It's been a while... | Tragic Comedy

So, it is supposed to snow 9 inches today, and I didn't want to drive in that, so I did my grocery shopping yesterday. Then today (a Saturday) I decided to walk in to work with my cell phone to do some computer setup with 2-factor authentication that I wasn't able to do earlier because I never take my cell phone to work. See, I am this weird relic of the past who still wonders why people would have to get in touch with me at all hours, so I mainly treat my cell phone like it was a home phone. Trust me, nobody does want or need to get in touch with me anyway and even if they did there are other ways.

Anyway, I got to work and the internet there was not working, so the entire journey was pointless. They do have moderately decent lighting in the bathroom at work though and I probably haven't posted a photo of myself in decades at this point, so here you go.

click image to zoom

Besides that, I guess the world is falling apart and it's depressing and I'm trying to get past it with mindless chatter...

Five Replies to It's been a while...

Scott Hardie | April 6, 2026
You look good, Denise! 😀 If you'd like me to change your profile photo on Funeratic to one of those, just ask.

I kind of have it similar about treating my cell phone as a home phone, for other reasons. With my brain fog, it's very difficult to get back on a task once my attention has been split. So, since my mother passed away and I'm no longer on call 24/7 for an emergency about her, I have trained myself to ignore incoming texts and calls until I have freed up the mental capacity to deal with them, which is usually an hour or two, but sometimes means overnight. This has hurt my friendships, especially with very online younger people who mistake my difficulties for deliberate soft-ghosting, but it's the only way that I'm able to function. I resent the new social norm that we must always be instantly reachable or we're somehow selfish louts, which feels illogical and unsustainable. But anyway, good for you for leaving the cell phone behind. We'd be better off if a lot more of us did.

I do have to wonder though: If you rarely bring your cell phone to work, how are you going to use 2FA if you do get it set up? Won't it require you to check your phone for the login code? Maybe your phone carrier offers a web portal to access texts. The way I hear it, many services will start requiring passkeys in the next few years, so you might be able to set up your work computer with the passkey and leave the phone at home.

I apologize for this page not working when you first submitted the post. A mere hour before you did, my web host updated to a new PHP version, which introduced script-ending errors in the way that I was processing the images to do the "click to zoom" preview thing, even though the code is written to continue past fatal errors. I got it fixed that afternoon but didn't have time to write a reply until now. As for the code, it's my fault for not updating it sooner; that particular section dates back to 2006 and the rebranding as "goo.tc." I guess it's a good thing that I'm finally rewriting it all; better late than never. 😛

Denise Sawicki | April 6, 2026
Thanks, Scott! I've got some other type of 2-factor authentication here based off KeePass which I am figuring out how to use. Also, it rarely asks for authentication after the initial setup.

Lori Lancaster | April 23, 2026
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Denise Sawicki | April 27, 2026
It did snow the 9 inches but then it became summer for a couple days day and now spring again.

Scott Hardie | May 12, 2026
Agreed, and I think it's not entirely the younger generations. I think to varying degrees, everybody's kind of gotten used to texting instead of talking. Times change, I guess. We all remember a time when email was considered too quick and impersonal, and rude to send instead of a traditional hand-written letter. Today, a long email requires considerably more thought than a simple text message, and would be welcomed by many traditionalists who miss that old human connection.

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