What'cha gonna buy me in the MMP?

[purplehorseshoe]

Hola, amigos i amigas. I had a bad mental health day Wedn. and need to make up for it today.

Tuesday, I got a hunk o’cow (inspired by someone here talking about pot roast, and beef stew) intending to slow-cook it the next day … and did not.

Well, I need to find my favorite Dutch oven. It was a gift from my Other Shoe long ago, it means the world to me, and it speaks volumes (in a bad way) that I’ve lived here half a year and have not yet unearthed it.

When, if, I find it, then I can start cooking the meat.

[The_Stainless_Steel_Rat]

Morning all. Up at 0630 today, just never could get settled last night, so nappage is a distinct possibility. 44F heading for 66F today. The guys are already on the neighbors’ roof and I can hear the nail guns clearly, so maybe getting out of the house today isn’t such a bad idea…

shoe, good luck finding the Dutch over; I predict it’ll be in the last place you look…

FCM, bad news about the relatives, hope it is a minor level of sickness. And good news on the pellet stove. And apologies to Taz, have trouble sometimes keeping your menagerie straight…

swampy, if it hasn’t been said enough, you are good people.

nellie, I have no idea what could be wrong, so I’d listen to BBBoo and swampy and get it checked out.

OK, need to fetch newspaper and be about things. All y’all have a good Firday.

[Old_Wench]

@swampbear

She has it kind of rough around her bday as four years ago her husband committed suicide three days after her bday. So hopefully this will help cheer her up a bit.

Swampy, please give your friend an extra hug from me because I totally understand this. This Sunday is the 26th anniversary of my brother’s suicide – it’s also my birthday.

[purplehorseshoe]

Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry. Please accept an extra (virtual) hug from ME in return.

Thanks for the MetalMouse the damn thing turned up, just as I was really starting to freak out. Apparently, I had unpacked it, long ago during the initial chaos of finding things, and it got shoved to the back of a low, deep cabinet.

I am trying to cheer myself up (and also feeling a bit of time pressure) putting together a scant few Christmas packages to send, plus one for the Secret Santa exchange here at irk. Since the Oracles are predicting rainy weather later today, I shall probably bestir myself soon-ish to procure a few supplies.

I need very small but sturdy boxes. Like, smaller than a shoebox. Maybe they have some mailing supplies at Wal-Mart.

Oh, and I wanna find someone selling live Xmas trees, and see if I can beg a few broken branches. Make the house smell nice.

For now, I decided I have earned a hot cuppa tea.

[Wheelz]

@dogbutler

The General left chicken on my doorstep

I had to read this three times. I kept parsing “general” and “left” as adjectives describing “chicken.” As if you have multiple chickens on your doorstep, but not specific ones, and the one on the left did something. But what?

What can I say, I got a crappy night’s sleep and the coffee hasn’t quite kicked in yet. My reading comprehension is quite poor right now. So good morning and hugs to all what need ‘em. I’m off to try to wake up some more and prepare for floggin’.

[overlyverbose]

It’s Friday, I don’t have a ton of meetings and I don’t wanna work. I’m tired of taking people to the doctor (one more this week - overlyboy’s spine doc this afternoon!) and I don’t feel like interacting with anyone, whether that includes just chit chat, medical discussions of any nature, wound-packing, meetings or having windows measured because I can’t keep my coffee under control.

I hope, hope, hope I get to stay in my bed tomorrow until I’m just sick of being there. And then get to wander out to my living room and sit in the giant squishy chair and drink coffee 'til I shake. And not talk. Despite my username, I hate speaking any more than I need to. Hopefully I’ll be able to avoid it for a while.

[silenus]

Morning, all. Shaved, showered, dressed and ready for…not leaving the house again today. Teaching from home, and since I am fully stocked on all the essentials there really isn’t any reason to go out. The people I would be hanging with have all been exposed and are under quarantine anyway. Luckily, I had no contact with them for a week or so before they were exposed, so they didn’t vector it to me. The cats are going nuts over the box from Ikea which contained shelving that just isn’t going to work in my kitchen. Maybe they can get repurposed in the sun room or garage. Anything is better than trying to box them up and return them.

Happy Firday, and stay safe!

[purplehorseshoe]

Wordy you’re singin’ my song. That was pretty much me, earlier this week, except sub cheap hooch for coffee.

I’m better (and somewhat more sober) today. Thus, the hunk o’cow is prepping, and I’ve gathered all other necessary supplies for pot roast.

My home will smell yummy all afternoon, and I’ll have a hot meal just sittin’ there ready to go. That will go a long way towards (temporarily) re-healing my mental health.

---

Oh! I got my first Christmas card today!

Shit! I need to send her a card back!

[dogbutler]

@Old_Wench

[Orders flaming bag of dog poop from Da Jungle for doggie to sort and deliver to himself.]

I got plenty of fresh, local, organic dog poop thanks to Gordie.
Midnight sort was slow, since they never bothered to bring up the trailer that had our unsorted smalls. I pretty much got time and a half to stare into space for 3 anna half hours.

@Wheelz

I had to read this three times. I kept parsing “general” and “left” as adjectives describing “chicken.” As if you have multiple chickens on your doorstep, but not specific ones, and the one on the left did something. But what?

So as I went to work last night, I see a bag at my doorstep. I thought it might be some holiday stuff from the complex, but no. A pint of rice, a quart General Tso’s chicken, and a quart of chicken lo men. I guess DoorDash got confused. Also thanks to the World’s Worst Guard Dog, it had been sitting out for 4 hours, and I could not partake of my accidental bounty.

{{{{Shoe}}}}

You’re good people, swampy.

Ick. Hope they can figure out what the issue is, nellie.

[FairyChatMom]

SIL forgot to take the tablet he needed to turn in when he went to Annapolis, so I’ll have Roxy again on Moanday. Sometimes I wonder where his head is…

The kid is napping, so I have a couple of hours of quiet. My jungle order that was due by yesterday still isn’t here - no shipping update since Sunday, so I’m guessing it got lost. They won’t refund me till at least this Sunday. Meanwhile, I’ll have to venture out to get replacements. Dammit. I can’t trust that I’ll get the deliveries on time.

[BippityBoppityBoo]

@Old_Wench

it’s also my birthday.

And you are getting heaps of {{{ }}} from me before, during and after your birthday. Anniversaries like this are devastating, like little deaths every year all over again.

I’m glad you were born. We’ll have to see what we can do to have Swampy drop off a festive cake on your doorstep how many candles?

shoe if you’re shipping via the US. Mail, any post office has stacks of free boxes in lots of sizes-even the little contract USPS substation in my grocery store has them. Other than that, Home Depot and Lowe’s both sell very nice packing boxes for less than a dollar-maybe they’d have a small enough one. I need to get moving on my secret Santa here too. I hope I get matched with a Mumper. If I do, it’s gonna be fuuuunn.

[BippityBoppityBoo]

@overlyverbose

then get to wander out to my living room and sit in the giant squishy chair and drink coffee 'til I shake. And not talk

That would be me this morning-coffee (from the Keurig my dear sister, who I have not been able to see for a year because of you know what sent me) and 8 powdered sugar donut holes. Now I’m trying to resist finishing off the box of them. My cats are good introvert companions-warm touches all I want, words not necessary. Cuteness without complication (which is what I think swampy must be like ).

[Old_Wench]

@BippityBoppityBoo

@Old_Wench

it’s also my birthday.

And you are getting heaps of {{{ }}} from me before, during and after your birthday. Anniversaries like this are devastating, like little deaths every year all over again.

I’m glad you were born. We’ll have to see what we can do to have Swampy drop off a festive cake on your doorstep how many candles?

Thanks - I’ll take all the hugs (virtual or otherwise) that I can get. I spent a lot of years being good and mad at him although I’m quite sure he didn’t know what day it was. He was bipolar and it wasn’t his first attempt - he just happened to be successful on that day.

I’ll need 61 candles – although I still refuse to grow up!

Now I’ve got to log off and get ready to attend our virtual holiday party – I need to get my antlers on and open my new bottle of wine. It’s going to be a long afternoon …

[Filbert]

{{Anyone who wants one, 'specially Miss Owl}}

I don’t have to deal with the screaming hooligans again until next year- woohoo! They literally spent half the session today making stupid animal noises. Most of them are old enough to vote.

We do have some remote classes on two days next week, but I don’t think much will actually happen- my prediction is that we’ll spend half the day trying to get everyone to log on, then basically no-one will actually do any work at all anyway, because we’re not there and it’s the last week.

I’m looking forward to the break at least- though it’s not going to be that much of a Christmas, as I’m going to be in my myself, at least on the day itself. If I think it’s moderately sensible, I may try and squeeze a visit in to someone. If Bristol goes down a Covid tier I might manage a day or two up there, but I’m not holding my breath.

On the plus side, this means I get all the cheese to myself; on the flip side it also means I have to buy it.

[nelliebly]

@BippityBoppityBoo

Hypothyroidism would be my first suspicion. There are many, varied, amazing, wondrous and tortuous ways that gland can run amuck and many of them are immunological or inflammatory, what a surprise.

Both my son and I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, one of the most common and relatively easy to treat, once gotten through the merry race of diagnosing and titrations of medications.

Hie thyself to an endocrinologist (or a PA or NP in an endocrinology practice). Starting with your family practice doc or internist could also be a good first move. Physical exam and simple blood tests are good first steps and either place could start looking into it.

Thanks much–and sorry about you and your son. I actually think my thyroid is OK. I’ve had an issue for years now where I get freezing cold and even shiver, yet my temp is normal (normal for ME, anyway, 96-97º). I also get the occasional heat wave, so I think my thermostat is just wonky. I did go to an endocrinologist about 6 or 7 years ago. He ran tests and said I was fine. All the lab work (done many times) measuring TSH has been in the normal range. So I guess FCM nailed it. I’ll mention it to my doc when I go in a few weeks.

swampy, I guarantee that if the cake doesn’t cheer her up, the love in making it and feeding her will.

shoe, glad you and Dutch got reunited. And now I have a crappy Seventies song stuck in my head. (“Reunited and it feels so gooood…”)

wordy, hope today is going better than expected and that tomorrow is full of sloth.

doggio, sorry WWGD didn’t sound the alarm at the General’s invasion. Maybe the smells of deliciousness led him to think they were friendly forces. Pray future burglars don’t carry T-bones.

OW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

[Chefguy]

We picked up our tree yesterday. It’s a bit of a Charlie Brown looking thing: sparse on top, bushy on the bottom, and kind of misshapen. I think the tree farms realize that demand is way up and are culling their “losers”. Still charging $10/ft, of course. Anyway, we don’t really care. Today is decorating day, with Christmas music in the background, so we’re enjoying ourselves and noshing on some holiday cookies. It’s funny how your childhood memories stay intact, regardless of our total lack of religious affiliation. I guess it’s just a quiet, cozy time, which is enough for both of us.

[FairyChatMom]

Salsa’s made supper. I just had to pick it up. Tomorrow, we plan to build shelves. Tonight we chill.

[swampbear]

Howdy Y’all! We ate, we drank, we made merry. Friend was indeed cheered by bein’ here. Plus she got soup, cornbread, and cake to take home. Actually she took two pieces of cake. She was goin’ to take just one, but we said she needed a piece for her grand daughter. Nikki (the grand daughter) was born three months pre-mature, and is such a sweetie. Stoopid Covid has prevented us from seein’ her a lot this year. Needless to say, she rules the roost when she is here. Lookin’ forward to when that can be again.

{{{Miss_Owl}}} hugs now and again on your bday.

Wordy may you get your wish for tomorrow.

Boo true, I am not complicated. However, I am high maintenance.

[missred]

Moooooooom, I think guy is gender neutral. I hope your Hoosier in-laws have a relatively easy time of the plague.

{{{shoe}}} I know the attachment to something sentimental from a partner who has gone on. Right now, I’m in a UT sweatshirt that, were it any other sweatshirt, would be in the rag bag. However, it’s cozy and reminds me of all of the Saturdays that my late sweetie and I sat in Neyland Stadium screaming until we were hoarse. I’ll mend it until there’s nothing left to mend.

swampy, you did your friend a huge kindness. Some days are just harder than others and you and OYKW are making sure that she knows she’s loved.

{{{OW}}}

wordy, when my SIL was raising teenagers, occasionally, I would find her at my apartment when I got off the evening shift (she and my bro had a key). She would stay a day or two somewhere that she didn’t have to do anything other than bathe, eat and go to her job. It was here budget escape hatch.

Well, the temp check in went well this morning, so all of the time spent with the help desk yesterday paid off.

I dropped all of my holiday cards in the blue box this morning. I hope the two international ones make it to their destinations on time.

This afternoon, when I left irk, I swung by Aldi and made the snap decision to make small goody bags for my cow-orkers. I have the paper and software to cut and decorate the bags, so I bought some festive chocolates and Little Debbie Christmas tree brownies. Tomorrow, I’ll pick out some non-chocolate candy and candy canes at Kroger to mix in.

Arby’s fixed a fast food turkey dinner (turkey wrap and sweet tater fries) and now, it’s chill time in the studio.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

[The_Stainless_Steel_Rat]

Evening all. Outside of a long, hot bath nothing much has been accomplished today. Haven’t even finished my Sudoku’s from the paper. Too much time here and on the Book of Faces following this weird post-election time (heck, I was in Abu Dhabi last time we had this much excitement–in the 2000 Gore-Bush election).

Did manage to retype my Will. I made one on my own (with a little help from the internet) in 2015, but have decided to do it legal-like and get a lawyer to polish it up. Unfortunately, I lost the saved copy, so I had to retype it again from my written copy. Not planning on having it used anytime soon (I’m going to live forever or die trying), but just has been sitting around for some time and I decided today was the day. Now to find a lawyer…

swampy, like someone said above, you is good people.

wordy, being a life-long bachelor I am used to quiet and solitude. May you have had them today in abundance.

shoe, hope dinner was a delicious as it sounds…

Have a good Firday night; indoor soccer on Sattiday so I’ll be busy for once.