confirm confirm you whoever you are, confirm

Every once in a while Google sends an email asking me to "Confirm your recovery email". But the email address this is sent to isn't shown as a recovery email in any of my Google accounts. It is a non-Gmail email address, and is the *primary* email for one of my Google accounts (which was created from a YouTube account when Google bought YouTube). When I log into that Google account and check the email & security settings, it seems fine; no confirmation required.

The email itself doesn't mention which account it relates to; it only gives a general link (https://myaccount.google.com/security-checkup) for logging into an account. I may have created another Google account at some time and forgotten about it, but then the email should already have been confirmed back then whenever.

I think this email used to be the recovery email for one of my Gmail accounts, but I switched it to a different recovery email. So why would Google start wanting to confirm the old email again?

Anyway, note to self: IGNORE THESE DURNDED EMAILS. I already checked every single account. No need to check them again.

..

Update, 2019/11/27:

Today I got a similar email for one of my other Google accounts which has a gmail.com email address. That email clearly indicated which account the message was for (the email address it was sent to), as well as the (other) recovery email address it wanted me to confirm.

When I logged into that Google account, the settings pages didn't show any outstanding action required. But when I opened the "Take Action" link that was included in the email, that page asked me to confirm (Yes/No) that the listed recovery email was still good. I clicked Yes.

The other email I mentioned above does not list which recovery email address it wants me to confirm. When I open that email's "Take Action" link, it doesn't show any required actions regarding the email addresses. So I still don't know why I was getting those emails.

The recovery email listed is the same one as I use to log into the account. Since it is not a Gmail email address, apparently that makes it the recovery email address by default. There is no option to change it or to add any other recovery email to that account.

If I click the Gmail link while logged into that non-Gmail Google account, I get this message:

Add Gmail to your Google Account

By completing this form, you're upgrading to Gmail, email from Google. Gmail works on any device, blocks spam, and much more.

You'll be able to sign in using your new Gmail address, which will become the primary email address associated with this account. We'll send account updates, invitations, and other notifications to your Gmail address.

[old non-Gmail email address] will become an alternate email address on this account, and you'll still be able to sign in with it.

If you prefer, you can create a new Google Account with email, and leave this one as-is.

singing in the rain again and again

For the rainy weather we've been having here this week, some more covers of "Singing in the Rain". Next time maybe it shall be "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head".

The Star Wars part of this medley doesn't start until late in the song, and it is a very small part. But the whole song is still nicely done.

"Debbie Reynolds Carrie Fisher Tribute // Singing in the Rain X Star Wars Medley" (Watch on YouTube)

Video title: Debbie Reynolds Carrie Fisher Tribute // Singing in the Rain X Star Wars Medley
Posted by: Joy Frost
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejInuwz8BSQ
Date posted: Jan 7, 2017



Cheerful, with accompanying chorus and cute accent.

"I'm Singing in the Rain" (Watch on YouTube)

Video title: I'm Singing in the Rain
Posted by: Eddy Wally - Topic
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a41UTAcCx20
Date posted:Jun 7, 2015



Swingy version.

"Dr Fre - Singing In The Rain (Electro Swing)" (Watch on YouTube)

Video title: Dr Fre - Singing In The Rain (Electro Swing)
Posted by: Immortal Swings
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC3REY7QGyE
Date posted: Sep 5, 2019

heater pressure switch

Sometimes it takes me an hour of not being able to fall asleep, to realize it's because I'm feeling cold. In spite of the thick blankets, fleece sheets, and the electric blanket at my feet.

Now I got out of bed for a while and turned the heater up.

Yesterday morning, the heater wasn't working. Only the night before, I'd been reading and replying about someone else's thermostat problem. My problem wasn't due to the thermostat, though. The furnace was getting power and making the buzzy noise that meant it was starting up, but then would stop before the hot air started blowing.

I called the person who replaced the heater's control board 3 years ago when it last had a problem. His voicemail said he was unavailable til tomorrow, but forwarded me to someone else. Of all luck, they happened to be nearby getting supplies for another job, and were able to stop by in under an hour and easily fix it. Based on what I saw them do and what they told me, and what I looked up afterwards, there was some small debris that they cleared out from a tube, which had been causing the pressure switch not to close

The pressure switch is a safety mechanism that prevents the gas from being turned on and the flame from getting lit when the airflow isn't normal.

http://www.grayfurnaceman.com/gas-furnace-pressure-switch-problems.html

From looking at the documentation that came with the control board, its LEDs were actually flashing the error code for "Pressure Switch Open". I didn't realize it was an error code, because the flashing was steady, rather than a certain number of flashes followed by a pause. If there's ever a problem again, I need to remember to check those LEDs as one of the first troubleshooting steps.

screw it all, screw it deep

I was finally warmed up enough, feeling nice and toasty. But then lying in bed, felt hungry. It's late enough in the day now that I really ought to be up, even though I got only 4.5 hours of sleep.

There's a Nextdoor post about a recent break-in in the neighborhood. The burglar must not have been able to completely kick the door in, but enough so to make a hole big enough to reach inside to unlock it.

That reminded me of an undone item on my to-do list, installing longer screws on my doors' strike plates and hinges. As well as replacing some of the strike plates, apparently.

So I thought that maybe I could get started on that today. Should be easy, right? Drill the holes deeper, replace some screws... (I'd forgotten the part about replacing the strike plates.)

Being low on sleep seems to make me feel a greater sense of urgency about random things like this. Like my brain is less able to moderate impulses. Sometimes it helps me get things done. Sometimes it side-tracks me from doing things that I ought to have been doing instead.

Now where did I put those long screws? And do I have any drill bits here, or did I take all the good ones to Qiao's house when I was putting up the extra hooks on his porch?

melted cheese sandwich

New trick: place a slice of cheese between 2 deli slices, folding the cheese corners in so they don't stick out, and microwave for ~30 seconds till the cheese melts.

Then you can put that on a toasted piece of bread, thereby having a melted cheese sandwich, without needing to microwave the bread too or needing to heat it in a pan or oven.

Of course, I use vegan cheese and deli slices.

..

I thought I posted about these already, but apparently not. Excluding pepperoni, these are the best-tasting vegan deli slices I've ever had. They're good enough to eat straight from the package:
From the Whole Foods brand "365 Everyday Value", Plant-Based Turkey-Style Deli Slices, Herb Roasted.

There is also another flavor, "Applewood Smoke", which I haven't tasted yet:

Wholefoods (USA) NEW plant based cheese slices, shreds, turkey slices

(I debated about mentioning this or not...)
Be careful with the cheese from that 365 brand, though. There was mold in an unopened package I had bought not that long ago, even though it wasn't near the best-by date. That has never happened for me with any other brands of vegan cheese slices that I've had. Hopefully it's an anomaly even for this 365 brand, but thought I should mention it in case it happens to other people too. If so, it's something that ought to be communicated to the company. Otherwise, it's not worth it for me, and I don't want to hurt their reputation.