(Old) Pole Dancer and Dasher and Comet and Cupid! - A MMP For The Rest Of Us

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Thanks to some of our British friends here (yes, I blame YOU!) when I awoke I had a gnawin’ & cravin’ for … a hot cuppa tea. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

I wasn’t chilly or feeling blurfy; I just really, really wanted to sip on some piping hot, lightly sweetened Lipton.

… and so, gentle readers, I did.

What is it about dried leaves (tobacco, cannabis, tea, herbal “tea” infusions, etc.) that make human beings so damn happy?

Truly, we naked monkeys are strange beasts indeed.

Backup Manager was horribly hoarse yesterday (barely able to croak out “I’m not sick!”) and the grandma on the crew has had a horribly runny nose for days now (“damm allergies!”) so I’m bringing some Luden’s drops with me today.

That’ll totally help, right? :upside_down_face:

… must remember to grab a bottle of O.J. while I’m there, too. Get some vitamin C in me.
I like to stash them in the freezer for a few hours (after taking a few sips, to allow expansion room) until they’re nearly frozen. Shake the shit outta them to break up the ice crystals & you have a sorta-healthy sorta-slushie.

Also coming in with me: a bottle of coffee & a bag of gummy fish, half a baked potato, plus a jar of salsa, a mini thingie of guac, and some tortilla chips for scoopin’ all that. Oh, and some chocolate covered coffee beans - mustn’t forget the caffeine!
In my locker there’s still a bag of peanut M&Ms and some Chex Mix, and the walk-in has a few slices of ham & a pudding cup with my name on them.

There’s a solitary low-dose edible if I need it (e.g. emotional support blankie, it’s been there a while now) in my apron pocket, and my vape battery is on the charger.

Long Night requires being prepared, dammit!

(I doubt it’ll all be consumed today, but 1a.) I close again tomorrow, too, might as well stock up, and 2b.) I feel better knowing I have backup supplies.)

It’s stopped being drippy, so I’m letting Monkey have some outside time while I finish my tea and contemplate some sort of breakfast. (Might as well fuel up now, since it’ll help me nap some more, and - judging by my lunch pack - I clearly have the munchies anyway.)

Did a load of laundry last night, mostly socks and undies and work shirts, and although I have retrieved the clean/dry items from the depths of hell my basement, the chances of them getting sorted/paired and put away anytime soon uh today erm, this year, are decidedly low.

Not nil.

But if you shook a Magic 8-Ball (remember those?) the answer would be “Odds are not great.”

That took so long to type out, I may hafta make another cuppa tea!

ETA @Taters when I was roughly that age, I inadvertantly wandered too close to a swan nest. Didn’t know it was there and then suddenly there was a commotion of this horribly loud honking noise and white feathers and utter terror and me screaming & running as fast as my little legs would go.
When you are a very small human, those fuckers are bigger than you, and indeed, scary as all hell.

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I am up, and cranky. The alarm on my phone went off at 7am and I have no idea why, because I would certainly not be so stupid as to set an alarm on the weekend when one is not needed. I was already half-awake but being jolted by that dang alarm… It’s 9 now, I’ve had breakfast and I’m still upset about it.

I suppose if that’s the worst that happens today I should consider myself lucky.

It will be sunny and 60 today. This afternoon I’ll open a window for the little monsters cats. They’ll enjoy that.

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Due to the icky rain, i decided not to go on the shopping trip. My plan was to get wrapping paper and holiday bins at half price. Ah well…better home and cozied up to the heater and cats.

I was chased by a large bird as a child. I’m not sure if it was a swan or goose, but it was bigger than 3 foot me. Even now geese and swans are not much smaller than me. Goslings are very cute, I dare not juggle them, as the parents do not find it amusing.

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Good morning all. Slept past 8am so yesterday was longer than I thought. Bags are unpacked and stuff put in their places, so except for stopping at the post office and maybe going to the gym, it shall be a day of sloth here. Rain is possible starting about 2pm and continuing all day and into the early hours of Sunday. Normally I have cereal or an Instant Breakfast on Sattiday, but no milk in the house so will improvise. 55F heading to 62F so at least it will be a warm rain.

Didn’t mention a couple of things from my trip to see family; did get out for a few hours on Thursday, went to the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, when I lived there Union Station was a large shopping area, now all the stores are gone except for a couple restaurants and the Aquarium. The Aquarium is nice, very interactive, but smaller than some others I’ve visited. Also went up in the St. Louis Wheel, which is like the London Wheel except (1) It’s not quite as large and (2) You’re looking at St. Louis, not London. A package for both cost $40!

Also got up early yesterday and did my ‘Braunschweiger run’ as the stores up there have the brand I prefer and usually with a longer ‘use by’ date. So I have 16 rolls that should last me until the end of March. Got them home in a cooler with ice inside, the ice bag and double-plastic bags protected the tubes from freezing and kept them cool for the trip, so I guess I could have sammiches for breakfast…

And only 20-some messages to read; that should be easy compared to yesterday…

Coppertone, do take care of yourself.

nellie, keep ranting to management; if you must be put upon by these inconsiderate folks, you can annoy the heck out of them until they do something. As for Asknott, I don’t think he has a MMP name yet, I’m tempted to say it should be JFK (Kennedy was famous for his “ask not what the country can do for you…” quote) but hoipefully someone else’s brain is working better than mine.

lily, that’s a terrible tragedy for Csarcasm, I’ll look into that thread.

JtC, never been around geese that close, but there are a bunch of them living at on of the parks we play soccer at and I’ve learned to respect their territory.And the auto shop story was both horrifying and funny as heck; strange how many things still those two emotions together…

So say we all.

shoe, hope the Long Night is uneventful–your dietary needs are certainly eclectic. And while I normally don’t drink tea (except for Southern style iced sweet tea, not sure if that really counts), I used to get a hot sweet tea in the UAE called chai that I rather liked.

Cupcakes, In all my years I’ve never got a jury summons; no idea why, maybe one of these years…

Sticky Buns, whatever you decide, I know the tattoo will be heartfelt.

FCM, I’ve seen those kiosks and even used them once or twice. But prefer to interact with a real human when I can. And heck, it young’ns want to be helpful, I say let them. And so far I’m not signed up for anything like FCD did, but appreciate the warning.

boo fae, I know the feeling, I stay in my house a lot, being a RDOS but sometimes I need to get out and go…somewhere.

And think I will nuke some frozen pancakes and pre-cooked bacon and break my fast that way, then dress and get the mailing done. Take care all.

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It is 60 here. I may try and go to store to get ginger ale and jello. The cough is starting to break up.

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Keep in mind that holidays aren’t over for most Amish. They celebrate old Christmas, aka Julian calander, like Orthodox Christians do.

Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to do KP. Not a whole lot on the slate today, although, since it’s warm, a dogpark trip will likely happen.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

327

Actually, that is exactly along the lines of what I thought. Which is not to say my brain is working better than yours. More likely, great brains think alike. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

Anyhow, how about Camelot for AskNott? As I remember it, it was a hope-filled, energized, almost magical time for our country and the pundits nicknamed the JFK administration Camelot, from the King Arthur legend.

328

I’ve noticed around here that they’ll put signs up when their businesses are closed, so we’ll know when we drive by. And it’s no rush - as long as it’s done by April or May, I’m fine with it.

Remember the saying “If you start your day by eating a live toad, things can only get better!” Truly words to live by… if you have some live toads.

Punkin pies are done and cooling. I think I’ll make me some lunch and continue chilling. Feeling very lazy today…

329

Well, they’ve identified the Texas Man who tore up part of a Christmas village in Leavenworth, Washington.

330

Well, crap. Norovirus in the building, so I’ve cancelled our plans for New Year’s Day of having family drop by. Now I’m not only stuck with a lifetime supply of ham, but also a lifetime supply of cheese to go with it. First world problems, eh?

Fog down to the ground this morning and 30s. Back to the teens by next Thursday, but still no snow in the forecast. What we had is now gone, of course. Feels like a good day to get off my ass and wash the car.

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‘Eternity is a ham and two people.’ - Dorothy Parker

Warmed-up ham for dinner, ham-and-cheese omelettes for breakfast, ham sandwiches, ham salad, grabbing chunks of ham for a snack…

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Not really, if you think about being in a usually-hectic but occasionally super-quiet work environment with lots of people & limited space.

You’ll notice that, other than the halfa-baked-tater (which will require garnishment of bacon’n’onion quick-ovened, plus lotsa cheese … ah, pizza kitchen supplies!) everything else I’m bringing can be eaten on the fly, one-handed, no prep.

Hell, half of it can, and probably will, get stashed in my apron pocket at some point.
Fish out an M&M (an “M”?) or a gummy candy, pop into mouth, resume task while chewing discreetly.

  • Time off-task: .5 seconds.
  • Blood sugar: restored.
  • Mood: slightly less homicidal.

You livin’ off-grid or something?

Are you by any chance friends with a volleyball named Wilson?

I worked in a grocery store at the beginning of the pandemic, and I lost count of how many people bought a single apple, or tomato. One or three whispered to me, “I don’t even need this. I just needed to get out of the house.”

Drink lotsa water. (Soup, tea, juice, also good.) All that crud needs to be washed out, and the more hydrated you are, the more efficiently your body’s tissues can do their job.

Second Breakfast Cuppa is being dutifully sipped.
FCM I own no coasters (although I do have my own supply of cat’s ass) so I am using the collections letter from the IRS under my tea mug.

Stickin’ it to the Man while protecting my $15 IKEA table! :facepunch:

Speaking of cat asses, my First Breakfast has mostly been some more slices of my holiday ham, a large percentage of which was demanded in tribute by a certain small Egyptian entitled asshole benevolent god.

Will shortly bolster what ham remained for his humble servant with a slice of marble cake, unplug the Xmas tree (makes a nifty night light for bio-break time) and hopefully mush my pillows a bit more.

A lifetime supply of wine, and crackers, and you are SET for the apocalypse.

Don’t forget the corkscrew, though. (It would really suck to be surrounded by wine, and what, be gnawing on the cork with your teeth … )

On preview, there is a lot of ham in this thread lately!
(oink)

333

Started Typing: 10:06 AM ET
Clicked Reply: 12:02 PM ET

Morning, all!

Last night’s dinner with my old friends was great, despite the massive coughing fit I had about 2 hours into it (which lasted at least 30 min). As I suspected no one really cared that I had a cold, and hugs were exchanged depsite the germ warning. Which was nice. In my late teens/most of my 20s I was part of a group – creatively, we referred/refer to ourselves as The Group – that partied together and included people I went to grade school and/or high school with: we all lost touch in our 30s, but 11 years ago we had a “reunion” (thanks to Facebook) and started getting together every now and then. And because the Hawaii contingent is usually only on the mainland for Christmas, we started a tradition that whoever’s in town that week meets up for dinner. To be expected whenever a bunch of middle-aged people who were young together meet up, tales of what everyone’s up to and how various family members/pets are doing are interspersed with random, “OMG do you remember when…” stories. Often to the amusement (and occasional shock) of various spouses. :grin: It really is a miracle that none of us ever seriously hurt ourselves, caused an accident, or got arrested.

I wouldn’t say that I’m feeling any worse than I did yesterday, but I’m not better. And I’m officially tired of coughing. I was up in the middle of the night again, and seem to have random fits (like the one at dinner): I’ll do just fine for 1-2 hours at a time, congested but mostly able to breathe through my nose, and then out of nowhere I’ll have to cough – which sets off a chain reaction, and then all I can do for 20-30 min is cough and blow my nose and cough some more before things finally settle down again. I’m doing everything I can: I have OTC cold medication, proper cough drops (not just the sore throat lozenges I had before), Vick’s VapoRub, etc. I’m very aware that I could feel much worse, and I’m super grateful that I don’t, but I’m rarely sick and I have next to no patience with this crap. So, *whine*.

Happily, I have no plans today or tomorrow. Since getting sick on Monday, I’ve only had 1 full day without having to either work or go somewhere: I’m hoping that two more days of sloth will help. My boss is retiring next week and I’m supposed to have my final year-end performance review with him in person on Monday, but we’ll see what that morning brings. I’m also hoping to see my BFFs and do our Christmas thing on New Year’s Day. And, on Thursday evening there’s a dinner for my boss and another manager – who retired yesterday – and I’m really hoping to be well enough to go to that (only partly because I have the retirement gift for one of them!). It’s mostly these random coughing fits that have to stop: they’re both disruptive and most likely to infect others. Not to mention that I personally find the sound to be very annoying, so I hate inflicting it on others.

In other news, I’m slightly grumpy because this morning I discovered mouse droppings in the cabinet under the sink. For the last four years I’ve paid Orkin to come out every two months expressly to keep those things outta my house, so I need to contact them on Monday and have them send someone out. At no charge.

Today’s lunch will be my last banana, and half of a chicken caesar wrap (which I brought home last night). I’m looking forward to it. After I eat and watch some TV, I’ll likely start working on the Lego U.S. Capitol Building. :slight_smile:

Everyone has their own method, but mine is quite similar to JtC’s: when I’m ready to write my “big daily post” I go back to my last one and start reading, and quote things along the way*. I’ve often caught up between my posts, but I always start over so I don’t miss anything I wanted to comment on. It’s also why I nearly always engage with folks by quoting them vs just mentioning their Doper/Mumper name. The process can take some time when I’ve gotten behind!

*The time I spend doing that isn’t reflected in my “started typing/clicked reply” note.

There’s one very close to me, and it used to be my dad’s go-to if we were having lunch/dinner in my neck of the woods. At some point, though, I guess he got tired of it. I’d still be happy to go there if he wanted to!

LOL! I used to love that show (propaganda or not), but surprisingly enough the theme didn’t come to mind the other morning. :slight_smile:

I’d definitely buy an Air & Space Museum set!

UGH. Here’s hoping management finally grows some balls and actually, you know, does something about all of the complaints. :crossed_fingers:

There’s no Washington Monument set that I’m aware of. It would definitely be pretty boring, but I know that I’d definitely get it. :smiley:

You mean the one I mentioned – and shared a picture of – right above the text you quoted? :grin: :wink:

What a great idea!

I spent several years in my late 20s/early 30s volunteering at various hospitals, in various areas (ERs, maternity wards, etc.), and one short stint I did was in a pediatric ER. My job was mostly just to talk with the families who were waiting for a doctor and ask if they needed anything or had any nonmedical questions I might be able to help answer. Of course no stuffies would have been given to patients, but something like that for young siblings would have been awesome. :slight_smile:

Ha! :joy:

*snerk*

Boooooooo!

Another boooooooo!

:rofl: !

334

I have a water bottle that is very leakproof and thus is able to be in bed with me. Every time I cough I drink, even at night in bed. It really helps lessen the effort to cough.

Many, many years ago I had bronchitis. I’ve had it on and off and even injured muscles and gotten sick from coughing. During a bout a coworker told me “ every time you cough drink, water mostly, but hydrate every time you cough.” ; I was in so much pain and so tired I would try somethings (I did not try breathing in the steam of potatoes…),so I tried it and it worked.

Having this bottle in bed with me means I don’t have to lift up and get to water. I just hit the button on the bottle and sip from the straw, and close the cap. Back to sleep. It is great.

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But was there ham?!

I feel … some ways about this post.

Like, damn. Yup, same, etc.

Consider it an ab workout. See, you’ve been to the gym! Lookit you, exercisin’ and shit.

:musical_note: Riiiiiiiiiicollllllaaaaaa … :notes:

… actually, shit, I oughta buy me a bag of those. Screw you, weak-ass Luden’s.

(Not really, they’re great.)

Do NOT clean it up - or at least take several pictures - so the proof exists.

I never do that.

Like, IN bed with you?

I have a water bottle NEXT to my bed, but IN with me? Nah, the idea of rolling onto something hard and potentially wet is … ah, crap, nope, even I can’t finish that sentence.

I’ll leave that to the dirtier minds among us. Me, I’m as pure as the driven … slush.

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Laundry is in the dryer, bacon, eggs, and toast have been eaten. Spot is watching his shows, in between eating my hand.

Buy a couple of cases of PBR, and you’ll be all set for the Packers game tomorrow. :cheese: :beer:

< obligatory filthy thought >

What are you, Spot?

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Yes, cuddled like a teddy bear in bed with me. It is my bestest buddy when I have a cough. It does not leak. It is wonderful.

This is the bottle. You press the light grey button, the cap opens, there is a straw. Before my cough bestest friend, I would have to lift up, reach across, sometimes even, gasp, turn over, get water, don’t spill it, fight off the cat, etc.

The majority of the time it is my bedside water bottle. When I have a cough it is my bestest cough sleep in bed buddy.

338

My favorite Parkerism.

339

Have you tried taking Mucinex (guaifenesin)? It helps by thinning out mucus. But drink a ton of water with it or you’ll feel even worse. Also, I recommend just the regular kind - the cough suppressant variety is no good.

340

My mom lived in Chicago all her 90 years. Had driver’s license, was a registered voter. Was never called for jury duty.

I had an MRI at 9:30 this morning for my ankle. It does not seem to be improving pain wise. I see the doctor January 7 for the follow up. I’m assuming the results will go onto my chart in the portal so I can see the results before I see the doctor.