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Tags:
- bowling,
- car problems,
- cold,
- game night,
- photos,
- prius,
- snow,
- traffic,
- work,
- work problems
Volleyball was a mess. We have one very bad actor and he was on his worst behavior this morning and several of the regulars were there so we quit early. Elbow coffee was not horrible but not great either. Again, good people missing and we did not quit early.
Sigh.
Yesterday I broke a light bulb and did not have a replacement but did have a couple of things on my list for Dollar Store so went there and got a bulb that kind of works. But mostly could not find stuff on my list. The Amazon smart bulbs do not work in my bedside sconces because they are dimmable fixtures. The bulb I got at Dollar Store says it's non-dimmable right on the box but I bought it anyway. Instead of stopping at Lowe's or Home Depot or even fucking Safeway, like a normal person, I just came home. The Dollar Store bulb at least doesn't flicker like the Amazon bulb but I still need better ones - one for each. Why am I being punked by light bulbs???
Anyway, Hazel and John need a new calendar and they always get their calendars at the Dollar Store and they came to elbow coffee to ask us to get them one next time we are there. So Bonny and I are going this afternoon.
I started writing this entry and hour ago and keep getting distracted - squirrel!
I have an Instagram account and scroll through daily. I rarely post anything but I do enjoy looking. There's a dude in London who has two sisters who sent him a giant box of advent adventures. Every day he must deliver a gift to the person on the card. Generally it's a first name and destination. He posts videos of his finding someone with that name in that place. It's charmingly delightful. fridgeplug
While I keep a short list of people I follow, most of my feed is people Instagram thinks I need to follow. I get a lot of 'babies with their Dads' and 'dogs with babies' and lately, it's Tai Chi for old fat people (kind of on point, that last one). At least, for now, I'm out of the fat boobs that need bras phase.
Dinner's ordered for pickup downstairs and Bobby's probably about ready to go so I'm done for now.
Sigh.
Yesterday I broke a light bulb and did not have a replacement but did have a couple of things on my list for Dollar Store so went there and got a bulb that kind of works. But mostly could not find stuff on my list. The Amazon smart bulbs do not work in my bedside sconces because they are dimmable fixtures. The bulb I got at Dollar Store says it's non-dimmable right on the box but I bought it anyway. Instead of stopping at Lowe's or Home Depot or even fucking Safeway, like a normal person, I just came home. The Dollar Store bulb at least doesn't flicker like the Amazon bulb but I still need better ones - one for each. Why am I being punked by light bulbs???
Anyway, Hazel and John need a new calendar and they always get their calendars at the Dollar Store and they came to elbow coffee to ask us to get them one next time we are there. So Bonny and I are going this afternoon.
I started writing this entry and hour ago and keep getting distracted - squirrel!
I have an Instagram account and scroll through daily. I rarely post anything but I do enjoy looking. There's a dude in London who has two sisters who sent him a giant box of advent adventures. Every day he must deliver a gift to the person on the card. Generally it's a first name and destination. He posts videos of his finding someone with that name in that place. It's charmingly delightful. fridgeplug
While I keep a short list of people I follow, most of my feed is people Instagram thinks I need to follow. I get a lot of 'babies with their Dads' and 'dogs with babies' and lately, it's Tai Chi for old fat people (kind of on point, that last one). At least, for now, I'm out of the fat boobs that need bras phase.
Dinner's ordered for pickup downstairs and Bobby's probably about ready to go so I'm done for now.
Biggie takes 3 pills a day. He has a vet appointment next week. His old vet moved to Iowa. So this is a new-ish one. She saw him last fall when he ate (and then popped) the nose plug but she hasn't weighed in on his pills/food. The last vet gave him one of the pills to discourage him from eating weird shit. The other pill was in lieu of the hyper expensive food she had prescribed the year before for his urinary issues.
I'm thinking we drop the anti anxiety pill and see how that goes. And then also drop the other one and go back to the hyper expensive food. Expensive, yes, but easier over all. He's fine. He acts fine. He eats fine. He poops fine. He pees fine. He drinks plenty of water. He's fine.
Oh and the tofu litter? It's really really fine. I am never going back. It's cleaner with no dust or debris and I also feel like I need less of it to do the job.
This morning, I think I'll go out and get some smaller cash. I never need 20 dollar bills. When I do need cash, it's ones and fives. There is a little Christmas fair this morning to raise money for something. But Martha has a table so I have to go. If I want to buy something, it's much more considerate to have exact change and all I have are 20's. To today is a good excuse to go get some usable money. I set up the Chase account for this very reason but have yet to take advantage. The closest Chase branch is very close.
It's cold and rainy but not nearly cold enough for ice so no big obstacle for going out and the car needs to stretch its tires.
I'm thinking we drop the anti anxiety pill and see how that goes. And then also drop the other one and go back to the hyper expensive food. Expensive, yes, but easier over all. He's fine. He acts fine. He eats fine. He poops fine. He pees fine. He drinks plenty of water. He's fine.
Oh and the tofu litter? It's really really fine. I am never going back. It's cleaner with no dust or debris and I also feel like I need less of it to do the job.
This morning, I think I'll go out and get some smaller cash. I never need 20 dollar bills. When I do need cash, it's ones and fives. There is a little Christmas fair this morning to raise money for something. But Martha has a table so I have to go. If I want to buy something, it's much more considerate to have exact change and all I have are 20's. To today is a good excuse to go get some usable money. I set up the Chase account for this very reason but have yet to take advantage. The closest Chase branch is very close.
It's cold and rainy but not nearly cold enough for ice so no big obstacle for going out and the car needs to stretch its tires.
When I lie on my side in the bed, my eyes look out on Barbara's terrace. Barbara lives in Assisted Living. She's a lovely lady with very little vision left. Someone has hung a VERY bright set of icicle lights on her terrace rail. I can practically read by the damn things in bed. I thought about asking her to turn them off at night but then decided, fuck it, I can wear the eye shades that I wear in Summer. They aren't uncomfortable and do the job so problem solved.
Laundry day. I have the process started. I forgot to turn on the lotion warmer before I left for volleyball so it's warming now. The paint roller enables me to apply a layer of lotion all over my back and then get dressed without oiling up my clothes.
There are a lot of seasonal activities planned around here and 99%, maybe even 100%, make me want to lock the door of my apartment with me inside. I have never been a fan of holidays but this year, I am really not. Don't know why and don't particularly care. Happily, I don't even have to explain myself to people. I can be what I want to be.
I got a really interesting email this morning from a French artist asking permission to use me in an AI art piece - specifically in an upcoming exhibit in a French High School. I cannot even believe that sentence. What a wonderful time we live in.
His name is Matéo Picard and his note was delightful. He was, oh so very respectfully, asking my permission to use my data. Of course, all of the stuff is out there for the world to see, no permission needed. He gave me a wide runway for landing a response of 'oh no, that's too creepy' which I really appreciate but do not need. I think it's fascinating. I have more than 25 years of daily journal entries, and photos back to the beginning of Flickr and Tweets and Bluesky posts and that autobiography I wrote and of course my now very old website. I mean there's a shit load to scrape from. It would be fodder for an artificial dummy but artificial intelligence could really go to town.
What amazing fun. And I love his website.
Ok the lotion is warm. Time to get greased up and dressed.
Laundry day. I have the process started. I forgot to turn on the lotion warmer before I left for volleyball so it's warming now. The paint roller enables me to apply a layer of lotion all over my back and then get dressed without oiling up my clothes.
There are a lot of seasonal activities planned around here and 99%, maybe even 100%, make me want to lock the door of my apartment with me inside. I have never been a fan of holidays but this year, I am really not. Don't know why and don't particularly care. Happily, I don't even have to explain myself to people. I can be what I want to be.
I got a really interesting email this morning from a French artist asking permission to use me in an AI art piece - specifically in an upcoming exhibit in a French High School. I cannot even believe that sentence. What a wonderful time we live in.
His name is Matéo Picard and his note was delightful. He was, oh so very respectfully, asking my permission to use my data. Of course, all of the stuff is out there for the world to see, no permission needed. He gave me a wide runway for landing a response of 'oh no, that's too creepy' which I really appreciate but do not need. I think it's fascinating. I have more than 25 years of daily journal entries, and photos back to the beginning of Flickr and Tweets and Bluesky posts and that autobiography I wrote and of course my now very old website. I mean there's a shit load to scrape from. It would be fodder for an artificial dummy but artificial intelligence could really go to town.
What amazing fun. And I love his website.
Ok the lotion is warm. Time to get greased up and dressed.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Name: Mistee
Age: 45
I mostly post about: I don't use it to post anything right now, I forgot I had this journal to be honest lol. I am going to turn it into a fandom/graphics blog though, with some other stuff sprinkled in probably. I don't usually post personal stuff online but have no problem discussing it with people in PM/DM if they're interested learning about me, etc..
My hobbies are: Fandom roleplaying (I only play fandom characters, but will rp with fandom or oc characters), gaming (mostly MMO's), reading manga or fanfics, watching anime or anything that catches my interest, getting back into icon/graphic making cuz I miss it, listening to music, watching movies.
My fandoms are: Teen Wolf (MTV show), Trigun Manga/Anime, and various others I'm trying to keep up with lol but those two are my biggest fixations right now.
I'm looking to meet people who: Have the same interests, being near or the same age is not necessary. I have friends from all different age ranges/walks of life.
My posting schedule tends to be: Whenever I have the energy. I work from home due to medical problems, so my hours are roughly 8am-630pm Central Standard time, Mon-Fri. Though I am mostly around a lot of the time.
When I add people, my dealbreakers are: Discrimination, ableism, racism, animal cruelty, transphobia, gay-phobia, bigotry, speaking negatively about LGBTQ+, honestly any of the bad shit lol.
Before adding me, you should know: I am chronically online due to medical issues/being disabled so I am around a LOT. Going to be around even more so due to our work's reduction of hours they're putting into place soon so I'm going to have a LOT of free time coming up to work with lol. I also mostly connect through either Discord or Plurk.
A fun fact about me is that I have a Guinness World Record and a star named after me. :)
Age: 45
I mostly post about: I don't use it to post anything right now, I forgot I had this journal to be honest lol. I am going to turn it into a fandom/graphics blog though, with some other stuff sprinkled in probably. I don't usually post personal stuff online but have no problem discussing it with people in PM/DM if they're interested learning about me, etc..
My hobbies are: Fandom roleplaying (I only play fandom characters, but will rp with fandom or oc characters), gaming (mostly MMO's), reading manga or fanfics, watching anime or anything that catches my interest, getting back into icon/graphic making cuz I miss it, listening to music, watching movies.
My fandoms are: Teen Wolf (MTV show), Trigun Manga/Anime, and various others I'm trying to keep up with lol but those two are my biggest fixations right now.
I'm looking to meet people who: Have the same interests, being near or the same age is not necessary. I have friends from all different age ranges/walks of life.
My posting schedule tends to be: Whenever I have the energy. I work from home due to medical problems, so my hours are roughly 8am-630pm Central Standard time, Mon-Fri. Though I am mostly around a lot of the time.
When I add people, my dealbreakers are: Discrimination, ableism, racism, animal cruelty, transphobia, gay-phobia, bigotry, speaking negatively about LGBTQ+, honestly any of the bad shit lol.
Before adding me, you should know: I am chronically online due to medical issues/being disabled so I am around a LOT. Going to be around even more so due to our work's reduction of hours they're putting into place soon so I'm going to have a LOT of free time coming up to work with lol. I also mostly connect through either Discord or Plurk.
A fun fact about me is that I have a Guinness World Record and a star named after me. :)
Like a lot of queer people, Shawn and I are sort of flexible about the day we call our anniversary. We both dated other people as we figured out our love and how the hell it was going to work. It was a messy time, but we were together as "roommates" in college since December of 1985--somewhere in there we both left our assigned roommates for each other, so it's kind of our U-Haul day. Or, as I sometimes like to joke, the day I moved in and forgot to ever move out.
So, yeah, if you do the math, we have been together a STAGGERING number of years.
We usually, officially, celebrate on the first of December, but this year a dear friend who comes for Friendsgiving arrived life-threateningly infected and so we spent that day with him at United Hospital. Someone else might say that our anniversary was "ruined," but that would be a lie. What would have ruined our anniversary is if our friend had died. So, you know, the hospital was right where we all needed to be! No regrets. None whatsoever.
But, I don't want forty years together to go unremarked. So, today I ordered some flowers for Shawn that I hope will be delivered to her office before she leaves for the day at 3:00 pm. I'm going to maybe make something special for dinner tonight. Who knows? But, hopefully, we can think back on that trip to Target for holiday gifts back in 1985 and feel like it was all worth it.
So, yeah, if you do the math, we have been together a STAGGERING number of years.
We usually, officially, celebrate on the first of December, but this year a dear friend who comes for Friendsgiving arrived life-threateningly infected and so we spent that day with him at United Hospital. Someone else might say that our anniversary was "ruined," but that would be a lie. What would have ruined our anniversary is if our friend had died. So, you know, the hospital was right where we all needed to be! No regrets. None whatsoever.
But, I don't want forty years together to go unremarked. So, today I ordered some flowers for Shawn that I hope will be delivered to her office before she leaves for the day at 3:00 pm. I'm going to maybe make something special for dinner tonight. Who knows? But, hopefully, we can think back on that trip to Target for holiday gifts back in 1985 and feel like it was all worth it.
I'm still not yet over the fact that I turn on my lamp in the morning and the light comes on immediately and does not flicker and stays on until I turn it off. Fucking miracle. I ordered more of those bulbs. One for the bathroom overhead fixture and two for my bed side lamps. All their bulbs work fine but the automation is flaky on each and they require 3 apps total. These bulbs will knock out two of the apps and delete the flaky.
Hazel dropped by last night. She says that the hospice workers are talking about letting John come back home (from the nursing unit). He has, apparently, after months of not eating, found his appetite. He was supposed to be dead way before now. But decided against it, I guess. She asked me to have Christmas dinner with the and their son. It was a lovely thought, but I think, no. I don't want to get chummy with the son and make it very easy for him to assume I'm ready to step in with their care/needs/etc. They both need a lot and I am just not up for it.
Also last night, I got an email telling me I'd been selected to serve on the Food and Beverage committee next year. I signed up for it the last two years but didn't make the cut til this one. Which turns out to be good. The new chair is sharp and nice and, hopefully, it will be interesting. It means two meetings a month and I already go to one of them so really just adding one.
Yesterday I changed the comforter on my bed to the winterwinterwinter one. It's about 14 inches thick. Of course, not really, but it is a very nice one with a lovely print and an even more lovely texture to it and burrowing under it, when it's cold, is the best sleep you can get. Ever. I finally have the temperature stable in here so that it's very cold at night and refreshingly pleasant during the day. The new thermostat they put in helps make controlling easier.
Also yesterday, I gave away my TV. I had a smallish TV in the bedroom that I never used. Last Summer I replaced it with a fan, which I never used and should probably get rid of, too. I put the TV under the bed. But the chaise cushion for the couch is also under there and it was getting crowded and bugging me. So I hauled out the TV (and was then able to push the cushion further in so you cannot see it from any angle) and bundled it up with its remote and legs and put it out in the elbow with a 'free' sign. It lasted an hour. It's such a lovely way to recycle shit. Easy peasy and someone is happy for sure.
I'm not sure what's on tap for today. I was toying with the idea of not swimming but it's so nice and gray and cloudy out, it's hard not to take advantage. So I probably will.
Hazel dropped by last night. She says that the hospice workers are talking about letting John come back home (from the nursing unit). He has, apparently, after months of not eating, found his appetite. He was supposed to be dead way before now. But decided against it, I guess. She asked me to have Christmas dinner with the and their son. It was a lovely thought, but I think, no. I don't want to get chummy with the son and make it very easy for him to assume I'm ready to step in with their care/needs/etc. They both need a lot and I am just not up for it.
Also last night, I got an email telling me I'd been selected to serve on the Food and Beverage committee next year. I signed up for it the last two years but didn't make the cut til this one. Which turns out to be good. The new chair is sharp and nice and, hopefully, it will be interesting. It means two meetings a month and I already go to one of them so really just adding one.
Yesterday I changed the comforter on my bed to the winterwinterwinter one. It's about 14 inches thick. Of course, not really, but it is a very nice one with a lovely print and an even more lovely texture to it and burrowing under it, when it's cold, is the best sleep you can get. Ever. I finally have the temperature stable in here so that it's very cold at night and refreshingly pleasant during the day. The new thermostat they put in helps make controlling easier.
Also yesterday, I gave away my TV. I had a smallish TV in the bedroom that I never used. Last Summer I replaced it with a fan, which I never used and should probably get rid of, too. I put the TV under the bed. But the chaise cushion for the couch is also under there and it was getting crowded and bugging me. So I hauled out the TV (and was then able to push the cushion further in so you cannot see it from any angle) and bundled it up with its remote and legs and put it out in the elbow with a 'free' sign. It lasted an hour. It's such a lovely way to recycle shit. Easy peasy and someone is happy for sure.
I'm not sure what's on tap for today. I was toying with the idea of not swimming but it's so nice and gray and cloudy out, it's hard not to take advantage. So I probably will.
Name: Sam
Age: 30's
My hobbies are:
I like to play video games, take walks, and exercise. My favorite games right now are Lord of the Rings Online and Guild Wars. I also play retro games and am going through the Harvest Moon series on the original DS.
My fandoms are:
I don't invest a lot of energy into fandoms. But I like Linux. I think that counts.
I'm looking to meet people who:
Journals about goals, dreams, and ideas. I do enjoy reading about criticisms, first draft essays, and general naval gazing.
My posting schedule tends to be: daily/weekly/monthly/sporadic/etc
Sporadic with a weekly update on what I'm learning.
When I add people, my dealbreakers are:
I want to avoid negative spaces, so if you are constantly ranting about how terrible things are, I understand. I'm going to put a positive energy in my journal.
Age: 30's
I mostly post about:
I write about my learning journey from zero (not really) to masters in Computer Science, with the goal of getting formal admissions into a program under 2 years. I have a lot of IT applied experience, but now I want to be able to master the material and also for myself learn as much as I can about the topics of programming systems, Linux, and math. For math, I really do know very little. I would very much like to improve that.
My hobbies are:
I like to play video games, take walks, and exercise. My favorite games right now are Lord of the Rings Online and Guild Wars. I also play retro games and am going through the Harvest Moon series on the original DS.
My fandoms are:
I don't invest a lot of energy into fandoms. But I like Linux. I think that counts.
I'm looking to meet people who:
Journals about goals, dreams, and ideas. I do enjoy reading about criticisms, first draft essays, and general naval gazing.
My posting schedule tends to be: daily/weekly/monthly/sporadic/etc
Sporadic with a weekly update on what I'm learning.
When I add people, my dealbreakers are:
I want to avoid negative spaces, so if you are constantly ranting about how terrible things are, I understand. I'm going to put a positive energy in my journal.
I lost a shitload of money in my investments yesterday. I didn't even bother to look up why. I assume Trump farted or didn't and the captains of industry hit the panic button. One day last week, I made a ton of money in one day. Didn't look up that one either. I keep a spreadsheet (of course) of the totals with a very simplified chart and I just watch the line go up and down and up and down. My chart would make a great ski field.
On the other hand, Social Security did me a real solid. Last year they deducted $200 for Medicare and then an extra $400 for Medicare Part B IRMAA (which, roughly translated, means you made too much money). This was not unfair. Inheriting my cousin's investment accounts did the trick. That was in 2024. According to the fine print, Social Security only reviews IRMAA status every two years so I figured I was in screwed again in 2026. But, nope. I got the news today that I am officially IRMAA-free! So my 2.5% Cost of Living raise is more like 30% in real life. I'm perfectly fine with that.
Also amazingly wonderfully fine is the paint roller. I got the cheapest one ($5) - a 4 incher and it arrived yesterday. I lathered it up with lotion and wheeeeeee!! It goes on perfectly. All the books and crannies covered - even that spot in the very middle of my back that my arms believe is NoWomansLand. And it layers on the lotion evenly without big puddles. The spatula applies the lotion not at all evenly and also misses a lot of spots. This paint roller trick is the bomb, I tell ya. And fast and easy. I put the roller in a zip lock bag with the handle poking out the bottom. So now I just peel back the bag, slap some lotion onto the roller and
roll on a thin layer. Easy enough to do every day and not requiring special clothes to mop up the excess.
I'd love to get Google Gemini a big hug.
And in other news of success. I have this table lamp that I love. But it's failing. When I turn it on, sometimes it lights up and sometimes it doesn't and sometimes, it lights up 5 minutes later. My brother said he was willing to install a new lamp kit in it so I ordered one. Then last week, I had my own lightbulb moment. Maybe it's the light bulb??? So I black friday'd an Amazon smart bulb. And screwed it in. Alexa recognized it instantly with no action from me. (So I could eliminate the smart plug it was plugged into.) And... guess what? Issue totally fixed. The lamp kit is going back today.
It is house cleaning day and I have a nice collection of returns so I'll be heading out to UPS.
On the other hand, Social Security did me a real solid. Last year they deducted $200 for Medicare and then an extra $400 for Medicare Part B IRMAA (which, roughly translated, means you made too much money). This was not unfair. Inheriting my cousin's investment accounts did the trick. That was in 2024. According to the fine print, Social Security only reviews IRMAA status every two years so I figured I was in screwed again in 2026. But, nope. I got the news today that I am officially IRMAA-free! So my 2.5% Cost of Living raise is more like 30% in real life. I'm perfectly fine with that.
Also amazingly wonderfully fine is the paint roller. I got the cheapest one ($5) - a 4 incher and it arrived yesterday. I lathered it up with lotion and wheeeeeee!! It goes on perfectly. All the books and crannies covered - even that spot in the very middle of my back that my arms believe is NoWomansLand. And it layers on the lotion evenly without big puddles. The spatula applies the lotion not at all evenly and also misses a lot of spots. This paint roller trick is the bomb, I tell ya. And fast and easy. I put the roller in a zip lock bag with the handle poking out the bottom. So now I just peel back the bag, slap some lotion onto the roller and
roll on a thin layer. Easy enough to do every day and not requiring special clothes to mop up the excess.
I'd love to get Google Gemini a big hug.
And in other news of success. I have this table lamp that I love. But it's failing. When I turn it on, sometimes it lights up and sometimes it doesn't and sometimes, it lights up 5 minutes later. My brother said he was willing to install a new lamp kit in it so I ordered one. Then last week, I had my own lightbulb moment. Maybe it's the light bulb??? So I black friday'd an Amazon smart bulb. And screwed it in. Alexa recognized it instantly with no action from me. (So I could eliminate the smart plug it was plugged into.) And... guess what? Issue totally fixed. The lamp kit is going back today.
It is house cleaning day and I have a nice collection of returns so I'll be heading out to UPS.
My brother has now been the coach of many a Let's Get Rid Of This Shit sessions. He's a great one for the job. Toss it is his favorite answer to every question. We have another session coming up in Janaury. I just retired some tech. It does not work well and I will never use it again but.... maybe and then I gave a very serious thought to putting it in a bag and putting it with the other stuff for bargaining power.
When he says 'Toss it' to something I want to keep, I could use it to offer up instead! But, the voice of good prevented me from finding an appropriate bag so I tossed it on my own today.
Years and years ago, my parents live in New York City. I was in college and my brother was in New England in boarding school. Mother and Daddy had moved to New York City after we all left home so coming home to the new 'home' was an extra special treat.
One time, I don't remember the occasion, but my brother and I ended up there at the same time. Mom asked us what we wanted for dinner and we both agreed fried okra would be the VERY BEST. Mother's reaction was 'oh you clowns! you can't get okra in New York City!!' 'So, if we can, will you please fry it up?' Knowing she was safe from that duty, she said 'sure'.
AND we set out. I don't remember our even having to go too far. I think it was maybe the third store we tried - a Grestedes - they had two boxes of frozen cut up okra and we GRABBED it! Not that there was competition. It was clear they had not stocked it the day/week maybe month before but we didn't care. As we stood in line there was a woman behind us eyeing our treasure and inquired with a little bit of accusation "what in the world are you going to do with that???" I wanted to say science project. I forget my brother's response but I'm sure it was even better.
Mom was kind of impressed, actually, and we had a delicious dinner.
Today, I ran into the woman in charge of special catering today and asked her about the possibility of my ordering up a giant load of fried okra sometime. "Sure, we can do that, just pop me an email when you are ready and we'll make it happen." WOOOOT!!! Mom would be jealous, I think.
When he says 'Toss it' to something I want to keep, I could use it to offer up instead! But, the voice of good prevented me from finding an appropriate bag so I tossed it on my own today.
Years and years ago, my parents live in New York City. I was in college and my brother was in New England in boarding school. Mother and Daddy had moved to New York City after we all left home so coming home to the new 'home' was an extra special treat.
One time, I don't remember the occasion, but my brother and I ended up there at the same time. Mom asked us what we wanted for dinner and we both agreed fried okra would be the VERY BEST. Mother's reaction was 'oh you clowns! you can't get okra in New York City!!' 'So, if we can, will you please fry it up?' Knowing she was safe from that duty, she said 'sure'.
AND we set out. I don't remember our even having to go too far. I think it was maybe the third store we tried - a Grestedes - they had two boxes of frozen cut up okra and we GRABBED it! Not that there was competition. It was clear they had not stocked it the day/week maybe month before but we didn't care. As we stood in line there was a woman behind us eyeing our treasure and inquired with a little bit of accusation "what in the world are you going to do with that???" I wanted to say science project. I forget my brother's response but I'm sure it was even better.
Mom was kind of impressed, actually, and we had a delicious dinner.
Today, I ran into the woman in charge of special catering today and asked her about the possibility of my ordering up a giant load of fried okra sometime. "Sure, we can do that, just pop me an email when you are ready and we'll make it happen." WOOOOT!!! Mom would be jealous, I think.
Yesterday, I ventured from my apartment one time. I took some trash to the shoots - two doors down. And that was it. It was lovely. Martha came by for Amazon help. She wanted to join Prime for her free month so she could Christmas shop. It was not entirely straightforward but we got it done. And I had the conversation I've had with others around here about banking online.
"Aren't you worried about getting robbed?"
"Nope. I check all of my accounts first think in the morning. If they try to steal from me, they won't get much for long. How often do you check your accounts?"
"Oh, I check them every month when I get the statement."
So, bank account robbers... feel free to hit up all old people the day after the statement comes out. You have a month to enjoy the profits.
Plus, in texts last night, she said she could not find an 8x8 pyrex dish with lid on Amazon. I found about 20 of them. So she called around and will drive to downtown Bellevue today to pick one up from The Container Store. "I hope it's ready before 2, I hate that traffic."
Different strokes for different folks.
After she was here, she was on to drop off a photo for the newsletter this week. She and Richard have a wedding anniversary coming up and they wanted their wedding picture. She showed it to me and, frankly, it's about the most perfect wedding photo I've ever seen. And they look just the same but older. And Richard had a whole lotta hair back then. Next year will be their 60th. (I'll grab a copy Thursday when the newsletter comes out and post it.)
I was so very tempted to copy yesterday today and not leave this apartment. Some non-volleyball mornings, I wake up ready to swim but on the days when I'm not, I'm hesitant to force myself. I don't want to not like swimming. This morning was nice and foggy but it did not look like it was going to last so before I could spend any time in debate, I just slapped on my suit and hit the road. It was a very good swim so I'm glad I did.
I tried Movie Sunday yesterday. I have MADD. Movie Attention Deficit Disorder. I tried watching 4 different movies and did not last 30 mins into any of them. They all had potential but I didn't have the patience. I'm just not a movie person.
Biggie has, apparently, worked through his issues with the egg crate foam topper and has now taken to sleeping with me again. The lights go out, he hops up and snuggles into the bowl my spoon makes. We settle in. And here comes Julio who tries to settle in but cat words are exchanged and they both leap up and leave. I go to sleep. When I wake up to pee, Biggie is there and, usually, Julio and they stay the night although Julio usually gets up first. Then me. Then Biggie.
One side effect from watching TV news is exposure to commercials for every weight loss/diabetes product and there are a million of them. It occurred to me last night that the good news is all those fat dancers who couldn't get work because they were fat are now fully employed because they are fat. Sweet.
Ok, it's after 9 and I really do need to get dressed and make my bed.
"Aren't you worried about getting robbed?"
"Nope. I check all of my accounts first think in the morning. If they try to steal from me, they won't get much for long. How often do you check your accounts?"
"Oh, I check them every month when I get the statement."
So, bank account robbers... feel free to hit up all old people the day after the statement comes out. You have a month to enjoy the profits.
Plus, in texts last night, she said she could not find an 8x8 pyrex dish with lid on Amazon. I found about 20 of them. So she called around and will drive to downtown Bellevue today to pick one up from The Container Store. "I hope it's ready before 2, I hate that traffic."
Different strokes for different folks.
After she was here, she was on to drop off a photo for the newsletter this week. She and Richard have a wedding anniversary coming up and they wanted their wedding picture. She showed it to me and, frankly, it's about the most perfect wedding photo I've ever seen. And they look just the same but older. And Richard had a whole lotta hair back then. Next year will be their 60th. (I'll grab a copy Thursday when the newsletter comes out and post it.)
I was so very tempted to copy yesterday today and not leave this apartment. Some non-volleyball mornings, I wake up ready to swim but on the days when I'm not, I'm hesitant to force myself. I don't want to not like swimming. This morning was nice and foggy but it did not look like it was going to last so before I could spend any time in debate, I just slapped on my suit and hit the road. It was a very good swim so I'm glad I did.
I tried Movie Sunday yesterday. I have MADD. Movie Attention Deficit Disorder. I tried watching 4 different movies and did not last 30 mins into any of them. They all had potential but I didn't have the patience. I'm just not a movie person.
Biggie has, apparently, worked through his issues with the egg crate foam topper and has now taken to sleeping with me again. The lights go out, he hops up and snuggles into the bowl my spoon makes. We settle in. And here comes Julio who tries to settle in but cat words are exchanged and they both leap up and leave. I go to sleep. When I wake up to pee, Biggie is there and, usually, Julio and they stay the night although Julio usually gets up first. Then me. Then Biggie.
One side effect from watching TV news is exposure to commercials for every weight loss/diabetes product and there are a million of them. It occurred to me last night that the good news is all those fat dancers who couldn't get work because they were fat are now fully employed because they are fat. Sweet.
Ok, it's after 9 and I really do need to get dressed and make my bed.
Frost is on the pumpkin - well really roof but if we had pumpkins...
Nov. 30th, 2025 07:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
susandennisIt's 29 degrees and we have frost on the roof. First time I've seen it this year. Nice. But the sun is coming up so it won't be there long.
Sun is coming up so the pool will be blinding plus it's time for a day off from swimming. My skin needs it. Bromine is the stuff they use to keep hot tubs healthy. It's way better in many ways than chlorine. It doesn't smell, at all. It doesn't eat your swimsuit over time. It doesn't freak your eyes out when you open them under water. It disintegrates in sunlight so it can only be used indoors. It's wonderful to swim in but... it dries out your skin quickly and thoroughly. (The gym I used to go to also used bromine but they used way too much. And my mouth also dried out. I used to chew a piece of gum on the way home every day.)
My old age skin is really bitching. I itch everywhere most always. I can reach everywhere fairly easily to apply lotion which helps except my back. I've tried a million things and some work better than others but mostly, it's just a PIA to get lotion back there. I have a t-shirt for that purpose. It's a very old one that is very soft. I slap the lotion on thickly with a spatula and then put on the t-shirt and just live with gooey back until it dries. Last night I gooed myself up so today, I'm going to just let it marinate with no swim.
While I was letting it dry, however, I did do an AI search to see if there was some trick I hadn't thought of. The response was a rather long list of various ways to get lotion on my back. I had tried all of them but one...
Black Friday Sale Purchase ... Small (like for trim) paint roller!! hahaha Yep. Amazon is bringing it to me this week. It actually might work fine. OR be a total fail but for $12, I'm going to give it a try.
Today will be a good day for laundry. And maybe a movie. I never watch movies and think maybe I should once in a while so I'm going to designate Sunday as movie day. At least while baseball is not in season.
Yesterday I finished the middle one at elbow coffee and Martha wanted it so I said fine but first a photo. Bonny had on a nice, white top which was good for background. So those are her hands.
Also, she told me yesterday that once a year, she and her friend, Chris, who lives in another part of Timber Ridge, practice getting up from the floor in the middle of the room with nothing to hold on to. Smart! I think I'll do it on the first day of every month.
Sun is coming up so the pool will be blinding plus it's time for a day off from swimming. My skin needs it. Bromine is the stuff they use to keep hot tubs healthy. It's way better in many ways than chlorine. It doesn't smell, at all. It doesn't eat your swimsuit over time. It doesn't freak your eyes out when you open them under water. It disintegrates in sunlight so it can only be used indoors. It's wonderful to swim in but... it dries out your skin quickly and thoroughly. (The gym I used to go to also used bromine but they used way too much. And my mouth also dried out. I used to chew a piece of gum on the way home every day.)
My old age skin is really bitching. I itch everywhere most always. I can reach everywhere fairly easily to apply lotion which helps except my back. I've tried a million things and some work better than others but mostly, it's just a PIA to get lotion back there. I have a t-shirt for that purpose. It's a very old one that is very soft. I slap the lotion on thickly with a spatula and then put on the t-shirt and just live with gooey back until it dries. Last night I gooed myself up so today, I'm going to just let it marinate with no swim.
While I was letting it dry, however, I did do an AI search to see if there was some trick I hadn't thought of. The response was a rather long list of various ways to get lotion on my back. I had tried all of them but one...
Black Friday Sale Purchase ... Small (like for trim) paint roller!! hahaha Yep. Amazon is bringing it to me this week. It actually might work fine. OR be a total fail but for $12, I'm going to give it a try.
Today will be a good day for laundry. And maybe a movie. I never watch movies and think maybe I should once in a while so I'm going to designate Sunday as movie day. At least while baseball is not in season.
Yesterday I finished the middle one at elbow coffee and Martha wanted it so I said fine but first a photo. Bonny had on a nice, white top which was good for background. So those are her hands.
Also, she told me yesterday that once a year, she and her friend, Chris, who lives in another part of Timber Ridge, practice getting up from the floor in the middle of the room with nothing to hold on to. Smart! I think I'll do it on the first day of every month.
I slept in just a bit this morning (only about half an hour), but I have already been trapped under a cat, so there's that, I suppose. Parker jumped onto my desk while I was reading DW and I was trapped for half an hour or so. Fortunately, I had the commentary on the Miss Universe pageant gowns linked to by senmut to keep me company.
I am noticing that my computer is making a droning electrical noise this morning and I am beginning to wonder if I need to start looking for a replacement after all. Le sigh. Sure, why not. I clearly haven't spent enough money this weekend.
Speaking of which, I did not end up getting the new vacuum at BJ's. Between stacking coupons and discounts, Kohl's ended up having the better price, and now I will have $45 of Kohl's cash to spend on new pajamas, since mine are becoming threadbare. Which is easy enough, since rather than expensive pajama sets, I buy flannel bottoms and regular t-shirts a size up from what I normally wear. Works just fine and is basically what pajama sets are anyway.
Yesterday, I went out to the grocery store after the pharmacy opened at 9:00 a.m. It turned out that the doctor's office had sent a new prescription, so they filled it for me while I picked up a few things. When I got home and put the stuff away, the first load of laundry was done, so that got hung up in the basement and the second load put in.
I looked at my do-list and looked at all the things that need to be done around the house and just shook my head. There's no way. So, instead of trying to put fall decorations away and get out winter ones, I sat down at my desk and listened to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me while drawing the January pages in my home calendar for next year. I've decided to use the somewhat fiddly box layout that I rejected for my work calendar. I'm getting tired of the boxes with triangular flags that I have used for the last couple of years. I got all of January drawn, though I'm not certain I'm going to include the trackers and notes pages that I've had for the last couple of years, because I didn't use them at all this year, so what's the point? I might try something else, instead, or I might just flow one month into another as I do with my work calendars. We'll see. Also, while I like the idea of a book journal, I didn't keep up with it, so I think that's just going to turn into my new book where I just keep my lists of what I have read (which grew out of the 50 Book Challenge years and years and years ago -- I have been keeping the current book since 2008, but I'm down to the last few pages, so I need to start a new one).
After that, I tok the work calendar upstairs and decorated the August and September pages. I was certain last week that I would have it finished and ready to go to work with me tomorrow, but I don't know that I'm going to make it. I need to do the December pages in my home calendar today, and I suppose if I did nothing else, I'd be able to finish the work calendar...but I'm not betting on it....
Last evening, I had dinner early because I skipped lunch, then I cleaned the kitchen, and settled on the couch and read all evening, until I finished Enchanter's End Game. So that's The Belgariad finished. I am debating whether or not I want to go on to The Malloreon. I might decide to read something else first and then go on to it. Or I might just go grab it as being easier than trying to choose something new.
It is 29° this morning. According to the weather wiseacres, it's supposed to get up to 39° and both rain and snow. Won't that be fun? I thought briefly about going to see if the new bookstore had any more stock this week than they did last week, but I don't think I'll be doing that. Too many other things to do to waste my time on that. (And it would be a waste of time, I am certain.)
senmut to keep me company.I am noticing that my computer is making a droning electrical noise this morning and I am beginning to wonder if I need to start looking for a replacement after all. Le sigh. Sure, why not. I clearly haven't spent enough money this weekend.
Speaking of which, I did not end up getting the new vacuum at BJ's. Between stacking coupons and discounts, Kohl's ended up having the better price, and now I will have $45 of Kohl's cash to spend on new pajamas, since mine are becoming threadbare. Which is easy enough, since rather than expensive pajama sets, I buy flannel bottoms and regular t-shirts a size up from what I normally wear. Works just fine and is basically what pajama sets are anyway.
Yesterday, I went out to the grocery store after the pharmacy opened at 9:00 a.m. It turned out that the doctor's office had sent a new prescription, so they filled it for me while I picked up a few things. When I got home and put the stuff away, the first load of laundry was done, so that got hung up in the basement and the second load put in.
I looked at my do-list and looked at all the things that need to be done around the house and just shook my head. There's no way. So, instead of trying to put fall decorations away and get out winter ones, I sat down at my desk and listened to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me while drawing the January pages in my home calendar for next year. I've decided to use the somewhat fiddly box layout that I rejected for my work calendar. I'm getting tired of the boxes with triangular flags that I have used for the last couple of years. I got all of January drawn, though I'm not certain I'm going to include the trackers and notes pages that I've had for the last couple of years, because I didn't use them at all this year, so what's the point? I might try something else, instead, or I might just flow one month into another as I do with my work calendars. We'll see. Also, while I like the idea of a book journal, I didn't keep up with it, so I think that's just going to turn into my new book where I just keep my lists of what I have read (which grew out of the 50 Book Challenge years and years and years ago -- I have been keeping the current book since 2008, but I'm down to the last few pages, so I need to start a new one).
After that, I tok the work calendar upstairs and decorated the August and September pages. I was certain last week that I would have it finished and ready to go to work with me tomorrow, but I don't know that I'm going to make it. I need to do the December pages in my home calendar today, and I suppose if I did nothing else, I'd be able to finish the work calendar...but I'm not betting on it....
Last evening, I had dinner early because I skipped lunch, then I cleaned the kitchen, and settled on the couch and read all evening, until I finished Enchanter's End Game. So that's The Belgariad finished. I am debating whether or not I want to go on to The Malloreon. I might decide to read something else first and then go on to it. Or I might just go grab it as being easier than trying to choose something new.
It is 29° this morning. According to the weather wiseacres, it's supposed to get up to 39° and both rain and snow. Won't that be fun? I thought briefly about going to see if the new bookstore had any more stock this week than they did last week, but I don't think I'll be doing that. Too many other things to do to waste my time on that. (And it would be a waste of time, I am certain.)
Look! I remembered to post before December started this year!
Nov. 30th, 2025 02:42 am![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png){kind=small}
denise posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_newsHello, friends! It's about to be December again, and you know what that means: the fact I am posting this actually before December 1 means karzilla reminded me about the existence of linear time again. Wait, no -- well, yes, but also -- okay, look, let me back up and start again: it's almost December, and that means it's time for our annual December holiday points bonus.
The standard explanation: For the entire month of December, all orders made in the Shop of points and paid time, either for you or as a gift for a friend, will have 10% of your completed cart total sent to you in points when you finish the transaction. For instance, if you buy an order of 12 months of paid time for $35 (350 points), you'll get 35 points when the order is complete, to use on a future purchase.
( The fine print and much more behind this cut! )
Thank you, in short, for being the best possible users any social media site could possibly ever hope for. I'm probably in danger of crossing the Sappiness Line if I haven't already, but you all make everything worth it.
On behalf of Mark, Jen, Robby, and our team of awesome volunteers, and to each and every one of you, whether you've been with us on this wild ride since the beginning or just signed up last week, I'm wishing you all a very happy set of end-of-year holidays, whichever ones you celebrate, and hoping for all of you that your 2026 is full of kindness, determination, empathy, and a hell of a lot more luck than we've all had lately. Let's go.
karzilla reminded me about the existence of linear time again. Wait, no -- well, yes, but also -- okay, look, let me back up and start again: it's almost December, and that means it's time for our annual December holiday points bonus.The standard explanation: For the entire month of December, all orders made in the Shop of points and paid time, either for you or as a gift for a friend, will have 10% of your completed cart total sent to you in points when you finish the transaction. For instance, if you buy an order of 12 months of paid time for $35 (350 points), you'll get 35 points when the order is complete, to use on a future purchase.
( The fine print and much more behind this cut! )
Thank you, in short, for being the best possible users any social media site could possibly ever hope for. I'm probably in danger of crossing the Sappiness Line if I haven't already, but you all make everything worth it.
On behalf of Mark, Jen, Robby, and our team of awesome volunteers, and to each and every one of you, whether you've been with us on this wild ride since the beginning or just signed up last week, I'm wishing you all a very happy set of end-of-year holidays, whichever ones you celebrate, and hoping for all of you that your 2026 is full of kindness, determination, empathy, and a hell of a lot more luck than we've all had lately. Let's go.
I think the reason I still go to elbow coffee on Saturday mornings is that it is a very easy way to just check in without having to engage or make a big to-do. I take my knitting and listen to the mostly boring and absurd conversation and keep my trap shut. It's easy. Martha and Bonny and Jan and I stay after to clean up and catch up and I think that's really the value of the whole thing.
My moving the hub yesterday did not fix the problem. Finally today, I checked the Amazon Skills review of the app that is failing and found the problem. The October AWS outage fucked up the handshake that runs between the app and Alexa. And since the hub has been replaced with a newer one, there will be no fix. This controls a group of switches that fit over my on/off toggles and enable me to have Alexa turn off the room lights or the under counter lights or the closet light. No one else makes anything close so having this work as designed is pretty critical to the operation. I blew the $25 and ordered the new hub. It arrives on Monday and, hopefully, fix the issue. Until then, I'll just have to get off my ass and go to the switch to turn the lights on or off - like a fucking cave man. Geesh
Fortunately, I will have time since I have no other plans today. My stuffing was so excellent, it's even good cold and I have about enough turkey, stuffing and cranberry jelly for one excellent sandwich. And enough cheesy mashed potatoes, ham and fried okra for one excellent dinner.
I am set.
My moving the hub yesterday did not fix the problem. Finally today, I checked the Amazon Skills review of the app that is failing and found the problem. The October AWS outage fucked up the handshake that runs between the app and Alexa. And since the hub has been replaced with a newer one, there will be no fix. This controls a group of switches that fit over my on/off toggles and enable me to have Alexa turn off the room lights or the under counter lights or the closet light. No one else makes anything close so having this work as designed is pretty critical to the operation. I blew the $25 and ordered the new hub. It arrives on Monday and, hopefully, fix the issue. Until then, I'll just have to get off my ass and go to the switch to turn the lights on or off - like a fucking cave man. Geesh
Fortunately, I will have time since I have no other plans today. My stuffing was so excellent, it's even good cold and I have about enough turkey, stuffing and cranberry jelly for one excellent sandwich. And enough cheesy mashed potatoes, ham and fried okra for one excellent dinner.
I am set.
Before I moved in here, I tossed (donated or just tossed) about half or more of all my shit. It was wonderful to purge all that stuff. I have never regretted any of it EXCEPT. I also purged about half my clothes. And I picked the wrong half. I really miss all the clothes I made for myself. I sometimes fantasize about buying a sewing machine and making some more. But there is no place here to do it without upending my house which I don't want to do and I have plenty of clothes. I don't need more. And 14 other very good reasons not to. So I just miss the ones that got away.
Yesterday was fine. I worked on the puzzle for a bit so saw some people in passing but mostly stayed in here and enjoyed a quiet day watching the latest season of Slow Horses.
I have bought a couple of Black Friday things - plenty - and don't need more so today will likely be a lot like yesterday which is fine and dandy.
I do have one tech project to do. I need to move a hub that controls all my switches. I think I can do it with shit I have on hand which means I can do it today and without buying anything else. It should be easy with a minimum off 'SHIT!' and 'fuck'. Or not.
But, first, I think I'll go swim some laps.
Yesterday was fine. I worked on the puzzle for a bit so saw some people in passing but mostly stayed in here and enjoyed a quiet day watching the latest season of Slow Horses.
I have bought a couple of Black Friday things - plenty - and don't need more so today will likely be a lot like yesterday which is fine and dandy.
I do have one tech project to do. I need to move a hub that controls all my switches. I think I can do it with shit I have on hand which means I can do it today and without buying anything else. It should be easy with a minimum off 'SHIT!' and 'fuck'. Or not.
But, first, I think I'll go swim some laps.