Afternoon all. Have used the fitness center to knock off some calories and now waiting for the buffet to open to put them back on. Weather has cleared nicely and I might get some swimming in this afternoon. Outside of that I will practice slothage.
Pilot, it was at our stop at Puenta Arernas (spelling) Costs Rica at the Natuwa Wildlife Sanctuary and then a boat near where we were docked. Port is actually 20+ miles from the main city so not much but wildlife and sugar cane…lots of sugar cane.
Puntarenas the city is about 70 miles as the crow flies from where I was beaching early this month, and about 35 miles from the volcano I visited. Glorious country as you saw. Puntarenas is also the name of a truly huge province in Costa Rica that encompasses that city and much of the Pacific coast to the south.
Started Typing: 12:20 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 1:15 PM ET
“…and the streetlamps’ bright glare,
headlights shining in air,
gave proof through the night
that the leaves were still there”
I emailed the lawn company first thing this morning, and was told the leaves would be vacuumed today. The pile isn’t really hurting anything – it’s in the street but not impeding traffic, and it still isn’t windy outside so it’s fairly well contained – but it bugs me and I’d really like it to be gone.
I agreed to help support a big proposal at work, and my first deadline is in just over a week. I’m getting started on the draft today. It’s been four months since I last helped with a proposal: I was a prop writer for seven years and a prop manager for another three years (the latter is what I was doing when I joined my current company), and since switching to project management work almost four years ago I’ve remained involved with business development activites, but I’m always amazed at how quickly those chops atrophy between bids! LOL! It always takes some time to get back in the proposal writing “zone.”
Not much going on with me this week other than working and going to the gym. My personal training sessions are currently (temporarily) at 6:30pm, but luckily my trainer had some cancellations this week and was able to move both Tuesday’s and today’s sessions to 5:45pm. He doesn’t like the 6:30 starts, either, because by then he’s already worked a 10-hour day plus he lives kind of far away and has a long drive home. He’s trying to squeeze some folks in for the next month or so, though, and I can do 6:30 if needed. But I’m always glad when the time can be moved up. I’ll also go to the gym on Saturday morning, which will get me caught up on the sessions I cancelled last week. (Then Thanksgiving is a week from today, but I’m taking the day after it off work and think I’ll be able to make up that session then.)
We can order from Amazon UK, too! I did so a few years ago, when an album I wanted was released there several months before it was going to be available here. It did the currency conversion for me and everything. I had to pay extra for overseas shipping, but since it was just a CD it wasn’t too bad. (This was before MP3s were always available.)
Bailey would eat All Of The Butter if I let her.
Always a good start!
I’ve kept journals off and on: recently, I’ve been thinking that it might be helpful to start another one (mostly about my bariatric surgery and ongoing issues with my weight/diet/exercise). I’ve always had trouble with heavy self-editing, though: no matter what kind of writing I’m doing, public or private, I have a hard time not “fixing” it to be readable by other people. Explaining things, trying to express my thoughts as clearly as possible, etc. And because I’m hardly ever vulnerable around other people – always honest, straightforward, and generally an open book; just not truly vulnerable – that gets in the way of me journaling emotional stuff. I think I will try it again, though, and sooner rather than later, even if I have to write “for others” for a while before I can let my guard down. With myself. If that makes any sense.
WOW! I guess I really never thought about it despite knowing that Amazon wouldn’t settle for just US domination. I found the UK site and will be wasting so much time poking around.
And no dust bunnies hiding out, win-win.
I wonder if you might have RSV.
What are the symptoms of RSV?
The CDC said that once someone is infected with RSV, symptoms usually start to appear in 4-6 days, and include:
Runny nose
Decrease in appetite
Coughing
Sneezing
Fever
Wheezing
Symptoms often appear in stages and not all at once.
Cringes.
Mom always wants to share her “after” pics with me and I really do not want to see them.
This has been our exposure to golf as well. It is fun with friends, especially friends who play for fun and don’t trounce noobs just because they can.
I offered VBC some butter today and she didn’t want it. GG thinks it is wonderful so we won’t be doing that again.
(Did you get an email about Birdmoss selling onyx bowls? I’ve ordered one, the picture showed something very much like the one I shattered so I had to have it. Mom is still enjoying her mystery boxes, so thanks again for mentioning Birdmoss and getting me started.)
That’s what I always reminded myself when things caught fire at work. Not my circus…
I had NO idea! They have some amazing looking cookies.
Well, no decrease in appetite, no fever, no wheezing, and Nyquil took care of the symptoms. I’m pretty sure it’s just a stoopit cold. Heck, I just stopped the coughing by chewing gum - keeping my throat from drying.
I think the memorial service was really hard on MIL. I heard her saying that she’s glad she didn’t do anything like that for FIL. Poor lady just seems broken.
Two of the bras I ordered for MIL were delivered - one was immediately eliminated, but the other seems to be pretty good. We’re waiting for the other two, and at that point, she’ll decide which she wants and which get returned.
Daughter came to see the memorial and took the afternoon off, so she took Tobias home. It’s nice and quiet here. And it’s time to throw more wood chips in the smoker…
Those are WOMDERFUL! I’m so happy you are having so much fun. So many men miss out of enjoying the textile arts because it’s not manly enough or some silly shit.
You are doing amazing work, it must be because you have such good supervision!
Apparently, we were puking buddies. Did you get sweats & chills, too, or just me?
I’m having a tentative cuppa restorative tea before dragging my sorry carcass in. (I need the hours; there’s nothing contagious; I don’t wanna leave my crew short handed.) I’m early-out anyway … should be OK I hope.
Debating picking up soup or something on the way there to sip at/nibble on over my shift.
I’ll hafta double back around to y’all later - I took a verrry long, hot shower just now and need to get moving. Which I’m doing very slowly & weakly today.
That shower felt gooo-oood, though I had to force myself into it.
I desperately wanna wash the sheets and blankets after the sweat-fest last night, but I simply do not have the power.
Oh, you’re in good company - sweats and chills both.
Sweet baby Jesus in a ruby loincloth (was that you who used to say that?), it was miserable. I kept wondering if that was what menopause felt like - minus the barfing I hope.
I watched a movie many years ago in which the football player Rosey Grier had a small part. He played a musician who was traveling by air, and this character always bought a seat beside him for his cello. The film showed him doing needlepoint while on board, because I think Grier really did do needlepoint. Nobody is going to tell a guy that big and tough looking that needlework is sissy.
Yeesh. My sister called, complaining I didn’t giver her enough money for the rent. The deal is: Each of us gets a third, and the house gets a third. My sister would spend any money she gets, so I withhold part of her share to pay the property taxes on her house. (Otherwise she’d get the tax bill and cry to me that she can’t pay the taxes and she’s going to lose her house.) I explained to her how much each of us gets, and her share minus what I withhold for her taxes equals what I deposited into her account. She got hysterical and insisted I check the bank statements and tell her what I deposited in May and June. I did, plus July, August (three month advance), and November. She admitted she was wrong, and said ‘I’m sorry I got hysterical.’ I told her the rent’s going up in January, and that we’d get a raise then. That mollified her.
I’ve been entirely too nice with our tenant, who has been renting since our mom was alive. Rents really climbed during COVID, but I didn’t raise the rent during that time to prevent hardship. I looked up the premissible rent increases for San Diego.
Rent increases for a 12-month period cannot exceed 5% + the percentage change in the cost of living over the previous year’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) . Additionally, it cannot exceed 10% total. Landlords are prohibited from increasing the rental rate in more than two increments over a 12-month period.
I don’t know about the Consumer Price Index, but I’m raising the rent 5% per year now. Since the tenant is paying half the Zillow Rent Estimate, he won’t have room to complain. And if he does, we can rent to a new tenant for the going rate. (Which might be difficult, as I’m 1,300 miles away and I don’t really trust my sister to find a tenant. How much do property management companies charge?)
Howdy Y’all! Got the things done over to the church house. I spent two and a half hours there. Granted, part of it was yakkin’ it up with the other Verger, who also does office admin stuff. I told her I would be acolyte for the funeral, as that is easier than tryin’ to get one of the kids in there for a couple of hours on Sattidy. She was glad for that as she was tryin’ to get the service bulletin for the funeral and for Sunday put together as well as get the weekly email newsletter out. Anywho, got back to da cave and heated up the leftovers for N.O.L. as we were both hongry. Then nappage and day drinkin’ got accomplished. Netflix and chill soon.
NF and I will be driving to Dallas for the eclipse and I have already warned her that I have a small bowl addiction so she will need to be prepared to stop at every Native American pottery stand in New Mexico. I’m able to resist the ones in Arizona because I’ve visited them all in the last year or so.
Of course, if I’m lucky enough to be paired with a fellow bowl addict in the Secret Santa, I could send one of the very nice bowls I already have and then buy a couple more to replace it…
Soup is good. It helps hydrate you as well as give you something warm to sip.
We didn’t have TC today because TC friend has the crud as well. I made chicken stock yesterday so took her some stock and a couple of thick slices of parm and garlic bread. She lives alone and doesn’t have time to cook often so she seemed pretty appreciative about getting home made comfort food. I sure do hope she can get some sleep tonight, she looked pretty ragged when I brought the food over.
Every so often I see a man at seminar, but male participation is usually about .01 percent, most of the men there are bored spouses who got dragged along to carry suitcases.
I did work for an Ophthalmologist who specialized in eye surgery and did needlework as a hobby when he wasn’t shooting manly man guns or driving his he-man lifted bright red jeep.
(I used to piss his assistant off so much because we would use the microscope in one of the operating rooms to for stitching super high count fabric with single strand silks and that was just sacrilege as far as she was concerned.)
He did, and he did nice work. I remember hearing an interview with him about doing needlepoint and being surprised at how articulate he was. (Not racist, he was a professional football player, do you have any idea how many hard head knocks he took over the years?)
Apologies in advance because this will be long. Skip it entirely if you’d like.
I had the appointment with the corneal doc today. Ms. Dog was very upset. See, she has this game where you put her in the bathroom, close the door, and hide a toy anywhere in the apartment. Then you let her out, and she finds it. She thought that’s why she was put in the bathroom and before I left the apartment, she was crying and yipe-yiping as the grim reality hit her. It was HARD to leave.
I told the corneal doc the good news, and he said, “Great. Sometimes it takes time to get the right fit from scleral lenses.” I said, “They’re not sclerals. They’re KeraSoft.” I THOUGHT, “I’ve only told you 18 times I can’t do sclerals!” He looked surprised then. Anyway, all’s well.
I got worrisome news about a friend and former colleague when I got home. Five years ago, not long after my breast cancer surgery, she got diagnosed with the same type and grade, She was only 40. She had a lumpectomy and radiation, and as a precaution, had her ovaries removed. Two weeks ago, she told me a CT scan showed spots on her lung, but her oncologist said they didn’t look cancerous. He was wrong. The breast cancer spread to her lungs and some lymph nodes. They’re running more tests, but there’s chemo in her future. I know she’ll probably be OK, but it’s upsetting anyway.
The only golf I’ve played has involved windmills and schoolhouses. Frankly, if there are no windmills, what’s the ppoint?
FCM, would a vaporizer help, seeing that it’s a dry cough? Or would that be coals to Newcastle, since Maryland is humid?
I feel so sorry for her. She’s had SUCH a tough time this year
That was so kind of her!
Taters, I hope they potty train quickly. That’s one good thing about labs: they’re easy to train. I want photos, but IMHE, photos of puppies are generally blurred streaks until the snooze in their food bowls…I’ll happily settle for stories.
Pilot, glad you stay on top of the skin cancer! That can be nasty stuff.
Hippie, gorgeous work! My mom taught my brother and one of his friends to knit. This was around 1960. Mom was ahead of her time.
Oh, it absolutely is, by convention and history. Silly, but true.
Never heard it before, but I’ll try to remember it. (I picked up “Jesus Christ on a pogo stick” somewhere, though, most likely Da Dope.)
I’m so glad I stopped for some on my way in after all, it really helped. I still felt shaky - I was legit worried I’d drop people’s food - but rallied okay. Hey, didn’t even throw up!
Got out early as hell, too, not even a 4-hr shift. That’s not a sustainable wage, but we were slow and I was in no mood to argue anyway.
At least I got out early enough to make a dispo pit stop on the way home, since last night’s disastrous queasiness led to increased consumption and I was running very low.
Ha, that’s awesome.
Cool!
My childhood mini poodle worked out a similar game, except involving a biscuit treat (which she otherwise rarely got) and my mom and I would go, “Hotter!” or “Colder!” except in Polish.
We thought it was just one of those normal things all dogs do. I didn’t know 'till later that some dogs are dumber than furry bags of hammers.
Why the jail sentence? Can she not be trusted to not chew/potty while unsupervised?
I am so sorry your friend is dealing with this.
Heh. I have fond memories of childhood Putt-Putt games. Yes, windmills - but those were hard to get through!
What a great phrase. I’d never heard it before.
Monkey got the zoomies after I got home, with a healthy dose of general buttheadedness (clawing the curtain while maintaining steady eye contact is his newest favorite) but he’s settled on my lap now, although he’ll probably wander off once I spark up - cats universally detest smoke of any kind.
Fed the rats - they received healthy lab blocks, slightly less healthy but still good for them birdseed mix, plus a handful of popcorn as a treat - so they’re busy foraging, rattling water bottles, and making a general racket in the next room.
I have a minor headache, no doubt from all the coughing and retching last night. But I can tell I inadvertently got one helluvan ab workout … follow me for more fitness tips!
I’m trying to bestir myself enough to make one of those stoopit-simple Knorr pasta sides. Sad that it’s just about all I can manage - I used to be pretty flashy in the kitchen, but cooking for one (especially someone who’s lazy and has little appetite) really put the kibosh on that.
I’d also really like to change my sheets.
I guess I could just strip the bed (snerk) and get the new stuff on - lord knows I have sufficient blankets and quilts folded around the place - and leave the actual laundering for Future Shoe to deal with.
One of my favorite doperisms has always been Holy Jesus on a popscicle stick.
JtC, it sounds like you’ve confused poor GG (not that it’s likely hard to do, sweet boy).
Feel better soonest wordy and shoe.
I really like the colors in this month’s quilt blocks hippy. Next year’s project looks nice too.
I’m sorry about your friend nellie.
Well, my weekend got kicked off in a bad way. At the end of the irk day, one of the blueberries and I got called into the senior manager’s office, along with our supervisors. Tuesday morning, she pulled the POS 30 year old work truck she was driving beside me, right on the white line on my side. When I got out of my car, my door lightly bumped the her door. When I got inside, she flew in behind me and cursed me out in front of god and everybody. I told her that if she couldn’t manage to park her vehicle in the center of the spot, she may want to try the back 40 for more room.
This afternoon, we wound up in the manager’s office and she wanted insurance info. Unfortunately, she’s not the registered owner and I told her that I would deal only with that person. She filed a report, so I had to deal with a cop and insurance at the end of the day. The cop found no damage to my door (which, had I repeatedly slammed my door into hers as she claimed, would have some tan paint on it) and found no damage to her door.
I’m thinking that she’s going for a cash offer of a couple hundred bucks to avoid an insurance claim (my deductible is $1K), but with the police report and what he told my agent, she’s gonna have to try harder. I also heard from the HR guy who told me to please report her for harassment if she begins to run her mouth. I’m thinking that they’re looking for a reason to get rid of her, given this is her first month there. Who knows?
The pile isn’t really hurting anything – it’s in the street but not impeding traffic, and it still isn’t windy outside so it’s fairly well contained – but it bugs me and I’d really like it to be gone.
I’ll also go to the gym on Saturday morning, which will get me caught up on the sessions I cancelled last week. (Then Thanksgiving is a week from today, but I’m taking the day after it off work and think I’ll be able to make up that session then.)
I left the smoker outside - I’ll clean it tomorrow.
I know she’ll probably be OK, but it’s upsetting anyway.
I told her that if she couldn’t manage to park her vehicle in the center of the spot, she may want to try the back 40 for more room.