{"id":34623,"date":"2025-08-26T17:54:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T22:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/?p=34623"},"modified":"2025-08-26T17:54:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T22:54:59","slug":"an-autumnal-august","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/?p=34623","title":{"rendered":"An Autumnal August"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Work made me a little grumpy today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I began the day working on support articles for our autumn sale, then I had a tricky project land in my lap, and the next thing I know it&#8217;s Noon, I haven&#8217;t taken my morning meds, and I&#8217;m staring at several more hours with this tricky project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, as I write this, an expected project that landed in my inbox this morning still hasn&#8217;t been touched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In any case, by 3:30 I had that tricky project closed off &#8212; articles done and redone, files made and remade &#8212; and I needed fresh air.  I needed to go outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-fullwidth\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_20250826_124502-1200x675.jpg\" alt=\"An Amish roofing crew, working on installing a metal roof in my complex. The view from my apartment's front door.\" class=\"wp-image-34619\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A roofing crew showed up this morning about 10:30.  They worked on another building in my complex last week.  It took two days to do that building, so I imagine this one will take just as long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a couple of Amish guys in the crew.  Actually, both guys in the picture above are Amish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1350\" src=\"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_20250826_153345.jpg\" alt=\"An Amish roofing crew, working on installing a metal roof in my complex. Another view, this one with a better angle.\" class=\"wp-image-34620\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I went for a walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a little overcast, temperatures in the low seventies.  Very <em>not<\/em> August, and I am very much <em>not<\/em> complaining about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"900\" src=\"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_20250826_154313.jpg\" alt=\"The empty field at the Yoe Ballpark, with ominous clouds looming overhead.\" class=\"wp-image-34621\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>No one at the ballpark today, unlike <a href=\"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/?p=34605\">Saturday<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_20250826_164126.jpg\" alt=\"Looking at the water tower in Yoe on the opposite hill from the ballpark.\" class=\"wp-image-34622\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On the way back, I could see the crew working on the roof in my complex.  It&#8217;s pretty much in the center of this photo, though difficult to make out at this scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ballpark was directly to my right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All it all, it was a nice walk.  Cleared my head, and I replied to a few emails when I got back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I still have that project that landed in my inbox to finish.  It&#8217;s not urgent, and I&#8217;ll take care of it this evening.  I&#8217;ll put the Harrisburg Senators game on the radio, and run with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s the <em>Cheers<\/em> opening credits&#8230; but, it&#8217;s <em>Star Trek: The Next Generation!<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Star Trek but it\u2019s Cheers \u2013 TNG x Cheers Intro\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7GXjQqpKhdg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s cool. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Two more recent games of Othello.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"542\" height=\"549\" src=\"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Screenshot_20250824_194745.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of a game of Othello.  White controls the left column and the top row, but I, black, control everything else.\" class=\"wp-image-34612\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I thought I had white on the ropes, and I did for long enough that even with white taking three of the corners I still dominated the board.  Meanwhile, another case of having white on the ropes&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"542\" height=\"549\" src=\"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Screenshot_20250825_095632.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of a game of Othello. I, black, dominate the board. White has three stones clustered together left center, and we've exhausted our ability to move.\" class=\"wp-image-34613\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>&#8230;led to white reaching a point where it had no legal moves to make.  And, for that matter, neither did I!  The game ended with a decisive victory &#8212; and the board still with open spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>There have been butterflies around this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-fullwidth\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_20250824_131526-1200x675.jpg\" alt=\"Monarch butterfly on my neighbors' flowers.\" class=\"wp-image-34610\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A monarch&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-fullwidth\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_20250824_131616-1200x675.jpg\" alt=\"An Eastern Tiger swallowtail, also on my neighbors' flowers\" class=\"wp-image-34611\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8230;and an Eastern Tiger swallowtail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t know about you, but even though today is only Tuesday, it feels much later in the week.  Like Thursday.  It feels like it should be Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is going to be a <em>long<\/em> week, isn&#8217;t it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Work made me a little grumpy today. I began the day working on support articles for our autumn sale, then I had a tricky project land in my lap, and the next thing I know it&#8217;s Noon, I haven&#8217;t taken my morning meds, and I&#8217;m staring at several more hours with this tricky project. Meanwhile,<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/?p=34623\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">&#8220;An Autumnal August&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[344,5280,5281,4846,5128,3921,5137],"class_list":["post-34623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life","tag-amish","tag-butterflies","tag-cheers","tag-diamond-comic-distributors","tag-othello","tag-pennsylvania","tag-star-trek-the-next-generation-2","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34623\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}