I am so sorry for your little human pack. It’s probably cold comfort that she went quickly & didn’t linger long in misery; I’m sure all of you have lovely memories of what I’ll always recall as one helluva surprising mix.
I’m sorry to read about Lucy.
It is a chilly, sunny day here. More like the weather we should have than last week.
Got up, had breakies at a restaurant, got allergy shots, and headed home.
My hair experiment is over so I stopped at a super cuts on the way home today. Something called a wolf cut?, sort of happened. I am now adding turquoise reef to my hair.
A nice calm day with cats and books here.
I looked it up - they called it a combination of a shag and a mullet. Sounds, um, interesting.
In about an hour, Higgs and I will head to the vet. She’s not going to be happy - she hates the car. Oh well.
My hair isn’t that long, so I guess that is why the stylist called it sort of a wolf cut.
Good luck at the vet. Hope you don’t get the “cold tail” when you get home.
She won’t shun me - she likes my recliner too much! 
There was a little freezing rain last night when I took Bailey out before bed, but it’s been sunny all day. Cold and breezy, but sunny. On Thursday it’s supposed to get a little warmer but rainy for a few days, with lots of rain and “partly/mostly cloudy” in the 10-day. Still, not too bad for January in DC – and I’m happy to see that this coming Saturday and Sunday are supposed to be dry, because I have plans both afternoons. 
There has been a Washington Gas truck in front of my house – just outside my home office window – since 9am. They put a nice big hole in the street just next to my driveway (in front of my neighbor’s yard). But no one has told me to stop using my furnace or oven, so I’m doing my best to ignore the random jackhammering and dump truck rumbling and other associated noises (weirdly, from inside the house the jackhammer they’ve been using sounds more like a small helicopter). So far it hasn’t been too bad, though, and Bailey has enjoyed looking out the window and barking at the workers from time to time.
It’s only mid-afternoon, but for the past hour I’ve been feeling so done already! I blame the fact that it’s the first Monday I’ve had to work in three weeks. I am coping with my done-ness by slacking: reading/posting here, and putting off both the staffing-related email I need to send to one of our hiring managers and the test report I need to finalize and deliver. We have a virtual all-hands meeting at 3pm; I’ll start paying attention again then.
Definitely scary.
A HS friend of mine started having seizures our senior year; I remember her having one on graduation day. Everyone around her freaked out a little, including me. At the time, I didn’t know there were levels/types of seizures: the first grand mal that I saw – about ten years later, while I was volunteering in a hospital ER – scared the crap outta me.
Aww, I’m so sorry for your dog park community. When Bailey was much younger we were regulars at a dog park for a while; I remember how close we got, and how we loved each other’s dogs.
Happy moonday and condolences to all who have to toil for the man. We’re experiencing an uptick in local temps and most of the snow will likely disappear over the next week.
Looks like our check fraud claim will be resolved by about mid-week and the money put back into our account. Luckily, it’s only been an annoyance and not a disaster, but it’s a sharp reminder of just how vulnerable we all are to this sort of thing.
Dental checkup this week. Our first with a new provider. Then an eye exam next week. Also have to get diabetes bloodwork done soon. The fun never stops.
Pasta with lemon and butter and shrimp for dinner, methinks.
Howdy Y’all! Da cave is spiffed and we have achieved nappage. Have I mentioned lately how much I love bein’ a retired drain on society? It’s cool but very nice out so I imagine we will do some day drinkin’ on the porch in a bit. The big excitatement comes this evenin’ when we watch the Dawgs and Frawgs.
sari I am so sorry about Lucy.
Nettie and teela here’s hopin’ the rainy/windy weather continues to not effect y’all too much.
GodBod it is scary to watch a seizure. Hope the kid is OK.
Taters don’t let 'em run over you, not that you ever would.
VanGo hope you’ll be able to get stuff done and that the guy and his daughter are over the plague soonest.
ace I yanked some chikin tenders outta da freezer this mornin’. They shall be grilled and sliced to go over sallits tomorrow. I feel so grownup makin’ a plan ahead of time!
BooFae this sounds like a week for the PSWSLNS to make an appearance.
rocker wolf cut, huh. Sounds innerestin’.
cookie glad the check fraud claim is bein’ resolved without too much pain.
Oopsie nuttin’ like the sound of a jackhammer to add to the thrill of a Moanday irk day.
Hello, everyone! I’d wish you all a Happy Moanday, but some of you are mostly through your day, and some of you have already had sad news.
Taters, hope you’re able to get all the issues on the table at the meeting. It sounds like management can’t see the trees for the forest, at least in your case. You deserve better.
ace, that’s why I’m not a FedEx fan. Sometimes I wonder how they stay in business.
Godbod, watching a seizure can be very disturbing, the kind of experience that sort of haunts you all day. It doesn’t help that there’s really very little anyone can do at the time. I hope for that kid’s sake that they find a medication that works for him. Since he has a history of this, I assume they haven’t found the right one/dosage for him yet. I think when he gets back to class, seeing him act like his old self will help you feel better–that and some time.
sari, I’m so sorry about Lucy. You’ve made that colorful cast of characters so real for us that I feel like I knew her and Lucy dad. It must be a very sad day for you. When an elderly dog dies, I send a donation in his/her name to a program that cares for unwanted old dogs, and it helps me feel a little better. I’ll miss hearing about Lucy dad. He seems like a good guy.
Well, got the bedroom vacuumed (to Buddy’s displeasure, he’s probably still under the bed sulking) and a shelf unit in there a bit more stable. Still need help from DH on a couple of tweaks.
Don’t know if my back will go along with further vacuuming today (we’ll see when the anti-inflammatories kick in). The new vacuum works great, but IMO the extension wand is not long enough to run the crevice tool around edges of furniture, and I’m not that tall. OTOH, Bissell is quite happy to sell me another extender, which is due to arrive next week, and worst case, I can live with feathers and birdseed around furniture edges that long. It’s not as if I’ve been meticulously keeping up Felix Unger-style to date. 
Okay, so the big bin is still at the curb, but I’ve been semi productive otherwise, I swear!
Swung by the Gettin’ Sto’ before work yesterday to get a wall calendar. Every year I procrastinate, or my mom sends me one.
This year I hit the not-so-sweet spot: limited selection (a “Friends” TV show calendar? Really?!) but nothing yet on sale.
Dammit.
Oh, well, I found a cat-themed one, good enough.
Coupla years ago, mom sent me a calendar featuring minimalist photos of potted succulents. If I wasn’t already such a damn hoarder I might’ve kept it.
Got a car wash today to rinse off the winter salt - seeing the local pick-‘em-up trucks all rusted out around their wheel wells makes me feel the $$ is well spent - and went to both the dollar store and Aldi in search of, among other things, friggin’ pasta. Like, normal, not gluten-free whole-wheat low-carb quinoa whatever; just pasta, man.
Finally procured a single box of penne and deemed myself lucky.
Got plenty of other goodies. I like Dollar Tree, they keep their prices down on food stuff by using teensy packages. For a singleton with a tiny appetite, this works perfectly.
Best example? They have bacon for $1.25 and it’s very neatly & evenly cut. (Most cheap-o bacon looks like a rabid wolverine chewed the slices apart.) How?
Because there’s, like, 5 or 6 slices per pack. I got tired of wasting the last of a normal size (pound? 12oz?) package of bacon and/or fussing with thawing frozen slices, so this is PERFECT for me!
Last time I was there, I got a box of Gushers candy. The packs were TINY like 5 or 6 candies per bag.
I could slip a bag into my apron pocket and surreptitiously snack at work; it was great. Shoulda gotten two boxes, they didn’t have more today.
In a rare bout of optimism, I’m looking forward to hearing about his new puppy. Bonus points if it’s somehow a Great Dane/Yorkshire terrier mix.
shady, I’d send brandy to you if I were closer, but you’d likely only get a wee bit, given that the cask would have to be one small enough for Nelson to carry. 
Glad your daughter is rehabbing ace. My mom had a similar incident once butchering chickens. Surgery put her back together too.
Seizures are a scary thing GodBod. Hope that your classmate recovers well.
I’m sorry about Lucy sari. Hugs and skritches to all of her pack.
I called out of irk today with a migraine. The last round of excedrin pretty much took care of it, but I stayed in dimly lit rooms with no electronic screens most of the day. I still have a few sparkles, but am feeling quite a bit better.
Once I did get the desktop, I managed to dump a cup of tea on my keyboard, drowning it. 
Fortunately, I keep a spare for this kind of thing around. Now, I need to order a new spare.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
Packers lost. Neener neener neener.
My tum is a bit upset. The lid on the soup can (Progresso Light Italian Wedding) would not pull back. Pissed me off, So a can of Campbell’s Noodle Soup went into the heater upper. I thought as I was eating it “this is really salty, plus only one bowl?” I forgotted to add the can of water. I’ll probably bloat like a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon.
OK, so I didn’t get under furniture or hit edges with the crevice tool today (back said no), but the traffic areas of the carpet are greatly improved. Not sure I wanted to see just how much filth had accumulated, though. Even wound up swapping filters once during the operation, besides dumping the collection tank. I now have two foam filters drying in the sink and one in the machine (and a package of backups).
That’s one nice thing about this vacuum, the filters are MEANT for wash-and-reuse, so it’ll be a lot longer before I have to retire the machine because filters can no longer be obtained.
Both cats are sulking, probably under the bed (haven’t looked). Neither approves of vacuum cleaners, although this one isn’t as bad as its predecessor as far as noise.
Howdy Y’all! We have accomplished day drinkin’ and sup. Plus the kitchen is now all cleanded up. Go Us! Now we chillax until Dawgs and Frawgs time. I, of course, and pullin’ for my Dawgs, but sayin’ Dawgs vs. Frawgs for the past week has highly amused me. I am easily entertained. That’s what makes me such a good house guest.
shoe, your dollar store has actual food? Mine doesn’t, unless you count stale candy. I’d love to get bacon in small packages like that. So glad you can! (And let’s work on expanding that appetite, 'kay?)
Nelson: A sip for you, a swallow for me. A sip for you…
WetOne, hope your tummy feels better. I’ve done the same thing with Campbell’s chicken noodle soup. Not that that’ll make you feel any better.
Seanette, do I recall that you don’t particularly like “nettie,” or am I confused? Or is it just that the whole nettie/nellie thing is too confusing. I could go by “Bly,” as long as nobody confuses me with Captain Bligh.
No one has yet come up with a nickname for me in here I actually like, so I do prefer my actual name until that happens.
As far as canned condensed soup, I do cut the dilution by about half (fully diluted is too weak for my taste).
Maybe it was thirsty?
Ok, Story #1 from last night. This one left me a bit verklempt.
Nice lady came through, change was $X.50 so I gave her the paper money plus a 50-cent coin.
(For some reason, we get rolls of these. I always give people a heads-up, to ward off the ppl who think it’s a very large quarter and then look up at me like, “Where’s the rest of it?”)
Script: “Here’s your change, it’s $4.50, I’ve got four dollars, and this is a fifty-cent coin. One moment, your pizza will be right out!”
{ big smile, slam window shut against the howling cold wind blowing into my ear- and nose-holes }
When I hand over the change, this particular customer - a woman easily in her early 50s or more - gets all excited, and tells me, “Oh, my daddy used to save these to give them to me. They’re special for me. Thank you so much!”
Well, I need to give the kitchen about 45 seconds to finish her pizza (yes, they can time it to that precision) so to stall, I tell her if she’s got a dollar handy, I’ll happily sell her another pair of half-dollar coins.
She digs through her purse; meanwhile her pizza comes out and a kindly crew member slices it & bags it, and walks it over to me.
I give her the pizza; she’s digging but all she’s got is a 5-spot. Hands it over, fully expecting her two 1/2 coins plus four ones.
She plants her pizza on the passenger seat while I glance at my drawer, lift one eyebrow … proceed to count out TEN half-dollar coins, and then just poured them into her hands.
Y’all, that woman had tears in her eyes. Kept saying how this was a sign from heaven.
She initially was all excited about pizza for dinner - this place is beloved locally - and I swear she all but forgot about her damn pizza, she was so thrilled to get all those half-dollars clinking in her palms.
Me? I love this shit. It’s such a lovely benevolent power trip. I wasn’t even expecting her to have such a reaction; I just knew I could do a little thing that cost me, what, 00005% effort?
I just had to think a bit that I could do this thing, and that she’d want it, make the offer, and re-open my register.
… and count to ten. I can do that.
Evening all. Have shopped and been to the Doc’s (90 minutes for seeing him for about 5-6) and my BP and anti-seasick patches are already set for pickup, so guess it was worth it. Heading out to forage in the wilderness for sustenance tonight, then maybe watch some tackleball. Missed the swimming due to the Doc’s appointment, so may make it up tomorrow…or not…
Shoe, that is a great story and you are a pretty remarkable human being whom I’m proud to call a friend. Haven’t seen a .50-cent piece around here for years. Don’t know if I ever looked at the Dollar tree for edibles, there is a Dollar General Market close by that I occasionally shop at.
Wetone, I have Campbells Chicken Noodle soup pretty much every week and while I’ve initially forgotten the water, I don’t think I ever made it to consuming it that way…now you have me wondering what it would taste like…
{red}, hope the head keeps feeling better.
Cookie, glad the bank is coming around and getting your dough back. And as for the dentist, remember why their title is D.D.S.—Dey Died Screamin’
Oopsie, hope meeting went well, and I know what you mean when the utilities start taking an interest in your neighborhood. Glad you could get any work done.
Sari, I mourn for Lucy; she sounded like the perfect ‘good dog’. Sure her ‘Dad’ is heartbroken.
Boo fae, I’ve faced a few exams I really didn’t want to take, but never ran out of the building…hope student learns to handle the anxiety.
OK, need to head out and forage (mostly I need to decide what burger place to go to, either Culver’s or McDonalds). All y’all have a good night now.
{ slides toe around while looking down }
Aw, shucks.
Okay, story #2 from lady night. Short and funny.
One of the guys hurt his finger. Not sure what happened, but it was bruised and numb.
(He left early to seek Rx care. Worry not.)
But as everyone was looking to see what happened, this dialogue occurred:
Other Guy: “Oh, man. Is that your pinky finger?”
Injured Guy: “No. >< Jesus, man. It’s somebody else’s pinky finger.”