Happy Birthday? ... wait, it's too early. You tricked me! ;P
LOL It's this coming Saturday.
I'm not sure if I'll be going out to celebrate. IDK if Roxy or Janet will be available. And it's supposed to be wicked hot (90F!) on Saturday. 😩 But who knows how awful QoH will be acting. Sometimes she pisses me off so bad that I just have to get outta here. Maybe I'll just go to Township and use up those gift cards that I still have.
Did you hear about the temperatures in India and Pakistan? 118F.
No, I didn't hear about that. That's like Saudi Arabia or Death Valley temperatures.
How do people even live in that?
IDK. I find summer temperatures in Florida to be oppressive enough. Plus there's the humidity to go along with the heat. The hottest place I've ever been was Colombia, South Carolina, when it was 106F. I don't know how people live there. And their humidity is just as bad as here. :/
Eh, just give yourself a good time. You deserve it.
I texted my friend Janet to see if she is free some time this week to meet me for happy hour. She hasn't responded yet, but she doesn't play with her phone constantly like I do. She'll probably text me back before she goes to work tomorrow if she sees it.
Roxy is still dealing with her dad at the rehab place, so I doubt that she'd meet me anywhere.
Today the solar company sent me a breach of contract notice. IDK how I'm in breach of contract since I never signed a contract with them. They are threatening to send it to a collection agency to ruin my credit. Of course I went ballistic and contacted my lawyer & forwarded the threatening email to him. He continues to advise me to ignore it. He said he doesn't think they have a valid claim against me. They have to get a lawyer to petition the probate court to reopen and then it would be highly unlikely that they'd prevail. He said until they do any of that then I shouldn't worry about it. Easy for him to say since he's not the one being continually harassed. 😡😡😡
You need a garbage truck really. To get rid of all QoH's crap :)
Most of her stuff has value and I'd prefer to sell it.
I'm still keeping my fingers crossed then. (they are starting to cramp up a bit now but I shall not falter! ;)
You might as well uncross them. I haven't gotten any responses from my friends, so I doubt that I'll be going out to celebrate with anyone. :/
Easy for him to say since he's not the one being continually harassed.
I would think it's more that you don't really know what is going to happen or what the consequences might be in the long run that creates a lot of uncertainty and tension.
Most of her stuff has value
That's actually surprising to me. I figured the hoarded mostly crap.
I haven't gotten any responses from my friends
Sorry to hear that. I know I've said it before but you need more friends. :)
I would think it's more that you don't really know what is going to happen or what the consequences might be in the long run that creates a lot of uncertainty and tension.
That, too. I fantasize about stashing the $ in an account in the Cayman's and moving to a nice S American country so I don't have to deal with ridiculous American bullshit any more. 😡😡😡
That's actually surprising to me. I figured the hoarded mostly crap.
Roxy appropriately nicknamed her "Hollywood" because everything with my mother is about keeping up appearances. Everything she buys is of the highest quality in an attempt to feel superior and impress others. My brother always says that I have a full inventory to open a thrift store whenever she dies.
Sorry to hear that. I know I've said it before but you need more friends. :)
I definitely need more local friends. I put a post up on FB about if anyone would like to join me for my birthday celebration and the only person who responded was a friend who I worked with at the temple who moved to Minnesota. I think Janet is probably out of town because that's the only time she doesn't reply. Roxy is particularly infuriating. I can understand wanting to spend time with her father since he's not doing well, but it isn't unreasonable to meet me for an hour or so somewhere in Wilton Manors. The rehab place is in WM, so it's only a few minutes from anywhere I'd ask to meet up. She likes to say I'm her best friend,but it's quite obvious that I'm very low on her list of priorities. I think she likes having these convenient excuses. First it was covid for 2 years, now it's her dad in rehab. :/
Are there any nice S American countries? Why not move to Canada? :)
Chile doesn't seem to be too horrible. Ecuador & Argentina, too. Canada is way too cold and even more insane that the US. I wish Florida could just secede. :/
Hey, if you don't have a personality then you better have a lot of nice stuff. ;P
Since she has never had friends she instead filled the void with stuff. It's kinda sad.
Her relation with her family does seem very different from the relation you have with your family.
Yes. When I was deep into the personality disorder support group and learning about all the different personality disorders and their traits, it seemed to me that Roxy could be Histrionic. She also seems to be very enmeshed with her family.
You are correct that it's very different from my family. None of us have been close. People who don't know me well think that I'm close with QoH just because we worked together all the time. The reality is I can't stand being around her. She always wanted me with her because she is controlling, not because she has any affection or emotional connection.
Roxy hasn't even wished me a happy birthday today. I'm betting that she won't. I had about 6 friends on FB (all out of town friends) wish me a happy birthday and my brother called this morning to wish me happy birthday and try to give me some encouragement because of the situation with QoH.
Oh! I nearly forgot to tell you what happened with her last night. She somehow managed to slip out of bed and was halfway to the floor & couldn't get herself back up. She yelled for me to help her. I got in there as fast as I could and tried to put my knee under her ass to try to keep her from slipping all the way to the floor. She's too heavy for me to lift, so she was using my leg as leverage to try to scoot herself back into bed. She was cussing me out the whole time & threatening to strangle me all the while saying that I wasn't helping her. My leg was literally preventing her from being on the floor, so IDK how I wasn't helping or trying to help. When she finally managed to scoot herself back up, I left her room and slammed the door. She was still cussing me and spewing her venom. I decided to get my phone to record it. I missed the worst of it but I still got 2.5 minutes of her screaming awful things. :/
She would have ended up on the floor if I didn't help. She wouldn't have been able to get herself up and I would have had to call 911. All of that would have been even more of a pain in the ass for me. :/
She obviously doesn't appreciate it.
No, she doesn't.
In related pain in the ass news, she got her driver's license renewal notice in the mail yesterday. Instead of just being able to renew it by mail, they're requiring her to take a vision test since she's going to be 80. (All 80 years or older people have to pass a vision test before they can renew.) The soonest I could get an appointment at the driver's license office is July 5. I know it's going to be an ordeal just getting her there and God only knows what kind of scene she going to make once she's there. :/
My license expires in 3 years. I don't have the enhanced license like QoH does (which would allow me to travel on domestic flights). You have to show all sorts of birth certificates and other ID to get one, so I'll have to do that the next time I renew. It's infuriating that I as a citizen have to produce 3 or 4 different forms of ID just to get a driver's license which is the primary ID in this country, but any asshole can cross the southern US boarder then get put on flights by the US government without any form of ID. 😡😡😡
Yes. She has 20/20 vision since she had the laser surgery to dissolve the scar tissue from her cataract surgery. She wears progressive lens glasses, but I think she only needs them for reading. If she wasn't such a mental case, none of this would be a problem.
Well Janet finally texted me back today. She can no longer help me with printing stuff. Her workplace has gotten strict with people printing stuff. She says she's still crazy busy at work and doesn't have time to catch a happy hour.
Roxy claims that she can help me with getting stuff printed. She says she just asks the people at the rehab place to print stuff. Now she's open to the idea of meeting me somewhere in Wilton Manors (after her mom chewed her out over it lol). Her mom used the same reasoning that I had. She's only a few minutes from anything on the Drive and it wouldn't hurt to leave her mom at the rehab with her dad for a couple hours while we go out and have some fun. 😎
I guess it was until her mother convinced her otherwise. Roxy's mom isn't like QoH. She actually tries to get her to go out and doesn't have a problem with her having a good time.
Why her preference for Wilton Manors?
Because that's where the rehab is. Also there's plenty to do down on Wilton Drive (it's kinda like their main street).
Who knows? I think Roxy just said that we'd go out as a way to pacify me for a while. She never actually said when she was available to go anywhere. I know that it won't be tonight or Sunday because she'll be working.
In other news, I successfully transplanted the 4 okra seeds that sprouted and put them into big pots. Those suckers grow very quickly! It's quite satisfying to grow plants that show rapid growth and are hearty.
I *might* also have a basil seed that sprouted. There's a very tiny green thing growing in one of the peat pots that's still in the baggy that I have hanging from the fence. I reused the peat pot from an unsuccessful attempt so I'm not sure if it's a basil trying to grow or some weed that might have seeded in there. Only time will tell I guess.
No, I don't. I think I'm going to have to get tricksy and text her mother, then her mother can harangue her for me.😜😎
Well, whatever you do, don't smoke it. :)
LOL Not that kind of weed! I certainly wouldn't smoke it. I can't stand the smell of wacky weed and the stuff that all these pot heads smoke now smells like skunk. It's so disgusting!
I've had it for a few years. I don't remember why exacty. I think Roxy gave her my number for some reason and when she texted me I saved the number to my contacts list. Hmm..just looked at old texts. Roxy thought her phone wasn't working because her mom wasn't getting her texts so she had me send a text to see if she got mine. So that's why I have her #.
How do you know that?
I know what skunk spray smells like and when these idiots smoke their weed it smells very similar. It's really disgusting. It's even worse when you're in a store and one of them has the smell in their clothes and you can't get far enough away from them.😡
Because it's smoky skunk scent. Like when people smoke cigarettes and their clothes smell like smoke but with the addition of the skunky smell. :/ When you are a non-smoker you get very sensitive to smoke smells.
In other news, I was horrified to learn yesterday that Township suddenly closed despite being a very popular sports bar and I never got to use the $75 worth of gift cards that I have for there. I went to the management company's website and sent a message asking if they could refund the money or give me gift cards for another restaurant that they manage. I haven't received a response yet.😬
And last night Roxy called me after she got home from the rehab place. We ended up watching the end of the Panthers game together & chatting. She was hoping that they'd win & clench the playoff series so she wouldn't have to work game 7 on Sunday. It went to overtime but luckily the Panthers scored and ended it! 😃
I told her that we could go to Hamburger Mary's on Sunday afternoon but she didn't respond. :/
When you are a non-smoker you get very sensitive to smoke smells.
Sure, I don't smoke either. My point is that you must at some point have been around people who told you they were smoking weed while they were smoking it.
I haven't received a response yet.
They could be busy with other things.
I told her that we could go to Hamburger Mary's on Sunday afternoon but she didn't respond.
you must at some point have been around people who told you they were smoking weed while they were smoking it.
Since I was a kid I had adults point out with disgust whenever there was weed aroma somewhere. Other than Roxy and some coworkers, I've never hung out with people who smoked it. One time when I was at Roxy's house she showed me her stash and it smelled like nasty skunk.😝
They could be busy with other things.
They're probably only in the office to answer messages Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm. :/
There was actually a very good deal for Hamburger Mary's on Groupon. You could get a voucher for $10 off towards food for only $5. I'm probably going to have to get a new phone so I can get the Groupon app. I was looking at the deals that they offer and some of them are excellent. There was one offer for Bowlero which is a new bowling place. It was $25 for 2 hours of bowling for 2 people and shoe rental included. The cheapest bowling alley usually charges $5 for shoe rental and $10.50 per person per hour. So that's like 50% off, but Bowlero is fancy & more expensive so that is a very good deal.
Because it's a different variety. I think the one that smells like skunk was genetically modified to have way more THC than the regular varieties. I'm not too keen on the smell of regular weed, but the skunky one is just disgusting.
In what way is it fancy?
To quote their website, "Our lanes are some of the coolest and most stunning in the game, featuring black lights, soft lounge seats, and huge HD video walls that play everything from live sports and music videos to classic family films." Plus they have a huge arcade and restaurant style food that you can order. Oh, and a dress code. They try to keep riff raff and teenagers out. If you're under 18 you have to have a parent with you.
Are you planning on going bowling?
I was thinking about it. I haven't bowled since my early teens. My dad was an avid bowler and was a member of a league right up until he died. He tried to get me to be into it, but he was the type of person who wouldn't let a kid beat him, so it was never fun for me since he would never deliberately lose a game so I could win. He was also terrible at teaching me how to do anything. He wasn't very patient and didn't explain things well.
I still have my old bowling ball (which miraculously still fits okay) and old bowling shoes which are a bit too tight for me now. I think if I found some way to stretch them a little I might be able to wear them comfortably. I can't stand the idea of renting bowling shoes that have been worn by countless people. Imagine all the nasty feet that have been in them!😝😝😝 I searched on the intertoobs for a new pair of bowling shoes, but the cheapest that I could find was around $40. I'm not going to pay that much for shoes that I might wear once.
Maybe it was genetically modified especially for the skunk smell. :)
It sure seems that way. 😝
Specifically? Do you have to wear a dress? :)
No. It's more like they ban any kind of attire that could be gang related. No hoodies, hats, ripped jeans, sportswear, or backpacks.
It's a kid's bowling ball?
No, it's an adult bowling ball. All these years I thought it was a 10 pound ball. A few weeks ago when I got it out to look at it and see if my fingers still fit, I put it on the scale just to make sure and it was nearly 12 pounds! So no wonder I always had trouble with it when I was a kid! I was contemplating getting a heavier ball since I'm much stronger now as an adult who regularly lifts weights, but now I don't have to. And it's a fingertip style grip and not the standard full-finger grip, so that's partly why I can still use it without needing it to be re-drilled.
I have no idea. When my dad took me to buy the ball, it was supposed to be 10 pounds. Maybe someone mislabeled it?
They say that it's best to use a heavier ball because it knocks down the pins easier. That's all well and fine as long as you are strong enough to throw it with force. I guess it really doesn't matter now. It's not like I was going to bowl professionally. If I do go bowling some time now, it should be the perfect weight for me. I took it out in the back yard and threw it a couple of times. It felt fine.
Anyway, if I do go out anywhere, I'm going to have to go by myself. Roxy is too involved with her dad's situation to take a couple of hours to do anything with me. I'm not even going to suggest anything any more. She was blowing me off before the covids so it's not like she's going to change. And Janet seems to be too busy with work all the time. :/
Nah, I don't like it enough to make it a weekly thing. And that would get expensive.
Well it was very hot today. I went outside to get some sun and to warm up a little since the AC inside was making me feel a little cold. It didn't take long to warm up lol. After about 10 minutes I was sweating. 😩
We've been having quite warm weather as well for May. Although the last couple of days we've had mainly thunderstorms. It's the norm really.
I do hope the weather will be nice this Monday as I will have to go to the local library for a physical/medical check up in connection with social services.
Although the last couple of days we've had mainly thunderstorms. It's the norm really.
Same here. We had quite the thunderstorm last night. The thunder was so loud that it woke me up! And it's currently storming ATM. The thunder is very loud also. That's the summer weather pattern here. Hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms. :/
I do hope the weather will be nice this Monday as I will have to go to the local library for a physical/medical check up in connection with social services.
LOL, what a coincidence! I'm planning to go to the local library on Monday as well, but not for a health checkup. I need to renew or just get a new library card so that I can use the services there. Since none of my friends are going to help me with printing paperwork, I figure I can just do it myself at the library. I can either use their computers or bring my ancient laptop and use their wifi. Then I can print stuff there. They only charge 10 cents per page, so that is quite cheap.
I need to renew or just get a new library card so that I can use the services there.
I'm considering getting a new card myself. I haven't been to the library in 2 years or so. They suspended all services because of covid. You couldn't even get into the library for a while. I guess all cards were deactivated. I wonder if they've changed anything.
I don't think I've been to the library since I was in school lol. I still have my old card but I seriously doubt that it I would be able to use it. I'm sure they have different cards now.
I wonder if they've changed anything.
I drove past the local library last week. I noticed that they changed the signage out front. It used to say North Dade Regional Library now I think it just says Miami-Dade Library System or something like that. I hope that they got rid of the God awful modern art sculptures and artwork from the 60's that used to be in the front foyer. They were so hideous and I hated looking at them. If they did get rid of that hideous stuff they probably replaced it with something just as awful. :/
IIRC they had the library shut down for a while during covid, but then reopened with mask & social distance protocol. It didn't affect me since I never went there anyway.
Today the new neighbors across the street were out front doing yard work while blasting some terrible 90's rock playlist. Then the husband was spraying Roundup (glyphosate) all over the place. I'm glad they're across the street and not next door. Less of a chance of my yard getting contaminated with that poison. Everything in my yard is organic and natural and I have lots of birds, bees, butterflies, and other critters unlike the majority of people around here with their barren yards.
I'm glad they're across the street and not next door.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone spray any kind of chemicals in their garden around here. Even the civil servants who clean the weeds between the street tiles use a burner.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone spray any kind of chemicals in their garden around here.
That's good. IIRC I think Roundup was banned in Europe. Some people around here spend a small fortune on getting their lawns sprayed and constantly watering them. I think we're technically still under water restrictions (only allowed to water on certain days) but it doesn't seem to be enforced. It's kinda obvious during dry spells when some people have green lawns while everyone else has half dead yards.
Well I did about an hour of raking leaves today but had to stop because it was too humid. I came inside & immediately took a shower & washed my hair to get some relief. I felt kinda faint after I got out of the shower so I laid down after I got dried off. I really hate the weather here during the summer. :/
I guess so. We are now in the rainy season so that has its own issues (like the sidewalks getting black with mold, mildew, algae, etc) and the weeds growing like crazy. :/
Did you overheat or something?
I think it was a combination of the heat and not eating enough breakfast. It's so humid that when you sweat it doesn't evaporate. Your clothes become saturated with hot sweat and it's just miserable and impossible to cool off when you are outside. And then the mosquitos are wicked. They seem to love to bite me. I can't go outside for more than 30 seconds without being swarmed and bitten. I have mosquito spray, but I hate spraying that greasy stuff on me just to go outside for a few minutes. I have to wash it off when I come inside so it doesn't get on the furniture. It's such a waste unless I'm going to be working outside for a while.
What kind of precautions do you take?
I try to wear as few clothes as possible (shorts and tank top, flip flops) and stay in the shade. And I only stay out for an hour maximum. When I mow the lawn I have to take frequent breaks to go inside and get in the AC to cool off & drink water.
Well I was planning to go to the store & library today, but Ma Nature had other plans. I was cramping earlier today and didn't feel like leaving the house. I'll just have to do it another day.
In other news, I tried planting more basil seeds. This time I just sprinkled a few on the top of a peat pot. They have all sprouted now. When they are big enough I'll transplant them to larger pots.☺
I do love garlic, but I don't want to smell like it all the time. I'll have to do some research into what I can do to make myself less appealing to mosquitos.
Do you wear anything on your head?
Yes, I wear a baseball cap.
I bet you could also use wet cotton to get them to sprout.
When I was in kindergarten, they taught us how to sprout seeds in a wet paper towel that we'd put in a plastic sandwich bag. I transplanted 3 of the sprouts into a small pot today. If they don't croak, then I'll transplant the rest. I'm looking forward to having some delicious fresh basil to eat. 😋
Last night I got some bad news. American Icon put a post up on social media saying that as of yesterday, they are permanently closed. Only their location in Vero Beach will stay open. That really sucks since I really liked that place and they had great beers. First Township, now Icon. Now I'm wondering who's going to close next. People just don't want to spend money unnecessarily in this shit economy with the prices of everything increasing like crazy. :/
I like it layered with buffalo mozzarella cheese and tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil. 😋
The banks must be happy with people saving money like that.
I don't think many people are saving money. The cost of everything has gone up so we're spending more money on just basic things. Gas is double what it was a year ago. I limit myself to going to the grocery store once per week and I've only been going to the stores that are closest to my house. When I went to lunch with my cousin last month, that was a splurge.
Anyway, I bought 3 slabs of pork ribs at the store today. They were up 40 cents per pound, but pork is still one of the cheapest meats. I'm going to cook 2 of the slabs tomorrow ahead of Memorial Day and I put the other slab in the freezer. I guess I should also cook some hotdogs & burgers.☺
I will never understand how people can eat raw tomatoes.
Because they're delicious! 😋😋😋
Buffalo mozzarella cheese sounds interesting.
It's delicious. It has a very fresh milk taste and a soft texture. It's one of those things that you start eating and can't stop.
If only everything wasn't spaced out so far from each other in the US. :)
It is what it is. And if it wasn't so hot and humid here, riding a bike would be feasible. And also there's the real possibility of being run over and killed while riding a bike. :/
What about chicken?
It's not so cheap any more. There was a bird flu scare which led to millions of chickens being slaughtered. That limited the supply and the cost of chicken doubled. The price of eggs doubled, too. :/ I don't think there has been a problem with domestic hogs so the price of pork hasn't increased as much as everything else.
I guess it would take a cultural change for that to improve.
There are too many selfish assholes in South Florida. Even though it's illegal, too many people still text & drive or drive while drunk or high. 2 cyclists got killed on the Rickenbacker causeway a few weeks ago by some idiot who swerved into the bike lane. It seems like every few weeks either a pedestrian or someone on a bike is hit & killed. Sometimes it's the pedestrian's fault for jaywalking at night, but usually it's the careless drivers' fault. When they started putting bike lanes everywhere down here, most people correctly said that you'd have to be suicidal to use them. It's a waste of money because people don't use them. The few who do are taking a big risk. It's still legal to ride on the sidewalk in Florida (hardly anyone walks on them anyway) so that is a slightly safer option.
Which is directly and indirectly a consequence of cultural programming.
IDK whose culture is doing the programming, but it's certainly not the traditional American culture that I grew up in.
It is possible to make bike lanes safe. But people have to care about that then.
It was less dangerous when there were just sidewalks to ride on. No one actually walks anywhere down here so there was never a conflict between people on bikes and pedestrians. I guess all the bike lane stuff was some sort of mandate, because they are everywhere now. Hardly anyone uses them. They are either a dedicated meter wide lane on the right of the pavement or you just take your chances sharing the right lane in some cases. Either way it's too dangerous because there's no barrier between the bike lane and vehicle lanes. At least if you ride on the sidewalk, a car would have to jump the curb to hit you.
I wouldn't mind riding my bike sometimes if it wasn't so dangerous. I used to ride my bike a lot when I was a kid, but there were probably half as many people here back then and no one had a cell phone to be distracted with. It's also way too hot and humid for that here. I was outside for about 30 minutes raking leaves today and had to stop before I got overheated.
Sure. There were always some ethnic differences, but for the most part people identified as American and there was a predominant culture. Now there's too many people here from other countries and there's a feeling of competing factions that don't necessarily like each other.
Does the city (or the state?) feel more crowded than it used to?
Oh definitely. I remember when most of Broward County was cow pastures and open land. Now it's built up solid to Highway 27 which is on the edge of the everglades. Same with Dade County. Also there were small motels along the beach. All of those are gone now and have been replaced by huge 40+ story condominiums. There's so much traffic now that I just hate going anywhere.
Anywho, Roxy is working a concert on Wednesday for some boy band that I never heard of called Monsta X. I guess it's what they call K-Pop??? IDK, I don't keep up with what kids are listening to. Roxy doesn't seem to be too happy about it. I guess if it's a young crowd she won't be making any money on liquor sales.
Hasn't the USA always been a country of immigrants?
Sure, but people decades ago wanted to become Americans when they got here and leave the old country behind. The new immigrants want to bring their country & culture with them and shit talk this country and other immigrant groups.
What competing factions are you referring to?
Hispanics (which are not a homogeneous group even though politicians lump them all together) bring their regional biases with them. Depending on what country they're from, they have beefs with people from different countries. People from South America look down on people from central America, or some hate Brazilians. Caribbean people squabble about each other. Jamaicans talk shit about Haitians and think that they are better than them. Stupid shit like that.
A Korean boy band.
I don't know what the appeal is. IDK why girls like these effeminate looking boys. I never could stand New Kids on the Block back when I was in high school. I liked bands like Guns n Roses & Motley Crue (yeah, I know they had their glam phase😜).
Well it has been raining here for the past 2 days. I wanted to mow the yard this weekend but that's obviously not going to happen. It's supposed to rain every day this week so I have no idea when I'll get a chance to do it. :/
The new immigrants want to bring their country & culture with them
They've always done that. It would be impossible for them to not do that. Over time exposure to the rest of the population means their original culture fades in their memory or is changed by it. This takes time, it can take generations.
shit talk this country
There's nothing wrong with criticizing the country you live in. No country is without flaws. :)
which are not a homogeneous group even though politicians lump them all together
Politicians are a homogeneous group then? :)
Stupid shit like that.
I think it's called "being human". I don't like it either. :)
It's supposed to rain every day this week
Good for the plants but unfortunate for humans. So what will you do while waiting for the sun to come out?
So what will you do while waiting for the sun to come out?
After the downpour we had just before noon, I went out to go grocery shopping. It's been cloudy but not raining since then. I should probably try to mow the yard, but I really don't feel like it. It's humid and I don't want to get sweaty and nasty.
While I was out, I noticed the highest gas price I've ever seen. A couple of gas stations had regular gas for $4.75/gallon. A few were $4.54. I spotted another one for $4.49, but decided to take a chance with the Murphy station by Walmart. My gamble paid off since theirs was $4.45 so I stopped and topped up my car. It's ridiculous that I paid $10 for slightly more than 2 gallons. A year ago $10 would have gotten me 5 gallons. 😡
I managed to get the yard cut today before the afternoon thunderstorms started. It took me 2 hours to cut it & blow the sidewalks clean with the leaf blower. Just as I was finishing up the back yard, the storm clouds started rolling in. I came inside and took a shower while the lawnmower cooled down, then I went back out to hose it down. The first few drops of rain started as I was bringing it in the house. Then it rained for maybe 30 minutes.
At least it wasn't too hot and humid while I was mowing. It was partly cloudy. Even though I was wearing a tank top & shorts, I was still drenched with sweat by the time I finished. I had to do everything without taking a long break between doing the back yard & front yard so that I could get it done before the thunderstorms started. I'm glad it wasn't super humid and I was able to do it all without the break.
I really need to trim some of the shrubbery out front, but that will have to be another day. The yard has too much crap to take care of for me to finish it in one day. :/
I had posted a comment yesterday and now it's gone... Did you delete it or did I only dream writing a comment?
I didn't delete anything. Sometimes blogger is wonky and eats the comments. It's happened to me a few times and it's my blog!
I guess you're managing to keep yourself busy.
I'm not so busy ATM. We are currently experiencing "potential tropical cyclone #1" and it has been raining steadily for the past 2 days. It should be cleared up by tomorrow night..hopefully.
Have you heard from those grifters who want money from you BTW?
No. They threatened to send it to a collection agency, but I haven't heard from anyone. It's been nice not being pestered by those assholes for the past month. They were a nuisance calling & emailing me every week.
My lawyer said they'd have to petition the probate court to reopen my dad's probate. That's the only legal way they can try to get me to pay (technically it would be my dad's estate paying, but I have the $ and control it). He said if and until they do that then I shouldn't worry about it. That's much easier to do when I'm not being bothered on a weekly basis.
QoH is really driving me crazy. I think it seems worse when I'm stuck inside because of the bad weather. I just want to get the hell out of here for a while and not have to deal with her. :/
You are free to delete comments though, it's your blog after all.
I delete my own comments all the time when I catch typos or autocorrect changed a word to something ridiculous. 😜
Is she making unreasonable demands again?
Yes, but it's mainly the verbal abuse. It's very disheartening to be called all sorts of names for no reason other than that it makes her feel good or powerful when she's being abusive.
Last night it was because I didn't put the hurricane panels up to my bathroom & kitchen windows. She lets the stupid local news get her worked up over the nothingburger tropical rain storm, then she comes and lays into me as if I'm being irresponsible. I don't fall for the news hype. I've been alive long enough to know when a storm is serious or not and what we got was not serious. It rained steadily for 24 hours (not even heavy, more like a light sprinkle most of the time) and there was no wind at all.
Today she got abusive because there was what appeared to be a small spot of shit or maybe dried blood maybe 4 cm wide on the towel that she keeps on her bed. Somehow that was my fault even though she's the only one who is on her bed. (I did *not* do an Amber Heard in there.😂😂) Apparently she didn't have any more clean towels because she's been stuffing the dirty ones in the tub in her bathroom. She blamed me for not having clean towels. How the hell am I supposed to know that if I'm forbidden from going in her room unless I'm bringing something to eat or drink and she doesn't tell me? So she called me all sorts of names over that.
I told her to wash them herself. She knows where the washing machine is and there's plenty of soap powder, bleach, and fabric softener to do it. Anyway, she fell asleep long enough and I went to investigate and found all the hoarded towels in the tub. I went ahead and pulled them all out and washed them. I must be either a saint or fucking stupid.
If she did it to me I'd be calling her a few names back though.
Oh, trust me, I totally call her names back. I'm not someone who just takes it without fighting back, but it's still exhausting having to deal with it every day.
Why has she done that?
I have no idea. Why does she hoard? I think it's all part of a mental disorder. IDK why she couldn't tell me that they were dirty & ask me to wash them. I guess that would mean that she'd have to act like a normal person. Can't have that!
Or you just want to prevent more troubles.
I guess.
In other news, I finally got around to putting up some metal mesh over a hole in the top of the wall in the carport. I think it's been that way before I was born. I know it's been like that as long as I can remember. Someone had scabbed up 2 new roof beams to the ones that were rotted/damaged and they had to break out a small portion of the plaster at the top of the wall by the end of the roof. It's typical that my dad never made an effort to repair it or pay someone to do it. I had to do it because a few days ago I saw a rat hauling ass along the electrical conduit and it jumped into the hole. That's how the damn rats kept getting in after I plugged up the other known holes.😡
Is there something in the carport that the rats want?
No, but the hole allowed them to get inside the attic where they have been nesting. At night I could hear them above the ceiling in my bedroom. I put a box of rat poison in the attic crawl space a week or so ago. IDK if any of them ate some. I haven't smelled any dead rats. The best I can do is be vigilant, plug up any holes that I find, and keep putting poison & traps. Just when you think that you've got them all, more find their way back in. Rats drag their asses and leave scent trails as they run along, so other rats know where to go. :/
Do Floridians generally have rat problems in their houses?
We never had a rat problem until a few years ago. Too many dirty people who throw trash everywhere and don't make an effort to kill rats when they see them. The problem is that rats thrive where there are lots of people. Florida now has too many damn people.
Is your house made of cheese? :)
No, it's just difficult to get rid of them once they find a place that they like. They also leave scent trails which draws more rats even if you kill the first batch of rats. 😡
The problem is that rats thrive where there are lots of people.
Population density in the Netherlands is pretty high. AFAIK we don't have a rat problem. Maybe there are other factors at play? We do tend to keep the streets clean.
Florida now has too many damn people.
Most of Florida looks uninhabited. People are all living in the same relatively small areas. Are the currently uninhabited places uninhabitable?
Maybe there are other factors at play? We do tend to keep the streets clean.
That is a big factor. There are too many people here who throw garbage everywhere or don't dispose of garbage properly eg overfilling garbage bins or dumpsters so that the lid doesn't close tightly and giving easy access to rats. I think another problem is people don't try to kill the rats and the population of rats keeps increasing.
Are the currently uninhabited places uninhabitable?
A lot of the uninhabited areas are national parks or state parks, everglades, or protected wildlife or water management areas. Then there's a lot of farmland. Unfortunately a lot of farmlands were turned into tract housing.
Each county is responsibe for how the do it. Where I live the residential garbage collection is contracted out I think. We get 2 pickups per week & recycling every 2 weeks. I think private businesses have to pay for a private company to pick up what's in their dumpsters.
Why 'unfortunately'?
Because food has to be grown somewhere.
Well QoH fell out of bed last night around 2:30am and I had to call the fire department to come out for lift assistance. She was very rude & difficult as always. Then around 4pm she fell again, this time in the bathroom. I had to call them again to come out & get her up. Since then she's been raging at me like she's demon possessed. She's completely irrational and keeps demanding that I move out. If I do she'll be shit out of luck if she falls again & will probably die in here. She can't reach the phone if she falls. I'm the one who called 911 both times today. If I wasn't here she'd still be on the floor.
I'm so upset over all the vicious things she's been saying to me all day. She's been accusing me of all sorts of untrue things like I killed her dogs. The ones she's referring to dug out from the back yard. I got one back but the other we never found. The one we got back died of old age. I would never kill a pet.
Then she keeps telling me she wants me to get out. It's very upsetting because I can't just move out right now. It takes time to find a place to move to. Then she will fight me on what possessions I'm allowed to take. I'd have to go to court just to be able to retrieve my own things.
The next upsetting thing she's been saying is that I'm not her daughter and that she didn't have me. That's a lie, but it's very upsetting to hear her say something so vicious and untrue. Then she's been calling me every name in the book and being as verbally abusive as possible.
I'd have to go to court just to be able to retrieve my own things.
I can understand how that would be upsetting for you. But on the bright side, you'd be free of her bullshit. I think it would be good for you to get away from her.
but it's very upsetting to hear her say something so vicious and untrue.
Is it upsetting because it's your mother saying these things about you or do you also get upset when other people do that?
Is it upsetting because it's your mother saying these things
Yes. Parents are supposed to love their kids. I've never had that. I was fed & clothed & had a roof over my head (according to her that means I was a spoiled brat), but never had any nurturing or emotional support. All I've gotten from her is criticism. Now she wants to do revisionist history and claims that I never did anything to help her. I sacrificed my whole life working with her after my dad divorced her so that the mortgage could be paid off and her truck paid off. All the money I ever made went to pay for bills for her. She's so ungrateful, now she's gotten insanely verbally abusive.
It sucks that I had 2 idiots for parents. Now I'm getting all this undeserved abuse from her. She's always been combative. I guess it gives her some sense of power & control. She used to pick fights with my dad every day, now she's doing it with me except 100x worse.
Anyway, she's currently stuck on the toilet. She's been there (according to her) since 4am. I went to Walmart & bought a walker for her hoping that she could use that to lift herself. Of course she didn't try very hard. She's going to show me! She still getting ready to get ready. I'm so tired of her irrational bullshit. She won't go to the doctor. She's only getting worse, but she wants to blame me for everything.
I can't just move out. It takes time to find a place, but I'm at the point where I feel like getting the hell out of here & leaving her to it. She thinks she's so smart, then she should figure out everything on her own.😡
I'm at the point where I feel like getting the hell out of here & leaving her to it.
I feel like you've been at this point before but never went through with any plans you may have had. Are you worried something bad will happen if you move to a place of your own? Are you concerned QoH will die without your support?
Are you worried something bad will happen if you move to a place of your own?
Yes. Since Thursday, I've had to call 911 four times. She fell twice & couldn't get up, then she couldn't get off the toilet twice. Last night she slid out of bed halfway twice and I had to help her get all the way back up before she hit the floor. If she gets on the floor, she can't get back up, then it'll be another call to 911. They have to send the paramedics from the fire station each time. It's getting to be embarrassing.
Are you concerned QoH will die without your support?
It's a definite possibility. If she falls & can't reach a phone, she could lay there and die from dehydration. That's not a nice way to go. Even as nasty as she is to me, I don't want that to happen.
Anyway, I've finally convinced her that she needs to call her insurance, pick a primary care doctor, & make an appointment. She's had the weeping edema in her legs for months now & she needs to have some medical care for it. Also all the falling & being unable to lift herself off the toilet needs to be addressed. Maybe they can get her some medical devices that will help.
Some days it looks worse than others. Her lower legs are red (especially her calves) & constantly weeping fluid. Her lower legs, ankles, & feet are very swollen.
Anyway, you should probably make sure that she doesn't forget to go to a doctor for that.
I'm probably going to have to call her insurance myself. The trick is going to be getting her to give me her insurance card & info. :/
In other news, I started pressure cleaning the walkways, driveway, and sidewalk in front of the house yesterday. I initially did it for an hour and a half and then had to quit because a thunderstorm popped up. It blew over and I decided to go out and do more before it got dark. I switched from the fan tip nozzle to the floor attachment which seemed to be much more efficient and made it go faster. I think I was out there for an additional hour. Today I finished up the rest of the sidewalk. It took an hour and a half with the floor attachment. Now that I've learned how much quicker it is to use that particular attachment, I'll be using that from now on whenever I have to pressure wash.
It's been raining so much lately that the concrete really gets nasty with black mold and algae. At least for the next week or so we are supposed to have Saharan dust which keeps all the thunderstorms and hurricanes away. ☺
I was used to using the spray nozzle. I didn't know that the floor attachment would be as effective as it was. It seemed kinda small and cheaply made.
Anyway, I trimmed some of the shrubbery in front of the house today. With all the rain we've had, everything was growing out of control. Everything looks nice now that the sidewalks are clean and the shrubs are trimmed. Next I'll have to mow the yard since the weeds are starting to get high. :/
QoH has been wanting a standby generator for the house. I called up a place and they quoted me a price of between $13k and $16k. I think that is a ripoff since the actual generator costs around $6k. The rest of the price is for installation. There's no way that I'd pay someone $10k to install it. I think it would probably be better just to get the gas generator that we have serviced or buy a new one. Even if I had to spend $300 or $400 for gas to run it, it would be a hell of a lot cheaper that $16k!!!
Next I'll have to mow the yard since the weeds are starting to get high.
What kind of weeds do you get in your lawn? We usually just get dandelions.
I did some gardening myself last week. Just the front garden. Pulled out all the small plants, most of them weeds. I'll probably do some gardening this week as well but I'll need to sharpen the Dutch hoe first.
QoH has been wanting a standby generator for the house.
In case there's a power outage during a hurricane? How long does such an outage usually last?
What kind of weeds do you get in your lawn? We usually just get dandelions.
It seems like the majority of the weeds are Florida snow, beggar's purse, and Spanish needles. There are a few others, but I don't know their names. I wish we got dandelion. Those are edible and have numerous health benefits. IIRC, Spanish needles are edible, but I've never tried eating them.
In case there's a power outage during a hurricane?
Yes. The regular gas powered generators are a pain in the ass to use. They're loud, require refilling after a few hours, and people try to steal them if you aren't vigilant. And obtaining gas when everyone is needing gas due to power outages can be difficult.
How long does such an outage usually last?
The longest we were without power was 15 days after Hurricane Wilma. You never know when FPL will get around to getting the power restored. It seems like a week is average to fast. :/
Those are edible and have numerous health benefits
Technically, yes. I guess you can make a salad out of the leaves. But I don't think a lot of people do that.
The longest we were without power was 15 days
15 days without electricity does seem quite long. I guess you have an electric stove then? Is that the standard in Florida? Our stove works on natural gas. A generator wouldn't help us with that. Good thing we don't have hurricanes.
Oh, I had a meeting with a Social Services lady today. Trying to get me to do volunteer work. Hm.
No, we have natural gas for our stove/oven & water heater. That's why I was looking into the standby generator. They can be hooked up to the natural gas line and you don't have to worry about refueling it.
Good thing we don't have hurricanes.
But you are susceptible to other natural disasters? I saw something on instagram about the NL being one of the European countries most susceptible. I guess because a lot of the NL is at or below sea level?
Trying to get me to do volunteer work. Hm.
😲😲😲 What kind of volunteer work? Like visiting people in the old folks home or something? Or picking trash & painting over graffiti? 😜
The only thing that could cause that kind of trouble these days would be the mother of all tidal waves.
That's why I take those instagram memes with a grain of salt. Unless you're near a major fault line, then that's unlikely. Just like here. We're always in "imminent" danger of being swallowed up by the Atlantic Ocean. Any time there's a King Tide, that's always the "evidence". Or urban flooding. The King Tide "flooding" has been happening as long as I can remember, mainly because people built in tidal marshes & mangroves then are shocked when the tide comes in. The urban flooding is due to poor urban planning and lack of drainage. Funny how that happens when you pave & concrete everything then the water can't drain through the soil naturally. /end of rant
Yes, been there and done that.
LOL Not your cup of tea then?
Well, except for the painting (which I don't think they let volunteers do).
When I was in high school, my senior year class got "volunteered" to do community service at a local park. Part of the duties was sprucing up the handicap parking spaces with fresh blue paint. A lot of the kids didn't take it seriously and made a mess of it. It pissed me off how some kids can be such assholes.
But if you put enough energy into a tidal wave it will cross an ocean.
True. I remember there was a doozy a few years ago near Japan that managed to make it somewhat to Hawaii & the west coast of the US.
How old are senior year students?
17 or 18 years old.
Are they really still kids?
At 18 you're a legal adult here, but since the brain doesn't fully mature until you're around 25, I'd say they were immature adults. They certainly acted immaturely. It was always the same 4 or 5 asshole boys who misbehaved to ruin things for everyone. The got a perverse pleasure from it. They were the typical rich privileged kids whose parents didn't give a shit what they did so there were no real consequences for the bad behavior.
I see a couple of their profiles pop up on FB as "people you may know". I know them all too well and would never friend request them. I'm only FB friends with people who I was actual friends with or people from school who weren't assholes.
I know that one of the asshole boys ended up dead a few years ago. (I think from a drug OD) Another owns a roofing company that he inherited from his father. Out of curiosity, I looked on Google reviews and people complained that the owner was a jerk. LOL Some people never change.
It's just a way of keeping in touch with people I know and keeping up to date with what's going on in their lives. There's only a handful of people who I went to school with who still live locally; the majority moved away.
Well I was planning on mowing the yard today after the sun set a bit (way too hot during midday, almost 90 degrees 😩), but a UFC event came on and I'd rather watch that than mow.😜😎 I can always do the mowing tomorrow.
Oh yes, it was action packed! I think there were 8 knockouts & 1 submission IIRC. It was an excellent fight night! Sometimes the fights are boring. The only match that was kinda boring was the main event which ended in a split decision.
I just finished mowing the yard a while ago. I timed it perfectly. It was cloudy & the thunderstorms were just starting to pop up out west. It wasn't too bad (hot) while I mowed, only when I got in the backyard the sun came out & I was baking! Had to come inside to drink a bottle of water & change my shirt (it was soaked😩). I went back out front to finish with the leaf blower. By then it was thundering like crazy. Had to haul ass to finish, then did the rest of the backyard real quick. Got it all done then came in & showered & washed my hair. It's still raining & thundering ATM. I'll have to clean the mower when it stops.
Then QoH came & started accusing me of "catching me red handed". IDK WTF she's talking about. Caught me drying off from the shower & putting on clean clothes??? That's the only thing I was doing in my room. She's fucking crazy! Always trying to gaslight me with that shit! She thinks mind games will work on me? How long have I known her???😂😂
LOL QoH said that she caught me wearing a "white Indian dress". LOL Wut??? IDK WTF she's talking about. She either dreamed it or hallucinated it. She didn't say if it was dot or feather Indian. 😂😂 I don't own any dresses and I certainly haven't started with ethnic attire. She's nuts!!!
You didn't happen to have been wearing just a white towel straight out of the shower? ;P
No, my towel is cayenne pepper red. The only thing that makes sense is she was dreaming or imagined it.
Maybe she needs to get her eyes lasered again. :)
I think she needs her brain lasered.😜
In other news, I'm bored. Thursday is supposed to be a nice sunny day and not too hot. I'm hoping that maybe I can sneak out to do something fun then.😎
It rained earlier today, but when I went outside a few minutes ago it was actually quite nice. It was sunny with hardly any clouds and there was a nice breeze. The humidity seemed lower and it wasn't uncomfortably hot, so I put on my bikini top and sat outside for 15 minutes to catch some rays.😎👙🌞 At least I won't be ghostly pale like Roxy.😜 I also worked out yesterday and today. Gotta maintain those muscles!💪💪
I had ordered some vegetarian low-dose iron tablets and have been taking them for the past 2 weeks. I had been having symptoms of low iron- brain fog and low energy- but I've been feeling much better since taking the iron. ☺
It depends. A lot of people work inside & don't see the sun that much. Others stay indoors because it's too hot outside. If you get to be outside for at least 15 minutes per day then you can get sufficient amounts of sunlight for a bit of a tan.
We're having nice weather here too BTW.
The last 2 days we've had unusually low humidity. Yesterday it was down to 43%. I'm totally not complaining as it makes 90F bearable.
I've also been feeling full of energy the past 3 days. I've seized the opportunity to work out. Monday & Tuesday I was working on my biceps & triceps. Today I was doing shoulders. I follow Erin Stern (who is a female bodybuilder) on YouTube. She posted a video on shoulder exercises today. They were ones that I hadn't seen before so I was trying them out. I'll definitely be incorporating them into my routine. ☺
One was called a Y-press. Instead of doing a regular shoulder press which is vertical straight up, this one you raise the dumbbells up and out at an angle so your arms look like they are going in a Y. The other was called a Poliquin raise. You'd have to Google that as its hard to explain in writing. Then there was a variation of a lateral raise where you put a bench at a 45° angle and lean against it while you do the lateral raises. It gives a deeper angle to the raise & you definitely feel it more in your deltoid.
I'm a little surprised that there exist exercises you've not heard of.
I'm sure there are many. These were variations (except the Poliquin) of one's that I already do.
Well today I escaped the house for a couple of hours. I needed to get QoH's driver's license confirmation paper printed so I tried at Amscot first. They only make copies if you have a paper to copy. They don't print out something off your phone. And they charge 27 cents per page. Next I tried the little library on Ives Dairy Road. There was a very nice young lady at the front desk who helped me. First I got a new library card. She said that I could have used my old card as they don't delete names in the system even if you haven't used it in 35 years, but for some reason she couldn't find my info, so she just gave me a new one. They actually had a selection of about 6 different styles to choose from, so I got a fantasy looking design with what looks like a sorceress and a little girl reading a book. Then she gave me the web address to send the document to be printed and then printed it for me. There is no charge for up to 35 pages, so that was fabulous news. I will be going to the library from now on whenever I need something printed.☺
After that, I went to Burlington to look at stuff for a while but didn't buy anything.
That particular library seemed to be geared towards kids & teens. It was tiny. Maybe the size of a McDonald's. It is next to a school. The big regional library probably has books more to my liking, but I haven't been in there since I was in high school.
You didn't see anything you liked?
Nah, but that's how it is sometimes. I don't really need anything, it's just nice to look and see what's available.
I *did* buy a new Deadpool tank top from the Walmart website, though. It's supposed to be delivered on Monday.👍☺
No, it's tiny for a library, but they do have 8 or 10 computers and WiFi, so I guess that's the main draw.
And is it everything you expected?
Meh, it's ok. It fits a little big on me even though I got a size small and the graphics are a little blurry on Deadpool. From a distance it doesn't look bad, but I'm OCD when it comes to details.
I guess not everyone can afford to have those things at home.
Nope. It's nice that those things are available as a free service at the library. While I was there, only one little kid was using a computer back in the kids' section. There were a few mothers with their kids looking at books. One other lady came after I got there who had a bunch of stuff to be printed. It's nice to know that that library has reopened. It was closed during covid. It's in a more convenient location for me and it's not busy like the regional library.
I had a look at my own t-shirts BTW and they are getting a bit raggedy.
That's definitely a good reason to get some new ones.
Today it was ridiculously hot around 1:30pm. I took the thermometer out to the back patio where it felt the hottest and it said 104F! 😲😲😲 That was directed over the concrete area. It was 100F in the yard. A couple hours later it got cloudy and the temperature came down to normal hot.
A couple hours later it got cloudy and the temperature came down to normal hot.
Hm, "normal hot". :)
I wonder if we'll have to get used to those super high temperatures in the near future. What if it was 104F every day in Florida? What do you think would happen?
I wonder if we'll have to get used to those super high temperatures in the near future.
I hope not. These kinds of temperatures seem to be cyclical here. The official temperatures in South Florida were in the 89-91 range yesterday. IDK where they have the thermometers at. I stepped outside on the back patio a while ago and it was hot and sunny, but not like yesterday's hot temperature. And it seems to be less humid than usual. I think the humidity has been in the 53-55% range. Usually it's in the mid to high 60's.
What if it was 104F every day in Florida? What do you think would happen?
I think it would be too hot for most people and they'd probably move back to where they came from.☺ But I don't think that will happen. We'd have to build a couple of new nuclear power plants to be able to keep up with the electricity usage from everyone running their A/C's constantly. I doubt that would happen, either. That would be too sensible and the government can't have any of that!
Is there a lot of difference between southern Florida and northern Florida? Over here we can apparently have a difference of about 15 degrees Celsius between northern and southern Netherlands.
everyone running their A/C's constantly.
What is the state of heat insulation in Floridian houses? Is there room for improvement?
Is there a lot of difference between southern Florida and northern Florida?
I think the biggest difference is the nighttime temperature and the winters. During the summer it is just as hot and sometimes hotter than south Florida. Orlando especially since it's inland. On the coast there's the ocean breeze to take a few degrees off the temperature. Their overnight temperatures tend to be a few degrees lower than ours, but not really by much. The real difference is in the winter. The panhandle and areas north of Orlando get freezing temperatures and sometimes snow, though it's usually not much and doesn't last very long. But they do get extended periods of very cold temperatures. We just get one or two cold days and then it warms up again.
What is the state of heat insulation in Floridian houses?
Older homes weren't built with any. My house didn't have any until we got the central A/C installed, then the power company came out and blew in insulation into the attic for free. Older homes have to be retrofitted. The new construction has good insulation. A friend of mine bought a manufactured home a couple of years ago and was remarking on how well insulated it was and how her electric bill was a lot lower than at her old home because of it. It is also much quieter since the insulation and new style windows block out almost all the noise from outside.
Anyhoo, I'm making a pizza from scratch ATM. Got it in the oven now. I'm trying out a pizza stone that I had. Hopefully the crust will come out like it does from the pizza place. ☺
Seriously? A power company that gives something like that away for free? Remarkable.
Yes. They actually give lots of incentives for making homes more energy efficient. I guess it's cheaper to give away insulation than having to spend money to upgrade the grid lol.
Do you think using a pizza stone makes a lot of difference?
I think the only difference was it made the bottom of the crust nice and brown. The pizza itself didn't turn out very good. I think there were several things that I could have done differently. I used a recipe that didn't proof the yeast first. I think the yeast that I used was probably not good. The dough didn't rise as much as it should have. And I used bread flour instead of all-purpose. I also didn't have mozzarella cheese and had to use Swiss. I think I might have cooked it a little too long as well. And I forgot to brush the dough down with olive oil before I put it in the oven.
I watched a tutorial on YouTube last night to try to learn what I could do better. I think I will try making another pizza tomorrow. I bought mozzarella at the store today, so at least I have the correct cheese. ☺
Cheese & pepperoni. I prefer that simple combination rather than pizza with all sorts of crap on it. Although I *do* like a nice Hawaiian pizza now and then. ;) (Some people think it's sacrilege to put pineapple on pizza. Those people are wrong. The combination of ham, bacon, and pineapple is delicious! 😋😜)
It is Independence Day weekend, so I'm going to take out one of the prime rib roasts from the freezer, defrost it, then cut it into steaks so that I can grill them. I'm not sure what else I'll grill with them. Maybe some burgers & hot dogs.☺
Is anything new and exciting going on with you, Arekino-san? Have you gone for any walks or bike rides or is it too hot?
I do hope you haven't forgotten the tomato sauce? :)
Well that's just standard equipment like the dough. 😜 I use Bertolli 5 cheese pasta sauce in a jar then jazz it up with parmesan, basil, & oregano.
I have been taking hour long walks a couple of times a week for some months now.
I need to start doing that, but since it's ridiculously hot, I'll probably have to clear off the treadmill and do it that way. When I was working, I did lots of walking at the job. Sometimes more than 5 miles in the workday. It certainly helped to keep me nice and trim. Now that I'm 46 and just sit around the house all day, it's much harder to keep the weight off. And with all the hormonal changes, it's recommended to do weight lifting & walking along with a low carb diet. :/
I take a D3 pill & a K2 pill plus try to get some sunlight. I can't drink too much milk because it jacks with my hormones. That sucks because I love a nice glass of cold milk. :/
Well QoH was impatient and wanted the July 4th food today, so I cooked the steaks that I had taken out of the freezer to defrost and quick defrosted in water 2 slabs of pork ribs and cooked those in the oven. It was hotter than hell outside so I timed it so the ribs would be done by 5pm so that I wouldn't be cooking in the sun (I finish them on the grill so they get a nice flavor☺). By that time, the sun is on the other side of the house. It's hot enough just standing next to the grill. :/
A take a calcium/magnesium/zinc pill. I take several different supplements like an old person. 😜
Okay, but then what's on the menu on July 4th? Beans? :)
LOL The same stuff. I made a ton of it. We'll be eating it all week. I *might* make a quinoa salad with pesto, but I really should put feta cheese in it and I don't have any. I only have plain goat cheese and it's the wrong flavor and texture. I don't think any stores will be open on the Forth, so I might skip it until Wednesday.
Quinoa is one of those ancient foods that I have never eaten.
It's pretty good. It has a texture sorta like couscous. IIRC it's a complete protein with all the amino acids.
I suppose it's a meat replacement?
I suppose it could be. At work they sold it as a "bowl" with goat cheese, cranberries, and olive oil as a dressing. It was pretty good. The package of quinoa that I buy says to boil it with a cinnamon stick and add toasted almonds and cranberries. I've made it that way a couple of times and it was really good. It's pretty versatile and you can make it as a sweet or savory dish. I've never tried the recipe with the pesto, but I really love pesto and the quinoa is healthier than pasta. I'm going to make it with feta and sun-dried tomatoes and maybe throw in some pine nuts.
QoH wanted egg salad so I made some a while ago. Now my neck hurts from bending over the counter while I peeled the eggs. That's always a tedious task. :/
That sounds rather exotic. I can't imagine the texture. :)
If you ever get a chance to have quinoa you should try it.
Can't you just cut them in half and scoop out the egg with a teaspoon?
I started doing it that way a few weeks ago. I just cut them in half with the shell on and then scoop out the insides with my thumb. It's much faster than trying to peel them, but it's still tedious.
Well QoH had her appointment today to get her driver's license renewed. It was a struggle just to get her out of the house and get her there on time but I did. Unfortunately for her, they also require a road test as well as the vision test and the examiner determined just by looking at her that her health is too poor for driving. She had to settle for an ID card instead of the driver's license. She was pissed off, of course, and accused me of planning it that way. I told her that I don't make the rules. You have to be alert and have a quick reaction time to be able to drive safely (what the examiner told her) and she can barely walk with her cane. She's slower than a snail. There's no way they would allow her to drive. She's pissed because she sees that as taking her freedom from her. She hasn't driven in years so it's not like she was driving and now can't drive.
It actually sounds like she took it rather well for someone with narcissistic tendencies.
Yeah, I think she was kinda out of it & not totally understanding what was going on.
Can she still properly go to the toilet?
Not really. She's starting to have accidents (peeing herself) between her bed & toilet. She also falls asleep on the toilet then can't get up after she's been there a while, then I have to call 911 and the firemen come out to lift her off the toilet. I bought one of those toilet booster seat things and that seemed to help for a while, then she started getting stuck again. I then bought another type of booster to raise it even more. That worked for a while then she broke the first one. I went & bought a replacement today, then took the second one off because the booster didn't fit into it very well. Who knows how long it will last. :/
It would be a lot easier for her if she weighed less. How's that thing on her legs doing?
how's the Dutch farmers vs the government idiots going?
Not great as far as I can tell. I'm not sure what's going on to be honest as far as negotiations are concerned. I feel like the leadership from the farmer's unions is too weak and the government is just waiting for things to get out of hand.
I heard that the farmers have a tank now?
Nah, some smart-ass thought it would be funny to say that. There was a tank but it's an old WW2 Sherman Firefly tank on it's way to liberation celebrations in a town called Ommen.
It would be a lot easier for her if she weighed less.
This is true, but she's never been one to take personal responsibility as far as her weight is concerned. The only time I can remember her making an effort to lose weight was when I was a kid. She just starved herself instead of adopting sensible eating habits and exercising. Of course she eventually gained all the weight back because starving yourself can only work for so long.
A few years ago she lost a lot of weight because she got sick with some kind of virus for a couple of weeks and couldn't eat much. I think she got down to around 180 pounds that time. Her previous high was 230. Now I think she's up to 250. :/
How's that thing on her legs doing?
Not good. Her legs are continually weeping fluid. That's something else that she could improve if she'd keep her legs elevated and try to do exercises, but of course she refuses to do any of that.
I feel like the leadership from the farmer's unions is too weak and the government is just waiting for things to get out of hand.
That's usually how it goes. The government usually has all the power and can use force to get the opposition to bend to their will. It's not going to end well if the government gets their way. They already tried green farming in Sri Lanka and there were massive crop failures and people starved. There were riots there a while back. Not sure how bad the unrest is. Our fake news barely ever mentions international events. I find out about it from alternative news sources on the Internet.
There was a tank but it's an old WW2 Sherman Firefly
I saw a pic and noticed that it was an old Sherman tank. Not much use without the munitions to go with it. ;)
I think part of the reason why they don't report unrest in other parts of the world here is they don't want us armed peasants getting any ideas. We have more privately owned guns than people in this country and things could go sideways very quickly if people get riled up enough. People are already pissed about the skyrocketing prices of everything. All it would take is widespread blackouts or something like that to set it off. :/
It's not going to end well if the government gets their way.
What the government wants is lower levels of nitrogen in the air so that means fewer cattle farmers or smaller cattle farms. They're apparently offering to buy out a number of the farms. It's mostly cattle farmers that do the protesting. The Netherlands are the largest meat exporter in the EU and we're just a small country. These protests are largely about cattle farmers losing their ability to makes lots of money (while having been significantly subsidized by the government the past 50 years).
All it would take is widespread blackouts or something like that to set it off.
You don't seem to have a lot of faith in your fellow Americans.
What the government wants is lower levels of nitrogen in the air
IIRC the air we breathe has around 78% nitrogen. What these bureaucrats want is asinine. It's like wanting to reduce the amount of water on the planet. These people are sick neo-feudalists. They want us to eat bugs and only the wealthy and government assholes will be allowed to have beef.
You don't seem to have a lot of faith in your fellow Americans.
I hope they do! Sometimes these politicians need to learn the hard way.
You are right and I'm sorry but I guess I mistranslated. When the term "nitrogen" is used (by the news, government, farmers, etc.) what is meant is nitrogen oxides and ammonia. These are substances that are partly made of nitrogen but nobody wants to list them all whenever they are talking about the subject. They just say "nitrogen" and everyone knows what they mean by that. Cattle farms produce much of the substances I mentioned.
They want us to eat bugs and only the wealthy and government assholes will be allowed to have beef.
Seems very unlikely to me. Maybe things are like that in Florida but over here people do care about the environment.
I hope they do! Sometimes these politicians need to learn the hard way.
I mean, if they're bad politicians then they really just need to be voted out of office.
I don't think I mentioned it, but my cousin & his fiance decided to get married sooner rather than later, so they decided to do it July 23. Originally they were going to have the ceremony on the beach, but I don't think my cousin liked the idea of "dressing in linen clothes like a hippie".😂😂 (his words) He said that he wants to wear a regular suit.
The original plans had too much running around town for my liking. We were supposed to meet at the Marriott, then take a shuttle to the beach where the ceremony was going to be, then take a shuttle to downtown Hollywood to the restaurant where the reception dinner was happening, then take the shuttle back to the Marriott to get our cars. I didn't like the idea of my car being on the beach while I'm downtown, so I'm glad that they have decided to just have the ceremony & reception at Tropical Acres restaurant(a different restaurant altogether). Apparently they have a chapel and party room, so it's one stop shopping so to speak.
The day that they're getting married is problematic for me because it is QoH's birthday. She doesn't celebrate, but it will be something for her to scream at me about and act butthurt over. I'm not going to mention anything about the wedding until maybe the day before. My cousin said that she's invited, but her physical condition isn't going to allow it. And the fact that she'd be acting like a major bitch the whole time because it's a cousin from my dad's side of the family. I don't want her there casting a black cloud on a happy occasion.
My cousin said that I'm welcome to bring a guest (friend, significant other, etc). I asked Roxy but she hasn't given me an answer. I'm going to assume that it's a no for her. Anyway, he's very generous and I think he's going to have a meal to send home with me for QoH.
My next dilemma is finding something appropriate to wear. I've gained inches in my lower abdomen thanks to hormones & possibly fibroids, so the 2 pairs of nice dress pants that I have don't fit. :/ The merino wool sweater vest that I want to wear & my suit jacket fit fine, though. I went ahead and bought a pair of pull-on elastic waist dress pants at Walmart yesterday just in case I can't manage to slim down enough to get into the other pants before the wedding. That's one of the bad things about always wearing a uniform for work. You don't buy any nice clothes for work like if you worked in an office, so you don't have much to choose from when you have an event to go to. :/
They're both mid 50's, so definitely not pregnancy. He said something about they had briefly broken up after getting engaged, then they got back together and decided to go ahead and just do it. I don't know any details as to why they broke up.
you didn't have that many events to go to unfortunately.
This is true. My events tended to be funerals or work related.
This wedding sounds like an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Yes, it is. It will be nice to get out of the house for a few hours and have a nice meal. The restaurant is kinda famous in South Florida. It has been in business for more than 50 years and has a good reputation.
Anyway, I asked Roxy twice if she wanted to go as my guest and she didn't answer. That habit of hers is very annoying. If she doesn't want to go, just say so. I texted my other friend Janet this morning to ask if she'd like to go. She at least responded, but said she didn't know what her schedule would be for that day. It's on a Saturday, so it's not like she has to work. I'm going to assume that's a no for her as well. It's really annoying that people who are supposed to be my friends can't spare a few hours to come out with me for a special event. :/
Anyway, yesterday I lost my patience with Roxy after I asked her point blank if she was going to go to the wedding with me and she once again didn't respond. I texted her that I don't know why I keep asking her to do things with me when the answer is always no if I even get an answer. She responded several hours later by text, saying 'wow I don't know why you're getting nasty'. That was hardly nasty, just facts. If I wanted to get nasty, and trust me, I'd absolutely love to unleash a volley of nastiness, I would have responded to it with nastiness, but I'm maintaining as much restraint as possible and not responding.
I'm done with her. She texted that 'you know how I am with my family' and 'sorry that you don't have a relationship with your family'. That really pissed me off. What she has is complete enmeshment to the exclusion of everyone else. I've been putting up with her avoiding going out anywhere with me for the past 4 years. I've bought birthday & Christmas presents for her, even through the covid crap, and hand delivered them. All that went unreciprocated. She claims that we're "best friends", but she doesn't act like a best friend. That's something that she started calling us. I never felt that way because her actions say otherwise. I regret going along with the label. I'm not wasting any more energy on one-sided "friendships". I even feel like unfriending her on social media & deleting her contact info out of my phone.
Anyway, my cousin's fiance emailed me again this morning about the rsvp. I told her it'll just be me, no guest, and gave her my dinner preference. Then she emailed again saying that they were going to have a pre-wedding dinner on Friday and inviting me to that so I can "meet the family and have some friends at the wedding". I don't even want to go at this point, but I feel obligated because my cousin helped me so much after my dad died.
I really hate going to events where I don't know anyone and having to put on an act like I'm happy to be there. :/
It's really annoying that people who are supposed to be my friends can't spare a few hours to come out with me for a special event.
I must admit I've always had a difficult time figuring out what I can expect from friends or people in general. I know they have their own lives and they don't owe me anything. Maybe it's best to expect as little as possible and just have a lot of friends so you can keep the odds in your favor.
I'm not wasting any more energy on one-sided "friendships".
Seems like an good decision. Personally I think that you are way too forgiving to her. And I don't think you and her have the same definition of "friends".
I really hate going to events where I don't know anyone and having to put on an act like I'm happy to be there.
Isn't getting out if the house something to be happy about? You're a nice and entertaining person. Maybe you'll find new friends.
I know they have their own lives and they don't owe me anything.
While this is true, and it's even worse when people are adults with their own families, it is nice to make plans to see each other occasionally. Like I said before, when it becomes one-sided and I'm the only one making an effort to make plans or even just the first one to initiate a text, then that says to me that the other person isn't interested in or values the friendship and it's time to move on.
Maybe it's best to expect as little as possible and just have a lot of friends so you can keep the odds in your favor.
I'm going to have to do that. It's unfortunate that most people don't have time for people who are outside their families.
Personally I think that you are way too forgiving to her.
This is true. And I'm done with it. I allowed myself to get sucked in because all my real friends moved away and it was nice to have someone to commiserate with about work. And the fact that she is dealing with 2 elderly parents gave her legitimate excuses. But the reality of the situation is that I'm just one more person in her bullpen that she keeps in rotation. She used that baseball analogy with her many boyfriends years ago. It's such a habit with her that she does it with everyone, including me.
I remember our former boss used to say that she lives in her own world. That is true. She does live in fantasy land. I think she tends to idealize and believes that she's my friend, but in reality she doesn't do the things that friends do. The fact that she claims to be my best friend but didn't even remember my birthday speaks volumes.
And the real reason why she wasn't rehired at work is because she's a pain-in-the-ass employee who wants to get her way all the time. She'll commit to work, then cancel when she doesn't feel like working or if she gets a better offer for work. Then she was always complaining about everything that didn't suit her. It's very immature. There was always something I didn't like at work, but you can't be a habitual complainer because it just annoys the bosses and you get on their bad side. You have to pick your battles and not complain about every tiny thing.
And I don't think you and her have the same definition of "friends".
Exactly.
Isn't getting out if the house something to be happy about?
Yes, but it comes with a price, namely that QoH will pick a fight and ramp up her nastiness as punishment for me getting out and enjoying myself for a few hours.
You're a nice and entertaining person. Maybe you'll find new friends.
Thanks, but I'm not really interested in getting to know anyone new at the moment. I might not even stay for the whole thing.
I'm not really interested in getting to know anyone new at the moment.
I mean, I don't think you need to get to know people there in any deep sense. Maybe you'll just find acquaintances that you'll know quite superficially. Kinda like they're background characters in the movie of your life. :)
Maybe you'll just find acquaintances that you'll know quite superficially.
I might have an interesting conversation or two while I'm there. It seems like most of the guests are friends or business associates of my cousin's fiancé. She does real estate.
I know that it sounds kinda judgemental, but these people are supposed to be professionals in their fields, yet a couple of them accidentally emailed their rsvp's to me as well as Claudia (my cousin's fiancé). I'm assuming they hit 'reply all' when they replied. And being the super sleuth that I am, I already gleaned information just from those emails lol. One guy works as an assistant public defender in Broward County, so we already might have a mutual acquaintance. I used to know his old boss (the lead public defender) who was a regular guest when I worked at the temple. He also had a small segment on one of the local news channels answering people's legal questions. Then there's another lady who I used to work with who works at the courthouse. He might know her as well.
It'll be interesting what the real estate people think about the current market. I personally think the home prices are over-inflated for a few reasons and will probably have to come down eventually. Also people may start to default on mortgage payments when the interest rates inevitably go up. That would be a perfect opportunity to scoop up an investment property should that happen. ☺
People who work in offices should know how to properly respond to an email. ;)
Are you planning on doing that?
I would like to do that. It's better than having my money sit in a bank account losing value due to inflation.
Also, I'm not sure these people want to talk about work at a party.
People looove to talk about themselves and brag about their work at parties. Remember, I was in the party business for almost 30 years. I've heard enough small talk to know. 😎
Anyway, I'm not sure if it's due to the adjustment of my diet & exercise routine or because of the point I'm at in my menstrual cycle, but I've managed to lose 3 or 4 pounds over the past few days. I'm sure most of it was just water weight, but my lower abdomen is noticeably smaller. ☺ I cut out bread and junk food snacks and have been walking a mile at a brisk pace on the treadmill for the past 5 days. I still do the dumbells for my arms. I had watched a video where the lady said the biggest thing that helped her lose belly fat/bloat was walking at least a mile every day. It really does seem to work.
I used to do so much walking and physical work at my last job that it kept me nice and trim. Now that it's been almost 2 and a half years since I worked, I've started to gain weight from lack of movement. :/
Maybe it's just people who hate their jobs who don't want to talk about them at a party.
IDK about that. Some people are natural complainers and that would be an excellent topic to complain about to people at a party. 😜
That is my experience as well.
It works like magic. I was recently thinking about how modern conveniences actually make us less healthy. We do a hell of a lot less physical labor and then have to go to a gym to stay in shape. People used to work outside & got plenty of fresh air and sunshine. Now people stay inside most of the time.
Anyway, one other small change that I made is I bought some probiotics to take with my meals. Perimenopause really screws up female digestion and leads to belly bloat. My bowel regularity was getting messed up. I don't think it's 100% due to poor digestion, but it doesn't hurt to take them. At my last job I ate plenty of fresh fruit in the morning and did lots of walking, so those 2 things also contributed to regularity. Since I've been making an effort with what I eat and doing the treadmill, I've noticed that I'm getting back to normal with that.☺
People used to work outside & got plenty of fresh air and sunshine.
Yeah, but they were considered old at 40. Staying inside isn't necessarily a bad thing. Getting too much sun is bad for the skin.
Perimenopause really screws up female digestion and leads to belly bloat.
So it makes you fart a lot? Food that contain fibers should help. Fruits do contain a lot of sugars. Which I suppose is good if you go walking on a treadmill.
I didn't know you had a treadmill BTW. Have you had it long?
It depends on the latitude that you live at. The closer you live to the equator, the more harmful rays you're going to get. Where I live, going outside for 10-15 minutes per day is sufficient. ATM it's too hot to go out for even that long. What's weird is our high temperature has been around 91F or 92F, so it's not unusually hot for July. The heat index (when they factor in humidity) makes it feel like 100F. It feels way too hot for me, but I guess I'm too used to being in the AC all the time. I can't imagine being in other parts of the country that are seeing anywhere from 100F - 118F (like Arizona). 😩😩😩
So it makes you fart a lot?
I don't think I've been gassy-er than normal. My digestion just seems to be slower and I'm not going #2 daily like I used to. It used to be like clockwork where I usually went about an hour after I got up in the morning.
Fruits do contain a lot of sugars.
The sugar in fruit is better than the sugar in processed food and it seems to curb my cravings for junk, plus the fibers are good for digestion.
I didn't know you had a treadmill BTW. Have you had it long?
Yes, for maybe 20 years? I got it off the trash pile from the apartments across the street from my sister's building. They were always evicting people and would throw all their stuff out onto the trash pile. A lot of good stuff got tossed and the owners didn't come back for it, so it was fair game. IIRC a lot of good exercise equipment got thrown out. One of my sister's neighbors got a nice climber machine that I would have liked to have gotten.
I have the treadmill, a stationary bike, and that home gym that I bought but it's still in the box that it came in. I wish I could set all of it up in the carport and have my own workout room, but it would get stolen since it's not a closed-in garage. :/
Maybe you metabolism is slowing down because you're not as physically active as you used to be?
I'm sure that has something to do with it as well.
And I suppose you're also growing older. :)
Yes, unfortunately. I colored my hair today so it will be ready for my cousin's wedding on Saturday. It had grown out about 3 inches worth of silver on the sides since the last time I colored it. I like to do it ahead of time so that I can wash it once before the big day and get a little bit of the harshness out of it. I switched to a lighter shade than when I first started coloring it, but IMO it still looks a little unnatural when it's first done. I'm also painting my toenails. If they go ahead with the plans for the dinner the night before, the outfit that I have planned to wear has open-toe sandals. Gotta have the little piggies looking nice, too! 😜 (I'm going to wear those leather pants that I bought a few months ago. 😎)
In other news, I poached a salmon fillet today and made that quinoa with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese. It turned out really good. ☺ I think when I go to Publix tomorrow I'm going to pick up some fingerling potatoes. I was looking at different vegan dishes on instagram today and one of them had those kind of potatoes. They're really good when parboiled then roasted with salt & olive oil. 😋
I'm going to wear those leather pants that I bought a few months ago.
And what will you be wearing from the waist up?
if you have cooked any delicious dishes lately?
I've been eating Chinese food for the past two dinners. Yesterday we had a little get-together with the family because my dad turns 80 in a week and my sister will be on vacation then. They stayed for dinner and today we had the leftovers from that.
A cream colored waffle-knit hooded Henley type top with the roll-up tab closure sleeves that I have.
I've been eating Chinese food for the past two dinners.
Takeout or did you make it? Chinese is one of my favorite types of ethnic foods. I've gotten really good at making a number of different Chinese dishes myself. ☺
my dad turns 80 in a week
Same with QoH. Her birthday is on Saturday.
sister will be on vacation then.
Where is she going this time? She certainly gets out and enjoys herself.
Is it real Chinese or the Indonesian version? I know that there's a strong tie between the NL and Indonesia due to the colonial period. My cousin still thinks it's wild that the Dutch part of our family came from Indonesia (Java to be exact). I discovered that when I was researching Ellis Island documents online.
Sounds good. The waffle-knit part had me confused for a sec though. ;)
Takeout or did you make it?
Takeout. Although I did reheat it myself the second day. :)
Where is she going this time?
Germany.
Is it real Chinese or the Indonesian version?
I don't know. I'm not familiar with the restaurant they got it at. Tasted good though.
My cousin still thinks it's wild that the Dutch part of our family came from Indonesia
Yeah, when the Indonesians got control over their country back from the Dutch a lot of "Indos" fled. Not everyone survived the transition of power unfortunately.
I'm not familiar with the restaurant they got it at. Tasted good though.
Like when I got that gift card to the Thai restaurant. I ordered sushi and dishes that were more traditionally Chinese, but they were really good.
when the Indonesians got control over their country back from the Dutch a lot of "Indos" fled.
My grandmother's family came to the US in the 1920's, so they got out before Indonesian independence. I'm not really sure what caused them to leave. I vaguely remember my dad saying that someone in the family back in Amsterdam died, so they returned there for a while. That would make sense since the ship that they came to Ellis Island on was a Dutch ship from Amsterdam.
Not everyone survived the transition of power unfortunately.
Yeah, unfortunately that's what happens during those transitions.
In other news, Roxy texted me last night after I had went to bed. I didn't see it until this morning. She had the nerve to ask how I am and say that she misses me. I wasn't going to respond, but it's difficult for me to do the silent treatment when I'm still pissed off. She made a half-assed apology for speaking badly about my parents. I'm sure that's why she thinks I'm mad. That's not it, even though I thought it was a low blow to mention my parents not being supportive. The reason why I am pissed is her repeatedly not answering direct questions and the fact that she claims to be my best friend but didn't even remember my birthday. And the fact that I put much more effort into trying to maintain the friendship than she does. I've bought her birthday & Christmas presents for her for the past 3 years, plus I've bought stuff just because it was something I thought she might like. She's never reciprocated. She also never asks to get together to do stuff. Not even to just hang out. I can understand not wanting to spend money to go out, but it costs nothing to hang out at her house.
Anyway, I finally texted back that IDK why she misses me since she hasn't seen me in 7 months and it's not like I'm important to her. She didn't respond to that and I doubt that she will. I'm not going to be hoovered back to the same crap. She thinks that she can text me, then get me back and then keep stringing me along like before.
I've bought stuff just because it was something I thought she might like.
Is that a thing friends do in the USA? If it happened to me over here I don't think I'd appreciate it. Birthday presents I'm generally fine with but random gifts not so much.
She thinks that she can text me, then get me back and then keep stringing me along like before.
I wonder if I've spoiled you in that respect. :)
I mean, we basically talk everyday but I can imagine not all friends do that. I'm not condoning Roxy's behavior though.
Yes. My Canadian friends used to do that, too. If you see something that you know your friend would really like you buy it for them. It's a nice thing to do.
I wonder if I've spoiled you in that respect. :)
Maybe, but I really like being spoiled like that. 😜😘
we basically talk everyday but I can imagine not all friends do that.
Sure, but it depends on how close you are with someone. It sucks when you get older and people have families & responsibilities that get in the way. Or friends move away. When I was in school I got to see my friends 5 days per week then talk on the phone with them after school. After we all graduated from HS, I lost touch with almost everyone because they all moved away.
I have one friend from work who moved to Minnesota, but I still keep in touch with her on FB several times per week. It sucks that the people who I considered friends from my last job make no effort to keep in touch. It makes me really sad about Roxy. She's not a bad person and I don't think she does it deliberately, but I think she's gotten into a habit of not putting much work into maintaining friendships while the other people make all the effort. I can't keep doing that without feeling like I'm being played.
I think she's gotten into a habit of not putting much work into maintaining friendships while the other people make all the effort
She doesn't ask people to make all that effort, does she? So other people are just helping her maintain that habit. She knows she is who she is and knows that other people don't know who she is (at first). You are probably not the first friend whom she has treated this way. Is she just a spider and you are a fly? What is so fascinating about her anyway?
So other people are just helping her maintain that habit.
Yes, I had noticed that pattern before with her guy friends and told her that she treats me the same way. Of course she denied it. I think there's also an element of low self awareness. She's not exactly the most emotionally mature person.
What is so fascinating about her anyway?
She can be a lot of fun and really made me laugh a lot when we worked together. I had amateur dx'd her probably 12 years ago as histrionic pd back when I was studying personality disorders. She *does* get herself into all sorts of crazy situations and can be a bit of a drama queen.
Anyway, I texted her today to say my peace about how I feel disrespected when she doesn't answer direct questions even after I've asked several times and that is the reason why I was pissed, not because she said no to going to my cousin's wedding. She hasn't responded. It is what it is.
And neither my cousin nor his fiancé got back to me about the pre-wedding dinner. IDK if they are having it or not. I don't really want to go because they are inviting a bunch of people who I don't know, so I'm not going to ask about it. I figured if it was still on then somebody would have let me know.
You're sure they haven't cancelled the wedding? Nobody getting cold feet?
I have no idea. I figure if the wedding is cancelled someone would let me know. I'll definitely find out tomorrow when I show up to the restaurant.
In other news, I had to call 911 about 2 hours ago because QoH semi slipped out of bed and couldn't get herself up. She was halfway down in a sitting position but her ass wasn't on the floor. She started getting nasty with me when I tried to help her. She wouldn't let me help or touch her, so I figured I'd just call 911 and let the firemen deal with her. When they got here she started getting nasty with them. She's going to get a bad reputation by doing that. The firemen will be professional, but they'll dread coming here.
Anyway, I'm waiting to see if she pulls any shenanigans on Saturday before I go to the wedding. It wouldn't surprise me if she did. Anything to screw up my day. :/
Yes, I did! I hung out with 2 of my cousin's wife's friends most of the night. They flew down from Tennessee for the wedding. I think most of her family came down from Tennessee, actually. The 3 of us were drinking Manhattans, so we instantly bonded over that. They were a lot of fun and we exchanged contact info (phone numbers, social media, etc). My cousin said that Claudia (his wife) has a house near Nashville, so I'm invited to go up there whenever. It'll be nice to already know some people if I do go (not that I'll be going any time soon since I have to deal with QoH 24/7 😩)
Anyway, I knew that there would be shenanigans from QoH. She fell and was on the floor in her bedroom when I got home so I had to call 911 and the firemen came out and got her up. :/
I had the prime rib and it was excellent. It was cooked perfectly and very tender. There was a Caesar salad as a starter & wedding cake for dessert which were also tasty.
Did you catch the bouquet? :)
I can't remember if they actually did the bouquet toss. I was talking with another one of Claudia's friends and she dragged me away at the hint that that might happen. Neither of us had any interest in catching it LOL. But at the end of the night Claudia gave me her bouquet and one of the bridesmaids' bouquets so that I could have flowers to take home since they had peonies & hydrangeas which are 2 of QoH's favorite flowers.
Does she not know how to use a phone?
I'm glad she didn't call me while I was at the party. I called her when I was leaving the restaurant and that's when I found out that she fell. The fire department wouldn't have been able to get in the house without breaking a window or door, so it's better that she didn't call herself. I'd rather not have to pay to replace unnecessarily broken windows or doors.
I had an extra key made with the intention of hiding it outside if someone needed to get in, but Friday morning when I went out to get the mail, there was evidence that someone had been on the front porch lurking around. There was a small container of peanut butter and a plastic spoon left on the plant stand. I didn't feel safe leaving the key after that. I'll probably have to get one of those key boxes like realtors use to hang on the door handle. You have to put in a code to be able to get the key out.
The fire department wouldn't have been able to get in the house without breaking a window or door
I bet that if you lived in a small town you could just give them a key or put a key in one of those fake rocks. People tend to know each other in small towns. They know who's trouble. :)
There was a small container of peanut butter and a plastic spoon left on the plant stand.
What the hell? What could that be all about?
You have to put in a code to be able to get the key out.
I bet that if you lived in a small town you could just give them a key or put a key in one of those fake rocks.
The previous neighbors who lived across the street from us for more than 50 years I could have trusted. They were religious and wouldn't have used the key to snoop. Unfortunately when the grandmother died, they sold the house & moved away. The rest of these people around here I wouldn't trust with a key. And there are too many incidents with drunk people or druggies snooping around.
What the hell? What could that be all about?
I have no idea. It's very disconcerting that people think they can just trespass and sit on someone's porch while eating peanut butter and then leave the mess behind. And it's not like my front door is next to the sidewalk. You have to make an effort to walk approximately 7 meters up the front walkway just to get to the porch. I have no idea who it was. Could have been a random homeless person or some idiot who lives around here. I should have asked my neighbor if she saw anyone on her security cameras.
That seems like a good solution.
I bought a key safe at Walmart today. It's the style that you hang on the door handle like realtors use. It was $30 which is a bit pricy IMO, but it's definitely cheaper than replacing a broken window or door.
In other news, QoH was all pissed off with me this morning because she called my cell phone at 3:20am and I didn't answer. I put my phone on the charger overnight and have it on vibrate, so I didn't hear it. When I got up at 9am she was laying on her bed fuming. She claimed that she couldn't get up & called 911. When they came out, she was making all sorts of crazy accusations against me and basically just wasting their time. They were trying to gently coax her into getting on & off the toilet quickly, but she was taking her time about it because she was enjoying complaining to them. After they finally got her situated and were leaving, one of them asked me to please call the Senior Link number to try to get assistance for her (she doesn't want me calling anyone) because if she keeps making accusations against me then DCF (Department of Children & Families) might get involved. I definitely do not want them getting involved. That would be trouble for everyone if they come out here to investigate. 😡😡😡
You don't happen to have a really comfortable looking porch?
No. It has metal patio chairs with no cushions that are very uncomfortable and you'll get eaten alive by mosquitos if you stay there longer than 30 seconds. Nobody sensible would want to hang out there, that's why I figured it was either a random homeless person or one or the many drunks & druggies or a mentally ill person.
What kind of trouble?
They investigate abuse & unsafe living situations. And they have a reputation for being troublesome & incompetent. Who knows what would happen if they believed QoH's version of reality. I could end up arrested because of her lies or she could end up in state care (which is her biggest fear). I told her she better think twice about what she's doing or it could end up badly for both of us.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I escaped for a few hours to attend an art exhibition & lecture at Port Everglades for the soon to be commissioned USS Fort Lauderdale. The lecture went for almost 2 hours. I got some pics of the artwork and of the ship (and a few selfies 😜). I also bought a hat & t-shirt from the sailors who were selling stuff on a merchandise table. I got the hat & shirt combo for $20 which was an excellent deal. I will emailz you some pics. ☺
Well, let's hope she still listens to reason then.
She somehow managed to fall next to her bed this morning. Her screaming at 7am woke me up. I thought she really hurt herself this time. The firemen came with the ambulance vehicle. She refused to go to the hospital. I think they were here only 8 minutes. I don't think she ran her mouth about me this time. When the firemen were leaving, I told one of them that I bought a key box for the front door. He said that was good and if I'm not there when she falls to just give the code to the 911 dispatcher.
Looking forward to them. :)
They are sent. I had to use my personal email instead of my xul email as it was refusing to upload the pics for some reason. This phone is so old that it has just about reached its memory capacity. I'm going to have to break down & buy a new phone soon. I was thinking of getting a Galaxy S20. I know it's a couple of years old, but it's still a good model and it's much cheaper to buy a refurbished one than to spend over $1k on a new S22. 😩
I received your pics. Looks like you had nice weather. :)
What does it say on your T-shirt? SALTY something? In that 2nd pic, with you smirking, you kinda remind me of Sigourney Weaver. Is the T-shirt in the last pic a commemorative T?
I thought she really hurt herself this time.
But she was okay (besides her injured pride)?
This phone is so old that it has just about reached its memory capacity.
Do you take that many pics? Can you not extend its' memory?
I received your pics. Looks like you had nice weather. :)
It was cloudy & threatening to rain, but it never did. And the cloud cover brought the temperature down significantly. I think it dipped into the 70's early in the day. ☺
What does it say on your T-shirt? SALTY something?
Yes, SALTY with a US Navy logo. There's an American flag on one sleeve and the Grunt Style brand logo on the other sleeve.
In that 2nd pic, with you smirking, you kinda remind me of Sigourney Weaver.
I like Sigourney Weaver, so I'll take that as a compliment. ☺
Is the T-shirt in the last pic a commemorative T?
I suppose so. It had a small graphic of the ship's crest on the front upper right and that flag graphic with the ship's motto on the back. I posted the pics on my FB and had many friends who wanted one, but unfortunately for them you can only buy the memorabilia from the ship's merchandise table whenever they are in port.
But she was okay (besides her injured pride)?
I think she hurt her arm, but it wasn't really bad enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. I think it was just bruised.
Do you take that many pics? Can you not extend its' memory?
It only had 8GB of memory to begin with. I tried to buy micro SD cards for it before, but they failed to mount. It's probably best if I just buy the S20. The camera on this phone is crappy. The S20 is supposed to have a great camera and IIRC it has 128GB memory to begin with and can be expanded with an additional memory card.
So just a reference to the salty oceans that the navy traverses?
It's a kinda play on words. In slang it means someone who is pissed off, grouchy, or irritated. In the Navy or Marines it's used to describe someone who has been enlisted for a long time with lots of experience (who could also be grouchy and ill tempered lol). I got the shirt because my last boss told someone that I was in the Navy when that person mentioned that I cursed a lot. (That was because there was always something to be irritated about at my last job. So many incompetent people who didn't care about doing their jobs which usually created more work for me. It could be very aggravating hence the cursing. ;) ) I have a snarky sense of humor so I got the shirt intending to wear it when I went back to work.
I forgot to ask, what was the lecture like? Was it about naval history?
I was expecting it to be about the ship, but instead the artist whose pics were exhibited talked about her inspiration for the pics, which was her family members who were in the military. She mainly talked about her father who was a P-38 pilot in WW2 and got shot down and captured by the Germans and sent to Stalag Luft III (the prisoner camp that was the inspiration for Hogan's Heros and The Great Escape). Then after the war he was a test pilot for the US Air Force. She had some videos about WW2 that she played (which she said she pulled off YouTube). She also talked about being in a military family and having lived in various places around the world, including Belgium & Japan.
I wasn't really interested in the subject matter, but I thought it would be rude to get up & leave. I was sitting there thinking that I could watch the Smithsonian channel videos for free at home instead of running up the parking fee. They charged $3 for the first hour then an additional $3 for hours 2-5. I had only intended to stay less than an hour so I wouldn't have to pay $6 for parking. Once the lecture went past an hour, I figured I'd just stick it out because it would be $6 regardless of how long I stayed.
After I left, I was intending to go to the Total Wine liquor store that was on the same street as the port, but QoH called my cell phone & wanted to know where I was. I told her I was going to Aldi (I was going to go there after Total Wine). Because she called while I was driving, she caused me to miss my turn, so I just went to the Aldi straight away so that she wouldn't suspect anything.
Anyway, today I discovered that Walmart can process my photos for cheap & I can just upload them from my phone. I didn't even have to leave my house. ☺ Only 12 cents per copy. I uploaded the pics I got of the ship & my selfies at the port and also the few pics I took at my cousin's wedding. In total it cost $3.85 including tax for 24 pics. If the pics come out good, I'll have a bunch of other pics from my phone printed.
No. She accuses me of being an alcoholic all the time. It's completely ridiculous since I drink 1 beer maybe every 2 weeks at most. I think she does that in an attempt to make me stop doing something that I enjoy. She can't stand the thought of me enjoying myself in any way. I wasn't even planning on buying anything at the Total Wine. I just wanted to see what they were selling. They have a large selection of every kind of beer, wine, & liquor and I wanted to see if they had anything that interested me.
What will you do with them?
Probably put them in an album or something.
In other news, I cooked a delicious corned beef with cabbage, carrots, & potatoes today. The meat was very tender and it was all very delicious. I got the corned beef at Aldi. I've been having good luck with buying meat there. The last thing I got was brisket and it came out very tender as well. ☺
I cooked a delicious corned beef with cabbage, carrots, & potatoes today.
I could never get into corned beef. People here sometimes put slices of it on a slice of bread and then put mayo on top. American corned beef seems different though.
I am cooking ATM: pasta (the big bendy tubes) with minced carrots, feta and passata with a thick omelet on top. No herbs available unfortunately except the ones in the passata.
I think it depends on how it was brined and which spices were used. I can tell the difference between brands. I guess my Irish side likes it. You can also make a really good Reuben sandwich with corned beef (almost 30 years doing Jewish catering will make you appreciate a good Reuben. ☺)
pasta (the big bendy tubes) with minced carrots, feta and passata with a thick omelet on top.
Sounds good! 😋
No herbs available unfortunately except the ones in the passata.
You might have to start growing your own. I'm trying to grow rosemary and basil. The rosemary I started as a small piece that I broke off of a plant at the garden center. It's very slow growing, but it's finally starting to bush out and I think it's about 18cm tall now. The basil I started from seeds probably 3 months ago and those suckers are still tiny! I think the tallest one is only 6cm. :/ IDK if herbs normally grow that slowly or maybe because they don't like the hot weather. My friend Janet has a very large rosemary planted near the front door of her house. I think it's nearly a meter high and very bushy. I think she's had it for several years, though.
I could but my parents are very picky about what I can put into the food. My father doesn't like rosemary, oregano or coriander. My mother doesn't like anything spicy. I've been sneaking some pepper into the mashed potatoes though and she doesn't seem to notice or care. What do you use the rosemary with BTW?
I could but my parents are very picky about what I can put into the food.
Yes, I remember you saying that they like it bland. LOL
I've been sneaking some pepper into the mashed potatoes though and she doesn't seem to notice or care.
Do you use black pepper or white pepper?
What do you use the rosemary with BTW?
With lamb or meatloaf. Sometimes I like roasted red potatoes with rosemary. I haven't had any of that for a while, though.
I had some overripe bananas so I made banana pancakes a while ago. The pancake mix was past expiration (the test pancake didn't rise like it should have) so I put about a teaspoon of baking powder in the mix and then they came out fine. They tasted really good with real maple syrup. 😋
Oh, I almost forgot! When I went out to check the mail today, my dad's tax refund check finally arrived! It only took them 4 months. /sarcasm 😩 It was getting to the point where I was contemplating going to the local IRS office to try to find out what the hell was taking so long. I was concerned that it might have been stolen. I do e-file & direct deposit with my refunds and they usually take about 10 days, but because my dad was deceased, they required the refund to be sent by mail with other documentation. At least they cut the check with my name on it so I can probably just cash it at my regular bank and won't have to go to the one with the estate's account. My bank is less than a mile from my house and less of a pain in the ass to deal with.
I think I'm going to use some of the money to replace the speakers in my car. One stopped working altogether and the other 3 buzz really badly because they are old and shot out.
👍👍👍 Yes, that makes the potatoes even more delicious.
Are you going to do it yourself or have someone else do it for you?
I think I will probably do it myself. It seems pretty straight forward. I just have to take the door panels off and then unscrew & disconnect the old speakers, then plug in the new ones & screw everything back. The rear speakers are behind a plastic panel that just pops off. It would be a different story if I was replacing the stereo. You have to remove the dash and a bunch of stuff and it's more complicated. I'd probably pay someone for that.
I prefer white pepper over black pepper anyway. It's great in soups, I think.
It's better for cream based soups IMO. QoH always put it in cream of mushroom soup. White & black pepper have totally different flavors.
Anyhoo, I went grocery shopping today. It was wicked hot out, but not particularly humid. The Sahara dust has been keeping everything dry and hurricane free. I hope it lasts for another 2 months until the worst part of hurricane season is over.
Aldi had a package of wild caught gulf (of Mexico) shrimp so I bought that. I had been craving some shrimp scampi. Usually these stores sell the farm raised crap or stuff from third world countries. Gulf shrimp are good quality domestically produced shrimp.
I'm glad that our AC is new and cranking out nice cold air. ☺
Well last night I went online to the Walmart website to check the status of my photo order and got sucked into buying nearly $40 worth of clothes. They had a 2 t-shirt bundle of classic Mötley Crüe shirts for $19.98 (which is a good deal for band t-shirts). One was Shout at the Devil and the other was Theater of Pain. I always liked them when I was a kid but never got any shirts. Since it was a website only purchase, I needed to spend $35 to get free shipping. I found a 2 bundle of Cobra Kai shirts for $15, but I was still 2 cents short so I found a pair of shorts for $5. I already have a Cobra Kai shirt, but these are a little different. Unfortunately they didn't have my size so I had to get mediums. If they fit too big I can always return them. And because it's Florida back to school tax free week, I got all the clothes tax free. ☺
I also went to the bank this morning and deposited the check that I got for my dad's tax refund.
I'm roasting a half of a pork loin ATM. It's almost done and filling the house with delicious smells. ☺
My father used to bake chopped champignons in a frying pan. That stuff stinks.
LOL Some people just don't like mushrooms. I used to work with a lady who hated them. I love them. I guess it's like what happened to me after I had covid. There were some foods that tasted & smelled absolutely disgusting to me that I previously liked, especially pork fat and sour cream. It took about 6 months before I sour cream started tasting normal again.
And sometimes he put it in an omelet. smh.
I like them in omelets. 😎😜 With some nice Emmentaler cheese.
Our AC is cheaper though, it's just a couple of open windows. ;P
Our new one is more energy efficient and cheaper to run than the old one.
On your own private bank account?
Yes. Since I'm the personal representative they put my name on the check along with my dad's name, so that made it legal for me to deposit in my own account. If they had only put it in my dad's name, I would have had to deposit it in the estate account. I still would sign my name on it if that was the case since I'm personal representative. Either way it's my money since I was the sole heir.
In other news, I picked up my photos from Walmart today. It took the girl at the photo counter about 10 minutes to find them because some careless person put them in the wrong place. That store always seems to have that problem. The same thing happened the last time they processed photos for me. At least they came out good. I'm going to upload more pics from my phone to be printed, ones that I took at work.
I don't remember you having covid? When did that happen?
September of last year.
Some good memories?
Yes. I have some good pics from the company Christmas party, the HamilDONE party, and a couple of drag shows that I went to. Then there are a few pics of me & Roxy.
I haven't heard from her in over 2 weeks. The phone works both ways so I'm not going to be the one to text first.
I didn't make a big deal about it. It was a very strange illness, though. For me it was like a bad cold or mild flu. Mostly upper respiratory inflammation. My sinuses were very congested, but I didn't have a runny nose or stopped up nose. I got a sore throat for 3 or 4 days, then I lost smell and taste for a few days. Also I had no energy and stayed in bed for a couple of days. I was doing some techniques to get my smell back, so I think that's why it returned quicker than a lot of people, but I think the inflammation damaged the epithelial lining in my nasal passages and my sense of taste & smell was messed up for several months. It also hurt to breathe very cold air or dry air for a month or two afterward.
Are you still hoping she'll contact you?
I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand I kinda do, but on the other, she's proving my feelings about the situation to be correct. It's obvious that I don't mean as much to her as she claimed. Friendships are supposed to have some reciprocity. She only responded to texts, and not right away, and never initiated them in the past few months.
She's consumed with her dad being in the nursing home. The level of enmeshment she has with her parents isn't healthy. She complains that she has to do everything for them with no help from her siblings, but she kinda teaches them that they don't have to because she always does everything and doesn't demand that they help out.
From our AC. And it actually wasn't very cold air that did it. It seemed like anything below 75 degrees and below 60% humidity was unbearable. And back then QoH was keeping the AC cold. I had to go outside frequently to breathe warm humid air to feel better.
Anyway, I had to call 911 again today because QoH was having trouble getting off of her bed. The lieutenant told me that I'm going to have to have a conversation with her about getting some help. I told him that I've tried, but she refuses to do anything sensible. I kinda wish she'd fall and hurt herself bad enough to need medical attention and then maybe she'd be forced to get help. She's not going to do anything but call me every name in the book and get nasty with me if I try to help.
318 Comments:
Happy Birthday? ... wait, it's too early. You tricked me! ;P
Dammit now I'm not sure anymore. It's still a couple of days, right? I had it written down somewhere but I can't fine the note.
Happy Birthday? ... wait, it's too early. You tricked me! ;P
LOL It's this coming Saturday.
I'm not sure if I'll be going out to celebrate. IDK if Roxy or Janet will be available. And it's supposed to be wicked hot (90F!) on Saturday. 😩 But who knows how awful QoH will be acting. Sometimes she pisses me off so bad that I just have to get outta here. Maybe I'll just go to Township and use up those gift cards that I still have.
LOL It's this coming Saturday.
I knew it! :)
And it's supposed to be wicked hot (90F!)
Did you hear about the temperatures in India and Pakistan? 118F. How do people even live in that?
But who knows how awful QoH will be acting.
Eh, just give yourself a good time. You deserve it.
Did you hear about the temperatures in India and Pakistan? 118F.
No, I didn't hear about that. That's like Saudi Arabia or Death Valley temperatures.
How do people even live in that?
IDK. I find summer temperatures in Florida to be oppressive enough. Plus there's the humidity to go along with the heat. The hottest place I've ever been was Colombia, South Carolina, when it was 106F. I don't know how people live there. And their humidity is just as bad as here. :/
Eh, just give yourself a good time. You deserve it.
I texted my friend Janet to see if she is free some time this week to meet me for happy hour. She hasn't responded yet, but she doesn't play with her phone constantly like I do. She'll probably text me back before she goes to work tomorrow if she sees it.
Roxy is still dealing with her dad at the rehab place, so I doubt that she'd meet me anywhere.
She'll probably text me back before she goes to work tomorrow if she sees it.
I'll cross my fingers then. :)
So, if you could have anything for a birthday present, what would that be?
I'll cross my fingers then. :)
It didn't work. ;P She might be out of town. Or she's just terrible about texting. (Or both. LOL)
So, if you could have anything for a birthday present, what would that be?
For the stupid solar company to cancel dad's contract and leave me the hell alone.
I don't really need anything for my birthday. I have too much stuff as it is. I'd just like to go out and enjoy myself with friends.
For the stupid solar company to cancel dad's contract and leave me the hell alone.
Of course, but that would only turn a negative into a neutral whereas birthday presents turn a neutral into a positive. :)
I have too much stuff as it is.
You need a garbage truck really. To get rid of all QoH's crap :)
I'd just like to go out and enjoy myself with friends.
Well, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed then. (they are starting to cramp up a bit now but I shall not falter! ;)
Today the solar company sent me a breach of contract notice. IDK how I'm in breach of contract since I never signed a contract with them. They are threatening to send it to a collection agency to ruin my credit. Of course I went ballistic and contacted my lawyer & forwarded the threatening email to him. He continues to advise me to ignore it. He said he doesn't think they have a valid claim against me. They have to get a lawyer to petition the probate court to reopen and then it would be highly unlikely that they'd prevail. He said until they do any of that then I shouldn't worry about it. Easy for him to say since he's not the one being continually harassed. 😡😡😡
You need a garbage truck really. To get rid of all QoH's crap :)
Most of her stuff has value and I'd prefer to sell it.
I'm still keeping my fingers crossed then. (they are starting to cramp up a bit now but I shall not falter! ;)
You might as well uncross them. I haven't gotten any responses from my friends, so I doubt that I'll be going out to celebrate with anyone. :/
Easy for him to say since he's not the one being continually harassed.
I would think it's more that you don't really know what is going to happen or what the consequences might be in the long run that creates a lot of uncertainty and tension.
Most of her stuff has value
That's actually surprising to me. I figured the hoarded mostly crap.
I haven't gotten any responses from my friends
Sorry to hear that. I know I've said it before but you need more friends. :)
I would think it's more that you don't really know what is going to happen or what the consequences might be in the long run that creates a lot of uncertainty and tension.
That, too. I fantasize about stashing the $ in an account in the Cayman's and moving to a nice S American country so I don't have to deal with ridiculous American bullshit any more. 😡😡😡
That's actually surprising to me. I figured the hoarded mostly crap.
Roxy appropriately nicknamed her "Hollywood" because everything with my mother is about keeping up appearances. Everything she buys is of the highest quality in an attempt to feel superior and impress others. My brother always says that I have a full inventory to open a thrift store whenever she dies.
Sorry to hear that. I know I've said it before but you need more friends. :)
I definitely need more local friends. I put a post up on FB about if anyone would like to join me for my birthday celebration and the only person who responded was a friend who I worked with at the temple who moved to Minnesota. I think Janet is probably out of town because that's the only time she doesn't reply. Roxy is particularly infuriating. I can understand wanting to spend time with her father since he's not doing well, but it isn't unreasonable to meet me for an hour or so somewhere in Wilton Manors. The rehab place is in WM, so it's only a few minutes from anywhere I'd ask to meet up. She likes to say I'm her best friend,but it's quite obvious that I'm very low on her list of priorities. I think she likes having these convenient excuses. First it was covid for 2 years, now it's her dad in rehab. :/
*~*~* Happy Birthday Xul! *~*~*
As happy as the present situation allows anyway. :)
a nice S American country
Are there any nice S American countries? Why not move to Canada? :)
Everything she buys is of the highest quality in an attempt to feel superior and impress others.
Hey, if you don't have a personality then you better have a lot of nice stuff. ;P
but it's quite obvious that I'm very low on her list of priorities.
Her relation with her family does seem very different from the relation you have with your family.
*~*~* Happy Birthday Xul! *~*~*
Thank you very much, Arekino-san!!!😘❌⭕
Are there any nice S American countries? Why not move to Canada? :)
Chile doesn't seem to be too horrible. Ecuador & Argentina, too. Canada is way too cold and even more insane that the US. I wish Florida could just secede. :/
Hey, if you don't have a personality then you better have a lot of nice stuff. ;P
Since she has never had friends she instead filled the void with stuff. It's kinda sad.
Her relation with her family does seem very different from the relation you have with your family.
Yes. When I was deep into the personality disorder support group and learning about all the different personality disorders and their traits, it seemed to me that Roxy could be Histrionic. She also seems to be very enmeshed with her family.
You are correct that it's very different from my family. None of us have been close. People who don't know me well think that I'm close with QoH just because we worked together all the time. The reality is I can't stand being around her. She always wanted me with her because she is controlling, not because she has any affection or emotional connection.
Roxy hasn't even wished me a happy birthday today. I'm betting that she won't. I had about 6 friends on FB (all out of town friends) wish me a happy birthday and my brother called this morning to wish me happy birthday and try to give me some encouragement because of the situation with QoH.
Oh! I nearly forgot to tell you what happened with her last night. She somehow managed to slip out of bed and was halfway to the floor & couldn't get herself back up. She yelled for me to help her. I got in there as fast as I could and tried to put my knee under her ass to try to keep her from slipping all the way to the floor. She's too heavy for me to lift, so she was using my leg as leverage to try to scoot herself back into bed. She was cussing me out the whole time & threatening to strangle me all the while saying that I wasn't helping her. My leg was literally preventing her from being on the floor, so IDK how I wasn't helping or trying to help. When she finally managed to scoot herself back up, I left her room and slammed the door. She was still cussing me and spewing her venom. I decided to get my phone to record it. I missed the worst of it but I still got 2.5 minutes of her screaming awful things. :/
She was still cussing me and spewing her venom.
That's just terrible. Maybe you shouldn't have tried to help her. She obviously doesn't appreciate it.
Maybe you shouldn't have tried to help her.
She would have ended up on the floor if I didn't help. She wouldn't have been able to get herself up and I would have had to call 911. All of that would have been even more of a pain in the ass for me. :/
She obviously doesn't appreciate it.
No, she doesn't.
In related pain in the ass news, she got her driver's license renewal notice in the mail yesterday. Instead of just being able to renew it by mail, they're requiring her to take a vision test since she's going to be 80. (All 80 years or older people have to pass a vision test before they can renew.) The soonest I could get an appointment at the driver's license office is July 5. I know it's going to be an ordeal just getting her there and God only knows what kind of scene she going to make once she's there. :/
My license expires in 3 years. I don't have the enhanced license like QoH does (which would allow me to travel on domestic flights). You have to show all sorts of birth certificates and other ID to get one, so I'll have to do that the next time I renew. It's infuriating that I as a citizen have to produce 3 or 4 different forms of ID just to get a driver's license which is the primary ID in this country, but any asshole can cross the southern US boarder then get put on flights by the US government without any form of ID. 😡😡😡
She would have ended up on the floor if I didn't help.
Maybe you should have waited with helping her until she begged you to help her. :)
they're requiring her to take a vision test since she's going to be 80.
And do you think she'll pass the test?
any asshole can cross the southern US boarder then get put on flights by the US government without any form of ID.
Ah, there's the rub, you're not an asshole. ;P
And do you think she'll pass the test?
Yes. She has 20/20 vision since she had the laser surgery to dissolve the scar tissue from her cataract surgery. She wears progressive lens glasses, but I think she only needs them for reading. If she wasn't such a mental case, none of this would be a problem.
Well Janet finally texted me back today. She can no longer help me with printing stuff. Her workplace has gotten strict with people printing stuff. She says she's still crazy busy at work and doesn't have time to catch a happy hour.
Roxy claims that she can help me with getting stuff printed. She says she just asks the people at the rehab place to print stuff. Now she's open to the idea of meeting me somewhere in Wilton Manors (after her mom chewed her out over it lol). Her mom used the same reasoning that I had. She's only a few minutes from anything on the Drive and it wouldn't hurt to leave her mom at the rehab with her dad for a couple hours while we go out and have some fun. 😎
it wouldn't hurt to leave her mom at the rehab with her dad for a couple hours while we go out and have some fun
And this was unacceptable for Roxy? Why her preference for Wilton Manors?
And this was unacceptable for Roxy?
I guess it was until her mother convinced her otherwise. Roxy's mom isn't like QoH. She actually tries to get her to go out and doesn't have a problem with her having a good time.
Why her preference for Wilton Manors?
Because that's where the rehab is. Also there's plenty to do down on Wilton Drive (it's kinda like their main street).
Also there's plenty to do down on Wilton Drive
So when will you two be going out?
So when will you two be going out?
Who knows? I think Roxy just said that we'd go out as a way to pacify me for a while. She never actually said when she was available to go anywhere. I know that it won't be tonight or Sunday because she'll be working.
In other news, I successfully transplanted the 4 okra seeds that sprouted and put them into big pots. Those suckers grow very quickly! It's quite satisfying to grow plants that show rapid growth and are hearty.
I *might* also have a basil seed that sprouted. There's a very tiny green thing growing in one of the peat pots that's still in the baggy that I have hanging from the fence. I reused the peat pot from an unsuccessful attempt so I'm not sure if it's a basil trying to grow or some weed that might have seeded in there. Only time will tell I guess.
I think Roxy just said that we'd go out as a way to pacify me for a while.
And do you feel pacified? :)
or some weed that might have seeded in there.
Well, whatever you do, don't smoke it. :)
And do you feel pacified? :)
No, I don't. I think I'm going to have to get tricksy and text her mother, then her mother can harangue her for me.😜😎
Well, whatever you do, don't smoke it. :)
LOL Not that kind of weed! I certainly wouldn't smoke it. I can't stand the smell of wacky weed and the stuff that all these pot heads smoke now smells like skunk. It's so disgusting!
I think I'm going to have to get tricksy and text her mother
Why do you have Roxy's mother's number?
the stuff that all these pot heads smoke now smells like skunk.
How do you know that?
Why do you have Roxy's mother's number?
I've had it for a few years. I don't remember why exacty. I think Roxy gave her my number for some reason and when she texted me I saved the number to my contacts list. Hmm..just looked at old texts. Roxy thought her phone wasn't working because her mom wasn't getting her texts so she had me send a text to see if she got mine. So that's why I have her #.
How do you know that?
I know what skunk spray smells like and when these idiots smoke their weed it smells very similar. It's really disgusting. It's even worse when you're in a store and one of them has the smell in their clothes and you can't get far enough away from them.😡
So that's why I have her #.
Makes sense.
when these idiots smoke their weed it smells very similar.
How do you know it's weed they've smoked?
How do you know it's weed they've smoked?
Because it's smoky skunk scent. Like when people smoke cigarettes and their clothes smell like smoke but with the addition of the skunky smell. :/ When you are a non-smoker you get very sensitive to smoke smells.
In other news, I was horrified to learn yesterday that Township suddenly closed despite being a very popular sports bar and I never got to use the $75 worth of gift cards that I have for there. I went to the management company's website and sent a message asking if they could refund the money or give me gift cards for another restaurant that they manage. I haven't received a response yet.😬
And last night Roxy called me after she got home from the rehab place. We ended up watching the end of the Panthers game together & chatting. She was hoping that they'd win & clench the playoff series so she wouldn't have to work game 7 on Sunday. It went to overtime but luckily the Panthers scored and ended it! 😃
I told her that we could go to Hamburger Mary's on Sunday afternoon but she didn't respond. :/
When you are a non-smoker you get very sensitive to smoke smells.
Sure, I don't smoke either. My point is that you must at some point have been around people who told you they were smoking weed while they were smoking it.
I haven't received a response yet.
They could be busy with other things.
I told her that we could go to Hamburger Mary's on Sunday afternoon but she didn't respond.
Maybe she prefers Burrito Josef's? :)
you must at some point have been around people who told you they were smoking weed while they were smoking it.
Since I was a kid I had adults point out with disgust whenever there was weed aroma somewhere. Other than Roxy and some coworkers, I've never hung out with people who smoked it. One time when I was at Roxy's house she showed me her stash and it smelled like nasty skunk.😝
They could be busy with other things.
They're probably only in the office to answer messages Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm. :/
There was actually a very good deal for Hamburger Mary's on Groupon. You could get a voucher for $10 off towards food for only $5. I'm probably going to have to get a new phone so I can get the Groupon app. I was looking at the deals that they offer and some of them are excellent. There was one offer for Bowlero which is a new bowling place. It was $25 for 2 hours of bowling for 2 people and shoe rental included. The cheapest bowling alley usually charges $5 for shoe rental and $10.50 per person per hour. So that's like 50% off, but Bowlero is fancy & more expensive so that is a very good deal.
it smelled like nasty skunk
I always imagined a skunk smelling really bad but I've smelled weed and it's not that bad IMHO. Maybe I should try to find a skunk to compare. :)
Bowlero is fancy
In what way is it fancy? Are you planning on going bowling?
I've smelled weed and it's not that bad IMHO.
Because it's a different variety. I think the one that smells like skunk was genetically modified to have way more THC than the regular varieties. I'm not too keen on the smell of regular weed, but the skunky one is just disgusting.
In what way is it fancy?
To quote their website, "Our lanes are some of the coolest and most stunning in the game, featuring black lights, soft lounge seats, and huge HD video walls that play everything from live sports and music videos to classic family films." Plus they have a huge arcade and restaurant style food that you can order. Oh, and a dress code. They try to keep riff raff and teenagers out. If you're under 18 you have to have a parent with you.
Are you planning on going bowling?
I was thinking about it. I haven't bowled since my early teens. My dad was an avid bowler and was a member of a league right up until he died. He tried to get me to be into it, but he was the type of person who wouldn't let a kid beat him, so it was never fun for me since he would never deliberately lose a game so I could win. He was also terrible at teaching me how to do anything. He wasn't very patient and didn't explain things well.
I still have my old bowling ball (which miraculously still fits okay) and old bowling shoes which are a bit too tight for me now. I think if I found some way to stretch them a little I might be able to wear them comfortably. I can't stand the idea of renting bowling shoes that have been worn by countless people. Imagine all the nasty feet that have been in them!😝😝😝 I searched on the intertoobs for a new pair of bowling shoes, but the cheapest that I could find was around $40. I'm not going to pay that much for shoes that I might wear once.
was genetically modified to have way more THC than the regular varieties
Maybe it was genetically modified especially for the skunk smell. :)
and a dress code.
Specifically? Do you have to wear a dress? :)
which miraculously still fits okay
It's a kid's bowling ball? I guess you do have kinda small hands IIRC.
Imagine all the nasty feet that have been in them!
Maybe they let you use your own disinfectant?
Maybe it was genetically modified especially for the skunk smell. :)
It sure seems that way. 😝
Specifically? Do you have to wear a dress? :)
No. It's more like they ban any kind of attire that could be gang related. No hoodies, hats, ripped jeans, sportswear, or backpacks.
It's a kid's bowling ball?
No, it's an adult bowling ball. All these years I thought it was a 10 pound ball. A few weeks ago when I got it out to look at it and see if my fingers still fit, I put it on the scale just to make sure and it was nearly 12 pounds! So no wonder I always had trouble with it when I was a kid! I was contemplating getting a heavier ball since I'm much stronger now as an adult who regularly lifts weights, but now I don't have to. And it's a fingertip style grip and not the standard full-finger grip, so that's partly why I can still use it without needing it to be re-drilled.
I guess you do have kinda small hands IIRC.
This is true.
So no wonder I always had trouble with it when I was a kid!
So why was it so heavy, you think?
So why was it so heavy, you think?
I have no idea. When my dad took me to buy the ball, it was supposed to be 10 pounds. Maybe someone mislabeled it?
They say that it's best to use a heavier ball because it knocks down the pins easier. That's all well and fine as long as you are strong enough to throw it with force. I guess it really doesn't matter now. It's not like I was going to bowl professionally. If I do go bowling some time now, it should be the perfect weight for me. I took it out in the back yard and threw it a couple of times. It felt fine.
Anyway, if I do go out anywhere, I'm going to have to go by myself. Roxy is too involved with her dad's situation to take a couple of hours to do anything with me. I'm not even going to suggest anything any more. She was blowing me off before the covids so it's not like she's going to change. And Janet seems to be too busy with work all the time. :/
if I do go out anywhere, I'm going to have to go by myself.
What about joining a bowling club?
What about joining a bowling club?
Nah, I don't like it enough to make it a weekly thing. And that would get expensive.
Well it was very hot today. I went outside to get some sun and to warm up a little since the AC inside was making me feel a little cold. It didn't take long to warm up lol. After about 10 minutes I was sweating. 😩
After about 10 minutes I was sweating.
We've been having quite warm weather as well for May. Although the last couple of days we've had mainly thunderstorms. It's the norm really.
I do hope the weather will be nice this Monday as I will have to go to the local library for a physical/medical check up in connection with social services.
Although the last couple of days we've had mainly thunderstorms. It's the norm really.
Same here. We had quite the thunderstorm last night. The thunder was so loud that it woke me up! And it's currently storming ATM. The thunder is very loud also. That's the summer weather pattern here. Hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms. :/
I do hope the weather will be nice this Monday as I will have to go to the local library for a physical/medical check up in connection with social services.
LOL, what a coincidence! I'm planning to go to the local library on Monday as well, but not for a health checkup. I need to renew or just get a new library card so that I can use the services there. Since none of my friends are going to help me with printing paperwork, I figure I can just do it myself at the library. I can either use their computers or bring my ancient laptop and use their wifi. Then I can print stuff there. They only charge 10 cents per page, so that is quite cheap.
I need to renew or just get a new library card so that I can use the services there.
I'm considering getting a new card myself. I haven't been to the library in 2 years or so. They suspended all services because of covid. You couldn't even get into the library for a while. I guess all cards were deactivated. I wonder if they've changed anything.
I haven't been to the library in 2 years or so.
I don't think I've been to the library since I was in school lol. I still have my old card but I seriously doubt that it I would be able to use it. I'm sure they have different cards now.
I wonder if they've changed anything.
I drove past the local library last week. I noticed that they changed the signage out front. It used to say North Dade Regional Library now I think it just says Miami-Dade Library System or something like that. I hope that they got rid of the God awful modern art sculptures and artwork from the 60's that used to be in the front foyer. They were so hideous and I hated looking at them. If they did get rid of that hideous stuff they probably replaced it with something just as awful. :/
IIRC they had the library shut down for a while during covid, but then reopened with mask & social distance protocol. It didn't affect me since I never went there anyway.
Today the new neighbors across the street were out front doing yard work while blasting some terrible 90's rock playlist. Then the husband was spraying Roundup (glyphosate) all over the place. I'm glad they're across the street and not next door. Less of a chance of my yard getting contaminated with that poison. Everything in my yard is organic and natural and I have lots of birds, bees, butterflies, and other critters unlike the majority of people around here with their barren yards.
I'm glad they're across the street and not next door.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone spray any kind of chemicals in their garden around here. Even the civil servants who clean the weeds between the street tiles use a burner.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone spray any kind of chemicals in their garden around here.
That's good. IIRC I think Roundup was banned in Europe. Some people around here spend a small fortune on getting their lawns sprayed and constantly watering them. I think we're technically still under water restrictions (only allowed to water on certain days) but it doesn't seem to be enforced. It's kinda obvious during dry spells when some people have green lawns while everyone else has half dead yards.
Well I did about an hour of raking leaves today but had to stop because it was too humid. I came inside & immediately took a shower & washed my hair to get some relief. I felt kinda faint after I got out of the shower so I laid down after I got dried off. I really hate the weather here during the summer. :/
I think we're technically still under water restrictions
Are you allowed to collect rainwater?
I really hate the weather here during the summer.
Did you overheat or something? What kind of precautions do you take?
Are you allowed to collect rainwater?
I guess so. We are now in the rainy season so that has its own issues (like the sidewalks getting black with mold, mildew, algae, etc) and the weeds growing like crazy. :/
Did you overheat or something?
I think it was a combination of the heat and not eating enough breakfast. It's so humid that when you sweat it doesn't evaporate. Your clothes become saturated with hot sweat and it's just miserable and impossible to cool off when you are outside. And then the mosquitos are wicked. They seem to love to bite me. I can't go outside for more than 30 seconds without being swarmed and bitten. I have mosquito spray, but I hate spraying that greasy stuff on me just to go outside for a few minutes. I have to wash it off when I come inside so it doesn't get on the furniture. It's such a waste unless I'm going to be working outside for a while.
What kind of precautions do you take?
I try to wear as few clothes as possible (shorts and tank top, flip flops) and stay in the shade. And I only stay out for an hour maximum. When I mow the lawn I have to take frequent breaks to go inside and get in the AC to cool off & drink water.
Well I was planning to go to the store & library today, but Ma Nature had other plans. I was cramping earlier today and didn't feel like leaving the house. I'll just have to do it another day.
In other news, I tried planting more basil seeds. This time I just sprinkled a few on the top of a peat pot. They have all sprouted now. When they are big enough I'll transplant them to larger pots.☺
They seem to love to bite me.
Maybe you should eat more garlic? :)
I try to wear as few clothes as possible (shorts and tank top, flip flops) and stay in the shade.
Do you wear anything on your head? AFAIK most desert peoples like to cover their heads for protection.
This time I just sprinkled a few on the top of a peat pot.
I bet you could also use wet cotton to get them to sprout. We used to use that with bean plants.
Maybe you should eat more garlic? :)
I do love garlic, but I don't want to smell like it all the time. I'll have to do some research into what I can do to make myself less appealing to mosquitos.
Do you wear anything on your head?
Yes, I wear a baseball cap.
I bet you could also use wet cotton to get them to sprout.
When I was in kindergarten, they taught us how to sprout seeds in a wet paper towel that we'd put in a plastic sandwich bag. I transplanted 3 of the sprouts into a small pot today. If they don't croak, then I'll transplant the rest. I'm looking forward to having some delicious fresh basil to eat. 😋
Last night I got some bad news. American Icon put a post up on social media saying that as of yesterday, they are permanently closed. Only their location in Vero Beach will stay open. That really sucks since I really liked that place and they had great beers. First Township, now Icon. Now I'm wondering who's going to close next. People just don't want to spend money unnecessarily in this shit economy with the prices of everything increasing like crazy. :/
I'm looking forward to having some delicious fresh basil to eat.
What do you eat basil with? Fish?
People just don't want to spend money unnecessarily in this shit economy with the prices of everything increasing like crazy.
The banks must be happy with people saving money like that.
What do you eat basil with? Fish?
I like it layered with buffalo mozzarella cheese and tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil. 😋
The banks must be happy with people saving money like that.
I don't think many people are saving money. The cost of everything has gone up so we're spending more money on just basic things. Gas is double what it was a year ago. I limit myself to going to the grocery store once per week and I've only been going to the stores that are closest to my house. When I went to lunch with my cousin last month, that was a splurge.
Anyway, I bought 3 slabs of pork ribs at the store today. They were up 40 cents per pound, but pork is still one of the cheapest meats. I'm going to cook 2 of the slabs tomorrow ahead of Memorial Day and I put the other slab in the freezer. I guess I should also cook some hotdogs & burgers.☺
I like it layered with buffalo mozzarella cheese and tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil.
I will never understand how people can eat raw tomatoes. Buffalo mozzarella cheese sounds interesting.
I've only been going to the stores that are closest to my house.
If only everything wasn't spaced out so far from each other in the US. :)
pork is still one of the cheapest meats
What about chicken?
I will never understand how people can eat raw tomatoes.
Because they're delicious! 😋😋😋
Buffalo mozzarella cheese sounds interesting.
It's delicious. It has a very fresh milk taste and a soft texture. It's one of those things that you start eating and can't stop.
If only everything wasn't spaced out so far from each other in the US. :)
It is what it is. And if it wasn't so hot and humid here, riding a bike would be feasible. And also there's the real possibility of being run over and killed while riding a bike. :/
What about chicken?
It's not so cheap any more. There was a bird flu scare which led to millions of chickens being slaughtered. That limited the supply and the cost of chicken doubled. The price of eggs doubled, too. :/ I don't think there has been a problem with domestic hogs so the price of pork hasn't increased as much as everything else.
And also there's the real possibility of being run over and killed while riding a bike.
I guess it would take a cultural change for that to improve.
There was a bird flu scare which led to millions of chickens being slaughtered.
I somehow missed that in the news. We had a similar scare over here over a decade ago. Lots of dead birds.
I guess it would take a cultural change for that to improve.
There are too many selfish assholes in South Florida. Even though it's illegal, too many people still text & drive or drive while drunk or high. 2 cyclists got killed on the Rickenbacker causeway a few weeks ago by some idiot who swerved into the bike lane. It seems like every few weeks either a pedestrian or someone on a bike is hit & killed. Sometimes it's the pedestrian's fault for jaywalking at night, but usually it's the careless drivers' fault. When they started putting bike lanes everywhere down here, most people correctly said that you'd have to be suicidal to use them. It's a waste of money because people don't use them. The few who do are taking a big risk. It's still legal to ride on the sidewalk in Florida (hardly anyone walks on them anyway) so that is a slightly safer option.
There are too many selfish assholes in South Florida.
Which is directly and indirectly a consequence of cultural programming. Priorities, right?
most people correctly said that you'd have to be suicidal to use them
It is possible to make bike lanes safe. But people have to care about that then. Priorities.
Which is directly and indirectly a consequence of cultural programming.
IDK whose culture is doing the programming, but it's certainly not the traditional American culture that I grew up in.
It is possible to make bike lanes safe. But people have to care about that then.
It was less dangerous when there were just sidewalks to ride on. No one actually walks anywhere down here so there was never a conflict between people on bikes and pedestrians. I guess all the bike lane stuff was some sort of mandate, because they are everywhere now. Hardly anyone uses them. They are either a dedicated meter wide lane on the right of the pavement or you just take your chances sharing the right lane in some cases. Either way it's too dangerous because there's no barrier between the bike lane and vehicle lanes. At least if you ride on the sidewalk, a car would have to jump the curb to hit you.
I wouldn't mind riding my bike sometimes if it wasn't so dangerous. I used to ride my bike a lot when I was a kid, but there were probably half as many people here back then and no one had a cell phone to be distracted with. It's also way too hot and humid for that here. I was outside for about 30 minutes raking leaves today and had to stop before I got overheated.
Did that ever really exist?
Sure. There were always some ethnic differences, but for the most part people identified as American and there was a predominant culture. Now there's too many people here from other countries and there's a feeling of competing factions that don't necessarily like each other.
Does the city (or the state?) feel more crowded than it used to?
Oh definitely. I remember when most of Broward County was cow pastures and open land. Now it's built up solid to Highway 27 which is on the edge of the everglades. Same with Dade County. Also there were small motels along the beach. All of those are gone now and have been replaced by huge 40+ story condominiums. There's so much traffic now that I just hate going anywhere.
Anywho, Roxy is working a concert on Wednesday for some boy band that I never heard of called Monsta X. I guess it's what they call K-Pop??? IDK, I don't keep up with what kids are listening to. Roxy doesn't seem to be too happy about it. I guess if it's a young crowd she won't be making any money on liquor sales.
Now there's too many people here from other countries and there's a feeling of competing factions that don't necessarily like each other.
Hasn't the USA always been a country of immigrants? What competing factions are you referring to?
There's so much traffic now that I just hate going anywhere.
People do have to drive everywhere, it seems.
I guess it's what they call K-Pop?
Yeah, looks like it. A Korean boy band.
Hasn't the USA always been a country of immigrants?
Sure, but people decades ago wanted to become Americans when they got here and leave the old country behind. The new immigrants want to bring their country & culture with them and shit talk this country and other immigrant groups.
What competing factions are you referring to?
Hispanics (which are not a homogeneous group even though politicians lump them all together) bring their regional biases with them. Depending on what country they're from, they have beefs with people from different countries. People from South America look down on people from central America, or some hate Brazilians. Caribbean people squabble about each other. Jamaicans talk shit about Haitians and think that they are better than them. Stupid shit like that.
A Korean boy band.
I don't know what the appeal is. IDK why girls like these effeminate looking boys. I never could stand New Kids on the Block back when I was in high school. I liked bands like Guns n Roses & Motley Crue (yeah, I know they had their glam phase😜).
Well it has been raining here for the past 2 days. I wanted to mow the yard this weekend but that's obviously not going to happen. It's supposed to rain every day this week so I have no idea when I'll get a chance to do it. :/
The new immigrants want to bring their country & culture with them
They've always done that. It would be impossible for them to not do that. Over time exposure to the rest of the population means their original culture fades in their memory or is changed by it. This takes time, it can take generations.
shit talk this country
There's nothing wrong with criticizing the country you live in. No country is without flaws. :)
which are not a homogeneous group even though politicians lump them all together
Politicians are a homogeneous group then? :)
Stupid shit like that.
I think it's called "being human". I don't like it either. :)
It's supposed to rain every day this week
Good for the plants but unfortunate for humans. So what will you do while waiting for the sun to come out?
So what will you do while waiting for the sun to come out?
After the downpour we had just before noon, I went out to go grocery shopping. It's been cloudy but not raining since then. I should probably try to mow the yard, but I really don't feel like it. It's humid and I don't want to get sweaty and nasty.
While I was out, I noticed the highest gas price I've ever seen. A couple of gas stations had regular gas for $4.75/gallon. A few were $4.54. I spotted another one for $4.49, but decided to take a chance with the Murphy station by Walmart. My gamble paid off since theirs was $4.45 so I stopped and topped up my car. It's ridiculous that I paid $10 for slightly more than 2 gallons. A year ago $10 would have gotten me 5 gallons. 😡
A year ago $10 would have gotten me 5 gallons.
The times they are a-changin'. :)
Same over here BTW. Natural gas prices are also expected to go up since Putin turned off the gas.
I managed to get the yard cut today before the afternoon thunderstorms started. It took me 2 hours to cut it & blow the sidewalks clean with the leaf blower. Just as I was finishing up the back yard, the storm clouds started rolling in. I came inside and took a shower while the lawnmower cooled down, then I went back out to hose it down. The first few drops of rain started as I was bringing it in the house. Then it rained for maybe 30 minutes.
At least it wasn't too hot and humid while I was mowing. It was partly cloudy. Even though I was wearing a tank top & shorts, I was still drenched with sweat by the time I finished. I had to do everything without taking a long break between doing the back yard & front yard so that I could get it done before the thunderstorms started. I'm glad it wasn't super humid and I was able to do it all without the break.
I really need to trim some of the shrubbery out front, but that will have to be another day. The yard has too much crap to take care of for me to finish it in one day. :/
Hey... that's strange. I had posted a comment yesterday and now it's gone...
Did you delete it or did I only dream writing a comment?
Anyway, I guess you're managing to keep yourself busy. Have you heard from those grifters who want money from you BTW?
I had posted a comment yesterday and now it's gone...
Did you delete it or did I only dream writing a comment?
I didn't delete anything. Sometimes blogger is wonky and eats the comments. It's happened to me a few times and it's my blog!
I guess you're managing to keep yourself busy.
I'm not so busy ATM. We are currently experiencing "potential tropical cyclone #1" and it has been raining steadily for the past 2 days. It should be cleared up by tomorrow night..hopefully.
Have you heard from those grifters who want money from you BTW?
No. They threatened to send it to a collection agency, but I haven't heard from anyone. It's been nice not being pestered by those assholes for the past month. They were a nuisance calling & emailing me every week.
My lawyer said they'd have to petition the probate court to reopen my dad's probate. That's the only legal way they can try to get me to pay (technically it would be my dad's estate paying, but I have the $ and control it). He said if and until they do that then I shouldn't worry about it. That's much easier to do when I'm not being bothered on a weekly basis.
QoH is really driving me crazy. I think it seems worse when I'm stuck inside because of the bad weather. I just want to get the hell out of here for a while and not have to deal with her. :/
Sometimes blogger is wonky and eats the comments.
I suppose that's possible. You are free to delete comments though, it's your blog after all.
QoH is really driving me crazy.
Is she making unreasonable demands again?
You are free to delete comments though, it's your blog after all.
I delete my own comments all the time when I catch typos or autocorrect changed a word to something ridiculous. 😜
Is she making unreasonable demands again?
Yes, but it's mainly the verbal abuse. It's very disheartening to be called all sorts of names for no reason other than that it makes her feel good or powerful when she's being abusive.
Last night it was because I didn't put the hurricane panels up to my bathroom & kitchen windows. She lets the stupid local news get her worked up over the nothingburger tropical rain storm, then she comes and lays into me as if I'm being irresponsible. I don't fall for the news hype. I've been alive long enough to know when a storm is serious or not and what we got was not serious. It rained steadily for 24 hours (not even heavy, more like a light sprinkle most of the time) and there was no wind at all.
Today she got abusive because there was what appeared to be a small spot of shit or maybe dried blood maybe 4 cm wide on the towel that she keeps on her bed. Somehow that was my fault even though she's the only one who is on her bed. (I did *not* do an Amber Heard in there.😂😂) Apparently she didn't have any more clean towels because she's been stuffing the dirty ones in the tub in her bathroom. She blamed me for not having clean towels. How the hell am I supposed to know that if I'm forbidden from going in her room unless I'm bringing something to eat or drink and she doesn't tell me? So she called me all sorts of names over that.
I told her to wash them herself. She knows where the washing machine is and there's plenty of soap powder, bleach, and fabric softener to do it. Anyway, she fell asleep long enough and I went to investigate and found all the hoarded towels in the tub. I went ahead and pulled them all out and washed them. I must be either a saint or fucking stupid.
It's very disheartening to be called all sorts of names
Yeah, that sucks. If she did it to me I'd be calling her a few names back though. Or I'd be laughing my ass off at her ridiculousness.
she's been stuffing the dirty ones in the tub in her bathroom.
Why has she done that?
I must be either a saint or fucking stupid.
Or you just want to prevent more troubles.
If she did it to me I'd be calling her a few names back though.
Oh, trust me, I totally call her names back. I'm not someone who just takes it without fighting back, but it's still exhausting having to deal with it every day.
Why has she done that?
I have no idea. Why does she hoard? I think it's all part of a mental disorder. IDK why she couldn't tell me that they were dirty & ask me to wash them. I guess that would mean that she'd have to act like a normal person. Can't have that!
Or you just want to prevent more troubles.
I guess.
In other news, I finally got around to putting up some metal mesh over a hole in the top of the wall in the carport. I think it's been that way before I was born. I know it's been like that as long as I can remember. Someone had scabbed up 2 new roof beams to the ones that were rotted/damaged and they had to break out a small portion of the plaster at the top of the wall by the end of the roof. It's typical that my dad never made an effort to repair it or pay someone to do it. I had to do it because a few days ago I saw a rat hauling ass along the electrical conduit and it jumped into the hole. That's how the damn rats kept getting in after I plugged up the other known holes.😡
a few days ago I saw a rat hauling ass along the electrical conduit and it jumped into the hole
Is there something in the carport that the rats want?
Is there something in the carport that the rats want?
No, but the hole allowed them to get inside the attic where they have been nesting. At night I could hear them above the ceiling in my bedroom. I put a box of rat poison in the attic crawl space a week or so ago. IDK if any of them ate some. I haven't smelled any dead rats. The best I can do is be vigilant, plug up any holes that I find, and keep putting poison & traps. Just when you think that you've got them all, more find their way back in. Rats drag their asses and leave scent trails as they run along, so other rats know where to go. :/
the attic where they have been nesting
:o Seriously? That is not good. Do Floridians generally have rat problems in their houses?
more find their way back in
Is your house made of cheese? :)
:o Seriously? That is not good.
No, it's not.
Do Floridians generally have rat problems in their houses?
We never had a rat problem until a few years ago. Too many dirty people who throw trash everywhere and don't make an effort to kill rats when they see them. The problem is that rats thrive where there are lots of people. Florida now has too many damn people.
Is your house made of cheese? :)
No, it's just difficult to get rid of them once they find a place that they like. They also leave scent trails which draws more rats even if you kill the first batch of rats. 😡
The problem is that rats thrive where there are lots of people.
Population density in the Netherlands is pretty high. AFAIK we don't have a rat problem. Maybe there are other factors at play? We do tend to keep the streets clean.
Florida now has too many damn people.
Most of Florida looks uninhabited. People are all living in the same relatively small areas. Are the currently uninhabited places uninhabitable?
Maybe there are other factors at play? We do tend to keep the streets clean.
That is a big factor. There are too many people here who throw garbage everywhere or don't dispose of garbage properly eg overfilling garbage bins or dumpsters so that the lid doesn't close tightly and giving easy access to rats. I think another problem is people don't try to kill the rats and the population of rats keeps increasing.
Are the currently uninhabited places uninhabitable?
A lot of the uninhabited areas are national parks or state parks, everglades, or protected wildlife or water management areas. Then there's a lot of farmland. Unfortunately a lot of farmlands were turned into tract housing.
I think another problem is people don't try to kill the rats
Maybe that's a job for the city's civil servants? How is Florida's garbage collection organized?
Unfortunately a lot of farmlands were turned into tract housing.
Why 'unfortunately'? We don't have a lot of tract housing over here. It's mostly row houses.
How is Florida's garbage collection organized?
Each county is responsibe for how the do it. Where I live the residential garbage collection is contracted out I think. We get 2 pickups per week & recycling every 2 weeks. I think private businesses have to pay for a private company to pick up what's in their dumpsters.
Why 'unfortunately'?
Because food has to be grown somewhere.
Well QoH fell out of bed last night around 2:30am and I had to call the fire department to come out for lift assistance. She was very rude & difficult as always. Then around 4pm she fell again, this time in the bathroom. I had to call them again to come out & get her up. Since then she's been raging at me like she's demon possessed. She's completely irrational and keeps demanding that I move out. If I do she'll be shit out of luck if she falls again & will probably die in here. She can't reach the phone if she falls. I'm the one who called 911 both times today. If I wasn't here she'd still be on the floor.
I'm so upset over all the vicious things she's been saying to me all day. She's been accusing me of all sorts of untrue things like I killed her dogs. The ones she's referring to dug out from the back yard. I got one back but the other we never found. The one we got back died of old age. I would never kill a pet.
Then she keeps telling me she wants me to get out. It's very upsetting because I can't just move out right now. It takes time to find a place to move to. Then she will fight me on what possessions I'm allowed to take. I'd have to go to court just to be able to retrieve my own things.
The next upsetting thing she's been saying is that I'm not her daughter and that she didn't have me. That's a lie, but it's very upsetting to hear her say something so vicious and untrue. Then she's been calling me every name in the book and being as verbally abusive as possible.
I'd have to go to court just to be able to retrieve my own things.
I can understand how that would be upsetting for you. But on the bright side, you'd be free of her bullshit. I think it would be good for you to get away from her.
but it's very upsetting to hear her say something so vicious and untrue.
Is it upsetting because it's your mother saying these things about you or do you also get upset when other people do that?
Is it upsetting because it's your mother saying these things
Yes. Parents are supposed to love their kids. I've never had that. I was fed & clothed & had a roof over my head (according to her that means I was a spoiled brat), but never had any nurturing or emotional support. All I've gotten from her is criticism. Now she wants to do revisionist history and claims that I never did anything to help her. I sacrificed my whole life working with her after my dad divorced her so that the mortgage could be paid off and her truck paid off. All the money I ever made went to pay for bills for her. She's so ungrateful, now she's gotten insanely verbally abusive.
It sucks that I had 2 idiots for parents. Now I'm getting all this undeserved abuse from her. She's always been combative. I guess it gives her some sense of power & control. She used to pick fights with my dad every day, now she's doing it with me except 100x worse.
Anyway, she's currently stuck on the toilet. She's been there (according to her) since 4am. I went to Walmart & bought a walker for her hoping that she could use that to lift herself. Of course she didn't try very hard. She's going to show me! She still getting ready to get ready. I'm so tired of her irrational bullshit. She won't go to the doctor. She's only getting worse, but she wants to blame me for everything.
I can't just move out. It takes time to find a place, but I'm at the point where I feel like getting the hell out of here & leaving her to it. She thinks she's so smart, then she should figure out everything on her own.😡
I'm at the point where I feel like getting the hell out of here & leaving her to it.
I feel like you've been at this point before but never went through with any plans you may have had. Are you worried something bad will happen if you move to a place of your own? Are you concerned QoH will die without your support?
Are you worried something bad will happen if you move to a place of your own?
Yes. Since Thursday, I've had to call 911 four times. She fell twice & couldn't get up, then she couldn't get off the toilet twice. Last night she slid out of bed halfway twice and I had to help her get all the way back up before she hit the floor. If she gets on the floor, she can't get back up, then it'll be another call to 911. They have to send the paramedics from the fire station each time. It's getting to be embarrassing.
Are you concerned QoH will die without your support?
It's a definite possibility. If she falls & can't reach a phone, she could lay there and die from dehydration. That's not a nice way to go. Even as nasty as she is to me, I don't want that to happen.
Anyway, I've finally convinced her that she needs to call her insurance, pick a primary care doctor, & make an appointment. She's had the weeping edema in her legs for months now & she needs to have some medical care for it. Also all the falling & being unable to lift herself off the toilet needs to be addressed. Maybe they can get her some medical devices that will help.
It's getting to be embarrassing.
I'm sure the paramedics understand it's not your fault. You're just trying to do the right thing (and succeeding at that, I guess).
She's had the weeping edema in her legs for months now
What does it look like these days?
Anyway, you should probably make sure that she doesn't forget to go to a doctor for that.
What does it look like these days?
Some days it looks worse than others. Her lower legs are red (especially her calves) & constantly weeping fluid. Her lower legs, ankles, & feet are very swollen.
Anyway, you should probably make sure that she doesn't forget to go to a doctor for that.
I'm probably going to have to call her insurance myself. The trick is going to be getting her to give me her insurance card & info. :/
In other news, I started pressure cleaning the walkways, driveway, and sidewalk in front of the house yesterday. I initially did it for an hour and a half and then had to quit because a thunderstorm popped up. It blew over and I decided to go out and do more before it got dark. I switched from the fan tip nozzle to the floor attachment which seemed to be much more efficient and made it go faster. I think I was out there for an additional hour. Today I finished up the rest of the sidewalk. It took an hour and a half with the floor attachment. Now that I've learned how much quicker it is to use that particular attachment, I'll be using that from now on whenever I have to pressure wash.
It's been raining so much lately that the concrete really gets nasty with black mold and algae. At least for the next week or so we are supposed to have Saharan dust which keeps all the thunderstorms and hurricanes away. ☺
The trick is going to be getting her to give me her insurance card & info.
Sounds like a case for the Mission Impossible Team. :)
I'll be using that from now on whenever I have to pressure wash.
Why didn't you use it before?
Why didn't you use it before?
I was used to using the spray nozzle. I didn't know that the floor attachment would be as effective as it was. It seemed kinda small and cheaply made.
Anyway, I trimmed some of the shrubbery in front of the house today. With all the rain we've had, everything was growing out of control. Everything looks nice now that the sidewalks are clean and the shrubs are trimmed. Next I'll have to mow the yard since the weeds are starting to get high. :/
QoH has been wanting a standby generator for the house. I called up a place and they quoted me a price of between $13k and $16k. I think that is a ripoff since the actual generator costs around $6k. The rest of the price is for installation. There's no way that I'd pay someone $10k to install it. I think it would probably be better just to get the gas generator that we have serviced or buy a new one. Even if I had to spend $300 or $400 for gas to run it, it would be a hell of a lot cheaper that $16k!!!
Next I'll have to mow the yard since the weeds are starting to get high.
What kind of weeds do you get in your lawn? We usually just get dandelions.
I did some gardening myself last week. Just the front garden. Pulled out all the small plants, most of them weeds. I'll probably do some gardening this week as well but I'll need to sharpen the Dutch hoe first.
QoH has been wanting a standby generator for the house.
In case there's a power outage during a hurricane? How long does such an outage usually last?
What kind of weeds do you get in your lawn? We usually just get dandelions.
It seems like the majority of the weeds are Florida snow, beggar's purse, and Spanish needles. There are a few others, but I don't know their names. I wish we got dandelion. Those are edible and have numerous health benefits. IIRC, Spanish needles are edible, but I've never tried eating them.
In case there's a power outage during a hurricane?
Yes. The regular gas powered generators are a pain in the ass to use. They're loud, require refilling after a few hours, and people try to steal them if you aren't vigilant. And obtaining gas when everyone is needing gas due to power outages can be difficult.
How long does such an outage usually last?
The longest we were without power was 15 days after Hurricane Wilma. You never know when FPL will get around to getting the power restored. It seems like a week is average to fast. :/
Those are edible and have numerous health benefits
Technically, yes. I guess you can make a salad out of the leaves. But I don't think a lot of people do that.
The longest we were without power was 15 days
15 days without electricity does seem quite long. I guess you have an electric stove then? Is that the standard in Florida? Our stove works on natural gas. A generator wouldn't help us with that. Good thing we don't have hurricanes.
Oh, I had a meeting with a Social Services lady today. Trying to get me to do volunteer work. Hm.
I guess you have an electric stove then?
No, we have natural gas for our stove/oven & water heater. That's why I was looking into the standby generator. They can be hooked up to the natural gas line and you don't have to worry about refueling it.
Good thing we don't have hurricanes.
But you are susceptible to other natural disasters? I saw something on instagram about the NL being one of the European countries most susceptible. I guess because a lot of the NL is at or below sea level?
Trying to get me to do volunteer work. Hm.
😲😲😲 What kind of volunteer work? Like visiting people in the old folks home or something? Or picking trash & painting over graffiti? 😜
They can be hooked up to the natural gas line
What if there's no natural gas?
I guess because a lot of the NL is at or below sea level?
The only thing that could cause that kind of trouble these days would be the mother of all tidal waves. A cataclysm level disaster.
Like visiting people in the old folks home or something? Or picking trash & painting over graffiti? 😜
Ha, ha. Yes, been there and done that. Well, except for the painting (which I don't think they let volunteers do).
What if there's no natural gas?
Then they can be hooked up to a propane tank.
The only thing that could cause that kind of trouble these days would be the mother of all tidal waves.
That's why I take those instagram memes with a grain of salt. Unless you're near a major fault line, then that's unlikely. Just like here. We're always in "imminent" danger of being swallowed up by the Atlantic Ocean. Any time there's a King Tide, that's always the "evidence". Or urban flooding. The King Tide "flooding" has been happening as long as I can remember, mainly because people built in tidal marshes & mangroves then are shocked when the tide comes in. The urban flooding is due to poor urban planning and lack of drainage. Funny how that happens when you pave & concrete everything then the water can't drain through the soil naturally. /end of rant
Yes, been there and done that.
LOL Not your cup of tea then?
Well, except for the painting (which I don't think they let volunteers do).
When I was in high school, my senior year class got "volunteered" to do community service at a local park. Part of the duties was sprucing up the handicap parking spaces with fresh blue paint. A lot of the kids didn't take it seriously and made a mess of it. It pissed me off how some kids can be such assholes.
Unless you're near a major fault line, then that's unlikely.
I think so. But if you put enough energy into a tidal wave it will cross an ocean.
Not your cup of tea then?
As it turned out, no it's not.
It pissed me off how some kids can be such assholes.
How old are senior year students? Are they really still kids?
But if you put enough energy into a tidal wave it will cross an ocean.
True. I remember there was a doozy a few years ago near Japan that managed to make it somewhat to Hawaii & the west coast of the US.
How old are senior year students?
17 or 18 years old.
Are they really still kids?
At 18 you're a legal adult here, but since the brain doesn't fully mature until you're around 25, I'd say they were immature adults. They certainly acted immaturely. It was always the same 4 or 5 asshole boys who misbehaved to ruin things for everyone. The got a perverse pleasure from it. They were the typical rich privileged kids whose parents didn't give a shit what they did so there were no real consequences for the bad behavior.
I see a couple of their profiles pop up on FB as "people you may know". I know them all too well and would never friend request them. I'm only FB friends with people who I was actual friends with or people from school who weren't assholes.
I know that one of the asshole boys ended up dead a few years ago. (I think from a drug OD) Another owns a roofing company that he inherited from his father. Out of curiosity, I looked on Google reviews and people complained that the owner was a jerk. LOL Some people never change.
I'm only FB friends with people
So, I don't have a Facebook/Meta account. What is it like having "Facebook friends"?
Some people never change.
Not without the proper medication. ;P
What is it like having "Facebook friends"?
It's just a way of keeping in touch with people I know and keeping up to date with what's going on in their lives. There's only a handful of people who I went to school with who still live locally; the majority moved away.
Well I was planning on mowing the yard today after the sun set a bit (way too hot during midday, almost 90 degrees 😩), but a UFC event came on and I'd rather watch that than mow.😜😎 I can always do the mowing tomorrow.
I can always do the mowing tomorrow.
Sure. Did you enjoy the UFC event?
Sure. Did you enjoy the UFC event?
Oh yes, it was action packed! I think there were 8 knockouts & 1 submission IIRC. It was an excellent fight night! Sometimes the fights are boring. The only match that was kinda boring was the main event which ended in a split decision.
I just finished mowing the yard a while ago. I timed it perfectly. It was cloudy & the thunderstorms were just starting to pop up out west. It wasn't too bad (hot) while I mowed, only when I got in the backyard the sun came out & I was baking! Had to come inside to drink a bottle of water & change my shirt (it was soaked😩). I went back out front to finish with the leaf blower. By then it was thundering like crazy. Had to haul ass to finish, then did the rest of the backyard real quick. Got it all done then came in & showered & washed my hair. It's still raining & thundering ATM. I'll have to clean the mower when it stops.
Then QoH came & started accusing me of "catching me red handed". IDK WTF she's talking about. Caught me drying off from the shower & putting on clean clothes??? That's the only thing I was doing in my room. She's fucking crazy! Always trying to gaslight me with that shit! She thinks mind games will work on me? How long have I known her???😂😂
LOL QoH said that she caught me wearing a "white Indian dress". LOL Wut??? IDK WTF she's talking about. She either dreamed it or hallucinated it. She didn't say if it was dot or feather Indian. 😂😂 I don't own any dresses and I certainly haven't started with ethnic attire. She's nuts!!!
I don't own any dresses and I certainly haven't started with ethnic attire.
You didn't happen to have been wearing just a white towel straight out of the shower? ;P
Maybe she needs to get her eyes lasered again. :)
You didn't happen to have been wearing just a white towel straight out of the shower? ;P
No, my towel is cayenne pepper red. The only thing that makes sense is she was dreaming or imagined it.
Maybe she needs to get her eyes lasered again. :)
I think she needs her brain lasered.😜
In other news, I'm bored. Thursday is supposed to be a nice sunny day and not too hot. I'm hoping that maybe I can sneak out to do something fun then.😎
I think she needs her brain lasered.😜
But then she might lose the one brain cell she has left. :o ;P
I'm hoping that maybe I can sneak out to do something fun then.
Good luck. :)
It rained earlier today, but when I went outside a few minutes ago it was actually quite nice. It was sunny with hardly any clouds and there was a nice breeze. The humidity seemed lower and it wasn't uncomfortably hot, so I put on my bikini top and sat outside for 15 minutes to catch some rays.😎👙🌞 At least I won't be ghostly pale like Roxy.😜 I also worked out yesterday and today. Gotta maintain those muscles!💪💪
I had ordered some vegetarian low-dose iron tablets and have been taking them for the past 2 weeks. I had been having symptoms of low iron- brain fog and low energy- but I've been feeling much better since taking the iron. ☺
At least I won't be ghostly pale like Roxy.
Do Floridians actually have to work on their tan? I imagine you guys catch so much sun every day anyway that it just sort of happens automatically.
I had been having symptoms of low iron- brain fog and low energy
Maybe you need to eat more spinach? :)
We're having nice weather here too BTW. It's supposed to get warmer later in the week though.
Do Floridians actually have to work on their tan?
It depends. A lot of people work inside & don't see the sun that much. Others stay indoors because it's too hot outside. If you get to be outside for at least 15 minutes per day then you can get sufficient amounts of sunlight for a bit of a tan.
We're having nice weather here too BTW.
The last 2 days we've had unusually low humidity. Yesterday it was down to 43%. I'm totally not complaining as it makes 90F bearable.
I've also been feeling full of energy the past 3 days. I've seized the opportunity to work out. Monday & Tuesday I was working on my biceps & triceps. Today I was doing shoulders. I follow Erin Stern (who is a female bodybuilder) on YouTube. She posted a video on shoulder exercises today. They were ones that I hadn't seen before so I was trying them out. I'll definitely be incorporating them into my routine. ☺
They were ones that I hadn't seen before so I was trying them out.
What kind of exercises? I'm a little surprised that there exist exercises you've not heard of.
What kind of exercises?
One was called a Y-press. Instead of doing a regular shoulder press which is vertical straight up, this one you raise the dumbbells up and out at an angle so your arms look like they are going in a Y. The other was called a Poliquin raise. You'd have to Google that as its hard to explain in writing. Then there was a variation of a lateral raise where you put a bench at a 45° angle and lean against it while you do the lateral raises. It gives a deeper angle to the raise & you definitely feel it more in your deltoid.
I'm a little surprised that there exist exercises you've not heard of.
I'm sure there are many. These were variations (except the Poliquin) of one's that I already do.
Well today I escaped the house for a couple of hours. I needed to get QoH's driver's license confirmation paper printed so I tried at Amscot first. They only make copies if you have a paper to copy. They don't print out something off your phone. And they charge 27 cents per page. Next I tried the little library on Ives Dairy Road. There was a very nice young lady at the front desk who helped me. First I got a new library card. She said that I could have used my old card as they don't delete names in the system even if you haven't used it in 35 years, but for some reason she couldn't find my info, so she just gave me a new one. They actually had a selection of about 6 different styles to choose from, so I got a fantasy looking design with what looks like a sorceress and a little girl reading a book. Then she gave me the web address to send the document to be printed and then printed it for me. There is no charge for up to 35 pages, so that was fabulous news. I will be going to the library from now on whenever I need something printed.☺
After that, I went to Burlington to look at stuff for a while but didn't buy anything.
I will be going to the library from now on whenever I need something printed.
Not for lending books?
I went to Burlington to look at stuff for a while but didn't buy anything.
You didn't see anything you liked?
Not for lending books?
That particular library seemed to be geared towards kids & teens. It was tiny. Maybe the size of a McDonald's. It is next to a school. The big regional library probably has books more to my liking, but I haven't been in there since I was in high school.
You didn't see anything you liked?
Nah, but that's how it is sometimes. I don't really need anything, it's just nice to look and see what's available.
I *did* buy a new Deadpool tank top from the Walmart website, though. It's supposed to be delivered on Monday.👍☺
I got a nice surprise in the mailbox; my Deadpool tank top was delivered today, 2 days early. ☺
Maybe the size of a McDonald's.
That doesn't mean much to me. :)
But I get that it's not big.
my Deadpool tank top was delivered today, 2 days early.
And is it everything you expected?
But I get that it's not big.
No, it's tiny for a library, but they do have 8 or 10 computers and WiFi, so I guess that's the main draw.
And is it everything you expected?
Meh, it's ok. It fits a little big on me even though I got a size small and the graphics are a little blurry on Deadpool. From a distance it doesn't look bad, but I'm OCD when it comes to details.
so I guess that's the main draw.
I guess not everyone can afford to have those things at home.
I had a look at my own t-shirts BTW and they are getting a bit raggedy. I'm gonna have to look for new ones, I think.
I guess not everyone can afford to have those things at home.
Nope. It's nice that those things are available as a free service at the library. While I was there, only one little kid was using a computer back in the kids' section. There were a few mothers with their kids looking at books. One other lady came after I got there who had a bunch of stuff to be printed. It's nice to know that that library has reopened. It was closed during covid. It's in a more convenient location for me and it's not busy like the regional library.
I had a look at my own t-shirts BTW and they are getting a bit raggedy.
That's definitely a good reason to get some new ones.
Today it was ridiculously hot around 1:30pm. I took the thermometer out to the back patio where it felt the hottest and it said 104F! 😲😲😲 That was directed over the concrete area. It was 100F in the yard. A couple hours later it got cloudy and the temperature came down to normal hot.
A couple hours later it got cloudy and the temperature came down to normal hot.
Hm, "normal hot". :)
I wonder if we'll have to get used to those super high temperatures in the near future. What if it was 104F every day in Florida? What do you think would happen?
I wonder if we'll have to get used to those super high temperatures in the near future.
I hope not. These kinds of temperatures seem to be cyclical here. The official temperatures in South Florida were in the 89-91 range yesterday. IDK where they have the thermometers at. I stepped outside on the back patio a while ago and it was hot and sunny, but not like yesterday's hot temperature. And it seems to be less humid than usual. I think the humidity has been in the 53-55% range. Usually it's in the mid to high 60's.
What if it was 104F every day in Florida? What do you think would happen?
I think it would be too hot for most people and they'd probably move back to where they came from.☺ But I don't think that will happen. We'd have to build a couple of new nuclear power plants to be able to keep up with the electricity usage from everyone running their A/C's constantly. I doubt that would happen, either. That would be too sensible and the government can't have any of that!
IDK where they have the thermometers at.
Is there a lot of difference between southern Florida and northern Florida? Over here we can apparently have a difference of about 15 degrees Celsius between northern and southern Netherlands.
everyone running their A/C's constantly.
What is the state of heat insulation in Floridian houses? Is there room for improvement?
Is there a lot of difference between southern Florida and northern Florida?
I think the biggest difference is the nighttime temperature and the winters. During the summer it is just as hot and sometimes hotter than south Florida. Orlando especially since it's inland. On the coast there's the ocean breeze to take a few degrees off the temperature. Their overnight temperatures tend to be a few degrees lower than ours, but not really by much. The real difference is in the winter. The panhandle and areas north of Orlando get freezing temperatures and sometimes snow, though it's usually not much and doesn't last very long. But they do get extended periods of very cold temperatures. We just get one or two cold days and then it warms up again.
What is the state of heat insulation in Floridian houses?
Older homes weren't built with any. My house didn't have any until we got the central A/C installed, then the power company came out and blew in insulation into the attic for free. Older homes have to be retrofitted. The new construction has good insulation. A friend of mine bought a manufactured home a couple of years ago and was remarking on how well insulated it was and how her electric bill was a lot lower than at her old home because of it. It is also much quieter since the insulation and new style windows block out almost all the noise from outside.
Anyhoo, I'm making a pizza from scratch ATM. Got it in the oven now. I'm trying out a pizza stone that I had. Hopefully the crust will come out like it does from the pizza place. ☺
We just get one or two cold days and then it warms up again.
Sounds like my country these days. Well, my part of the country anyway.
the power company came out and blew in insulation into the attic for free
Seriously? A power company that gives something like that away for free? Remarkable.
Hopefully the crust will come out like it does from the pizza place.
Hopefully, yes. Do you think using a pizza stone makes a lot of difference?
Seriously? A power company that gives something like that away for free? Remarkable.
Yes. They actually give lots of incentives for making homes more energy efficient. I guess it's cheaper to give away insulation than having to spend money to upgrade the grid lol.
Do you think using a pizza stone makes a lot of difference?
I think the only difference was it made the bottom of the crust nice and brown. The pizza itself didn't turn out very good. I think there were several things that I could have done differently. I used a recipe that didn't proof the yeast first. I think the yeast that I used was probably not good. The dough didn't rise as much as it should have. And I used bread flour instead of all-purpose. I also didn't have mozzarella cheese and had to use Swiss. I think I might have cooked it a little too long as well. And I forgot to brush the dough down with olive oil before I put it in the oven.
I watched a tutorial on YouTube last night to try to learn what I could do better. I think I will try making another pizza tomorrow. I bought mozzarella at the store today, so at least I have the correct cheese. ☺
to spend money to upgrade the grid lol
That may be unavoidable given how the world is moving away from gasoline and natural gas sources.
I bought mozzarella at the store today, so at least I have the correct cheese.
What kind of pizza are you making?
What kind of pizza are you making?
Cheese & pepperoni. I prefer that simple combination rather than pizza with all sorts of crap on it. Although I *do* like a nice Hawaiian pizza now and then. ;) (Some people think it's sacrilege to put pineapple on pizza. Those people are wrong. The combination of ham, bacon, and pineapple is delicious! 😋😜)
It is Independence Day weekend, so I'm going to take out one of the prime rib roasts from the freezer, defrost it, then cut it into steaks so that I can grill them. I'm not sure what else I'll grill with them. Maybe some burgers & hot dogs.☺
Is anything new and exciting going on with you, Arekino-san? Have you gone for any walks or bike rides or is it too hot?
Cheese & pepperoni.
I do hope you haven't forgotten the tomato sauce? :)
The combination of ham, bacon, and pineapple is delicious!
I wholeheartedly agree. :)
Is anything new and exciting going on with you, Arekino-san?
Nah. It's been nice and calm. :)
Have you gone for any walks or bike rides or is it too hot?
I have been taking hour long walks a couple of times a week for some months now. The weather has been quite varied but that doesn't stop me. :)
I do hope you haven't forgotten the tomato sauce? :)
Well that's just standard equipment like the dough. 😜 I use Bertolli 5 cheese pasta sauce in a jar then jazz it up with parmesan, basil, & oregano.
I have been taking hour long walks a couple of times a week for some months now.
I need to start doing that, but since it's ridiculously hot, I'll probably have to clear off the treadmill and do it that way. When I was working, I did lots of walking at the job. Sometimes more than 5 miles in the workday. It certainly helped to keep me nice and trim. Now that I'm 46 and just sit around the house all day, it's much harder to keep the weight off. And with all the hormonal changes, it's recommended to do weight lifting & walking along with a low carb diet. :/
Bertolli 5 cheese pasta sauce in a jar
Is it real cheese in there?
it's recommended to do weight lifting & walking along with a low carb diet.
Don't forget about your bones. As you grow older your bones become more brittle. I drink milk everyday for that.
Is it real cheese in there?
Yes.
I drink milk everyday for that.
I take a D3 pill & a K2 pill plus try to get some sunlight. I can't drink too much milk because it jacks with my hormones. That sucks because I love a nice glass of cold milk. :/
Well QoH was impatient and wanted the July 4th food today, so I cooked the steaks that I had taken out of the freezer to defrost and quick defrosted in water 2 slabs of pork ribs and cooked those in the oven. It was hotter than hell outside so I timed it so the ribs would be done by 5pm so that I wouldn't be cooking in the sun (I finish them on the grill so they get a nice flavor☺). By that time, the sun is on the other side of the house. It's hot enough just standing next to the grill. :/
I take a D3 pill & a K2 pill
Are those vitamin pills? So where do you get your calcium from?
wanted the July 4th food today
Okay, but then what's on the menu on July 4th? Beans? :)
Are those vitamin pills?
Yes.
So where do you get your calcium from?
A take a calcium/magnesium/zinc pill. I take several different supplements like an old person. 😜
Okay, but then what's on the menu on July 4th? Beans? :)
LOL The same stuff. I made a ton of it. We'll be eating it all week. I *might* make a quinoa salad with pesto, but I really should put feta cheese in it and I don't have any. I only have plain goat cheese and it's the wrong flavor and texture. I don't think any stores will be open on the Forth, so I might skip it until Wednesday.
I take several different supplements like an old person. 😜
I mean, I take a supplement now and again and I'm not... Hey, wait a minute... ;P
I *might* make a quinoa salad with pesto
Quinoa is one of those ancient foods that I have never eaten. I know it has a lot of protein. I suppose it's a meat replacement?
Quinoa is one of those ancient foods that I have never eaten.
It's pretty good. It has a texture sorta like couscous. IIRC it's a complete protein with all the amino acids.
I suppose it's a meat replacement?
I suppose it could be. At work they sold it as a "bowl" with goat cheese, cranberries, and olive oil as a dressing. It was pretty good. The package of quinoa that I buy says to boil it with a cinnamon stick and add toasted almonds and cranberries. I've made it that way a couple of times and it was really good. It's pretty versatile and you can make it as a sweet or savory dish. I've never tried the recipe with the pesto, but I really love pesto and the quinoa is healthier than pasta. I'm going to make it with feta and sun-dried tomatoes and maybe throw in some pine nuts.
QoH wanted egg salad so I made some a while ago. Now my neck hurts from bending over the counter while I peeled the eggs. That's always a tedious task. :/
boil it with a cinnamon stick and add toasted almonds and cranberries.
That sounds rather exotic. I can't imagine the texture. :)
That's always a tedious task.
Can't you just cut them in half and scoop out the egg with a teaspoon?
That sounds rather exotic. I can't imagine the texture. :)
If you ever get a chance to have quinoa you should try it.
Can't you just cut them in half and scoop out the egg with a teaspoon?
I started doing it that way a few weeks ago. I just cut them in half with the shell on and then scoop out the insides with my thumb. It's much faster than trying to peel them, but it's still tedious.
Well QoH had her appointment today to get her driver's license renewed. It was a struggle just to get her out of the house and get her there on time but I did. Unfortunately for her, they also require a road test as well as the vision test and the examiner determined just by looking at her that her health is too poor for driving. She had to settle for an ID card instead of the driver's license. She was pissed off, of course, and accused me of planning it that way. I told her that I don't make the rules. You have to be alert and have a quick reaction time to be able to drive safely (what the examiner told her) and she can barely walk with her cane. She's slower than a snail. There's no way they would allow her to drive. She's pissed because she sees that as taking her freedom from her. She hasn't driven in years so it's not like she was driving and now can't drive.
She's pissed because she sees that as taking her freedom from her.
Maybe it just confronts her with herself. It actually sounds like she took it rather well for someone with narcissistic tendencies.
So she can't properly sleep in her bed, she can't properly walk and now she can't drive. Can she still properly go to the toilet?
It actually sounds like she took it rather well for someone with narcissistic tendencies.
Yeah, I think she was kinda out of it & not totally understanding what was going on.
Can she still properly go to the toilet?
Not really. She's starting to have accidents (peeing herself) between her bed & toilet. She also falls asleep on the toilet then can't get up after she's been there a while, then I have to call 911 and the firemen come out to lift her off the toilet. I bought one of those toilet booster seat things and that seemed to help for a while, then she started getting stuck again. I then bought another type of booster to raise it even more. That worked for a while then she broke the first one. I went & bought a replacement today, then took the second one off because the booster didn't fit into it very well. Who knows how long it will last. :/
BTW, how's the Dutch farmers vs the government idiots going? I heard that the farmers have a tank now?
Who knows how long it will last.
It would be a lot easier for her if she weighed less. How's that thing on her legs doing?
how's the Dutch farmers vs the government idiots going?
Not great as far as I can tell. I'm not sure what's going on to be honest as far as negotiations are concerned. I feel like the leadership from the farmer's unions is too weak and the government is just waiting for things to get out of hand.
I heard that the farmers have a tank now?
Nah, some smart-ass thought it would be funny to say that. There was a tank but it's an old WW2 Sherman Firefly tank on it's way to liberation celebrations in a town called Ommen.
It would be a lot easier for her if she weighed less.
This is true, but she's never been one to take personal responsibility as far as her weight is concerned. The only time I can remember her making an effort to lose weight was when I was a kid. She just starved herself instead of adopting sensible eating habits and exercising. Of course she eventually gained all the weight back because starving yourself can only work for so long.
A few years ago she lost a lot of weight because she got sick with some kind of virus for a couple of weeks and couldn't eat much. I think she got down to around 180 pounds that time. Her previous high was 230. Now I think she's up to 250. :/
How's that thing on her legs doing?
Not good. Her legs are continually weeping fluid. That's something else that she could improve if she'd keep her legs elevated and try to do exercises, but of course she refuses to do any of that.
I feel like the leadership from the farmer's unions is too weak and the government is just waiting for things to get out of hand.
That's usually how it goes. The government usually has all the power and can use force to get the opposition to bend to their will. It's not going to end well if the government gets their way. They already tried green farming in Sri Lanka and there were massive crop failures and people starved. There were riots there a while back. Not sure how bad the unrest is. Our fake news barely ever mentions international events. I find out about it from alternative news sources on the Internet.
There was a tank but it's an old WW2 Sherman Firefly
I saw a pic and noticed that it was an old Sherman tank. Not much use without the munitions to go with it. ;)
I think part of the reason why they don't report unrest in other parts of the world here is they don't want us armed peasants getting any ideas. We have more privately owned guns than people in this country and things could go sideways very quickly if people get riled up enough. People are already pissed about the skyrocketing prices of everything. All it would take is widespread blackouts or something like that to set it off. :/
It's not going to end well if the government gets their way.
What the government wants is lower levels of nitrogen in the air so that means fewer cattle farmers or smaller cattle farms. They're apparently offering to buy out a number of the farms. It's mostly cattle farmers that do the protesting. The Netherlands are the largest meat exporter in the EU and we're just a small country. These protests are largely about cattle farmers losing their ability to makes lots of money (while having been significantly subsidized by the government the past 50 years).
All it would take is widespread blackouts or something like that to set it off.
You don't seem to have a lot of faith in your fellow Americans.
What the government wants is lower levels of nitrogen in the air
IIRC the air we breathe has around 78% nitrogen. What these bureaucrats want is asinine. It's like wanting to reduce the amount of water on the planet. These people are sick neo-feudalists. They want us to eat bugs and only the wealthy and government assholes will be allowed to have beef.
You don't seem to have a lot of faith in your fellow Americans.
I hope they do! Sometimes these politicians need to learn the hard way.
IIRC the air we breathe has around 78% nitrogen.
You are right and I'm sorry but I guess I mistranslated. When the term "nitrogen" is used (by the news, government, farmers, etc.) what is meant is nitrogen oxides and ammonia. These are substances that are partly made of nitrogen but nobody wants to list them all whenever they are talking about the subject. They just say "nitrogen" and everyone knows what they mean by that.
Cattle farms produce much of the substances I mentioned.
They want us to eat bugs and only the wealthy and government assholes will be allowed to have beef.
Seems very unlikely to me. Maybe things are like that in Florida but over here people do care about the environment.
I hope they do! Sometimes these politicians need to learn the hard way.
I mean, if they're bad politicians then they really just need to be voted out of office.
I don't think I mentioned it, but my cousin & his fiance decided to get married sooner rather than later, so they decided to do it July 23. Originally they were going to have the ceremony on the beach, but I don't think my cousin liked the idea of "dressing in linen clothes like a hippie".😂😂 (his words) He said that he wants to wear a regular suit.
The original plans had too much running around town for my liking. We were supposed to meet at the Marriott, then take a shuttle to the beach where the ceremony was going to be, then take a shuttle to downtown Hollywood to the restaurant where the reception dinner was happening, then take the shuttle back to the Marriott to get our cars. I didn't like the idea of my car being on the beach while I'm downtown, so I'm glad that they have decided to just have the ceremony & reception at Tropical Acres restaurant(a different restaurant altogether). Apparently they have a chapel and party room, so it's one stop shopping so to speak.
The day that they're getting married is problematic for me because it is QoH's birthday. She doesn't celebrate, but it will be something for her to scream at me about and act butthurt over. I'm not going to mention anything about the wedding until maybe the day before. My cousin said that she's invited, but her physical condition isn't going to allow it. And the fact that she'd be acting like a major bitch the whole time because it's a cousin from my dad's side of the family. I don't want her there casting a black cloud on a happy occasion.
My cousin said that I'm welcome to bring a guest (friend, significant other, etc). I asked Roxy but she hasn't given me an answer. I'm going to assume that it's a no for her. Anyway, he's very generous and I think he's going to have a meal to send home with me for QoH.
My next dilemma is finding something appropriate to wear. I've gained inches in my lower abdomen thanks to hormones & possibly fibroids, so the 2 pairs of nice dress pants that I have don't fit. :/ The merino wool sweater vest that I want to wear & my suit jacket fit fine, though. I went ahead and bought a pair of pull-on elastic waist dress pants at Walmart yesterday just in case I can't manage to slim down enough to get into the other pants before the wedding. That's one of the bad things about always wearing a uniform for work. You don't buy any nice clothes for work like if you worked in an office, so you don't have much to choose from when you have an event to go to. :/
my cousin & his fiance decided to get married sooner rather than later
Any particular reason? Like, a pregnancy maybe?
so you don't have much to choose from when you have an event to go to.
Also, you didn't have that many events to go to unfortunately. This wedding sounds like an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Any particular reason? Like, a pregnancy maybe?
They're both mid 50's, so definitely not pregnancy. He said something about they had briefly broken up after getting engaged, then they got back together and decided to go ahead and just do it. I don't know any details as to why they broke up.
you didn't have that many events to go to unfortunately.
This is true. My events tended to be funerals or work related.
This wedding sounds like an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Yes, it is. It will be nice to get out of the house for a few hours and have a nice meal. The restaurant is kinda famous in South Florida. It has been in business for more than 50 years and has a good reputation.
Anyway, I asked Roxy twice if she wanted to go as my guest and she didn't answer. That habit of hers is very annoying. If she doesn't want to go, just say so. I texted my other friend Janet this morning to ask if she'd like to go. She at least responded, but said she didn't know what her schedule would be for that day. It's on a Saturday, so it's not like she has to work. I'm going to assume that's a no for her as well. It's really annoying that people who are supposed to be my friends can't spare a few hours to come out with me for a special event. :/
Anyway, yesterday I lost my patience with Roxy after I asked her point blank if she was going to go to the wedding with me and she once again didn't respond. I texted her that I don't know why I keep asking her to do things with me when the answer is always no if I even get an answer. She responded several hours later by text, saying 'wow I don't know why you're getting nasty'. That was hardly nasty, just facts. If I wanted to get nasty, and trust me, I'd absolutely love to unleash a volley of nastiness, I would have responded to it with nastiness, but I'm maintaining as much restraint as possible and not responding.
I'm done with her. She texted that 'you know how I am with my family' and 'sorry that you don't have a relationship with your family'. That really pissed me off. What she has is complete enmeshment to the exclusion of everyone else. I've been putting up with her avoiding going out anywhere with me for the past 4 years. I've bought birthday & Christmas presents for her, even through the covid crap, and hand delivered them. All that went unreciprocated. She claims that we're "best friends", but she doesn't act like a best friend. That's something that she started calling us. I never felt that way because her actions say otherwise. I regret going along with the label. I'm not wasting any more energy on one-sided "friendships". I even feel like unfriending her on social media & deleting her contact info out of my phone.
Anyway, my cousin's fiance emailed me again this morning about the rsvp. I told her it'll just be me, no guest, and gave her my dinner preference. Then she emailed again saying that they were going to have a pre-wedding dinner on Friday and inviting me to that so I can "meet the family and have some friends at the wedding". I don't even want to go at this point, but I feel obligated because my cousin helped me so much after my dad died.
I really hate going to events where I don't know anyone and having to put on an act like I'm happy to be there. :/
It's really annoying that people who are supposed to be my friends can't spare a few hours to come out with me for a special event.
I must admit I've always had a difficult time figuring out what I can expect from friends or people in general. I know they have their own lives and they don't owe me anything. Maybe it's best to expect as little as possible and just have a lot of friends so you can keep the odds in your favor.
I'm not wasting any more energy on one-sided "friendships".
Seems like an good decision. Personally I think that you are way too forgiving to her. And I don't think you and her have the same definition of "friends".
I really hate going to events where I don't know anyone and having to put on an act like I'm happy to be there.
Isn't getting out if the house something to be happy about? You're a nice and entertaining person. Maybe you'll find new friends.
I know they have their own lives and they don't owe me anything.
While this is true, and it's even worse when people are adults with their own families, it is nice to make plans to see each other occasionally. Like I said before, when it becomes one-sided and I'm the only one making an effort to make plans or even just the first one to initiate a text, then that says to me that the other person isn't interested in or values the friendship and it's time to move on.
Maybe it's best to expect as little as possible and just have a lot of friends so you can keep the odds in your favor.
I'm going to have to do that. It's unfortunate that most people don't have time for people who are outside their families.
Personally I think that you are way too forgiving to her.
This is true. And I'm done with it. I allowed myself to get sucked in because all my real friends moved away and it was nice to have someone to commiserate with about work. And the fact that she is dealing with 2 elderly parents gave her legitimate excuses. But the reality of the situation is that I'm just one more person in her bullpen that she keeps in rotation. She used that baseball analogy with her many boyfriends years ago. It's such a habit with her that she does it with everyone, including me.
I remember our former boss used to say that she lives in her own world. That is true. She does live in fantasy land. I think she tends to idealize and believes that she's my friend, but in reality she doesn't do the things that friends do. The fact that she claims to be my best friend but didn't even remember my birthday speaks volumes.
And the real reason why she wasn't rehired at work is because she's a pain-in-the-ass employee who wants to get her way all the time. She'll commit to work, then cancel when she doesn't feel like working or if she gets a better offer for work. Then she was always complaining about everything that didn't suit her. It's very immature. There was always something I didn't like at work, but you can't be a habitual complainer because it just annoys the bosses and you get on their bad side. You have to pick your battles and not complain about every tiny thing.
And I don't think you and her have the same definition of "friends".
Exactly.
Isn't getting out if the house something to be happy about?
Yes, but it comes with a price, namely that QoH will pick a fight and ramp up her nastiness as punishment for me getting out and enjoying myself for a few hours.
You're a nice and entertaining person. Maybe you'll find new friends.
Thanks, but I'm not really interested in getting to know anyone new at the moment. I might not even stay for the whole thing.
I'm not really interested in getting to know anyone new at the moment.
I mean, I don't think you need to get to know people there in any deep sense. Maybe you'll just find acquaintances that you'll know quite superficially. Kinda like they're background characters in the movie of your life. :)
Maybe you'll just find acquaintances that you'll know quite superficially.
I might have an interesting conversation or two while I'm there. It seems like most of the guests are friends or business associates of my cousin's fiancé. She does real estate.
I know that it sounds kinda judgemental, but these people are supposed to be professionals in their fields, yet a couple of them accidentally emailed their rsvp's to me as well as Claudia (my cousin's fiancé). I'm assuming they hit 'reply all' when they replied. And being the super sleuth that I am, I already gleaned information just from those emails lol. One guy works as an assistant public defender in Broward County, so we already might have a mutual acquaintance. I used to know his old boss (the lead public defender) who was a regular guest when I worked at the temple. He also had a small segment on one of the local news channels answering people's legal questions. Then there's another lady who I used to work with who works at the courthouse. He might know her as well.
It'll be interesting what the real estate people think about the current market. I personally think the home prices are over-inflated for a few reasons and will probably have to come down eventually. Also people may start to default on mortgage payments when the interest rates inevitably go up. That would be a perfect opportunity to scoop up an investment property should that happen. ☺
these people are supposed to be professionals in their fields
They're professional e-mailers? :)
That would be a perfect opportunity to scoop up an investment property should that happen.
Are you planning on doing that? Also, I'm not sure these people want to talk about work at a party.
They're professional e-mailers? :)
People who work in offices should know how to properly respond to an email. ;)
Are you planning on doing that?
I would like to do that. It's better than having my money sit in a bank account losing value due to inflation.
Also, I'm not sure these people want to talk about work at a party.
People looove to talk about themselves and brag about their work at parties. Remember, I was in the party business for almost 30 years. I've heard enough small talk to know. 😎
Anyway, I'm not sure if it's due to the adjustment of my diet & exercise routine or because of the point I'm at in my menstrual cycle, but I've managed to lose 3 or 4 pounds over the past few days. I'm sure most of it was just water weight, but my lower abdomen is noticeably smaller. ☺ I cut out bread and junk food snacks and have been walking a mile at a brisk pace on the treadmill for the past 5 days. I still do the dumbells for my arms. I had watched a video where the lady said the biggest thing that helped her lose belly fat/bloat was walking at least a mile every day. It really does seem to work.
I used to do so much walking and physical work at my last job that it kept me nice and trim. Now that it's been almost 2 and a half years since I worked, I've started to gain weight from lack of movement. :/
I've heard enough small talk to know.
Well, I believe you. Maybe it's just people who hate their jobs who don't want to talk about them at a party.
It really does seem to work.
That is my experience as well.
Maybe it's just people who hate their jobs who don't want to talk about them at a party.
IDK about that. Some people are natural complainers and that would be an excellent topic to complain about to people at a party. 😜
That is my experience as well.
It works like magic. I was recently thinking about how modern conveniences actually make us less healthy. We do a hell of a lot less physical labor and then have to go to a gym to stay in shape. People used to work outside & got plenty of fresh air and sunshine. Now people stay inside most of the time.
Anyway, one other small change that I made is I bought some probiotics to take with my meals. Perimenopause really screws up female digestion and leads to belly bloat. My bowel regularity was getting messed up. I don't think it's 100% due to poor digestion, but it doesn't hurt to take them. At my last job I ate plenty of fresh fruit in the morning and did lots of walking, so those 2 things also contributed to regularity. Since I've been making an effort with what I eat and doing the treadmill, I've noticed that I'm getting back to normal with that.☺
People used to work outside & got plenty of fresh air and sunshine.
Yeah, but they were considered old at 40. Staying inside isn't necessarily a bad thing. Getting too much sun is bad for the skin.
Perimenopause really screws up female digestion and leads to belly bloat.
So it makes you fart a lot? Food that contain fibers should help. Fruits do contain a lot of sugars. Which I suppose is good if you go walking on a treadmill.
I didn't know you had a treadmill BTW. Have you had it long?
Getting too much sun is bad for the skin.
It depends on the latitude that you live at. The closer you live to the equator, the more harmful rays you're going to get. Where I live, going outside for 10-15 minutes per day is sufficient. ATM it's too hot to go out for even that long. What's weird is our high temperature has been around 91F or 92F, so it's not unusually hot for July. The heat index (when they factor in humidity) makes it feel like 100F. It feels way too hot for me, but I guess I'm too used to being in the AC all the time. I can't imagine being in other parts of the country that are seeing anywhere from 100F - 118F (like Arizona). 😩😩😩
So it makes you fart a lot?
I don't think I've been gassy-er than normal. My digestion just seems to be slower and I'm not going #2 daily like I used to. It used to be like clockwork where I usually went about an hour after I got up in the morning.
Fruits do contain a lot of sugars.
The sugar in fruit is better than the sugar in processed food and it seems to curb my cravings for junk, plus the fibers are good for digestion.
I didn't know you had a treadmill BTW. Have you had it long?
Yes, for maybe 20 years? I got it off the trash pile from the apartments across the street from my sister's building. They were always evicting people and would throw all their stuff out onto the trash pile. A lot of good stuff got tossed and the owners didn't come back for it, so it was fair game. IIRC a lot of good exercise equipment got thrown out. One of my sister's neighbors got a nice climber machine that I would have liked to have gotten.
I have the treadmill, a stationary bike, and that home gym that I bought but it's still in the box that it came in. I wish I could set all of it up in the carport and have my own workout room, but it would get stolen since it's not a closed-in garage. :/
My digestion just seems to be slower and I'm not going #2 daily like I used to.
Maybe you metabolism is slowing down because you're not as physically active as you used to be?
And I suppose you're also growing older. :)
Maybe you metabolism is slowing down because you're not as physically active as you used to be?
I'm sure that has something to do with it as well.
And I suppose you're also growing older. :)
Yes, unfortunately. I colored my hair today so it will be ready for my cousin's wedding on Saturday. It had grown out about 3 inches worth of silver on the sides since the last time I colored it. I like to do it ahead of time so that I can wash it once before the big day and get a little bit of the harshness out of it. I switched to a lighter shade than when I first started coloring it, but IMO it still looks a little unnatural when it's first done. I'm also painting my toenails. If they go ahead with the plans for the dinner the night before, the outfit that I have planned to wear has open-toe sandals. Gotta have the little piggies looking nice, too! 😜 (I'm going to wear those leather pants that I bought a few months ago. 😎)
In other news, I poached a salmon fillet today and made that quinoa with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese. It turned out really good. ☺ I think when I go to Publix tomorrow I'm going to pick up some fingerling potatoes. I was looking at different vegan dishes on instagram today and one of them had those kind of potatoes. They're really good when parboiled then roasted with salt & olive oil. 😋
Oops! Accidentally hit publish before I asked if you have cooked any delicious dishes lately? ☺
I'm going to wear those leather pants that I bought a few months ago.
And what will you be wearing from the waist up?
if you have cooked any delicious dishes lately?
I've been eating Chinese food for the past two dinners. Yesterday we had a little get-together with the family because my dad turns 80 in a week and my sister will be on vacation then. They stayed for dinner and today we had the leftovers from that.
And what will you be wearing from the waist up?
A cream colored waffle-knit hooded Henley type top with the roll-up tab closure sleeves that I have.
I've been eating Chinese food for the past two dinners.
Takeout or did you make it? Chinese is one of my favorite types of ethnic foods. I've gotten really good at making a number of different Chinese dishes myself. ☺
my dad turns 80 in a week
Same with QoH. Her birthday is on Saturday.
sister will be on vacation then.
Where is she going this time? She certainly gets out and enjoys herself.
Is it real Chinese or the Indonesian version? I know that there's a strong tie between the NL and Indonesia due to the colonial period. My cousin still thinks it's wild that the Dutch part of our family came from Indonesia (Java to be exact). I discovered that when I was researching Ellis Island documents online.
cream colored waffle-knit hooded Henley type top
Sounds good. The waffle-knit part had me confused for a sec though. ;)
Takeout or did you make it?
Takeout. Although I did reheat it myself the second day. :)
Where is she going this time?
Germany.
Is it real Chinese or the Indonesian version?
I don't know. I'm not familiar with the restaurant they got it at. Tasted good though.
My cousin still thinks it's wild that the Dutch part of our family came from Indonesia
Yeah, when the Indonesians got control over their country back from the Dutch a lot of "Indos" fled. Not everyone survived the transition of power unfortunately.
I'm not familiar with the restaurant they got it at. Tasted good though.
Like when I got that gift card to the Thai restaurant. I ordered sushi and dishes that were more traditionally Chinese, but they were really good.
when the Indonesians got control over their country back from the Dutch a lot of "Indos" fled.
My grandmother's family came to the US in the 1920's, so they got out before Indonesian independence. I'm not really sure what caused them to leave. I vaguely remember my dad saying that someone in the family back in Amsterdam died, so they returned there for a while. That would make sense since the ship that they came to Ellis Island on was a Dutch ship from Amsterdam.
Not everyone survived the transition of power unfortunately.
Yeah, unfortunately that's what happens during those transitions.
In other news, Roxy texted me last night after I had went to bed. I didn't see it until this morning. She had the nerve to ask how I am and say that she misses me. I wasn't going to respond, but it's difficult for me to do the silent treatment when I'm still pissed off. She made a half-assed apology for speaking badly about my parents. I'm sure that's why she thinks I'm mad. That's not it, even though I thought it was a low blow to mention my parents not being supportive. The reason why I am pissed is her repeatedly not answering direct questions and the fact that she claims to be my best friend but didn't even remember my birthday. And the fact that I put much more effort into trying to maintain the friendship than she does. I've bought her birthday & Christmas presents for her for the past 3 years, plus I've bought stuff just because it was something I thought she might like. She's never reciprocated. She also never asks to get together to do stuff. Not even to just hang out. I can understand not wanting to spend money to go out, but it costs nothing to hang out at her house.
Anyway, I finally texted back that IDK why she misses me since she hasn't seen me in 7 months and it's not like I'm important to her. She didn't respond to that and I doubt that she will. I'm not going to be hoovered back to the same crap. She thinks that she can text me, then get me back and then keep stringing me along like before.
I've bought stuff just because it was something I thought she might like.
Is that a thing friends do in the USA? If it happened to me over here I don't think I'd appreciate it. Birthday presents I'm generally fine with but random gifts not so much.
She thinks that she can text me, then get me back and then keep stringing me along like before.
I wonder if I've spoiled you in that respect. :)
I mean, we basically talk everyday but I can imagine not all friends do that. I'm not condoning Roxy's behavior though.
Is that a thing friends do in the USA?
Yes. My Canadian friends used to do that, too. If you see something that you know your friend would really like you buy it for them. It's a nice thing to do.
I wonder if I've spoiled you in that respect. :)
Maybe, but I really like being spoiled like that. 😜😘
we basically talk everyday but I can imagine not all friends do that.
Sure, but it depends on how close you are with someone. It sucks when you get older and people have families & responsibilities that get in the way. Or friends move away. When I was in school I got to see my friends 5 days per week then talk on the phone with them after school. After we all graduated from HS, I lost touch with almost everyone because they all moved away.
I have one friend from work who moved to Minnesota, but I still keep in touch with her on FB several times per week. It sucks that the people who I considered friends from my last job make no effort to keep in touch. It makes me really sad about Roxy. She's not a bad person and I don't think she does it deliberately, but I think she's gotten into a habit of not putting much work into maintaining friendships while the other people make all the effort. I can't keep doing that without feeling like I'm being played.
I think she's gotten into a habit of not putting much work into maintaining friendships while the other people make all the effort
She doesn't ask people to make all that effort, does she? So other people are just helping her maintain that habit. She knows she is who she is and knows that other people don't know who she is (at first). You are probably not the first friend whom she has treated this way. Is she just a spider and you are a fly? What is so fascinating about her anyway?
So other people are just helping her maintain that habit.
Yes, I had noticed that pattern before with her guy friends and told her that she treats me the same way. Of course she denied it. I think there's also an element of low self awareness. She's not exactly the most emotionally mature person.
What is so fascinating about her anyway?
She can be a lot of fun and really made me laugh a lot when we worked together. I had amateur dx'd her probably 12 years ago as histrionic pd back when I was studying personality disorders. She *does* get herself into all sorts of crazy situations and can be a bit of a drama queen.
Anyway, I texted her today to say my peace about how I feel disrespected when she doesn't answer direct questions even after I've asked several times and that is the reason why I was pissed, not because she said no to going to my cousin's wedding. She hasn't responded. It is what it is.
And neither my cousin nor his fiancé got back to me about the pre-wedding dinner. IDK if they are having it or not. I don't really want to go because they are inviting a bunch of people who I don't know, so I'm not going to ask about it. I figured if it was still on then somebody would have let me know.
I figured if it was still on then somebody would have let me know.
You're sure they haven't cancelled the wedding? Nobody getting cold feet?
You're sure they haven't cancelled the wedding? Nobody getting cold feet?
I have no idea. I figure if the wedding is cancelled someone would let me know. I'll definitely find out tomorrow when I show up to the restaurant.
In other news, I had to call 911 about 2 hours ago because QoH semi slipped out of bed and couldn't get herself up. She was halfway down in a sitting position but her ass wasn't on the floor. She started getting nasty with me when I tried to help her. She wouldn't let me help or touch her, so I figured I'd just call 911 and let the firemen deal with her. When they got here she started getting nasty with them. She's going to get a bad reputation by doing that. The firemen will be professional, but they'll dread coming here.
Anyway, I'm waiting to see if she pulls any shenanigans on Saturday before I go to the wedding. It wouldn't surprise me if she did. Anything to screw up my day. :/
I go to the wedding
Did you have fun? :)
Did you have fun? :)
Yes, I did! I hung out with 2 of my cousin's wife's friends most of the night. They flew down from Tennessee for the wedding. I think most of her family came down from Tennessee, actually. The 3 of us were drinking Manhattans, so we instantly bonded over that. They were a lot of fun and we exchanged contact info (phone numbers, social media, etc). My cousin said that Claudia (his wife) has a house near Nashville, so I'm invited to go up there whenever. It'll be nice to already know some people if I do go (not that I'll be going any time soon since I have to deal with QoH 24/7 😩)
Anyway, I knew that there would be shenanigans from QoH. She fell and was on the floor in her bedroom when I got home so I had to call 911 and the firemen came out and got her up. :/
Yes, I did!
Cool. How was the food? Did you catch the bouquet? :)
he fell and was on the floor in her bedroom when I got home so I had to call 911 and the firemen came out and got her up.
Does she not know how to use a phone?
How was the food?
I had the prime rib and it was excellent. It was cooked perfectly and very tender. There was a Caesar salad as a starter & wedding cake for dessert which were also tasty.
Did you catch the bouquet? :)
I can't remember if they actually did the bouquet toss. I was talking with another one of Claudia's friends and she dragged me away at the hint that that might happen. Neither of us had any interest in catching it LOL. But at the end of the night Claudia gave me her bouquet and one of the bridesmaids' bouquets so that I could have flowers to take home since they had peonies & hydrangeas which are 2 of QoH's favorite flowers.
Does she not know how to use a phone?
I'm glad she didn't call me while I was at the party. I called her when I was leaving the restaurant and that's when I found out that she fell. The fire department wouldn't have been able to get in the house without breaking a window or door, so it's better that she didn't call herself. I'd rather not have to pay to replace unnecessarily broken windows or doors.
I had an extra key made with the intention of hiding it outside if someone needed to get in, but Friday morning when I went out to get the mail, there was evidence that someone had been on the front porch lurking around. There was a small container of peanut butter and a plastic spoon left on the plant stand. I didn't feel safe leaving the key after that. I'll probably have to get one of those key boxes like realtors use to hang on the door handle. You have to put in a code to be able to get the key out.
The fire department wouldn't have been able to get in the house without breaking a window or door
I bet that if you lived in a small town you could just give them a key or put a key in one of those fake rocks. People tend to know each other in small towns. They know who's trouble. :)
There was a small container of peanut butter and a plastic spoon left on the plant stand.
What the hell? What could that be all about?
You have to put in a code to be able to get the key out.
That seems like a good solution.
I bet that if you lived in a small town you could just give them a key or put a key in one of those fake rocks.
The previous neighbors who lived across the street from us for more than 50 years I could have trusted. They were religious and wouldn't have used the key to snoop. Unfortunately when the grandmother died, they sold the house & moved away. The rest of these people around here I wouldn't trust with a key. And there are too many incidents with drunk people or druggies snooping around.
What the hell? What could that be all about?
I have no idea. It's very disconcerting that people think they can just trespass and sit on someone's porch while eating peanut butter and then leave the mess behind. And it's not like my front door is next to the sidewalk. You have to make an effort to walk approximately 7 meters up the front walkway just to get to the porch. I have no idea who it was. Could have been a random homeless person or some idiot who lives around here. I should have asked my neighbor if she saw anyone on her security cameras.
That seems like a good solution.
I bought a key safe at Walmart today. It's the style that you hang on the door handle like realtors use. It was $30 which is a bit pricy IMO, but it's definitely cheaper than replacing a broken window or door.
In other news, QoH was all pissed off with me this morning because she called my cell phone at 3:20am and I didn't answer. I put my phone on the charger overnight and have it on vibrate, so I didn't hear it. When I got up at 9am she was laying on her bed fuming. She claimed that she couldn't get up & called 911. When they came out, she was making all sorts of crazy accusations against me and basically just wasting their time. They were trying to gently coax her into getting on & off the toilet quickly, but she was taking her time about it because she was enjoying complaining to them. After they finally got her situated and were leaving, one of them asked me to please call the Senior Link number to try to get assistance for her (she doesn't want me calling anyone) because if she keeps making accusations against me then DCF (Department of Children & Families) might get involved. I definitely do not want them getting involved. That would be trouble for everyone if they come out here to investigate. 😡😡😡
You have to make an effort to walk approximately 7 meters up the front walkway just to get to the porch.
That's just weird. Did it rain that night? You don't happen to have a really comfortable looking porch?
I bought a key safe at Walmart today.
A step closer to being free from QoH's shenanigans. :)
That would be trouble for everyone if they come out here to investigate.
What kind of trouble?
Did it rain that night?
No, it didn't.
You don't happen to have a really comfortable looking porch?
No. It has metal patio chairs with no cushions that are very uncomfortable and you'll get eaten alive by mosquitos if you stay there longer than 30 seconds. Nobody sensible would want to hang out there, that's why I figured it was either a random homeless person or one or the many drunks & druggies or a mentally ill person.
What kind of trouble?
They investigate abuse & unsafe living situations. And they have a reputation for being troublesome & incompetent. Who knows what would happen if they believed QoH's version of reality. I could end up arrested because of her lies or she could end up in state care (which is her biggest fear). I told her she better think twice about what she's doing or it could end up badly for both of us.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I escaped for a few hours to attend an art exhibition & lecture at Port Everglades for the soon to be commissioned USS Fort Lauderdale. The lecture went for almost 2 hours. I got some pics of the artwork and of the ship (and a few selfies 😜). I also bought a hat & t-shirt from the sailors who were selling stuff on a merchandise table. I got the hat & shirt combo for $20 which was an excellent deal. I will emailz you some pics. ☺
I told her she better think twice about what she's doing or it could end up badly for both of us.
Well, let's hope she still listens to reason then.
I will emailz you some pics.
Looking forward to them. :)
Well, let's hope she still listens to reason then.
She somehow managed to fall next to her bed this morning. Her screaming at 7am woke me up. I thought she really hurt herself this time. The firemen came with the ambulance vehicle. She refused to go to the hospital. I think they were here only 8 minutes. I don't think she ran her mouth about me this time. When the firemen were leaving, I told one of them that I bought a key box for the front door. He said that was good and if I'm not there when she falls to just give the code to the 911 dispatcher.
Looking forward to them. :)
They are sent. I had to use my personal email instead of my xul email as it was refusing to upload the pics for some reason. This phone is so old that it has just about reached its memory capacity. I'm going to have to break down & buy a new phone soon. I was thinking of getting a Galaxy S20. I know it's a couple of years old, but it's still a good model and it's much cheaper to buy a refurbished one than to spend over $1k on a new S22. 😩
I received your pics. Looks like you had nice weather. :)
What does it say on your T-shirt? SALTY something?
In that 2nd pic, with you smirking, you kinda remind me of Sigourney Weaver.
Is the T-shirt in the last pic a commemorative T?
I thought she really hurt herself this time.
But she was okay (besides her injured pride)?
This phone is so old that it has just about reached its memory capacity.
Do you take that many pics? Can you not extend its' memory?
I received your pics. Looks like you had nice weather. :)
It was cloudy & threatening to rain, but it never did. And the cloud cover brought the temperature down significantly. I think it dipped into the 70's early in the day. ☺
What does it say on your T-shirt? SALTY something?
Yes, SALTY with a US Navy logo. There's an American flag on one sleeve and the Grunt Style brand logo on the other sleeve.
In that 2nd pic, with you smirking, you kinda remind me of Sigourney Weaver.
I like Sigourney Weaver, so I'll take that as a compliment. ☺
Is the T-shirt in the last pic a commemorative T?
I suppose so. It had a small graphic of the ship's crest on the front upper right and that flag graphic with the ship's motto on the back. I posted the pics on my FB and had many friends who wanted one, but unfortunately for them you can only buy the memorabilia from the ship's merchandise table whenever they are in port.
But she was okay (besides her injured pride)?
I think she hurt her arm, but it wasn't really bad enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. I think it was just bruised.
Do you take that many pics? Can you not extend its' memory?
It only had 8GB of memory to begin with. I tried to buy micro SD cards for it before, but they failed to mount. It's probably best if I just buy the S20. The camera on this phone is crappy. The S20 is supposed to have a great camera and IIRC it has 128GB memory to begin with and can be expanded with an additional memory card.
SALTY with a US Navy logo.
So just a reference to the salty oceans that the navy traverses?
I forgot to ask, what was the lecture like? Was it about naval history?
So just a reference to the salty oceans that the navy traverses?
It's a kinda play on words. In slang it means someone who is pissed off, grouchy, or irritated. In the Navy or Marines it's used to describe someone who has been enlisted for a long time with lots of experience (who could also be grouchy and ill tempered lol). I got the shirt because my last boss told someone that I was in the Navy when that person mentioned that I cursed a lot. (That was because there was always something to be irritated about at my last job. So many incompetent people who didn't care about doing their jobs which usually created more work for me. It could be very aggravating hence the cursing. ;) ) I have a snarky sense of humor so I got the shirt intending to wear it when I went back to work.
I forgot to ask, what was the lecture like? Was it about naval history?
I was expecting it to be about the ship, but instead the artist whose pics were exhibited talked about her inspiration for the pics, which was her family members who were in the military. She mainly talked about her father who was a P-38 pilot in WW2 and got shot down and captured by the Germans and sent to Stalag Luft III (the prisoner camp that was the inspiration for Hogan's Heros and The Great Escape). Then after the war he was a test pilot for the US Air Force. She had some videos about WW2 that she played (which she said she pulled off YouTube). She also talked about being in a military family and having lived in various places around the world, including Belgium & Japan.
I wasn't really interested in the subject matter, but I thought it would be rude to get up & leave. I was sitting there thinking that I could watch the Smithsonian channel videos for free at home instead of running up the parking fee. They charged $3 for the first hour then an additional $3 for hours 2-5. I had only intended to stay less than an hour so I wouldn't have to pay $6 for parking. Once the lecture went past an hour, I figured I'd just stick it out because it would be $6 regardless of how long I stayed.
After I left, I was intending to go to the Total Wine liquor store that was on the same street as the port, but QoH called my cell phone & wanted to know where I was. I told her I was going to Aldi (I was going to go there after Total Wine). Because she called while I was driving, she caused me to miss my turn, so I just went to the Aldi straight away so that she wouldn't suspect anything.
Anyway, today I discovered that Walmart can process my photos for cheap & I can just upload them from my phone. I didn't even have to leave my house. ☺ Only 12 cents per copy. I uploaded the pics I got of the ship & my selfies at the port and also the few pics I took at my cousin's wedding. In total it cost $3.85 including tax for 24 pics. If the pics come out good, I'll have a bunch of other pics from my phone printed.
so I just went to the Aldi straight away so that she wouldn't suspect anything.
Does she not want you buying wine?
I'll have a bunch of other pics from my phone printed.
What will you do with them?
Does she not want you buying wine?
No. She accuses me of being an alcoholic all the time. It's completely ridiculous since I drink 1 beer maybe every 2 weeks at most. I think she does that in an attempt to make me stop doing something that I enjoy. She can't stand the thought of me enjoying myself in any way. I wasn't even planning on buying anything at the Total Wine. I just wanted to see what they were selling. They have a large selection of every kind of beer, wine, & liquor and I wanted to see if they had anything that interested me.
What will you do with them?
Probably put them in an album or something.
In other news, I cooked a delicious corned beef with cabbage, carrots, & potatoes today. The meat was very tender and it was all very delicious. I got the corned beef at Aldi. I've been having good luck with buying meat there. The last thing I got was brisket and it came out very tender as well. ☺
I cooked a delicious corned beef with cabbage, carrots, & potatoes today.
I could never get into corned beef. People here sometimes put slices of it on a slice of bread and then put mayo on top. American corned beef seems different though.
I am cooking ATM: pasta (the big bendy tubes) with minced carrots, feta and passata with a thick omelet on top. No herbs available unfortunately except the ones in the passata.
I could never get into corned beef.
D:
I think it depends on how it was brined and which spices were used. I can tell the difference between brands. I guess my Irish side likes it. You can also make a really good Reuben sandwich with corned beef (almost 30 years doing Jewish catering will make you appreciate a good Reuben. ☺)
pasta (the big bendy tubes) with minced carrots, feta and passata with a thick omelet on top.
Sounds good! 😋
No herbs available unfortunately except the ones in the passata.
You might have to start growing your own. I'm trying to grow rosemary and basil. The rosemary I started as a small piece that I broke off of a plant at the garden center. It's very slow growing, but it's finally starting to bush out and I think it's about 18cm tall now. The basil I started from seeds probably 3 months ago and those suckers are still tiny! I think the tallest one is only 6cm. :/ IDK if herbs normally grow that slowly or maybe because they don't like the hot weather. My friend Janet has a very large rosemary planted near the front door of her house. I think it's nearly a meter high and very bushy. I think she's had it for several years, though.
You might have to start growing your own.
I could but my parents are very picky about what I can put into the food. My father doesn't like rosemary, oregano or coriander. My mother doesn't like anything spicy. I've been sneaking some pepper into the mashed potatoes though and she doesn't seem to notice or care. What do you use the rosemary with BTW?
I could but my parents are very picky about what I can put into the food.
Yes, I remember you saying that they like it bland. LOL
I've been sneaking some pepper into the mashed potatoes though and she doesn't seem to notice or care.
Do you use black pepper or white pepper?
What do you use the rosemary with BTW?
With lamb or meatloaf. Sometimes I like roasted red potatoes with rosemary. I haven't had any of that for a while, though.
I had some overripe bananas so I made banana pancakes a while ago. The pancake mix was past expiration (the test pancake didn't rise like it should have) so I put about a teaspoon of baking powder in the mix and then they came out fine. They tasted really good with real maple syrup. 😋
Oh, I almost forgot! When I went out to check the mail today, my dad's tax refund check finally arrived! It only took them 4 months. /sarcasm 😩 It was getting to the point where I was contemplating going to the local IRS office to try to find out what the hell was taking so long. I was concerned that it might have been stolen. I do e-file & direct deposit with my refunds and they usually take about 10 days, but because my dad was deceased, they required the refund to be sent by mail with other documentation. At least they cut the check with my name on it so I can probably just cash it at my regular bank and won't have to go to the one with the estate's account. My bank is less than a mile from my house and less of a pain in the ass to deal with.
I think I'm going to use some of the money to replace the speakers in my car. One stopped working altogether and the other 3 buzz really badly because they are old and shot out.
Do you use black pepper or white pepper?
White pepper.
I think I'm going to use some of the money to replace the speakers in my car.
Are you going to do it yourself or have someone else do it for you?
White pepper.
👍👍👍 Yes, that makes the potatoes even more delicious.
Are you going to do it yourself or have someone else do it for you?
I think I will probably do it myself. It seems pretty straight forward. I just have to take the door panels off and then unscrew & disconnect the old speakers, then plug in the new ones & screw everything back. The rear speakers are behind a plastic panel that just pops off. It would be a different story if I was replacing the stereo. You have to remove the dash and a bunch of stuff and it's more complicated. I'd probably pay someone for that.
Yes, that makes the potatoes even more delicious.
I prefer white pepper over black pepper anyway. It's great in soups, I think.
I prefer white pepper over black pepper anyway. It's great in soups, I think.
It's better for cream based soups IMO. QoH always put it in cream of mushroom soup. White & black pepper have totally different flavors.
Anyhoo, I went grocery shopping today. It was wicked hot out, but not particularly humid. The Sahara dust has been keeping everything dry and hurricane free. I hope it lasts for another 2 months until the worst part of hurricane season is over.
Aldi had a package of wild caught gulf (of Mexico) shrimp so I bought that. I had been craving some shrimp scampi. Usually these stores sell the farm raised crap or stuff from third world countries. Gulf shrimp are good quality domestically produced shrimp.
QoH always put it in cream of mushroom soup.
I hate mushroom soup. At least if it's champignon soup. Can't stand the taste or the smell.
It was wicked hot out
Yeah, here as well. I am not enjoying this heat.
I hate mushroom soup.
LOL No ambiguity there. 😂😂
Yeah, here as well. I am not enjoying this heat.
I'm glad that our AC is new and cranking out nice cold air. ☺
Well last night I went online to the Walmart website to check the status of my photo order and got sucked into buying nearly $40 worth of clothes. They had a 2 t-shirt bundle of classic Mötley Crüe shirts for $19.98 (which is a good deal for band t-shirts). One was Shout at the Devil and the other was Theater of Pain. I always liked them when I was a kid but never got any shirts. Since it was a website only purchase, I needed to spend $35 to get free shipping. I found a 2 bundle of Cobra Kai shirts for $15, but I was still 2 cents short so I found a pair of shorts for $5. I already have a Cobra Kai shirt, but these are a little different. Unfortunately they didn't have my size so I had to get mediums. If they fit too big I can always return them. And because it's Florida back to school tax free week, I got all the clothes tax free. ☺
I also went to the bank this morning and deposited the check that I got for my dad's tax refund.
I'm roasting a half of a pork loin ATM. It's almost done and filling the house with delicious smells. ☺
No ambiguity there.
My father used to bake chopped champignons in a frying pan. That stuff stinks. And sometimes he put it in an omelet. smh.
I'm glad that our AC is new and cranking out nice cold air.
Our AC is cheaper though, it's just a couple of open windows. ;P
deposited the check that I got for my dad's tax refund
On your own private bank account?
My father used to bake chopped champignons in a frying pan. That stuff stinks.
LOL Some people just don't like mushrooms. I used to work with a lady who hated them. I love them. I guess it's like what happened to me after I had covid. There were some foods that tasted & smelled absolutely disgusting to me that I previously liked, especially pork fat and sour cream. It took about 6 months before I sour cream started tasting normal again.
And sometimes he put it in an omelet. smh.
I like them in omelets. 😎😜 With some nice Emmentaler cheese.
Our AC is cheaper though, it's just a couple of open windows. ;P
Our new one is more energy efficient and cheaper to run than the old one.
On your own private bank account?
Yes. Since I'm the personal representative they put my name on the check along with my dad's name, so that made it legal for me to deposit in my own account. If they had only put it in my dad's name, I would have had to deposit it in the estate account. I still would sign my name on it if that was the case since I'm personal representative. Either way it's my money since I was the sole heir.
In other news, I picked up my photos from Walmart today. It took the girl at the photo counter about 10 minutes to find them because some careless person put them in the wrong place. That store always seems to have that problem. The same thing happened the last time they processed photos for me. At least they came out good. I'm going to upload more pics from my phone to be printed, ones that I took at work.
after I had covid
I don't remember you having covid? When did that happen?
I'm going to upload more pics from my phone to be printed, ones that I took at work.
Some good memories?
I don't remember you having covid? When did that happen?
September of last year.
Some good memories?
Yes. I have some good pics from the company Christmas party, the HamilDONE party, and a couple of drag shows that I went to. Then there are a few pics of me & Roxy.
I haven't heard from her in over 2 weeks. The phone works both ways so I'm not going to be the one to text first.
September of last year.
Oh, okay. I guess I had no idea. :)
The phone works both ways so I'm not going to be the one to text first.
Are you still hoping she'll contact you?
Oh, okay. I guess I had no idea. :)
I didn't make a big deal about it. It was a very strange illness, though. For me it was like a bad cold or mild flu. Mostly upper respiratory inflammation. My sinuses were very congested, but I didn't have a runny nose or stopped up nose. I got a sore throat for 3 or 4 days, then I lost smell and taste for a few days. Also I had no energy and stayed in bed for a couple of days. I was doing some techniques to get my smell back, so I think that's why it returned quicker than a lot of people, but I think the inflammation damaged the epithelial lining in my nasal passages and my sense of taste & smell was messed up for several months. It also hurt to breathe very cold air or dry air for a month or two afterward.
Are you still hoping she'll contact you?
I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand I kinda do, but on the other, she's proving my feelings about the situation to be correct. It's obvious that I don't mean as much to her as she claimed. Friendships are supposed to have some reciprocity. She only responded to texts, and not right away, and never initiated them in the past few months.
She's consumed with her dad being in the nursing home. The level of enmeshment she has with her parents isn't healthy. She complains that she has to do everything for them with no help from her siblings, but she kinda teaches them that they don't have to because she always does everything and doesn't demand that they help out.
It was a very strange illness, though.
I've heard that from other people.
It also hurt to breathe very cold air
Where do you have very cold air in Florida?
Where do you have very cold air in Florida?
From our AC. And it actually wasn't very cold air that did it. It seemed like anything below 75 degrees and below 60% humidity was unbearable. And back then QoH was keeping the AC cold. I had to go outside frequently to breathe warm humid air to feel better.
Anyway, I had to call 911 again today because QoH was having trouble getting off of her bed. The lieutenant told me that I'm going to have to have a conversation with her about getting some help. I told him that I've tried, but she refuses to do anything sensible. I kinda wish she'd fall and hurt herself bad enough to need medical attention and then maybe she'd be forced to get help. She's not going to do anything but call me every name in the book and get nasty with me if I try to help.
She's not going to do anything but call me every name in the book and get nasty with me if I try to help.
You mean she wouldn't enjoy having a butler? :)
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