Despite the negatives, there are positives!

What's the opposite of batting 1000? Lots of things happened yesterday - things that were related to my update list from yesterday, but NO progress was made on anything!!!

I had my call from Microsoft, and I think I mentioned that my Classic version of Outlook had frozen. Nope—it hadn't frozen. It's in the process of syncing all the folders, but it's taking a long time. Why? I suspect because the computer goes to sleep 5 minutes after I leave. So now I have set that to never, and hopefully, it will sync a bit faster. Will this solve the problem? I don't know. WAIT — I need my distribution lists tomorrow, so it had better sync completely so I can send my emails. The good news is that, while I can't access any of the folders, they appear to be being repopulated. 

A slow update process

So when I chatted with Reena, she didn't even need to log into my computer - I just explained what was happening, but she didn't mention that I shouldn't let the computer go to sleep. Maybe it still works when it's asleep? I don't know, but let's see if it moves a bit quicker. There are a LOT of files to sync. YES --- I should have cleaned it up before, but who knew this would happen? 

She mentioned again that the Classic Version is being phased out, and I told her that the New version was totally useless to me. I'll hang on a bit longer, get this problem resolved, and perhaps start browsing for an alternative email interface. 

I got an email back from the engineer about the beam. They are idiots. "We don't rip open the walls to see what's there. Do you have plans for the house? If not, perhaps you can get them from the city." If they knew that upfront, why didn't they ask for plans before? Seriously --- I question their ability. They could give me feedback that new posts might be in order, but they would need to actually see the beam. I was so frustrated that I was tempted to take a hammer and tear out all the drywall in that area. But common sense prevailed! I'm not an engineer, but I can hazard two scenarios about the situation, and then I can rip out the drywall to confirm. They are smarter than I!

Then, in the afternoon, I walked to the post office with my printouts to see if we could figure out what to do about this missing order. Only to find the dollar store where the post office is located is permanently closed, and that if we want postal services, the next closest one is at the mall. You have to be kidding!!!!

So I stopped at the grocery store (same plaza as that dollar store) to get bran muffins for my afternoon snack, and two days in a row, they do not have any!!! It was not a great day for making any progress on my outstanding issues. I have a few other things to follow up on, but I can't add another to the list at this point. I need some resolutions first. 

To top it off, the list of Cherrywood Challenge finalists and semi-finalists (online only) was revealed last night, and my name was not on the list. I didn't think it would be, and I had fun making the piece. I'll share it with you next week. However, the good news is that my friend Lynn had her piece accepted, and when you see the difference between what I did and what she did? You can see why hers was accepted, and mine was not. She was super creative with the fabric and thread. 

I was never a fan of this year's color choice or theme. I didn't find either super inspiring, but that's OK. I used the piece to learn a few new techniques and that works for me. Am I disappointed? Not really - I would have been thrilled to have it accepted, but since I learned lots while making it? I'm a winner! 

BUT I did win two Roll Up The Rim spins yesterday, so that counts for something - doesn't it? 

Roll up the Rim wins! 

I have never heard of "The Athletic," and neither has DH. He won six months of Sirius radio yesterday. I hate those subscription things—you get X number of free months, and then you have to pay or remember to opt out. I will not be signing up for "The Athletic." I wonder why they put these silly prizes in that we don't want. Anyway, I got 100 points, and that makes me happy. A positive from a day of negatives!

I'm happy to report that I got some work done on that little heart mug rug. I am determined to not let this thing beat me! I struggled with the design before Christmas and managed to get one done, but now I want to really understand the file structure. Don't ask—it's my attention to detail that has me up in arms over this thing. I don't think it's designed well, nor are the instructions written very well. 

I wasn't able to finish the first one on the embroidery machine as planned, but no worries—I have it ready and will bind it by traditional methods in sewing mode.  

One mug rug is ready for binding.

In all fairness to the pattern, I am in the process of making another one. Yep—I will not be defeated. And then I can explain all that happened to my machine embroidery group on the weekend, provided I can get the message out about the Zoom link!!!

Making one more heart mug rug

But all is good with this one, and I hope to remove it from the Visual To Do list later today! My goal is to remove EIGHT items from that list this month! I'd better get myself busy!

I also managed to trim the Dear Jen quilt - I think the backing looks pretty amazing, I used up all the extra blocks, and got rid of a bunch of scraps of solid black fabric. 

The backing for Dear Jen

However, something very bizarre happened, and it's a bit disturbing. When I was moving that quilt from the long arm to the cutting table, I was holding it by the backing and heard a RIP!!! Oh my --- what was that? When I looked closely, one of the fabrics had ripped along the basting stitches on the edge of the quilt. WHAT?????? 

Then, when I was ripping the small sections apart from the cut-off edges, it happened again. Can you believe this? One of those blacks was pretty thin, and it literally ripped at the line of stitching. That means the STITCHES were stronger than the fabric. This is a black fabric I purchased or received as a sample in 2017. I do NOT remember the manufacturer, and of course, there is no selvage. 

The fabric ripped along the stitches!

When I worked for that fabric company, I compared the quality of solids, with black being my color of choice, and I had purchased solid black from all the big names. This is very disturbing!!!! And the quality of the fabric just keeps getting worse. 

Last night, I put on my headphones and listened to The Kitchen House. Oh my --I know that life was not easy for the slaves in the 1800's, but how they were treated is inhumane and so sad that the "superior" white man was better (or thought he was) than those beneath them, including the white women. It's a good read, but sad. And it's very sad, how quickly people get influenced by others! More on that in a bit. 

The status of the current puzzle

I'm running out of big circles to work on! There is one more, and then it's going to be a challenge to work on the remainder of the puzzle. I was able to move all the pieces to two boards, not three, so that helps. 

The remaining pieces

I had a few car errands yesterday and ended up at Michaels (no fabric aisles yet) to look for a skein of 100% wool. Hmmmm  - that's a challenge. Look what I found. 

You have your 100% acrylic. 

100% acrylic

You've got 100% polyester. I also spotted 100% nylon, but didn't get a label for that. 

100% polyester

Then you have your blends. 

Acrylic and metallic fiber mix

This one has all three man-made fibers. I wasn't really paying attention to the feel, but what is the advantage of polyester, nylon, or acrylic, I wonder? 

Blendof polyester, nylon, and acrylic

Oh, at last a blend with at least a natural fibre. 

Cotton and acrylic

There's one with a wool blend.  

Acrylic, wool, and rayon

And at last, a 100% wool yarn. And guess what? I found it in the clearance bin!!!! 

100% wool!!!!

AHA — I asked Google what the difference between acrylic (closest to wool—soft, warm, and lightweight but weak), polyester (strong, hydrophobic, and excellent for durability/wicking), and nylon (the strongest, most elastic, and abrasion-resistant—good for socks) is. Now that begs the question, when you buy sock yarn, is it nylon? 

So much to learn about all the materials we work with. Anyway, I got my 100% wool, so that was another positive outcome in the day!!

I spotted these grab bags (boxes) for $10. I was tempted, but then I peeked through the opening and through some of the tops (they were taped shut), and it's all Christmas stuff, which I don't need. It would be great to buy for a school or a challenge at a retreat or something, but I left it in the store and only purchased my skein of wool. 

Grab bags (boxes) at Michaels.

And if you are looking for something bright -- what about these balls? I spotted those at Michael's as well. 

Now that's bright!

So let's chat about the Smartphone Nation by Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr.  

What I'm reading is NOT new to me, but the intensity of it is frightening to see it all laid out like this. Here's a direct quote: 

"encourages companies to prioritize things that hold viewers' attention, and this content is less likely to be informative or educational, and more likely to be 'false, demagogic, conspiratorial, and incendiary, and to appeal to emotions such as fear, envy, anger, hatred, and distrust'. "

Whoa --- that is insane, and this is exactly what is happening right now. 

But look what the next paragraph says, "Facebook has realized that if they change the algorithm to be safer, people will spend less time on the site, they'll click on fewer ads, they'll make less money."

The companies know the algorithms are harmful, but there is NO REGULATION in this industry — NONE — so they are going for the maximum viewer attention they can garner. And I hate to tell you this, but we like the bad and the ugly. We do not gravitate to the good stories. 

I contemplated long and hard yesterday whether I could give up my IG and Facebook accounts, and I realized that while I could, I would also miss out on staying in touch with family and friends and the few online accounts I follow. 

What this is going to make me do is to stop PASSIVELY dealing with social media. I will not scroll (I don't much anyway), but I will stop it altogether. I will watch what I want to watch, and not what I am being fed. I know -- I can't change my algorithm, so I'm at the mercy of what it feeds me. WAIT  - I can control my algorithms. Every time you scroll through something, watch a video (or, god forbid, watch it twice), hesitate on something, like something, respond to something, you are affecting your algorithm. So beware—you can modify what comes into your feed. Will you ever get rid of all the negativity? No, but you can control it somewhat. 

They mentioned in the book that the worst platform for addictive behavior is TikTok. Within 35 minutes of watching that platform, you are addicted!!! Thank goodness, I never even downloaded the app and refuse to watch any clip from it that friends send my way. Just say NO!!!!! 

The next chapter in the book is about how your algorithms make you sick and how you can get well soon. I'm very interested in this one. 

The book is fascinating, and what these big tech companies are doing is NOT new. Google began collecting data almost as soon as it started, recognizing the value of that data. Guess what? They keep all that stuff you post - even the deleted stuff! And then you wonder why they need these massive data centers around the world. That is to store all the data, pictures, and videos that we NEED to post online. I have pretty much stopped posting on both platforms - I might post once a month, and usually to repost a memory. I will very much consider the number of likes and comments that I put out there going forward!!!

Anyway -- I must get myself organized. I have nothing on the agenda for today, but I have a lot of follow-up to do, a quilt to quilt, and to finish those two mug rugs! So busy, but nothing at a specific time. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!