Guess what I’m out of.
Weekend, balcony, hammock, coffee, ice cream, book, sun. What is not to love?
(it’s a small victory. but it’s all mine)
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Little did we know @renke was enjoying a 64oz Irish coffee, reading Fifty Shades of Grey, and lounging in his birthday suit covered by an old bearskin blanket.
Eta
Oh shit, no! That’s what I’m doing!!
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I’m sitting at a local brewpub, by myself, drinking a tasty beer at the unseemly hour of noon. Nothing like this has happened in several years.
It’s kinda nice.
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Yesterday, my daughter flew to Charles de Gaulle airport, arriving this morning, and from there flew to Morocco. Through no fault of her own the connection time between the two international flights was ridiculously short, and made even shorter by the first plane leaving 30 minutes late, so even though I knew the planes had both landed safely, I had no confirmation that she had made the second flight until she got someplace where she had access to wifi. I have just learned all is well!
Normally I wouldn’t think twice – we’re a well-traveled family – but flying from Charles de Gaulle to North Africa a day after the EgyptAir flight did make my guts churn a bit.
Whew!
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Glad she’s safe and I’m sure she’ll have a fantastic time in Morocco! Can I say I’m totes jealous of her, too? 
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Didn’t you say something about her doing language research there? And I have to echo @Mindysan33 - I’ve been wanting to spend some time in Morocco for years. I loved the evening culture in Tangier, all the families would be out enjoying themselves on the main street until after 10pm.
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Yes, she’ll be comparing formal Arabic and what is actually spoken on a daily basis there.
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One of my cousins lived in Morocco for a few years, and my parents decided to take a vacation there and see her.
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I got the job I’d been interviewing for. 
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My son’s security clearance finalized and he’ll get his NASA id today. He’ll be working 2-3 days a week (minimum) at Goddard over the summer. Third generation rocket scientist, w001! Well, technically the work at Goddard is aerospace engineering, but he’s also involved in trapsat, which is more unequivocally science at this point.
We finally, belatedly noticed that the recent distressing plunge in my (formerly lifelong super-student) daughter’s grades and behavior started when she was in a nasty car crash five months ago; the school counselors say she’s clearly suffering from PTSD. The listed symptoms match her recent issues exactly - mood swings and rage issues, nightmares, inability to concentrate - basically the normal adolescent issues only much more intense. And as much as I hate to see any young person have the “incurable syndrome” tag pasted on them - I think that has the potential to make any problem worse - this means the school is going help her make up the work she’s had difficulty completing and assist us in her recovery. Note to other parents - many tedious hours of school volunteer work can really pay off in an unforeseen situation like this; if the principal and all the teachers know you by sight, they’ll know your kids, too, and they’ll be more cheerful about making an extra effort on your behalf if you’ve already done the same for them. Pay it forward, and hope you don’t ever need to ask for favors back!
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Please, have her evaluated by a psychiatrist and referred to a therapist for intensive counseling. (Start with a psychiatrist, because they can prescribe meds, which in my opinion are necessary for patients suffering from PTSD.) Hopefully your school can help out with a referral to a psychiatrist that specializes in PTSD in adolescents. The good news is, this is probably fixable, if she’s willing to put in the time and do the work.
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Well, I’m ideologically against medicating unless there are really no other options, so we will be starting with non-prescription therapies under the guidance of a psychiatric specialist. We’re what Internet pundits like to call “privileged” so we can do that sort of thing. But even if meds are unavoidable, successfully identifying the problem and a path forward counts as !VICTORY! for me.
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My daughter’s doing 1000x better with the migraines and panic attacks and the worrying and all that. Low iron looks to be the culprit.
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Serviced the Lady’s Dyson DC-14. Sadly not a euphemism.
This YT was really helpful, though I did have to go elsewhere for certain important details.
Vacuum was popping whatever breaker it was plugged into when powered on. Didn’t run at all, just popped the breaker instantly. Dead $300 vacuum, and nobody likes the internal house vac.
Disassembled it and component testing revealed the power cord was shorting/breaking with flexing of the cable near the grommet. Just like you’d expect if large, strong kids used it all the time and not gently.
Some serious youtubing and $65 on Amazon later, I can rebuild it. I have the technology.
- Rebuild Clutch
- New Belts
- Wipe down and cleaning of all internal parts
- New Beater Bar
- New Bar Bearings
- New A Hepa Filter
- New Power Cord
- Power system rebuild
Took three hours, including lunch and…uh…medication breaks. Initial smoke test at bench after reassembly passed.
Delivered it to the lovely client, who is thrilled after testing.
Victory!
(But now I have to clean the office.)
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Our DC-18 is pretty borgified with DIY parts at this point… they are pretty challenging to disassemble. Well done!
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Just replaced a cyclone top on a DC07 with an aftermarket piece. I love how the modularity of the Dysons make them repairable, and how the community of owners and repair shops (especially in the UK) have published howtos which make the repairs not too difficult. Hint on aftermarket plastic: before installing look for seams and corners where the aftermarket part is not as well finished as the original equipment, and sand them smooth before installing.
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Just spent an afternoon in a cafe networking with 30 other translators who I’d met for the first time. It’s the most sociable thing I’ve done in almost three years.
I mean, I only actually spoke with six of them, but it’s still uncharacteristically extroverted of me. I even gave three of them my contact details. I think I need to have a lie down.
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Sounds awful.
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