maybethinking

Vitriol

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 03:15:00 +0000

I’ve been thinking. I’m not claiming to be a great thinker. This is only my second thought in six years. Composing is exhausting. Here’s my current thought.

I am increasingly saddened by the vitriol and vitipritude in our Public debate. I added vitipritude because it complements vitriol, though it’s no less appropriate.

This shit is no good. From either side about anything. Liberals beware. The judging and assuming is just as bad in our camp. Stop it. It’s mean. Stop me if you hear it coming from me. Just stop!

What do you think? Comment at MAYBETHINKING.Com or Facebook. Be nice.

Hello old friends

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 01:38:00 +0000

I might should have explained what I'm thinking before I started posting again. I assume you are still subscribed to MAYBETHINKING if you're seeing this in your inbox. Hurrah for me, you still know me.

I decided a few days ago to start posting again because my brain is full from so much thinking. So, you may be seeing emails from MAYBETHINKING from time to time in the coming weeks. Bear with me. I'm a little rusty.

Michele

Also, the URL for this blog is MAYBETHINKING.com
Please, please leave comments. That's what makes it fun.

A few design ideas for Tiny Houses for older folks

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 19:03:00 +0000

The two flaws I see in most tiny house designs are the upstairs bedroom and lack of a truly comfortable place to sit and relax. Here are are my thoughts on how to remedy these two problems.

Let's change how the space is used.

First, let's bring the bed downstairs. I don't want to climb up and down a ladder in the middle of the night. But I don't mind doing it during the day. I want a couch that converts to a bed. Stay with me here. I have an idea. Here's a link to the sofa/bed I'm going to be talking about. Note it has lots of storage space underneath. CONVERTABLE COUCH.

My father had one in his RV and it was quite comfortable. It's bigger than I need so I would be happy to have just a regular couch and sleep on it. But if there are two people using the tiny house this is a way to have a small double bed. This is a comfortable couch. It has decent padding on the bottom and back and I'd use pillows as armrests. Also if you're having one or two people over it's a decent place to sit.

Come nightfall, you turn it into a bed. All you do is grab the front, pull, and the back drops down to form the bed. No removing bottom and back cushions as in a regular fold out couch. Take the bedding out from the storage space and put away any miscellaneous items you've been using on the couch during the day. I would also suggest getting over the whole idea of a fitted bottom sheet, top sheet blankets etc. etc. etc. Bed sacks seem like a great idea to me. Bottom and top sheet in one add a comforter and you're there. Another obvious advantage is that you are at a reasonable height to get out of the bed. No getting off the floor. And, you're on the same level as the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Here's my second thought. Even though the couch is pretty comfortable I'd like to have a seating area with all my stuff near it and an ottoman upon which to rest my feet. Enter the unused space upstairs. Here's what I'd like up there. With a lovely table for stuff. And maybe a small table to use as a desk.

I understand I won't be able to stand up. I'd rather hunch over to enter or leave the loft than crawl out of the bed to the ladder. And, in that I'm going to use this during the day at least when I reach the ladder or stairs I'll be able to see them.

I think to make this a really effective space I might need to make the kitchen ceiling height 7" rather than 8". I'm fine with that.

So, that's what I think.

So, what are your thoughts? Please put them in the comments here or on Facebook. I've been doing some other thinking so expect some more posts as the weeks go by.

Thanks,
Michele

Tiny Houses for Older Folks

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 20:36:00 +0000

Aren't "tiny houses" so very cute? They draw us in with their promise of easy, clutter free living. I love the wood, tiny appliances, and cool, tricky design features. And yet, when I stop to visualize living in a tiny house on a daily basis the allure dims.

Daily living means sitting, standing, accessing and using stuff. It means cooking, showering, going to the bathroom and sleeping. And that's where my first problem with tiny house design comes rushing in.

My first steps after hours in bed are often a bit stiff and a little tentative. I don't really notice it in my house and I suspect when I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night I don't even thoroughly wake up. Enter my greatest problem with tiny house design-the stairs, or heaven forbid, the ladder.

I have never seen a tiny house design that doesn't have the double bed in the loft. You want me to climb down a ladder in the pitch dark at three o'clock in the morning to pee? Really? That was fine when I had a loft bed at Caroline's when I was 25. But now...no thanks! I suppose that tiny houses will also re-introduce the chamber pot. I'm not against a chamberpot. Funny they're never shown in the pictures.

And speaking of that bed, how good are you at getting off of a mattress which is lying on the floor? Oh, and don't forget, you can't stand up. You have to crawl. On your knees? I recently saw a tiny house that was built for a grandmother. Yeah, I can see a 75-year-old woman climbing up a ladder to then crawl to her bed. Then somehow climbing up and down that ladder in the middle of the night to ...well you know.

Now let's go downstairs. I have looked at hundreds of tiny home pictures, in only one have I ever, ever seen a comfortable seat. Do you want to sit on plywood with a piece of 4 inch foam on top? For hours? I don't, I bet you don't either. And when I am relaxing in my living room I like to put my feet up. And I like to rest my arms on armrests.

A tiny kitchen seems OK to me but I am amazed I've never seen an over the sink cabinet that also serves as the dish drainer. Those Europeans, they're pretty smart. The dishes are stacked vertically on a wire rack with the bottom of the cabinet open to allow the dishes to drip down into the sink as they dry. Brilliant! I'm also good with a tiny bathroom. No problem there.

NEXT INSTALLMENT Coming soon:
My ideas for a tiny house design that makes better sense for folks who are perhaps, not so supple as they once were and who enjoy long comfortable hours of lounging.

Wow-so that's why low income people hate Democrats

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:44:00 +0000

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Amazing. I've always wondered why anyone making less than $250K a year would vote Republican.

Well...here's a stab at an answer. Check out this post at Neatorama. The original article is at The Economist.

Basically the PEW research suggests that people do not want to be at the bottom of the ladder. They feel that helping people who have less than they do to have more, and thus have more than they do, and thus be above them, is not something they want.

Note: they also address the idea that people hope they will be rich someday and that's why they don't want to tax the rich-because they see it as against their future interest. But here we're talking about people who will NEVER be rich.

Amazing.

Well, it's the best explanation I've ever read.
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Save Rex, the Mangia -zilla

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Friends of Rex -

Rex (the Mangia dinosaur currently residing on top of Wheatsville on Guadalupe) is fighting the hardest battle of his life. Rex has always lived and worked for Jeff & Michelle Sayers (the creator and original owners of Mangia Pizza). Now another company is trying to force Rex to come and work for them. As you probably already know, Mangia Pizza filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and because of this another company is trying to convince creditors to let them have the company.

Rex does not want to live or to work for the other company!!! Rex needs your help in trying to convince the authorities to let him stay with Jeff & Michelle Sayers. Already, Jeff has stepped back in as the managing partner and made several changes so that Mangia's will be able to pay off the creditors and continue to feed Austinites.

You can help Rex by eating often at Mangia's on Mesa and by forwarding this email to every Austinite you know! You can also help by getting your company to use Mangia's catering. It is vital that Mangia is able to convince the Judge that the business is doing well and that sales are strong.

Rex has decided that if Jeff and Michelle Sayers are able to fend off the outside company, he is ready to move back to the Mesa location. Please look for specials and updates on the Mangia website www.mangiapizza.com and also show Rex support by signing a letter of support when you visit Mangia on Mesa. Please also join Rex on facebook.

Thanks
Rex's Friends

Best Stuffed Spinach pizza ever! Let's go!
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It's not a tree house. It's a tree as BIG as a house.

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:08:00 +0000

It stands 116 feet tall on the church ground of Santa Maria del Tule, Oaxaca, Mexico, and has the distinction of having the single widest trunk of any tree known on Earth: 38.1 feet in diameter. This is stouter than any known sequoia or coast redwood. The best estimate so far of its age dates it to anywhere from 1,400 to 1,600 years old. This actually concurs with a local Zapotec legend that tells of its planting 1,400 years ago by, Ehecatl, the Aztec wind god.

It is stout enough to completely cover the average American house.

More over at ListUniverse. Amazing!
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A little chuckle

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 12:35:00 +0000

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This from Ted. Thanks for the Saturday morning chuckle.

I posted another routine of Larry's a while back. Wow. What physicality. What fun!
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When the ambulance comes...

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:22:00 +0000

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...tell 'em St. David's
...or better yet, Scott and White in Round Rock.

I have always thought Seton was the best hospital in Austin. And I'd never go to Brac. Heck-it's the public hospital so it couldn't be very good.

Well, as it turns out there's a Medicare Hospital Comparison website that lets you see how Austin hospitals stack up. I chose to compare Seton, Brac and St. David's because they're all within a couple miles of my house.

Patients were asked a series of ten questions. St. David's consistently came out on top-by less than 5 percentage points, followed by Seton then Brac. But there was rarely more than a 5% difference.

Mostly the questions were "customer service" type questions. "Patients who reported that their nurses "Always" communicated well." etc. There wasn't a "I recovered" question. So who even knows whether they got successful care.

General rating:
Patients who gave their hospital a rating of 9 or 10 on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
St. David's- 72%
Seton- 63%
Brac- 61%

Just thought you'd like to know if you end up in an ambulance and they ask where you'd like to go.

One additional note: The number of hospitals you can compare is about a dozen. Just to see, I did an additional comparison using hospitals in the 'burbs. They scored up to 10 percentage points higher on the general rating question.
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Amy Winehouse was bipolar.

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:19:00 +0000

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In all the coverage I have seen of Amy Winehouse's death I've heard nothing about her being bipolar. Read this short piece on PR Rules. Who knew? And why not?
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Get it?

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 22:59:00 +0000

tee hee
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Happy Feet!

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:47:00 +0000

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Most of my friends have guessed by now that I love socks. I'm not much for dresses so ankle socks are my footwear of choice in the cooler months.

I was recently referred to Happy Socks by my friend Ron. Who I'm thinking of never speaking to again. -Just kidding.

What a great site! And right now they're regular cotton socks which are $10 a pair are 50% off if you buy 10 pairs...so I bought 13. Pairs that is. I couldn't resist.

Not only are the very cool but they're very comfy. Great store. Go there and buy 10 pairs NOW!

Ta da!

Run the cables

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 11:06:00 +0000

This from a blog called No Promise of Safety. Read the whole story there. Basically this guy ran up the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge-and then hung out for an hour. Just looking at this picture raised my heart rate. Amazing.

Just thought I'd give you a little adrenalin rush this morning.
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So bad they're good

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:08:00 +0000

A little guilty pleasure. I know they're bad because I could only find two I was willing to re-post. But they're pretty fun. More here.
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Tea, Earl Grey, Hot

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:18:00 +0000

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A real life replicator. Though the video doesn't mention how much that new crescent wrench costs.

Another great find from my friend Ted.
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What's this July 4th stuff all about?

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:14:00 +0000

I was a US History major in college all those years ago. And took Constitutional Law. And stuff.

I was thinking last night about the Bill of Rights. I was trying to remember what the amendments are and their numbers. Wow.

Just took this quiz. Abysmal. I hope you do better. I could now wax eloquently about how our freedom is jeopardized by our apathy but I'm going to Walmart instead.
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Cannabis Indica

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 04:12:00 +0000

This is Cannabis Indica–not Sativa.

Who knew there was more than one genus of Pot?

It's amazing what you can learn on the innerweb.

OK. I'm not much of a doper. But I had a great time reading this article from the New York Times circa 1995. I have no idea about the marijuana growing business. Though I do/did have a childhood friend who lived/lives in Humbolt County, CA. So that's something.

"How Pot Has Grown" is a window into pot cultivation as a business, and as art. The characters are avid, professional horticulturalists who'd put Mendel to shame.

...it's a great read. 16 years out of date, but a great read none the less.
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Bill Maher on our beloved governor

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:31:00 +0000

Wow. Wow. Wow.

If you're a frustrated liberal who is sick and tired of the conservative crap that's spouted everywhere, read this. It will raise your spirits big time.

If all my conservative friends didn't own guns I'd send it to them. "-)

Just kidding guys.
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Gross

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:24:00 +0000

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Oh my. I got a bit nauseous watching this–so I guess it's effective.

Great ad. Found over at Neat O Rama.
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I'll never look at a cymbal the same way again

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:13:00 +0000

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Via One Cool Thing A Day.
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Neil Gaiman

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:42:00 +0000

Neil Gaiman's American Gods has just been published in a 10th Anniversary Edition. I'm not sure whey they've done that but I loved that book.

Here's an interview with Neil I'm listening to. It's an unedited Minnesota Public Radio show. I'm loving it so far so I thought I'd pass on the link in case any one out there likes him as well.

I found out about it because I subscribe to Neil's blog. How cool, I get to be involved in one of my favorite author's life. Very fun.
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Great day for racing at Bryant Park

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:13:00 +0000

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Another great day at the races. Many thanks to Ted for pointing out this winner!
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Sometimes just working hard ain't enough

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:30:00 +0000

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A while back I read an article in The New Yorker about Mark Zuckerberg. It was a great read. It was written by an illegal alien. As it turns out, Jose Antonio Vargas, author of the article and Pulitzer Prize winner, is a lot more interesting that Mark Zukerberg.

Jose's "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant" is a great article. And a window into one man's struggle to be accepted in our country. I urge you to read it.
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You never know what your child will become

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 22:44:00 +0000

My friend Donna in Winnepeg has a son who owns Zero Gravity Circus. I wonder if she knew when he was 7 that he'd become an impresario of the big top? How fun is that. Follow this link for a great story about Eli.

By the way, I don't think that's Eli in the picture. But it's a guy in his company.
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TOO FUN!!!- Get Flocked!

noreply@blogger.com (Shelly) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:51:00 +0000

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I grew up in the next town over from Chatham NJ. This is too funny.

"People in Chatham are asking "Got Flocked?" as flamingos spring from neighbor's lawns"

This is way better than toilet papering people's trees. And the best part is you can have the flamingos removed to the lawn of your choice. Read the rest here. Too fun.
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