Thinking about summer vacation in the MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
41

Up, caffinated and (mostly) ready to go. I watched Fang’s concert last night and recorded it for his mother. Hopefully, the sound isn’t too bad. Someone here in Nashville forgot to charge the good camera, so he had to use his phone. Personally, I blame sunspots.1

Mrs Magill thought she smelt gas in her office this morning. I sniffed around and could only smell cookies. One of us may be having a stroke. I checked the gas meter outside her office wall, and didn’t smell anything there either, but I did see my roses, and (finally) remembered to feed them.

Off to do the coffee exchange. Have a good day everyone.2

1 - Otherwise it’d be my fault, and that can’t be right.
2 - Out with the old and in with the new.

42

The problem isn’t sharing the bed - it’s sharing the room and hearing the sounds associated with the walker and the pain. And, of course, worrying that he may fall again. It’ll pass, eventually.

Rather surprised - it’s 9:30 and I still haven’t heard from SIL - he must be sleeping in, tho I can’t imagine Roxy is still sleeping. Enjoying the peace, tho. :smiley:

And just as I posted, I got a text - they’re on the way.

43

We were shorthanded again, everybody got yanked out of small, including me. We also noticed a Mysterious Jar of GooTM on the disused walkway.

I think we can take Fezzik.

44

Good evening!

We went to the big city (Zurich) to renew our passports, which was the first time we were there since September. The main shopping streets were rather empty. And we can only eat outside, so we ended up with fast food for lunch.

Have to wait 2-3 weeks for our new passports. The woman at the consulate said I organized everything really well. I just followed the directions, so I wonder how disorganized some of the other customers might be.

After a 3 month interruption we finally got more Montgomery Cheddar and Shropshire Blue. Brexit has really put a wrench in the works. Still no Godminster Cheddar, but sooooon.

We took the day off, so we’re having a lazy. Need to be getting to bed earlier, so I won’t feel so sleepy in the afternoon.

And it seems our sunny spring weather is going away for a few days. Which is fine for me. Then I don’t have to water the new plants. I’m lazy like that.

It’s after 5 pm here, so there might be some alcohol in my near future.

45

Hey, who told FCM about our plans?? It was supposed to be a surprise, along with our redecoration of the entire house in camo and glitter, and our non-use of coasters.

46

Nope, I’m a huge fan of 3 day eventing (dressage, cross country, show jumping) and the Kentucky Three Day Event is held in Lexington the last weekend in April. I started going in 1991, and last went in 2015 so it’s time.

47

Boo hangs her guilty head, it may have been me. I couldn’t help myself, I was so excited at the prospect of a Mumpfest.

Let’s do it any way. I’ll bring the glitter and the zip ties for incapacitating those hired security brutes. FTR, if somebody makes sweet tea, they also have to make a pitcher of unsweetened tea and the Everclear doesn’t go in til after 5pm. Swampy is in charge of drink garnishes and fingertip towels.

48

I’m sorry…glitter and zip ties? Any party where the invite starts with “I’ll bring the glitter and zip ties” sounds like somewhere I want to be.

I took my mom to the doc today. She is doing well, which is good, so now I’m in the clear to complain. :slight_smile: (Nevermind - it was actually a good appointment and a nice chat, and overall a better way to start the day than work would’ve been.)

It’s really warm right now - mid 80sF. Kinda overcast, though - I hear it’s gonna rain cats & dogs soon. I didn’t get my revenge run in last night, so I have to do it tonight. One of the downsides of working out more is that I cannot sleep when I don’t work out. So I’ve spent the last two nights in that awful half-awake, half-asleep space, and that’s only when I manage to settle down enough to doze off. I’m freaking exhausted, but if I don’t expend energy I’ll be even more exhausted, which is just weird. The human body is kinda jacked.

49

It was loverly at the playground. Lots of kids, so Roxy had a few interactions. After I passed her back to her mother, I stopped at Food Lion, then the credit union.

I just made chicken salad for FCD - I’m not all that crazy about it, so I’ll be eating some leftover poke roast. I emptied, then started refilling the dishwasher. The house is open and all in all, it’s a gorgeous day.

Apart from supper, chillage shall ensue.

50

Howdy Y’all! We got the back porch cleanded up, which is not so huge of a deal actually since it’s mostly just hose everything down. I did pressure wash the two walls, the porch and the deck, however. After that we got all showered, et a sammich, and achieved nappage. Sup has also been nukultated and et. Chillage ensues.

51

Wow! It looks like everybody has been busy.

Irked, came home, set the trash on the patio to be taken to the dumpster in the morning, swept the linoleum floors and et supper. I got a lot of stuff off my desk today, only to be replaced by more stuff tomorrow.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

52

Some of you may remember from last year that this is a Rather Big Deal for me:

PRETZEL ATE TODAY!!

First time since last autumn - she broke her fast today. I checked my calendar notes, and that’s a solid two months earlier than last year!

I have offered her a meal before today, just in case, but no go. I offered her another this morning, just to see what would happen, with a Post-It note to check after work, thinking I’d inevitably have to pull Mr. Lunch Fail back out.

On a whim, I poked my head around the corner real quick a few minutes later before leaving for work, and she was already chowing down. :partying_face:

I look forward to stuffing her face over the next coupla months!

TL:DR: I have a ball python who stops eating each winter, and today she broke her fast quite readily. I haz a happy about it.

53

Hello, Mumpers. Today I had an appointment with an optometrist. She was not able to fit me with contact lenses. HOWEVER, she confirmed that my vision has indeed improved AND she could show me why: there’s a lot less edema (swelling) in my corneas. All is not lost re: contact lenses, as my usual eye clinic has the machines needed to fit me with a kind I can wear; the question is whether or not those contacts will help. But I am VERY happy with today’s news.

Lessee, I also took out trash, walked a package to UPS, picked up an Rx, and cleaned out a couple of drawers. En route to UPS, I made up a little ditty for Doggio:

I left my anvil in Danville.
'Twas the heaviest one on eBay.
Won’t you ship it via Brown
To my windy little town
So the capital dome won’t blow away?

Rogers and Hammerstein, I’m not.

So this party at Mooooom’'s…is it BYOB, or are we raiding the liquor cabinet? If it’s the former, I’ve got enough for everyone. I’ve banned myself from Total Wines until some of it gets used up.

shoe, glad Pretzel decided to chow down. Here’s my random snake question of hte day: Do snakes ever lose their teeth to decay or old age?

wordy, so sorry about your friend.

54

Liquor cabinet? There’s partial bottles of Kailua and amaretto, plus a box o’burgundy in the fridge for cooking. Liquor cabinet, indeed… :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Supper cleared some leftovers, so that’s good. And it’s going to stay mild tonight, meaning we can leave the windows open.

With luck, I’ll sleep.

55

Yay for a no-longer-hungry Pretzel!

Yay for vision improvement nellie.

I was going to answer the OP earlier but didn’t. I plan to head to Indiana for my 40 year :open_mouth: class reunion in July, back up in August for the family reunion, back up at Thanksgiving and hopefully, to Texas at Christmas. And to kick things off, after just talking to my SIL, we’re fixing to go on a ramble the second weekend in May, so I need to line up day care then for Nelson. I’m not sure if Miss Vickie will watch him on the weekend, but if she doesn’t, I may call in a favor from his dogmother (kind of like a godmother, but for dogs).

56

Just got home from a “soft opening.” My second-favorite local brewery just got their new building finished and are running a reservations-only soft opening this week before the official grand re-opening Saturday. Quite the step up, They have gone from an obscure business park 2 towns over to a repurposed trolley barn in the middle of downtown 1 town over. Huge Italian pizza oven, some rather inventive food and great beer. Large patio overlooking not much yet and lots of space inside. The fact that they share a parking lot with the local distillery is a bonus.

Now, who’s driving me home?

57

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN 'Tis 65 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 88 and mostly N.O.S. for the day. Yay for warm weather! We shall lay in provisions and I have some church janitor Junior Warden duties to attend to over to the church house. I have no idea what sup will be as I feel less than motivated. I think maybe we’ll swipe The General’s sup.

I got word last night that an old friend has died. Not unexpected as he had ALS, but still sad .RIP Bobby.

shoe yay for Pretzel chowdown!

Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, alas, alack, and bother of bothers, I suppose I shall have to purtify and don appropriate bein’ about the public attire. I do so suffer!

Happy Hump Day Y’al!

58

Sorry to hear about your friend, swampy. I guess many of us are at an age where that will be happening far too frequently. So goes the Circle of Life and all that…

I don’t know if I mentioned, but at the start of FCD’s current state, when he first talked to the orthopedist about his knees and that doc told him to see his neurologist, the orthopod said the only thing that explained all of FCD’s symptoms was ALS. Needless to say, that was somewhat disturbing to hear. Turns out something else entirely explained the symptoms.

It reminded me of a visit to a Navy doctor almost 40 years ago when I was having gawd-awful menstrual cramping, and he casually said that it was likely cancer. Holy crap on a cracker!! When I went back for a follow-up, I was fortunate to get a competent doctor who said it was an ovarian cyst and the subsequent surgery was fairly quick and easy. But that first guy scared the crap out of me! You’d think in doctor school they’d teach about how/when to give potentially bad news - like, yanno, know what you’re talking about first. Anyway…

Potential good news on the vacation front - our passports have been approved and should arrive within a couple of weeks, so huzzah! Now, whether we’ll ever travel again is another story, but let’s keep a happy thought about that.

Today will be a longer-than-usual day with the RoxStar. SIL has an appointment with his neurologist this afternoon and Daughter is going with him, so I’ll have the toddlersaurus until one of them fetches her. It’s going to be another nice day so maybe I’ll take her to another playground. There’s one a little closer than the one we visited yesterday - it may be good for an hour or so.

I had a little better sleep last night - not quite as much of a zombie today. With luck, my mood will be better also.

Happy Wednesday!

59

Afternoon, mumpers! It’s a bit grey and overcast out there today, a good day to not be outside. Weather app says “This is almost the fucking perfect day for shooting outdoor porn” and promises me 12C/54F all day, and mostly sunny. I could agree with most of it but not the “mostly sunny” bit because it mostly is not.

nellie great news on the improving vision and the potential for contact lenses! Reminds me that I got a letter telling me to book an eye test the other day, better get on and do that.

shoe yay for Pretzel’s breakfast!

swampy so sorry to hear about your friend, even when it is not exactly unexpected, it’s still a blow.

Dicey and Moom well done on the passports. Ours have expired now, it’s probably the first time since I was a teenager that I don’t have a valid passport. We considered renewing them but since we’re not planning on leaving the country until next Feb/March at the earliest, it seems pointless to pay for renewal when we will already have lost almost a year on it.

I had a day on campus yesterday, it was mercifully short and the maskless mouth-breathers on public transport kept themselves at a fair distance from me. I was supposed to be out at the pub with friends tonight but they’ve had to cancel as one of them is not well. He had an ileostomy reversal last year and sometimes has days when his stomach’s quite delicate so he’s decided it’s best to stay at home.

It’s nearly lunchtime, the cats are circling to find out what we’ve got to offer them. Smoked mackerel for me (and Shadow), not sure what 'im indoors is having but I’m sure at least one cat will be interested in it.

60

I am sorry about your friend, Swampy.

Great news about your improving vision, Nellie.

I don’t have a passport but plan to get one once travel becomes more normal. I don’t see the point in paying for one when we can’t really go anywhere. I want to go to Norway, and I want to go back to Germany to see my Oma’s town and the house I spent a lot of time in prior to moving back to the US. The home is no longer in the family, but I’d still like to see it and the town.

Sooooo, I received a bit of news yesterday. I have a tentative offer for the position that I recently interviewed for. That sentence doesn’t look right, but whatever. Anyway, I’m supposed to get my offer “letter” via email today. It still has to go through suitability/security but HR doesn’t foresee any hiccups. It could be a couple, three weeks before I start in my new position. This is fine because I have a lot of stuff to catch up on before that happens. Also, I know that I will probably be doing both my current job and the new job at the same time for a good while, because they will have to hire for my current position and they are slow about that stuff. I mean, look how long this process took. The position I am getting was vacated in September. A job announcement went out on the 1st of February. I took until March to know whether I was even referred. I didn’t interview until a couple of weeks ago.

Anywaaaaaay, it was good news and made my day. I have a tough row to hoe ahead of me, but I knew that when I applied for the job. I’m up for it and confident I will succeed.

The good news definitely outweighed the silliness going on yesterday. A transport company was supposed to come to pick up a fleet car that my office is being forced to give up. Only, the dummies never showed up. It irritated me, but hopefully, things will get squared away. I’m going to let a tech in the office handle it once we confirm pick-up (again). I’m not driving down there for that and I told the tech to not worry about washing it again. I’ve parked it somewhere that is less prone to fir tree droppage and the marshaling center in California can detail it out when they get it anyway. That was just one of the many little nitnoid annoyances that occurred, but as I said, I was happy about the news I received, so it didn’t affect me too badly.

I also met my son for lunch yesterday. He lives near my office, so we met up at a bakery/bistro-type place near the Capitol for lunch. We had a nice visit. I told him to come on up this weekend if he didn’t have plans, but we’ll see what happens.

Well, time for a little more chillage before I start working today.