Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave. Then vacation!
They used to do an open house at RDU, and when the wind was right , all the turbine blades would rotate and clink. Hard to believe a bunch of wind chimes could vault 100,000 pounds into the stratosphere.
JtC love the bowls and the rocks.
\m/–\m/
He’s about as resistant to change as my roommate. My condolences. Do you own a rubber mallet?
There’s always room for Jell-O(pudding)
Ouch. How long can they do that to you before mandatory rest?
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 75 Amurrkin out and mostly cloudy with a predicted high of 93 and mostly N.O.S. for the day. JDD and Partner are comin’ over around eleven this mornin’ for some quality cee-mint pond time and general overall silliness as is our wont when we get together. This will include sloth, day drinkin’, and whilst floatin’ around the cee-mint pond, a little nappage. We shall also grill burgers and have burgers ‘n fixin’s and chips for a mid-afternoonish late N.O.L./early sup. Lookin’ forward to a fun day with our bestest IRL friends!
Pilot yikes! Hope you are gettin’ some much needed rest by now.
JtC glad you made it home safe. That’s some purty stuff! Here’s hopin’ that GG and COC have decided you are not some kind of alien who has invaded their home. That’s quite the haul of Polident!
shoe glad you’ve eaten and are gettin’ the needed rest.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.
Up stoopit early (by my standards - it’s not even 7 a.m. for chrissakes, though that’s “sleeping in like a slugabed” for some of you) due to the impolite but rather predictable results of pouring a variety of foods into an empty gut.
So I’m winding back down with some yogurt and a hot cuppa tea. Haven’t had hot tea in a while, and this is about the coolest part of the day.
Monkey got his “mousie time” (playtime with a laser pointer shaped like a mouse - he is obsessed) just a bit ago, and is currently alternating between howling for gooshy-food (because I heated water, and keep his cans on top of the microwave - now if I so much as glance at the nuker he starts begging) and poking through some assorted clutter that I really ought to put away, because he’s sure he lost a treat in there somewhere.
Wow, that was one long-ass sentence!
Yeah, really … I thought pilots, long haul truckers, etc. were subject to rules & protection for how long they could be forced to work with no break.
ETA: Monkey is now chasing fresh treats being tossed his way, so please disregard any reports he’s filed about the terrible mistreatment he suffers constantly.
Morning everyone. Been out of the loop due to a full week of jury duty.
Spent part of my week watching a sobbing 8 year old, trying to describe the details of her serial molestation by her grandpa. No soldier, fighter pilot, or burly tatooed motorcycle rider will ever be that brave.
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s currently 11c/52f with a predicted high of 13c/55f and cloudy. Weather app says “It sure looks like all of the fucking clouds are trying to ratfuck your day.” And it’s raining. I don’t mind it being wet, it’ll keep the annoying neighbours indoors so they’ll be a bit less annoying. We also have weather warnings for high winds and thunderstorms all day!
pullin I am so sorry, it must be an awful thing to have to watch
Swampy have fun fooling around in the cee-mint pond! Sounds like you and your besties will be having a great time.
shoe good to hear that you’re back with us, eating, and contemplating a bit of GC time!
JtC your trip sounds lovely, and those pots are gorgeous.
Taters I’m glad the little bird recovered, not so glad it chose to leave you a present as it left
metal mouse I learned a long time ago that there’s very little point in going to the gym without having some kind of plan. Your visits still have structure, you go in with a clear idea of what you want to do, and you’re getting results from it. If weights and classes don’t interest you, then don’t bother because you won’t enjoy it - there’s a lot of sense in doing stuff because you want to, not because you think you have to!
Oopsie good for you! Your PT sounds very sensible, you shouldn’t expect to start on high weights/reps, you need to work up to it. I had a fun morning, skipped the HIIT class today because I didn’t want to get up that early so I did a 30-minute intense spin class, followed by a 45-minute dumbbell hustle class (it’s like the old Les Mills Body Pump but with a bit of cardio thrown in). They rotate instructors for the class so each one does it a different way. Stops us getting bored!
Came home via the pet store to pick up 30L of cat litter, and also collect my order of flea stuff and a covered litter box for the girlies. They hoof litter all over the place so we are thinking to introduce them to a covered box in the bedroom to keep the mess to a minimum (and contain the smell of Blossom’s super-fragrant poo).
Am clean and sheveled again, ready to face the public as we’re off into town for lunch at the Good Chinese Place, then errands to do. My turn to cook tonight so I will need to work out what I’m going to do. It will involve chicken, that’s about as far as I’ve got so far.
My wife and I were at the mall once. An older woman with a clipboard approached me and asked if I had time to take her survey. I told her that I was sorry, that I was not interested. She said that all she needed to know is what brand of toothpaste I use. I told her I did not use toothpaste and started to walk away. She grabbed my elbow and confronted me, gesturing towards me with her hand and said “Surely sir, you use some sort of toothpaste!” I gently grasped her hand and spit my upper denture into it. I picked it up and put it back in and said “I told you lady, I do not use toothpaste. Now leave me alone!” and walked away while she stared at her palm with a look of horror on her face.
Had the first regular outpatient PT session yesterday. Man, they have no mercy in there! Pretty rigorous, and I was achy last night, but I feel like it did some good. Now I have to up my home game a bunch in order to keep up.
We spent a month in the SW on two different occasions. It’s truly a geographic marvel. I was especially enamored of the slot canyons and the old pueblos.
Decided a mere yogurt wasn’t gonna do the trick, so took myself to Timmy H. for a breakfast bagel.
I tells ya, this whole “eating every day” thing is time consuming!
Plus I was already planning to treat myself to a bit of sushi before Long Night shift, and it feels incredibly decadent to eat out (well, to-go) twice in one day.
Maybe I’ll save sushi for tomorrow. But then, what to eat later today?
I’m serious, this shit gets annoying.
Meanwhile, I’m enjoying the cool morning air on my side steps with my “picnic” bagel, and hoping like hell I get sleepy enough again soon for a few more hours of shuteye.
Monkey is also enjoying the fresh air, and was even gifted a few morsels of bacon and one of egg, which he promptly disdained.
It’s 67F, and light rain is falling. The rain is expected to continue through around noon, and the expected high is 82F. The skies will remain cloudy, which means, it’ll probably be a little humid too.
I don’t really mind the rain because I won’t have to go out and water all the flowers, but since the rainfall is expected to be light, I’ll check the soil’s moisture level this afternoon to make sure they’re alright.
JtC, love the little bowl. I, too, have a thing for bowls, but stopped buying them because I’m trying to get rid of things, not add more. I have a couple of nice pottery pieces from the SW too. The only thing I seem to buy in abundance are plants, lol! I am also glad you made it home safely.
pullin, that sounds awful. I’d probably go cry at home too.
Yesterday, I did go down to the nursery in the valley and wandered around there for two hours. I had forgotten how nice that nursery is, and I enjoyed looking at everything. I went there with the intention of buying a couple of planters or pots but ended up with some more beautiful plants and only ONE large pot. I need to buy more planters/pots because I don’t have enough room in the planters/pots that I do have on hand. However, I’m going to go to the other nursery to look for pots because this nursery is rather proud of its stuff. It’s all beautiful, and the plants are always healthy, but I won’t spend that much money on pots. I may go back and purchase one of the cedar planters too.
I haven’t decided if I’ll hit the nursery today or tomorrow. The left side of my left foot is bothering me. It feels bruised but doesn’t look bruised. The pain has become steadily worse throughout the last couple of days, so I think I’ll probably have to give it a rest.
shoe, I’m glad your appetite returned! I agree keeping food in the belly is a pain. I am a notorious meal skipper, and part of that is because obtaining the food is a pain. This is really silly thinking, but there you go. Mostly, I skip meals because I’m in the middle of doing something else or going somewhere and want to get there. When I travel alone, I have to remind myself to eat.
Right now it’s 73°F and partly cloudy at just after 10am, with an expected high of 88. It’s a bit humid out there, but a light breeze is keeping things tolerable so far. It’s been a damp few days, but I don’t think any rain is expected today…possible thunderstorms tomorrow and Monday, though, plus again Thursday through next weekend. It’s early August in DC, though, so the weather is really a toss-up from hour to hour.
This could wind up being a super-slothy couple of days. A new monthly jazz performance series in Arlington starts this afternoon: it’s been on my radar, but earlier this morning I decided to skip it. There’s also a DC jam session tomorrow evening that I’ve been considering, but we’ll see what tomorrow afternoon brings. I’ll likely wind up skipping that, too: in a little while I’ll log into my credit union account to download my July statement (in order to reconcile Quicken), which will involve peeking at my credit card info, which will remind me that I really shouldn’t spend any “extra” money at the moment (I’m carrying a small balance for the first time in years, albeit temporarily). First I need to get through next month’s wedding expenses – Airbnb, kennel, gas and tolls, the gift I haven’t purchased yet, etc. – and start seeing the difference in my monthly bills that will result from therapy sessions going from weekly to monthly.
I didn’t know that – but LOL! I love the whole thing: the start of the roll, suddenly realizing that you’re going kind of fast, the moment you get pressed back into your seat, and then wheels-up just seconds later. Like I said in my FB post, I may putz around while the plane is taxiing (or in line) but I always pay attention/look out the windows during takeoff.
So…did you? Enquiring minds want to know!
That made me literally laugh out loud.
I don’t have the bowl gene, but I kind of love the white clay one!
I may or may not have had whomp croissants for lunch and/or dinner in the past…
HA! I have a feeling I will think of this the next time I fly. Strangers may no longer dread sitting next to me because of my size, but now they can dread sitting next to me because I’ll be laughing at nothing.
Holy shit. You go cry all you need to.
For the two weeks before my weight-loss surgery I had to be on a liquid diet, using meal-replacement products provided by the bariatric center. I actually looked forward to/enjoyed it, because I didn’t have to think about food at all! Now, though, I’m back on the annoying “what should I have for lunch/dinner??” hamster wheel…twice a day, every freaking day.
Lately I’ve come to realize that sometimes I don’t actually care what I eat, I just wish someone else would make it for me. I’m not talking about gourmet meals, someone could just nuke something or make PB&J…it would simply be great to have food put in front of me (at home) every now and then. So I hear you!
(I know what some of you are thinking, and yeah yeah…I’m still deciding whether I’m ready to jump back into online dating. )
Monkey got his damn gooshy-food. Show of hands: how big of a sucker am I, scale of 0-5?
Now he’s curled up somewhere to sleep, leaving me { pose of woe } utterly bereft of snuggles!
Spoiled, ungrateful bastard. God, I lurves him. (How do pets DO this to us?)
Hear, hear!
I can do pretty fancy shit in the kitchen, but the number of times I’ve thought, “Man, I could go for some scrambled eggs right now” and wound up eating Triscuits or Cheerios straight outta the box is legion.
Dammit.
Now I kinda want eggs.
Or sushi.
And a nap. Must sloth a bit before 9-10 hrs on my feetsies!
yank, I’m sorry that that little 8 year old had to endure both the molestation and the trial and that you had to be there too. Sometimes a good cry for something like that helps soothe the pain.
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to do KP. I’ll likely take Nelson to the dog park shortly, then hit Goodwill in search of some khaki capris (in the last few weeks, two pair have pretty much come apart at the seams from wear).
VACATION!!!1ONE! And it’s 5 O’clock for the next 192 hours(well, after a brief nap, and a meeting at the Union Hall to go over the tentative contract).
It’s a good thing, because the little shit slashed a hole in my new shower curtain liner during zoomies.
Yank I’m sorry the kid had to go through that, and sorry you had to hear about it.
That, at least, I never have to figure out: breakfast is simply a protein shake, every day. My nutritionist wishes I would eat something, but I’ve never been a “food in the morning” person. I do love breakfast items, though – pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, hash browns, etc. – and will sometimes order them for lunch or dinner if I’m out.
We thought we’d go out, but there are only two or three options. One, just down the beach is pretty good, but expensive. One place in Blaine was OK the one time we tried it, but The Wife didn’t seem interested. The other place’s quality has gone down since it was sold, and it’s entirely too Trumpy. There is another place, a diner, but the food was cold when it was brought out and it wasn’t that great. One of the cooks bought the Trumpy place.
So I’m making bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches at home.
Humanity (or at least certain humans) really sux sometimes. The rest of us here will help you cry.
Jeebus that’s an awful life for a little kid. The fact you’re hearing testimony about this suggests that the abuse has ended. Of course the damage is forever. Poor little girl!
I just love a snappy comeback! Bravo! Then again, I’m evil that way.
Yaay vacation11!!!111!11!!. And to a contract before the income stops. If it’s good enough and it ratifies. We’re in a similar boat here. Our voting starts next week, although by law there’s no possibility of irk stoppage.
I wonder how you all do that to yourselves.
As best I can tell from this thread, pets are simply vandals that shit in your bed or barf on your living room rug / carpet. Sometimes vice versa, and sometimes both. Or they need expensive medical care. And they totally drive your daily schedule; one must manage your life around their bio-demands.
There’s gotta be some countervailing benefit somehow, but a Martian reading MMPs would not find evidence for it. Maybe y’all need to post more cute pet pix.
As to me:
Nope. Late afternoon I very unexpectedly got called to work leaving home around 6pm. So no music or dancing for me.
Her Ladyship probably stayed home. Or at least that’s her story and so far it’s holding up.
The rules are complicated like the tax code, but ballpark it’s simple. 14 hours at work, or sometimes 16.
What happened was I got home from previous trip at midnight Thu, went to bed, and woke up at 6am-ish Fri like always. Sleeping in is not my thing. So I start out short on sleep, and expect to take a nap later. My shift starts at noon and runs to 2am. I don’t think I’m gonna go to work at all. About 2pm I’m falling asleep, so it’s naptime. I’m Tony-the-Tiger Greeeeaaaat!!! at 90 minute naps.
Of course 45 minutes in, at the deepest point of my sleep, they call me for work. Which utterly wrecks my nap so I doze-ish another hour and give up. The plan is leave home 6:30pm in max rain & traffic, clock in around 8 to leave around 9 to arrive right at midnight Fri. Which should get us to the hotel around 0045 and to bed at 0100 on Sat. All Eastern time zone.
Some flail driving in and some flail launching the jet, but all is serene once airborne. My body doesn’t like late night work, but at least the traffic is light and the flyin’ is usually simple. The summer weather is usually settling down by that late too.
The legal shift ends when we park the jet, so from their POV I was on call from noon to 8pm then irked from 8 to midnight. So 12 or 4 hours duty depending on which subparagraph we’re talking about. Plenty legal, and plenty ordinary.
Get to the hotel about 0045 Sat as advertised. That’s when the sorry adventure begins.
It’s Friday night in the height of tourist season in a tourist town. Something has gone haywire at the hotel and they’re not real sure which rooms are occupied, which are empty, and which are clean or dirty. They do know they’re full or nearly so.
Leaving out a lot of vexing detail, we get my crew housed first while I visit 4 occupied or dirty rooms before they give up on finding a room for me. Meanwhile the desk staff has been calling every hotel within the area code and all surrounding area codes to try to find one room for one night for one dude: me.
By 2am they have located one room in one place. Which they will pay for. They call me a cab. At 2am of a rainy Friday night as the bars are closing. At 245ish I get in the cab for the 30+ minute ride. Check in at 3:15 and by 3:30am I’m crawling into bed. Been up since 6am on 6 hours sleep + 45 minutes nap. I’m kinda trashed.
While I was waiting for some room someplace to be found and then the cab to arrive, I called HQ and told them my planned very long multi-flight Sat irk wasn’t going to happen. I’ll be rested and ready for irk Sun morning. By calling them early I gave them enough time to arrange for a dawn-patrol short-call guy based elsewhere to deadhead here to pick up what was my Sat irk. Which they have done. My other crewfolks got lucky with rooms that worked almost the first time, so they should be well rested for their short one-flight afternoon shift today Sat.
So that was the nadir. An ugly one. Now comes the zenith, rising Phoenix-like from the ashes.
The hotel they found for me was beachfront in a resort town. A Fairfield Inn, so kinda down-market but OK at 4am.
As always, I roll out of bed shortly after 6am, now having slept almost 3 hours. Pulled on my beach gear, went for a walk, had a great breakfast at a quaint place, a swim (damn the water is cold compared to Florida), rented a beach cruiser & covered a few miles of their prettily paved “boardwalk”. My higher brain is mush; I’m not real sure what my name is, but my lizard brain still knows how to have fun. This area isn’t the Ritz, but a guy can have a good time here.
Called HQ again to arrange a room for tonight since I’m not in the city I was supposed to be in tonight and this beach hotel was full tonight. They found a different crappy hotel near the airport 30 miles inland. “OK” sez I. Meantime I had the front desk here check for rooms at any other beachfront property nearby. Only vacancy is at a high end joint down the street. I’d ridden past it; plenty swanky. They can’t reserve the room on my behalf, I have to do it myself.
Call the place, the room is stupid expensive, as are even the taxes. Fortunately I have about a jillion hotel points with that brand, and the manager at last night’s disaster had comped me another pile of points for being nice to them while they failed and flailed. So my OOP cost is about like a real nice dinner. Which I’ll also have this evening.
So now at noon I’m being evicted from the old place and next have to transport me, my rental bike, and my suitcase 3/4ths of a mile up-beach over the next couple of hours. And eat lunch, murder a mojito or two, swim & bike some more, and ogle the scenery.
My only important mission: to go to bed early enough tonight to sleep fully to kick a long day tomorrow that starts at 9:30am and ends at 10:30pm. Another midnight bedtime beckons. But at least this one will should be at home.
So far all’s well that ends well.
And now you know … The rest of the story.
It’s not just a job; it’s an adventure. An often vexing adventure, but irk is always like that.
)
