ARRRRR! 'Tis International Talk Like A Pirate Day!
Tis time to drink your rum, grab your cutlass(Oldsmobile will do in a pinch), and if ye be eating at the tavern, tip your wench(but not to far, or she’ll be spilling the grog). ARRR!
Tis up, grog-inated, and shivered. Off to heave the booty.
Avast, may ye sleep be tight, and may Davey Jones not be bitin’.
First! Shiver me timbers! Seems an appropriate day to start with a drink!
It’s 13c/56f with a predicted high of 16c/61f and mostly cloudy. Weather app says “Clouds don’t always protect your skin from harmful ultraviolet rays. That’s because they’re fucking dicks”. It’s pretty grey out there, but lovely and cool so I’ve got the windows open and am contemplating socks because my toes are cold.
It’s also a public holiday here and pretty much everywhere is closed so I am looking forward to day of very little traffic noise out there. I’ve got very few plans, I need to prep lunches for campus and I’m making spag bol for dinner tonight. Apart from that, I intend to make the most of my last day of slothage as it’s Welcome Week on campus so that means we’re going to be very busy.
I am so bad at my job, I am this >< close to being fired. And I would deserve it, I have been nothing but incompetent in this role. I am supposed to manage pushing jobs through my department, but I fail at every factor repeatedly. They’re always late, they’re half-complete, they’re full of errors. Even simple things like filling in forms or following clearly laid out steps, I am a complete shambles. It’s embarrassing, depressing, and it’s making me almost physically sick.
So that’s me. How are you?
First off, from the last MMP:
We’re not looking at assisted living - just for senior apartments - mainly for those that have a walk-in shower rather than a tub. Neither they nor we can afford assisted living, and this little county doesn’t have a whole lot in the way of senior options. But if we’re going to help, they need to be near enough that I can take MIL grocery shopping weekly and we can take them to their Dr appts.
At this point, the biggest assist we need is getting them and their stuff moved, including BIL and his car. He absolutely can’t manage the drive himself - he refuses to go on the interstate and unknown places freak him out. We’re looking at a small UHaul truck with a trailer to drag the car along, then BIL can ride with FCD.
BIL is incapable of functioning entirely on his own. I knew when I married FCD that this would eventually be an issue. It’s just a fact of life and we’ll deal as we must. My biggest fear is that I’ll be left a widow and BIL will become my responsibility because there’s no one else. But such is life, right?
And this is?? Like behind-the-scenes, crawling in deserted places tour?
OK, now for today. ARRRRRR! 
And with that out of the way…
I found 4 potential apartment complexes and forwarded the info to FCD. He’ll go see them, since he knows what his mother wants. I have enough other things to do. I know he’s gotten a couple of quotes from movers, and he has this silly idea that they can get the stuff from there to here in a week. Um, for such a small load, I suspect we’d have to wait till they had another load coming this way, but I could be wrong. Even if we go UHaul, we’ll have to hire a crew to unload and move the stuff to the apartment - our lift-and-tote days are pretty much behind us.
FCD is trying to convince them that it’ll be cheaper to just sell their furniture and buy new here as opposed to moving. And in reality, there’s very little they would want to keep anyway. they’re going from a 3BR house to a 1BR apartment, so 2 bedrooms won’t be packed out, and I know she hates her couch, so that’s not going. Nor will the dining room set or the patio furniture. Mainly, it’ll be their bedroom furniture, a couple of recliners, and the things FIL made. Speaking of which, I took pics of some of the things he’s built, and like a dummy, I didn’t check them before leaving - most are blurry, but these two give a good sense of the sort of work he was capable of. He built all the doors in their house (solid cherry) and made all the trim molding.
This table was his last big project. or maybe the hammer dulcimer was (that pic came out awful!!)
He carved and inlaid all the details on the table, and it opens to a full round piece when not against the wall. I covet this one, as well as the hammer dulcimer.
Yes, he was quite the craftsman, which is why seeing him as he is now is so tragic…
Regardless, I’m pretty sure MIL and FIL, and probably BIL will be living with us a week or more in the interim. We’ll have to put BIL in the basement, but there’s a full bath and a futon down there, and a TV. Except he’s one of those who leaves the TV on all the freekin’ time. That ain’t gonna happen here. I HATE that!
And let’s not forget the fun of finding new doctors… I’m hoping they can get into our family practice - Christine is a real gem. But they’ll need a cardiologist, a neurologist, a podiatrist, a macular degeneration specialist, and I’m not sure if they see any other specialists. FIL has already been to our dentist, so that’s covered.
I woke at 4, but since I was asleep before 9, I had a good sleep. I’ve breakfasted and I’m doing my morning surf till FCD gets up, at which point we’ll mow and I’ll start laundry. It’ll be a good day for line-drying. Busy day ahead.
Arrrrrrrrrr!
Happy Moanday!
Avast me mateys! I be up and drinkin’ me mornin’ rum! YAWN OK, caffeine, not rum. The weather be 67 by 'Murrkin degrees and the skies be clear with a predicted high of 89 and mostly N.O.S. for the day. ARRRRRR
OK, enough of that. The big item on today’s agenda is men’s night over to the church house. We shall go over early to do the prep stuff as is our wont. Outside of that sloth, nappage, and general overall uselessness shall prevail.
MOOOOOOM welcome home and yay for MIL finally decidin’ this must be done. Hope y’all can find a good place for both the inlaws and the BIL. Even though you will still have to deal with all of 'em, at least they will be close by, so I guess there’s that. Your FIL did some great woodwork stuff!
BatBoy sorry the job is not what you expected, apparently. I remember you bein’ so happy to get the job a while back. If you do lose the job here’s hopin’ you land another gig more suitable soonest.
BooFae I imagine the eyes of the world are on London right now. I know the funeral is happenin’ as I post, but I am not watchin’. Just feels wrong to me to be gawkin’ at a funeral on the teevee, not that I would judge others who are doin’ so.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah!
Be Ye Monday a Merry One!
Considering the day I had yesterday, I’m having a pretty normal start to my work week. Yesterday, three of us met for breakfast, and we all had a hankering for a Mimosa breakfast, which consisted of a bottle of champagne and a couple of different fruit juices to mix. That would have been just right, but I saw one of my friends carefully measuring out the meager remains of bottle number one and, on impulse, I said, “You two split that and I’ll treat to another bottle!” So, the three of us had two bottles of champagne and, being honest, I pretty much had one of them myself. So, I made my way home, put on the TV, and basically passed out for an hour. Thus, I went through the rather unusual process of sleeping off my breakfast. I recovered just in time to meet more friends in the evening and suffer through our yearly beating at Lambeau Field. Took it easy on the beer, though. LOL
My Pirate Day is spent on jury duty. More Arrrgh than Arrr!
So no grog for this sailor.
Morning all and Shiver me Timbers, I’ve actually been active this morning, putting the water on the back yard (it’s pretty dewy out. but we’ve had no rain this past week and none expected this week so it needed a soaking) and changing the indoor air filter. Heading to 90F today and 95F tomorrow, so summer isn’t quite through with us. It does get cool enough in the evening to shut down the AC (excuse me, keelhaul it) but I’ll have to restart it shortly.
Jaz, don’t think I ever drank my breakfast quite like that…but it was Sunday so WTH.
Pilot, make’em walk the plank!!! Arrrrgg
FCM, sounds like life will remain interesting for awhile. Wish I was close enough to help out in someway…but 800 miles each way is a bit of a commute…
{{Batboy}}, is it because you don’t like the job or because they don’t lay out the parameters well enough for you to function? Either way, hope you can find something else more to your abilities.
OK, need to roll the hose back up and turn off the water. All y’all have a good start to the week or I’ll feed ya to the fishes (no wait, that’s the Mafia, isn"t it?).
There the challenge begins - finding apartments around here. He just checked out one complex that he said is beautiful - and it has a two year waiting list… He’s heading to the next county over to see what they have to offer.
I’m going to look and see if there are any condos for sale that might fit the bill. But this is looking tougher than I expected. One thing’s for sure - they can’t live with us. And they don’t want to. So the search is underway…
Neither. To their credit, they have gone out of their way repeatedly to guide me and help me improve. I find little fault in their shepherding me to success. I just can’t seem to take that advice and apply it successfully. I seem to have an incompetence gene, and just fail all the time.
The only reason I don’t like the job is because I’m so awful at it. I like things I’m good at, and don’t like things I’m bad at. Which goes both ways, as if I took some pride in it, I’d make more effort. I just seem to have an anxiety against engaging with it.
I got my pay stub in my irk email, but when I checked my account I hadn’t been paid.
So I opened the stub and it says I was paid tomorrow.
FCM Your FIL was very talented, those are beautiful pieces.
My day will be putting the shop back together after doing the install on saturday at the high school. And sending an invoice, so’s I can get paid.
Got a chicken brewing in the Instant Pot. It’s soup weather here. Gotta make an annoying phone call about a bill I keep trying to pay online and the website isn’t cooperating. Also have an appointment at the tire shop today (couldn’t get it dealt with at PepBoys yesterday. They were very busy AND shorthanded). Wiper blades got dealt with yesterday at least, which we needed.
Also gotta get down to the exercise room and figure out that treadmill.
Multiple packages due today, too.
“Pardon me, you old sea dog, is that a ship’s wheel sticking out the top of of your pants?”
“Arrgh! and it’s drivin’ me nuts!”
He was so meticulous - amazing attention to detail and so patient! I wish I had checked the other photos - the spinning wheel, the dulcimer and the hammer dulcimer, the grandfather clock… Plus he literally built at least 3 houses almost entirely by himself. Their first house, they dug their basement by hand!! That’s why it’s so hard to see where he is today. Parkinson’s and dementia suck slimy swampwater!!!
FCD has found a place that may have openings next month. It’s across the river, but not too far from where we keep our boat. Not ideal, but a good option. So we shall see how it goes.
Meanwhile, two loads of laundry on the lines, but the grass is too dewy to mow. It’s shaggy but not too horrible - maybe later today or later in the week? Next chore - gotta organize the top shelf of my pantry. I’ve been cramming stuff up there and I have no idea what’s accumulated.
A pirate walks into a bar, with a huge and beautiful parrot on his shoulder. The bartender says, ‘Where did you get that?’ The parrot says, ‘Tortugas!’
To step away from piracy for a moment…
Hoping to get a little guidance here. IF FCD should die before I do and IF his brother outlives him, I do not want to be responsible for him - there’s some history there that I’m not getting into, plus, frankly, I’ll probably have issues of my own and I don’t need to take on his as well. SO, who should we contact and what needs to be done to set up someone to be there for him? There’s an organization in this county that deals with (for want of a better term) special needs adults - would we start there?
I wouldn’t completely cut my BIL off, not that we’ve ever been buds, but I don’t want to take on the responsibilities that FCD has shouldered for his brother - mainly financial oversight and such. Yeah, it sounds cold, but these last few months have shown me my limits. TIA…
Well… I lit the furnace. I was hoping to wait until the Equinox, but it’s chilly and I know SWMBO will have asked me to light it soon.
There was a pirate who had agreed to do an interview with a local tv station. The reporter was very courteous and professional, giving a bit of background as to the pirate’s business. He then began interviewing him.
‘Cap’n Swag, I see you have a peg leg. How did that come about?’
‘Well, y’see I were sailing along the coast of South Africa, looking to plunder some locals when as I boarded the small boat from the ship, a great white shark came up and bit me leg clean off.’
'Harrowing! I notice you’re wearing a hook? What happened to your hand?
‘Oh now that’s quite the tale. I was cutlass-to-cutlass against a rival pirate. Seemed like the fight went on for hours! We were both exhausted, but when I went to block a blow, I met him with me hand instead of me sword. Took it right off. I’ve had the hook ever since.’
‘Fascinating!. What about your eye patch? How did you lose your eye?’
‘Arrrrr… That would be the seagull.’
‘The seagull?’
‘Aye. It were a beautiful day on the sea. I looked up at a passin’ seagull, and the scurvy thing crapped right in me eye!’
‘But… How did that cause the loss of your eye?’
‘Well… It were me first day with the hook.’
Knocked out the phone call to deal with a bill payment, even with the cats picking while I was on the phone to squabble noisily.
Instant Pot is in natural pressure release on the chicken. That’s going to take a while, which I think is going to be a good thing for the soup.
So let’s see what else is pending: deliveries, figuring out the treadmill once the exercise room is open in an hour or so, video appointment with nice therapist at 1, tire appointment at 4:45. Busy day by my current standards.