A SHORT BED

The HOTEL potting shed.

                                

Packing is always such sweet sorrow.

Right now Grumpy’s bed is full.  We need to add our suitcases and the walker.  It needs judicious repacking before we head out to lunch and the gathering.  Since it carries all the literature for the convention…all the books, pamphlets, et al, we do need to be able to lock to bed up tight also.

Did I mention it was a short bed truck. 

STAYCATION CONVENTION + EDIT

One of my favorites.

·       Yes, I will take my suit to the hotel….they have several pools there. 

·       Yes, the truck gets washed today.

·       Yes too, we are not on our diet yet so I am picking up a potato to go with the pot roast to make hash.  I love a good beef hash.

·       Did I mention that my dress shoes need new Dr. Scholes Double foam inserts.  Which are really hard to find all of a sudden.

·       Figure out clothes….pants and t-shirts.  Something fancy for the banquet too.

·       No more polyps in my sinuses.
·       Three pages of hand exercises.  Oh Boy.  To be done  s.l.o.w.l.y. 
·       Worked with the new Word.
·       Worked with the new Photoshop Elements 15.
Got laptop  set up for travel if I can remember how to use it.
Got accepted as volunteers at Comic Con.
Got scooter for Comic Con.

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SMALL EXCITEMENTS

The sun is out.  The leaves on the trees are almost all green now.  George’s bird feeder has given one local flock of starlings a good winter feed.  We can tell as the males are almost all crowned with reds.

Today has been set aside for two doctor visits.  I’ve devolved into one of those fat old ladies who schedule more than one doctor visit in a day.  OT with the therapist who did my other thumb at ten, and the ENT man at 1315…an odd time.  I’m looking forward to letting this go over the weekend and mindlessly living through a wonderful weekend.  Later next week, I can totter off to another appointment with my greying head held high. 

I’ve tried out Windows 10 on the new laptop and am only a little confused.  That’s good.  Even better, the suitcases are up.  One for the pillows, and a hanging bag for the good clothes we’ll wear to the dinner where we usher instead of attend….we hate paying lots of money for mediocre foods but we like hearing the speaker.  And lastly, our two rolling bags for everything else.  I’m rather fond of mine.  Sentimentally attached.  All sorts of wonderful memories seep out from its black canvas sides.                                                                     

Himself:  Has taken a vacation day to go with me.  I am very grateful.  He will be working only two days this week.  Imagine.

Herself:  Better every day but for the cough.

Reading:  The first of the Cadells, “Mrs. Tim.” It’s set just before the second World War, and most of the characters are still discussing the first war.

Gratitude’s:  Getting more control over my right hand.

LISTS, WE MAKE LISTS

It’s the start of a busy and happy week. 

·       Today errands and air the suitcases.  Did I say they were far, far away on shelves on the other side of the truck?  Carefully as I overused my hand yesterday.

·       Tomorrow:  0945: OT guy at Mercy Hospital.  1315: ENT.  George is kindly missing his company’s new office open house.  Not politically correct.

·       Since we start back on our no sugar/low carb diets next Monday, today we eat cake….which I pick up at Vons. 

·       My big chair in the living room is getting cleaned.  One of the pillows was appallingly brown and spotted, so I need to go next door to Vons to JoAnne’s and get a new pillow innard.

·       Pot roast is going in the slow cooker.  That will do for two days.

·       Wednesday: Talk to the guy who has been doing books at the Shop and see if he is comfortable with my returning.

·       Tabor on Thursday….frankly I am jazzed.  Convention later:  Ice cream social and comedian this evening.  G sets up the literature table and continues to find volunteers to baby sit it in two hour increments.

·       Friday, Saturday, and Sunday till noon:  The Spring Roundup Convention. 

·       Monday:  Home and back in the Pool.

THE BEST OF....

We went off investigating today.

The Bill Moyers group has just started a new series highlighting some of the best, in-depth investigative journalism that is uncovering real news, revealing wrongdoing and fomenting change. As a compendium, here are 10 investigative reporting outlets that are worth following if they’re not already on your radar.

1. ProPublica — Founded 10 years ago by a former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, ProPublica is a nonprofit investigative news site based in New York City. In 2010 ProPublica was the first online publication to win a Pulitzer Prize and has earned two more since, as well as a long list of other prestigious awards.

2. The Center for Public Integrity (CPI)  — An early player in the nonprofit investigative space, CPI has been around for close to 30 years. Its reporters have won dozens of journalism awards, including a Pulitzer in 2014, for its investigations of money in politics, national security, health care reform, business and the environment.

3. The Center For Investigative Reporting (CIR)— Founded 40 years ago in the San Francisco Bay Area, CIR is a nonprofit that has partnered for years with other outlets to reach a wide audience in print, on television, on radio and online. It collaborates with PRX Radio to produce Reveal, the investigative radio program and podcast. The Reveal website is now home to all of CIRs investigative content.

4. Frontline — Launched more than 30 years ago, Frontline is television’s most consistent and respected investigative documentary program. Its documentaries are broadcast on PBS and are available online, along with original reporting.

5. Mother Jones — Mother Jones, founded in 1976, is a reader-supported, nonprofit news organization headquartered in San Francisco with bureaus in Washington, DC and New York City. The site includes investigative reporting as well as general reporting on topics including politics, climate change and education.

6. The Intercept — The Intercept is a news organization launched in 2014 by legal and political journalist Glenn Greenwald, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras.

7. Real Clear Investigations — Real Clear Investigations, which launched last fall, is the new nonprofit, investigative arm of Real Clear Politics. It is mostly an aggregator of investigative reporting, but has also begun conducting original investigations.

8. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) — ICIJ is a nonprofit offshoot of the Center for Public Integrity that began 20 years ago. It is a global network of more than 190 investigative journalists in more than 65 countries who work together to investigate cross-border issues including crime, corruption and abuse of power.

9. Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) — IRE is a grass-roots, nonprofit, membership organization that has been providing tips, training and conferences for investigative reporters since 1975. Its blog, Extra! Extra! showcases a wide variety of watchdog journalism.

10. BuzzFeed — Whatever you think about its decision to release the Trump dossier earlier this week (journalists are divided in their opinions), BuzzFeed has a growing investigative team and body of work worth attention, but it’s not always easy to find on the site. If you want to know what the team is up to you can follow its editor, Mark Schoofs, @Schoofsfeed on Twitter.

Read more in our series highlighting the best investigative