who turned off the summer?

Seems like the whole weather flipped a switch the other night. On Wednesday I had the windows open, computer sitting on ice packs to help it not overheat, and wasn’t layering up at all to go to work…Thursday, wham, I’m closing the windows, pulling out extra blankets, wearing a sweater and a coat to go out.

Nothing against sweaters, but oof, me and my two smelly cats are gonna miss having a fresh breeze going through the house.

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Just as I get comfortable with “Kickstarter’s not going anywhere with their Mystery Blockchain Protocol, at least not in the foreseeable future, it’s still safe to run a campaign there for now,” then Deviantart turns around and starts flirting with blockchain nonsense. Deviantart! You were the chosen one the only major site making an active effort to protect artists against blockchain fraud! What happened??

…okay, okay, we know what happened. Current holders of crypto can’t actually get money out of the system unless they can convince new suckers to put money in, which means “bribing sites like DA and KS to drag in new suckers” is a good long-term investment.

Still a nasty twist to wake up to.

I know no amount of comments that outline how NFTs are a predatory pit of scams is going to outweigh whatever check they’re cashing from the crypto industry, but I left one anyway.

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Spent the past week or so in a real downswing of low energy and high executive-dysfunction. I have all these small, relatively simple tasks to do, but getting over the hump to actually start each one? Gonna need to go take a nap first.

(The Fluff thinks this is a great deal. He loves an extra snooze. And Fiddlesticks doesn’t hang out on the bed, which makes it a nice safe territory where Fluff doesn’t have to worry about defending his honor as Top Cat.)

I’ve been trying to put “have a nap” higher on the coping-strategy list than “chug another energy drink.” Probably healthier! Not as good a deal for the to-do list.

…also, not a great state to be in when you’re gearing up for a crowdfunding campaign. But it’s not like I work better without a deadline. So we’re moving right along.

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True story, the one thing I can reliably-and-consistently focus on right now is “writing more Moon Knight fanfiction.”

Using incentives like “you can write another chapter of Fic X once you finish Task Y” has been…moderately effective.

(I like this show a normal amount, I swear.)

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Egg replacer, international light shows, holy squirt guns, and…data malpractice

Finally managed to give blood on Sunday, after a few misfires earlier in the month. (For the first time, my pulse kept coming in high. This round I cut all caffeine for a week, recorded my own pulse a couple times a day to figure out the best strategy, and set the appointment for shortly after I woke up. Success!)

Other nice/heartwarming things:

April 14: ““I re-read ‘So Much Cooking,’” one of my friends said on social media, tagging me, “and realized I hadn’t stocked up coffee. Now I have. So, thanks.” Someone else bought two bottles of chocolate syrup, crediting my story. Another person bought themselves birthday cake ingredients. “I’m shopping based on what Natalie would want,” someone else told me.”

May 16: “Buildings around Europe and beyond were lit up for Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light. Shine A Light was played by the Rotterdam Philharmonic, from home.” Video that’ll hit you right in the heart.

May 17: “A Roman Catholic priest in the Detroit area has taken aim at his parishioners in a bid to maintain social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, using a squirt gun to shoot holy water.”

In less-heartwarming news, public-health data in the US is being skewed by people with a financial interest in reopening things, safety be damned. A few examples:

May 18, Florida: The data architect of Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard: “As a word of caution, I would not expect the new team to continue the same level of accessibility and transparency that I made central to the process during the first two months. After all, my commitment to both is largely (arguably entirely) the reason I am no longer managing it.”

May 18, Georgia: “But on closer inspection, the dates on the chart showed a curious ordering: April 30 was followed by May 4; May 5 was followed by May 2, which was followed by May 7 — which in turn was followed by April 26. The dates had been re-sorted to create the illusion of a decline. The five counties were likewise re-sorted on each day to enhance the illusion.”

May 21, the whole US, via the CDC: “The government’s disease-fighting agency is conflating viral and antibody tests, compromising a few crucial metrics that governors depend on to reopen their economies. Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, and other states are doing the same.”