Random Odd Stuff...
Luna Moth:
I think it is time for me to retire my chess books to a remote bookshelf. I can't play worth a damn anymore.
When I was about 8-9, Mom taught me the rules of chess and played it with me. She recognized that I was very good at board games and thought I needed a more open-ended and challenging one. The idea of different pieces moving in different ways was a bit confusing at first, but I began to see the possibilty of flexibility.
I should mention that Mom's family seldom played board or card games but Dad's family did. And they played to kill. "If you couldn't stand the heat, leave the table". 😈. And they didn't give much consideration to age either.
Dad's family mostly played 2 card games. One was Gin. When we visited them, both Gramma and I were early risers. So we would play Gin for a while until the rest got up and she had to start breakfast. But she would kill me happily. I was about 14 before I could make it a "close to fair" game.
The other game is not well-known. It was sort of a regional game from Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. It is generally called "Cinch" and sometimes "Setback" and it is a rather lethal game.
The basics are that you get 9 cards (2 decks if required). You bid a number of tricks you will take. No suits like in Bridge and not always hearts like in that game. The highest bidder names the suit. Everyone tosses out the cards that aren't that suit. And then you are dealt enough to make 6.
The bidder tosses out the first card. Whoever takes a trick leads with the next round. Whoever has the most tricks wins the round. I don't recall how the scoring was done for a whole game, but I have my 'Rules According To Hoyle' marked up to reflect the version we played (it varies regionally).
I mentioned Gramma Cavebear was a lethal card-player. She was also non-secretive. Sometimes she would say "Oh I filled". Meaning her 6 cards were all trumps. We all knew we were doomed at that point.
Dad and Gramma taught me the rules at 14, we played practice hands. When I could follow the rules and be somewhat competitive, I was allowed at the adult table after dinner. Some families had dessert after dinner; we played cards.
I eventually achieved average family skill. I miss playing the game, but Gramma and Grampa eventually got older and less able to play. And I went off to college.
Where I learned Hearts (and later, Spades). I never understood Bridge. Symbolic bidding (the Goren System and others completely baffled me. I guess I think too directly. But I was good at Hearts and Spades. No real bidding.
But back to chess... When Mom couldn't beat me at chess anymore, she turned me over to Dad. I have no idea what his chess experience was, but he was better at it than Mom. But after a year, he couldn't beat me at it either.
I found that a neighbor kid my age also loved chess. We played it obsessively! His mom got so annoyed at our focus that she dragged us to a public swimming pool a few times. Sure, we swam around a bit, but I had a pocket chess set and we played there too.
When I went to college, I found several people in my dorm who played. By coincidence, one turned out to be the President of the college chess club. We played equally. I joined the club. As a result, I joined the United States Chess Federation (USCF). I never achieved any high ranking, but just having a ranking at all put me in about the top 10%.
My friend the President had a bad accident one summer and returned "mentally damaged". He left after 2 months.
Which left a gap. The club had no President. I became it. That means a lot less than it may sound. The President organizes club meetings, lays out chessboards and chess clocks, and puts everything away afterwards. Really Good chessplayers are not interested in that. There aren't really truly good chessplayers who can manage their own lives, never mind administrative club issues, LOL!
But I discovered a skill that the past couple of Presidents didn't have. Members just showed up to play each other. I researched how to arrange tournaments. There are various ways but I won't bore you with that (unless you ask).
But the club membership doubled and better players started to attend. I retired after 2 years, leaving a successful club behind.
For myself, I participated in several public USCF tournaments. The games are divided among ratings. They ranged from 1200-1399, 1400-1599, and so on to 2000. Beyond 2000, you are Master. I was about 1250. Yeah, "bottom of the best".
I won a trophy in the DC Open at my rating. I won 5 of 6 games. The best win was against a 1650 rated player using The Stonewall Defense (if you want to look it up). It is routinely a White attack, but I used it as a Black Defense.
And then, hot off my success, I participated in the Maryland Open. And got "pantsed". My 1st opponent pulled a Scholar's Mate on me!
White Queen to move.
I was so unbelievingly embarrassed! The worst thing a chessplayer can experience is to be the first to leave the room in defeat. And I didn't return...
I did get over it eventually. Played postal chess for a decade (time to stop and think about moves) and computer chess for a decade. But at 75, I've lost my skills at the game. A simple computer chess game beats me. It is time to just stop thinking about chess.
So I don't need the books over the computer. I'll save them for "old times sakes", but I'm not going to be playing anymore...
Big Business are getting to hard to contact. They have their website and various problem-solving options, but they are not designed for unusual situations. And they don't want you to call them!
AMAZON: I order many things from Amazon. Monday, I received a delivery confirmation with a photo of the delivery. Naturally, they never knock on the door anymore. So I went out and got the single-item package immediately after seeing the email from them.
It was a very flat item just in a cardboard fold-up with 2 enclosure tabs. It was empty! OK, maybe some porch-pirate stole it and left the flat cardboard container. But I looked at the delivery photo carefully, and the enclosure tabs were already open at the time of delivery!
So I conclude the item was either never actually placed in the container, that it slipped out during shipping, or slipped out in the delivery truck. We don't have a porch-pirate problem in my neighborhood and besides, it was so flat as to be invisible from the street.
I spent an hour navigating the Amazon website looking for a way to explain "empty box". But that just sent me to "returns". I couldn't find a way to tell them I could return an item I didn't have. Customer service just sends you in a circle of how to return items. Customer Service and Help don't/won't give you a phone number to call.
So I looked up "Amazon Customer Service telephone number". I found one on several sites, but they weren't Amazon URLs, so I was suspicious. It was an 1-888 number and sometimes those are overseas pay-by-the-minute scams. But I did eventually find one from a legitimate Amazon address (and it was the same as the other sites).
I got a chatbot that asked stupid questions repetitively. I finally said "Human Agent Please". It resisted, but finally did it. I was told there was a waiting time. 😒. But a human was on the phone in a minute. 😂
It didn't go well. They expect everyone to have a text-capable phone. I do but I can't manage it (and please don't try to explain how). They verified my existence, but needed to send me a code to my email account. Several tries failed. I have been receiving emails regularly (and sent a test message to myself while on the call to check). We checked the email address letter by letter. The Amazon agent said it must be a problem on their end.
I have to call again later today during US business hours. I spent 2 hours trying to resolve a $15 delivery issue. But I don't let these problems go easily... It just goes against my grain.
WALMART: I discovered Walmart is playing a trick on us cat owners! Walmart and Amazon usually keep their prices very similar. I use A&H Slide litter these days. There is a big box and a small box. The big one (38 pounds) is a better deal, but it has gotten too difficult for me to drag into the basement these days. So I've been buying the small box.
The price per pound of the small boxes is not too much more than the large one... Both Amazon and Walmart sell the smaller box at the identical price. BUT, I discovered the Walmart box is 4 pounds lighter than the Amazon box (14 vs 18)! Nasty little trick, Walmart...
Three major meadow things...
1. I have buds on different meadow flowers and some are open or beginning to open. Not enough to take a picture, but I can see the various varieties maturing.
The first were 2' tall yellow daisy-like flowers. They started to fade away 2 weeks ago, but now there are new blooms. Yay! Maybe they will do that all Summer.
The next were some dozen 2" purple spire-shaped flowers. I took a couple pics, but they are nearly invisible to the camera.
After that came some yellow daisy-like flowers similar to the earliest ones, but 2' taller. And today, some purplish flowers opened on a 4' tall plant.
2. While I was focussed on looking at the new flowers, I suddenly realized they were covered with honeybees and different odd smaller native ones! Every flower I looked at had at least one, and they seemed very active. They kept moving from one to the other. Nor "beeing"a bee, I can't exactly judge what kinds of nectar various bees prefer. But they sure seemed like "happy little busy bees". I also saw a couple of butterflies. And I'll bet there are some very small insects that are feeding and laying eggs there too.
3. I spent 4 years ordering trays of native meadow plants from a good source. And planting them directly in the meadow (as instructed) never worked. So last year (having delayed direct-planting) I stuck them all in my 10 gallon tomato pots (3 per pot, rich soil). And they just sulked there all Summer and Fall. But this Spring, grew fast and lush. They were suddenly a foot tall, so I transplanted them to the meadow.
Talk about sudden growth! Those 4' plants I mentioned above were those 12" transplants in March. If I hadn't stuck labels and orange landscape flags next to the new transplants, I would had have assumed they were growths from 1-2 years ago, finally established and maturing.
But these all seem to be from the transplants this Spring. I am thrilled. And I can't wait for there to be enough flowers to post pics of them are close-ups and "overall".
Happy Dad's Day to all you dads in the world. I was never one myself, so I can't claim it as my day. But without one, I wouldn't be here.
So enjoy your day. And if you get another tie you don't need, another tool that you already have (or is too weird to use), or just a card, accept it and be pleased. It's the thought...
HAL A LU YA! After years, my meadow garden is finally starting to grow. I didn't start it right. The idea is to cover the bed in plastic for a year to smother all the grasses and weeds. I'm too impatient for that. So I just mowed the area and planted some meadow flowers. They didn't grow. I tried the same thing the next year and they didn't grow then either.
Three years ago, I got a few sad lonely plants that grew, but they weren't much to look at. Two years ago I bought yet another tray of 48 plants (groups of 3), but delayed getting them planted (I keep having hip injuries). And they probably would have died had I planted them. It was Summer and that's a bad time to transplant flowers.
I had bought ten 10 gallon pots for tomatoes (my regular garden has gotten too shaded by neighbor's trees, so I needed to try them somewhere sunnier). So I stuck the meadow flower transplants in with the tomatoes (3 to a pot). They just sat and sulked.
But last year in Spring, they burst into growth! I transplanted them in the meadow garden. They grew some, but didn't flower. But hey, growth is good!
This year, I have many groups of 3-4' high tall meadow flowers! I'm thrilled. Some few are blooming, some are showing buds, and some are just growing tall. Well, some bloom in late Summer and Fall, so they might bloom later this year.
Here are some pictures...
I think this one is orange coneflower.
There is also a perennial I planted elsewhere that is blooming now and should do well in the meadow garden when I transplant it this Fall. It seems to grow well in difficult conditions.
It is a Maltese Cross. I suppose the name comes from the Isle of Malta, or a "maltese cross" has 5 points to it. But it a nice red color and seems dependable.
A few days ago, I took some of last year's meadow flowers that survived from last year in a tray and planted them in this year's tomato pots. I hope they thrive like last year's ones did. That would pretty much fill up the meadow garden.
Since most of them are perennials, they will last a decade. But there are also self-seeders and some spread from roots. So hopefully, in a few more years, the meadow bed will be full of flowers.
And most of them are favored by both common and struggling butterflies, native non-hiving bees, and minor insects who will be supported by the meadow flowers that are finally growing here.
My heirloom Brandywine and Cherokee Purple tomatoes are thriving. I need to get cages set up around them. I have more domestic common flowers I am planting in deck pots, but that's a future post. 😀
I don't make them often, but I love chocolate chip cookies. But I like them as bars (like brownies) even more. I just scrape all the batter onto parchment paper in a glass baking dish and set them on a rack to cool until firmly set.
Then just cut them up and put them in a lidded container (I have a couple of nice metal ones that actual cookies came in as holiday gifts).
And it is time to make ore. I make some from store pouches and some from raw ingredients. The most annoying thing is that the batter is very thick. I actually broke a wooden spoon mixing the stuff once.
This time, I think I will see how well my bread machine is at mixing it on the dough setting. Aside from making good cooked bread (a topic for another post), it mixes pizza and bread dough for baking separately. It sure would save a lot of hard stirring!
I know no one really cares about my favorite game , Civilization II, but I achieved something in a recent game that I don't think I've achieved in my 30 years of playing it. I got all the top 5 cities in the world!
Cities occupy one tile and harvest yields from nearby tiles: food, trade and production. They may build units, city improvements or wonders of the world. Typically, each civilization will constantly expand by founding new cities until all of the map is settled. Analogous to chess pieces, the many different units vary in their functions, mirroring historical types of soldiers and occupations. Units occupy one tile at a time and may move every turn. Most of them can attack others in battle; a minority have non-military functions.
After civilizations make contact, they begin diplomatic relations. In war, a civilization may conquer another civilization's cities. When all of a player's cities are conquered, they are permanently removed from the game. To end war, two players may negotiate peaceful relations.
Scientific research is a focal point of the game. Players begin with primitive technology and hence limited possible actions. Grouped by eras from ancient to modern, civilization advances, both scientific and societal, offer numerous advantages.
There are three paths to victory: conquering all other civilizations, building a spaceship that reaches the Alpha Centauri star system using advanced technology, and otherwise surviving until 2020 AD (being ahead in civ score over the others). A player's score is calculated after finishing the game.
There are many games available on the internet. But I really like this one. It is never the same game twice, I don't have to move fast, it is no "shoot them up", and I know the rules and tech advances. It is more of a thoughtful game (like chess or risk). I enjoy being able to consider actions and do some planning without time-pressure.
Well, I mentioned bad news from the dentist a few days ago about the condition of my teeth. They are in wretched condition. Think of a pile of loose boulders compared to a good pyramid... It isn't a question of "will they start breaking, but how soon?".
So yesterday, I had a "consult" with the Dentist. Not my usual "fillings and routine stuff", but a more specialty one who visits weekly for advanced work. He recommended placing new crowns on most upper teeth and replacing old existing ones then, but yesterday's visit was for a more detailed exam, a timetable, and costs.
The news is serious. Though I don't currently have any tooth sensitivity, it is coming soon, and each repair will be harder as less durable. Basically, I can wait for each individual tooth to fail and be in pain for several days waiting for an available appointment, or get it all fixed over a couple months.
Here's what he wants to do...
1. Put temporary caps on the 2 left and right upper back molars. This is to provide some slight leverage on my jaws to align them better and get me used to feeling a change. Part of my problem is that I have a small jaw and an overbite. And BTW, I have a family history of bad teeth. I have outstanding health otherwise, but bad teeth.
2. The Dentist will also do a digital scan of the shape of my teeth at the same time. Well, good, I won't have to suffer that hard molding stuff they used to use. I always hated that. A lab will create new permanent crowns based on that (as needed - this whole process will take several months).
3. After those few weeks of adjustment, the Dentist will put temporary crowns on my 8 upper front teeth. And I will wait several weeks to adjust to those.
4. Then, he will replace the back crowns with permanent ones. A week later or so, he will put on the permanent front crowns and make any minor crown-shaping to make the new crowns
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So he had described the procedure. He had advised me that each active appointment would mean numbing both sides of my mouth each time (ack). His insurance tech developed a cost estimate. I was shocked! Apparently, my health insurance company does not provide the same level of coverage as they used to (and I didn't notice that in the renewals). And on my Federal Govt health care program, I can only change plans in December each year. ðŸ˜
Something just short of $13,000! 😠. OK, I can afford it. I am planning some home and driveway renovations/repairs anyway and that would just be a 1/4th of all that. But I wasn't expecting such a large cost.
So, sitting in the Dentist's chair and looking at the detailed cost chart, I thought about how legitimate this all was. So I asked him about implants (which I already knew they didn't do themselves. The Dentist said that was a good option. He said there were some advantages to that. It could be done in just a couple visits, and offerred to refer me to an implant specialist with a great reputation. He said that can be easier on some patients and that there is even sedation implant specialists.
So that answered my internal concern about the Dentist just wanting to do all the crown work just for the money.
I also asked about the general cost of full implants. He said they were a good option. He said it is generally about $25,000 "per arch", meaning both upper and lower. OK, $50,000 will make me think twice too! 😰
So, I am going ahead with the 12 crown replacement at my regular Dentist. I'm going to hate it. Just having one new crown is miserable, 12 is going to be much worse.
I asked about the durability of the new crowns. He said 10-15 years. OK, 15 years from now I'll be 90 (if I live that long). I guess I have to do this... 10-15 years of good teeth is worth something, and there is not much point in dying rich when the option is good teeth for most of the rest of my life.
I have another option that just occurred to me now. If I wait until December, I can switch to a Govt Health Care plan that covers major dental work. I'll have to call the Dentist and ask about the consequences of delaying all this work that long. He may say yes that would work or he may say I have some teeth that won't last that long.
But it won't hurt to ask.
Advice welcomed...
Random Odd Stuff... Luna Moth: Mylar balloons last a long time. These arrived May 21st and are still floating. American Atheist Necklace....
