# (Old) Halfway through the month - Midway in the MMP **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** mmp\ **Created:** [January 13, 2025, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910 "2025-01-13T11:40:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Kitten\_Mitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b782af/32.png) [@Kitten\_Mitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitten_Mitten)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/121 "2025-01-15T18:40:21Z")
Clothes have been laundered and hung to dry. Dishes have been washed. Chicken is brining. Now to either work out on the NuStep or take a walk or be a RDOS in the lazyboy. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/122 "2025-01-15T18:48:00Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Brings to mind … The waitress asked, ‘Cream in your coffee?’ I told her, ‘Not lately.’ ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/123 "2025-01-15T19:20:02Z")
The new furnace still hasn’t figured out how to work. I woke up to 68F, and called the HVAC firm. Carlos came out, and he made some fiddling I didn’t understand. He said, “If this doesn’t work, I’ll try a new gas valve.” After a while, it stopped again without coming up to temp. He’s coming back at 5:00PM. My spiky thing for the end of my cane came today, just in time for another snowy day, and a trip to the ear doc. I’m gonna put on my Yaktraks for the trip. I hope I don’t get any flak for wearing them in the doc’s office. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/124 "2025-01-15T19:25:07Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > hope I don’t get any flak for wearing them in the doc’s office I think JaneTheCane can offer advice on handling the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/125 "2025-01-15T20:37:11Z")
Fun start to the day. The truck wouldn’t start. Called AAA for the third time in 3 months, got towed to my friend’s service station. One battery and one mass air sensor and half a kilo buck later, plus 4 hours waiting on parts, and I’m back on the road. > [@AskNott](#): > > I woke up to 68F Isn’t working? That’s what I set my furnace to. When it is really cold out. ---
**Author:** ![Kitten\_Mitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b782af/32.png) [@Kitten\_Mitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitten_Mitten)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/126 "2025-01-15T21:14:24Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > I’m gonna put on my Yaktraks for the trip. I hope I don’t get any flak for wearing them in the doc’s office. If I were you, I’d take one step through the office door and take off the Yaktraks. JMO. > [@Paintcharge](#): > > > [@AskNott](#): > > > > I woke up to 68F > > Isn’t working? That’s what I set my furnace to. When it is really cold out. Our thermostat is set to 64\* at night then cycling up to 65\* at 9am, 66\* at 11am, 67\* at 4pm, back to 64\* at midnight. Guess you don’t have long underwear or sweaters/sweatshirts. Likely wouldn’t want to live with us. I ended up being a RDOS this afternoon. Will have to get going on dinner after I watch the episode of Downton Abbey on CBC. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/127 "2025-01-15T21:30:28Z")
_Started Typing: 3:17 PM ET Clicked Reply: 4:30 PM ET_ It’s _extremely_ unusual for me to remember my dreams, but last night I dreamt that my “little” brother – who’s 51 – died suddenly. ☹ I don’t remember the cause, but for some reason I’m the one who was notified (by whoever it was that contacted me) and I had to tell my father. In real life he’s way more likely to be the one to have to tell me. In the dream I lived near my dad (real life: 50 miles apart), so I told him in person. He was suspicious when I asked if I could stop by, but I just couldn’t do it over the phone. In the dream I also lived near our cousins (real life: 200+ miles apart) and was able to tell them in person, too. I was alternately wrecked and slightly relieved (my bro has some issues). Such a bizarre/random dream to remember! I am so, so unmotivated this week. I thought last week felt long – it was the first 5-day work week since before Christmas – but this week is _dragging_. Work isn’t boring or annoying or anything, I’m just over it. And slightly worried about what the new administration might mean for the gov’t agency I support. And, I’m feeling slightly antisocial: all I want to do is watch TV and build Lego. I get shingles shot #2 on Friday afternoon, but otherwise I have no plans for the entire 3-day weekend. Maybe I’ll see if my BFFs are up for lunch/dinner one day, or maybe I’ll feel like going to the mall and using the gift cards I got for my birthday (four months ago) and Christmas. The _following_ weekend, though, there’s a local Lego event on Saturday – and on the 26th I’m going out to hear Freda Payne (of 1970’s “[Band of Gold](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daxiMb0rITA)”) in Georgetown. 🎶 She’s using local musicians for at least part of her band, and a pianist I know will be playing with her! > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Rather than doing the 35-day cruise next year, we’ll do 28 days this summer. The new cruise looks amazing! I’m glad you’re doing something sooner rather than later: it seems like you and **FCD** could both _sorely_ use a solid break/good trip. > [@JaneDoe42](#): > > today will be my first Zoom class evah How did it go? 🙂 > [@Paintcharge](#): > > Making the decision to close up shop and not have a constant negative cash flow has done good things to my brain. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision, but I’m glad it seems to have been the right one! > [@SCAdian](#): > > My sister’s first husband was a farm boy Was his name Westley? 😁 How am I the first one to make this joke?!? > [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > > [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](#): > > > > Sometimes it’s the little things, isn’t it? > > My dear, it’s always the little things. Indeed. > [@Paintcharge](#): > > One battery and one mass air sensor and half a kilo buck later, plus 4 hours waiting on parts, and I’m back on the road. Ugh! > [@Kitten\_Mitten](#): > > after I watch the episode of Downton Abbey on CBC The weekend after New Year’s I decided to re-watch that show (for the 4th/5th time), but haven’t yet started to: when I turn the TV on these days, it seems that I’m always more in the mood to continue re-watching _Elementary_ (next up: S6 E16). 🙂 I like knowing that _Downton Abbey_ is on tap, though! ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/128 "2025-01-15T21:41:15Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > And I need to do some more research for our cruise and book the transfer from airport to ship, then from ship to airport. And there are excursions to look at. **FCD** is leaving it all up to me. Am I misremembering? Something about **FCD** saying he didn’t want to do cruises anymore. Maybe it’s somebody else I’m thinking of. The “geniuses” at the Apple store couldn’t figure out why Mr. brown’s phone was not doing audio notification alerts for when we got an email on our home gmail account. It took more than an hour of fiddling for them to come to their non-conclusion. Then, over lunch, Mr. brown figured it out himself - something about “push” vs. “fetch” when the iPhone communicated with gmail. It’s over my head! Dim sum was yummy. It was just bargain dim sum from a Chinese grocery store, but still good. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/129 "2025-01-15T22:00:31Z")
**Kitten\_Mitten,** I have the largest size of YakTrax, on my smallest pair of 13EE shoes, and it was very difficult to get them on the shoes. Perhaps you meant take the shoes off, but I’d feel a bit skeezy about padding around a doctor’s office in my socks. As it turned out, ha-ha on me; on the day I went out equipped with a spiky cane and YakTrax, there wasn’t a trace of snow or ice between the car and the doc’s office. The previous 2 times I went out, I was slipping and sliding. We have our thermostat set at 72F. I’m a 75-year-old wimp who doesn’t like sitting around with a cold nose in my own house. Feel free to tell me where to buy a nose snood, but I doubt I’ll get one. When my mom died, I scattered her ashes at Camp Ohio, a Girl Scout camp where she had been a counselor. I got permission from the GSA to do it. It just occurred to me yesterday that there’s probably folklore about it. Girl Scouts around campfires, telling younger ones stories about the ghost of Counselor Jane, who prowls the woods, waiting… 😱 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/130 "2025-01-15T22:28:47Z")
It seems there are five of us who were moved from Salaried to Hourly: Our a/r person (she’s been with the company 30 years! – only job she’s had), our receptionist, our two Collections people, and me. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/131 "2025-01-15T22:35:30Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > How am I the first one to make this joke?!? Maybe because some of us miss the obvious at times? > [@teelabrown](#): > > Something about **FCD** saying he didn’t want to do cruises anymore. Not his favorite thing, but he’s OK with them if I pick something other than Caribbean beaches. Which is easy because I have no interest in Caribbean beaches. But after this, our next cruise should be on our own boat heading up the coast to Maine. Probably next spring/summer. Our thermostat is set at 69°, but the pellet stove keeps the main areas of the house at 72-73° which is comfy enough, tho I occasionally grab a sweater. I don’t get the love for Downton Abbey. The main female (Mary?) pissed me off all the time. She was just a spoiled brat, as far as I’m concerned. I think I managed to get thru 3 seasons then gave up. _Sobre gustos, no hay nada escrito._ And I remembered that without looking it up! Go me! Supper was good - a hunk of London broil that had marinated in Worcestershire sauce, then got sous-vide’d, Yukon golds: chunked, olive oiled, seasoned, and roasted, and baby green peas. Clean up was pretty easy, too. I’ll be running to Food Lion tomorrow, then over to BIL’s. He got a hospital bill and he doesn’t really know what to do about it, so I’ll show him how to pay on line. I’ll probably go to Aldi, too. I’m thinking soup and sammiches when Daughter and the Spawn come to lunch on Saturday. But the rest of tonight is for chillage. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/132 "2025-01-15T22:57:00Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > I checked out Duluth for their long shirts, they are not cheap. However, they are very good quality. They should not only be long enough, but outlast a normal tee shirt two times over. > [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > **red** , the spray handle for the Edge gel shaving cream got changed and baffled me at first until I accidentally hit the right spot and sprayed shaving gel all over the bathroom… By the time that I figured it out, I sprayed Solarcaine in my bathroom, which meant that I had to mop the floor so’s Nelson wouldn’t sniff / lick at it. It has lidocaine in it and that’s not something I want him to ingest. **VanGo** , you reminded me of my weekend to-do item: replacing my car’s battery. It tested out decently during my last oil change, but it’s the original battery in my car (2018), so it’s about time. We’re supposed to have the bottom drop out of the thermometer early next week and I don’t want to have problems. I thought that Murphy ruled yesterday, but he was just practicing for today. I had software issues with the computer that I use to program Motorolas that slowed me down. When I finally was able to scan and transfer a rack to the kitting department, I had one serial number listed as _not in building_. Only thing is, if the ESN isn’t in the system, I can cartonize it, but not transfer it. And the notification doesn’t give me the carton number or the SKU. And there are 140 cartons, most with multiple devices on the rack. After systematically checking 136 of the cartons for it, I found it and deleted it. Then, I got a notice of not enough inventory on hand for one SKU on the next attempt. Result: a task that should usually take 25 minutes, including physically moving them to Kitting, took 2 hours. Then, the message letting me know that the trade ins were ready for me came about 2 hours before time to leave. There were about as many as I usually get in 3 days. Oy, vey! I’ll finish those up in the morning. Stay safe and healthy y’all! ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/133 "2025-01-15T23:08:14Z")
I just saw a dumb mosquito bumbling around the house. I guess sometimes it’s OK to not clear all the cobwebs, cuz it got caught. Go sloth! What the hell a mosquito is doing out this time of year, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/134 "2025-01-15T23:18:33Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Was his name Westley? 😁 ??? > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > our next cruise should be on our own boat heading up the coast to Maine. Don’t forget to wave as you pass southeastern CT! ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/135 "2025-01-15T23:33:10Z")
> [@Kitten\_Mitten](#): > > If I were you, I’d take one step through the office door and take off the Yaktraks. JMO. I concur. For several reasons: yaktraks are slippy-slidey on hard surface floors, as well as LOUD!, announcing to everyone within hearing that you are damaging their expensive flooring. And damage them they will, including your home floors, carpeting they just snag and drop you on your face, again ignominiously. It’ll take about two weeks for the black eyes from that to fade. And yes, I agree, they can be harder than heck to put on and take off of shoes/boots, so I just kick off the yaktraked boots at the door and whip out slippers or slip on shoes for inside wherever the yaktraks have delivered safely to without falling ignominiously on my foolhardy ass. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/136 "2025-01-16T00:22:16Z")
Wow. It’s almost 4:30, and the Sun is still out! 😲 ---
**Author:** ![Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sticks_and_scones/32/16951_2.png) [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/137 "2025-01-16T00:33:49Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > My spiky thing for the end of my cane came today, just in time for another snowy day, My new cane has a retractable spike. My mom’s has the kind you are speaking of. Not actually sure which I like better because I have to keep checking to see if my pointy stick is armed or not. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > It seems there are five of us who were moved from Salaried to Hourly: That’s even more interesting. I am comfortably sitting with a poodle by my side. We’ve had some Lee’s Famous Chicken for dinner and the tv is on. The lousy part is that my BMS has really ramped up since I got home. Eating the chicken was painful and now it feels like there’s a sore at the back of my throat that I can feel every time I swallow. Otherwise, it’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/138 "2025-01-16T00:43:07Z")
Watching hockey, having a martini and cheese and crackers. Spot likes Camembert. My thermostat is set on 71. > [@Misnomer](#): > > How am I the first one to make this joke?!? INCONCEIVABLE! > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > OK, back to whatever I was doing… Speaking Jive? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/139 "2025-01-16T00:45:33Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Wow. It’s almost 4:30, and the Sun is still out! 😲 I walked home in the light! There’s this big shining ball in the sky! ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910/140 "2025-01-16T00:51:02Z")
Howdy Y’all! Been home from the doin’s over to the church house for a bit. We had a yummy meal of beef and veggie soup, ham and cheese sliders, and caramel cake. Well, I had caramel cake and OYKW had lemon cake cause there was a choice. Doris’s funeral is actually on Firday of next week. I have readin’ comprehension issues apparently. The reason for havin’ it then is so far flung family can get here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-halfway-through-the-month-midway-in-the-mmp/1012910.md?page=8)