(Old) A Day Off in the MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 6c/43f with a predicted high of 14c/58f and sunny. Weather app says “Well, fuck me sideways, the fucking sun is out!” Yes, it really is.

Few bits from yesterday…

Of course they do :slight_smile: I put a cat bed in the corner with her and draped her blanket around it but that’s not tempted her yet. I’ll have a look and see what we’ve got in the Room of Doom, there’s bound to be a box in there that will suit her. As for dignity, if you’d ever watched Cherry having a wash, you’d know there was absolutely no dignity involved!

So were we! Doddy, one of the festival organisers, was walking around with her and introduced us to her, really nice of him to do that! Money from collections at the venues and the Saturday night auction, plus a chunk of the ticket money will go to local charities that the Mayor supports. It’s good to see her come out and support the events too. I’m sorry to read about your broken contact lens though, I hope you found the other bit :frowning:

You can make up whatever story your like about that one!

After the excitement of the weekend, I have a day off work today. I have taken 'im indoors to the station already, I have grocery shopping and I need to get my car washed. I’m also thinking of a trip into town to visit the currency exchange so I can swap my collection of dollars for Euro instead. Makes sense since Gilead is not in my travel plans, and both Belgium and Germany are!

2

First! It’s good to be juvenile!

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 72 Amurrkin out and cloudy with a predicted high of 75 and rain all day. TWPTB say rain will start anytime. We shall hone our RDOS skills as this will be a good day to stay inside and dry. Sup will be pot roast with baby N.O.T. and carrots, baby lima beans and rolls.

BooFae I like in a rural area, so no mayor to meet. However, I do know my district county commissioner.

Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.

Happy Moanday Y’all!

3

… um, second?

4

Why six hours? For whatever stoopit reason, I can’t seem to sleep more than 6 hours of late. I woke around 4 this morning to answer nature’s call and could not fall back to sleep! So I messed around with my tablet for a while and when I was nodding off in the middle of a stoopit game, I did manage to steal another hour of slumber, but dang!

It’s been rainy a good bit - our rain gauge of a puddle is quite large - and it’s supposed to continue all day and into the night. We were supposed to go back to finish the electrical part of the installation, but I’m hoping to talk FCD out of it. We’ll see how that goes. Beyond that, no real plans. The chairs I ordered for the boat are supposed to be delivered today instead of Thursday, which is nice. But that’s the big excitement. Nothing else on the agenda.

I just checked the forecast for Gatlinburg next week, and it looks to be pleasant and rain-free. So that’s good. I need to make a list so we don’t forget anything, especially the ashes, since that’s the main reason for the trip. I really wish FCD hadn’t turned this into a family mini-vacation. I’d hoped it would just have been the two of us for a couple of days instead of 5 of us for a week. Oh well.

And I talked to Daughter and SIL about mowing while we’re on our cruise. When I mentioned paying them, their interest seemed to leap. :rofl: I told them what would have to be done, and suddenly, it was doable. Go figure. So before we go, we’ll need to introduce them to our new John Deere. Heck, I need to be introduced. It’s different enough from our old one and a tad more complex - I need to read the manual, if I can remember where I put it.

As usual, the fun never stops. Happy Moanday!

5

Morning all. Got about 7 hours of more or less sound sleep so ready to face the new week. It’s 47F outside right now, so a drastic difference that last week, but it is due to warm up as the week goes on. Mowage will be accomplished sometime this week, but need to let the lawn dry out some after the rains from Saturday/Sunday. Have the 5-S’s planned (shop-sammich-swim-sauna-soccer) but changes are possible.

boo fae, that reminds me, need to see my bank about getting a few pounds for my June vacation, I hate going into a country and having to rely on the exchanges at the airport.

swampy, just looked at the weather map and stay dry, may last awhile if it’s the same front that was here yesterday.

FCM, hope the trip isn’t too bad, the kids will enjoy it anyway. Hope mowage training goes well.

And it’s now time for the morning banana (apples start on Tuesday) and onward into another week.

6

Good morning all. It is raining and foggy and cold and I’m not going to the capital. Not because I’m afraid of a little rain, but because I’m just really sore and achy. I might go to the gym later on but for now I’m just going to sit in front of the windows and enjoy coffee and bird watching.

I did look at my doom/rage feeds and followed up by learning about a eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher that I suddenly cannot live without. Amazon was easy, now I’m looking for a non-amazon source that won’t involve paying tariffs.

And this is why we keep ending up with too much stuff. He’s as bad as me when it comes to one use appliances or tools. Le Sigh.

I’m glad I brought my tree in yesterday, today all of the tulip petals have been blown off the stems and my plant hanger pole is leaning over. I expect that was because of the wind, Mothman isn’t known to mess with posies.

Makes sense to me. Get what you can while you can.

While I know that you are going to be exhausted, I’m sure you will also have a whole lot of fun. Will you have time to recover before you go on your long trip?

I heard a mower going yesterday and hubs went out and looked around to find out who was mowing in the mist. I’m guessing he’s going to be mowing tomorrow if the rain stops.

Well, my coffee cup is empty so I should at least get it to the kitchen where I can look out at the forest on that side of the house.

7

We don’t leave for our cruise till June 28 - I sure hope we’re recovered by then. We’re old, but certainly not that decrepit, right? Right? :fearful:

Daughter texted me this morning - one of the Program Managers she works with lives directly behind us! That’s where the old guy who warned us about illegal aliens lived - he’s the late FIL of the current resident.

As background - I was working in my yard one day and the old guy came walking by to warn me that illegal aliens from Puerto Rico (my neighbor at the time was Puerto Rican) were using my yard to get to his yard and the road that parallels ours. He told me he knew such things because he worked in law enforcement. (I’m guessing he was a mall cop.) It freaked me out momentarily till I got to thinking. Puerto Ricans have American passports - they’re not illegal aliens. Also that part of my yard was largely full of sticker vines and trees and fallen trees while the other side of my yard was a paved road, so why would anyone use my yard as a path?

The neighbor told me he saw evidence of someone coming thru the shared fence in the back of my yard. I went back there to look - it’s where Bernie used to escape the yard to go walkabout. Apparently she knocked something over and it freaked out the old man when he saw it. That was the only interaction I had with him.

OK, slight change of plans. We’re going back to Daughter’s to figure out what we need to finish the work. We’ve got to buy some more supplies, but we’re not sure exactly how much - romex, conduit, maybe some other stuff. So we’ll be off shortly.

8

I went to bed early. Woke up at 12:30 with discomfort in left eye, so I’m leaving shortly to go to the optical department of the eye clinic because triage told me that was my best bet.

Look for Russians in bulky trench coats. Tell them Boris sent you.

FCM, tell the delusional guy you’re working with the FBI, which is investigating false reports of illegal aliens. Ask him if he’d like to turn himself in. Maybe it’ll shut him up.

9

I think I only got 5 hrs of sleep last night. Might have to take a nap so I can stay up for the National Championship game. My very favorite part is when they play One Shining Moment. Since the Spartans made it to an Elite Eight game, there should be several shots of them included.

Just normal household tasks today. I’d also like to exercise on the NuStep.

10

I had planned to wake up at 7:30 to prepare for the delivery window. Got a text just a bit before 7am, they would arrive in an hour. That would be a half hour before the delivery window. Turns out I was the first delivery.

I checked the delivery site at 8am and they were in the neighbourhood already. Seriously! Give me some time here. I got down to the lobby and started to talk to the front desk, and poof! 2 gentlemen are wrestling a big box.

I go out to meet them and guide them to the loading dock. We get it in the lift and then the flat. Squeeze it next to the old couch.

After guiding the gentlemen out of the building (they could go out the front now), I tell maintenance that whenever they are ready. An hour later the old couch is in the building staff break room and I’ve been getting things put back together.

Time for lunch break!

11

rocky well that worked out very well. No sign of Murphy today. Yay. Enjoy your new couch.

12

rocky, like Cat Glove says, Murphy must have gotten lost on the way to your place. Bet things look nicer now. But yeah, that was pretty early for a delivery.

nellie, hope the eye problem is an easy fix, may be a scratched cornea which I have had in the past, annoying as heck but easily treatable.

FCM, interesting story. I have white, black, hispanic and asian kids that I am coaching soccer for this spring, guy would be checking their birth certificates, I just want them having fun playing soccer.

JtC, just remember to pace yourself.

Got my shopping done and used my Kroger points for $1.00/gallon off my fill-up. Disappointed that the Jersey Mike’s I’m used to going to apparently is closed, this is the second week I’ve arrived 20 minutes after they should be open and the open sign isn’t lit and the lights in the back room are dark, so may have to vary my routine. Went to JJ’s instead, they are perfectly adequate but not as good as Mike’s IMHO. Now allowing digestion to take it’s course and head to the gym for some swimming before the weight training starts.

I suspect based on previous history that the soccer fields will be closed today, bring my spring record to a perfect 3-for-4 n cancelled Monday practices. Not a bad thing today, it is 48F now and not due to get much above 50F for the day, so no reason to have the kids out in wet, cold weather (I think the parents will concur).

13

30s and sunny today; supposed to be back in the 60s in a few days. Puzzled, fed and exercised. Need to make a grocery run later on. Otherwise, a boring day.

14

They had a third person on the 300 Table, so it briefly look like things might go halfway right. Apart from the lights not working in the Mez. And Secondary still sending boxes to it. And me having to retrieve them one at a time, going up and down the stairs lit only by cellphone flashlight, like some kind of 12th Century peasant. Plus the usual last minute add/cuts, nobody thinking to un-future today’s futures, moving a package car from the 200 to Orange last minute, and from the looks of the stuff on the 100 South, they sent 2 package car loads waiting for 2 package cars that were never parked. The word “FUCK!” was uttered by Management, drivers, and dogbutler. So much for an early day. It started drizzling when I got out, turned into a light rain when I got to Aldi($33, no Aisle Of Shame buys), and didn’t really start raining raining till I got home. Naptime, then I shall celebrate National Beer Day. :clinking_beer_mugs:

Same with cousin Spot.

Gesundheit!

15

Always off Mondays at this job, so to address the topic, it is my day off!

It’s funny, at this job I dread Fridays and look forward to Mondays - the opposite of many folks.

We got tip $ last night, so I treated myself to a Wendy’s croissant sammich earlier, then promptly fell very soundly back asleep.
Still wanna go get cream, spinach, and pie crusts to make a quiche today, so that excursion is funded.

However, I have not yet gotten outta bed, and likely won’t until driven to it by, ah, natural forces.

16

Started Typing: 1:07 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 1:51 PM ET

It’s currently 44°F and rainy/chilly/dreary. It’s a bit on the cool side, but mostly this what early spring is like in the DC area. It’ll only hit 47 today but highs will be in the mid-50s the rest of the week, with a mix of sun and rain. But it should be mostly clear and in the low 60s on Sunday, and I’m hoping that forecast doesn’t worsen because I have plans to go to a vocal master class that afternoon.

My next meeting isn’t until 2pm, so I figured I’d drop in here while I’m eating lunch. :slight_smile: I just had a turkey & cheese sandwich and a banana, and as I type I’m eating a small bag of Utz ripples potato chips (with a napkin handy so I don’t get grease all over the keyboard!). Also, I have some sugar-free Hershey’s dark chocolate pieces for later. Sugar-free milk chocolate tends to be gross, but dark chocolate is naturally less sweet to begin with and I find most sugar-free versions to be alright. And definitely better for me when the mid-afternoon sweet tooth hits.

It was really good to see my friend yesterday, but we wound up not having Thai food: turned out the place was closed for a private event. So, we went to a Japanese steakhouse a couple miles away (but opted for a regular table vs the show). I had chicken tempura and my friend got veggie tempura, but there were enough veggies in mine that we could have just ordered the one meal! If we ever need a Plan B again and wind up there, we’ll know what to get. After eating and chatting for a couple of hours we parted ways with tentative plans to see a local production of Hairspray in July, and on the way home I stopped at the grocery store – where I got the potato chips, sugar-free dark chocolate, and turkey & cheese sandwich (I actually got three sandwiches for this week).

After putting the food away, taking care of Bailey, changing, and starting my laundry, I worked on the Lego Ghostbusters firehouse for a while…then worked on it some more after dinner. I got through bag #10 of 14, and I should be able to finish it before the cleaners show up on Friday. :crossed_fingers: On Saturday I spent some time rearranging all of my displayed sets and figuring out where the firehouse would go, and I’m looking forward to having it in place. It will be my third consecutive set (with the Atari 2600 and my nephew’s Batwing), and it might be time for a Lego break…mostly because I have no earthly idea what might be next. :grin:

You wanna know the weirdest thing about this new job? Reminding myself that I’m in Maryland! I mean, most of my brain remembers the pain of crossing the Potomac River (traffic is always terrible at the bridge), but it’s only a 30-minute commute and every now and then it occurs to the other part of my brain that I’m not in Virginia. I’ve never lived in one state but worked in another before. (And yes, I checked the tax situation: VA and MD have reciprocity, and I’m all set up correctly in that regard.) Such a weird thing to have to adjust to!

I can’t imagine being awake enough to read/post and not being affected by natural forces! :joy:

17

Moanday again. Yesterday Mrs W and I went to the air show at Nellis AFB with some neighbors. The weather was perfect and the show was really fun. The Thunderbirds performed at the end, which is always amazing to see. I really prefer the small aircraft aerobatics though. There was just one biplane act; that and the Red Bull team were my favorite parts of the day. Lots of overly-jingoistic “battle simulations” with the Air Force jets, which actually made me a bit uncomfortable, given our country’s current status in the eyes of the world. Mostly a very good day, though lots of hours on my feet, which I’m feeling today.

This morning I took care of renewing my business insurance for my contractor status at work. Other tasks for this week include smog checks on both the cars (Again! Even California doesn’t make you do it every year!) and changing out all my CPAP equipment. New machine is due today via Brown. Also need to schedule the yearly AC maintenance before the triple digit temps arrive. The fun times never stop!

18

Not a problem - I’m pretty sure he died a few years back. He was older than dirt when I encountered him about 17 years ago.

I think it’s a balmy 48° here, but rainy/chilly/dreary as well. Just ick. But we’re done with our running around, so it can rain all it wants now.

Where do you cross?

When we got back, the chairs were on the porch - they’re going to work out well, so we’re happy. We also told Daughter that they need to clear out that gawd-awful mess that is their out-building before we can install their lights and extra outlets. I swear, they just open the door there and toss stuff in. It’s a mixture of kids’ toys, stuff that needs to be donated, stuff they’ll actually use, and honest-to-goodness trash. I didn’t raise my daughter to live like that and I doubt SIL’s mother let him be a slob, but those two are slobs. If they took 10 minutes a day, they could get and keep it all under control, but it’s their life, not mine, and I bite my tongue a lot.

It’s after 2 - I think I’ve earned some chill time.

19

I think it’s done raining for the day, though it’ll stay overcast and generally blah. I’m grateful, because the drive home is already longer than the drive here: add rain, and we’d probably be looking at close to an hour for me to get home.

The American Legion Bridge. Getting across it is always the slowest part of both commutes – though the roadwork on NB I-495 right where I get on it every morning is a close second. :slight_smile:

20

I reckoned on getting a late breakfast out, but nooooo, it was pouring. I decided to order lunch from delivery service. As I was to be working from home, I tried to get the laptop to work. That took an hour, and lunch arrived. I got some work done.

Now back to the reshuffling.