Remember, this is the blog where I share my opinions. So far I haven't insulted anyone enough that they wrote anything nasty in a comment....or perhaps blogger has some kind of censorship/editing method.
Anyway this is what happened Fri. July 19.
I woke up with major pain in my right lung...blowing my nose hurt the lung worse, and I cringed at the thought that I'd probably cough sometime soon. So I immediately took Tylenol. Then my temperature, which was normal. OK, maybe this would clear up, I thought. I tried to get in to see a medical professional to get my antibiotic boosted by steroids, which has helped in the past. No luck. I finally talked to my care coordinator, and he suggested Urgent Care to get an X-ray, and if that didn't work, go to ER. That's still in the back pocket, and I will have to be major sick to do so!
My friends who are aware of climate change, already know that we've passed the beginning of the end of our comfortable (?) life with techno gadgets, gas cars, plastics out the wahoo, and fake everything.
But for my life, I've been kind of waiting for some crisis that might mean the crumble of the infrastructure. That has certainly been given in many of our post apocalyptic movies (which I generally don't watch because I don't respond well to gloom and doom.)
However yesterday after I'd attempted to get an X-ray of my lungs, only to find the Urgent Care people's computers were down. I drove home, and as I walked from my car to my apartment, I wondered if this was the beginning of the end of our infrastructure.
I later learned (maybe a half hour later) that there was a world wide outage of Microsoft programs that had closed airports, banks, ATM's, and various schools. Since my little laptop is a Microsoft designated power-module, I immediately thought I'd better back up things. I'd had the thumb drive inserted already, thinking I'd take a few minutes soon to do so. But this made me immediately open it and begin the process of transferring all my recent data onto it.
I had to take a break and go to lunch. Fortunately Judy came to pick me up. My breathing was shallow to avoid the pain. I had done my 15 min. on the Tera-vest shaking my lungs, and about 5 minutes with nebulizer, to again shake the stuff loose. But I just couldn't do deep coughs because of the pain. I fiddled with my pulse-ox reader whose batteries had died, and charged some rechargeable ones. Good oxygen in my blood.
Ate well, with only small coughs and holding my sides from the pain. Back home, finished the backup to thumb-drive of most of my life. Not any blogs though. They are only out in the ether...through a google program.
If things like Australian and Asheville airports have to close (as well as Milwaukee, thinking of the GOP conventioneers!) this is really a BIG THING.
I read that much at noon on my iPhone checking a "news update" from our local TV station. When I tried live TV, various national news stations didn't have anything about it.
If it's all gone away by the evening news, it should be interesting. A possible interruptions of services.
The news program said our local hospital had internet and no problems. So I still have that ER option, with at least 3 friends offering to drive me, if breathing or coughing problems intensify. I found I couldn't lie down for a nap, even using my C-PAP because again I'd have the cough tickle, and would need to sit up to just to clear it. So sitting at the laptop is more comfortable for now.
AC - I have a recliner, but lying back is a position which triggers my coughing...so I just am using it as a rocker. Sleep with just one pillow, though playing solitaire in bed I do double it up. That sometimes pinches a nerve and my fingers go numb...so I have to be careful there.
Isn't life grand? I'm not ungrateful today. Just reporting on what's happening. The news was updated a couple of hours ago, with increasing statements by Associated Press. OK they have interviewed someone. The folks behind the Microsoft problem are the important ones...not the airlines or banks!
From cybersecurity company, CrowdStrike: they "... pushed a faulty update to its own software that caused affected systems to not boot up correctly. Due to the popularity and extensive use of CrowdStrike's services, the result is a widespread outage with global impact."
AP said: "the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said that the issue believed to be behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue affected Microsoft 365 apps and services, and escalating disruptions continued hours after the company said it was gradually fixing it."
My conclusion, this early in the series of the reports of what has happened, is much the same as I arrived at following the recent assassination attempt towards Trump. We are going to be managed, as much as possible, by the media.
But the ground is shaking beneath our feet. Pay attention. Stay awake. Put your own opinions together.
And what is the good thing to look for from either of these recent stories?
People can find ways to come together, with humor, with softening of views, with support of our shared humanity. Yes that's the bonding of community which always happens with crisis. There may be some who prefer to compete for resources (and always will) but the majority of us will share with those who are hurt or hungry or suffering loss.
Just my humble opinion.
