(Old) Highlight of the day - Dyeing in the MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Quoting myself for context

The booming noises faded harmlessly and their clouds remain sight unseen if even they still exist. Nevertheless they triggered an attempt to order for direct same-day delivery a COVID test kit and some dayquil/nyquil caps.

“No can do” say both CVS & Walgreens; OTC drugs of that grave danger cannot be delivered but must be bought in person at the store. Today I learned … my countrymen are too stupid to be permitted to live without their Mommies to guide them.

So I’m out of excuses and must shevel to the extent necessary to walk 5 minutes each way to CVS.


Oopsie: Yes, IME that’ll be quite an adjustment. Good to hear you’ve already got plans for something(s) else to fill your day. Lest you fall into the rat-hole I have of narrating your life right here rather than living it.

Yaay for impending Notre Dame. I didn’t mention it earlier, but I too was impressed with your transistor radio.


FCM: It’s a bi-modal distribution. Either 20 minutes or 2 hours and 20 minutes. But I’m hungry so you should call right now. :crazy_face: Besides, earlier is better than later for you too. Once you have it you can keep it warm until you want to eat. Until you have it, there’s no option to eat it. :slight_smile:

Best of luck with BIL. I don’t know what more to say. {{{Hugs}}} to everyone as Team FairyChat tries to run two sets of rapids in two raggedy canoes simultaneously. Everybody is gonna be wet and cold before this is over.

Know we’re all here for you and no rant is too minor, nor any primal scream too loud and lusty.

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I placed the order and it says it will be delivered about 5:21. I’m betting it will show up before 5 because that’s my history with this place. Whatevs - we’ll eat when we eat.

Poor FCD is just so stressed he can’t sleep and he can’t concentrate and he just can’t let go because that’s the way he is. He was on the phone all morning with the hospice team discussing his mom’s night sweats. They’re going to try changing some of her meds and see if that helps. She refuses to consider a hospital bed, even tho the nurse said sleeping a bit more upright would help. Meds will change tomorrow and nurse will be here on Monday, so we shall see…

Tomorrow, FCD and I are going to the boatyard where we had a bunch of work done. They’re letting us take an old bimini top that’s been on the ground long enough that a 3" diameter branch has grown between the supports. He’s hoping to modify it for our boat. But first, we have to disentangle it from the assorted growth. When we were looking at it earlier, I saw no evidence of poison ivy, so we’ve got that going for us.

Never dull hereabouts… Now Higgs thinks I should feed her.

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My prescription eye drops come packed in a little styro cooler buried in ice packs.

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Howdy Y’all! Duty got done and we were bears who brunch. Then it was back to da cave where we did get in about an hour’s worth of quality cee-mint pond time before the clouds came and the rain started. Been off and on rainy(ish) since. Nappage and day drinkin’ were also accomplished. Now 'tis Netflix, chill, and popcorn time.

Pilot whatever it is, get well soonest.

MetalMouse continued happy choochooin’.

MOOOOOOM so you suggest we all act normal.

Taters AWWWW… puppeh hugs!

shoe to take Pilot’s idea a step farther, both Monkey and you should be eatin’ out of containers in the fridge when the pic is taken. Also, yay for surprise gifts. Bet the kerchiefs will be a hit at irk.

FlyBoy hopefully there will be good eats. Cool about the half day off!

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Thank you. By bringing up ordering food you actually got me off my sorry ass and out the door to buy meds and yes, food.

I decided to drive to the CVS a block-ish away on the high chance that although the website had said everything I wanted was in stock, I’d most likely walk there, find they didn’t have something, so I’d have to walk back and get the car anyhow to drive elsewhere. So, with that backup plan firmly in place, of course they had my stuff and it was even easy to find. Off to locate unambitious dinner.

Thought about hitting the tapas again, but decided I wanted comfort food on this still sorta-ill day. It doesn’t get much more Olde Tymey comfortable than this well-worn local fixture (read “raggedly greasepit loaded with character (and characters)”) Fran’s Chicken Haven. The food is as basic as it gets, but sooo yummy!! And the staff are great (read “colorful”).

I took my order to go intending to eat in a nearby city park as I often do, but decided to go straight home with it. Which proved the seed of a novel encounter. To wit …

I’m driving down the busy boulevard and come up near a 5-10 yo gray Subaru Forester. So far so very ordinary. With 4 kinda small bumper stickers across the lift-gate. That many is usually a recipe for a :bewildered: or at least a :man_facepalming:, and once in a while a true :crazy_face: , so I start maneuvering to get close enough to read them.

The first and only one I can read from the adjacent lane 2 cars back says

Preserve Wildlife
Pickle a Squirrel

I’m now intrigued. They have my attention. So over the next couple blocks I push in directly behind them to have a good view of the others with their rather small print.

My :lobster: lobster is
an honor student

Yes, with the picture and everything. Hokay then.

BUCKLE UP! It makes it
harder for the aliens to suck you
out of your car

Excellent thinking. Not a precaution I’d have considered but they’re certainly right about it.

The last had lots of small print so I inched up right on their tail as we sat at a red light.

Don’t mind my wild driving. I’m
Thinking of
CENTIPEDES
(again)

With two large brick-red curvy centipede thingies depicted alongside the big words.

Having read their entire manifesto I had to see what the driver looked like, so I pulled alongside. A totally generic-looking plump 40-something white woman with glasses. Almost disappointingly ordinary seeming. But I know better than that; her looks are deceiving.

I don’t know her name or how to find her again, but I totally want to have lunch with her. Once. A mind like that is too … aaahh … errr … special to waste the opportunity to talk to. Once.

Sadly, there was no way to establish communications right then. So I finished the short drive home and ate my chicken alone on my balcony while pondering the conversation that might have been.


As to y’all

FCM: I’m sorry FCD is taking the hard way here, but as you say, it’s in his character, and it’s a good and redeeming trait overall. Best of luck w boat follies tomorrow.

Swampy: glad you were able to make good from your wet afternoon.

Sir, you are a genius! If I may continue the party …
Shoe: Even better if Monkey is eating from the Chinese food takeout box with the red characters all over it and you’re the one eating from the gooshy catfud can or envelope or whatever.

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I placed the food order at 4:16. The ETA was 5:21. It arrived at 4:40. So my 20 minute estimate was pretty durn close.

So much food! It’s been a while since I ordered from them. Dummy me, I got 3 fried rice orders and 1 would have been enough. We have so much left over - I won’t have to cook all weekend! :laughing:

Chillage now.

267

Where I work, ‘BBQ’ usually means burgers and hot dogs cooked on the propane grill, plus chips and sodas. Well, waddya want for nothin’? Rrrrrrrrrubber biscuit?

Speaking of which, I’m hungry. I had a ham-and-cheese omelette for breakfast. I’ve been on the 3.1-mile walk, I’ve done some sanding on the motorcycle cowling (and primed the sacrificial fairing), and had a shower. Mrs. L.A. wants to go to Smuggler’s Tunnel after the cats are fed.

268

Dumb … like a fox.

Flyboy: Your reports from Smugglers Tunnel always leave me wanting to go there. Ought to be a good time for you two.

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When I got meds by mail, my insulin came that way.

The abode is clean, laundry done and groceries bought. I talked to SIL and she’s not feeling up to coming down tomorrow. I don’t know if I’ll have the energy to drive an hour each way and do whatever (Saturday’s my only day to just chill usually). We’ll see when I get up tomorrow.

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Evening all. Well, it has been…a day. Started out ok, Amtrak was bang on time to Chicago and the cab ride out the airport rental car place was cheaper than expected (I had heard up to $70 and it was only $42, $55 with tip. Then life got a little interesting.

Turns out I was a couple hours earlier than I had told them, so they stated my chosen car wouldn’t be ready for another 2 hours and did I want to upgrade for $17/day more? Not wanting to sit around doing nothing for 2 hours, I took it. The hotel let me check in early, but ‘oh by the way’ they have a private parking lot and that would be $16/day extra. So two stops and nearly $100 added to the vacation tab.

Decided that despite being exhausted from not sleeping much on the train that I would go downtown to the Science and Industry Museum as I had not been there in probably 40 years. Didn’t plan that it would take 90 minutes to get there (I-90 is where they send polite drivers so that they can learn to cuss) but made it and tickets+parking+a couple added adventures equaled about $75. Spent about 3.5 hours there, it’s a nice museum with lots of stuff but I may have rushed through some of it. Then headed back to my hotel, and this time it did not take 90 minutes…it was close to 2 hours. Stopped at Mickey D’s as it was close and I was quite hungry, and managed to spill a full large-sized Coke all over the table and floor. So when a panhandler came by a few minutes later I gave him a couple of bucks because…damn if I know why, it just seemed the way to end the day. And leaving McDonalds it started to rain on me…it was a day.

So now in my comfy room on my comfy bed and outside of maybe getting an evening Pepsi, not planning on moving much. As for tomorrow, I’ll be real sure to check on traffic status before making a move to return downtown, you can bet on that.

Won’t promise to catchup with everyone, but here’s what I have"

Pilot, hope you get feeling better and get a second chance to show off your dancing moves. As for the wi-fi, the Amtrak wi-fi could not be found in the list of available sites; I thought at first it might be the Appalachians blocking it, but when we got to Ohio and Indiana it remained MIA. Probably a failure on their part, it worked fine on the N. Orleans-Washington trip. And loved those bumper stickers; may have to look into investing in a couple of them.

Shoe, happy the fridge fits right in.

FCM, since I let my laundry pile up until I have 4-5 loads to do, it can take an appreciable amount of the day to do it all, but I plan for it and manage well enough. And as for BIL, as the Arabs say, In’shallah, or ‘as God Wills it’. Not much you or FCD can do anymore.

Taters, sounds like a good mix of work and play.

doggio, the Musuem in Chicago has a replica coal mine, and the guide demonstrated how the wages were paid and then pretty much re-collected by the bosses…some things never change.

red, it actually has two different Amtrak trains stopping there, the Capital Limited from Washington and the Lake Shore Limited from New York, both ending in Chicago. If you want to see google “Virtual railfan you tube Elkhart”

flyboy, I rather like your boss; he sounds like he cares for his people, but in a fun way.

Oopsie, hope the adjustment works out for you; stepping away from something that has been a significant part of your life takes some getting used to. Looking forward to seeing the Cathedral in all it’s glory.

And that about saps what energy I have left. Take care all.

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We shared a jumbo shrimp cocktail. Wifey had a bowl of clam chowder. I ate half of a ‘Tower Burger’ – two 8 ounce patties, cheese, red onions, etc. I ate half of it, so ‘All the protein, and half the carbs!’ We each had two Hemingway daiquiris.

He’s all right, but he won’t be the boss for much longer. He’s retiring. The new person (what’s the female version of ‘El Jefe’?) was in the office Wednesday, but I’m on vacation and I don’t drive down there on Wednesdays anyway.

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I’ve gotten the house-brand version, which is just as effective and rather cheaper, from Amazon with zero difficulty. Might be next-day, though. I just keep a box of each -quil on hand, since we do use it frequently enough to justify the storage space. I have noticed that when I buy those in person in California, I get age-checked to make sure I’m over 18.

Most Chinese food I’ve experienced also reheats rather well. I’ve been known to solve work lunches for several days with one order of fried rice, since the place I order from is rather generous with their portions (one order is 3-4 servings for me).

“La Jefa”

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Up from naptime. Having a gin saketini(Roku gin, sake, Crude hibiscus/lavender/oak bitters). Spot is not a fan. Laundry is put away, watching the Draft.

With my job and schedule it works and feels right.

Yay for long weekend!

< Spot likes this post >

But mostly it’s stock bottles shoved in a padded envelope(I know what they feel like).

16 Tons

{{{{ FCD and FCM}}}}

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I went in today. Only the woman boss was there. I say I want to clock in; she says hold on, I’m the only one here.
Yes there were other employees.
Sat there an hour, still no tablet to work on.
Told her my hours as this is the end of the pay period, I have never clocked in ever and the Corporate guy who got me my pay is now on vacation.

275

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN 'Tis 77 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 93 with rain showers but they probably won’t start until late afternoon. Looks like ‘twill be clear enough to get in some quality cee-mint pond later this mornin’. The usual RDOS stuff is the plan of the day. Any need to feed will be via forage as we have plenty of sammich makin’s, chips and so forth.

FlyBoy that is not bbq. Irk is havin’ a cook out. Bbq is pig and, if one must, beef brisket.

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

Happy Sattidy Y’all!

276

Well, today’s plans have changed since FCD kinda twisted his back yesterday and he decided wielding a chainsaw is probably not a good idea just now. So we’ll be futzing at home. Daughter is coming over this morning for help with her health insurance choices. And somewhere along the way, I’ll probably rollsuck and maybe even < gasp > dust!!!

We’re promised rain starting tonight and going on-and-off thru Sunday night, then a nice 81° Moanday. So I won’t have to water my veggie patch! Speaking of which, I made the executive decision yesterday to take down the “greenhouse” - the plastic covering has developed holes, the zippers don’t want to zip, and the fabric tie strips are rotted - they literally come apart in my hand. So next spring, I’ll build another raised bed in that space. I need to disassemble it soon and lay black plastic down to bake/kill any grass and weeds that would come up.

Which means I need to organize the garden shed and find places for the miscellaneous items that have accumulated in the greenhouse. Where did all that stuff come from?? Who’s sneaking into my yard and putting gardening gloves and bags of potting soil and my bucket of clothes pins… oh, never mind. I’ll deal… :stuck_out_tongue:

Here’s a deep philosophical question for you - do you eat the end pieces of a loaf of break? Granted, sometimes they’re sliced so thin that they’d burn up in the toaster, but assuming a regular width slice - why do some people look askance at them? Yep, I had an end piece for breakfast… It wasn’t bad.

All righty then - Happy Saturday!!

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Wait, you mean you like popcorn?? :face_with_monocle::smile:

Hugs to FCM and FCD.

Pilot, I hope you’re feeling better today.

Today is a big, exciting day here. We’ll be off to get the oil changed in the car and a convenient breakfast at Shoney’s next to the dealership. Then it will be fun and exciting errands. I’m sure after that it will be nap time when I get home.

Last night was productive. I finally got my taxes sorted out since I’ve been self-employed so far this year. That is a relief to have it all tucked away.

278

Afternoon, mumpers! It’s currently 14c/57f with a predicted high of 15c/60f, and cloudy. Weather app cheerfully tells me “I know you can’t see it, but there is a fucking cloud. We’ll call the cloud “Alistair”. Alistair’s a fucking cockwomble.” I’ll take the weather app’s word for it, it’s definitely cloudy out there and blissfully cool.

Moooom I’m sorry to hear about BIL’s situation and FCD’s reaction to it. Of course he is in bits about it, and probably mostly angry because there’s nothing he can do to fix it. Now you have both MIL and BIL to worry about, and you have the additional worry of how all of this will affect FCD. Much love and strength to you all!

flyboy sounds like the boss is hoping to be remembered favourably once he retires! Hopefully the incoming La Jefa will be as generous with time.

Oopsie it looks like you will have no trouble filing all that spare time once you put your mind to it!

Sticky Buns it’s always good to get taxes out of the way when you’re self-employed. I hated doing them when I worked for myself, they’re just another necessary evil. Enjoy erranding and breakfast out!

Last night I made butter chicken for dinner, turned out ok but not spectacular so not a spice mix I’ll be using again without some additions. We watched a very long film, and had cocktails (espresso martini, and several margaritas) because the limes needed to be used. Ended up being a late night, so we slept in this morning although one of us got up early-ish to feed and medicate the cats, then had another hour or so just dozing.

metalmouse cocktails usually mean getting bed in the early hours of the morning and getting up late, thus an early gym class is not going to work for me. Also, exercising the day after alcohol is not great either, so I had to cancel today’s planned activities. I should be able to squeeze in a couple of sessions on Monday and Tuesday lunchtime to make up for it, as I’m working at home and the gym is a relatively short drive from here.

Today is largely a day for chillage and high sloth. We toyed with the idea of going into town but neither of us needs anything urgently so it would be simply for the sake of going out. There’s an Armed Forces Day event in the park round the corner which advertised having street food, which became a potential option for lunch but also neither of us is all that bothered. Thus no need to leave the premises today. Tomorrow I will be out and about doing charitable things all day, and 'im indoors said he was going to sort some stuff in the junk room that either needs to go in the loft, or to the tip. We’ll see, he’s been saying that for 12 months and hasn’t done anything yet.

279

Morning all. A solid 8 hours of sleep have improved my outlook on life, will either brave the traffic on I-90 later or go down another route to the Brookfield Zoo for today’s amusements. 20% chance of rain and highs in the 80’s, so the choice of Shorts vs. Jeans needs to be made (might wear one and have the other in the car). As travel is nearing its end I do not have a major desire to see or do much, the train trips were what made the adventure worth doing, the cities were just nice stopping points. Still, must keep up with my exercising.

doggio, was singing the refrain from that song under my breath as our guide talked about the ‘scrip’ and 'loading a ton of ore".

Coppertone, I do not understand that business method at all.

FCM, happy organizing. And I usually do eat the end pieces of my bread, especially if it’s a loaf of Lewis Hearty Rye.

Sticky Buns, excitement is where you find it. Nappage is always nice.

boo fae, chillage and high sloth are good things, live them to the max!

OK, need to drag out the bathroom things and make myself presentable then see if this place has a free breakfast or not (it seems the fancier the hotel the less likely you get a free breakfast…weird). Take care all.

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Mornin all’!! about 8am as I start jabbering. Up since 5 balconatin’ and caffinatin’ in the lush warmth. Then the Sun cleared the horizon’s clouds about 15 minutes after sunrise and pushed me indoors. Now NWS sez 84/29 on the way to 91/33 with thunder somewhere sometime for somebody. Meanwhile we have bright sun through thin cirrostratus & no wind.

Feelin’ almost normal. Slept well and popped Dayquil first thing. Fever thermometer & COVID test last night both showed “Nope; not that.” Yaay!

This weekend Car Pal and I will go pick up a chaise lounge and end table I’d ordered for the balcony and which has finally come in. That will replace the Great Yoga Mats of Outdoor F***ery. The store offered me a big discount to not use their delivery service, but my car isn’t really suitable for moving large sharp angular furniture. Pal has a pickup. Timeline TBD, but I hope we get it done this weekend.

Other than that my weekend is solo and totally TBD. Beachage and sloth seem the order of the days.

As to y’all …


That’s perfectly logical but seems to be an informal colloquialism that’s not “official” Spanish. It might land badly depending on who you use it to or about.

Spanish is not as far along as English is about gender equality. Like the joking “macha” meaning a tough powerful woman actually mostly means “bull dyke”. The Latin culture is even less ready for equality of treatment than ours is and their language reflects that. Latin bosses are by definition male; not only grammatically, but biologically.


I had exactly the same thought until I recalled that oopsie, like me, is one of the few petless MMPers. The thought of waking to 4000 Lego pieces variously yeeted, chewed, or swallowed was … daunting.


FCM. Good to not wield chainsaws (and lift heavy logs) while hurting. But I’d thought today was boat-fixing day, not tree-chopping day. It’s hard to keep up with all y’all’s planned chore-like activities.

As to bread loaf ends (“heels”). Mom taught us to leave the heels for last. So they act as bookends keeping the otherwise exposed face of the adjacent slice fresher as you work through the loaf. Then eat them last or turn them into breadcrumbs, croutons, dump in soup, etc.

I’ve been doing that unquestioningly for 60 years now, and am beginning to wonder whether that’s in any way necessary. It certainly increases the awkwardness of pulling a slice out of the bag. But yes, I eat them almost exactly as I would any other slice. I say “almost” since sometimes their odd shape or size wouldn’t work for the particular thing I’m assembling just now. But if a heel won’t fit this time, it’ll sure fit the next time I want some bread.


Stickybuns: Fresh oil for the car and fresh grease from Shoney’s for you sounds like an excellent way to start the weekend. Thanks for your concern; my afflictions are as nothing. And hooray for taxes sorted; that always feels good.


Sounds most excellent. 'Twill be interested to learn if 'im indoors bestirs 'imself over the junk room.


Metalmouse: Good luck with your last adventures in Chicago. Sounds like a great time overall.

City hotels pretty much all charge extra for parking now. Anything from 15 to 75 a night. Likewise for breakfast. Often there’s a “deal” where for something less than the full increment on the price of the room you can get “free” overnight parking or “free” breakfast. Usually not both.


And now as to me, it’s time to make good on those threats to start my day.

Cheers and happy weekend to all!