For me, Festivus 2023 wasn't worth observing. With not even one day after it passed, I got head-start on Festivus 2024.
Cover image made using MS Paint.
A Bit about Festivus for Those Not Familiar with It
Although it is not a religious holiday, Festivus is a holiday accessible to everyone. After all, who hasn't had any complaints?
Festivus had been a thing since 1966, but it took off in popularity in 1997 after the Seinfeld episode titled "The Strike" aired on NBC.
There are several characteristics which make Festivus the unique holiday that it is. More information about Festivus can be found at the link above. However, the most famous characteristic of Festivus has to be the airing of grievances.
So far, I'm getting a quick head start on mine.
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1️⃣st Grievance: Loss of Internet Access ("It wasn't You, It Was Me [sic].")
This year Festivus fell on a Friday. So on Saturday-- Christmas Eve-- I was working on a post I was going to publish before doing my usual #Index4INDEX post before going to bed.
An older cellular phone I had been using as my mobile hotspot kept cutting out on me. Billing was not the problem since I prepaid a few months in advance.
I'm used to this phone cutting out on me periodically, but this time it kept disconnecting as soon as it established an Internet connection. Rebooting the computer made no difference. Restarting the mobile hotspot made no difference.
Switching the microSIM card to another older phone made a difference, but this phone was made for miniSIM, not microSIM. So I still had my troubles. Eventually I found another old phone which accepts microSIM. So I'm back online.
With my connectivity woes piling up at the time, this meant the end of a few streaks.
2️⃣nd Grievance: End of 100% HP Power Up Streak
It's not easy publishing a post every day, and even if it can be done it's easy to forget to set the earnings to 100% HP. After aping into my first Hive Power Up Month badge I was in a groove and close to earning my second
around New Year's Day.
Nope-- gone!
3️⃣rd Grievance: End of my #Index4INDEX Streak
Before quitting Hive for the day I had been posting quotes on "index cards" for a series at LikeTu started by @jongolson called #Index4INDEX. For a while INDEX tokens were awarded to people who posted pics of index cards with motivational or insprational quotes.
The awards passed, but I kept the habit going. There were interruptions initially, but once I got into a groove it was part of my daily routine.
Too bad-- routine interrupted!
4️⃣th Grievance: End of my XLSref Streak at LeoThreads
Despite publishing posts on Hive and LeoFinance as well as engaging with fellow Hivers and Leos, I had minimal content for the topic which brought me to Hive in the first place: spreadsheets.
So after LeoThreads went live I decided to make a spreadsheet function reference as a use case for LeoThreads. I wanted to do for spreadsheets what @taskmaster4450 had been doing with @leoglassary, only I was going to do it 240 characters at a time.
But not in the days following Festivus 2023.
5️⃣th Grievance: End of 𝓣𝓸𝓭𝓪𝔂'𝓼 𝓗𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓕𝓲𝓿𝓮 Streak at LeoThreads
Along with Index4INDEX was a companion streak I called Today's Hive Five ("𝓣𝓸𝓭𝓪𝔂'𝓼 𝓗𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓕𝓲𝓿𝓮"). I pick 5 Hivers to mention in a thread in order to introduce them to LeoFinance's microblogging platform. The reasons for the mentions vary from time to time. Currently it's for Hive projects and their teams.
With my conenctivity woes, it was at least 2 days of "Today's Hive None."
6️⃣th Grievance: Lack of Engagement
Whether it's a LeoThreads, LeoFinance, or Hive via Ecency, engagement adds value not just to Hive and to fellow Hivers but also to my day. Lack of engagement feels weird.
On top of that, no engagement guarantees 0.000 HP-- and that will make 2 straight days of ZERO HP when 2023 rolls around.
Dammit!!
7️⃣th Grievance: Time Away from Excel
Not that I want to spend all my free time with Excel, but I wanted to document some things for a post I want to publish about how Excel is useful for creating wrapping paper for small gifts.
Instead of experimenting and documenting this use of Excel, I had to take time to figure out what was causing my connectivity woes. I also had to spend time trying to find an older phone which would accept the microSIM card I had been using. Even then, the microSIM card had to be inserted properly. Given the size of the thing, it's a kick in the head when it's time to remove the microSIM card from the phone.
I found a phone which can use this microSIM card-- at the cost of 2 days of Hive activity.
Yes, I was able to use this time to work on that Excel post. No, it wasn't the same experience as I was anticipating before I lost my connectivity.
UPDATE-- 8️⃣th Grievance: Throwing Away 100 CoinGecko CANDIES
How could I 🤬 forget this one??
On actual Festivus, I had collected 60 CoinGecko CANDIES. On this day, I was poised to collect the Big Bag of 100 CANDIES.
Not to be!!
Not only did failing to extend the CANDIES streak to 7 days reset me to 10 CANDIES for the next time, but the next time was postponed for 2 days as I dealt with my mobile tech woes.
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Just My Two Sats
I was looking forward to being productive at the start of the holidays when my mobile hotspot crapped out on me. That's what I get for overcharging the battery on the older mobile phone overnight many times. So I did it to myself.
Even so, it began a cascade of things which killed my Hive activity for 2 days. Whatever streaks I had going were terminated with prejudice. Tueday I begin a new set of streaks. Now I need to monitor my "new" mobile hotspot like a hawk before I add that to my list of grievances to air during Festivus 2024.
("Signature" text takes a break for now.)