Musings of a Doom-Scrolled Mind

I am taking a break from working on my tax records and trying to come up with something to write about.

My brain is shoved full of information from doom scrolling, and I don't want to touch the idiocy coming out of the house of white.

It is not, of course, actual idiocy. It's really quite clever and incredibly devious (and very divisive). I do not admire devious people, however. In fact, in my Elder Scrolls: Castles game, when I have a little person doing work who has devious characteristics in personality, I frequently end up banishing that little person because they are close to stabbing someone in the back.

That's what devious people with devious personalities do.

Speaking of personality, I have noticed of late that my Microsoft feed is suddenly offering me up all of these pop psychology things like "11 Things Smart People Say" or "Characteristics That Indicate You're a Genius."

I haven't been searching for things like this, so I have no idea why it's suddenly popping up. Well, actually, I do. I think it's a push toward that particular and peculiar train of thought that some people are smarter than others and therefore they get to make all the rules and should have the best jobs. You know that stuff that Adolf Hitler proposed. The kind of thinking that makes someone say inferior people were hired to be aircraft controllers. That sort of thing.

We went to war over that, and I don't like that my computer is trying to subconsciously reinforce that message. 

I have learned that there are differing levels of intelligence, and there are also different kinds of intelligence. Emotional intelligence, for example. Logical intelligence. Literary/language intelligence. Mathematics/engineering type intelligence. I am not sure of categories; I am making them up as I go along here. Some people have a social intelligence that I admire greatly. I lack that, although I generally get along with most people. But not everyone.

We have snow on the ground. I predicated 8 inches, but it hasn't stopped falling yet. Last time I measured we had about 5 inches, but then it started sleeting and icing, and that tends to make the snow totals drop because of the weight of the ice. We may not end up with 8 inches. Regardless, this is probably enough to keep my car in the garage for the rest of the week, even if my husband plows the driveway. The hill up to my house is very, very steep.

It has been a dismal day, and working on the 2024 taxes hasn't helped. I hate doing that. It is a horrid task because we are involved in multiple enterprises: my little bit of writing, my husband's septic tank installation, a farm, a piece of rental property. Nothing that will make us rich or wealthy, but enough to keep us going.

Still, it's a lot of paperwork when you have multiple jobs. And I do all the paperwork and then hand it over to an accountant who plugs in the numbers - boop boop boop - and then tells us what we owe and asks for a check.

Somehow that doesn't seem quite fair.

Sunday Stealing Archive Edition

From the Sunday Stealing archives (2009)

1. What is your occupation right now?

A. I still do some freelance writing, but mostly I take care of my husband and my house.

2. What color are your socks right now?

A. White.

3. What are you listening to right now?

A. Nothing. Just the sound of the space heater behind me.

4. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?

A. My husband.

5. How old are you today?

A. I am 61 years old.

6. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?

A. I like women's basketball.

7. What is your favorite drink?

A. I only drink water. I used to like root beer, though.

8. Have you ever dyed your hair?

A. I have had it highlighted, but never completely dyed. Now it's just going gray.

9. What is your favorite food?

A. I am partial to chocolate. That's probably not an actual food.

10. What is the last movie you watched?

A. The Replacements, I think.

11. Favorite day of the year?

A. My birthday.

12. How do you vent anger?

A. I have been known to throw things. Most recently I beat up a box of tissues.

13. What was your favorite toy as a child?

A. I liked to play with action dolls, not doll babies or Barbie.

14. What are your living arrangements?

A. I live in a house with my husband.

15. What was the last thing that you cried about?

A. I have been sick for several weeks now and it frustrates me to the point of tears on occasion.

16. Who is the friend you have had the longest?

A. The friend I have had the longest is Leslianne, not counting my husband. Oh, there are people I am Facebook friends with whom I have known longer, but they are mostly acquaintances now. Leslie and I are friends.

17. What did you do last night?

A. I watched TV and went to bed.

18. What are you most afraid of?

A. Losing the country.

19. In how many areas of your country have you lived?

A. Just one.

20. What is your favorite flower?

A. I like irises.

Saturday 9: But Beautiful

Saturday 9: But Beautiful (1947)

   

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) The lyrics encourage us to take a chance on love. What's something you've done recently that took you outside your comfort zone? How did it turn out?

A. I made phone calls to my congress people. I do not like to do this; it makes me very uncomfortable. Even using a script, I did not manage it well. In fact, I told one of my senators to "grow a pair" and do something to stop the steal. It has gotten a little easier with successive calls, but it is not at all something I am comfortable doing.

 

2) Bing Crosby introduced "But Beautiful" in the 1947 film, Road to Rio. Name another movie song that became a hit.

A. Hopelessly Devoted to You, by Olivia Newton John, from Grease.

 

3) Bing's leading lady in Road to Rio was Dorothy Lamour. When she was a teenager, she worked as an elevator operator. With the advent of user-operated/push-button elevators, few elevator operator jobs remain. What's another job that was once commonplace, but has virtually disappeared?

A. Secretary. I don't know of anyone who is a secretary anymore.

 

4) Road to Rio was one of seven Road movies Bing Crosby and Bob Hope made together. They were one the most financially successful comedy teams in history. What movie or TV show always makes you laugh?

A. We watch reruns of The Big Bang Theory a lot.

5) Crosby's given name was Harry but he acquired the nickname "Bing" because as a kid he was a fan of a comic strip character named "Bingo." As a child, did you read the newspaper?

A. I began reading the newspaper when I was four years old, and I still read the newspaper. I'm not sure I understand it any better at 61 than I did at 4.

 

6) His 1942 version of "White Christmas" is still one of the best-selling records of all time. He was a movie star, nominated three times for the Oscar, winning once. Can you name another performer who has been successful both acting and singing?

A. Dolly Parton.

7) Bing loved golf and enjoyed traveling the world, playing at different courses. If today you were to receive an airline ticket to any city in the world, what destination would you choose? What would you be certain to see/do there?

A. I would go to Paris. I have been there once, when I was a teenager, and I would love to go back to the Louvre and see the magnificent art there again. I also would like to tour the countryside and see the repairs to Notre Dame.

8) In 1947, when "But Beautiful" was a hit, Farrah Fawcett was born. She became famous for her bathing suit poster, her blonde hair, and a 70s TV show. Without looking it up, do you know the name of that television series?

A. Charlie's Angels. It also starred Jacquelyn Smith and Kate Jackson. Kate Jackson was my favorite.

9) Random question -- Are you someone who makes things happen, or someone things happen to?

A. When I worked for the newspaper, I made a lot of things happen that no one knew about. I liked to do it quietly. Now that I mostly just stay at home, I guess I am someone things happen to.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Review: The West Wing

The West Wing
Seasons 1-7

First aired September 1999 - May 2006

Created by Aaron Sorkin

Starring: Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford, Janel Moloney, Stockard Channing, Dule Hill, and in later seasons, Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda.

Back around Thanksgiving, we started watching The West Wing when there was nothing else on to watch.

We were quickly hooked. The characters were three dimensional, the plot fast pasted, and the enormity of an incoming administration with which we strongly disagree led us to feel all the feels of the show, as well as analyze it as a fictional lesson in writing about politics (for me, anyway).

The last two episodes last night were what they needed to be, as President Jed Bartlett left the White House and the staff disbursed and went their separate ways.

We binged on this show much like we did Downton Abbey. It was captivating. It was obviously fictional - there was no 9/11 event in this show, no war in Iraq. But it did cover issues in Gaza and Kaiktsian, and concerns about China and Taiwan.

Basically, the show covered the same topics people still argue over today: education, taxes, infrastructure, wars, life and death.

I developed a fan girl crush on C.J. Craig, who was initially the White House press secretary and then later Chief of Staff. I had no idea Allison Janney could act so well.

The first four seasons were the best. Season 5 in particular felt way off; I think Aaron Sorkin had left as a show writer by then. The show found better footing in seasons 6 and 7, although I missed the focus on what was going on in the White House as the show followed the candidates for the next upcoming presidential election.

I was impressed with the way the writers handled the president's revelation that he had multiple sclerosis, something he hid from the public in his first election. I also liked that Marlee Matlin, who is deaf, had occasional roles and played a powerful poll analyst. The show also tackled PTSD after a shooting in season 2. It is good to be reminded that people with disabilities and illnesses can play crucial and vital roles in society.

Here's a rundown of the seasons from Wikipedia:

• In the first season, the Bartlet administration is in its second year and is still having trouble settling in and making progress on legislative issues.
• The second season covers the aftermath of a shooting at Rosslyn, the 2000 midterm elections, and dealings with a new Congress and sees scandal when the White House is rocked by allegations of criminal conduct and the President must decide whether he will run for a second term.
• The third and fourth seasons take an in-depth look at the campaign trail and the specter of both foreign and domestic terrorism.
• In the fifth season, the President begins to encounter more issues on the foreign front, while at home he faces off with the newly elected Speaker of the House, battles controversy over Supreme Court appointments and oversees a daring plan to save Social Security.
• The sixth season chronicles the quest to replace President Bartlet in the next election, following the primary campaigns of several candidates from both parties, while the President himself attempts to build his legacy but finds his ability to govern compromised by his illness.
• In the seventh season, the President must face a leak of confidential information about a secret Department of Defense program from inside the White House, while the Democratic and Republican candidates battle to succeed him in the general election.

The second season was shocking when an attempted assassination and shooting of staff took place. Given the nature of the USA, it seemed an inevitable event that had to be included.

The one thing the show did that I did not like was when Leo, who was Chief of Staff and played by John Spencer, had a heart attack and he was left alone in the woods at Camp David. It seemed a serious breach of protocol to simply fly off in a helicopter without all staff accounted for. He was found sometime later, still alive, but I did not care for this part at all.

The show first aired on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. I don't know why we did not see it when it aired initially. Perhaps there was some other show we were watching at the same time, or maybe I had meetings on Wednesday nights and simply missed the first few episodes. If I miss the first episodes of a series, I tend not to jump in midstream and try to catch up.

We started watching the show on Max, which was celebrating The West Wing's 25th anniversary season. On January 1, the show disappeared from Max (it later returned and is on there now), and we were only through the first three seasons, so I ordered the DVDs to finish it up. There is commentary on the DVDs we did not watch but I want to go back sometime and pick that up.

The characters made the show, but it was also sobering to realize the types of real-life crises that the president and his staff must deal with. If it is not dealt with properly, then it costs real lives, maybe even yours or mine. The people who make up the leadership of a country should be the most intelligent and empathetic souls we can find.

Thursday Thirteen

1. We woke this morning to the sound of thunder. How far off, I lay and wondered. I counted to 8 from a lightning flash and then rolled back over and went back to sleep.

2. We also have ice on the trees, and it rained. I don't know how much because we have the rain gauge inside the house to keep it from freezing and breaking.

3. I cannot stop reading the news, and my husband is upset with me because the news does nothing but upset me. I don't know how anyone could not be upset with the current situation in the federal government. Do people want to lose their benefits? How are they going to keep mom in the nursing home? Do they want disabled people out begging in the streets? How are the schools, police, firefighters - you name it - going to function? Do they want a South African certified fruitcake to have access to all of their financial information, including where they live, their date of birth, Social Security number? WTH? This is so sad. And scary. But some people are cheering them on. The racist and misogynistic bastards. Look what they've done! USA Today says it's time to panic.

4. I am trying to work on my taxes, but I keep thinking, "Why am I doing this? This is not my government anymore." What is the point?

5. My ears are ringing terribly today. It sounds like crickets chirping, a million of them, all singing in my ears. I think it is the weather. Some days it is not this bad. Today it is bad.

6. The cold that I took on in early January is still with me, only now it seems to have settled into an upper respiratory version of bronchitis. I see my doctor again next week for a regular checkup. If I am still sick, hopefully she will have some suggestion or something else to try. Two antibiotics and a steroid pack didn't fix it.

7. A friend told me some weeks ago that I should go to bed for three days and then I would be better, but I did not do that. I'm not very good at resting.

8. I am unplugging my Alexas. I enjoy them but I don't trust them now. I am not sure what to do about my smart phone or the iPad. Keep them turned off, I guess. That defeats the purpose of having them, though.

9. Now I need to buy an alarm clock, because I was using Alexa for my morning alarm.

10. I also used her to play music before bedtime. When I was teenager, I used to fall asleep to the sounds of Bread on my record player. After I got Alexa, I started doing that again when my husband was a work. Now I listen to Bread just before he comes to bed to try to relax.

11. My brain never stops, or so it seems. I used to think everyone thought all the time, but apparently not. From articles I have read, I overthink and have a restless mind, and when my husband says, "I'm not thinking of anything" when I ask him, he really isn't thinking of anything. I am always thinking of something. It's very noisy in my head. And it's not just the sound of crickets in my ears, either.

12. This is one of those Thursday Thirteens that to me make no sense, but I think there's a common thread in there somewhere. Or multiple threads.

13. I wish everyone was happy. It would help the world, I think. We have too many mean people wandering around.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 893rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

WARNING * WARNING * WARNING

This is from Heather Cox Richardson:

Billionaire Elon Musk’s team yesterday took control of the Treasury’s payment system, thus essentially gaining access to the checkbook with which the United States handles about $6 trillion annually and to all the financial information of Americans and American businesses with it. Apparently, it did not stop there.

Today Ellen Knickmeyer of the Associated Press reported that yesterday two top security officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) tried to stop people associated with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from accessing classified information they did not have security clearance to see. The Trump administration put the officials on leave, and the DOGE team gained access to the information.

Vittoria Elliott of Wired has identified those associated with Musk’s takeover as six “engineers who are barely out of—and in at least one case, purportedly still in—college.” They are connected either to Musk or to his long-time associate Peter Thiel, who backed J.D. Vance’s Senate run eighteen months before he became Trump’s vice presidential running mate. . . .

Public policy expert Dan Moynihan told reporter Elliott that the fact these people “are not really public officials” makes it hard for Congress to intervene. “So this feels like a hostile takeover of the machinery of governments by the richest man in the world,” he said. Law professor Nick Bednar noted that “it is very unlikely” that the engineers “have the expertise to understand either the law or the administration needs that surround these agencies.”

After Musk’s team breached the USAID computers, cybersecurity specialist Matthew Garrett posted: “Random computers being plugged into federal networks is obviously terrifying in terms of what data they're deliberately accessing, but it's also terrifying because it implies controls are being disabled—unmanaged systems should never have access to this data. Who else has access to those systems?”

USAID receives foreign policy guidance from the State Department. Intelligence agencies must now assume U.S. intelligence systems are insecure.

Musk’s response was to post: “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.” Also last night, according to Sam Stein of The Bulwark, “the majority of staff in the legislative and public affairs bureau lost access to their emails, implying they’ve been put on admin leave although this was never communicated to them.”

Congress established USAID in 1961 to bring together the many different programs that were administering foreign aid. Focusing on long-term socioeconomic development, USAID has a budget of more than $50 billion, less than 1% of the U.S. annual budget. It is one of the largest aid agencies in the world.

Musk is unelected, and it appears that DOGE has no legal authority. As political scientist Seth Masket put it in tusk: “Elon Musk is not a federal employee, nor has he been appointed by the President nor approved by the Senate to have any leadership role in government. The ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ announced by Trump in a January 20th executive order, is not truly any sort of government department or agency, and even the executive order uses quotes in the title. It’s perfectly fine to have a marketing gimmick like this, but DOGE does not have power over established government agencies, and Musk has no role in government. It does not matter that he is an ally of the President. Musk is a private citizen taking control of established government offices. That is not efficiency; that is a coup.”

DOGE has simply taken over government systems. Musk, . . . is personally deciding what he thinks should be cut from the U.S. government.

End Quote

This is from me:

This coup - I really don't know what else to call it - means that an unelected immigrant from South Africa now has all of most Americans financial information. If you or your company does any business with the government of any kind - direct deposit of your Social Security payment, your tax refund, your federal pensions, Armed Services benefits, grants, or even purchases the government made from your company - then all of your financial and personal information, including your tax records, Social Security number, address, etc., are now compromised.

We took steps over the weekend and removed most of our money from our account where our tax refunds were deposited and from the accounts where we paid estimated taxes. I suggest everyone do the same to ensure that this new government, which is no longer ours or following the U.S. Constitution, does not reach into your accounts and take your hard-earned money. I don't know that this will happen, but I also don't know that it won't. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

This is not a partisan issue. This is highly illegal and just plain wrong. I'm pretty sure no one voted for Elon Musk. He wasn't on the ballot.

Here are some links to articles about this. Don't take my word for it. Read about it yourself. I imagine some sites have spun it so that it doesn't look like what it is, and I know some people don't trust the media. But you must get your information from somewhere. See what they say about it. There are also other links to many different outlets in the HCR link above.

Warren Questions Bessent Over Musk Access to Treasury Payment System - The New York Times

Elon Musk’s Team Now Has Access to Treasury’s Payments System - The New York Times

Elon Musk’s Friends Have Infiltrated the General Services Administration | WIRED

We do not know what exactly Elon Musk is doing to the federal government - MSN

Senior U.S. official exits after rift with Musk allies over payment system - The Washington Post via MSN

Sunday Stealing Archival Edition

From the Sunday Stealing archives:

1) What was your dream growing up?

A. When I was a child, I wanted to be many things, ranging from an archeologist to a geologist to a college professor and a rock star. Ultimately, though, I wanted to write. So, I wrote. And now I don't.

2) What talent do you wish you had?

A. I don't really wish for talent anymore. I think I am more in need of courage.

3) If I bought you a drink, what would it be?

A. You would be buying me a glass of water.

4) What was the last book you read?

A. The last book I listened to on tape was Orbital, by Samantha Harvey. I am currently listening to The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny. I have given up actually trying to read the book I want to read for the moment. My concentration is shot.

5) What is your worst habit?

A. My worst habit now is chewing Extra sugar free bubble gum. I no longer bite my nails. I also say "f*ck" a lot, so maybe that's my worst habit.

6) If you saw me walking down the street, would you offer me a ride?

A. I am assuming I know you, so yes, I would offer you a ride. But I would not offer a stranger a ride these days.

7) What is your favorite sport?

A. I like women's basketball.

8) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?

A. If I were stuck in an elevator with someone, I would make small talk and try to keep us both calm.

9) What is the worst thing to ever happen to you?

A. When I was in elementary school, if I was ill, my mother would take me to my grandmother's house for the day so she could go to work. Her office was only a block away. Many times, she went home without me because she forgot me. I think that scarred me for life. (It is not, however, the worst thing to ever happen to me.)

10) Tell me one weird fact about you.

A. I don't know that I'm all that weird. How about this: I had a big place on my abdomen that was some kind of keratosis, about as big around as a quarter. After I received my last Covid shot, it went away. And it's still gone, though there is some minor discoloration of the skin in that place.

11) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?

A. If someone showed up at my house unexpectedly, I would invite them in if I knew them. I'd leave them standing outside the door if I didn't.

12) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?

A. I would like to be thinner.

13) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?

A. I would probably be someone's conscience.

14) Have you ever been arrested?

A. I have never been booked for a crime, but I have been picked up by the police and taken to the police station.

15) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?

A. If I won $10,000 today, I would buy myself a really nice computer.

Saturday 9: Rikki, Don't Lose That Number

Saturday 9: Rikki, Don't Lose That Number (1974)

   

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

 

1) In this song, a man asks a girl to spend more time with him and suggests they go out for a ride together. Do you ever take a leisurely drive, just for relaxation and pleasure? Or do you always have a destination in mind when you get behind the wheel?

A. Occasionally I take a drive to nowhere, but not often. I did it more when I was a teenager than after I married. I usually have a destination now.

 

2) He repeatedly suggests that she could have a change of heart. What's something you've changed your mind about recently?

A. I used to think there had to be a bottom low. Now I think there is no bottom.

3) This week's featured artists are the duo Steely Dan. They earned the reputation as perfectionists, requiring take after take in the studio until they got their sound just right. Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? Or do you more often find that "good enough is good enough?"

A. I tend to be a perfectionist. Sometimes I finally say, "OK, this is good enough," but more often than not, I am still trying to get it right, whatever that is.

 

4) The Rikki of the title is a writer/poet who met Steely Dan's Donald Fagan when they were both students at Bard College. He had a crush on her and gave her his number, which she refused to call because she was married. She went on to teach in the English Department at the University of Denver, where her students would probably be surprised to learn she was the inspiration for a famous song. Is there something we would be surprised to learn about you?

A. Yes, but I am not going to tell you what it is. There are reasons why you don't know it already.

5) Another woman who played a role in Steely Dan's success is Barbra Streisand. She recorded one of their early songs, "I Mean to Shine," for her 1971 album, Barbra Joan Streisand. It was her thirteenth album and though 13 is often considered unlucky, it reached #11 on the Billboard charts and was certified as a gold record. Do you have a lucky number?

A. I do not have a lucky number, although if I were to choose one, I think I'd choose the number 8, because if you place it on its side, it is the infinity symbol.

 

6) In 1974, when this song was a hit, The Magic 8 Ball was still a top-seller at toy stores. It retailed for just $1.99 and promised that all you had to do was gaze at it, concentrate, and wait to learn your fate ... "if you dare!" If you could get an answer to one question about the future, what would you ask?

A. "Will everything be OK?"

7) Also in 1974, Good Times premiered, and the character JJ (played by Jimmy Walker) became a sensation with the catchphrase "Dy-no-mite!" What's another phrase that is forever connected to a TV character?

A. "Live long and prosper." - Spock from Star Trek.

8) 1974 was the year Barry Manilow became a household name with his first major hit, "Mandy." Do you have a favorite Barry Manilow song?

A. I actually like Barry Manilow. Mandy was one of the first songs I learned on the guitar. But I think I Write the Songs may be my favorite.

9) Random question: Imagine a beautiful little church on a hillside. Quiet, with stained glass and lovely pews. Well-maintained grounds with plenty of parking nearby. Seats 150. Perfect for a wedding ... or a funeral, because it's located in a cemetery. Would you consider getting married at a cemetery?

A. I would. I wanted to be married in the woods wearing blue jeans, but that didn't happen. A cemetery would be just as good.

 

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Mystery Solved

I don't know whether I'm an idiot or Nancy Drew.

After several months of wondering why there was an odor in the shower that only I could smell, I have found the source.

To recap for new readers, I began smelling something that smelled to me like an old sewer drain when I showered. The odor did not linger. 

Only I smelled it. My husband smelled nothing. I was starting to think I was having some kind of weird hallucination in the shower.

Nevertheless, we began trying to figure out what the issue was. My husband was afraid we were going to have to tear the shower out because something was leaking and there was mold.

We cleaned the shower thoroughly with bleach; we ran a drain snake down the pipes and the septic cleanout, we found a plug for the shower drain and tested to see if anything leaked.

There was no leak.

The smell occasionally eased up but then it would grow worse. It was "this makes me want to vomit" bad at times. But only for a short period while I was in the shower, and then the odor would go away.

We began looking at other sources, like the water heater, because I only smelled the odor when the hot water was on.

But that didn't seem to be the issue. The hot water didn't smell at the kitchen sink, only the shower, for one thing. We ran bleach through the hot water tank and the pipes to kill any bacteria that might be lurking there.

The odor continued.

And then Sunday night, for whatever reason, I passed the bar of soap - Dove Sensitive Skin which I have used for over 30 years - in front of my nose.

It stunk. It smelled horrible.

It was the bar of soap. And not just that bar of soap, but every bar in a 12 pack of Dove Sensitive Skin bar soap.

I was smelling it when I was washing my upper body and then the smell dissipated as I moved downward, and then of course it was gone once the hot water was off of it and I had rinsed it off.

There were three bars missing from the 12 pack, and I go through a bar about every 3 weeks. The smell was very bad in the current bar, which had been in use a while, so the odor grew stronger the longer I used the soap, I assume. That would explain why there were periods when the smell wasn't so strong - new bar of soap - and then it worsened as the soap dwindled.

After I figured out that the soap was actually the source of the odor, I could smell it on each bar, faintly, even without putting it in water.

I tested this theory by not washing with the soap, and of course everything smelled just fine.

I used the soap again and phew! The odor was back.

Dove Sensitive Skin soap was a victim of shrinkflation after the pandemic, with the bars shrinking from 4 oz to 3.75 ozs.

The 4 oz bar, one of which I still happen to have, was made in the USA.

The new soap is imported from Canada.

I called Dove and told them about my issue. Their solution was to promise to send me a coupon for a free 12 pack of soap.

I wasn't sure I wanted to keep using Dove if it was going to smell, because I need a fragrance-free hypoallergenic soap, but a four-pack that I had under the kitchen sink smells fine. I keep a bar of soap at every sink. My husband doesn't use the bars - he uses my Dawn dishwashing liquid - but I grab the bar of soap at the kitchen sink every time I come into the house after having been out in the germy old world.

The customer service rep at Dove told me that sometimes the soap would be stored improperly during transit and "turn bad." 

I have no idea if that is what happened to this soap, but I wasn't entirely happy with Dove's solution to the problem. We spent several hundred dollars on bleach, drain snakes, and new hot water heater elements, not to mention the angst and worry we have had for over a month while we tried to determine what this odor was.

And perhaps not coincidentally, once I tossed out that soap, I started to feel better. I am still not well, but I am a heck of a lot better than I was. I may have had a virus, but I suspect that bad soap didn't help me at all and may have been poisoning me for all I know.

So that's the update on the shower. We don't have to tear the house apart.

But I wonder, dear reader, would you have suspected a product you'd been using for 30 years to be the culprit? Was I an idiot to take so long to realize what the problem was, or a detective?

Thursday Thirteen

One of my former professors at Hollins University, Amanda Cockrell, writes Roman historical novels. I have read several of them and found them quite interesting. She writes under her name but writing as Damion Hunter, a pseudonym she used when she first began this series of books in 1981. The books gained a cult following and a book publisher reestablished it and she began writing new books for the series.

She is meticulous in her research, and I have found her descriptions of Roman road building and other things - some of which are still in existence today - to be evocative. I thought it would be interesting to see why the Roman Empire collapsed, because it was massive and as her books suggest, reached into great swaths of Europe and other parts of the world.

So here are 13 reasons why the Roman Empire fell:

1. Economic troubles: Constant wars and overspending drained the imperial coffers, leading to severe financial crises.

2. Overreliance on slave labor: The economy depended heavily on slaves, and when expansion halted, the supply of slaves dwindled.

3. Military overspending: Maintaining a vast military presence and constant warfare strained resources.

4. Political corruption: Corruption and instability within the government weakened the Empire's ability to respond to crises. 

5. Division of the Empire: The division into Eastern and Western Roman Empires created administrative and military challenges.

6. Rise of the Eastern Empire: The Eastern Empire (Byzantine Empire) grew in wealth and power, while the Western Empire declined. 

7. Decline in civic virtue: The loss of traditional Roman values and civic responsibility contributed to societal decay.

8. Plague and disease: Epidemics weakened the population and the military.

9. Inflation: Rampant inflation devalued currency and disrupted the economy.

10. Urban decay: Cities declined as people moved to the countryside to escape taxes and instability. This in turn let to over-farming and deforestation led to agricultural decline. 

11. Weak leadership: Many emperors were ineffective or corrupt, leading to poor decision-making.

12. Technological stagnation: Lack of innovation in military and agricultural technology hindered progress. 

13. Social inequality: The gap between rich and poor widened, leading to social unrest.

These factors, among others, contributed to the gradual decline and eventual fall of the Roman Empire.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 892nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

 

An Internet Boost

I have fiber! I have fiber!

Today I moved from the early 21st century to the now. I am no longer on DSL. I have fiber!

This was a BIG DEAL. I have been trying to get fiber to my house for years.

I have sent a letter to my county officials every six months for the last 7 years, asking them to ensure my area received fiber connection.

And finally, today, it happened.

After hearing that a certain person in a house made of white had stopped the payouts on the infrastructure bill passed by Biden, I was concerned that I would not get the promised "free" connection from the provider, but no one said anything about a hook up charge.

Maybe they already had the money in hand. I am not asking.

Things are not always fair. I know my brother had to pay a connection fee to get his fiber, but he paid it gladly. However, people near him who lived along the road (he lives a ways off the road), did not have such a hefty connection fee.

Is it fair that I did not have to pay? I don't know, but he's had fiber for 2-3 years longer than I have. Was that fair?

I don't know.

Fair is a juggling act. Sometimes you're on the receiving end of fair. Most times, I have found, one is not.

So, I will take my fiber and rejoice.

Now if only someone can tell me how to reliably look for online work that isn't a scam.

Sensory Hallucination

When you're the only one who sees/smells/tastes/hears something that others don't, it can lead to all sorts of paranoia.

I mentioned recently that we were having trouble with an odor in the shower. This has been going on for a good while - months, actually.

My husband never smelled it. He has yet to smell it.

I smell it every time I shower. That's the only time. About 3 minutes into a shower, when the water is hot, there's an awful odor from somewhere, and either I get used to it or it goes away, I am not sure which. I think it goes away.

The odor is bad. Like want to vomit bad. It just doesn't last long, fortunately, and I don't come out of the shower smelling like that.

We began trying to figure out what the problem was. My husband, always the one to go to the absolute worst solution, immediately said we would have to tear the shower out because obviously there must be a leak somewhere, and mold.

"And you are sick and have been and it's probably this mold," he declared.

I was not moving that fast to create chaos in the household, though. I suggested we try cleaning. Lots of bleach around the drain. We bought extra-long brush things that would go down into the pipes and used them.

The smell came and went with every shower, regardless of how bleached the bathroom actually smelled. Something has to smell strongly to overcome the power of a bleached bathroom. Really.

We found a plug and filled the bottom of the shower with bleach water, and I sat for an hour and watched it, waiting to see if the level went down, or if one of those little whirlpools appeared somewhere to indicate a leak.

Nothing happened. No whirlpool. No water level dropping. There isn't a leak in that shower.

We also cleaned the shower head and all parts of the shower, of course.

The stench continued.

I started to wonder if I was having some kind of weird nasal hallucination brought on by the act of showering. When you're the only one who smells it, it sets you back, you know? Was I having some kind of bacterial reaction from my body to the water? Was it my armpits? What?

But my husband said he believes I smell something. He pointed out that I had told him for a very long time that there was mold in the living room. It smelled so strong to me that I stayed away from that part of the house. He smelled nothing and we couldn't find any signs of mold. We found the mold when we replaced the windows. There was a leak around a window frame and it had molded there, in the wall. Once that was removed and fixed, the odor was gone. (He also told someone at Lowes when he went to get a part that I can smell an ant fart from 1000 yards, which is an overexaggeration. I hope.)

I started to wonder if the odor in the shower might not actually be in the water. I looked up smelly water and it turns out that hot water heaters can create an odor in water. They called it a rotten egg smell, and while what I am sniffing smells more to me like an old sewer drain that's gone dry, I suppose it could be a type of rotten egg smell. I'm not sure I've ever smelled a rotten egg, although since I grew up on a farm you would think that I would have.

There is something in a water heater called an anode, which is used to keep the tanks from being eaten away by the water. It is a long, metal rod typically made of aluminum, magnesium, or zinc, and is inserted into the top of the water heater tank. The anode rod attracts corrosive particles found inside the tank, protecting the tank liner and reducing the risk of explosion.

This anode can begin to erode and that can cause odor after a time. Or so it says on the Internet.

Yesterday, my husband attempted to replace this piece in our water heater, but it is screwed in so tightly that he and a neighbor could not get it free, not even with an impact wrench. He finally replaced the hot water heater elements to see if they could be the problem and left the anode in there.

The shower still stinks. So, it wasn't the water heater elements. But it could still be the anode.

It is cheaper to replace a hot water heater than to tear out a tiled shower and have it rebuilt, that much I know. So, when my husband has time, he is going to replace the hot water heater.

In the meantime, I will hold my nose in the shower and hope it really is the hot water heater.

This is just so weird.

Saturday 9: Summer Song

Saturday 9: A Summer Song (1964)

   

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) Are you enjoying winter? Or do you daydream about summer?

A. I am not enjoying winter. I have been sick most of January and I am not a fan of the cold weather. I don't like the extreme heat of summer, either, but I can deal with that better than these cold, brittle windy days.

 

2) In this week's song, trees sway in the breeze. Is it windy where you are today?

A. It is fairly calm as I write this.

3) There's rain outside their window. Have you more recently seen rain or snow?

A. We have had snow. We are still in a drought even if the government won't acknowledge it.

4) This week's artists are the duo Chad and Jeremy. As a teen, Chad Stuart was very versatile in the arts. While he enjoyed drawing, he showed real promise in music and won a scholarship to London's Central School of Speech and Drama. When you were a teenager, what were your best classes? 

A. English, history, civics/government. I made As in all of my classes except Phys ed, including Algebra and Trig, wherein I loved my teacher, but I did not consider them my best classes. 

5) Between 1965 and 1966, Chad and Jeremy played British pop stars on a variety of American TV shows, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Patty Duke Show, and Batman. Which of those series do you remember?

A. Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah Batman!

 

6) While those TV appearances were good for the duo's record sales, they sowed the seeds of dissent between the friends. Jeremy Clyde realized he enjoyed acting far more than music and began threatening to leave the act. Chad finally got tired of dissuading him. Between Jeremy's dramatic aspirations and contract disputes, they broke up. Later they both admitted they regretted the split, but as Chad said, "we were just kids." Is there an old friend you've drifted away from but miss?

A. There are many people I no longer know whom I miss sometimes, but they don't seem to miss me, so I try not to think about them. The people who are important in my life are here.

7) In 1964, when "A Summer Song" was popular, the #1 movie in the country was Mary Poppins. Have you seen it?

A. I have seen Mary Poppins.

8) One of the biggest news stories of 1964 was Elizabeth Taylor's wedding to Richard Burton. The bride wore yellow, with yellow and white flowers in her hair. The groom wore a dark suit, red tie and yellow boutonniere. What did you wear last time you got dressed up?

A. The last time I dressed up I wore blue pants and a nice top. That's about as dressed up as I get.

9) Random question: When you're in the backseat, do you wear a seatbelt?

A. I do not sit in the backseat because I get carsick, but if I did, I would wear a seatbelt.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.