I used dictation software all the time. I dictated this piece on the 25 minute walk back from Zoriana’s kindergarten with Marianna on my shoulders. I’m posting it so you can evaluate how good of a job it does before editing. And, in particular, note certain substitutions such as “and” for “in” and “are” for “our” that often pop up in my writing. Editing will take another hour or two. Here is the raw recognition, from my Olympus handheld recorder.
One of the benefits of the coronavirus episode has been getting it rated with the work of a number of really outstanding physician. The first benefit is that I am now taking a vitamin regime that I did not four. I did not believe in them, but avoiding Covid made it worth the effort to take them. Perhaps as a result, I have not had my usual number of colds. In particular, I have not had strep throat for more than a year. I used to get about twice a year.
I read this morning from Robert Malone about the therapy that he is using for his gout, and that his wife is using for a horse writing injury she has. They use near infrared light therapy, which apparently heats tissue fairly deep in your body. We have aches and pains in our house. In particular I have gout so I'm going to research to see if I can find one of these devices can give it a try.
While
I finally got everything together for the butane stove. So, and butane. The last was the hardest. We had to go to six gas stations before we found one would fill our butane tank. Apparently it's against the law. I cannot imagine why. At any rate, there was one station that agreed to do it.
It was just in time. Last night we had a three-hour blackout just before dinner time and I was able to cook a casserole on the stove top. It's a bit of noodles overlaid with fish, and béchamel sauce. I cook the noodles made the sauce and then fried the fish and laid it in. It was a little bit different than had been a casserole, but just as good.
Oksana's brother Igor spent three days with us. These are handsome guy about 50, 6 foot two rugged. He has spent his life in the industrial town of sweat love boats were Oksana was born. He's been reluctant to move and has suffered the fate of American in factory towns that they shut down. Losing jobs and bouncing from employment to employment. He was trained as a glass blower and entered the workforce, just about the time the Soviet Union collapsed. And like union men in the United States. He has been reluctant to redefine what he does. He has videos on his smart phone of blowing glass. I'm not an expert in the field, but it strikes me that blowing glass by mouth through a long tube. As you spend the molten glass probably not the way that they do it anymore for high production glassmaking. Be that as it may, he was able to spend three days with this, seeing his father as he lies on his sickbed and getting acquainted with us.
The way guys get to know guys is by doing something together. Igor problem we have be called horrible political opinions formed the. However, Ukraine is such a place that you don't form political opinions is against the Russians and that's about it.
Putting things together, I suggested that he accompany the three kids and me to the Sunday farmers market. I carried Marianna and a backpack Igor brought his own backpack and we talked and the mile mile and 1/4 walk to the market. He helped buy stuff and returning he brought mine. To accomplish a couple of things. I was able to demonstrate the Igor that I could carried her for that mile and 1/4 no problem and he was able to me a commitment to the family by carrying her back. We got every which included beautiful rock flour farmers milk again cheese and chicken for him to make up love up. Love is the Ukrainian version of a pilaf. It's a rice dish with spices and meat.
Igor was thought of. It tasted pretty good. Don't forget the garlic. He made it with less meat than I would have. I can tell that this is a guy who knows how to live on a budget.
After a day of Igor's company. I told Oksana that we really should make efforts to bring him closer to the family. He's a resourceful guy and handy guy, and I'm not going to live forever. He be a very useful man to have around when I can no longer do stuff. To that end, I suggested that I take him down and show him our two unused dodges half a mile home get him thinking about the possibility of perhaps living here in the summer and maybe even building never had any. Building houses. I countered that this is true of most men. The first time they do it, but he's a guy who spent his life working with his hands not do a bad job. Most people know how to pour concrete, late, and what he could do. We could certainly hired build a house here and live in it for free would improve his life and bring him closer to the family where he would be useful in any number of ways.
In a sort of comedy of errors. I received a message from the nova Posta – that's our UPS – that I had a package waiting it would cost 900 grieved. I hadn't ordered anything for 900 grieved, but I thought I'd go straighten it out. It turned out that I had misread something in the Ukrainian. It was the butane tank that I'd been waiting for. Alleluia the nation Mark Igor put it on the back of of Mary of Oksana's bicycle using bungee took it home and unwrapped the school he wanted. We had kindergarten so I suggested that we go out and get it filled. We had to go to six gas stations before he found somebody that would do it. Here is where Igor and my perceptions of money different. I told him I wanted to get it filled and if we had to bribe somebody $10 to get gas in that tank I wanted it to happen. So we found a place that would fill it. But Igor,, economic, unbeknownst to me, told him put only 10 L and 27 old. His reasoning was the 10 L would be an enough to cook for a long time I get more? Different perspective. Didn't matter. 10 L is enough for the time being. And now that we've got the thing working I'll be able to buy another tank, get it filled all the way up, and keep it out in the shed in case we face a prolonged electrical.
In other news, Putin is making nasty noises about Ukraine supposedly making a dirty bomb or supposedly going to blow up the dam at nova couple. We've heard enough bluster out of Putin over the years, especially this last year, to know that that's just noise. It's incredible to me that it got so much traction in the United States. Putin is playing a losing hand and all he can do at the moment seems to be pilaf and this to me is Bluffs. Speaking of Bluffs, there is a bluff about flooding the city of Paris. I went Google's on a block that about 20 or 30 m above sea level of water in the dam is only top of the water in the dam is 13 m above sea level. There's no way they can flood her son. If they broke up the dam it would flood the low-lying areas on the east side of the river where the Russians are. I don't think that they want to do that. Other commentators point out that if they blow up the dam it will lose water for Crimea – this is the primary source – and the nuclear power plant will be without cooling water, adding to that disaster. I'm pretty sure that blowing up the dam is all on fact that the Russians sabotage generators so that Ukraine can't use the hydropower
Russia is continuing to press the United Nations on the question of bio labs here in Ukraine. I wish them luck. I am sure that bio labs Crane are producing nothing good in my opinion they should be shut down. However, Zelensky owes a lot to bite, and I think he is obliged to be quiet on the subject. For the time being. At least until the war is over. It is amazing to me how the people in the United States who have been so doggedly continue their support can lament only the Russian doing such a poor job war. This includes Mike Whitney, Pepe Escobar and Paul Craig Roberts, all of whom post on aunts. They seem to be absolutely blind to the atrocities that the Russian soldiers a committed and to have excuses for Russia's continued failures in the field. It's a lesson in politics. Similar to how the Democratic politicians can continue to rule in big cities in the United States. Despite failure after at any rate, I'm glad to corruption. I can live with. Paragraph that's the news from Lake WeBeGone, where the youngest girl has enjoyed a long ride on daddy's shoulders as I dictate this, Zoriana is comfortably in her kindergarten where they say she's a model citizen – rather unlike the citizen we see at home – and Eddie has a whole day to do his homework. I hope he's doing it. Oksana, having taught the last couple days is also taking a day off, and I'm trying to I'm writing this to catch up after a few days