(Old) Who's thinking about summer plans in the MMP?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

Jealous. That’s a place that I’d like to visit, but hubby’s not really excited about it, so I don’t know if we’ll actually get there. Maybe some day. Looking forward to your report.

We’ve got a couple of concerts to go to here in Switzerland, and as they are not on a weekend, we’ll be taking some days off as well. We’re also flying to the U.S. to see my parents and friends (PNW, not EWR, thankfully) and then getting on a cruise ship that’s supposed to stop at Victoria.

Yesterday evening my nose started running and today I ended up staying home and watching British tv all day. I’ll be going to bed early tonight.

22

I hafta visit my lovely parents in a few weeks. With all the deportation nonsensery going on (I wasn’t born in this country) plus the “fun” of dealing with them for several days, not to mention the loss of work pay, this is the literal opposite of a vacation.

My Sweet Manager said she’d Sharpie “Property of Michigan, please return to sender” on my back.
She was (mostly) joking, but I think maybe I’ll take her up on it.

Hell, my parents still haven’t stopped freaking out over my tattoos. This could be fun.

{ blinks }

Oh, pass me the raw tuna! And salmon! Plus those tiny crunchy fish egg toppings!

imma borrow this

Apparently some people spend their entire lives there.

23

Sex. Women shouldn’t have sex and if they do, they turn into whores who deserve everything they get. Women certainly shouldn’t enjoy sex and/or enjoy multiple partners, we are the worse. Unless they are married, of course. They they are allowed to have sex with their husband as long as he doesn’t have to worry about birth control. Humpf.

You don’t see anything on the interstates. Everything is the same on the interstates, the c-stores and motels and restaurants are all the same across the country. The only difference you would notice between NY and CA is the landscape vegetation and much of that has become standard as well.

I always tell my maps thing to avoid the interstates when I’m traveling for myself. The back roads are where you find the interesting stuff.

I’m sorry you are feeling poorly. Are you ready to bake some patisserie now? (my ick binge watching usually involves the British Baking Show.)

It will be fine. You have white skin and a cute, but 'merican accent. Your plane won’t fall out of the sky. You will get scheduled a bunch of OT between now and then to help you save up for it. It will all be fine.

24

If you ever get peopled out and long for really empty stretches of road, may I suggest Route 191 from Malta, Montana to Roundup, Montana? It’s 157 miles of empty road. There’s an 80 mile section where you’ll rarely even see another car. I know two people who developed sudden agoraphobia on that road.

Another option is Route 191 in Wyoming from Farson, WY to a few miles miles out of Rock Springs. Zero signs of human habitation and very few cars. I always said they could take a tuck in that part of Wyoming and nobody would miss it.

As far as pro-life goes, I’ve had some conversations with conservative Catholics (Yes, there are liberal Catholics, too.) in which I remind them that the Church is also opposed to the death penalty. <crickets> My mother was a passionately pro-life Catholic, but she was also passionate about feeding, caring for, and educating children, and she was opposed to the death penalty. She was one of the few people I’ve considered truly pro-life. I had many lively discussions with her about the right to choose.

Yikes, doggio. That was quite a read. Why does Newark seem to be the epicenter of the current transportation woes. Did even more of their federal employees get the axe for some reason?

Now, there’s a job I could qualify for. I mean, I have years of experience yelling at freshmen. (Not in anger. They’re just a noisy bunch. They seemed to like my yelling. Then again, they also liked Mrs. von Steuben, the yodeling pickle. They be a weird bunch.) Couldn’t I simply learn some of the lingo and holler things like Blueberry Boy Bait recipes?

Are your parents worried about the nonsensery? I think they’d probably be safe because the nonsensery seems to pertain to brown people. (But there’s no racism involved, of course🙄) Also, can you bring gummies, or will your parents let you smoke your Coping Medicine?

25

I should note that if - by some strange twist of fate - we happen to need to get on a plane, we got our renewed passports in what I would consider record time. So some arm of the government is still operating. Neither of us had any desire to go through the Real ID rigamarole, so figured this would be easier, which it was. I don’t care if I ever fly again, but I still have family in Alaska and the wife has family where she’s from, so the need to board a death cylinder could arise. Truth told, I wouldn’t mind one last visit to my home state before I shuffle off down the hall to catch that elevator to the 16th floor.

All available puzzles are puzzled and muscles abused. Breakfast was a pumpernickel bagel piled high with a mixture of avocado, tomato and lemon olive oil. Some scramble on the side.

The earliest doctor appointment the wife could get is in June! Well, we may have to make a trip to an urgent care office, painful as that will likely be. She really needs to find out what is going on with this dizziness. Last and only time we’ve been to urgent care was when I was having some post-op issues. Sat there for several hours waiting to be seen. It seemed to be a catchall for those with no insurance.

I’ve got a request in to unclog the small bathroom’s sink drain. Used some drain cleaner, but it didn’t do the trick, so it will likely need to be snaked. Fun!

It suddenly occurred to me that I turn 78 tomorrow. Fuck! How did that happen?

26

I realize you have free snaking service with your living situation, but have you ever used one of these?

Zip-It Drain Cleaning Tool

No household should be without one or 5, IMHO! They work!

ETA: Early best wishes for a lovely birthday, too. :slight_smile:

27

Good afternoon (or it will be by the time I post this). Went down to the Hyundai dealer to look around, the salesman was polite and not insistent, the Santa Fe Hybrid is well-priced and gets about 36MPG, but not sure I like it’s looks. Then drove over to the Toyota place, the Highlander was my favorite car ever, but they had no Hybrids on the lot and only two in stock, so not much to compare with. Still going to do some looking around, won’t be until I get back from vacation that I’ll be in a buying mood. The sammich, shopping, and lunch-eating are completed so will get ready to go to the gym in a little bit.

Nellie, glad you survived Day 1 of APAP. As for empty roads, I think travelling from Abilene, Kansas to the outskirts of Denver is a lonely 400 miles. And any road outside a city/town in the Dakotas is pretty empty…albeit often scenic.

Forget it nellie; it’s Jersey. Only failed takeoff I’ve ever had on a plane was at Newark Intl., we started down the runway, suddenly braked, then accerated again, and finally stopped and got off the runway. Apparently there was ‘other traffic’ interferring, although the way the pilot sounded explaining things someone had FUBAR’ed it.

JtC, looking forward with you on having your eyes fixed. As one who has worn strong glasses every day since age 7, I know how critical that is. But driving cross-country (and it’s a long way you’re going) might need some consideration…IMHO. But I see you plan to limit yourself to 6 hours/day (about 400-500 miles) which sounds sensible.

FCM, I can do 6-8 hours in a car, but then need a day to recuperate usually. Long as I’m getting somewhere that I really want to go, I can handle it well enough. Happy Yard-Futzing!!

Dicey, Victoria is a nice little city up Canada way, hope you enjoy it.

shoe, you have a weird sense of humor…and I like that in a friend… And yeah, guess people do live there…but I’d visit them every year if I could.

Cookie, best wishes on the urgent care being…well, urgent this time. And a early happy 78th birthday; I’m abouit 6 years behind you, hope I’m doing that well when I reach your age. Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.

And time to get the old swimming trunks on and beat the water into submission. Have a good afternoon all.

28

I hesitate to use anything on the plumbing in this building. It’s old and is patched together in some cases (much like the residents) and the liability if I cause a flood is not something I want to risk.

29

These tools are very bendy and flexible and I doubt they could damage your pipes, but I do understand your concerns. Just thought I’d mention them – they’ve saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the years. :slight_smile:

30

Oh, no doubt, and I appreciate the advice. If you saw the pipe configuration under this sink, the blood would drain from your face. This bathroom was an afterthought, and the plumbing under the sink is a hodge-podge of different fittings, twists and turns. Last time there was a problem with it they had to bring in a contractor to dismantle everything and snake it out.

31

Here’s the “official” loneliest road, at least as of about 40 years ago:

I’ve driven it back around then and yeah, whole lotta nothing and even more of nobody. AIUI not much has changed out there since then.


An old lady on the interstate will average 55-65 mph. 6 hours gets her maybe 360 miles. 500 miles is more like 9 hours.

I’m assuming we’re talking 6 hours start to finish; not 6 hours in actual motion, plus 2+ hours of potty breaks, fuel stops, food stops, scenery stops, etc.

32

That does sound pretty bad! I might hesitate, too!

33

I have one of those and I can say if the points get caught under you thumbnail, they HURT!!! But they’re great for getting hair.

I drove I-70 across Kansas in the winter. Miles and miles of flat white. I thought it would never end. Lucky for me I had a reliable car - this was in the late 70s, so no cell phones.

OMG - I’ve got a bumper crop of poison ivy in my yard. I was out there nipping off a gazillion poplar saplings and maple saplings, and other saplings, and in one area, there was a butt-ton of poison ivy. I think my socks were high enough and I was wearing gloves and avoided touching any (I hope!) I need to find something to dispatch it all - anyone have particular luck with one brand over another?

I also noticed my azaleas look like crap. They all need to be pruned back and fed - that’ll be my chore after the rain passes thru. I kinda neglected them for a while.

I’m making air fryer chicken wings for FCD for supper. I looked in the data base of the food diary I’m using (myfitnesspal) and I see 1 wing (homemade) is 453 calories. Or 5 wings (“skinny taste”) are 270 calories. That’s helpful. Other quantities shown are 4 oz, or .333 recipe, or 1 serving. So not at all helpful. Google shows an unbattered air-fried wing is 80-90 calories. So that’s probably what I’ll go with. It doesn’t make a huge difference because he’s not eating much of anything these days. I’m lucky to get him to eat 1000 calories, which is below his suggested target of 1200-1500. Could that be why he’s so tired all the time?? Inquiring minds want to know… We’ve got a blood glucose monitor kit coming tomorrow and maybe that’ll make him eat better.

I need to call and get my car in for service - it’s about to hit 220K miles. I’m pretty sure they can take me tomorrow or Wednesday. Other than that, max chillage.

34

I’ll bet they do! < shudder > I get so squicked out by what comes out of those drains, I never use them without putting on heavy-duty rubber gloves first. No chance of getting a point caught under a nail, but I feel your pain!

35

Started Typing: 2:14 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 2:58 PM ET

Yesterday’s lunch with my dad and bro was fine; the place wasn’t crowded at all. I learned that their chicken caesar wrap has way too much lettuce, but overall the food there is good. :slight_smile: Traffic was horrible, though! We were nearly done – we’d been there for 2.5 hours and had finished dessert – before either of them asked how I was doing/how my new job was going, but that’s pretty par for the course. I do love them, but we only see each other a few times a year and that’s just about right. :grin: Next up will be Father’s Day: Dad liked the Italian restaurant near my place that we went to on Christmas, and he suggested going there next month. My brother’s up for the drive, so this morning I made the reservation and we’ll have dinner the night before Father’s Day (hoping that might help with traffic). After that we won’t see each other until September/October, for the fall birthdays (Dad’s is 3 weeks after mine).

I have no summer plans. For a while I was planning to attend a 3-day vocal jazz conference in Virginia Beach over the first weekend of June, but I cancelled everything when I realized that I didn’t really want to go. :grin: I haven’t traveled for pleasure in years: first there was COVID, and now these days I really want to minimize the number of nights 16-year-old Bailey spends in a kennel.

That said, though, I have a few ideas for the fall, including a possible Yankees game at either Fenway or Camden Yards. I’d also like to visit family in NJ, and I also kind of want to visit my “nephew” and his girlfriend in TX: since January they’ve been living together in Lubbock – in a house her parents own – while she finishes college (he still has a year; his school is around here, but all of his classes are online). She graduates this weekend, and has a job in Dallas that starts in two months; they’re moving to the Dallas area in early July. It’ll be their first apartment. His parents (my BFFs) won’t be able to travel that far any time soon, and I’ve never been to Dallas, so I’m toying with seeing if they’d be up for visit later in the year. Maybe Yankees in late September, family in late October/early November, and Dallas in mid-December (after my nephew’s finals)…? That feels like a lot of kenneling. I’m still pondering.

Sweet! I went to Mont-Saint-Michel with my family when I was 12 or 13, and remember it pretty well; it would have been cool to stay on the island.

I’m glad I’m not the only one that matters to. :slight_smile: Some people only care about a vehicle’s price and features, but if I don’t like the way a car looks – styling or color – it’s simply not an option.

My first new car was a 1994 Mitsubishi Mirage: the dealer tried (hard) to sell me the test drive vehicle, which was fully loaded and in good shape but due to the mileage would be no more expensive than the base model car I chose, but it was a hideous shade of green. I did think about it, but ultimately I knew that I’d hate the car every time I looked at it. I passed.

Oh man, the MFP database is horrible: it’s all user-generated data, and super unreliable. Back when I used that app I always just entered/used my own info. They pride themselves on their huge database, but it’s nearly useless!

36

doggio is this your own words or a quote from someone else? because I’d like to use this and I want to give appropriate credit.

If you end up ordering online, I suggest that you use Penzeys. Great spices and believe wholeheartedly in democracy. Just add dot com to the end of penzeys.

my Fusion Hybrid has 67k+ miles on it and cumulatively has gotten 41.8 mpg to date.

Hope you’re able to bring them back to life with a little TLC. Our 4 azalea bushes are deader than doornails. Heck! Don’t know why they died over the winter.
Also hoping you didn’t get poison ivy.

We’ve been talking about renting a cottage this summer but apparently no one has done any research on it. I’ve asked daughter when she would likely have an open week or at least 3-4 days but she hasn’t let me know. I’d like to go to the NW area of the mitten, so Hubs could go fishing with his buddy.

37

Last night I pulled a bottle of Calorie-free, sugar-free, carbohydrate-free balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing out of the cupboard, and for lunch just now I had it on a salad of hearts of romaine, chicken breast, and fresh mozzarella cheese. The ‘best by’ date was 2022, but it tasted just fine. :slight_smile:

38

Aw, crap, who am I covering for now?!?

She was one of the good ones.

That’s a solid “NOPE!” on the smokage. They’d shit so many bricks, it wouldn’t be at all nearly worth it.

What I can get past TSA, though, made me think I have a second career as a mule …

… last time was also three days, so I brought about a week’s worth of edibles, plus a fresh cart, which can last me a coupla weeks.

Just in case.

You know things…

Oh, honey, you have no idea. I rein it in 'round here.
Mostly.

39

Please stop doing that, just makes me look all the weirder. Let it rip!~

40

I may have lied.