I was at home in Lompoc, CA (near Vandenberg AFB). Slept in a bit that morning, woke up to newsgroups and mailing lists going nuts. Spent the day glued to TV and online news coverage while seriously questioning the wisdom of living near a military base (at that point, it had not yet been established that there were “only” four hijackings involved, so seemed like more, or other forms of nastiness, were quite plausible).
Eh, that’s what I do too. Although I always have gotten the mRNA Pfizer vaccine, that is just what is prevalent around here. A couple of the national pharmacy chains have Moderna but I stick with my local pharmacy who haven’t steered me wrong yet.
Happy Friday all. It’s been a busy week here. Cleaning lady came Wednesday and worked her magic (she even got almost all of the hard water stains out of the tub that were there when I bought the house). I tipped her extra well in the hopes that she’ll find time in her schedule to make it out here every month or two.
And then I had two strokes of very good luck. Late Wednesday night, my thermostat died (not the good luck, btw) and my AC wouldn’t work because of it. A friend who works in commercial heat & air came over at midnight (that’s the first good luck!) and was able to work a temporary fix. Amazon delivered a new thermostat bright and early Thursday morning, and I was able to get it installed without too much trouble.
Then a cold front came through Thursday morning which dropped temps into the 80s and brought rain!! It’s the first measurable rainfall I’ve had in several months - it won’t make a dent in the drought, but anything is better than nothing. Unfortunately the cold front was short-lived and we are back in the upper 90s.
Bright Tree sorry the vax hit you so hard. Hopefully you and Mr Taters are both on the upswing.
Swampy glad to hear the ultrasound went well, and with luck you’ll have results before the weekend arrives.
knots that itchiness sounds unbearable!
I accidentally almost posted this in the mini-rants thread.
So, this just came in the mail.
The Great Big Formal Technical Review was finally this week: Wednesday, yesterday, and today (but I decided to skip today’s session: it was only ½ day, and I needed to prioritize other things). On Wednesday I left the house at 6:30am (I actually got to Washington Navy Yard early enough to hear reveille) and didn’t get back home until 6:30pm. By some miraculous quirk of fate, though, yesterday’s session ended nearly two hours ahead of schedule – and the chair didn’t want to start any of today’s agenda items early! 
I accidentally left my laptop at work on Tuesday: when I knew I’d be skipping today’s session I figured I’d just go to the office this morning, but then when things wrapped up before 3pm yesterday I decided to go get my laptop then. I knew the traffic would be painful (home is between DC and work; it was so hard to drive past my exit!), but I also knew I’d rather be able to stay home today. 1 hr 10 min later, I got to the building. I stayed for a couple hours so the drive home wouldn’t be as bad, and after stopping for gas and groceries I didn’t pull into my garage until around 7:30pm…but then I was all set for the weekend, and I could work from home today.
It was good to catch up on some stuff today, but my brain said “enough!” at around 2:30pm. 
I slept well last night, but Tuesday, Wednesday, and yesterday were all long and tiring days and I’m still recovering. For a week that started with a holiday, this one was a doozy!
Today and tomorrow present a bit of an emotional one-two punch: today is the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and tomorrow will be the 1-year anniversary of when I said goodbye to my Bailey dog. I’ll be supporting the facial tissue industry all weekend. Happily, I have no plans other than getting my annual COVID and flu shots tomorrow. My appointment is at 11am: CVS is right next to McDonald’s, and I plan to treat myself to some McNuggets and fries for lunch. Maybe even a theraputic apple pie.
I wasn’t able to even lurk in the MMP after Monday, so I’ve only read the posts from the last ~24 hours…hoping I didn’t miss anything significant! 
I was in the bathroom getting ready for work, listening to DC101’s morning show. When the news broke that the first tower had been struck, the DJs initially thought it was a hoax; then the second tower got hit. I drove to work and watched the TV coverage for a few minutes after the Pentagon was hit, then I started making calls: I had family who worked on Wall Street and I had a moment of panic when I couldn’t reach their nanny (thankfully they were out of town), then after Flight 93 crashed I got worried about other possible targets and called my mother – who was working at NSA, in a large building with a mirrored exterior (i.e., a natural strategic and physical target). I tried to get her to go home, but (understandably) she couldn’t leave.
A year later, I became good friends with a woman who was a retired USN CDR: about 9 years ago she was diagnosed with cancer, and only 8 years ago did I learn that she and her wife were both working in the Pentagon when it was hit – in the section that was damaged. They were with the Office of Naval Intelligence, and my friend had to stay on the scene to secure the classified information that was suddenly fluttering around. They (and I) firmly believe that her cancer was the result of being exposed to all of the crap that was in the air immediately after the attack. She fought long and hard, but succumbed 4 years ago. 
That seems wise!
Ugh! 
Other than minor injection site soreness I’ve never had a negative reaction to either a COVID or flu shot; I’m hoping that streak continues.
There doesn’t seem a be a “nearly bursting with both nerves and excitement for someone else” emoji, so you’ll just have to imagine one!
I follow several fermentation forums and recipes and techniques have been showing up often and I’ve been considering myself. Now I think I will do more than just consider it!
Much sympathy, being sick is no fun at all. At least you know there is an end to it even if it is so far away.
I hope that at least your jerk of a neighbor quiets down a little.
I have one as well. I also have a small propane camp stove in case the power goes out. The problem with that is I need easy coffee to help wake me up enough to make complicated coffee.
Remember those coffees that came in the rectangle boxes? I used to have some of that but it didn’t make the move and hasn’t gotten replaced yet. I will add that to the list!
OMG!!! I just figured out why Harry stopped by and told me to be sure our cars were locked for the rest of the month. It’s apple picking time!!! That explains the two boxes of apples by the library doors this morning. Someone was “donating” their extra.
Good luck with the wasps. Do yours die off in the winter? I understand they all die off here but leave eggs behind that hatch when its warm enough.
Never had that happen, but I did drop my keys in a couple feet of snow once. I didn’t even bother looking for them, I just called a locksmith and then waited for the snow to melt so I could find the ring.
Love them all. Crustaceans are wonderful and I’d eat them every day if I could.
My last real sick night, I woke up thinking about how good a scrambled egg would taste but couldn’t summon up the energy to go to the kitchen. It sounds like he’s really on the other side now 
Poor kid’s going to have to bring back sliderules just to get a little respect!
Same. I liked the world much better before it.
Dang and I’m really sorry for you. I seriously respect people who have such bad reactions but still want to do their part to protect the herd. It’s much harder for you to motivate yourself into getting sick for a few days than it is for me go go in, get jabbed, buy fancy shot of booze, then go home and forget about it. Thanks for continuing to force yourself to do it, it really does make a difference for you and the general population.
You have a VERY good friend, I’m glad you got things fixed.
Did laundry and roll-suckage. FCD finished the window vent and we installed it and an un-torn screen in the window. We were able to skooch the kiln away from the wall without damaging ourselves or it. He’ll be moving an outlet, installing a mount for the blower, then connecting everything. Then I’ll be back in business, theoretically. Fingers crossed that the elements are, in fact, uncorroded.
I spent a little time this afternoon starting to reconstitute some clay and some underglazes. I need a big batch of clay ready for the grands - they’ll want to make stuff. I’m getting a bit excited about playing in clay again.
For now, tho, we’re waiting for a delivery of yummy Chinese food for supper.
Howdy Y’all! I got the things done over to the church house and then got us foodstuffs from Jack’s. We et and then decided on nappage. Then we set up the new teevee. The old teevee was cooperative comin’ off the wall bracket. The new teevee was also cooperative slidin’ in the wall bracket. That was too easy. Of course, the set up of the dang thing was a real PITA, but it’s done and we almost understand how to operate and do stuff. Almost. There’s more stuff to figure out, but I will. Speakin’ of which theres stoopid teevee to watch and ice cream to eat. Laterz!
MOOOOOOM you got mugged by a shrub? How tragic! Do you think enemy agents would kidnap you and try to get you to reveal your meatloaf recipe?
Hippie what a memory of 9/11! I was at work and OYKW called me to tell me to turn on the news. He had been alerted by a co-irker who was off that day as he was at work as well. All we did at work for the rest of the day is watch the news. I also called everyone in my family because I needed to hear their voices although I knew none of them were anywhere near NYC. I would have been in Chicago for work that day, but the trip got postponed a month the Firday before 9/11.
Cookie glad the bagels arrived unharmed. Hope the flu shots don’t knock y’all for a big loop.
Rocker sounds like a fun train ride. Sometimes the fun things happen spontaneously.
MetalMouse sounds like a soggy weekend in store. TWPTB say that for here as well.
Mollie glad that Mrs Magill likes her counselor. That helps the process a whole lot Good call to delay the Estradiol until after the trip. Also thanks for the reminder. I just went and pulled some chikin thighs out of da freezer cause I want to make death chikin tomorrow. Glad Fang is OK. I will not use the words I just said about the idiot who decided to do that cause I am polite and genteel.
Cat_Glove glad you feel better today.
BrightTree hope you are feelin’ better by now. Sometimes vaccines kick my butt like that.
52 HUZZAH for the quick thermostat fix. Doc should have the ultrasound results by Moanday. I figure if there are any concerns I will be notified.
{{{Oopsie}}} glad the review went well and that you did get to irk from home today.
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Just a quick note, gym has been gymed and dry cleaning collected. It’s try to rain outside but the fields are still showing as open, so I guess it is my call on soccer practice. We’ll see if further information is available in the next 20 minutes or so.
Bright Tree, no worries, outside of a sore arm I’ve never had a bad reaction to a vaccine yet. Take care now.
More like being locked into a habit. One that is great for my body, mind you, but hard to break out of.
52, glad the thermostat problem was easy to fix. And yay! for even a little bit of rain…I’m getting that now after 2 very dry weeks here.
Mollie, that’s great but don’t let the Dalek or The Silence (IIRC) near it…
Oopsie, meetings can be tiresome, sounds like you made the best of a bad situation with the laptop. And a heartfelt but melancholy story of your Naval friend. I have a friend who was at the Pentagon too, but not that close and while he (like most of the military folks) immediately went to the scene to help, he’s still in good health as far as I know.
And the Parks are still showing the fields open, so will message my parents and leave it up to them. Now to dress for the part of a youth soccer coach…
A few days after 9/11/01, I talked to a friend at work. I know and respect this man. He told me he had visited a sick relative in the hospital. The guy was fatally ill, what the medicos irreverently call “circling the drain.” He told my friend he had seen a bright light and a lot of hubbub. Somebody dressed in white told him he’d have to wait. He couldn’t go yet. They were too busy. He woke up in the hospital room, told my friend about it, and he died the next day.
The snails have electricity! After a few days of crawling under the porch in the science park, I have successfully wired the “snail lab.” There’s a big ole toggle switch to turn the whole thing on, a separate push button to activate a relay that send power to some black lights for 30 seconds at a time. Really nice pushbutton I found to activate. But I am super glad to be no longer doing electrical work on my knees in mud under a 5 foot tall porch, or on a ladder.
25 Years ago I was still painting sets for the big Uni here. I was standing on a chair painting the back of a transom window of a set…can’t remember the play. We heard the news and tuned the shop radio to NPR, I was so glad Bob Edwards stayed on as long as he did, such a calming voice that day. Eventually we called it a day and every one went across the street to our regular and had a couple of beers and burgers and commiseration.
Ms Peach is pooped. I just spent 45 minutes flinging a ball with the chuck-it. She’s slowly learning that part of the game is “give the ball back.”(I always say that in Gene Wilder’s voice-“Put the candle back”)
VanGo you just reminded me that I was going to mention Annie’s near escape last week. Somehow she managed to follow me out of the house (even though I thought I double checked as I closed the door). Thank goodness she was so completely mesmerized by the smell of some weeds that she didn’t notice me very quickly moving in to scoop her up. I was totally freaked out.
MetalMouse, one of my students is a 6 year old and HOLY COW! This child is a handful who was like a miniature tornado when I saw them the other day.
Today I took my mom north to her eye doctor and the experience went very well. Amongst other things, it was much easier to put the rollator in the back of the Santa Cruz than it had been to do the same in the Rogue. Yay!
Tomorrow will be a full day of lesson planning and organization. Of course there might be a nap in there, too.
Twenty five years ago I was at work at the car dealership. I had a cousin that attended KSU and I was concerned about her safety, so I went and picked her up and she just hung out with me for the rest of the day.
I wrote that story a couple hours ago from memory, then dashed off to take a shower. In the shower, I thought, “Boy, that sounded really woo-woo.” I believed, and still do, that my friend was sincere. However, the dying man may have lied to him, or maybe it was the hallucination of a dying man. Who knows? Not me.
Up from naptime. Having a daiquiri, and Thai curry stew. I was watching the N.C. State game, State is up 28-0 against the Spiders, but there’s a lightning delay. Spot is yelling at The Thing that Lives In The Wall.
Poo. Feel better!
Yay!
I guess it’s too late to change her name to Abby.
Howdy Y’all! We’ve been watchin’ the season of Call The Midwife that dropped this week. It’s not really stoopid teevee as we really like the show. It is. however, sappy teevee. Sometimes one needs sappy. Anywho, the smrt teevee is takin’ some time to figure out, but we are gettin’ there. Well, me more than OYKW. All he wants to know is how to turn it on and what button to push to get to the show he wants. Mostly when he wants to watch his crime shows he likes to lie upon the bed and watch 'em. Mayhaps we should keep a dumb teevee in the bedroom. Then again, maybe he will come around. There was a time he didn’t want a laptop or an iPhone, but now he has both.
Here endeth the ramble.
One can tell you are a member of a liturgically oriented denomination.
My people!! My favorite TV series of all time, bar none.
Twenty five (25) pepperoni pizzas, for a local high school. Dunno the details, but here was the walk-in:
Sounds like football concessions to me.
Less than five minutes after taking that quick clandestine pic, there were … two orphan pepperoni lying on the floor.
Much oven-ing ensued.
Sounds like zucchini.
That’s lovely!
Sounds like Friday night at a pizza kitchen.
… kinda …
Hey. Are the angels available to pick up shifts?
Was there rejoicing from them?