(Old) Hello, Mr Sandman - Dreaming in the MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 19c/66f with a predicted high of 26c/78f and partly cloudy. Weather app says “Enjoy this fucking mild weather. Shitty, stupid weather will soon be fucking here again.” It’s definitely cooler in the office today, I’ve opened all the windows and have a fan blowing air around behind me.

I would not be a fan of unions if I’d had that experience :frowning: The Thatcher-era miners’ stikes here were very bad, they divided entire communities where some miners did not join the strike and I can only imagine how intimidating it must have felt for them.

Fingers crossed for smooth sailing! I hope you and Nelson aren’t too traumatised by the whole process and you are soon settled into your new abode.

More studly, then? :rofl: I’m glad you found someone who could help you out, and talk you through the process. Sounds like none of the guides you found anywhere would have helped in that situation. As for the tank size, I have no idea but maybe you could do the person washing before the dish washing?

We have two full sets of screwdrivers in the house, one is black/yellow and the other is orange so you can’t really miss them. There are two storage racks in the understairs cupboard for said screwdrivers. Are there any screwdrivers in the racks where they ought to be? Of course not, because ‘im indoors used them and has left them in all sorts of places. I found one of each, both the size I typically want, and have secreted them in my large spice rack by the kitchen sink. So far, he hasn’t found them.

Your spoiler didn’t work but that’s ok, ‘cos we watched that episode last night! I won’t be watching any more until either Monday or Friday next week as we watch it together, and ‘im indoors is off on his travels again today.

VanGo I’m sure Peach will fatten up nicely once she realises she’s found her forever home. Shelters are stressful for animals and she may have been off her food because she’s unsettled. Now she has you, and she knows you’ll take care of her so she can relax.

Yesterday was a good day, I had a bit of sloth time in the afternoon before I had to go out to collect ‘im indoors from the station. Today I had quite a serendipitous journey to campus - thought I’d missed a bus first thing so I walked to the stop before the one I usually go to and there was a bus coming down the road as I got there. I got to the station just as the nice mainline London train was pulling in and managed to scuttle across to the furthest away platform just in time to board that one. Got to Big City station and would have had quite a wait for a train out to campus so I went out to get a bus, and one arrived a couple of minutes after I got to the stop. That probably means all the train tracks will have melted by this afternoon and the commute home will be about 3hrs!

Nice quiet day in the office, just me and one of my minions. He is fairly quiet so we’re happy working in peace just getting on with stuff and talking when we need to. Fine by me….and there’s only one other person on our corridor so far so it will be a very quiet day in terms of people.

‘im indoors is going off to Scotland to visit his mum for the weekend so I’ll be going home to an empty house, and I’ll also be alone and unsupervised all weekend. Our local football team has a home game with a 5.30pm kick-off so I will need to make sure I’ve been out and got home before the descent of the hordes.

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Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 76 Amurrkin out and mostly clear with a predicted high of 92 and clear until late afternoon. I foresee quality cee-mint pond time today. We have not done that much recently due to many cloudy and rainy days. Sup will be grilled poke chops, peas ‘n carrots, Spanish rice (from a box, don’t judge!) and rolls. Tasty but not real creative.

BooFae I see my failure with the spoiler. I blame it on bein’ old and not very bright.

red safe travels to Nelson and you!

Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.

Happy Firday Y’all!

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I admire how your relationship accommodates these separations.

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rocky - I ordered a bath mat like you suggested, and it seems to do the trick nicely! But it does feel weird underfoot - something about the texture. However, it’ll definitely solve any slipping issue, and the bar on the inside shower door is exactly the right size for hanging it up. Thanks!!

Thanks - but FedEx lied (big surprise there!) said it’s now not arriving till Saturday after spending 24 hours in Chicago. Or maybe later - the center that dispatches deliveries for our area is notoriously unreliable. Fortunately, it’s not a critical delivery - when it gets here, it gets here.

FCD tends to set down tools where he’s working, sorta. But he loses track of them, even in the middle of a job. I can’t count how many times he’s uttered “But I just had it!!” No, a tool belt or a tool tray won’t help - old habits and all that. At least in the boat, it’s a small area, so he can usually find what he needs. His shop, on the other hand, is 1300 square feet with many surfaces to hold many items. He knows he does it, but he keeps doing it. SMH

The 9th month is September. I know that. I’ve always known that. Except when I put my cardiologist appointment into Outlook. So my appointment isn’t today - it’s a month hence. I thought it was suspicious when I didn’t get a text or an email reminding me. Fortunately, the card is on my desk and I looked at it when the reminder popped up on Outlook. So the calendar has been edited and a wasted trip has been avoided. :saluting_face: duh

But that makes things easier today. It’s laundry day and SIL is bring the grands over for meatloaf, smashed spuds, and whatever vegs I decide to make. Daughter is at my mom’s for movie night with my sister and niece. I do have meds for pickup at CVS. And I feel like there was something else on my agenda…

I also need to contact the credit union about getting more checks - not that it’s a rush. The first check in the book of 25 that we’re almost finished was written in Dec 2019. The second in March, 2021. Sometimes you just need a check.

One of my sisters called last night and asked if I wanted some cucumbers - she’s got a huge harvest and apparently everyone is sick of them. She’ll send them home with Daughter. I also found out that Mom is having the family over on Labor day weekend - either the Sunday or Moanday - so I’ll be seeing at least some of my sibs and my mom then. In fact, I’m going to ask her to get me some Polish sausage, since the kind I like isn’t sold around here.

And so begins my day. Happy Firday!!

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I gotta start working in 15 or so minutes, so I’ll be brief. The thing that really worried ne about the jury summons is that it said ‘probate’ on it and I was afraid it was going to be something about my dad’s estate. I also didn’t really expect to be summoned again because I just was last year. I didn’t realize that they could do it so frequently. Granted, I never actually had to go in. School says that they can’t get me out of it which is a shame because it will make lots of work for whomever has to replace me.

Ok, off to work with a poodle on my lap. Since there are no students, we’re staying in the recliner today!

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As to dreaming, I had a strange one last night. I dreamt that I had some financial account somewhere that I had forgotten all about, and it had substantial money in it. In my dream I was going all over my passwords list to try to remember the nature of the account and how to access it again. It was so realistic that I woke up wondering if I indeed had lost track of some bank account or other. Once the morning’s caffeine kicked in I knew it was all just a dream.

Probably what prompted this was our purchase the day before yesterday of a new car. We wrote a check for the full amount which will take a huge chunk out of our checking account, and I was checking it yesterday to see if the dealer had deposited the check yet. Well, when I see our depleted balance, at least the anticipation will be over.

ETA: yep, they deposited the check. Whew, what a wad of cash. I think I’ll go and gawp at the new car now so I can see where it went.

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Thank you :slight_smile: When we first met (thank you, internet news groups!), we were living in different countries so right from the start we were only able to be together on alternate weekends since residency rules governed how long we could be in the UK in any one year. I now have a settled job in a permanent location while he still works as a contractor and can be anywhere in the UK.

Sadly, the idiots who thought brexit was a good idea have stopped any hope of working in Europe but his skills mean that he can work in a variety of industries, none of which are based anywhere near where we live!

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Good morning all. Woke up early and did my Firday shopping before the schools (and school buses) got going, so that is out of the way, along with breaking fast. Big job for the day will start in about a half-hour when the library opens and I can sit down and try to put 12 even soccer teams of 7 year olds together…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBZ6GPCJcxM

Outside of that should be a lazy day. Heading to 92F and some chance of rain this morning, so another good reason to stay indoors.

Sensei, I sympathize, trying to get the attention of a group of 7 year old boys, especially when I don’t know their names, can be tiresome. And apparently the word “stop” is defined as ‘keep doing what I am doing’ and "Come Here’ means ‘stand absolutety still where I am’. Guess they don’t improve with age until some undefined later time…

boo fae. ah, footie is underway so the hordes will be descending upon thee. Take care. And interesting about 'Im Indoors, thanks for sharing.

FCM, Fedex lied..Oh, woe, who would have expected that…and yeah, except for cash out I hardly write a check anymore.

Haven’t lost any tools that I know of, but can’t find my Kroger card, might have left it at the store. Will stop on my way to the library and check.

Sticky Buns, hope you beat the jury job, especially starting a new job.

lucky, I’ve still not bought a new car (congratulations BTW) and even though I have it put away the depletion will be noticeable.

And guess I need to head off and make up soccer teams. Have a good day all.

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Mrs. L.A. bought a set of two Bodum insulated wine glasses. She broke one a few weeks ago. So I got her new ones. I’d heard her talking to Macy’s on the phone, and I gathered the two glasses cost $50; so when I went to Amazon and found them for $50, I bought them as an anniversary present.

When she opened her gift bag this morning, she was like, ‘You bought six glasses?’ Yep. That’s me. Saw the picture, saw the price, and clicked the button. That $50 figure? That was a late fee on her Macy’s card. Not sure what happened, but they removed the late fee. But I got the number in my head.

Now she’s like, ‘Oh, good! I can throw away some glasses!’ I’ll have to keep my eyes open. There are glasses I really like, even if they’re almost never used.

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Good morning, everyone.

It’s 64°F and cloudy, but rain should be starting up again anytime soon. It will only reach 72°F, and there will be periods of rain, some of them very heavy, throughout the day. The plants and lawns will love it. It started raining late last night, so we’ve had a good overnight soaking, too.

Congrats on the new wheels, teela. Big purchases always make me slightly queasy, so I can empathize with what you’re feeling.

Yesterday morning was fraught with frustration. I decided to help my husband get his My Social Security account set up, and that started with getting him his own email address. For some reason, Google was being a PITA, but I finally got that set up. Once we set up his My Social Security, we decided to try to obtain a replacement card online, which involved taking pictures of his license and him doing selfies several times, because the system didn’t like the images. It doesn’t help that the picture on his license is very pale, so it’s hard to make out his face. Anyway, after numerous tries, the system finally accepted the pictures, and we pushed everything through. This morning, he received an email stating they couldn’t verify his identity and to try again. Arrrgh! So frustrating!

He’s not up yet, and he’ll probably be frustrated and want to give up, but we need to get his damn card, not only for the Real ID, but so he can start the process for claiming his benefits. I already know he’s not going to want to spend four hours on hold trying to obtain an in-person visit at the Social Security office.

This morning, I looked at the requirements for Real ID again, and noted you no longer need the Social Security card, so I dug through files looking for his birth certificate and other required documents to prove his identity and where he lives. Crap on a cracker, it’s just ridiculous all the crap you need to go through now. Once he’s up, I’ll help him set up the appointment for his Real ID, but we’ll still need to work on getting his SS card.

Honestly, I think part of the issue is that his DL number changed from the one he had for years to something completely different when he last renewed his license, and he couldn’t get the real ID.

Frankly, I’m glad I set up my stuff way before all this shit was needed, and I still have my original SS card. Well, it’s the replacement card I received after I got married. But still, I’ve never lost it.

He kept telling me he was grateful for my assistance because he wouldn’t know how to do all that, which is code for “it’s a pain, and I don’t want to mess with it”. He can follow instructions, but he just doesn’t want to do it.

Frankly, I want to travel, and if he doesn’t start helping with some of the lifting, I’ll be taking trips alone, whether he likes it or not. I don’t want to sit on my ass around the house all the time.

Bah, just a mini-rant.

Mr. Taters wants to go to the hardware store and look at garage shelving today. We’ll see if that happens. I already looked at Lowe’s, and they didn’t have anything that met our needs, so we’ll have to check out Home Depot. Surprisingly, Costco didn’t have anything when I was in there last week. We may have to check out McLendons and Ace, too.

Alright, I need to finish my coffee (delayed due to document search), and then get on with my day. Please take care of yourselves.

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Started Typing: 10:14 AM ET
Clicked Reply: 10:48 AM ET

Yesterday wound up being a long day to cap off a long week (I was out of the house for 11 hours; Bailey was such a good dog!!), but today I’m freeeeeeee! :grin: In less than an hour I’ll be heading out to meet WifeBFF and her sister-in-law for lunch, then we’ll play the afternoon by ear. There could be thunderstorms, which might affect our tentative plans to shop at the adjacent outdoor mall.

I’m looking forward seeing my friends, but also to lunch itself: we’re going to Coastal Flats (part of this area’s Great American Restaurants group), and they have a sauteed filet mingon tips in a tequila lime cream sauce with penne pasta that I’ve been in love with for decades and haven’t had in a while.

Sorry I was right! :joy:

Wishing you all of the luck for today!! :crossed_fingers:

What a perfect response! :rofl:

I’m at the point where I only write two checks a month (for my cleaning service; I could have a credit card on file, but prefer not to). I stuck the “order more checks” reminder near the back of my current book, so it’ll be a while before I have to reorder. :slight_smile: Luckily, my credit union created a web interface for that process a while back and it’s quite simple to just get more of exactly what I have now.

I did that when I bought my (then-new) car in 2020*…I know that feeling. Heh.

Congrats on the new wheels!! Whatd’ya get? :slight_smile:

*I was surprised the dealership would take a personal check for that much: while discussing the payment details I mentioned needing a day to get a cashier’s check from my out-of-state credit union, and the salesman said my credit score was good enough that they’d accept a large personal check from me. I never would have guessed!

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We replaced our old Honda CR-V with a 2026 CR-V. Although it was a little soon-ish to replace the old one, we’re getting on in years and we wanted one that would likely last us for as long as we’re here. So the (not so) old one is now getting cleaned up and ready for sale. Once it’s sold, and we guesstimate it should go for $14,000 or $15,000, that money will go back into the checking account and take the sting off a little.

The dealership knew us, having sold us our previous two Hondas, so a personal check was okay with them. We’re lucky to have a big dealership just a mile or two away. Their lot is really filling up with new cars now that the pandemic panic is fading away and they’re willing to carry a lot more inventory.

193

Got food?

Contractors are doing concrete gutter work this morning. Big transit mixer down there and a large machine that seems to be specifically designed for that task (window glare makes it hard to see).

Laundry day today. Always a joy.

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Best wishes for a successful document search. I need to order a couple more of my change of name documents. At the moment, everyone who needed it has received one (a certain amount of expense on my part), but clearly the future holds the promise of more necessity. At least my IDs mostly match now, and I did change my birth certificate to the name I took over 40 years ago (but don’t tell my mother I changed my birth certificate–it would make her sad and possibly angry).

We’ll be getting a new water heater in the next week or so. More $ we don’t have saved for that kind of thing, but it seems necessary. The current one is 19 and we don’t want it breaking down or leaking in mid-winter. We’ll break out some bucks to have our water shut-off moved and the pressure release valve replaced with a newfangled one when we next have our currently-unavailable real plumber come out. That part of the job will keep.

Meanwhile, the IKEA table with adjustable legs allows us to open the dryer door all the way, so that’s a plus.

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We did a pre-emptive water heater replacement a few years back. We didn’t know how old it was, but at least 18 years. Plus we knew it had crud in it from when our well started sucking dirt. Better to replace it on our terms than with an emergency call on a holiday weekend - Murphy would guarantee that! The new one is much more energy-efficient, too.

Last load in the dryer, and I did the first coat on the last surface of the supports. I’ll finish them in the morning. Once I fold the last load, I’m free till I have to start supper. Rah.

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You understand that we’ll need tank photos, right?

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We met the cat sitter. She came by and went through paperwork. Very professional. It’s nice that she came so far in advance of our vacation. Abbey stayed out in the catio until we went out there, then she made a low run back inside so she could hide under a dresser. Goo was wary, but didn’t run away. (She did leave the room a couple of times.) We got out the Temptation treats, and would approach the cat sitter as she offered the treats.

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Peach went on her first visit to the vet today. She got lots of attention, and treats, everyone said she’s really cute. Overall she’s in great shape. The vet said, based on her teeth, that she’s probably closer to 10 months than 7. She seems to be settling in here quite well. I still don’t know if Peach will be her name, mostly I call her “Little girl.”

Next step is adding to the fence, cuz now she can squeeze through the rails. So no un-supervised yard time.

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Well, duh! She is really cute, what did you expect? I’m glad she’s in such good shape. Is she already fixed?

I can picture that so well. I’m sure they will be fine, cats are more adaptable than people think. Prepare for the snubbing of your life when you get home, though!

We had ours replaced during the refurbishment process here. I don’t know how old it was, but the plumbers couldn’t get it to drain because it was so full of crap. They had to wait for it to cool down and then dragged/wrassled it out into the back yard and broke a couple of holes into it. No wonder I was running out of hot water while taking a short shower.

Laundry happened here as well. Hubs doesn’t sort his clothes and all of his whites show it. He’s constantly getting flirted at by old women in doctor’s offices (he’s so deaf he never really notices and I think its funny so I ignore it and tell him about it later) and I don’t want them to get ideas about him being a widower because he wears yellowed jerseys so I do his whites with mine. He does all the rest of his clothes, but is forbidden to touch mine.

I’m sorry you have to spend the money, but I think you are making the best decision. Water heaters, just like everything else will fail at the worse possible and most costly moment possible.

While that’s the sort of thing I’d enjoy watching, it isn’t the sort of thing I’d want to live through.

Smooshes to Sadie!

Smooshes for Bailey too!

My sympathy to both of you. Back when we got married, I hyphenated my name and got my CA DL as Smith-Doe. Being lazy, after a while I stopped using Doe but by that time we had moved to AZ and I had my license there. AZ licenses are good until you turn 65 and I liked my old, barcode-less, laminated DL so never got a new one.

Thirty years later I aged out of the rather physical job I was doing for the county and asked Hubs to find my SS card (in the filing cabinet he insisted on maintaining for our documents) because I would need it to get another job. He couldn’t find it. I made an appointment to go to the SS office for a new one, but they refused to accept my valid DL because it was too old.

I went to the DMV and gave up my old license for a new one, which wasn’t accepted at the SS office because the names didn’t match. I went back to the DMV to get that fixed and couldn’t because I didn’t have my original marriage certificate and the copy I had been using forever wasn’t good enough.

I went online and got a certified copy of our marriage license mailed to me and went back to the DMV and paid MORE money to get a DL with my current name. That finally came in the mail and I was finally going to be able to get a copy of my SS card and while I was showing hubs my new DL he suddenly jumped up from the dinner table and went into his room and came back with my Social Security card.

I’ve actually been a widow since then, I just make up husband stories so nobody will ask what happened to the body.

You are so sweet. Hubs would never do that, he’d just order them and leave the box on my desk when they arrived. Romance has never been his strong point.

Can you label them somehow? Big name tags across their backs or something?

We had twenty-five cheap scissors before we moved. I would buy a five-pack and put them in the kitchen drawer and a week later, I wouldn’t be able to find a single pair. (my stitching scissors do not count) I bought five five-packs in less than six months and was finally able to start finding scissors when I needed them.

Nineteen scissors made the move so I bought three more five-packs. I have a set in my desk, a set in the kitchen island drawer and a set in the utility drawer. I have no idea where the rest of them are, between Hubs and our ghost, it wouldn’t surprise me to find a pair or two down in the crawlspace or something.

I have a number of young relatives and have to say that from what I’ve heard, teenaged girls aren’t that much smarter at times.

Well, this is getting long so I’d better wrap it up.

Not much has been happening here, besides laundry and changing the sheets, I cleaned off my desk and dealt with the stack of administravia I was ignoring. Then I dusted everything I can’t usually see. That was followed up by picking up all of the knick-nacks I have scattered around my room and dusting them and their surfaces.

Finally I rewarded myself with a few hours of stitching while looking at the forest and birds. Hubs spent most of the day defending Sanctuary and the Cardinals spent time teasing GG.

I just learned that Cardinals molted, one of the males visiting today had a bald head and of course I had to ask Harry about it “Is he sick? Should I do anything?” Seeing as how they don’t migrate, I’d guess its better they go bare in the summer than in the winter.

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Yup.

Snort out my drink. Funny!

As to tools, at my old shop, or at the museum now, everything goes back to its home after use. At my house…who knows where TF it is. And the move out of the shop didn’t help. I know I have at least another 2 dozen driver bits, you know the things that make screws go in with a drill, somewhere. Plus my j-roller, and several other things, but I don’t know where they are.