Tomorrow is September

Tomorrow is September.
I go to Iceland in September.
I'm going to Iceland. 
I so better not get Covid before I go to Iceland.

I have my own personal scientist on call - my mother-in-law. I asked her which I should go for. I was planning on getting my fourth one two weeks from the trip so I'd be at maximum strength but it looks like the newest will be available at the exact same time. I'll try to get the newest vaccine. 

And Taffix so I can eat indoors at a restaurant. 

When I went on my first bucket list trip I'd spent a year learning how to use my first real camera - a Fuji interchangeable lens camera with aperture and shutter speed and ISO. I practiced taking night pictures in hopes I'd get to see stars (cloud cover every night on the Incan Trail, oh well). I did scare the deer who were not expecting a human in that place at that hour. 

When I arrived my camera glitched. It would only work with 16 GB cards, nothing bigger. It was Fuji, I couldn't find a place to fix it before I was in my next town and my next elevation. Then it wouldn't focus in anything but automatic. The monopod/hiking pole I brought broke and I carried it the entire trail even though it was now trash because you can't leave trash on the Incan Trail. At some point my Peak Design anchor broke and I was lucky my camera was in my hands and didn't fall down a cliff. Basically, everything that could go wrong while leaving me with pictures did go wrong and I'm very grateful I still got to take pictures. 

THIS TIME I have a water-resistant camera AND the replacement Fuji gave me for the previous one ie a backup camera. THIS TIME I have a sturdy tripod. Knocking on wood. 

Ukrainians are moving forward in the south, albeit with difficulty. Some Russians are fleeing, abandoning equipment.Ukraine has temporarily banned journalists from traveling to the front lines. Thanks to social media, it is still possible to report. For example, there was yet another warehouse fire in Russian held Crimea - an oil storage facility. 

The EU is making it more expensive and difficult for Russian tourists to get visas, making it possible for dissidents to escape but letting regular Russians know their country is viewed negatively. 

Sweden is going to donate nearly $50million of artillery. 

In Russia, a group of anarchists is fighting Russia's ability to wage war by disabling railways used to transport weapons. Supposedly, Russian railways were sabotaged 63 times during the first three months of the war. 

The North Atlantic Fella Organisation (NAFO) is a virtual army that champions Ukraine’s cause and harangues its foes on social media. It uses an avatar of a cartoon shiba inu dog. They post memes mocking Russia’s military performance and laughing at the claims of its officials. It is virtual, a collection of like-minded people, not an organization. They are keeping people engaged in the Ukraine war by being funny. 
Signmyrocket.com is like the other fundraising campaigns I wrote about. You donate a few hundred dollars. A Ukrainian IT student, Anton Sokolenko contacts one of his soldier friends. They write a message on an artillery or tank shell and take a picture for you. Anton uses the money to buy supplies for the soldiers. 


According to his website, he’s raised almost $300,000 from ~ 2,000 signs and purchased 29 cars, 15 drones, and 4 Starlinks.


NAFO pooled money and delivered a set of designs they wanted on a tank. They picked, "Super Bonker 9000"



For $30,000 you can get your message on the side of a Ukrainian jet.