I’m 75. To the best of my memory capacity he is within a year or two younger than me.
I’ll try to remember to ask him if I get to have a bagel brunch with him and his lovely bride Monday when I have a medical appt near them.
Which I should probably communicate with them about….
Started Typing: 1:45 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 2:50 PM ET
It’s officially more than halfway through the week! And Friday is a holiday! Woo hoo!!!
Bailey saga update:
Last night’s vet appointment went fine. I did carry her to/from the car each time, but we only got caught in significant rain leaving the vet’s and getting back into the house. The doc agreed with my assessments that Bailey is in some real pain at the moment, and also that she’s likely caught in a related cycle when it comes to not eating. She’s lost almost two pounds since April, when she was there for a Bordatella booster, and she was already underweight (she’s currently 33 pounds; at her healthiest she weighed 48 pounds). He also agreed to start her on Librela – he said he would have mentioned it if I hadn’t – and she got her first shot last night. The Librela could take a little while to help, so I asked about possible short-acting pain relief: the usual suspects aren’t options for her for various reasons, so she didn’t get anything for that (I was disappointed, but understood). He did send me home with some appetite stimulant pills that I can crush and mix into her food, and I plan to start those tonight.
He mentioned that sometimes atypical Addison’s Disease can turn into “regular” Addison’s, which could cause some of her symptoms, and noted that no bloodwork had been done on her in the two years she’s been a patient there*. So he offered to run some tests, just to see if anything else might be going on, and I agreed (I also agreed to a fecal analysis after she kindly provided a sample while in the back room 
). He should be calling with those results tomorrow. He did mention that if there’s no significant improvement in a few months, it could be time to assess Bailey’s quality of life and what makes sense for a 17-year-old dog. I was able to agree and tell him I was already thinking about that without so much as tearing up, but I’ll never know how!
Good news, though: she got up the back steps by herself last night, and again this morning! It wasn’t the Librela; I think it’s that after three doses the predisone is finally back in her system. I almost cried when she scampered up the steps! The real sign that she’s feeling better will be when she starts barking again; she hasn’t barked in at least a week. I bitch whenever she barks in the middle of the night and wakes me up, but she only barks when she’s happy so I’d love to be woken up right now. (But just once. 
)
TL;DR: Things are alright for now, and our next steps are bloodwork results and a second Librela injection.
*That makes strike two for the vet we’ve been seeing there. Strike one was when she prescribed rimadyl last year: thank goodness I’m OCD and looked up the possible side effects, because I saw that it’s contraindicated – and dangerous – in dogs that are on prednisone! When I pointed it out she was extremely apologetic, and I know vets are only human so I gave her another chance. She’s on vacation this week, and the guy we saw last night is the head of the practice (it’s an animal hospital): he knew right away that rimadyl wasn’t an option for Bailey, and pointed out the lack of recent bloodwork. So, yeah, we’re switching primary docs. Doesn’t need to be this guy, but I’m not happy with the other vet any more.
I have a proposal meeting at 4:30 that’s likely to last at least an hour, so I’ll be leaving the office at 3:30 in order to be home and back online before it starts. It’ll be good to be home with my girl, and to spend (most of) the next four days with her.
Although I always liked Haring’s stuff I was never a huge fan, but those figures make me smile, too. 
!
Oh I love that…I’ll be stealing it. 
Yay!! 
This weekend will be the 27-year anniversary of my move to Northern Virginia: I turn 54 in a few months, so I’ve now lived here for half my life! 
Definitely why it rained.
!
Nice! Yay!
On 01/01/50 I’ll be 78. Hopefully.
A few weeks ago I took part in a strategy session at work, and the guy was talking about short-term goals (by 2030) and long-term goals (by 2040). It hurt my head a little to realize that – with luck – I will be retired by the end of 2040!
Biologically impossible, my dear. 
(I know what you meant! )
Back from the laundromat with clean blankets. I put 3 tennis balls in the dryer with the down comforter but I still have to unclump wads o’ down. I took a nap when I got home and am now eating late lunch/early supper. Pecan crusted trout and orzo pasta with spinach and mushrooms.
Dunno what sources the author used, but here: What Is the Average Age of Passengers by Cruise Line? - LuxuryTravelDiva
Says HAL average is 55. I would say that my observation is that the median age is older than that.
ETA: I’ve also found 64.
Summer sailings will trend lower because kids in the western hemisphere are off school.
ETA ETA: I missed a loss, maybe a death? while skimming, but I don’t remember whose. Condolences intended despite my faulty recall.
Yay! Go Bailey!
Sis is working hard on checking out apartments. I’m putting in a couple of hours a day looking them up. I’m hoping to find one soon so’s I can begin the rest of the arrangements.
Howdy Y’all! ‘Tis comin’ down a gully washer as I post. I am sure it’s isolated and will go away soon. Hope so, as I plan on mowage amongst other stuff tomorrow. We procured and stowed provisions this mornin’. Then we went to the hog trough GC. Nappage then ensued. I got on a roll and prepped the baked beans, boiled aigs for the N.O.T. sallit, and chopped pickles for the sallit as well. Ribs and chikin have been rubbed and ready for the smoker in the mornin’. Lest y’all worry, I managed day drinkin’ as well. The rain is almost stopped, so a quick one it was.
taters I prefer a rub over sauce as well. We have good taste.
Oopsie yay for the good news about Bailey!
I think I might be older than Hippie. I am about to be seventy-one. I do not foresee makin’ it to 2050.
MetalMouse hopefully you are home by now. I know you have to get the crop duster from Etlanner to home. That’s what I call those regional jet things. Most of them are comfy flights, but I have been on a few that might as well have dusted some crops along the way.
Dinner menu:
SWMBO chose the salmon pinwheels. She also went down to the corner to get a ‘coleslaw kit’. I used the rest of the jar of Marie’s dressing (perfect amount) instead of the stuff-inna-bag that came with the kit. Good dinner. Goo got treats.
Pleasant day today. We got our gully washer / frog strangler out of the way in the early morning ~8am. Been mostly light gray and occasionally sprinkly ever since.
Had nice breakfast out while the housekeepers performed their weekly miracle. Yakked w a pilot pal for over an hour. He’s got ~6 months left to retirement. Which blows my mind; I still think of him as age ~40. He’s also trying to make that process as hard as possible. Dingaling.
Came home, napped, cooked (for realsies!!) a snack. 10 minutes to make, 3 minutes to eat, 25 minutes to clean up the widespread wreckage. I now remember why I mostly gave up on cooking.
Went out for HH on a sprinkly gray evening. Picked a place with indoor parking to minimize getting wet. Turns out Wed there is half price Scotch night. In a place with 100 kinds. Oops. Can’t pass up a bargain like that. Through diligent drinking I saved a LOT of money! Plus mucked down a nice lobster roll and some deviled eggs w bacon to accompany the wretched excess.
Now home and jabbering around here. Will probably call tomorrow to book a week+ of cruise to be out of the USA on 7/4. Screw those people.
Up from naptime. Having a martini, salad, and tortellini with meatballs. Spot is making the rounds being endearingly annoying.
< politely declines cocktails at Fairy Chat Estates >
As a Member of Club 54, I’ve been in Raleigh for 36 years. So 66.7% of my life.
But {{{{oopsie and Bailey}}}}
Relevant xkcd:
Well, I’m back.
Actually got back in the house about 6:10pm local time, but almost immediately headed out to Jersey Mikes and got the GIANT #3 Sub for dinner as a last ‘I don’t care about my calorie count because I’m on vacation’ meal and have been perusing the MMP while eating it and opening my collected mail (only bad thing about donating to charities that I find worthy is the flood of mail asking for more…). Need to check my banking accounts later, almost scared to see what my credit cards look like. But I’m home and things are good (my neighbors, bless them, not only mowed my yard but edged it too, so that chocolate I brought home for them will be a nice reward).
And sitting at my home computer where I can scroll and post without going crazy, let’s see if I can get back into rhythm…
FCM, Never got as far North as Trondheim, keep enjoying yourself. And the way things are going in Europe, it’ll probably be 50F north of the Arctic Circle…and I think the closest I’ve ever run to missing the ship was about 20 minutes before they pulled up the gangplank.
And I was on MSC Cruises, they are fairly cheap and look for the younger age group, we had more kids and babies on-board than any other cruise that I ever remember.
Pilot, I’ll be a year older than FCM in 2050–97 years that would be. If I make it to 2040 and my mentis is still compos (and not compost), we’ll see about making the run to the half-century.
wet one, good news on the ride and hope the laundry excursion went well (and I see that it did).
red, Happy Retirement Eve!! And hope the apartment search bears fruit.
swampy, had a ‘real’ plane when I left a couple weeks ago (Boeing 717) but it was a Regional Jet this afternoon…did pay for ‘Comfort Plus’ so had a little extra space, even if for only 37 minutes…
Pilot, happy cruising.
And that’s all for now. Need to brace myself and open my credit card pages…and noises you hear in the near future is me screaming “I spent HOW MUCH MONEY!!!” Take care all.
Dicey, it’s 86F her at 8pm in N. Ali-bama, so we know heat down here and it sounds like you are taking the necessary precautions.
flyboy, don’t know what is worse, a bureaucrazy or a recalcitrant sister; hope it all works out now.
That’s almost impossible now, seems like every plane I’m in is 95% or better full…
My take is exactly like yours: " I plan to live forever, or die in the attempt"
Oopsie sounds like your being a loving and caring pet owner, my best to you and Bailey. And good move IMHO on the Vet.
In May, I bought a silicon mould to make spherical ice cubes (‘ice spheres’?). I used it twice, to make 8 ice balls. I used a couple, and the rest sat in a plastic bag in the freezer. Mrs. L.A. recently decided she likes them, and she’s used the remaining ones. Now she wants more. Only… I can’t find the mould. I looked everywhere I could think of. No Joy. I ordered a new one (it was only six bucks) and it should be here Saturday.
ETA: I also ordered a ‘I 
Toxic Waste’ T-shirt tom complete my Real Genius shirt set. (The other two are ‘International Order for Gorillas’ and ‘Surf Nicaragua’.)
Goo is insistant (grabbing with her paw) that Catmom give her some Tostitos Hint Of Lime tortilla chips. Cat mom complies. Goo eats them up. 
Also a 54 member, coming up on 27 years here in upstate NY. Before getting here, the longest I’d stayed anywhere was 3 years.
I talked to a coworker who is in with the local SPCA, and told her I’m thinking about re-dogging. My Cinnamon passed during the pandemic (fuck cancer), and I think it may be time to get a new dude into the house. Caroline thinks there might be a good match for me with a couple of the guys at the shelter.
I woke just before 7 and it was as bright outside as it was at 11:30 last night. Thank goodness for the room-darkening drapes! And typing that prompted me to put the do-not-disturb thingy on our door. FCD is crashed and he needs all the sleep he can get.
The seas seem to be a bit more active today. We-re on deck 10 and I can feel the rocking. Not bad enough to toss me out of bed, but definite motion. Makes me wonder how some folks will get around. Which reminds me: I’ve seen walkers and a couple of wheelchairs, but no scooters. In the past, there have always been a few on board.
Today is a sea day. There are 2 or 3 lectures this afternoon that I want to attend. Not much else that interests me. At some point, we’ll cross the Circle, unless we have already.. I expect we’ll get some sort of certificate. I got one 11 years ago when I did the cruise with my mom - we just barely crossed as we went north of Iceland. Unfortunately, we didn’t go far enough south on our Antarctic trip.
MetalMouse - I agree with you about paying for a little extra space on an airplane. Sooooooo very worth it! And the priority boarding is nice, too. After years of being crammed in, it’s a bit of luxury that’s more affordable than first class. Money can truly buy happiness in that case!
Guess I’ll surf till my sweetie wakes.
Happy Thursday!
Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave. And I’m off tomorrow.
< crosses paws >
“We’ve released a face eating leopard onto the aircraft, but the flight staff will be offering anti-leopard face shields for a large fee” - Airlines
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 73 Amurrkin out and mostly clear with a predicted high of 92 with sun this mornin’ and cloudy(ish) this afternoon. Lots on the agenda today. The smoker will get cranked up as soon as there’s enough daylight for me to see. The plan is for the ribs and chikin to slow smoke several hours. The N.O.T. sallit will get made. Need to boil the N.O.T. and let ‘em cool. We decided that lemon ice box pie is needed so two of those will get made. Also I plan to accomplish mowage, but may need to wait until late mornin’/early afternoon cause I think it rained some more durin’ the night. I shall have to be extra slothful tomorrow lest I endanger my RDOS cred!
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then I must steal myself and become productive. I hope I survive.
Happy Thursday Y’all!
Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 17c/62f with a predicted high of 21c/70f and partly cloudy. Weather app says “Oh, come on. It’s so fucking boring outside. Even the fucking clouds are bored.” Yes, the clouds are so bored that they have disappeared and left me with blue skies.
How long does he have to wait? Presumably he has a schedule to keep or at least a time to clear the port area so he’s not taking up space needed by another ship. I hope they make it back with a good excuse!
Reading this makes me very happy!
That was an easy catch, and a nice little souvenir
I hope so, your sister is a proper liability though.
Yay for Bailey! Sounds like she got to see the right vet this time, I think you’re right to move her away from other vet if you’re not happy with her.
Welcome home!
How exciting, and even more exciting that Caroline already has someone in mind for you
Yesterday’s trip home was another travel nightmare - damaged overhead cables at Big City Station meant that absolutely nothing was running anywhere. I had to get a bus to Big City Station (along with a million other people), then a tram back to my town, then another bus home. Took twice as a long as my normal commute and was far too peopley. I just about had time to feed the cats, check water, clean litter trays, get something to eat and then be ready to go to the pub with my friends. We decided to go to The Barley Mow which is down a small country lane and right next to a golf club. It was busy but there was space outside so we sat there for the evening and nattered away.
I was home late, and up early today so it was a bit of a rush to get out of the house. Trains are half-fixed so things were running from my station to Big City Station, and out to campus, but nothing was going out of Big City Station in the opposite direction so I have relayed that info to 'im indoors so he can work out his journey home tonight.
Morning all. Got 6-7 hours sleep last night, would have been longer but my brain started thinking “I wonder if Kroger is open Friday, July 4th?” and I finally had to get up and check (they are open). So have started on my Great Firday Restocking List and am running through the digital coupons, because what else would I be doing at 5:40am? Only 69F right now but heading to 90F and that looks like my weather for the near future. No rain expected until next week. Sloth and trying to return to a semblance or normality will be my major projects of the day. Survived looking at my credit cards, not as bad as I thought but still, this ‘use cards all the time and don’t use cash’ philosophy in Europe (and more and more in the USA) is a bit wearing on an old guy like me who prefers to spend cash so I can have a good track of how much I still have in the budget..but adapting is a human trait so I’ll learn.
You are now guaranteed to find them before Friday… And love those T-shirts.
VanGo, good on ya for waiting until the time was right for you; may you bond immediately with whatever canine companion you choose.
FCM, it’s going to stay light a lot (but you knew that). According to google, In Trondheim today the sun will rise at 3:15am and set at 11:28pm, and it is probably longer where you are now, so not much darkness on this trip.
doggio, what gets me is after buying a comfort plus seat on Delta at a several hundred dollar step-up, they still charge me $30 for a piece of luggage (and an extra $45 for a second piece if I didn’t carry it on with me).
Happy smokin’ swampy
boo fae, sounds like it’s cooler up north, just checked and London is only getting to 76F today so hopefully the heat wave has broken (for now). Hope train travel gets back to normal soon. I made it from Waterloo to Southampton ok, but took the National Express bus back to Heathrow.
And back to my grocery-list making. Might fix a pancake or three here in a little bit. Have a good Thorsday all.
Mornin’ all. A bit after 0700 as I start driveling. Usual weather: warm & cozily humid. Still with the high thin grayness, and plenty of rain over the ocean. So despite sunrise being a half hour ago, the sun itself is well hidden so the balconatin’ can continue along with the caffinatin’.
Little new to report at this end other than 8-ish hours of solid (solo, sigh!) sleep.
I did learn that GF and GF-Mom had a wonderful day yesterday shopping Independent living places and Mom is warming to the idea. Which warms my heart too.
I recall how miserable were the last couple years of aged MIL forcing herself to live in a conventional apartment in total solitude to preserve what she labeled “her independence” that was really her “self-imposed imprisonment”. Her freedom of action, her morale, and the liveliness of her life all went up, not down, when she moved into the IL place. A lesson for all of us as Father Time slowly bleeds the vigor out of each of us.
Welcome home to metalmouse. Always fun to leave, and usually fun to get back.
And doggio: I did not get the wifi-enabled model. But apparently they really do exist.
Mornin’ all.
It’s 53°F and partly cloudy. I mean, I guess it is, because it’s still dark. Today’s daytime high temperature is expected to be 75°F with partly cloudy skies throughout the day. There will be some sunbreaks later in the afternoon and early evening.
Metal Mouse, welcome home! I’m glad the damage to the accounts wasn’t as big as you feared it could be.
VanGo, yay for opening your heart to another doggo. I hope you find the right pal soon.
A roofing technician is coming out this morning to provide an estimate for a new roof. I’m cringing even now.
After he (or she) leaves, I’ll putter around the house and yard a bit. I have some coneflowers as well as bananas and cream daisies that need to get in the ground or in a pot.
Unfortunately, I had to tranquilize Maisie a little bit last night. The huge booms have started, and Maisie cannot handle them. She shakes and stress pants for hours. I was really hoping to hold off until the 4th. Fortunately, the pills and doses are for 12 hours, so I’ll dose Maisie up around 1:00 or so tomorrow, if the idjits can hold until then.
Welp, that’s my day. It’s boring, it’s mundane, and I guess that’s okay.