They also didn’t care one damn bit if you were toting a diplomatic passport; they searched your bags regardless of protests about them doing so.
And a late afternoon post today. Was heading out the door to head for the gym when the phone rang. Almost left it alone figuring it was a scam call, but turned out to be the mower place telling me my lawnmower was ready…only 4-6 hours since I had dropped it off. So went over there and picked it up, then stopped for gas at Kroger (with .70/gal off it was $2.49.9/gal for the mid-level fuel),. so by the time I unloaded the mower and all, my gym schedule was shot so I made an executive decision to go after dinner. Just finished the Mac-n-Cheese with a banana as dessert, so will wait another hour for the roads to clear and head on over to the pedaling place. Made it to 66F today so went easy on the house heating.
Since we’re still on airports, I’ve been through about 100 of them around the world, only US airport I don’t care for is Los Angeles, the rest are survivable (didn’t like LaGuardia much but I read that is had been pretty much rebuilt lately). As for overseas, Amsterdam and Singapore are wonderful, Paris Charles DeGaulle…is not (I will never set foot in it again if any other option is available).
Real Fish, I am happy your Dad is doing better, it may relieve at least some of the stress that you’re feeling, especially with your own procedure coming up quickly. Take care.
Oopsie, I just loved that flow chart; usually I got enough work done early that the end part was a fairly small rush to tidy things up, but I knew lots of folks like that.
JtC, hope you stay warm. Looks like you’ll be blessed with a little more rain (4 feet high and rising).
IL, stick around awhile, this is a good place to learn about life (and the universe, and everything). I have a calendar I got for Xmas that I will put up on the wall…someday soon, I’m sure.
Spicy, congrats to finding a work-around for your Outlook; way to be creative!
Coppertone, Yeah! and hope the job is all you want it to be.
Pilot, never cruised with Virgin, will be most interested in your comments. Best wishes for the cancer removal.
shoe, hope things stop smelling bad around there (I was raised near Akron, Ohio when it was “The Rubber Capital of the World” and the smell from the plants there was…interesting). And hope you can arrange some ‘quality time’ with G.C., along with time to maybe discuss that two-word comment…
OK,. need to arrange the dishes in the dishwasher (still not quite full) and head off to the gym. Take care all.
Home, semi-unpacked, showered, and planted in my recliner. I’m too tired and mentally fried at the moment to do more than check in. I kinda skimmed but with luck, I can be more coherent tomorrow.
Sleeping with Mel tonight.
Huzzah! Enjoy recliner and snuggles.
Are you anywhere near a landfill? When I drive past one of our local landfills, sometimes the methane (fart gas) is pretty pungent.
I hope that overlygirl feels better soonest wordy.
I’m glad your dad is feeling somewhat better fishy.
Welcome home Moooooooom.
We had a morning meeting this AM to announce that Idiot Boss is switching departments to an obscure segment of Quality (really, it’s where bad supes go to end their career. The pros that do their jobs tend to run the department). I’ve heard that the lead that’s shown gradual improvement is interviewing to replace her. I kind of hope that she gets it, given her improvement and that she’s a known component.
Other than that, it’s been another typical irk day here.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
I napped. Spot had the Screaming Tuxedo Zoomies. Having a Manhattan, watching hockey, and dreadin the next 17 work days.
OK, so I over accounted for 2 billion years of continental drift. 
Yay!
Well, I gotta be able to afford gin for Spot, so I suck it up.
Yep.
Yay!
Home again home again jiggity jig. I had the whole row on the plane to myself. Ursala has not stopped talking since I got home but she is settling down now and has assumed the couch position. I’m having popcorn for dinner. So glad to sleep in my own bed.
Howdy Y’all! Laundry got laundered and put away. Sup got nuked. I have a sinus headache and shall soon take sump’n to knock me out for the night. I will catch up on everything tomorrow.
I had an interesting day of apartment hunting. This morning I scheduled a “self-guided showing” of a place in this really cool neighborhood. In fact, I’m kind of fixated on this neighborhood as there are tons of funky cafes and shops, near to a dog park and the street car line loops right through it.
So I get instructions via text to open the lock box thingie and just let myself in and look around. I get to the building and the code they gave me doesn’t open the front door. I snuck around the side and saw Suite 1A, not apartment 1A, but I gave it a shot and lo and behold that what the code was for. It was not a studio apartment. First of all, there was no power so I had to look around with my phone light on. It was suite of four rooms, with debris to various levels all about. In the front room there were crates of appliances. The back rooms were empty. Most notably of a kitchen of any sort or more than half-bath (of with there were two). Another interesting feature was the open and empty floor to ceiling safe in one of the closets. I pretty much figured I was just about to be murdered and dismembered by a crazed cult of Portland liberals or something, so I got out of there.
I tried to get in contact with the company to figure out what the hell was going on but all they sent me back was a link to apply for the apartment. I demurred.
Then in the afternoon I went to see this other place that’s a little bit on the edge of the cool neighborhood, but closer to the dog park. A very pleasant woman showed me the place, very professionally, but kind of flirty, which I appreciated. It was nothing special, but very clean with nice amenities and on basically a dead end. So that’s on the top of the list so far.
From there I walked down a few blocks to the heart of Funky Neighborhood. And this crazy little Tasmanian Devil fireplug of a woman showed me around. When I say this place was a shit hole I’m giving shit hole’s in general a huge break. The hallway smelled like dog piss. The apartment itself was tiny. The floors were cement tiles. The paint was from 40 years ago. The fixtures were ancient. The back window looked right out on the garbage area, complete with knock over trash cans. The side door led out to the alley where the stench from the garbage area was the strongest. Crappy little heater. No AC. No ceiling fan. Jesus.
She showed me the laundry facility. “Oh, sorry, it’s not usually like this.” One of the two machines was pulled out into the middle of the room and there was grime and shit all over the place.
She showed my the recycling room. “Oh sorry, it’s not usually like this.” It was an old boiler room with a decommissioned boiler in the center of the room, cover with dust and dirt, the recycling bins surrounding it, with puddles of lord knows what leaking out of the bottom of the bins.
I asked her about parking if I were to get a car in the spring. “Oh you want to get an M-Pass from the city and you can park wherever you want.”
I thanked her for her time and walked back to the street car stop laughing my balls off.
Thanks, it probably won’t get under 30 tonight and we have someone coming out tomorrow. Currently it is 45F outside and our small home is warm in the spots we use. It will get cold overnight but I’m going to be spending an hour in my car tomorrow morning (surplus produce is still scheduled) and hopefully the HVAC guy will get here in time to realize he doesn’t have the right parts and make a second trip out trip the same day.
I have the big space heater angled so it radiates heat into my room and hub’s computer nook. GG is having serious problems with this because it is something new and he’s not sure how to walk around it to get in my room. He got so annoying that VBC went out and gave him a couple of whacks on the haid, which reset him enough that he was able to follow her back in for a snuggle and nap.
Today I baked a big bag of chicken legs and then shredded the meat for tamales, I baked a loaf of artesian herb and garlic bread, a batch of cookies and then stuck a pot roast in the oven instead of a dutch oven on the stovetop. I know how to heat up a kitchen, LOL!!!
Good point, I was lucky enough to leave the workforce before the world ended and don’t know anyone who works in an office anymore.
Welcome home, your last day of vacation sounds like you need another vacation to recover.
I’m guessing all of the frozen water they had on the ground last week might have something to do with it. Ice melt has to go somewhere and often overwhelms sewer systems.
Bad smells can travel a long way, when I was a kid, there was a pickle factory the next town over that could ruin everyone’s day when the wind was wrong.
HURRAY! People don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses, so the more idiot bosses that get sent to the cornfields, the better employee retention is.
I know every word she is saying…and they are not very nice words.
I’m glad you are safe at home too 
Wow, that sounds pretty bleak but not really that surprising. I’ve heard so many stories just like yours recently, the housing shortage is real and is hurting a whole lot of people. I hope you find something soon.
So, besides the no heat thing, we have branches falling off the almost dead tree by my potting shed. I know we should have it taken down, but it is growing suckers all over the trunk and the birds like it. The branches aren’t over anything that could be damaged, but clean up will be a bother. I’ll probably have it taken down in about two years, that’s when the mulberries and spruces will be mature enough that the birds have other places to hang out.
I’ve heard that the stuck semi is moving all by itself. My rain gauge showed 2.5 inches when I checked it before it got dark and water is still falling from the sky.
We average 18 inches of rain per year and have gotten 5.5 inches since the first of the year. Flood warnings are still in effect and travel warnings are happening. Flagstaff is pretty much closed down and Prescott is getting very dicy.
Evening all. Got 75 minutes of pedaling in, so should have no trouble getting to sleep tonight. Gym was busy, as someone mentioned a few weeks ago, all the folks who got gym memberships for Xmas are still coming around, we’ll see how many stick it out a couple months down the line.
Welcome Home, FCM!! Rest easy and you can tell us all about it tomorrow, once you have become re-acquainted with family and pets.
And a happy homecoming to you, wet one. Having that extra room on a plane is lovely, isn’t it. I can remember one long-haul 747 flight nearly 30 years ago where I had an entire 4-seat row to myself…Heaven!
J-Bats, they are building apartments and condos around here like crazy, many of the locations are not close to any services, so I wonder how practical they will be. As I think I mentioned before, I want to stay in my house another 4-5 years and then look for a smaller place. Good luck in your search.
JtC, that sounds like a ‘once a century’ storm. Stay safe and hope the heat comes back on soon.
red, getting rid of an Idiot Boss is always a good thing…of course, the powers-that-be may go out and find a bigger Idiot, but there is always hope.
OK, after 9pm so need to finish up here and prepare for bedtime. Take care all.
Off to sleep. Gotta get up early tomorrow to sew on my dangling metal thing that hooks the waist of my work pants together.
Looking forward to new posts then!
In the Miami airport in 1985. My brother had committed suicide in a transient hotel. I was the delegated person to make the trip down to resolve the issues surrounding this. My older sister decided to come along. She was ten years older than me, and was a bit on the neurotic side. Her emotions were pretty raw during this trip, but we managed to take care of everything.
Our flight out of Miami was delayed. We settled down in the gate ( pre 1911 and so it was just open) to read and wait for the plane. I don’t sit still for long periods very well so I went for a walk… There was a tobacco shop in the terminal, and I bought myself a really good cigar. One could smoke indoors back then. I walked back to where my sister was sitting and sat back down. I was really enjoying my cigar and my sister commented that she thought she should be watching me smoke it through a keyhole, meaning that she thought I was enjoying it a little too much. I offered her a taste, and ended up going back for another cigar for her.
Back home, she continued smoking cigars until she passed away years later. Mom never forgave me for this…
@JaneDoe42 , I hear that weather of yours is moving east to us, so I’ll keep a good thought for your rain to stop and ours to start. If we don’t get more than a trace this week, I’m going to have to pick a day when we’re not likely to freeze for a while and hook up all the drip irrigation hoses for a mid-winter soaking of all the new plants I put in this year.
@Jack_Batty , apartment hunting is the worst! I hope you can find a decent place soon. It’s like job hunting or dating - they’re all stinkers until you find the right one.
Welcome home to all the travelers! @FairyChatMom and @peedin , you’ve earned some rest! @LSLGuy , thanks for all the pictures. That’s some great fuel for vicarious travel! Good luck with the surgery tomorrow. I’m glad you’re getting it taken care of.
@TruePisces , it’s a relief that your dad’s doing better. Good luck with your surgery as well. Maybe next month you’ll get a break!
I’m impressed that you’re getting your mower in shape in February, @The_Stainless_Steel_Rat ! I’ve never found a place with that kind of turnaround time, but then again, I’m always calling them in midsummer.
@purplehorseshoe , that’s wildly exciting - and you didn’t have to say it first!
Mr. L. found out last month that he’s been kicked out of the Xtandi Patient Assistance Program and as far as they’re concerned, he’ll need to pay full retail - $14,999 a month. No, I didn’t type that wrong. They’d been sending it to him free for the past three years without asking for any kind of income verification, so we were surprised to discover our household income is too high for him to qualify. Which is fair, I suppose? Except it feels like there should be something between “free” and “more than double the median income in the US”.
Anyway, he spent almost two hours on the phone today, and he managed to get a prior authorization from his Humana Part D plan, so once the specialty pharmacy gets in touch with his oncologist, he’ll be getting his meds - to be clear, the drug that is keeping his cancer from crumbling his spine into dust and killing him, probably within a couple of years - for the low, low copay of $1,900 a month instead. We are incredibly fortunate that his Social Security should be kicking in within the next month or so and we don’t need it to live on, so we can just dedicate it all to cancer drugs for now.
I have so many bad words to say about the state of medical care in this so-called first-world country. I am so happy you are able to afford to keep your beloved alive for longer than than ummmm cuts political rant off.
I hope you get some rain too. Restarting and draining the drip system is such a PITA, I usually just drag hoses around instead.
ETA:
Safety pins are your best friend!
Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave. God help me.
Up. Too proud of my 3 in Wordle.
Back to sleep. Not enough sleep is bad.
Not to mention he needs material for posting here! Unless, of course, he’s lying about the job and all his posts are made thru a drunken fog from his cardboard box under the overpass… sometimes one wonders…
You truly have no idea. I need to get into Word and compose the novelette of my journey - of at least the parts I haven’t blocked out!
J-Bats - I am having flashbacks to my college days when I was desperately seeking an apartment after a house-sharing situation went bad. I ended up renting part of a house that had been divided into 3 apartments. It was OK, despite having only a tub but no shower, but I put up with it since I was living away from the former ass of a roomie. Worst part was when the couple in the back half of the house moved out and the landlord had to spray for roaches. Damned things fled to my apartment! < shudder > But that little issue was resolved and I stayed there till graduation. The end.
When I checked the local weather forecast this morning, I saw we’re in a coastal flood warning till tomorrow - I’m guessing there was rain while we were gone? Altho we’re the last county before the Bay, so I suppose it could be runoff from well west of here finally making it to the estuary. Not that it affects us specifically. If water levels were to rise to our yard level, you’d see all the animals lining up two-by-two near a big-ass boat. I crack me up!.
OK, off to compose my final journey summary. And caffeinate. After almost 3 weeks without Diet Coke for breakfast, I don’t know if my system will adjust!
Happy Wednesday!!
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 35 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 61 and N.O.S. for the day. We shall procure provisions this mornin’ and get fried chikin N.O.L.s from the Pubic Sto’ for the main feed of the day. Other than that ‘twill be sloth, general overall uselessness, nappage, and day drinkin’ as is our usual wont.
Real_Fish glad things have improved for your dad. Here’s hopin’ all goes well with your surgery.
J_Bats sounds like an adventure. Hope you find the right apartment soonest.
JtC hope the heat gets fixed today and the floodin’ is not too bad.
MOOOOOOM welcome back to civilization. Airport adventures are never fun.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, bother of bothers, I suppose I must purtify and don attire acceptable for bein’ amongst the great unwashed. Oh woe!
Happy Hump Day Y’all!
Mornin’ everyone.
It’s 41 degrees F, damp and cloudy outside. The clouds are supposed to part a little by afternoon to give us only partly cloudy skies, and the high temperature will be 47 degrees Fahrenheit. When I woke up this morning and came downstairs, a little rain fell.
Yesterday’s trip to Port Angeles and back didn’t take as long as expected, but the day still felt long. I was in the office by 5:10 a.m. I hurriedly dealt with email, slammed down a cup coffee, loaded my Jeep with a handcart and NARA boxes, and waited for the MPA to arrive. @nelliebly, MPA stands for Management and Program Analyst.
While I waited, hurried emails arrived from the SD, who wanted a last-minute registration taken care of. In the story of my life, everyone leaves stuff to the last minute, and I and/or the MPA deal with the fallout and jump through our asses to get shit done. It becomes old, really. I hurriedly prepared and approved a funding document and sent it for fund certification.
Anywho, after dealing with that and some last-minute other stuff, we hit the road only 15 minutes later than I originally planned. I stopped for fuel and wound our way up Highway 101 to Port Angeles. My boss was waiting for us, and he doubted I could fit many boxes in my Jeep. I told him the height, weight and length of my cargo area, and that I had mathed in the dimensions of each box and said we would be able to fit around 22 boxes in the back. I was right. We could have fit a few more if I had stacked them three high on the side, but we left them at two high. The boss took me and the MPA to lunch, and then we made the 2.5 hour trek back to the office. We got back to the office right around the time I’d normally leave there on an in-office day, but with the help of two staff members, I got the boxes unloaded and stacked, packed my computer up, and headed home.
As it turns out, there were 24 file cabinets that needed emptying; I think we only managed to get five or six emptied because some of the individual files are several inches thick. There will probably be another trip up there for me, but I will stress that the program that owns those files should be doing that. Between the boxes I brought up and some that were already there, we packed 34 boxes.
In Port Angeles, my work cell was constantly pinging me with emails and team messages. JFC, I told everyone where we’d be, but we couldn’t get five freakin’ hours to take care of shit without BS interruptions. All that stuff was stuff that could have waited until today, but some of our staff think EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE RIGHT NOW AND SCREW WHAT YOU HAVE ON YOUR PLATE. I promptly replied to the messages stating their problems and would have to wait until I had a nearby computer, per my OUT OF OFFICE message.
Once home, I realized I’d left all my yogurts in the fridge at work, but I’m not returning this week, so they’ll have to wait until Monday.
In much more pleasant and surprising news, I came home to my husband having tidied a lot of the house. It was a very pleasant surprise. He didn’t do the dishes, but he made a serious effort and stated he planned to do more today.
fishy, I’m glad your Dad has improved so much. I hope your surgery goes well, too.
FCM, so glad you’ve made it home. I’ll bet your own bed felt so good.
J-Bats, I hope you find the right place soon.
JtC, I hope your heat is back up and running today.
I know there is so much more, but geeze louise, you all were chatty yesterday!
Take care my friends. I hope today is smooth for all.