Five Things Friday Vol. 76

October 13, 2023

Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.

Uff. The news has been heavy this week (well, when has it NOT been heavy in recent years? There’s always something). The older I get, the more questions I have about the world.

What’s been going on in Israel/Gaza is horrific. I am devastated about innocent lives lost in the senseless terrorist attacks in Israel. I also just learned from my co-worker, a Palestinian, that he lost his whole family in Gaza. I cannot fathom the pain he must be going through. My heart hurts and my brain can’t process this information. There are no winners here. You can support the Palestinian struggle for freedom and simultaneously condemn Hamas’ attacks. You are not anti-Semitic if you also condemn the Israeli’s government attack on innocent Palestinian civilians.
We need to be able to separate people from governments, terrorist organizations, and dictators. I don’t understand why people can’t coexist, live, and let live, why there is so much hate, greed, and power hunger in this world. I don’t even have words to express my sadness and frustration.

As often, Steph finds a lot more eloquent words about the state of the world than I do (scroll further down in her post). I want to reiterate her question: “At this point in our evolution, should we not be past war? Past killing innocent people. Past hating each other because of religious beliefs or culture or looks. Past oppressing people.” I wonder the same things. Years ago, I saw a documentary (don’t remember what it was called) in which Israeli and Palestinian kids played with each other. They were kind to each other and became fast friends. People are not born hating other people, people are conditioned to hate, and this cycle must be broken.

* * *

What else is there this week worth mentioning? I struggle to even think about anything that doesn’t pale in comparison with all the heavy news. I guess, I am counting my blessings that my family is alive and well, that I can pick up the phone and talk to them today, and that I have a safe home, electricity, food, and clean water.

Oh, and on another positive note, my mother-in-law has had her second round of chemotherapy this week and she’s doing well so far. She was also told that the cancer had not spread to other parts of her body. What a big relief. I am taking all the good news I can get right now.

* * *

I ordered my new planner (for 2024) and a new mug this week and I am excited. I am a little ahead of schedule (I anticipated picking up a Fringe planner again at Home Goods again later this fall), but this planner popped up in my feed on sale and I was ready to try something new. I am looking forward to showing you both the planner and mug when the package gets here. Call it “retail therapy” or just a simple necessity. You choose. Sometimes, it’s the little things.

* * *

App recommendation of the week (in case you own a Peloton or use the Peloton app): domestiq is a web app that is linked to your Peloton account and lets you create and share an unlimited number of Class Lists (you can create them yourself or simply bookmark classes and the domestiq app will create a Managed Class List for each fitness discipline that contains bookmarks).

This can be super-helpful if you like to create workout stacks for the whole week in advance because the Peloton Workout Stack feature is limited to 10 classes right now. You can push these lists to your workout stack and you can also let the app “auto-create” a list based on customized criteria (if you have decision fatigue about picking classes). I haven’t explored all the features of the app yet, but it seems like a very neat tool. And the best thing: it’s free!

* * *

Questions for homeowners (and renters alike): how often do you (or your landlord) get the HVAC system serviced? I think we did it annually when we owned our house, but we’ve lived in our duplex for 5 years now and the HVAC system has never been serviced during that time. We contacted the landlords about it about 10 days ago and you can probably guess it: so far, we haven’t received a response.

How was your week? Tell me something good and hug your people (even if only virtually).

Grateful Kae
October 13, 2023 at 1:19 pm

I was telling my boys last night about how I remember being in my freshman year Political Science 102 class in college in 2001/2002 (!!!) and one of our group projects revolved around doing some kind of mock negotiations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 2001!! I cannot believe how much time has passed to still be in the same place. It is rather unbelievable. And so sad.

We have never(!) had our HVAC “serviced”, exactly, though we have had a couple of issues with the a/c so we had it fixed in those cases. But in terms of like, yearly maintenance etc… nope. Eek. In 10 years!! Though the last time the hvac guy was here, he did say that our a/c looked to be getting rather old and likely the entire system will need to be replaced relatively soon. Looking forward to that…. or not….. :(

A good thing is that our new puppy is doing so well with both potty and crate training! Also, he is already learning so well to sit, stay, lay down, etc. It’s so cute. :) Still a real handful, but overall, way more good than bad with him!
1. San
  October 19, 2023 at 11:04 am
  
  It’s unbelievable how long that has been going on unresolved, isn’t it? It makes me so sad.
  Oh, ok, it looks like many people don’t necessarily do annual maintenance on their HVACs.. good to know LOL
  Thank God, puppies are cute… they’d otherwise drive you insane ;)
Anya
October 13, 2023 at 2:51 pm

Each unit gets serviced annually – A/C in the spring and furnace in early fall.
1. San
  October 19, 2023 at 11:05 am
  
  Thanks for the feedback, Anya.
coco
October 13, 2023 at 3:22 pm

I also bought 2024 planner when I was in the US. better to be prepared and start fresh. the year is flying by, too quickly and too dramatic in many ways. hope 2024 is a better one.
1. San
  October 19, 2023 at 11:05 am
  
  New planners are always fun, right? I hope 2024 will be a good year.
Hks
October 14, 2023 at 6:40 am

I have only been a homeowner for a year but I followed my dad’s example and signed up with a company that does annual tuneups for the AC and furnace. It may not be entirely necessary but I hope it’ll help keep the aging system going a little longer.
1. San
  October 19, 2023 at 11:06 am
  
  Thanks for the feedback. I also heard that annual maintenance should keep the system running in good shape!
Nicole MacPherson
October 14, 2023 at 7:16 am

The news from Israel and Palestine is so sad, and it’s been heartbreaking for so many decades.
I think the HVAC system SHOULD be serviced annually, but we usually did it every few years in the old house. We have a whole new system in this house so I’m not sure what will happen.
You plan your Peloton classes for the whole week??? OMG San! That’s really something. I usually choose based on the day and what I feel like doing!
1. San
  October 19, 2023 at 11:07 am
  
  I guess every few years is still better than to wait for something to break? ;)
  
  Haha, Nicole, you should know by now that I am a bit of a freak when it comes to Peloton and yes, I need to plan ahead with all the trackers that I am following LOL
J
October 14, 2023 at 8:48 am

The news from Israel and Palestine is indeed horrific and depressing. This has been going on my entire life, and I am 57. Though what is going on now is beyond what has been going on my entire life, the back and forth. This has been slaughter, which is of course the goal of Hamas. It’s horrible how many people are suffering, and will suffer, on both sides. Your poor coworker, I cannot even imagine.

We get our HVAC serviced occasionally, but not every year by any means. It is OLD (1979) and we are thankful for every day we have with it, I guess. I’m not sure what kind of servicing one would do with the heater side of things. I’m afraid we are more reactive than proactive, and just wait until something breaks, and then fix it.
1. San
  October 19, 2023 at 11:08 am
  
  It’s so sad to know that this conflict in the Middle East has been going on for such a long time and no resolution in sight. Sigh. You’d think people get smarter with time.
  
  Thanks for the feedback on the HVAC… I guess people do it all different kind of ways. I would just hope that our landlords are more proactive, but alas, they’re not.
Engie
October 14, 2023 at 12:18 pm

Our system gets serviced when it’s broken. LOL. I had no idea we were supposed to do something other than that! I sort of feel like when you have a service that comes to look at it every year, they’ll find something wrong with it and I don’t need that on a yearly basis.
1. San
  October 19, 2023 at 11:10 am
  
  I’ve heard it’s mainly good to get things checked because of fire hazards… esp. the ducts can get dusty and dirty with time. I don’t know. I am just trying to do what other people told me is good practice, but you’re probably not wrong : the more often things get looked at, the more frequently they’ll find something wrong ;)
Lisa’s Yarns
October 14, 2023 at 2:38 pm

I haven’t addressed the horrific events in Israel because I have no words. It is so heartbreaking. Your poor coworker who has lost his family. I cannot even imagine.

So my dad owned and electrical/HVAC company so it’s been ingrained in me to have our furnace/AC tuned up each year. It’s pretty inexpensive and we have a service package which I think reduces the cost and results in us being prioritized if the furnace or AC ever went out. That alone is worth it in the cold climate we live in!

Looking forward to seeing what planner you bought! I got the wonderland222 for the 3rd year in a row!
1. San
  October 19, 2023 at 11:11 am
  
  I hear you. Finding the right words for the Israel-Gaza conflict is hard, esp. because people have such strong opinions. My only opinion is; I don’t want innocent people to die. Seems pretty straight-forward to me.
  
  I am glad to hear (from the daughter of a professional) that it’s wise to get your HVAC serviced annually. I feel like it’s just good practice… but our landlords are not proactive in that way. Sigh.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
October 22, 2023 at 2:16 am

I was part of a Model United Nations conference representing Israel in 2001 and one major discussion topic was the middle eastern conflict. In preparation I read so much and all I came up with was that this conflict is not gonna get solved. It is sad. I’ve been struggling too with the whole situation and it does feel like it is not getting better in the world.

I am glad to hear your mother in law is going through chemotherapy rather well. Good news definitely are welcome.

Comments are closed.

Five Things Friday Vol. 76

Anya

Hks

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