(Old) Did Everybody Retire In The MMP?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Happy Birthday @The_Stainless_Steel_Rat :tada:

Happy Easter to those who celebrate :rabbit_face:

{{{{taters}}}} Enjoy digging in the dirt and planting flowers. You’ve earned it. :hyacinth:

Yesterday I pulled out the ground cover which was trying to take over the raspberries. As raspberries have shallow roots, I hope I didn’t damage them.

This morning I woke up a bit sore, which reflects the 3-4 hours of garden work. We went for a walk and got home before it started raining too much. Lunch was salmon with cajun seasoning, and whole-wheat couscous with frozen peas.

Now I just have to convince myself to make a red sauce for stuffed shells, and make the stuffed shells themselves. I’m making a half recipe - the full recipe is 12 servings. Even the 6 servings will probably be close to 8 servings, so there’s something for the freezer.

Maybe I’ll bake something.

@Misnomer I got an ad for the Lego Orient Express, which is nice. But not as nice as the Botanical Garden. That is gorgeous. If I keep seeing Lego ads, I might break down and order something else. Except we still have two small kits on the coffee table waiting for us to do something.

Oh. And happy 420. (Not the correct leaf, but it’s a leaf: :maple_leaf:)

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Gimme dat.

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My wife’s recipe is a barely legible scrawl on a piece of paper, given to her mother by a first generation Polish woman friend.

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Ground beef with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (or minced garlic), browned. Drain off the grease. Add a small bag of frozen broccoli, cover, and heat until hot. Eat with mayonnaise and sriracha sauce. I’s my guilty pleasure.

The Sara Lee Everything Bagels have sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, onion, salt, black chia seeds, black sesame seeds, and garlic.

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Afternoon, mumpers! It’s currently 12c/54f with a predicted high of 14c/57 and partly cloudy. Weather app says “Eh, it’s fairly fucking decent outside. Is that more positive? I am fucking trying!” It is nice out there, and it’s partly sunny too.

Happy birthday, metal mouse

Taters I am sorry that things are ending this way for you, and sorry that you have been so badly betrayed by your country. 42 years is a great achievement and you have much to be proud of. You leave with an excellent reputation and a head held high. You and your mental health deserve some time in the sun enjoying your garden.

nellie catfish isn’t a regular menu item here but a (very) few select restaurants will sell it. I expect you could find it in the Eastern European supermarkets here but for typical Brits, it’s not something we eat.

Had a fun night out yesterday, we went to see a couple of bands at the Giffard and met up with the usual suspects :rofl: It was the headline band’s singer’s birthday so the audience sang happy birthday to him which he seemed to appreciate. We went downstairs afterwards and sat in the main bar for a couple of drinks, enjoyed some cheesy rock music and chatted to random strangers.

'im indoors was wearing a t-shirt from a band who split up in difficult circumstances but have got back together (minus the guy who caused the problems) and are about to announce some tour dates. The guy who books bands for the Giff told me that he’s booked them for November, but he hasn’t announced it yet - I have the date saved in my calendar thanks to him.

We left about 2am after deciding we’d had enough beer and went to get a cab home. Had a cup of tea and checked the cats’ litter trays and food bowls before going to bed. Today, Muffin has hidden away in the bookcase again, and the girlies are snoozing in the sun. I plan to sloth for the afternoon, 'im indoors is making dinner and we will probably watch a movie tonight.

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Morning all, and thanks for the Birthday greetings. It is my 72nd completed trip around the sun, so I guess I am 72 now (but I’m not, I’m already done 72 years and am 72 and some days/weeks/months older so maybe I should just say I’m in my 73rd year…it is a puzzlement). Anyway. combination Easter and Birthday meal will be a trip to 5 Guys, which I only do 3-4 times a year now (used to be every week while I was working). To celebrate I’ll get the large fries and damn the calories. The gym is closed for Easter so just sloth and internetting/reading to entertain me.

shoe,

Close…

red, hope the Monday appointment brings more satisfactory results.

nellie, glad you are home and the eye is behaving. I’ll have to steal that origami line… And so smiling about your story on the school retirement and the kid.

Happy Easter Sunday, swampy and all other religious practitioners

FCM, enjoy the family get-together anyway. and 90 minutes driving should be a breeze after your recent venture. And…

Don’t worry, they are civilized over there…

Pavo, I’ve been singing bass since I was about 11 and that ain’t going to change now. And the Hallelujah Chorus always reminds me of this memorable rendition (just listened to it again and am grinning as I type this) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRhjWdr-LAA

boo fae, planning for a concert in November; that’s real forward planning!

And that’s all for the morning report. I’ll give into my modest (I hope) ego and see if I have any B-day greetings on Facebook, and by then it may be close to time for the 5 Guys pig out/feast. Take care all.

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Spot decided to celebrate Easter by grabbing my arm and bunny kicking it while I was making the bed.

:champagne::partying_face::birthday:HAPPY BIRTHDAY METALMOUSE:birthday::partying_face: :champagne:

You used to sing “Every Sperm Is Sacred” as a lullaby?

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That is painted across my soul, the evening before Long Night shift.

Do the other carryin’s on require a chaperone or other adult supervision?

I made the exact same joke to Car(e)less Co-worker!

Great minds …

I would assume, at minimum, minced garlic and/or onion.

I did not know tenors come in various flavors.

Being a forward-thinking lazy-ass pothead person, I planned ahead & brought supplies to my bedroom shelf, so I could - and did - celebrate before even getting out of bed.

However, being also an aging decrepit, I then had to promptly get outta bed. The reason(s) why have been left as an exercise for the reader.

Meanwhile, Monkey had similar … errands … and whatever he did in there prompted 1a.) him to absolutely howl to be let outside, and 2b.) me to throw open windows to catch the breeze.

Jeebus, cat, what did you EAT?!?

Oh, yeah. Cat fud.

The best recipes are like that.

This was very well put.

Probably one of my favorite movies.

… but no cigar?

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Good morning, everyone.

It’s 49°F and cloudy at the moment. Our expected high temperature is only 56°F, with a 40% chance of rain showers after 11:00 a.m. For some reason, whether Easter is early or late, it’s almost always cool or wet. There have been a few really nice Easter Sundays, but they are mostly gray. Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about little ones being cold or wet while hunting for Easter eggs.

Happy Birthday, Metal Mouse!

Missred, I’m sorry those idiots couldn’t be competent. I hope the ortho trip at least provides an answer.

I thank you all for your kind words. I’m going to get over this. Life goes on, and so does the rest of the world. There won’t be a huge send-off because too many of us are going. Even if my career had progressed the way I wanted, I didn’t want a huge send-off. My plan was to quietly go, with maybe an after-hours dinner with a few close peers.

And, truly, many people have already contacted me of their own accord and said or written very lovely things, so the big speech thing is not a big deal. Those quiet words are the best ones.

I am looking forward to no longer having to commute and to the quiet times when the sun is just coming up, the birds are singing, and the air smells sweet from the flowers.

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate or enjoy family time. My son is coming up, and I’ll make the tater salad, a spiral ham with some sort of glaze (yeah, I caved), and something else. I bought a small NY-style cheesecake with some fresh fruit toppings for dessert.

Yesterday, I treated myself to a pedicure, went to the grocery store, and then went to Mud Bay for food, treats, and toys. Those dogs are so spoiled!

I did all the laundry and cleaned the fridge when I came home.

I’ll boil the eggs and potatoes for the potato salad in a while, so they are nice and cool when it’s time to assemble the salad. After my husband wakes, I’ll wash the sheets and towels.

Only seven more working days! I will take this coming Friday off, because I have credit hours to burn, and frankly, I’m very bored at work, even if I am busy. The days consist of me creating guides and running people through workflows, fixing last-minute issues, documenting the fixes, and wishing the day would end. I recently moved to a private office, and I will miss it. It was set back from all the others and was quiet. I had it set up just right, too. I finally had a comfortable space that felt just right. My previous office space felt dark because of all the UNICOR cherry executive furniture. There was too much of it.

Oh, the fish thing! I don’t like catfish or tilapia. They are definitely muddy tasting. I remember eating carp (perch) as a kid because I caught them in the ponds around my house. A pain in the butt to eat because of all the bones. Frankly, I rarely eat fish anymore. It’s got to be fresh, as in just caught. Also, I had to eat so much fish growing up, especially salmon, that I avoided it entirely as an adult.

I hope you all enjoy the day, whatever it brings.

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Happy b-day, metal mouse!!

I’m in the auxiliary shop today, making the donor planks for the tug boat. They had a fund raising promotion getting people to donate to the project. As of Tuesday, I will be officially be done with the boat. Thus ends my business. Bittersweet, but I think I’m glad it is done. The last few years have been hard.

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Looks like everyone has something to celebrate today! Happy birthday Metal Mouse, and Happy Easter and 420 for those that observe either of those holidays.

I like fried catfish, preferably with cornmeal batter. Frying it covers up any bad taste, and freshness and the origin of the fish seem to matter as well. I can’t imagine why anyone would want it grilled though.

It’s raining buckets here and water is shooting up out of one of the gutter downspouts. I paid my lawn guy to clean the gutters a couple of weeks ago - either he didn’t clean the downspouts or he didn’t clean the gutters at all. He’s always been very reliable so I will make the most charitable interpretation, and see if i can get my sister’s fiancé to take a look next weekend.

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Yes to this. Well said.

Otherwise a day of solo sloth here in tropical paradise. Plenty warm but just cloudy enough that beaching is unrewarding. What to do, what to do? And how best to eat when I’m 99% dependent on restaurants and have no desire to deal with Easter crowds. First world problems for sure.

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Sara Lee thinks their Everything Bagels are:

….generously topped with a blend of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onions, garlic, and salt for a classic everything seasoning…

Sunflower seeds are too big to stick to a bagel. Those black seeds are poppy seeds, not chia (us Czech girls find poppy seeds to be almost a religious sacrament). The garlic is a crucial part, as are the salt and dried onion bits for a hearty savory hit. Great for sandwiches or even just a thick schmear of cream cheese.

Trader Joe’s sells everything bagel seasoning in a jar, it’s one of their most popular items. For about a year my 6 year old grand daughter put it on, well…everything.

… This simple (yet exemplary) blend of sesame seeds (white and black), poppy seeds, dried garlic & onion, and sea salt flakes is all you need for bringing that crunchy, roasted, savory flavor…

I think it might have even been everything bagels that hippie and his lovely bride choose at our recent mini-Mumper bagel lunch. I went for the straight poppy seed encrusted bagel, true to my Czech roots.

Gray and gloomy here on Easter morning~maybe that’s why I’m being so fuss-budgetty (is too a word!) about :bagel: bagels. Thank goodness we did our family backyard egg hunt yesterday when the weather was ideal for it. 63 plastic eggs were hidden, 62 were found. My 3 year old grandson Sorenson and I finally gave up searching for that last lone egg and his sister who hid his eggs isn’t about to tell us where it is. I suspect she’s planning on keeping the candy or matchbox car or brand new shiny 50 cent piece inside for herself.

Today is a relaxed (such as they ever are) family dinner of ham and scalloped potatoes. And kid wrangling, lots of kid wrangling for me. If I’m lucky a little of it will be holding one month old Rupert.

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Happy birthday metal mouse! Enjoy your Five Guys.

My Easter menu is Honey Baked Ham, baked sweet tatie, green bean casserole (courtesy of the Jolly Green Giant). I bought a Fannie May buttercream egg weeks ago and put it on a shelf in the garage. That will be my after dinner treat.

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Here’s the ingredients label:

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This band has a solution.

Yup, yup.

(When I first read the initial post, I was like, “Chia? That’s fancy shit for a bagel.”)

ETA just saw the post with the ingredients.

Color me “huh.” Chia, but no poppy?

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So does Spice Islands, Badia, and McCormick’s. Which are the USA’s Big Three grocery store spice brands. It’s pretty commonplace stuff nowadays.

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That’s interesting. That list came from the same Sara Lee site that my quote was copied from and in a different spot on their page they don’t list sunflower seeds or chia seeds. Sara Lee is trying to set us against each other, we gotta unite!

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Started Typing: 10:53 AM ET
Clicked Reply: 12:08 PM ET

Happy birthday, Metal Mouse! :birthday_cake:

And, happy Easter to those who observe. :rabbit_face: :church:

WifeBFF has confirmed today’s plans, and in a few hours I’ll head over to her and HusbandBFF’s place. I don’t know what we’re having: all I know is that I don’t have to pick anything up, so one/both of them will be cooking something (they’re both very good cooks). I’ll stop on the way for a large Diet Coke from the McDonald’s near their place, which will be my “payment” to WifeBFF for dinner. :grin: We’ll be eating at ~2pm: all I’m having before then are a banana and a couple of protein shakes, so I’ll be ready to bring on the grub!

It’s currently 71°F and mostly cloudy, but the sun is supposed to start coming out soon and the expected high is 75. It should be a really nice day. :slight_smile: :crossed_fingers:

I’m so sorry this isn’t entirely voluntary! :people_hugging: It seems like you’ve already identified some silver linings; I hope you’re able to find true peace sooner rather than later.

No…no, they aren’t. (:joy:)

Maybe he was asking “on the burger” vs “on the side” (e.g., packets), not “on the burger” vs “on the shake”…?

Doooooo iiitttttttt! :grin:

It’s been 10 days since I finished my last set. I’m having a little withdrawal this weekend, but I’ve wasted spent a lot of time looking at everything Lego has and there isn’t really anything else* I want right now that isn’t backordered. The key is “right now”: someday I want the really big (and $$$) Millennium Falcon and a bunch of Modular Buildings and Harry Potter sets…but any of that needs to wait until I have a bigger house.

I do have some new-to-me holiday sets that I’ve been gradually buying off-season and won’t assemble until November, and I keep toying with the idea of getting the Sanderson Sisters’ cottage (from Hocus Pocus) for Halloween. But I won’t want to display that one year-round, I have no idea where I’d put it, and I think it’ll be too big/complicated for me to want to take apart and reassemble each year. I’ll see how I feel about it in September.

*I did pre-order the Star Wars logo set: it should arrive sometime the week of 05/05. :slight_smile:

Everyone knows that birthday calories don’t count! :smiley:

Still not easy, though. :people_hugging:

DoorDash, bay-bee! :grin:

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The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and the new little green leaves on tree branches are waving gently. It’s what Easter should have been like when I was a kid. The reality was having to wear coats over our finery and once, we had to turn back en route to my aunt’s house because of a blizzard.

Happy Easter!

I planned ahead and got some good ham slices from the deli and a long roll and other things for a truly deluxe sandwich. No cooking and cleanup is easy. I have strawberries for dessert.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR METALMOUSE! :birthday_cake::tada::wrapped_gift: :wrapped_gift: You make 72 seem young. I hope your day is filled with bliss!

If anyone tries to deport our shoe, the Army of Mump shall defend her!

Oh, I DO hope you get to hold him! There’s something about holding a baby that restoreth the soul, don’t you think?

Because your people are wise, very wise.