Thursday This n That

They keep dropping the predicted temperature for this weekend.  Freakin' single digits and negatives.  And a possible up to 9" of snow.  Derp.  We're making plans for the snow-pacalypse, and crossing our fingers the power doesn't go out.  I did two-weeks worth of grocery shopping yesterday, got cigs, and filled the tank in my car.  Today, I'll hit the Dollar General for a few other things, just in case, and then move all my plants away from the windows in the garage so Hubs can put up the window coverings to retard heat loss in there (old comforters mostly).  He'll drain the hoses and bring them inside, and then we'll hunker down for the duration.

Speaking of the impending snow-pacalypse... Wallyworld was a zoo yesterday.  And yes, they were running out of bread.  (Which I didn't need, thank goodness.)  I didn't check the milk or the toilet paper, but they were probably getting low, too.  The poor cashier said the place had been a zoo since the first mentions of the storm, so like 2-3 days worth of zoo, and it's only going to get worse.  Today will be zoo to the nth power down there.  

To the woman shrieking that ICE should leave her alone because she has a head injury... People like you piss me off.  I am really sick of people using traumatic brain injury as an excuse for bad behavior.  And by the way, if your head injury was severe enough that you can't understand simple instructions, you have no business driving.  They made me prove I could drive safely after my head injury before they'd let me get behind the wheel of a car.  The same should've happened to you, if you have a head injury, which I suspect you don't.  Anyway, this is as bad as pretending you have a limp to get handicapped parking.  Knock it off.

Yes, my head injury is 32 years (and 11 days) old.  They don't go away, you just learn workarounds to deal with your deficiencies.  Or you don't.  Whining about it doesn't help.  Trust me.  I tried that early on and it didn't help.

I sometimes think about writing a book about my TBI experiences, but I can't remember a lot of what happened in any great detail, so a book probably isn't the way to go.

I recently started following Josh & Jase (two Brits who love America) because they're touring Michigan right now.  These guys are hilarious.  And they've just reached the Upper Peninsula.  This should be fun.  I spent 4 years up there and I really do miss it sometimes.  (Not now.  Now it's cold and snowy and just NOPE.)

Okay, I probably should go.  I had other things on my mind to talk about today, but they're gone, so... 

Have a great day!

Thursday This n That

Bears keep attacking people in NW Arkansas.  Not sure what's up with that.  The attacks aren't super close to here and we haven't had any bear sightings inside of five miles from here, but yeah, I don't need freakin' bear attacks on my 2025 bingo card.  K?

Sawyer's new game is to bite my feet while I'm sitting here at my desk.  It's unpleasant.

I saw a coyote the other morning.  I was almost home from a walk and it trotted across the road about 10-12 feet in front of me.  

The last time I was in Walmart, I saw a woman wearing a Soo Locks t-shirt.  It just so happened that I was wearing my Michigan Born and Bred t-shirt that day, so I pointed to her shirt and then to mine, and we both laughed.  Stuff like that has happened more often that I would've imagined down here.  Like the day I was wearing my U of M sweatshirt and crossed paths with a dude wearing his OSU (the bad one) sweatshirt.  He seemed annoyed that he was all the way into Arkansas and ran into a fan of his team's rival.  :shrug:  Hell, when we first moved here a chick across the street and down the way was from Kalamazoo. We're everywhere, man.

I made deconstructed stuffed peppers a couple days ago.  This time, I used red bell peppers instead of green.  It was pretty tasty, but I missed the color contrast. They do say you eat first with your eyes.  :shrug:  

Today, I have to do an Amazon order.  Stupid Walmart stopped carrying the ink for the printer they sold me not that long ago.  Bastards.  Freakin' ink is probably almost as much as I paid for the damn printer in the first place.  :steams:

On a happier note, Amazon is really awesome about taking my returns.  I bought some clothes for my trip to Michigan, but I didn't wear any of them.  (I was expecting MI to be cooler than it was.  Derp.)  I'd left the tags on for just this result, and returned them as soon as I could after I got home.  Huzzah, my refund is in my account.  Yay.

Okay, I should probably get on with my life and let you get on with yours.  Have a great day!

I'm Back

I know, I know... I didn't tell you I was leaving.  I'm a staunch believer in the 'don't share with the internet that you won't be home' thing.  I mean, Hubs was still here, but I wasn't, so there ya go.  Anyway...

In the wee hours of the 18th, we made the drive to the airport, where Hubs dropped me off in the parking lot (he would've walked me in but, much to our dismay, the airport and its parking lot are under construction), and off I went to Michigan.  I spent 7 days hanging out with Mom, my middle sis, and sis's dog.  Oh, and other Michigan fam showed up on Saturday for a surprise birthday thing for Mom, who turned 85 while I was there.

It was a nice and mostly relaxing week.  Mom and I ate stuff we don't normally eat and we watched a lot of TV.  I took some walks, so it wasn't all lazing about.  I also rented a car, which gave me the ability to drive out to the old homeplace.  The place was barely recognizable.  (Who paints an old farmhouse candy-apple red?? Derp. And they cut down all the maple trees.  Turds.)  

I got back last night.  I haven't downloaded the photos I took yet.  I unpacked (mostly) and then flopped into a chair to watch an episode of Doc Martin before crashing into bed. 

The cats were not pleased with me coming home smelling like dog.  They're over it this morning for the most part.  Finn is still displeased with me.  Sawyer was up in my lap this morning like I never left.  

Anyway, I'm spending today decompressing and nursing my aches from carting my carry-on luggage through O'Hare and from the horribly uncomfortable seats on the airplanes.  (Never sit in the last row. The seats don't have any give in the back and the lavatories are problematic... i.e. they stink and the flushing device is LOUD.)

So, I'm home again with Hubs.  Sleeping in my bed, driving my car (rental cars... blerg), eating my food, and playing with my cats.  I still need to evaluate my writing, so I didn't accomplish that, but I did spend the week not angsting over it all, which was nice.

How are things in your world?

Thursday This n That

Wow.  It's been over a month since I posted.  

A couple days ago, I got back from a trip to Michigan - not a month worth, only a few days.  It was great seeing Mom and the sibs.  We did nothing but sit around, chat, watch TV, order in... like I said, it was great.  Here's me on my vacay...

Yes, I feel the need to curl my toes.

The Boyz are getting big.  Sawyer is a giant among kittens.  He's my chunky boi.  Just kidding.  He's not fat, he's all muscle.  And Finn's no slouch either.  My super-sleek house panthers.

Speaking of Finn, he's been distracting me from writing this post.  He's such a cuddle bug.

It's been super hot and dry here.  I guess while I was gone, the heat let up a bit, but it's come back in full force.  Blerg.

I was screwing around on Etsy last night and I saw a candle that you can buy in various interesting (good but different) scents - including maple bourbon, pumpkin souffle, and Fruity Pebbles.  The store had all sorts of sayings you could get on the glass the candle comes in.  I liked "I'd shank a bitch in the kidney for you." but I'm demented.

Mom watches a lot of those court shows - Couples Court, Paternity Court, People's Court, Judge Judy - so that was watch I watched while I was there.  It was fun.  Man, people have messed up lives.  

I also noted that up in Liberalia (aka Michigan) the commercials inundate people with social justice messages.  No wonder the populace up there is so messed up. It's a blitzkrieg of brainwashing.  Mom's got pretty good armor - I just feel bad that she has to sit through that crap to get to the shows she wants to watch.  

Yesterday, I was back to work.  Eh, it wasn't that bad.  Only like 26 emails and I had picked a slow time of the month to go anyway, so I wouldn't have to come back to a pile of anything vile.  Yay.  I had warned several of my customers I was leaving, so they wouldn't call to talk to me.  =o)

Speaking of work, I should probably start moving in a workerly direction.  Have a great day, everyone, and don't be such a stranger.  ;o)

Sunday Update - Week Huh?

Two Sundays in a row... I'm killin' it.

We saw our first fawn of the year today.

We introduced the spray bottle today in an attempt to curb the kittens' worst infractions - chiefly getting into the places where we have electrical cords that could easily zap them into kitty heaven.  After the first squirt, Sawyer now squints his eyes when I bring it out and seems less likely to get into trouble, but the minute our backs are turned, there he is.  He's a bull-headed little cuss.

I bought them a big, fluffy, decorative pillow to play with.  It looks like a muppet or one of those things on the cell phone commercial - no eyes, just blue fur.  Hubs named it the Blue Buffalo. Finn is already trying to kill it.  Sawyer fears it a little.

Work is work.  I'd talk about it more, but I can't.  

I booked my trip to Michigan.  It's been 9 years.  Time flies.  When I had the time, I didn't have the money.  Now I have the money and don't have the time.  Well, I made the time this time.  We can mostly thank Hubs for that.  He started it by going to see his mom and encouraging me to see mine, plus not worrying about the time I'll be taking off work.  These are the first vacation days I've taken since I started there a year ago.  (I had a couple days off due to illness and a couple due to weather, but these are the first days for just relaxation.)

That's right, it's been nearly a year since I started working again.  Whoda thunk it.  

Okay, that's about it for me today.  How are things in your little corner of the world?

Thursday This n That

 Mmm, coffee.

It's February. I suppose I ought to change my calendar.  Only a day late, so go me.

Between the weather and the crud, there were only two people at work yesterday - me and another dude.  Nice and quiet, just the way ol' hermit me likes it.  And I get along with the dude, so the few interactions we had were pleasant. Mostly, it was me in my office doing my things and him in his doing his things.

Driving home yesterday was interesting.  When they plowed the highway, they left large piles of ice at the entrances to all the side roads.  And it got just warm enough to make snowcones out of it. So, I had a pile of soft ice to get through to get onto the highway and another to get through to get off the highway.  Lucky for me, I know how to handle shit like that.  And thankfully, the highway was free of other drivers.  A little fish-tailing was involved and I was in the wrong lane for a smidgen there.  We'll see how doing it in reverse works this morning.

Michigander me thinks all of this is piddlin'.  I've driven through way worse.  Of course, it's been 20+ years, but it's like riding a bike.  I don't understand how some people forget how to drive in snow from one winter to the next.  

Hubs with the crud means I've been taking on some of his chores.  Like feeding the deer.  They don't know me, so they freak when they see it's me and not him.  But after a couple days, they aren't running away anymore, so that's good.  I also took over garbage duty.  I rolled the polycart up to the road last night, which was fun since everything is covered in a thick layer of packed ice pellets. Tiny steps.  And hey, I didn't fall.  :knocks on wood:

I made an apple-cranberry crisp this week.  Unfortunately, I had no vanilla ice cream and the roads were too bad for a run to the store.  Lucky for me, I had a bowl of whipped cream in the back of the fridge.  Yum.  You definitely need something creamy to balance the tart of the cranberries.

Okay, I should probably start getting ready for work and junk.  Have a great day, everyone.  

The Chaos Diaries - 5/13/20

It's a sad, strange world out there.  Every day some new crazypantsness pokes its head up from the sludge.  And I don't understand any of it.  I think if I tried to, my head would explode.

The new stimulus bill Nancy brought forth was over a thousand pages long.  ONE THOUSAND PAGES.  I think there ought to be a rule that you can't vote for it if you haven't read it and there will be a test.  That way we don't end up with Obamacare again.  Also, there ought to be a rule that bills may only include what's in the title of the bill.  Or something.  No more pork fat in these damn bills.  But that's just me.  Any rational citizen could take these bills and a red pen and cut all the crap out.  Let me at it.  My red pen would eat that shit up.

In other news, I saw a screen capture of a private message a friend of a friend received on FB.  It started out with something like 'I'll make this simple so a redneck like you can read it' and then proceeds to spew vile, profanity-laced crap in ALL CAPS.  It was a vicious and nasty screed sent because the receiver dared to want the country to open back up again.  Several of the commenters wanted the spewer's name uncovered so the could rain hell upon her.  My answer?  Report, Block, Delete.  Buh-bye.  Actually, I wouldn't mind having her name so I could visit her page simply to block her so I never have to run into her.  I've been doing that a lot lately.  I haven't blocked so many people since the 2016 election.  (Not reported.  I've never reported anyone.  If I had gotten that in a private message, though, you're damn sure I'd report it.)

Of course, with FB's new team of watchers, they'd probably give that bitch a prize and censure me.

Apparently, I should be ashamed of myself for not wearing a mask everywhere I go.  If you want to wear a mask, more power to you.  If you want to shame me for not wearing one, go pound sand up your ass.  Better yet, take your shaming into Flint or Detroit and try it there.  Wear a bulletproof full-body suit, though. 

I heard they caught the guys who shot that security guard in Flint.  They were in Texas.  They've also arrested the bitch who started it all and family members who were aiding and abetting the murderers.  There is justice here and there on occasion.  Well, we'll see how much time they actually get and then whether it counts as justice for a murdered father of eight.

Speaking of Michigan, I heard yesterday that, in Michigan, the news is saying Missouri is getting hit hard by the 'Rona.  Umm, no.  That is a big, bald-faced, fucking lie.  Of course, they don't want Michiganders to know the truth - we opened back up and we're fine - because then Nitwit would get more blowback than she's already getting. 

:deep breath: Ohhhhm  Ohhhhm.

It's all good here.

How are things where you are?

Thursday This n That

I went fishing yesterday.  It was cold, it was windy, and chances were that the fish wouldn't be biting, but I really needed to blow the gunk out of my pipes.  You know the days - when you feel like throat punching the world and so you yell at the cat.  (Kira doesn't care, but it's still not a good thing to do.)  It worked... it usually does... and I came back in a better mood than when I left.  And HAH, the fish were biting.  I only caught one undersized bass, but I was getting loads of bites.

While I was gone, Hubs was raking leaves.  The guys were working on building the house next door and they waved him over to talk about stuffs.  While they were talking, Hubs learned that the one guy's lady is from Michigan.  He didn't remember the town exactly, but it's about an hour north of Detroit.  And when he was telling me what he thought he might've heard, it sounded like a town pretty near to where I grew up.  Not THAT would be totally 'small world'.  This bears further investigation, because if she actually is from there, it would be total old home week.  And if she isn't, it's still pretty small world if a gal from Michigan moves next door to two other people from Michigan in SW MO.  Know what I mean?

Back to yelling at Kira.  That's the thing about cats versus dogs.  You yell at a dog, and they are totally effected by it.  You yell at a cat and they're all like 'you got a problem, it's your problem not mine'.  If Kira could flip me off, she probably would.  On her way back to bed.

Oh, while I was out at the lake, I saw what I thought was an abandoned goose egg laying amidst the detritus from our last big rain.  And I thought 'wow, something that fragile survived all the wind and the rain and everything', so I picked it up to bring home.  Then I noticed it wasn't an egg at all.  It had spots top and bottom like a seed pod of some sort.  And it was empty.  When I shook it, it rattled.  Upon doing some internet research, I learned it was an Ozark Nest Egg gourd.  They only grow around the Ozarks near rivers and streams.  Cool.

My work email has been down all week.  Something about the provider getting hacked or something.  They're routing as much as we can through alternate addys and they're sending stuff through my private email, but because it's down, they aren't getting what they're supposed to be getting - ie most of the spreadsheets I do.  Blerg.  Hackers should be dipped in honey and staked to an ant hill.  They never think about who they might be hurting when they do their crap.  Little guys like me, that's who.  Little companies like my family's business, that's who.  And even if they go after big companies, that shit rolls downhill to the consumers.  The little guys.  :steam:

I saw a great blue heron yesterday.  Beautiful birds.  Not the prettiest of noises.  Anyway, he honked/grunted at me as he flew by.

Okay, that's about enough out of me.  What's up with you?