Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 73 Amurrkin out and partly cloudy with a predicted high of 89 and cloudy with a fifty percent chance of rain. We shall see. The big item on today’s agenda is to procure provisions. I am in the mood for some down home cookin’, so sup shall be country fried steak 'n onion gravy, smashed N.O.T., butter peas, squishes, and cornbread. I may also make some pee-kahn brownies. There will also be the usual RDOS sloth, of course.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then I suppose I must purtify and don attire acceptable for bein’ amongst the great unwashed. The things I must do!
I do follow this person on Facebook, and I did back that Kickstarter Sumerian cookbook from another person I follow, which is way, way outside my budget but is really a giant art book. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arimhawsho/table-of-gods
You may remember I mentioned my chaos friend was moving to Madrid? Well, it should have been yesterday, but he it looks like he got scammed. Did I mention he’s cursed? He’s 100% cursed. He gave me a list of what he’d checked to confirm the rental was legit, and it’s honestly everything I could think of[1]. Oh, and his grandpa died at the weekend, he was 97 and he’s been in poor health for about a year, but it’s the worst possible timing- my friend’s not even going to be able to make it to the funeral because of this mess.
Just waiting to find out if they can manage to reclaim any of the deposit money. His luck over the last few years has honestly been almost unbelievably bad. Like.. if his life was a sitcom, people would be complaining that it was unrealistic.
And it makes me feel bad because I can’t really do anything to support because I’m completely swamped with writing right now, not that I could do much anyway.
had a live video tour, including getting the guy to interact with stuff and put his hands in a drawer to see how deep it was (to subtly confirm it wasn’t AI), plus go out on the street to see the local area (and check the outside matched the street view for the address), got a friend to confirm the outside matched what they’d seen as well, checked all the places like airbnb to confirm the flat wasn’t listed on any, and checked the ad had been marked as not available once they’d agreed to take it and the same address hadn’t popped up elsewhere on a new ad.
They also got the guy to send a scan of his ID, which matches the name on the signed contract and the bank account they sent the deposit to - which is actually with the same bank my friend used to bank with in Spain. They even did a little light stalking and checked the guy’s social media presence and Linkedin profile and listed work location to check it was realistically near the home address he’d given them and any pictures matched the ID, they had multiple phone conversations with him… but they got to the flat and there was no guy with the keys and when they tried to call the phone, it’s switched off. All day. The rest of their stuff from the old flat is supposed to be getting delivered there in a few days ↩︎
We’re 19 minutes away from sunrise, and it’s 59F and cloudy outside. Morning clouds, afternoon sun, and a daytime high of 78F are forecast today.
JtC, yay for fewer restrictions and a teensy bit more weight allowed.
BooFae, I think you need a nip of something in your strong tea.
We’re supposed to have a deep partial lunar eclipse tomorrow night, running through the wee hours of Friday. It’ll be a Sturgeon Moon, which means that sturgeon were plentiful in the Great Lakes.
Yesterday we drove down to the waterfront and had lunch at The Lobster Shop. We ate outdoors on the deck and enjoyed the water views. The weather was just right, and the food was delicious.
Mr. Taters wants to take the bikes out today. I’m kind of hoping he changes his mind because I have errands to run.
Alright, I’d better get going. Please take care of yourselves.
Good morning all. Slept in until after 7am, so am rested and ready to face the day…not that I have much planned for it. Need to file a couple of Incident reports with AYSO headquarters (one kid stung by a hornet from a nest inside a goal and the other for a potential broken wrist) but that’s the sum of my official duties. Otherwise a quiet day of RDOS (with some gym time) is planned. 79F heading to 88F and a 40% chance of rain this afternoon, so we’ll see what the Weather Wizards deliver.
Well, I’m sacrificing some body mass to the Great Sewer Gods…
boo fae, some people just can’t be rushed (or refuse to move at all). Hope yoou get the updates sooner than later.
swampy, happy procuring. My day is Firday, I have most of my list done but need to check the digital coupons to see if there is anything else I need/want.
Nut, sorry about your friend, hopefully better days are coming.
Taters, I should have a pretty good view of the eclipse here in N. Ali-bama, if I can be bothered to stay awake that late (96% totality is just after 11pm here).
And need to get the documents scanned and off to AYSO headquarters. Have a good Hump Day all.
Good morning. My walking alarm went off this morning, and I decided an extra hour of sleep would suit me better than an hour of walking. Since I’m in “didn’t burn it - didn’t earn it” mode right now, that means breakfast was just a cup of yogurt (it helps that I’m out of granola).
That did not take long at all. She is a little worried about my creatinine levels. I figured it’s because I hadn’t drunk enough water this week. I’m to go back and get poked next week to verify that. In other news, she’s put in a script for estradiol patches. She does not yet want to start me on spironolactone, which is a diuretic, until I can get those levels down.
I am excited and nervous. There have been a lot of “what if I’m wrong?” There has also been a lot of “What if I’m right?” I don’t know which answer frightens me more.
Yeah - this one saddened me, too. I was hoping she would make it another fifteen years, so she could make it to 95. I’ve been seeing a lot of flags at half staff around here. I also just found out that she had a home in my town, and she was often seen at the Mexican restaurant Mrs Magill and I frequent. That I will say about that. - The first rule of living in Nolensville is that you do not talk about the famous people who live in Nolensville.[1]
I’ve heard Big Bend National Park also has really dark skies. Combine that with the clear skies I’m sure they have, and the view has to be spectacular.
Back when the national speed limit was 55, my father advised me that the perfect speed to go was 63 mph - fast enough to get you where you’re going, but slow enough to not attract attention. Nowadays, I drive speed limit + 5 and stay in the right lane.
Nuts that really sucks for your friend. Hopefully, he can claw some of that money back, or that it was a mix-up on dates… probably not with the ghosting, though.
The second rule is to take that left turn. You never know when your next chance will come. ↩︎
Here, finally. I got Tobias to his classroom and Roxy on her bus. I took some first day of school pics for Daughter and SIL. Now I’m home, getting ready to switch from this PC to a newer one. I need to back up all the stuff I want to move - that’s a LOT of stuff. The thing is, I have tons of pics that I never look at, but I can’t bring myself to delete them. Digital hoarding…
No other plans for today so far. I should probably thaw something for supper.
I’ve been getting inane ads of all sorts when I play freebie games on my tablet - guess that should be expected. The latest batch, with AI Oprah and Dr. Oz and Melania and Dr. Gupta, are for a miracle fat-burning “hack” (how I hate that word!!) where you mix lemon juice and baking soda and some other secret ingredients and you can lose 40# in 2 weeks!! Impossible you say? Damn right it’s impossible.
First off, when you mix acid and base (lemon juice and baking soda, or vinegar and baking soda) you get water and salt. Basic chemistry. Secondly, Melania lost 63# in 6 weeks?? If anyone in that family needs to lose 63#… but I digress. I haven’t watched any of the ads to the end, but I have to wonder what they’re selling and how many desperate people will buy this worthless “hack.”
OK, gotta get moving on some sort of productivity - it’s already after 1030!!
Everything went horribly right today. I was out by 0950. I accidentally knocked out the drain plug in the Good Ice maker, so I had a small spill to clean up, much to the chagrin of Spot. Apparently chilled Brita water served on Linoleum is better than room temperature Brita water served in a plastic dish.
I shall start my spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker then nap.
And now Tim Curry has died.
I ended up backing it, too. Because cookbook. I wonder if it will have beer recipes in it, too?
Yikes. That is “angered a wizard by stealing his cursed amulet” level of bad fortune.
I thought you were going to say “go upstairs and scream at the roof.”
Albuquerque?
{{{{Mollie}}}}
You can lose 40 Pounds in 10 seconds if you run into a pickpocket in Trafalgar Square.
Eldest came over yesterday afternoon to pick up his kids tuition check. We had dinner and then he talked for three hours straight. By eight o’clock I was ready to shoot myself. I’m glad that he feels comfortable here, but I wasn’t expecting a lengthy stay. It wears me out.
72F at 1050 and mostly overcast. Exercise done, as are all puzzles. I’ll be making meatball subs for dinner, with marinara, provolone and Parmesan.
Afternoon all. I have been slothful and also conspicuously consuming calories, so a gym visit is definitely planned for the afternoon. Next two days will have soccer practices and Saturday will have two games to coach and at least one to referee so I’ll at least have some outdoor time then.
Hit the wrong button again…
FCM, it took me nearly 3 years to lose 75 lbs., losing 10# a week puts you in the hospital IMHO. And your using science against AI ads, and that’s no fair!!
Mollie, shit will get more real as the road goes on. Hang in there.
Put them on a thumb drive maybe? That way they won’t take up a bunch of room on your new hard drive and you can fill that one up with grandkids, Otis and boat pics. As far as Melania losing 63# in a brief amount of time, could that have been going from 40 weeks pregnant to a month later with a bunch of personal training time? Either way, the ads are total BS.
I’m waiting on approval from the third doctor to see if I get sprung today. Y’all keep appendages crossed.
I’m on my newer computer - does my post look upgraded???
FCD has been bugging me to swap machines, so now I’m on Win11 and trying to get everything set up the way I had it on the other computer. It’s been a challenge. I had to dig thru a bin of miscellaneous computer cables to find an HDMI adapter - the monitors have one kind of connection, the computer has another. But I’m good now.
Next step will be taking everything that’s on the backup drive and putting it here. Plus purging crap I don’t use, like Edge. Slowly but surely…
Oh, and the “weight loss” ads are pure, unfiltered BS.It irritates me, tho, to know that there are people who will fall for it. Just pisses me off on principle.
Our franchise owner has “retired” but in S.M. own words, he is incapable of staying retired. Since Grandma Co-worker is either still in the hospital or possibly home & recovering, he’s gonna work with us for entire shifts this week.
I refer to him as “the feral cat” because when he was Big Boss, he’d show up for a minute or two, then POOF! disappear.
But since he (used to) own this joint, he should know his stuff. It’s just piddly little things that differ among locations - plus the colorful characters I work with, and all our idiosyncrasies - that will make this week, ah, interesting.
Lots to respond to since I haven’t posted this week. I’ll have to leave that for later if I can, but meantime, hugs and best wishes all around.
Today is splendid, started out with 52Ferrets and forecast for a high of 81F, currently hanging at around 70F.
The pond is fixed! Or as fixed as we think it can be at this point. Pond Guy and I discussed potential future leaks and both feel this is distinctly possible. But we’ll take them as they come, and there is plenty of material left over to plug them if they arise. For now, my pond is filling again! Very relieved and I am again grateful that I got to know this fellow. I’ll see more of him and his family as mushroom season progresses. (He liked the brownies a lot, with nuts. A la swampy, with pee-kahns.)
On Monday, Mr. Car saw his doc and was pronounced fit as a fiddle for such an old guy. The shiver I detected in the steering column is likely caused by tires that are nearing time for replacement. I saw that coming, so new tires are soon in our future. The car itself is in fine shape – I’m so glad!
The shop also agreed to get my late husband’s old truck back into shape so I can either sell it on or donate it as appropriate. I’ll clean it up between now and next week, then arrange for a tow to get it to the shop. Getting it gone will be one less thing to worry about as I unburden things ahead of an eventual move. A move is not imminent, but I’d like to be ready when the time comes.
I met with 2 good friends for lunch while Mr. Car received his treatments and discovered a new excellent Japanese restaurant. We had a marvelous time catching up, and I am lucky to have lovely friends who care for me.
Yesterday I met up with my closest friend here who has been out of commission for awhile with diverticulitis and other afflictions. She’s finally better, and that was grand to see! We checked out a restaurant in our nearby town that just opened, and we are both very glad to welcome them. Excellent food, reasonably priced, friendly staff. I think they’ll do well.
It’s nice to have a few household things taken care off with minimal $$$. Today I feel more like the windshield than the bug! I’ll enjoy that while it lasts. Likely fleeting.
I need to make a quick jaunt to my closest quickie-type mart for milk, and then I’m settled in for a few days.
Breakfast was ham and eggs with Ciabatta toast and a banana. I’ve got an itch to scratch for dinner so will make the Hungarian goulash recipe I grew up with as made by my stepmom. It’s an old Betty Crocker one that uses that original Hungarian ingredient: Ketchup. 'Cause I’m classy like that. Hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! Served over noodles, it’s hearty and filling. Should make enough for at least 4 servings, half of which I’ll freeze for another day.
Hope to get back to the MMP soon to wish everyone well in a more personal way! Take care, all.
Afternoon all. Made it to the gym before the 40% chance of rain became 100% with accompanied thunder, so I’m here until the weather improves in around 2 hours, according to the Weather Wizards. So lots of breaks between the walking and pedaling, might even have time for some swimming.
Fingers crossed that he actually wants to work instead of sharing memories of the good ol’ days.
I"m so sorry. I always hate breaking in a new machine.
FREE RED!!!
I hope you get good news soon.
So today we got in the car and went to the Flatwoods Monster Museum, which was a few blocks away from the Big Foot museum. I tried to sign the guest book, but my pencil holdin’ hand didn’t do a legible job so the post cards I bought will have to wait for another week.
Besides post cards, I also finally got a WV road map, like the ones we used to get at gas stations. I hadn’t come across one in the wild yet and couldn’t find what I wanted because of the “too many choices” part that comes with shopping online, so I grabbed this one when I saw it. Better yet, it was free.
Hubs drove but my arm was still aching by lunch time which pissed me right off. Makin’ chicken and gravy shouldn’t have worn me out so much, you gotta know I’ll be complaining about it at PT in the morning. Of course that means they will make me work even harder, but if making a chicken dinner is enough to wipe me out like that, I NEED to work harder.
While we were out, we saw a very cute library in Sutton and I had some cash, so I had Hubs stop so I could give them some money too. Both of the library ladies told me they were in deep mourning over the loss of the Patron Saint of Libraries.
We also stopped at the best known quilting shop in WV. As soon as I walked in the door, I got a rush of nostalgia. Before Mom went back to work after us kids were in school, she would do the laundry during the day and iron during her soaps. I’d come home to the smell of clean laundry and spray starch and that store smelled just the same.
Quilting and needlepoint really don’t have much in common but we both use backing material. I haven’t priced satin in a while and should have brought some smelling salts with me, but the cotton and muslin looked to be good quality and very reasonable.
And we had an elk discussion on the way that I think I will share with you guys. We spent a good deal of time driving along the Elk River and the Elk trails and the Elk forest so I said something about there not being elk in WV. Hubs was sure that there were here and have been since as long as he can remember. WV has elk.
Well…no, it doesn’t. It did before the logging companies came in and clear cut the state, but they all died in the process. The forests are coming back, but Elk need pasturage to graze. They had lots of grazing ground because they were constantly maintaining it, but without the elk to eat the saplings, the trees grew. Now there is no elk habitat left because there were no elk left.
Arizona did not have elk back in the day, but a rich rancher in the Flagstaff brought them in for hunting. Northern AZ is perfect for elk, the winters aren’t too cold, the summers aren’t too hot, there is lots of grazing and the ranchers have killed off all of the predictors big enough to take an elk on. As a result, AZ has super-elk and back in 2016, they rounded up a bunch of them and sent them to WV.
Now the only elk in WV are at the state park down the road and we will be going on guided tour to see them next week.
And now I’m dusting off my Rocky Horror Picture Show CD to watch and remember Tim Curry. Many of my happy memories of mispent youth involved cult movies and I still enjoy that one.
As far as Melania losing 63# in a brief amount of time, could that have been going from 40 weeks pregnant to a month later with a bunch of personal training time? Either way, the ads are total BS.
