Try a couple of glasses of water…it’s very easy to get mildly dehydrated in this whole process.
So glad it is going well (except for the headache).
Morning all. No indoor soccer today (they have some type of robotics thing going in the gym we use), so stayed in bed until 9:30am because I could. Will probably try and get to the fitness center for awhile today, but nothing much else on the agenda. 31F but nice outside, heading for the low 40’s.
nellie, so glad you came through surgery ok. If the headache persists, call the docs, they probably have dealt with it before. Hope the pain does abate.
shoe, it’s called taking the initiative, and bosses love it when people show the ability and inclination to do it. And it keeps you from being bored! Yea shoe!!
Taters, you are good at your job; simple as that. Know you had a horrific experience earlier in your work career, but places change and so do people and if other folks have confidence in you, who are you to argue with them? , OK, that’s all the pep-talk for now, just keep on keepin’ on. And hope the couch ‘in the container’ is the same as what you ordered.
Flyboy, keying a car never made any sense to me; it’s just random destruction for the joy of messing things up. Hope any fix doesn’t cost a bundle.
Oopsie, good news on the application and the subsequent training. You got this.
Cupcakes, when I was a kid, we used to have to make a path outdoors when our dauschund had to go out in 10-15" of snow.
Cookie, glad the selling is going well; and I would have run screaming if I saw a spider like that…
I don’t watch much of the Winter Olympics either, just can;t get that involved with most of the sports in it. Oh, if I’m flipping channels and it’s on, I might watch a bit, but I don’t make plans to see it.
OK, enough rampling; onward into the day. All y’all take care.
Well, I feel silly. It was snowing so hard I assumed there was more than had actually fallen. Barely an inch or two, hardly worth putting on a coat & boots.
Still, the two tire ruts are re-shoveled (I don’t do the whole driveway, just enough for my car to enter & exit) and clear for later.
I have to do A Thing today before tonight’s shift. It’s not particularly unpleasant or anything, but as per the usual, I’m procrastinating as if my life depended on it.
… think I’ll go take that walk now. 
Roxy and I assembled the puzzle mat, built and knocked over a couple of towers, and now we’re lunching and watching Paw Patrol. We’ll see how much she wears me out in the next 3 hours.
So glad you’re home and feeling optimistic, nellie! 
Thanks for the application congrats/good wishes, all. I have a mild degree of subconscious “OH NOES WHAT IF THEY LAUGH AT ME” – just because, you know, they might – but frankly I can’t imagine not being approved (though I could be randomly audited). The prep class and the exam itself will be the Very Difficult things, but this is the first step!
I have no plans for today, other than a bunch of online stuff. I still have an email to reply to, and my taxes to file (my employer’s W-2 finally arrived yesterday), but then I shall veg on the couch for the rest of the day. Which is fine with me, because it’s cold and windy out there.
Tomorrow morning, though, my best friend is coming over! There’s a really big mall about a mile from my house: we’ll go there to find me some new jeans, and maybe also look for something I can wear to my jazz festival show. Then we’ll grab lunch, and come back to my place to decide what I’ll wear to my show (between the options already in my closet and what, if anything, I buy at the mall). I’m not generally much of a shopper – or one to fret about outfits – but I haven’t seen my friend in person since Christmas and it will be fun/rewarding to buy some smaller jeans. Plus, I have two gift cards for my favorite clothing store: I’m planning to save most of the balance for when I reach my goal weight, but as of today I’ve lost 30 pounds and I might indulge in one or two nice things now.
Figure skating is just about the only sport I’m willing to watch on TV. I used to be quite a hockey fan, but never got into televised games. And I love baseball, but I don’t even really care for watching that on TV unless it’s the postseason (and the Yankees or the Nationals).
That’s how I feel about the summer Olympics. I only notice the winter games because of skating. At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to watch at all, because I have mixed feelings about this year’s host country (China).
Yay! Congrats!
I bought a new couch and loveseat a couple of years ago…but I only meant to buy a couch. I wanted the same couch my best friends had recently gotten for their basement, and when they asked their salesperson for the style name and details the company failed to mention that the couch wasn’t available in that particular size anymore: when I went to the store there were only bigger and smaller versions, and in my confusion I “accidentally” ordered the loveseat (my salesman, too, failed to mention that the style had previously been available in a different size…even though I had carefully measured my friends’ couch and brought that info with me). When it arrived, it was too small for me to comfortably share with Bailey. After a lot of measuring, I decided to keep it and also buy the matching couch. The two pieces are actually too big for my living room, but I figure eventually I’ll move somewhere with more space.
Less and less the older/more experienced I get, but there are definitely still times when I feel like I’m faking it. Especially when it comes to management/leadership stuff. (Who am I to pretend to be a grownup?!)
Yesterday afternoon I saw some memories being driven away from my mother’s house.
See, forty years ago my dad bought an antique pump organ. At the time it was over a hundred years old, and it was in amazing condition. The wood polished and not scratched, a perfect beveled glass mirror, lots of curlicues and carving. Even the red velvet around the stops was still in good shape. Originally in a church Dad became the fourth owner. The only work it ever needed was, about ten years after purchase, to have the bellows repaired. Dad loved to play it, and Mom said that the morning of the day he was killed he’d sat down to play, then left the house to visit a friend, so the last time she ever saw him alive was at the organ.
My cousin Alice has it now, and yesterday it was carefully loaded in her and her husband’s truck for the drive to Nebraska and a new home. Alice loves to play, and is the organist for her church. Her father died when she was little, and my dad was the uncle closest to her, who walked her down the aisle for her first marriage. So the instrument means a lot to her as well. But there’s a blank space in the wall at the house. Sigh
I missed this.
Johnny, he died in 2014. He was on his motorcycle and struck by a truckdriver that took his eyes off of the road to plug a CD in the player. But at the age of 85 he was still doing something he loved, riding that motorcycle. When his 50th high school reunion came around he and my mom rode it all the way to Buffalo, NY to attend.
See, I’m no spring chicken. I’ll be 58 in May. I have a lot of self-confidence in the day to day and mundane, and if I don’t know the answer or how to do something, I have no problem with reaching out to someone for some input or advice. I think you hit the nail on the head; it’s the leadership and policy stuff that’s kind of throwing me for a loop. I want to be a good leader and I am taking courses and reading up on a lot of stuff. Also of those years of bad bosses have taught me much. However, my current Fed Gov org is such a complete difference from my former org (Dept of Defense), that I still grapple with coming to terms on many things. I am sure I’ll start getting over it, but I’ve been dealing with a torrent of constant change in the new org, which doesn’t help. In the end, I know we’re all in it together and that there is a good reason people have faith in me, or I wouldn’t have this job. It still just kind of surprises me, I guess.
We went to Tony’s – now Monte’s – Just A Bite for breakfast. It’s a tiny place, in a building that was erected in 1892. The article in the first link says the new owner was formerly a cook at Black Forest Steak House (good), Peace Arch City Café (good, but we’ve only been there once), and Big Al’s Diner (Um… yeah. Kind of a punchline for us).
Tony’s Just A Bite used to be called Tony’s White Spot. Maybe he was talking about seagull guano or something else; but it sounded a bit racial to me. In recent years, Trump and MAGA memorabilia was included in the decorations. We didn’t hear politics being discussed, though. Our server wore a mask the last couple/few times we were there, but I had the feeling Tony thought they were stupid.
So we pulled up to Monte’s this morning. I saw a young guy in the kitchen, and I thought the place wouldn’t lean so right, The first thing I noticed was that there wasn’t a mask in sight. The second thing was a stack of The Flame, a Right-wing propaganda rag. At our table, the young, tattooed waitress was not wearing a mask. Oh, and they were playing Country music.
Monte changed the home fries from Yukon Gold to russets. Mrs. L.A. said, ‘They taste like the ones you make.’ We like russets, but Mrs. L.A. said the yellow potatoes made going out for breakfast ‘special’. I had chicken-fried steak for breakfast. The portion was a little smaller than Tony’s. What stuck out was that it seemed to have been a pre-packaged steak. The coating was too uniform, and it didn’t tase like Tony’s. Cheaper potatoes and pre-made CFS seems like something Monte learned at Big Al’s. If I say so myself, I make better breakfasts. We don’t go there often, but I think we will go there less often now.
ETA: Thank you, Baker.
The Thing is done. Yay, me!
(I needed to move two tubs’ worth of rats and clean out their old tubs - one of which is actually a rather heavy tank, that was super awkward to dump out - in preparation for a buyer who will hopefully clear out my collection in the next couple of days. I have too many, and they’re becoming a source of stress rather than pleasure. I plan to keep my favorite line, and that’s it dammit.)
So I got that cleanup done, plus accomplished a tremendous amount of de-cluttering and Throwing Away of the Useless Crap, plus the litter box is scooped.
I had BETTER remember to take the big bin out tomorrow - it’s more full than it’s been in a while!
Some pre-work chillage shall ensue now as a reward, plus lunch - likely the remainder of last night’s pizza. Monkey is currently in time-out in the basement, because he wouldn’t leave Nikki alone and it took me way too long to compose this post, with the constant interruption to intervene.
nellie I’m glad the surgery went so well! Hugs (gently)
taters congrats on finding a new couch that everyone likes. As far as work goes, I think everyone on the planet feels like they’re an imposter sometimes. I think you’re handling it just right.
Oopsie have fun spending time with your friend.
Cupcake I’m glad that the organ is staying in the family. It’s nice when things with meaning get passed along.
shoe I’m not sure whether to feel more sorry for Monkey for being in the basement or Nikki for getting picked on. { waves goodbye to ratties }
Afternoon all. Made a short stop at the gym, rode 4.2 miles on a bike-like contraption and pushed a few weights, nothing major but burned a few calories…which I promptly put back on with a sammich and fries… Still, getting some conditioning will be good for me in the long run.
shoe, glad the thing is done.
flyboy, you can’t get the guy to change his politics, but you can vote with your stomach. As always, your call.
Cupcake, that was a heartwarming (if somewhat tragic) story. And riding a Motorcycle at 85! I hope to have his energy and spunk in my later years.
Oopsie, I have a large sectional (half of which I never use) just so I don’t have the sofa/loveseat conundrum. And enjoy the day with your friend!
OK, need to do some internettin’ , watching a train on a bridge in Kansas City (I’m easily amused). Take care all.
Howdy Y’all! Our big news of the day is that we tested negative for the plague. YAY! We celebrated with nappage. Then we celebrated with gin and tonics with a twist of lime. We felt the need to make sure we don’t get scurvy. Been a nice day of sloth, chill, and worthlessness here at da cave.
Nellie yay for successful surgery and bein’ on the mend! I second what Boo said about drinkin’ water, as you could have a little hangover/dehydration from the surgery and so forth.
Taters of course you are that good at your job! We know that. TPTB at your irk know that. Still I understand the feelin’ of imposter syndrome. I was good at what I did irk wise, but sometimes it felt weird that I was good cause it’s easy to wonder if you’re forgettin’ sump’n, not payin’ attention to some detail, overlookin’ stuff, and all that. Just remember, however, you would not have gotten this far if you were not good at what you do. Congrats on the new sofa and love seat. Be careful about the “need to freshen up” that often goes along with a new purchase. The next thing you know, there will be a two story addition! 
CupCakes it is sad to see memories go away like that. I am glad, however, that the organ is stayin’ in the family and is goin’ to somebody who will cherish and play the organ.
shoe yay for accomplishin’ A Thing! Now go kick some butt (and slice some) at irk!
Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes SWMBO wants to go out for breakfast. She likes Denny’s, but the closest one closed years ago. There’s a place down the beach that had OK breakfasts. Might have to go there next time. But I’m happy cooking at home.
Home from my twice-delayed birthday dinner. My daughter made this, and it was YUMMMM!!! She’s becoming quite a good cook, when she has time to mess with it. My keeping Roxy for the day helped her out today.
She also made a chocolate cake that had cherry pie filling in it - also yum! All in all, a nice evening. Now it’s time for chillage.
Glad the surgery went well nellie.
I think we all get the feeling of being an imposter sometimes taters. Just keep grounded and keep doing a good job.
We had a pump organ at home when I was a kid too baker. It’s what I practiced on (had to relearn some things when we went electric). I’m glad that it’s going to a home that will appreciate it and will play it.
Got some of the current project done in the studio today. The red headed girl provided supper (thanks coupons [I really am a geezer now. 
]) They even gave Nelson a nugget when we drove thru.
A little more studio work and a few more episodes of Messed up Origins before taking Nelson out and going to bed.
I am officially very tired of food that didn’t bother me one day bothering me the next day. I’ve had the same thing for lunch several days in a row: didn’t bother me today or Thursday, but yesterday it made me feel sick enough to have to lie down for a while. And I had the same dinner yesterday and today: no problem yesterday, but right now I’m (still) feeling sick. Apparently this is very common after bariatric surgery, but I am OVER it. 
My dad got one in 1985, while we were still living in England. It was never playable, though. He’s been an organist since he was in high school, and he got it from a local church. He kept it in our garage. I think he intended to fix it, but we wound up going back to the States earlier than planned.
(He’s 73 now and retired, but still has a church gig. )
I’ll be 51 in the fall…only slightly less spring-y than you.
I’ve wanted a sectional for a while, but when I was ready for new living room furniture I could not find one that would fit in my living room. Someday…
I always figure that I don’t want to run into it again later on, so deal with it NOW!
So it was 70 yesterday, 47 when I got to work, and 34 when I got off. Brrr. I napped, laundered, and watched the NHL All Star Game. Having a pre dinner Negroni.
Glad the surgery went well, nellie.
Sorry about the food thing, oopsie.