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In our last Thrilling Installment, it was Trooper's Birthday, known in some less enlightened parts of the world as December 15.

On Thursday, as per The Plan, we did indeed motor into Waterville to pick up the mail, and also to view Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which I adored, despite not being able to hear much of the dialog*. This is possibly telling, but then, I don't expect much from movies except that they look pretty and hang together as a tale at least until the credits roll.

After the movie, we hit Governor's for breakfast (yes, breakfast; don't judge), and so to home.

Friday was a writing day.

Saturday, it snowed, thus becoming a writing day with interludes of snow removal.  In-between, I finished moving my files from the old computer to the new computer, and upgrading the OS on my Asus Android tablet from Lollipop to Marshmallow, which, because of Something Technical, had to be done manually.  This was a case of an operation sounding much scarier than it actually was.  The upgrade went beautifully, and now I have an up-to-date OS, just in time for Google to release the next in series.

Yesterday, also, Steve took point on hooking up my classy new 7-port USB hub and the new multi-size card reader, as both of these required climbing around under the desk, which I'm presently not up for because...

I borked my knee.  No, I don't know how I did it.  I tried ignoring it for a week, which worked about as well as you might think, and babying it with ice and elevation and all like that.  We've reached the point where I'm probably going to call the doctor, though part of me insists that if I don't hear words like "meniscus tear," all will be well.  More or less.

That brings us to what?  Today.  Sunday.

Yesterday, as reported it snowed, and the temps didn't get much higher than 15F/-9C.  Today! It's raining, and the high temp is predicted to be 44F/6C.  Right now, everything is encased in ice, which is my least-favorite winter scenario.

The Plan for the rest of the day is to retire to the comfy reclining chair with the laptop, and work from there.

I had briefly thought that we'd go see Arrival tomorrow before it leaves town, but I'm doubting that's going to be happening.

. . .and I think that catches us all up.

Everybody stay safe.

_________

*I am informed that there are such things as "caption glasses" available at some theaters. Sadly, they are not available at the Waterville Flagship Cinemas.  They are available at the Regal Cinemas, in Augusta, but that makes a 50-mile round trip to see a movie.

Date: 2016-12-18 07:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thewol.livejournal.com
Life is fraught all over at the moment. Here in Texas, at the same latitude as Casablanca, Morocco, no less, it's colder than the proverbial wedge (22F at 2 p.m.)(I knew you could use a good laugh) and in the Wishnevsky menage down south of you, it got so cold their bottle of HabaƱero-Infused Olive Oil became too viscous to pour (http://matociquala.livejournal.com/2267527.html).

Ick about the knee. Hope it isn't the knee that has the foot that's essential to driving attached to it.

Date: 2016-12-18 08:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] margotinez.livejournal.com
I have given up on movies due to hearing loss. Thanks for the reminder about the caption glasses - they did work when I tried them a couple of years ago, and will have to see if the Regal some miles away has the good films.
Breakfast at any time is good.

Date: 2016-12-19 12:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gerald heaton (from livejournal.com)
I'll trade you.

Sunday here started out at -6 F
When the football game started at 12:00 CST it was -1 F

It is now a whole +4

Yes, I could convert the temps to Celsius, but reading like -30+ C just look wrong

Tomorrow we are supposed to reach 32 F/0 C

Date: 2016-12-19 06:03 am (UTC)
ext_3634: Ann Panagulias in the Bob Mackie gown I want  (outdoors - cone peak snow)
From: [identity profile] trolleypup.livejournal.com
AKA, also, the last time it snowed in San Francisco...big fluffy flakes...just as I was about to go down a 20%ish grade in a bus I am positive did NOT have snow tires.

Date: 2016-12-19 12:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Just wondering -- our church, which isn't particularly rich, has several little hearing aid boxes that they hand out during services. I believe they pick up directly from the sound system, and have a volume control for the user to adjust. Might talk to the cinema folks and suggest that such an arrangement might be very helpful for folks with less than perfect hearing, and should be relatively cheaply and easily available. I have to think someone in the area would know how to set this up.

Hearing assist

Date: 2016-12-19 12:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ireneha.livejournal.com
I am still able to hear the movies. Probably because my local movie theater has the sound WAY up there.

If the "vox box" that the tour companies use for us tourists were just available to the movie theaters.... Well that would be great. These also use a radio wave to transmit just what your individual tour guide is saying,

I wonder if you could suggest that your theater get a transmitter & receiver?

The dialog for Fantastic Beasts was good enough to make it worth the effort. I'm thinking about going a second time (or maybe seeing Rogue).

Date: 2016-12-20 02:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dancinghorse.livejournal.com
I've never seen "caption glasses." What we have here is a thing that looks like a cross between a gooseneck lamp and Wall-E, which you pop into the cup holder and adjust so you can you see the little LED screen. And there's your captions.

RE: Hearing assist

Date: 2016-12-20 01:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ireneha.livejournal.com
When I Google searched: hearing assistance devices for theaters
Williams Sound FM ADA KIT 1 FM ADA Compliance Kit ($500)
Hamilton Assisted Listening system ($350)

I'd contribute $$ to your local theater to put one of these in - but first; the "citizens with disabilities act" requires any theater with more than 50 seats to offer some hearing assistance, and second; this would be a tax write-off for the theater.
Edited Date: 2016-12-20 01:16 pm (UTC)

RE: Hearing assist

Date: 2016-12-20 02:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rolanni.livejournal.com
Thank you! At the moment, I have Book Brain (book due January 25), but sometime yesterday it did occur to me to wonder where the ADA was in this. I thought that movie theaters were required to offer captioned movies, and put the idea off to research later. It's possible that I asked the wrong question when I called the theater, specifically asking about "caption glasses," since some people aren't, as we all know, good at taking the specific to the general.

There ought to be no reason for anyone to have to put a tin can out at the donut shop to collect money so the theater can afford to put in the required tech. Flagship Cinemas is a reasonably sized company, not some little mom-and-pop movie house still using a live flame to run their projector. Indeed, Flagship Cinemas is responsible for putting several of those out of business.

I'll see if I can get a better answer with a better question.

Date: 2016-12-20 02:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rolanni.livejournal.com
Yeah, I've never heard of any of this tech; I'm coming new into losing my hearing. I'm going to need to educate myself, obviously. Whee.

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