I can think of two*….>Boo heads off to look for her pearls<.
- one of which depends on how roomy your shower is.
Cleaning the shower comes to my mind.
Ok, three tasks.
A task isn’t an errand. Sheesh. 
Started Typing: 2:15 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 3:43 PM ET
Public Service Announcement: Caramel creams that are 1.5 years past their “best before” date are not still edible. I have been betrayed by the first floor vending machine! But, that’s what I get for (a) not checking the package first and (b) giving into my sweet tooth – or, at least, trying to – instead of just powering through the afternoon.
That counts as a thwarted plan, right? 
I’ve been busy with my new hire, who started on Monday. I had a “cold sweat” moment on Sunday when I realized that I hadn’t seen his smart card, but when I got to the office Monday morning I learned that our admin had put it in his welcome package. Phew! There was an issue with his account, though, and we spent two hours with an IT guy getting it figured out so he could log in. Security was also having some technical issues on Monday, and they couldn’t make a badge for him until yesterday. Happily, most of his “getting started” stuff is taken care of now and he’s on track for the rest of it. Two other program employees will transfer to me this weekend, and then my team will “officially” be in place; we had an informal meet-and-greet session today. 
We’re part of a larger Program Integration Team (PIT), and I’m informally referring to my team as “the PIT Crew” – because our jobs are primarily to help keep the portfolio leads and project managers “on the road” (i.e., we help them do their jobs). Three of the four of us are interested in cars, and the other had no objection; we’ll see if it sticks.
Yesterday I was notified that I’ve been assigned to my home precinct for next month’s election. Yay! Usually there’s an option to request a specific precinct when you let the county know you’re available, but this time there wasn’t; I was crossing my fingers. Don’t get me wrong: I’d help out somewhere else if needed, but election day will be long enough and it’ll be really nice to have that 3-block drive! Plus, I’ll already know the building and some of the other election officers, etc.
I’ve been kind of tired all week, and it’s really hitting me today. It’s probably a combo of not sleeping enough – the dog keeps barking in the middle of the night; I need to start making her go outside one last time before I go to bed (she’s always already asleep) – and spending a lot of energy on the new hire, while also still learning/acclimating to the program myself (this is week 5). I’m happy to be in the office Mon-Wed, but by this time each week I’m glad that I can work from home on Thurs and Fri so I can sleep a little later! I also start really missing Bailey (and feeling guilty about leaving her home alone all day) by mid-week. She’s been a very good dog with the new job stuff so far, though.
On the way home today I’ll top off my gas tank, which is currently about half empty: I won’t be going anywhere Thurs-Sat, but on Sunday I’ll be driving to Maryland again for a late lunch with my dad and brother. It’ll be Mother’s Day, but (a) none of us has a living mother and (b) my bro’s birthday was last week but he wasn’t available to get together until this weekend. We’re meeting at 2pm, which will hopefully let us avoid the worst of the “Mother’s Day lunch/after church” crowd. 
The place is also a sports bar, which might help with the Mother’s Day issue as well (the Orioles have a game, but not until 4pm).
Ugh…tired Misnomer is tired. I’ll be more social/interactive from home later this week.
I’ve got a batch of split pea and bacon soup simmering, and when it’s done, I’ll freeze it. We plan to take a trip next week, and I like to bring a frozen container of easy-to-prepare dinner for our first night in the vacation rental. The frozen soup also acts as an ice block in our traveling cooler, keeping water bottles and a couple of eggs and a stick of butter cool while we make our trek.
Re: skin cancer. Mr. brown is bald and is prone to skin cancer. He has had bits cut off his head three or four times in the past. The last time, he chose to ignore calls from the dermatologist after a biopsy, as he suspected he’d have to have another Mohs surgery. He was right, and he had delayed so long that he had to have quite a piece cut from the top of his skull, and was scolded by the doctor for the delay. It was an unpleasant experience, and now he’s spooked and won’t go back to a dermatologist. He only went in for that last Mohs surgery because I “hounded” him into it, and he’s choosing not to be hounded anymore. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a neglected skin cancer is what does him in in the end.
I’ve had numerous bits sliced or burnt off in the past. I’m Norwegian in ancestry, and was born and raised in sunny southern California. Sunshine and blondes are a bad combo, skin-wise.
That sort of thing can be done in passenger plane restrooms and they are rather not roomy.
Totally in agreement.
This. They can’t give their CEOs multi-billion dollar bonuses if they waste all that money paying out on claims.
So, I noticed that our regular UPS driver wasn’t driving, the replacement driver pulled over on the side of the highway and carried our boxes all the way to our porch (long driveway).
Today I saw our regular drive effortlessly backing into our driveway and up to the front porch so I went out and thanked him, then mentioned that I had noticed that he hadn’t been driving and hoped all was well. He asked how I knew and I pointed to where the other driver was parking. He looked all proud and blushed a little, then squared his shoulders before waving and jogging back to his truck.
Do you think he’s going to tease his replacement driver?
Go you. I know I’m not the only one who worries about your diet and health.
I was very pleased with his shipping, he does know how to pack glass well. I’ll get pics of my bowl soon, currently I’m avoiding my phone.
(Sister is not pleased with her nursing home accommodations, they don’t allow smoking on the grounds and I need to fix this right away. If I don’t, she is going to just leave and then whatever happens is going to be all my fault. I’m OK with that.)
So, today I quit driving. I’ve been having depth perception issues and today I hit the RV-port. I am SO mad at myself, my 7 year old car didn’t have a nick or ding on it until today. I wasn’t moving fast so there is no body damage, just paint transfer between car and pillar but making that mistake at 70mph would have been very bad.
Hubs says he will take me to the capital twice a week, he doesn’t want to go four times a week like I’ve been doing. He’s also going to take me to my sip and stitch meetings (on Thursdays now) but won’t stay which I do understand, LOL!
I’m REALLY looking forward to my upcoming cataract surgery now!
I finally got to the imaging center for my shoulder. I got scolded for waiting two weeks, but I’m almost positive it is a repetitive motion injury which won’t show up on x-rays. I know what I need to do (stop stitching) but that isn’t going to happen so I’ll fall back on denial.
He has his moments.
I also am acting like I’m allergic to the sun now. It’s kind of karma since I had made a few comments and certainly had thoughts about my MIL really and truly being allergic to the sun.
Thanks very much to everyone for the hugs and the thoughts and info shared. Greatly appreciated and helped. Although when the nurse took my blood pressure, even though I tried hard to be calm, it was elevated quite a bit from normal, but not to where it precluded surgery.
I told the nurse that while I had heard the words the Dr said when she called me a week and a half ago, that I had only comprehended that there was a need to cut and stitch. She related this to the Dr who gave me a thorough explanation when she came in. Turns out that what I had was a severely displastic nevus aka a severely atypical mole. She said that there was a significant chance that it would become melanoma.
Like your Hubs, the nurse applied a topical numbing salve before the Dr gave me shots of lidocaine. She said that the shot would feel like a prick then stinging and I almost felt nothing. I was told to take acetaminophen when I got home and to take as needed; also to use an ice pack on it for 10-15 minutes every hour. I went to sleep pretty gosh darn early. When nature called at 1:59am, I was too tired to take more, I should have. So, when I got up this morning, my arm was sore so I took more and have used the ice pack every hour or so today. Just took more acetaminophen. Supposed to wait 24 hrs before showering and it’s been 25-1/2 hrs so I’ll be in the shower shortly. Have to wait until after the load of laundry I put in the washing machine a bit ago finishes. I mostly just took it easy most of the day parking myself in the lazyboy with 2 pillows under my arm.
I’m very unhappy about the swim instructor situation as more than 50% of people who drown end up in the water when they don’t intend to. So knowing how to swim is an important safety precaution.
Well I ended with post 63 yesterday and now there’s 107. I feel like I need to lie down for awhile so not sure when/if I’ll get back to read the posts in between. So, Hugs, Yays, Boos, Noogies, Congrats to all as appropriate.
I’m thinking that you may have a point.
Now you’ve made me hungry for pumpernickel in some form or another.
My old department had a PIT (Process Improvement Team) crew for a couple of years. Their jobs were to study different departments and suggest / implement process changes to improve inventory accuracy.
I hope so. 
Still trying to get things worked out. According to the ortho place, all short term disability companies suck, but mine in particular.
I made cabbage (with a few other veggies mixed in that needed to be used up) with kielbasa in a light mustard drizzle for supper and it was yum!
Now to kick back in the studio.
But I had to buy a tiny fuscia. Won’t someone think of the hummingbirds?
I don’t want to discourage you any further, but when Hubs had his quad bypass, he was back to work before his short term disability finally kicked in. He got a big check, but not big enough to make up for the penalty caused by pulling money out of my retirement account to pay three months rent.
He knows I admire his driving, I tell him about all the other drivers who have to make two and three tries at it before managing it and he always sounds happy when I comment on it. Telling him about how intimidated his co-worker was seemed to really tickle him.
Our drive way doesn’t just lead to the car-port, it also leads to a RV-port which should lead one to think that it was designed with wider vehicles in mind. The entrance has a foot of room on each side when a UPS truck backs in, it has place outside the fence to stop your car and close the gate behind you before getting on the road and it is flat concrete. The main reason people hesitate is the brick gateposts.
They really do make it look narrower, but it is an optical illusion.
I’m so glad your procedure went well and hope that the biopsy shows all clean edges.
Loose linen is great during the summer, it breaths and flows so nicely. Cotton as well. Be careful about lace, I once got sunburned through a super cute top.
Reapply your sunscreen every time you leave the house and don’t forget your nose and the tops of your ears.
Once you get used to wearing hats, your head will complain when you walk outside without one.
Always remember that the skin cancers folks are dealing with today are the results of their actions 20 or more years ago so you are protecting your future skin. Don’t give up being allergic to the sun just because you get another bit or two cut off in the next few years.
West Virginia floods. That’s just what it does. There have been two very nasty floods since we moved here and we closed on 6/4/24. Giving people water survival skills actually saves money and resources. Drowning victims can be very expensive to treat.
Short sighted cruelty seems to be the trademark of the current administration.
Grrrrs with you. Hubs “ignored” his last one until I threatened to stop changing his pillow cases because I was tired of dealing with the blood stains.
Why do we care more about their health than they do?
Oh, how disappointing. Office vending machines are the reason I knew we could survive being locked down for a week. The machine offerings were so bad that everyone had their own snack stash that often included things like canned chicken and tuna as well as packs of mayo, mustard and pickle relish.
Howdy Y’all! Been home a while from the church doin’s and been in chill mode. The kiddie room cleanup did not happen as our children and youth person was dealin’ with a sick six and four year old. Text chains can be a good thing. After I got the text, I decided the universe was tellin’ me to achieve nappage, so I did. Sup was beastloaf, smashed N.O.T., broccoli casserole, rolls and strawberry shortcake. YUM! Still waitin’ on the rain. TWPTB say tomorrow for sure.
Spot and I napped. Now I’m up, and having a martini, salad, and sauteed chicken with cavatappi. And enjoying the “clickity clack” of a new keyboard.
We’ll change your nickname to “Cleopatra”, then.
Yep. The joys of being a cover driver.
You know him so well!!!
I forgot to mention the back of your hands, but that because I’m just in the habit of wiping the leftover sunscreen from my palms to the back of my hands and wrists. I always have to think about my nose because that means taking my glasses off, usually after squirting sunscreen on my hands.
Also please remember that I just left one of the skin cancer capitals of the world. Queensland has more deaths but that mostly because AZ/NM have fewer people per acre but the case levels are higher in the fewer people counted.
So, maybe don’t be as cautious as me, many of my habits are probably overkill now. I’m still not buying any shorts, I don’t want to glare blind people on the highway the first time I walk out to get the mail with my screaming white skin showing.
Because we’re the ones who clean blood out of their pillowcases, mop up the other messes, and
get to find them when they die.
Me: < wears shorts >
Everybody withing 6 blocks: “THE BEACONS ARE LIT! GONDOR CALLS FOR AID!”
That was dark. Sorry /not sorry.
Some of us have been there, or will be.
Was comin’ with a “funny” story, but it wasn’t even that funny.
Had to pluck a zucchini slice offa pizza (it’s how we mark things, e.g. no sausage, double sausage, etc.) and that lil’ mo-fo burned my sweet little fingertips.
That pizza had just come out of the oven and was still bubbling hot; I should’ve known better by now.
I yeeeeeted that zuc slice onto the counter, glared at it while S.M. was like, “Whaaa?” and I said, with all the disdain and grumpiness I could muster up …
“This is why I hate vegetables!”
She cracked up.
My first thought was to send hugs to you. 
I know that he’s going to die first and I will miss him when he’s gone. I’m sure I will spend more than one night laying awake being mad at him over it as well.
Two laughs after the dark thought made things right again.
Because you need someone who can reach the upper cabinets and open the peanut butter jar?
In happier news, it’s BAT TIME AGAIN!
Sat out for a second on my steps to think unhappy thoughts, and something swooped overhead.
Thought, “Naw, too early, too chilly” but NOPE those 
were on it.
They came back and forth, circling my yard, and then as usual headed out towards the nearby creek.
Plz make baby bats!