Firefox, you have pushed me right out. Now I have to click a ‘yes/no to updating’ type box everytime I fire it up. Read about Pale Moon in the comments to this article:

‘make use of’ article

You can get a download that imports EVERYthing from Firefox just the way you have it set up. The only extension I use that isn’t Pale Moon ready is All-in-one Sidebar, but I can live without it for now.

Just started using it a bit ago, but everything I’ve done works exactly like on Firefox. It even brought over my themes.

On the illness front, I upped my Prednisone to 2 mg Sunday, after having a week of pain and miserableness on 1 mg. Going to ask druggist if they make 1/2 mg pills, so I can go to 1 and 1/2 mg next decrease. I can probably cut a one in half, but they are so small I’m afraid I’ll end up counting grains.

Finally got hot and sticky to the max, so turned on the a/c Tuesday. Doesn’t work. Seems to be pushing hot air. Called maintenance yesterday, and the plumber was here almost an hour and a half. Turns out the valve was stuck. Who knew there was a valve? They are old units on this building and he has not worked on them before this year. He said pretty soon he will be an expert, since people started calling in April to have theirs looked at. Who needs an a/c in April? It was still cold. Anyway, he had to take the unit apart on the roof, and the valve which changes from hot to cold according to your thermostat setting. The tube was hot. He whacked it. Yes, he whacked it. It got cold. My kind of repair man. I’m all for whacking things. Preferably with a sledge hammer. Whacking unstuck it, and I am now cool and dry. Bring it on, summer. Of course, we are going to get brushed by Alfred or Albert or whatever that hurricane is Arthur, it’s Arthur, on Friday. Fourth events all over Eastern Mass are being rescheduled. Last year they cancelled the Block Party, which happened right in front of my building and all up and down the street, due to bad weather. They decided to change to several different events over the year instead. Makes sense, since climate change means weather is getting more volatile, but I will miss it.

Wordy today. First day I’ve felt really okay again on the upped Pred. It’s a good thing. Unless you don’t like wordy, I guess. Done now.

I hope. When you download FF, do the ‘custom’ download, and uncheck ‘use Firefox Maintenance’. Then when it’s downloaded, make sure in the ‘options’ advanced’ ‘update’ tab, check ‘never check for updates’ and UNcheck ‘use a background service’. I have restarted several times, and it hasn’t tried to download 30. Woo Hoo! Seriously. I could not arrange my icons, change my themes, find half of what I was looking for. Who thought it needed to be messed with? It was fine, thank you. Fix any security issues, great, but leave the rest alone, Firefox. Please.

I finally, finally found something that actually worked for getting back to FF 28. It updated back to 30. Tried again, made sure to check ‘never check for updates’ in the settings. It updated to 30. Seriously, Firefox? What is up with that? I have been fanatical about Firefox for a long time, because EXTENSIONS. But you cannot jerk around with me against my will and expect me to stay loyal. I am checking out alternatives. Chrome now has some of the extensions I use most, and they work as well, so I may just give up and go for it. I do sometimes worry about Google’s ‘let us into every aspect of your online life without really telling you what’s going on’ policy, so I’m pretty sure there’s a google clone out there that avoids that. Like there is Duck Duck Go instead of google search. DDG does not track your every move like google does.

I know, who cares about privacy. If you don’t have anything to hide, why does it matter? Because it’s one of your basic human rights, and once it’s gone, have fun getting it back, people. Just because google (or the NSA) may only be using your info to get even richer (‘keep you safe’), does not mean that someone with poor ethics won’t get hold of your info and use it for nefarious (good word, right?) ends. I think it was Franklin who said, “If you give up your freedom to be safe, you will have neither freedom nor safety.” Same goes for privacy, I think.

Well bah, humbug, Firefox.

No one out there knows about the Firefox thing? Well, darn.

I have decided that I am going to ask my friend for explicit details about the anniversary party. I have issues, you know, so I really want to know what is the plan for getting me there and back, where am I going to stay, who is going to be there (I don’t do well with crowds or lots of people I don’t know. It’s stressful, and then I suffer later.) What should I wear? What is her plan for me? She always has a plan. Organization is her middle name, I swear. She thinks of everything. When she came to my house for a funeral of a loved one, she brought dinner. Dinner that she cooked right there, and she even brought the salt and pepper. Just in case. Wow, I wish I was half that organized, or able to think/plan ahead. Or that thoughtful.

It has been gorgeous, gorgeous weather. It’s been a good year so far, weather-wise. We’ve not been too hot, nor had any severe weather, winter was winter, not some pale imitation. Like snow, you know. I like snow. Winters with little to no snow don’t count, in my book. Some years have been like that. Last year, for example. When I first moved here fourteen years ago, we had big storms, with blowing snow and huge drifts, and it was winter. Then it sort of tapered off. This year was better, but nothing like before. Then, some years, I’ve had to have the a/c on in May. For days at a time. Haven’t needed it yet this year. Makes me happy. I may have mentioned ten or twenty times that I do not like hot and sticky. Not at all.

I got a new Roku. My old one would not connect anymore, no matter what I tried. I like the new one. Nicer, easier, etc. It comes with earbuds. Earbuds for your tv. Great idea. One would think they would plan for you sitting on the couch, though. The earbuds are only long enough to sit maybe three feet from the tv. Useless? I think so. But a nice idea. Anyway, I can watch Netflix and Hulu and Amazon and all those weird stations that Roku provides. I was missing that. I can also find stations and such on my Nexus 7. There’s an app for that. Watching things on a Kindle Fire is doable, but not as relaxing as watching on the tv. Remember it was bigger, bigger, bigger for awhile. 60″ plasma tvs. Oh, yeah. Now it’s smaller, smaller, smaller. Look, this screen fits on my thumbnail. I can watch tv on it. Riiiiight. I do not understand this at all. I really cannot watch regular tv anymore. I am so over commercials. Do you realize that 20 minutes of every hour you spend watching tv is someone trying to sell you something. One third of every hour. One third of every half-hour sitcom. I get we are the consumer nation, but it gets so old having ads everywhere, all the time. Makes me not want to buy anything. Oh, reverse psychology. It’s working on me. Not as they intended, I don’t think, though.

I am tired and achy and going to couch now. I love my Kindle Keyboard. Really, it’s the perfect thing for lazing on the couch. Easy to hold, easy to read things on. I love it. Off to do that lazing thing now.

Gertrude lazing on the couch with me this winter.

Does anybody know how to mess with Firefox, in a ‘fix it the way I want it, darn it!’ kind of way? I inadvertently let it install 29, which I am trying, trying, trying to get used to, but which I absolutely hate. So I tried to go back to 27, which I like. I have the exe file for 27. I tried several times, but every time, it just reinstalls 29, or now, 30. I have googled, but nothing I’ve found helps. I love Firefox, because I love my extensions, but they are seriously driving me away. It isn’t bad enough to have new versions every 20 seconds, but then the new versions are horrible. What was wrong with the way it looked and worked? Nothing. I am so frustrated. It won’t even let me arrange my icons the way I want. Well, it does, but then when I restart next time, they are back to the way they started out. Same with themes. I delete them, they reappear. I loved Firefox because I could make it work for me in the way I needed and wanted it to work. Now, not so much. I tried to express my opinion, when there was a place to do that awhile back, but it just deleted it. Is there anyone out there who knows how I can get 27 back? Thanks.

Yes. It didn’t help.

Received an invite to my friends Beth and John’s anniversary celebration. They are my best and oldest friends. Doesn’t that sound like they must be ancient. My oldest friends. Why do we say that? They are the friends who have been in my life longer than any other friends I am in constant contact with is waaaay too long, I guess. Anyway, it’s in August, and I of course said yes I’ll come, but how can I know that until the actual day it’s happening? Chronic illness=not planning ahead. Oh, well.

I am sitting here drinking an entire bottle of chardonnay. Not that much, really. Four glasses is all that is. Anyway, I was feeling lonely and crappy and I am not able to sleep again, so why not? Up all night last night, which is happening again much too often. I was doing so well.

I have been reading craft blogs. Oh, I want to make things. I just have to do it, is all. Relatively happily buzzing Jean is done.

Sent to me by Skylar Jameson (or Skylar Jameyson, it’s spelled both ways in the email) who asked me to post it. It seems harmless enough, I couldn’t find anything bad by googling, so here it is. I don’t have all these symptoms, thank goodness. Mine are mainly pain, fatigue, sleep and cognitive disorders. I did register all eighteen tender points when I was first diagnosed. There was a lot of ‘Ow! Ow! Ow1’ going on, for which the doctor apologized every single time. That was funny. It does puzzle me that if there is something wrong with me, why isn’t it wrong with me all the time? Why do I have days (not often, it’s true, but still…) when I feel nearly normal, and can do normal person things? My arm is broken today, it’s not broken tomorrow, then it’s broken again next week? How does this work, people? Anyway, here’s the graphic:

Source: MBA-Healthcare-Management.com

This is not a commercial, just so you know.

Saw this on Crazy Russian Hacker’s Slo Mo Lab. I love CRH. Comments said they stole it from SloMoGuys, checked them out, too. I put CRH first, cause the other one kind of gives it away in the intro. But, if you expand the comments after PredatorRex10 on the second one, it explains the science. Science is so cool.

Came across this on another blog:

Nutella

The video in the post is just great. How can you not love science, when this happens? Made me laugh.

Health update, sort of. My life has turned upside down. Instead of many, many, many (a lot more manys) not good days, with the very rare relatively good day, I have been having the exact opposite for a week or so. Many good days interspersed with a not good day or two here and there. Like yesterday and today. Bah! I cannot tell you how many things I have got done. Well, I could, but you would be bored to tears, but I did them! I have gotten more done this past week than in the past several years put together, including moving light furniture by myself. What?

What has changed? I added magnesium citrate, which isn’t the kind I was taking before, alpha-lipoic acid, and the butter coffee. I did mention the butter coffee, didn’t I? Is it one of these? Is it any two? Is it all three? I have no clue, but I am not complaining, just reveling in being able to mostly get things done. So in addition to the three things I mentioned, I am taking a magnesium/zinc/calcium pill, a calcium pill, 4000 IUs of D3, and just added a B-12. Sounds like a lot of pills, especially when you add in the scrips, but really not that bad. I am lucky to usually get in two ‘meals’ a day, and just divide them between. I am trying to eat more often, since nurse said my metabolism was virtually non-existent since being bedridden and/or housebound most of last year. Movement matters, people. When you can, do. Trust me on this. Running Ianto is running.

I like this picture.

I finally figured out how to reply to individual comments on the actual comment. I hope. I will try it next time someone actually comments. 🙂

Having a good day. I am actually getting better over all. I am able to move more, and do more things, even things needing actual muscles. I’ve also lost five pounds. Moving actually works. Who knew? Trying butter coffee to boost metabolism, too. When I first heard about butter coffee, I was not impressed. I mean seriously, butter in your coffee. Ick and ewww. Then I read an article that stated butter in your coffee first thing revs metabolism and keeps energy levels up most of the day. Today is the first time I’ve tried it. Coffee and butter. Nothing else. I usually use light cream, cause it tastes best that way, and I never use sugar. I do not like sweet drinks, thank goodness, cause it means I am not addicted to soda even a little bit.

Anyway…yes I do tend to ramble. I am aware of this, people. So anyway, it actually isn’t unpalatable. After the first sip when I noticed the bitterness of coffee, it was fine. I liked it as much as with the light cream. I’m sure it’s more calories that way, but if it revs my metabolism, which the nurse told me was next to nil, it will balance out. I usually have just one cup a day, too, so not going to overdose on butter. Going to give it a trial. I want to be able to do things. I want to have some semblance of my life back, so I am willing to try things that sound weird if they have a chance of making a difference.

Also, it is a gorgeous, gorgeous day. Perfect balance of heat and humidity. No hot and stickies, always a good thing. I never look forward to hot and stickies. If it could stay like this all summer…well, I wish it would. Really, I do. Hope everyone is having a lovely whatever time of day it is where you are.

and funny. Laughed out loud at the end. You’ll see.

Found this picture here:And Then We All Had Tea. Brought back memories. Both grade schools I went to had these. I remember flying off one and getting pretty banged up. Of course, I also remember getting hit in the head with a swing, and also being in three car accidents in one day, being knocked unconscious in the last one. And you wonder why my brain doesn’t work? Merry-go-rounds were fun, regardless. Nice memories.

Been an interesting month. I kind of tweaked my supplements, changed from whatever magnesium I was taking to magnesium citrate, added alpha-lipoic acid, cut D3 to 4000 IU, added a magnesium, zinc, calcium combo once a day, plain calcium once a day. I only had two bad days this week. Two. An actual record. I haven’t had three good days in a row for years, and rarely two. I had most of Sunday, all of Monday, Thursday, Friday, and yesterday as Getting Stuff Done and having fun days. Went out twice, had company three times, moved furniture, mostly with help but a bit by myself. This never happens. Today I am exhausted and in pain, but that’s after THREE days of doing things. Actual, physical things. Is it the supplements? Coincidence? Still cutting down the prednisone. Going to 2.5 mg this week. I usually have several really crap days after I cut the dose, but then I get somewhat better. Wonder how it will go this time.

Whatever is going on, I am not complaining, am not planning for it to last, or thinking ‘Yay, I’m all better.’ I am just reveling in each moment I am able to function like a real person. Then, too, spring is here, with a few sunny days, although it’s been a pretty gray month. Spring is always ‘cheering me up’ time.

I got Mother’s Day pressies, too. There’s also a humongous bluetooth speaker that fits under the tv, and lets me watch movies on my Fire while listening to them from over by the tv. Confusing, but much better sound. I have good kids. Yes. Yes I do. LOL

Trees finally lost their blooms yesterday when it rained, and now I just see green leaves out my windows. They were lovely while they lasted. It was a good year for the flowering pears, in spite of me thinking it wasn’t going to be. Some years are spectacular, some not so much. This was closer to the spectacular side.

Oh, if anyone lives in Mass., there is a fantastic restaurant in Attleboro. My DD and I went there yesterday. Sangria’s is the name. Tapas. Best food ever. OMG. Little hole in the wall, dark, cool (which was good because yesterday was warm), not at all noisy. Fantastic wait staff, and the food was unbelievable. Not cheap, but worth every penny. Can’t wait to go back. We googled before hand, and most reviews were good. One person mentioned they had been there three times and weren’t happy any of them, never going back, then gave it three stars. How many stars do places they actually like get? There are only five max, usually. Struck me funny. Funny is good. Back to the couch. Moaning and groaning time is at hand. LOL

But I keep on keeping on, because it’s better than the alternative. I slept half the day after sleeping all night. What’s that about? I am going to make my usual mistake and buy actual food to actually cook things this week. We’ll see how that goes. I made a plan, though. Plans are good.

Found out this week that my building is not as safe as it used to be, mainly because idiot landlord. I keep looking at the ads, but there is nothing I can afford or will let me keep Gertrude. And moving. I can barely move me, let alone move house. I long for an outside of my own, though. Even a small balcony, where I could just have a chair and some container plants would be fantastic. Fourteen years in this prison box, and counting. Life moves on, and I am still here. Not going to let it beat me though. No I am not. I am nothing if not a determined idiot.

Yeah, my desk does kind of look like this. I don’t, however.

“It’s not called being ‘whipped’. It’s called respecting your girlfriend.” Drake

“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” From a poster and I can’t read the attribution.

“Don’t worry about what people think. They don’t do it very often.” Anon

And cute things I bought yesterday. You can see my solar-powered hula girl (birthday present from my homemaker) in the background of one. Yes, she is as crazy as I am:

I need to figure out why I can’t reply to individual comments individually, if you know what I mean. But not right now. Right now, I need coffee. Badly.

is funny. You have to pay attention. Just reading a recommendation for corn tortillas. The product name is ‘…Handmade Style Soft Corn Tortillas, Yellow’. Note they are not ‘handmade’. They are ‘handmade STYLE’. Excuse me? What does that even mean? I get ‘country style’ because that has some actual meaning. It implies food made with fat and gravy and all the things you wish you could eat every day but don’t because you don’t want to keel over dead before you reach 30. But ‘handmade style’? ‘This is a lot like if we used our actual hands to make it, but instead we used machinery. Machinery hands. Yeah, that’s what we used.’ ‘Machinery style’ would be more accurate. Or better yet, ‘made by machinery, like everything else you eat in today’s USA.’ ‘With ingredients that have been sent to China for processing and then shipped back.’ This still bothers the hell out of me. Send the chicken to China and let them make the breaded patties and nugget-shaped bits and whatever else you can do with chicken, and then ship it all back here. Fresh. Oh, yeah. There is no real, fresh, actual food style food left anymore. If you can’t grow it yourself and are not friendly with someone who does, or rich enough to buy it and have it shipped to you (canceling out the ‘fresh’, btw) what can you do?
Yeah, I just like this gif.

On the other subject that rules my life, I am somewhat better today. Less pain again. I do not understand this illness. If I can have A good day, why can’t I have ALL good days. Why are the good ones so few and far between, but when they happen, I am almost like a real person? What makes the difference? Not a clue. That’s my new middle name: Not-A-Clue. Frustrating.

Have been dealing with pain and feeling crap in general for a bit now, so haven’t really felt much like saying anything except “Ow” lately. Or swearing. A lot. Had my birthday. Spent it alone as usual. All in all, it’s been a crap week, but I’m still ticking. Just so you know. I just like the gif, no other reason for posting it.

A gorgeous Blog

Vampire Weekend

Nine Inch Nails

Vampire Weekend is new to me. I like them a lot.

I have had a bad/good week. After a great weekend last weekend, the week was pretty full of pain and exhaustion, then I rallied and have had three good days in a row. Well, two good days and tonight. What’s that about. I haven’t had that many good days/nights in a row in forever. I am happily Getting Things Done. Preparing for FIOS coming between 8 and noon tomorrow. 8AM. In the morning. This is the middle of _my_ night, but they don’t seem to have afternoon appointments. Ever.

Hoping to like it better than Comcast. I am not a fan of Comcast. If they are allowed to buy Time-Warner, there will be no end to the crap they will foist upon us, and the money they will extort from us to watch…well, let’s face it, if you watch regular tv, you are paying them to let you watch commercials. I love you Hulu and Amazon. Yes. Yes I do. But if you want good internet, it’s not much cheaper to get Double Play than it is Triple Play, so may as go for the gold. This is true of Comcast and FIOS. I can cancel within 30 days without paying the WTF and exorbitant early-termination fee. How do they get away with this stuff? Oh, I know. Big corps own our government. It works for them, not people like me. Anyway….