Totally random but really cool: there are 16 circles in this optical illusion. They aren’t easy to spot at first, but once you do, you can’t unsee them.
Pretty cool, huh? I love shit like this. It’s called the Coffer Illusion. Go ahead, make my brain hurt. The payoff is worth it.
Yesterday, we had our new furnace and A/C unit installed, so I am officially poor. Thank god the economy is about to be the greatest economy ever! Woot!
I will concede that Bitcoin’s value has skyrocketed. Why, I might be able to cash out my crypto account and treat myself to a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, aka a Royale with Cheese, with those proceeds now.
Too bad about the whole E. coli thing.
Anyway, the furnace/AC installation almost never happened, because I was accidentally ghosting the HVAC company. The owner called me on Monday and was super relieved to hear my voice. Said he’d left multiple voicemail messages, and even stopped by the house once, but thought I was ignoring him because I’d changed my mind. I was like, Umm, no…not freezing to death is kind of a priority.
What happened was, he had the misfortune of calling me the week before the election (sigh). Because I donated money to the Harris campaign (double sigh), I was receiving an endless barrage of phone calls (3-4 a day) asking for more money. This, in addition to the million emails cluttering my inbox. As flattering as it was to have people like Michelle Obama, Stephen King, and Robert DeNiro personally reach out to me – who knew I ran in such esteemed circles?! – it got to the point where I assumed every single call from an unknown number was a request for money, so I ignored them all.
Naturally, the HVAC guy picked that time period to let me know they were ready to do the work. The only reason I answered the phone on Monday was because the call came from the main business line, whereas before, the contractor was using his personal cellphone. I apologized profusely and blamed my phone instead of the Democrats and assured him we still wanted to get serviced.
(So to speak.)
Weirdly, I found the voicemails he’d left; for some reason, I didn’t get any notifications and had no idea there were messages awaiting my response. Huh. It really was my phone’s fault (at least partially, though not answering the door was me being a hermit).
Long story short, instead of a 30 y/o HVAC system on its last legs, we now have a spiffy new one-day-old furnace and A/C unit. Just in time for climate change to really kick into gear, whew! And while parting with $8,600 is neither easy nor pleasant, it’s actually a relief that we pulled the trigger. It’ll be a very long time – if ever – that we’ll need to worry about replacing our mechanical systems again.
Because I led off with something cool, I’d like to end on a high note, too. Full-circle, baby!
I’ve been boning up on philosophy, as one does to pass the time. Paradoxes in particular. You know, seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statements or propositions that, when investigated, may prove to be well-founded or true. Like, when losing your job turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to you career-wise (something to which I can personally attest).
I found the Liar Paradox especially intriguing. In a nutshell, it’s an endless and confusing loop with no clear answer, e.g., when a liar says, “I am lying.” If the liar is lying, then they’re actually telling the truth, which means they just lied.
Here’s one to ponder:
Hmm. Maybe making your brain hurt is overrated.
How long did it take you to see the circles? Do you enjoy contemplating paradoxes? What’s the most expensive home repair/renovation project you’ve completed? (Rivergirl, you’re exempt from the last question.)
Mark My Words 
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