(Old) The MMP is the place to be!

I gotta get a haircut. I’m so shaggy.
Nellie, when Greenwich Mean people suck, what do they mean by it? I was quoted in a book once, sorta. Remember Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends and Influence People. Well, I took the DC course. Periodically, they put out new editions of the book, with quotes from course students added. I’m in one of those.
FairyChatMom, I’m not a cola guy. I get most of my caffeine from coffee, but when I want a lower dose, I’ll have a Dr Pepper, with 60 mg. of caf.
KittenMitten, I was trying to cut back on MSNBC, too. However, Rachel Maddow has gone into 5 nights a week for the first 100 days of our FFOTUS. Ah, well, somebody’s gotta watch over the First Felon.
CorpusNeptune, a big tip of the ol’ fedora to your 4.0 GPA! ! ! Woo-hoo!

Well it’s Tuesday. I stumbled out of bed and, as one does, did not turn on the living room lights on my way through to the kitchen. Whereupon I stepped into a massive pile of cat throw up. I then had to hobble/one legged jump the rest of the way to the kitchen to collect paper towels and begin clean up efforts.

The day has only marginally improved. I’m home for lunch and having to wrestle paper napkins away from the cat that is the most likely candidate responsible for this morning’s present. He’s decided he wants to eat paper napkins. I think it might result in an expensive vet bill. We have yet to come to an agreement on terms.

Taters Good luck - I can’t imagine how you’re coping right now. I’m exhausted just reading about it all.

CorpusNeptune congrats on the GPA!

I still laugh at the Three Stooges.

Saw the ortho PA. An X-ray ruled out hip fracture. I have a bit of arthur in the hip socket but nothing that isn’t age appropriate. She did all sorts of stretch flex strength tests and did a manual exam. She says there is a marked difference between the injured and uninjured legs. Her opinion is that I have an untreated hamstring tear that has healed with adhesions. Next step is an MRI. I am still on the do not ride list which makes me unhappy.

Tacklehug time!!

:musical_note: … the bare necessities
yes those BEAR necessities … :notes:


Okay, here we go. I swear I’ve told it, but it’s one of my favorites (and one of my bestie’s absolute fave, it’s like a bedtime story for her) so here is:

The Stripper/Mom Story

… and it’s not what you think.

My mother has never set foot in a strip club, I can assure you of that.
Hell, I doubt she’s ever even seen “Magic Mike.”

My senior year of college, just before graduation, my mother decided she didn’t like the fact that I had pet ferrets. (“They’re a distraction!”)

She told me, while I was knee-deep in writing my thesis, rehearsing with the modern dance troupe for our recital(one of which I choreographed!) plus the other assorted final exams, that she wasn’t paying another dime.

Of tuition? Nah. I was on a full scholarship. But she wasn’t gonna pay car insurance, groceries … and rent was due in ten days.

Full scholarship meant a rather heavy course load. Did I mention the senior thesis?

But she’d gotten it into her head that she would yank the $$ chain, because, ferrets, and that I should get a full-time job.
While maintaining the GPA requirements, etc. With ten days to go to pay rent.

Well, at the time, the girlfriend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend worked at a strip club, as a waitress. She kept her clothes on and still made stoopit money.

So I’m on the phone with my mother, having this whole argument, and I remembered that girl and her job.
Thinking I’m pulling an ace out of my sleeve, I tell my mother, “Well, I’ll just get a job at a strip club!!”

Without missing a beat, she goes, “You’re not qualified to be a stripper!!!”

Me: … um …

I literally looked at the phone, looked down at my, uh, qualifications, looked back at the phone, and had the most WTF moment of my life.

Hang on, I’m not done.

Years later, during one of our rare honest conversations, I asked her.

I had to.

I was like, “Mom. What … how do I ask this politely … the hell was that all about?”

Mind you, my mother enjoys the opera, professional ballet performances, hell she’s seen the Rockettes live in NYC.

She thought strippers need that same level of training! She genuinely thought there was, like, a certificate required, before you could be a stripper!!

Thus, I was not qualified.

:laughing:

The cats are irritating me. It’s 39ºF outside, and they want to go out to the catio. Goo was making a racket, so I let her and Abbey out. After a few minutes, Abbey pushed the door open. I ‘shut’ it again, and then Goo wanted in. She’s finally learned how to push the door open (it took her long enough) and she came in. I got up to shut out the cold, and Abbey ran back out! Since the door was just barely shut, Goo scratched it open. (She’s learned how to do that too.) Then they came back in. Now I’ve shut the door. Sheesh!

So… they’re cats?

:frowning_face:

Same; Hubs likes creamy, I also have a solid preference for crunchy!

I think that job will be for tomorrow shoe; although it might be for next week shoe or even next month shoe

Deity of the Sea that’s fantastic!!! Congratulations. Thanks for popping in and sharing the news.

Was able to read a little more on the Alexa mmp. Here’s a few comments:

I understand it. Remember growing up the expression was “Don’t trust anyone over 30”? I’m not sure I cried the day I turned 30 but I was a total twisted bundle of nerves. I got so freaked that I asked my boss if he wanted me to resign.

those are gorgeous!

Exactly

Hubs likes them; he visits Bob Evans every so often. He seems to like their biscuits and gravy.

ok, I’m too stressed out at all the news of the past week. Even though I got in bed not too long after 11, I wasn’t able to fall asleep until sometime around 2:45ish so I’m about to nod off here at the computer. So, Imma go follow swampy’s lead and take an afternoon nap. Hafta get some beauty sleep so I’m wide awake for my Spartans to play the Golden Gophers tonight.

Yep. Especially Goo.

Catmom bought an automatic feeder, and a water fountain. The cats are eating their kibble reliably. Abbey drinks from the fountain, but I have yet to witness Goo drinking from it. A lot of the reason Goo wants to go outside is that there is a water bowl in the catio. She tried to drink from it a little bit ago, but it’s frozen. As I was preparing a sandwich, Goo went to the water fountain and sniffed at it. As I was preoccupied, I didn’t see her actually drink from it. But at least now I know that she knows there’s water available. The kibble dishes were ‘empty’, but the 12 o’clock filling happened and Goo came over to eat.

Regence has a wellness incentive thing. I’ve done the self-assessment, which is the first half of earning a $100 reward. I need to schedule a biometric blood draw and examination. It looks like it’s forcing me to Quest Diagnostics. It would be much easier to go to my PCP around the corner, than to drive to Ferndale and find their office. But after the screw-up last time I tried this (PCP ordered the wrong blood test, so I didn’t get my reward even though I did my part) I may just have to schedule through Quest.

Started Typing: 2:12 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 3:31 PM ET

I empathize with those who have work woes, especially my fellow government employees/contractors: the DHS agency I support is scrambling to respond to all of the recent executive orders. Complicating things is that a new Secretary of Homeland Security was just confirmed (her welcome ceremony is at 3pm; I’m opting to skip it), and the agency currently only has an acting director. As Metal Mouse said: “I think most any government office, federal or state, is in a state of flux right now.”

On top of all of the federal stuff, my program – specifically, one of the areas I manage – is in day 35 of a crisis that our customer is livid about but that’s largely out of our hands. Most of it was figured out out two weeks ago: we’ve been pushing for a resolution every day since, but every day it keeps slipping. There’s a chance it might happen today, but the later it gets the less optimistic I am. The whole thing is…not good. At least it’s the only crisis at the moment! (:crossed_fingers:)

So, for three years no vet ever mentioned Dakota being significantly older than they thought??

Ahh, sorry, I feel like you mentioned that earlier and I should have addressed it: Kindles have adjustable backlighting. It’s really a terrific feature, allowing for easier reading in all kinds of light – and without requiring an external light source at night/in the dark. The newer ones allow you to adjust the “warmth” of the backlighting in addition to the brightness. Although there are definitely some nifty features on the newer Kindles, so far nothing is worth losing my buttons over…so to speak. (heh)

Me, too!

But the card in the middle, I swear it says “jouiney” instead of “journey.” I definitely see a dot above where the “r” should be…?

Not just that, my alloyed murine friend: another Diet Pepsi fan! :grin:

Great minds! :smiley:

Wow! Nicely done! :tada:

O.M.G…that’s the best story ever. :joy:

Nah: his Mumper name is GodBod. :slight_smile:

Ha…that’s the name of the town in MD that I (mostly) grew up in. I know there are tons of Ferndales all over the U.S., but I still smile whenever I see a reference to a different one.

As do I. I never knew any kid who actually went out and did that to some other kid. Everyone understood that it was comedy and that no real harm was being done. Most girls/women hate it.

Not giving it up, but taking a hiatus. When I get in the mood again, I’ll buy another buttload of yard and make more blankets. I’ve done this periodically over the years.

I thought they were silly when I was a kid, but in my old age, I don’t find slapstick to be amusing any longer. Now get off my lawn!!! :stuck_out_tongue:

I’m trying to book a room at Heathrow for our overnight stay but I needed top get clarification on the difference between a Double Standard and a Standard room. The prices is the same and the room descriptions are vague at best. I want to book whichever one has the larger bed, preferably a king. None of the room descriptions mention king, so I don’t know. It’s looking like we’ll land at terminal 5 and take the free bus to terminal 4 to the hotel. I think. Then in the morning, we take the bus back to Terminal 5 to catch the bus to the ship.

OK, off to research excursions in port.

I scheduled through Quest. On one hand, I have a 20-mile round-trip. On the other hand, I don’t need to have my PCP fill out a Physician’s Results Form. Quest will do everything.

I just got back from the barbershop. I told the barber she’s an artist. Also that I feel like I got something accomplished, even thought she did all the work. I came home and had Mrs. Nott vacuum my head (some would say that’s my natural condition) to get the stray hairs off. The mail came, with my new Alice Di Micele CD. She’s a new artist to me. I ordered it a couple weeks back, and right now, I don’t remember what she sounds like.

I finished a book on the Kindle (Holmes Is Missing) on the way back from the barber. That’s good timing. Too often, I finish a book on the way to somewhere, and I’m stuck with no book until I get back.

Happy Toosday!

It’s a N.O.S. 45 degrees outside.

Misiu wasn’t feeling well this morning. We got an aspirin in him he seems to be okay now. He just took a treat. I was sort of expecting a reaction from him after the playdate Sunday.
He didn’t even try to go with me this morning to pick up my son.

We have a Bob Evans just a few miles down the road.
I’ve eaten there, but don’t remember much about it. It’s not bad, just forgettable.

Congrats!

FCM, you might want to look at Thistle, which is quickly reached from Heathrow Terminal 5 by a charming weird sci-fi-esque automated pod-on-tracks. Easy and cheap. I use them as a day room when I have more than 6 hours between flights.

Thanks - I’ll check that out.

The pod trip feels like sci-fi of the '70s.

Hence demanding a doctor note. I hope the poor man is insured and gets PTO, many people go back to work too quickly because they can’t afford to stay home. Which sucks for almost everyone.

Good job and keep it up! I’ll bet your family are all super proud of you.

Your day can only get better from there. I hope paper eating kittah doesn’t make himself sick.

Poor you and poor Ariel. I’m sure she misses you a whole lot. There are many riders in the world but you are her best trained one.

Oh, the conversation would have been over right there. I’d have been rolling on the floor, bellowing with laughter. :joy:

Bless her heart!

The menu is all comfort food, its easy to find a favorite cause everyone has one.

Yeah, I keep up with some of the folks at the ol’ food stamp office and they are all atwitter. The general consensuses is that they will still be paid by the state and that the state will probably cover the first month’s food stamps, but they won’t have the funds to continue and then the nightmare will start.

I totally agree about the lights, that really is why I upgraded my old one. I was keeping hubs up while I was reading, now I don’t need a lamp.

Which always sucks.

So today we went to Charleston and got coffee. His cousin told us that he is hoping he won’t have to raise his prices for family but that things weren’t looking good. We told him to treat us like customers, we only buy from him to support his shop.

We had lunch at a nice Asian buffet, the food was well cooked and there was a great selection.

We also stopped at Aldi where I was super impressed at the produce section. It was pretty lame considering what we got used to in AZ, but excellent compared to town or Logan. We picked up some meat to put in the freezer along with our regular weekly shop. I got left unattended by the cheeses and a nice brie wheel, a wedge of 1,000 day old cheddar, a wedge of double smoked cheddar and a wedge of Stilton jumped into the cart before Hubs came back.

The cheeses are causing an ethical dilemma. When we were checking out, I though the checker missed the 1,000 day old cheddar but wasn’t sure. When we got everything into the car, I double checked the receipt and only saw three cheeses. It also wasn’t clear which were which so we would have had to unpack everything to find the one that was missed and it was cold and we were tired.

I thought I’d get it figured out when we got home and would keep the package and receipt so we could pay for it next time. While we know that Aldi won’t miss our four bucks worth of cheese, we don’t steal.

So…we got home and unpacked. The checker hadn’t missed the cheese I thought she had missed. She missed the big chunk of Stilton that I was sure I saw get scanned.

Hubs says that it is going to be so much of a bother for the checker to deal with when we go next that we would probably be doing her a favor by not taking the fragrant wrapper back so despite my feelings about paying for it, we probably won’t. If it had been one of the hard cheeses, I would have still wanted to.

What say you folks? It’s really not the money, its the principle.

JtC, they always end sleep studies very early here. My mom’s was scheduled to end at 4:30, but she had to get up to go to the bathroom a little bit earlier. And I did have a short nap. When I’m sleeping in the Potter Pod during the day, I never seem to nap very long.

Tomorrow I’m heading up north to a doctor’s appointment to discuss a possible ablation to alleviate some of my knee pain. Also, it just so happens that my mom has an appointment that she normally does virtually in the very same building that I’m going to, so we’re going to make a day of it.

Ok, more later, feeling kind of nauseous right now.

Wait! Can’t forget to ask shoe if she had those ferrets on a shelf??

I’d photograph the wrapper and receipt and take it to customer service next time you’re there. They may wave it off, but you can feel like a clean-hearted customer.

Ferret turret. Ferret garret.

“Oh, come on, Mom, I’ve already been a stripper before!”