see Rory in a week. Rory had her followup checkup last Friday.

Results were a little worse. So, Rory is also getting a phosphorus binder, Epatikin. The vet ordered it for me from their pharmacy, but it would be shipped more quickly from Amazon (it was here on Sunday, better than 4-8 days from the pharmacy) and there was also free shipping. All in all about twelve dollars less.

She hates the methamazole. She takes the fluids nicely, though. She lays there and just purrs. I was concerned about the Epatikin, but adding it to people tuna seemed to be something she liked.

Her fur has that spikey look that cats who aren't feeling well have. Her appetite has been off and she does seem to be eating a little more than she had been.

She's supposed to go back for another recheck next week. I hope her values have improved. She's a pretty nice little cat.

thyroid rory kidney disease catstuff

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