Tag: nana

Facebook Fights Dirty

As we enter the fifth week of the Facebook boycott, Facebook starts fighting really dirty. Low blow, bro. Right below the belt.

Last night I got an email telling me I had 102 notifications waiting for me. One Hundred and Two. It’s not the first you-have-notifications email they’ve sent, but the last one was after only a few days away. Those bastards saved them up and threw them at me all at once. Assholes!

Okay. Wednesday is the one month mark of this fun little romp of social media defiance. When I left I didn’t think about it, I just did it. I didn’t leave one of those stupid I’m-taking-a-break posts, I just went away (and bitched about it here, over and over and over and over again). Maybe on Wednesday I’ll log in, clear the notifications, make sure there isn’t anything important, and then leave one of those stupid I’m-taking-a-break posts. Then I’ll go away again. Maybe forever. Who knows.

I’m working a half day today. My mother needs a ride to a doctor’s appointment so I am leaving early to take her. I haven’t been over to see my parents in a couple of weeks so it’s time for a visit as well. I’ll be masking up and hittin’ the road around lunch time.

Our house has been a battle ground for a long time now. Two opposing forces fighting to dominate the terrain.

Alexa

Siri

Both are stationed in strategic places throughout the house. Both are able to control the lights and some other things. Both play tunes. It’s been clear for months now that the house cannot sustain both forces. One needs to eliminate the other. In the end, there can be only one.

We bought an amazon echo before Apple’s Home app was really a thing. After having everything in the house routed through the echo for a while, I got all hot and bothered over Apple HomePod Minis and when we got one for the bedroom Jen set up everything through Home as well.

I have slowly but surely found myself using the echo less and less. I can get to Siri through my watch so when I need something I just hold down the digital crown for a tick and ask for it. The only thing the echo is really doing these days is working as an alarm clock in the bedroom. Siri can do that too, but echo somehow handles it a little better. Also, the echo we have in the bedroom is one that shows the time. The HomePod doesn’t do that. It’s a small edge for the echo but a noteworthy one.

Over the last couple of days Jen has been making a conscious choice to start using Siri instead of Alexa. It is clear that finally the war for control of our house is coming to an end. Siri will be victorious. Long live the winner of the personal digital assistant wars.

Now if we could just get Google to let Apple run our Nest thermonstat.

Okay. Time to go to work. Happy Monday, everyone.

ADDENDUM: I got another Facebook email. It’s 106 notifications now. Ugh.

Worst Nightmare Ever

I had a nightmare last night and it was awful.

Yesterday was my grandmother’s 114 birthday. She passed away over 20 years ago. She was the nicest, sweetest, kindest person I’ve ever known. Everyone has that person that makes them think, that person is a saint. She’s that person for me. My Nana was a saint.

And last night I had a nightmare about her.

I was laying in bed but it wasn’t my bed. I was sleeping on my side. I woke up hearing a voice. It was Nana’s voice. It was coming from right behind me, over my shoulder. She whispered my name a couple of times and a few other things that I couldn’t make out and it terrified me beyond my ability to describe.

There was a ghost right behind me, talking to me. I wanted to roll over and see her but I was frozen. I couldn’t roll over but I was shaking in fear. I had to force myself awake. I couldn’t do it at first, but eventually I was able to, and I put an end to the awful experience.

What kind of an asshole has a nightmare about their saint of a grandmother on her birthday.

I suck. I suck more than any human (except trump) has ever sucked before.

Corned Beef Dinner

We had a scheduling conflict with the Irish.  St. Patrick’s Day happens to fall on a day that we do not have the kids.  Therefore we had a mini-St Patrick’s Day dinner this weekend.  We invited Jen’s folks and my folks.  The kids told riddles while we ate corned beef.  My father and my step son continued their on going string of cribbage games.  My step daughter somehow managed to read two large books cover to cover (more or less).  It was a nice time.  Thanks to both sets of Nanas and Papas for coming over, and thanks to my amazing wife for the fantastic dinner!