Category Archives: Crazy Me

No Raise :(

Posted on 01/14/2024 by chick

For the first time since I started my job back in 1995, I did not get a year-end raise. It wasn’t my fault. The company froze salaries and also slashed Christmas bonuses (ouch!). They announced these unfortunate things long before … Continue reading →

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Knee

Posted on 01/12/2024 by chick

Yesterday I had an appointment with the knee doctor. He examined me knee, moved it around, said it seemed to be working fine. But my x-rays show a new area of arthritis along the right side, and he suspects this … Continue reading →

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Daily Puzzles

Posted on 01/07/2024 by chick

I do five puzzles daily at The New York Times, typically in this order: Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, Letter Boxed, and The Mini Crossword. The most time-consuming of the five is the Spelling Bee. There are some things that continue … Continue reading →

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To Be Chopin

Posted on 07/23/2023 by chick

As I’ve said before, these days I don’t want to play Chopin as much as I want to be Chopin. But music composition is complicated, and I can’t figure it all out on my own. I tried the book route, … Continue reading →

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2/15/23

Posted on 02/15/2023 by chick

I solved the NYT Mini crossword in 16 seconds today. That’s a new record for me (previous record was 23 seconds). I paid a bunch of medical bills yesterday, and our HSA was then down to almost nothing, even though … Continue reading →

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Back to Studying

Posted on 01/18/2023 by chick

After my hiatus from Babbel, there were over 900 French words and phrases in my to-be-reviewed box. Yeesh, that was daunting! It’s down to about 600 now. It’s easy to do Babbel’s little lessons and feel like I’ve accomplished something, … Continue reading →

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Poisonous

Posted on 01/07/2023 by chick

Today in French study, the theme was “les plantes vénéneuses” (poisonous plants), and I learned that “La ciguë est le poison qui a tué Socrate.” (Hemlock is the poison that killed Socrates). It’s likely that I had already learned this … Continue reading →

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Random 11/16/22

Posted on 11/16/2022 by chick

I found a few more autumn-themed romance movies, which made me happy. That doesn’t mean I’m forgiving everybody for going overboard on Christmas already, though. I am so tired. One night of inadequate sleep is enough to ruin several days … Continue reading →

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Let’s Hear It for Hats!

Posted on 11/14/2022 by chick

My mother, who was a French major in college, learned a lot more about the French language than I ever did. She once told me that a circumflex is often indicative of an S having been removed from the word … Continue reading →

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Commit or Let It Go

Posted on 11/13/2022 by chick

I started this blog back in 2007. I haven’t been celebrating my blogiversaries lately, but this year, in April, was my 15th. The fact that I still write posts, however sporadically, after fifteen years is impressive. Most people don’t keep … Continue reading →

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