[OLD] There's a Spring in Your Step - A Seasonal MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Monday might have been the official start of spring, but today finally feels like it: it’s currently 66°F and mostly sunny here in lovely Northern Virgina (at ~5pm), and I have my windows open. :slight_smile:

Work is a little busy this week – the customer changed a critical process again without telling us or really providing any info again (*sigh*) – but I also have a lot of volunteer stuff going on between the four committees I’m on (including the one that I chair): #1 met Saturday morning, #2 met Monday night, #3 meets tonight, and tomorrow evening I’m signed up as part of #2 to staff the branch’s first “office hours” (a new thing we’re offering). I get Friday and Saturday “off,” but then sometime on Sunday I’ll be picking up a tent and signage from the former branch president (in preparation for a 4/1 event) and there’s a social gathering that afternoon for committee #1. This coming Monday evening I have a meeting for committee #4, and Tuesday evening is the branch’s general membership meeting. I’m tired from just typing all of that!

In other news, I went ahead and bought myself the new record player with Bluetooth. :grin: It got delivered on Monday, but due to the aforementioned meeting that night I didn’t set it up until yesterday. I love it! At first the connection to my stereo kept dropping, but I assumed the turntable was too far away so I did a little rearranging. I don’t usually listen to music while I’m working (unless I’m editing), but I’m enjoying Born in the USA this afternoon. :notes:

In “D’OH” news, yesterday it finally occured to me to use Outlook on my personal computer for my volunteer email account. I use Outlook on both work computers, but my personal email is Gmail and I just keep a browser tab open for that…I kind of forgot that I had Outlook on my PC! For the past two months I’ve been using the volunteer account’s web interface, which is better than some I’ve seen but not great (and I’m in that account every day). I got Outlook all configured yesterday, and it’s kind of sad how happy it’s making me to use that instead of the web. It really is the little things!

SCAdian’s bra survey cracked me up!! :rofl:

FWIW, I only wear a bra when I’m out of the house – or if I’m on a Zoom on my personal computer, because that camera has a pretty wide angle (my work webcams only show from my shoulders up). And even though my boobs aren’t what they once were (80 pounds ago), I still have enough that I really should wear a bra if someone else is going to be able to see me. I live alone and work from home, so there are often entire bra-less days, but I do always wear one to go to the grocery store.

I owed the feds $143, and got $140 back from Virginia. Not a bad tax year. :slight_smile:

When I was living with my ex I told him exactly what to get me for Christmas each year (the annual Swarovski snowflake ornament). He was a horrible gift-buyer, and it totally wouldn’t have been fair for me to expect him to “guess.” He forgot the damn snowflake more often than not, but that’s another topic. :grin:

Nice!! :rainbow:

Oh man I hope you have your browser’s “incognito” mode turned on when you type some of these things… :joy:

(hums “To Catch A Predator” theme song)

Ooooo, that’s tough…for both him and you/your family. I’m glad you’re on top of everything!

OMG! :rofl:

I am TiVo-ing them. :slight_smile:

Welcome back!

Torn between thinking “she already knows about Google Images, dummy” and “she might not know about Google Images!1!,” I’m erring on the side of the latter (sorry!)…anyway, searching on “pisces tattoo” in Google Images might give you some good ideas. :smiley:

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The correct procedure is

  1. Install earplugs.
  2. Smother / throat-slit the noisesome douchebag, then
  3. Leave the body in another room so you can sleep without leaving bloody footprints everywhere when you have to get up to pee.


I turned mostly gray at 28. The only difference in 35 years hence is more exposed forehead. Then again, exposed skin is sexy. Right? Riiight???

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Bilateral mastectomy, so no bra for the store. A number of months into the pandemic, I bought electric clippers online. In three weeks, I’m getting my first professional haircut in 38 months (because I have a conference presentation coming up).

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Were you diagnosed with cancer? My cousin had that surgery because of the history of the disease in her maternal family and she wanted to cut the chances she might get it. Hope you are totally well.

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Absolutely.

As long as you don’t snore.

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Magic. Or demons. Or aliens. Maybe magical demonic aliens?

My mom tripped over a throw rug and dislocated her shoulder - not good when one is in one’s 80s… But she did recover.

I swear, my spousal unit is going to give me ulcers. He was working in the engine room again, alone. I called and it rang and rang - so I assumed he didn’t hear it, not that he was stuck and unable to get to his phone. I called again later, and he picked up, then nothing. I called back immediately and got VM. ANYWAY, he’d finished at the boat and went to his mom’s apartment. Our phones don’t get enough signal there and he didn’t have her wifi password to use phone over wifi. But his brother was there and he called me on that phone. He’s fine, and he’s on his way home. But I’m thinking he’ll need to call me periodically to check in when he’s working there alone.

If anything gives me gray hair, it’ll be that!

I’ve found a new author of cheezy historical romances - Tessa Dare. I’m on the 3rd one and I’m loving them! She truly seems to have fun writing these unlikely stories and her dialog is just great! I don’t know how many of her books our library has, but I hope it’s a bunch!

And that’s pretty much it for today. Chillage shall dominate the evening. Lots to do tomorrow but I’m going to relax tonight.

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My late first wife died of wildly metastatic breast cancer. She never had children and said the damn things were nothing but a nuisance. And that was before they went haywire and tried, then eventually succeeded, in killing her. Color me decidedly ambivalent on breasts: despite being very interesting to look at or touch they have some severe downsides.

Yousa! I’m no fashion plate, but I missed exactly zero haircuts for COVID. Ddn’t see any reason to.

During the worst of COVID I had my monthly haircut totally like normal, but my stylist (a neighbor) came to my condo instead of us meeting at her salon across the street. She was still meeting most of her clients at the salon.

In downtown Pittsburgh yesterday I saw lots of people wearing masks in the 55F sunny spring-like public. Probably 10x participation versus most of the rest of the USA. Whether workers or customers, the masking was significant. As opposed to the non-existent masking at home, or nearly so elsewhere in the USA that I’ve seen of late.

Today in the Caribbean I see zero masks, except on the immigration officials. The hotel here still has plexiglass shields to separate the customers from the clerks. But since nobody can hear each other across that barrier plus the language barrier, everybody is standing alongside it or shouting around / over/ under it.

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Lady SCAdian didn’t like it when I went for a year without a haircut right after I retired from the Navy (it was down to about the bottom of my collar, but to hear her and her mother talk you’d have thought it was halfway down my back), so for most of the last twenty years I’ve gotten it cut – and my beard trimmed – twice a year, right after Easter and right after Labour Day. They asked me to get it cut short before my heart surgery in late '19 – and then my next haircut was April of last year, when it was maybe an inch or two below my shoulders. Didn’t get it cut in September because I didn’t want it really short when I went to my high-school reunions, but I’ll get it cut next month and go back to my usual: A short haircut (more or less what was a regulation haircut when I was in the Navy) and beard trim (#2 on the sides, #4 in the middle) twice a year. Basically I’ll be getting a haircut, letting it grow until it’s the length I prefer it, and then getting it cut again. :smiley:

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nellie chocolate covered Oreos are the bestest. So rich. I love the filling more than the cookie. White chocolate covered Oreos are available at Christmas. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t buy a box for myself.

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No need at all to be sorry! I think the average age up in this mug is Senior meaning we didn’t grow up with computers and while we’ve learned some, some a lot, there’s still a lot some of us don’t know. Ex: TiVo?? Google Images??

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nellie, I agree with taters that you have a nice turn of phrase.

Dry cleaning metal mouse? I thought you were retired. :stuck_out_tongue:

real fish, when the white hair staged a hostile takeover around 50, I went blonde (most redheads can pull that off). Occasionally, I put kool-ade dye streaks in it for S&Gs.

Welcome back baker! Glad you’re progressing physically.

Towards the beginning of the pandemic, my stylist went off the rails, so there I was, needing a haircut with no one on tap. About a year in, Sis stopped for the weekend on her way up to see Dad and we did the same thing that we did as broke-ass teenagers: we put a chair in the yard and cut each other’s hair (I got the better deal there). Since then, I’ve had one pro cut that was waaaaaaaaay too short (the barber had a warped sense of what 2-3" looked like). The last couple of times, I’ve taken the scissors to it myself after watching a few YT videos.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

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The last time I was in charge of my own hairstyle I lived in Vegas and looked like the front man for ZZTop. Square beard to mid chest, and random hair everywhere.

Once I retire I’m not sure what I’m going to do. But I bet, like you, that the shortest and least kempt I want is about 4x longer and more unkempt than she wants. Gonna be an issue.

The whole and entire point of a beard is to avoid the need to shave but maybe monthly. It sure as hell isn’t to create a need to sculpt this additional mass of hair daily.

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Happy Hump Day!

It’s been a lazy day. We got Echo to daycare, the dishes washed, and that’s about it.

I took a nice bath, and now my skin burns everywhere. Especially the parts covered with clothing.
I wonder if I am allergic to the bodywash I’m using. I’ve been using it for months, but that doesn’t mean anything.
I ate peanut butter my entire life until I couldn’t.
All those years ago when I was married, I found one laundry detergent that didn’t make me itch, and one dish soap that didn’t make my hands break out in a rash. I’m sure it was stress, because once I left my husband everything went back to normal.
I’ll try soaking in the tub with just plain water and see if that helps, or maybe rinsing off in the shower after a bath.

Ripple is not himself today. He’s a little slower than usual, just a little off. Although he sure liked getting ice cream this morning. It might be because it’s daycare day and he didn’t get to go to the park.
For whatever reason, I’ve missed Cerby the last few days. I’m so glad the vet found a home for him, I think I would be having a hard time dealing with it. He seems to be doing really well there. I got some more pictures and he looks happy in them.
I sent the vet a Thank You box of baklava. I have no idea how many people work there, so I sent a box with 70 pieces. I sent a smaller box to a friend for Christmas and she said they were delicious, so I hope these are too.

I didn’t get much done today, this laziness is getting out of hand.
I keep waiting to feel better, and then I realize this is life. I’m getting old, my back hurts and will always hurt, my knees hurt and will always hurt. I have good days when I get stuff done, and then I pay for it with a bad day when everything hurts.
I’m really getting tired of this getting old bullshit.

I only wear a bra in the summer, wherever I go. The other seasons I can cover up with a jacket or a coat, so I don’t worry about it.

I’m glad you are healing Baker
I trip over the rugs around here, but so far, I’ve been lucky and have not hurt myself.
I usually pay attention when I am walking around because I have come close to falling a few times.

I’m going to have to put down another rug between the kitchen and living room. There’s a spot that will pinch your foot if you’re not careful where you step.
The floors looked so pretty when I moved in, then I started finding the squeaky boards, the pincher boards, the carpeted step that the tack strip pokes through (4th from the top).

I haven’t had a hair cut in at least 10 years. Every now and then I do a little trimming in the back. I have a few streaks of grey now. I’m glad I’m at a place where I don’t need to color my hair yet, because that is just one more thing to deal with.

Tai-chi sounds like fun. But then that would be another thing I’d have to get off my ass to do, and right now, getting up hurts.

Time to feed and pill the dogs. I only have to pill one now

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I am, but I take my ‘good’ slacks to the Dry Cleaners, along with the comforters when I change them with the seasons (still have the ‘heavyweight’ comforter on the bed now, will switch over to the lighter-padded one sometime in April).

I get my hair cut about every 2-3 months, don’t have much too cut, but when it gets over my ears or below the collar, that’s my signal.

Cupcakes!! (no tacklehug yet–you get well first). As for advice, did they like the buffet as much as you did? If so, I think a gift card from them would be a nice touch (and maybe you get an invite to join them there, wink, wink :smiley: :smiley:).

Sari, of course you miss Cerby; he was part of your pack for several months and you invested a lot of time and effort and care in him. I am glad he’s finally (hopefully) found his niche.

Pilot, I’m sorry about the story of your first wife. Seldom if ever see any masks anymore in Ali-bama except in Medical/Dental places.

Well, there’s a sentence you don’t read every day (at least if you’re not a horse person).

FCM, regarding FCD, its like my Mom always said about my Dad; “Divorce, never; Murder, possibly.” And a quick wiki shows Ms. Dare has about 22 published works, so hopefully if your library doesn’t have them, Kindle does.

Oopsie, just remember, you volunteered for the cause…which includes meetings. Good with the bad, I guess.

Real Fish, I don’t like needles so I’ll probably never get a tattoo, but the design sounds interesting.

nellie, you damn well need to check that stuff out, if the Pharmacist/Doctors can’t help, PM me, I have a friend who is a Pharmacist in Colorado I can ask about it.

Swimming and Sauna got done and no soccer tonight due to all the rain we had today, but out and at it tomorrow and Firday. Take care all.

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Howdy Y’all! We procured provisions and achieved napnd while I don’t have to do all the modules, there are ten specific ones I must do due to responsibilities and so forth. A few others have intrigued me, so I will probably do those as well cause I like to nerd out like that.

{{{CupCake}}} I knew you had the fall but had no idea it was that bad! Glad you’re slowly on the mend. Such things take time so glad you seem OK takin’ it slow and easy. I think sis and BIL would enjoy a gift card to that place. It sounds nummy!

Cat_Glove that casserole sounds yum. Shall definitely have to give it a go.

JtC glad you enjoy the Tai-chi. It still sounds like some kind of weird drink to me cause I see it and I immediately think of chai tea.

Nellie I have to remind myself not to read package instructions on prescription meds. Makes me want to throw the med down and run away screamin’. As to the phone thing, all I can say is sometimes phones be weird.

Wordy enjoy the sleep in!

Oopsie today felt like Spring here as well. I might even get motivated to do some yahd irk tomorrow. However, no one hold your breath.

sari I understand you missin’ Cerby. It is great though that he is in a place where he’s happy and can run around and all that fun doggy stuff.

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They are wonderful. I get them at Marshalls/ home goods/ tj maxx, they are a good price there.

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Went to the dentist for an exam, then to US Foods Chef Store (got American cheese, keto hamburger buns, and sugar-free Irish cream syrup). While there, I get a text: ‘Do you know what’s wrong with the TV?’ Ar? It was working when I left! (I left it on for the cats.) Got home, and the TV was off. The normally-white LED at the bottom of the three-year-old 65-inch Sony was blinking red: six blinks, pause, six blinks. Mrs. L.A. had already done the procedures on the Sony website. I called Sony Customer Service. We tried things, and then the guy said the TV would have to be repaired (possibly a new motherboard). He’d send me a list of repair centers… which there aren’t any of in Washington. So Geek Squad is coming out on Saturday. Maybe they can fix it, maybe they can’t.

So we got the 26-inch Sylvania Wifey wanted to put out by the street a few years ago. That’s what we’re watching. She said, ‘It’s so tiny! I used to think it was big!’ Oh, and the sound isn’t as good as the Sony. Also, there’s no HDMI port (though it’s an option on the Input menu).

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Here’s hoping the idjiits notice that I never get sick and they seem to keep passing some sort of crud around. I have been at every single class except for last Saturday and I made sure that everyone knew that I wasn’t sick, I was playing the beta session of a computer game called Diablo.

These are folks who might go to the same church that sent their members into libraries to steal Harry Potter books so now they probably think that I’m a demon worshiping vaxxer. The ladies on my side of the room rolled their eyes at how much farther the anti-vaxxers got away from me after my gaming announcement.

I like it because now I’m obligated to get up off my ass a couple of times a week. There is a lady (on my side of the room) who sits on a chair and does the arm movements. She is a regular as well and says that just doing the stretches makes her back feel better. Tai-chi isn’t anything like aerobics, it’s yoga for old farts.

I started going because the Sifu is a personal friend who asked me to go to her first class because she didn’t want to be the only one there. I was really surprised by how good I felt afterwards and I can tell that I’m gaining some strength and mobility because I don’t hurt as much after class as I did when I started.

Not only do I feel better, we get tea after class. But not chai tea :slight_smile:

Dang, that really bites. I’m glad you are doing better and want to say that you have a great sister. When I retired I had plans, but was surprised by how much free time I had. Helping you out probably helped your sister transition from full time work to full time sloth.

I’d say that if your sis enjoyed it, yes, give her a gift card to the place. Also, give her some flowers. Flowers always brighten up the room.

So many women don’t get this, but you have always impressed me with your wisdom.

In other news, GG thinks human blood is pretty tasty. Hubs was gaming (with headphones, I can’t be in the same house if he has the sound up loud enough to hear, his hearing is that bad) and I heard him say SHIT but continue the keyboard karnage so I figured he had just died or something. After I finished my thread, I got up to stretch and pee so walked out to be greeted by the sight of hubs dripping blood from his arm and GG happily licking it up off the floor.

Hubs had brushed his arm against the desk and his paper thin skin tore about an eighth of an inch and the blood thinners did the rest of the work.

At least he was gaming so his arm wasn’t on the arm of his chair, cleaning blood off tile and laminate is much cheaper and easier than replacing a blood soaked chair.

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Took roomie to PT, went to the Likker Sto, napped. Having a martini, and meatballs with Aldi cheese stuffed tortellini.

I bought a set of clippers at the start of the Pandemic. I don’t have enough hair to keep paying $18 quarterly.

{{{{Sari}}}}

You forgot to add “I only wore a bra the one time” :wink:

Nothing worse than an over actice FCD

You can always rent something if you need to scratch the itch to leave the surly bonds of Earth. :slight_smile:

  1. If they really like the place, yes.
  2. Welcome back!
  3. {{{{Cupcakes}}}}
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I’m sorry abuot your wife.

Baker, yes, in both breasts. So far, all is good.