Sky: Not Cloudy All Day
January 9, 2023 2:54 AM Subscribe
Hello, my fine filter friends, welcome to Monday, and your free thread, where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the deer and the antelope play, etc.
Please, stretch your legs, enjoy the distinct lack of clouds, commune with the buffalo, and of course, post freely.
Please, stretch your legs, enjoy the distinct lack of clouds, commune with the buffalo, and of course, post freely.
(also- hi! I usually drop in on the talktails on the grey and I don't think I've really posted in a free thread yet.)
posted by freethefeet at 3:37 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by freethefeet at 3:37 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
^^freethefeet is appropriately posting first for the first time in a free thread.
posted by mightshould at 3:41 AM on January 9, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by mightshould at 3:41 AM on January 9, 2023 [10 favorites]
do the fun things
Hey, I spent some money I totally didn't need to spend and bought the Lego Starry Night set. I'm going to be building it this week.
I don't need it, but it'll look great in my living room.
I took five semesters of art history, I earned this!
posted by Fleebnork at 4:15 AM on January 9, 2023 [8 favorites]
Hey, I spent some money I totally didn't need to spend and bought the Lego Starry Night set. I'm going to be building it this week.
I don't need it, but it'll look great in my living room.
I took five semesters of art history, I earned this!
posted by Fleebnork at 4:15 AM on January 9, 2023 [8 favorites]
@mightshould - so jumping in free feet first, one might even say...
posted by jferg at 5:22 AM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by jferg at 5:22 AM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
I briefly pondered making this an AskMe, but I think the topic is too flimsy, so perhaps someone here can offer an answer.
I live maybe an hour outside of downtown Toronto. The Greater Toronto Area is served by a network of commuter bus and rail connections called GO Transit. Starting today, the trains will close their doors a minute prior to scheduled departure times, which GO’s overseeing body Metrolinx avers will “ensure on-time departures and arrivals.” I have been thinking about this for a day or two and have drawn no nearer to enlightenment.
So: the next departure from my nearest station (as of this moment) is at 8:42 a.m. The onboard train crew will close the doors at 8:41 a.m. Does this mean that the doors will close at 8:41 and the train will sit there for a full minute before departure? There are ~ ten stations between where I live and the main terminal in Toronto; this would seem to mean the one-hour trip has now added ten minutes to it in an attempt to be more punctual. If this is the new scheme, I suspect that by the end of this week there will be hundreds of videos posted of frustrated passengers standing on the platform and pounding on the doors while the crew inside sits placidly, observing a moment of silence.
Or is it that the doors will close at 8:41 and the train will depart at 8:41? In that case, I suppose they have just adjusted their schedules by one minute across the board and are not charging the schedules on the website and on the departure boards etc. This seems equally baffling. Metrolinx could do this without telling anyone. If my departure from Toronto is scheduled to be at 3:09 and it were to actually close the doors and leave at 3:08, what office would I express my dissatisfaction to?
The ironic thing is that compared to every city transit system I have ever taken, and our national train system, GO is remarkably punctual. This is the very definition of a solution in search of a problem, but here we are.
I am not headed into Toronto today, but I intend to swing by the station to see how this is implemented. Still: is there some nominal benefit to this scheme that is hidden from me? What could be the rationale?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:28 AM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I live maybe an hour outside of downtown Toronto. The Greater Toronto Area is served by a network of commuter bus and rail connections called GO Transit. Starting today, the trains will close their doors a minute prior to scheduled departure times, which GO’s overseeing body Metrolinx avers will “ensure on-time departures and arrivals.” I have been thinking about this for a day or two and have drawn no nearer to enlightenment.
So: the next departure from my nearest station (as of this moment) is at 8:42 a.m. The onboard train crew will close the doors at 8:41 a.m. Does this mean that the doors will close at 8:41 and the train will sit there for a full minute before departure? There are ~ ten stations between where I live and the main terminal in Toronto; this would seem to mean the one-hour trip has now added ten minutes to it in an attempt to be more punctual. If this is the new scheme, I suspect that by the end of this week there will be hundreds of videos posted of frustrated passengers standing on the platform and pounding on the doors while the crew inside sits placidly, observing a moment of silence.
Or is it that the doors will close at 8:41 and the train will depart at 8:41? In that case, I suppose they have just adjusted their schedules by one minute across the board and are not charging the schedules on the website and on the departure boards etc. This seems equally baffling. Metrolinx could do this without telling anyone. If my departure from Toronto is scheduled to be at 3:09 and it were to actually close the doors and leave at 3:08, what office would I express my dissatisfaction to?
The ironic thing is that compared to every city transit system I have ever taken, and our national train system, GO is remarkably punctual. This is the very definition of a solution in search of a problem, but here we are.
I am not headed into Toronto today, but I intend to swing by the station to see how this is implemented. Still: is there some nominal benefit to this scheme that is hidden from me? What could be the rationale?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:28 AM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I guess if late boardings have historically been a source of delays this early closing could be of help? I haven't ridden a Toronto train in 15 years so I can't recall if that's a thing that happens.
Prior to this change, was the posted departure time really the time they closed the doors?
posted by The Monster at the End of this Thread at 5:54 AM on January 9, 2023
Prior to this change, was the posted departure time really the time they closed the doors?
posted by The Monster at the End of this Thread at 5:54 AM on January 9, 2023
Dealing with a stressful situation that I don't have much control over, just waiting for "a thing" to happen on January 20.
So, in order to help fight off the persistent cloud of anxiety and 3am panic dreams, I've thrown myself back into yoga big-time, with the theory that if I physically exhaust myself on a daily basis, the two weeks will go by faster.
Here's hoping. 🤞
posted by jeremias at 5:57 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
So, in order to help fight off the persistent cloud of anxiety and 3am panic dreams, I've thrown myself back into yoga big-time, with the theory that if I physically exhaust myself on a daily basis, the two weeks will go by faster.
Here's hoping. 🤞
posted by jeremias at 5:57 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
I woke up at 4:45 this morning to the sound of coyotes yipping joyously somewhere close by in my suburban neighborhood.
I know there are so many issues at play here, but at this moment I just want to say that if I have to wake up at quarter of five, that was one of the better ways to be woken up.
posted by martin q blank at 6:08 AM on January 9, 2023 [8 favorites]
I know there are so many issues at play here, but at this moment I just want to say that if I have to wake up at quarter of five, that was one of the better ways to be woken up.
posted by martin q blank at 6:08 AM on January 9, 2023 [8 favorites]
Hey, I spent some money I totally didn't need to spend
Considering doing the same, although on something a lot more expensive (looking to seriously upgrade my bike.) Don’t feel bad, time that you enjoy is better than time you’re not enjoying, and sometimes it’s worth blowing some cash to get there.
posted by azpenguin at 6:08 AM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Considering doing the same, although on something a lot more expensive (looking to seriously upgrade my bike.) Don’t feel bad, time that you enjoy is better than time you’re not enjoying, and sometimes it’s worth blowing some cash to get there.
posted by azpenguin at 6:08 AM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I just returned from a weekend at a national competition in a sport I've been doing for around thirty years. I see these people at most three or four times a year at these events, but I've known them so long that all of my social anxieties, joy at seeing friends, long-term resentments, and competitive angst surface immediately. It's sort of like having quarterly high school reunions. And how did it happen that someone I knew as a teenager is now competing in the over-50 events and winning them?
But I continue to be free to do it, and free to quit if I don't want to, in the spirit of this thread.
I've also been reading Cal Newport's A World Without E-Mail, which makes the fairly obvious point that the acceleration of instantaneous free communication is mostly not the great thing we thought it would be a while back. Where I disagree with him is in his typical business-book overvaluation of so-called "knowledge work," which includes an awful lot of things the late David Graeber characterized as "bullshit jobs." A huge part of what we're all doing these days is not productive work, but a full-employment program masquerading as capitalism.
posted by Peach at 6:42 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
But I continue to be free to do it, and free to quit if I don't want to, in the spirit of this thread.
I've also been reading Cal Newport's A World Without E-Mail, which makes the fairly obvious point that the acceleration of instantaneous free communication is mostly not the great thing we thought it would be a while back. Where I disagree with him is in his typical business-book overvaluation of so-called "knowledge work," which includes an awful lot of things the late David Graeber characterized as "bullshit jobs." A huge part of what we're all doing these days is not productive work, but a full-employment program masquerading as capitalism.
posted by Peach at 6:42 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Went to a drag show last Friday, the third in about three months or so that I've been to, supporting a local barista who performs in them. They're kind of fun and different, but I've also learned to bring along earplugs, and I'm good for about 90 minutes in a bar-type environment before I take my leave.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:30 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:30 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
My Monday morning was a very old friend I have not seen for years taking me out for a swim in a tidal pool because she wanted to talk about gender identity stuff.
Which was kind of nice.
I also listened to this bit of craziness for the first time since 2020 (it's a musical loop of our health minister explaining the Covid risks of sharing a joint accompanied by a pleasingly earnest sign language translation.)
It was the brainworm I had for a large part of the hard lockdown when we weren't allowed to leave our homes even to exercise. I remember dancing to it in the garage.
posted by Zumbador at 7:41 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Which was kind of nice.
I also listened to this bit of craziness for the first time since 2020 (it's a musical loop of our health minister explaining the Covid risks of sharing a joint accompanied by a pleasingly earnest sign language translation.)
It was the brainworm I had for a large part of the hard lockdown when we weren't allowed to leave our homes even to exercise. I remember dancing to it in the garage.
posted by Zumbador at 7:41 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
I've been trying for 5 years to get my cat Baby Goat to sit on my lap and he has resisted all invitations until a day ago. Now as I try to type, he is firmly ensconced on my lap making it hard to reach the keyboard and making little sounds of disapproval when I move him for certain key presses. I'm not sure he will realize that I am slightly put off by his large presence since I keep kissing his ears and cooing to him.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 8:00 AM on January 9, 2023 [14 favorites]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 8:00 AM on January 9, 2023 [14 favorites]
The train door thing reeks of someone having sued the transit system because they didn't have time to reach a seat/hand hold in the time between the door closing and the train accelerating, fell down and were injured.
posted by Mitheral at 8:01 AM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Mitheral at 8:01 AM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
This morning, I overslept in spite of having set three alarms.
It didn't really matter much, but I hate being late for work, it's such bad form.
And I lost Wordle.
And the weather is horrible.
And a young man was a wounded in a knife attack earlier today, so my street was closed for all traffic for several hours.
So was is a bit like opening a magic door when I opened this thread full of open skies, warm weather and even a warm cat. And a train mystery.
A minute is really a long time. Here the doors are closed some seconds before the metro starts, maybe 10 seconds. I'll have to check next time I go, on Wednesday.
posted by mumimor at 8:07 AM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
It didn't really matter much, but I hate being late for work, it's such bad form.
And I lost Wordle.
And the weather is horrible.
And a young man was a wounded in a knife attack earlier today, so my street was closed for all traffic for several hours.
So was is a bit like opening a magic door when I opened this thread full of open skies, warm weather and even a warm cat. And a train mystery.
A minute is really a long time. Here the doors are closed some seconds before the metro starts, maybe 10 seconds. I'll have to check next time I go, on Wednesday.
posted by mumimor at 8:07 AM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
I woke up at 4:45 this morning to the sound of coyotes yipping joyously somewhere close by in my suburban neighborhood.
I'll never forget an outdoor concert a friend organized in their yard, the performer was okay but it was mostly all about the company of friends and being outdoors together during covid. When coyotes started kicking up a wild bout of song nearby, I thought the performer really missed the chance to be great.. i.e. just shut up and let them sing, there was no need for a word from any of the apes in attendance. Sadly only a brief moment was given over before the editorializing began and I think that is a lasting shame.
posted by elkevelvet at 8:09 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'll never forget an outdoor concert a friend organized in their yard, the performer was okay but it was mostly all about the company of friends and being outdoors together during covid. When coyotes started kicking up a wild bout of song nearby, I thought the performer really missed the chance to be great.. i.e. just shut up and let them sing, there was no need for a word from any of the apes in attendance. Sadly only a brief moment was given over before the editorializing began and I think that is a lasting shame.
posted by elkevelvet at 8:09 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
The fun fact I learned today at an early morning ENT visit:
Antibiotics don't do jack shit if your ear infection is FUNGAL! wHEEEE!
....But seriously: this is for an ear infection I've been struggling with for a month, and also it came just 3 months after another infection. All told this was two urgent care visits, two calls to my regular doctor, 2 visits to an internist who had an opening THIS month as opposed to next one, and 4 rounds of antibiotic ear drops. And this ENT took one look and said "oh, yeah, duh, this is a fungal thing," and cleaned me out with a teeny little vacuum and sent a prescription of fungicide to my pharmacy and I should be fine in 10 days. I'm just relieved that it sounds like this is finally getting properly addressed - and doubly relieved that he didn't have to shove any kind of scope deep into an uncomfortable orifice. I even had a hearing test booked today or safety's sake but he cancelled it because "this is obviously the problem, I don't need the hearing test".
Worst case scenario is if it's an unusually stubborn infection that hasn't cleared up in 10 days, we'll try a stronger medication - which will require me to walk around with an ear full of this antifungal cream for a solid week and a half. And, since I've been walking around with a stuffed-up ear for the past month already, that's almost normal for me by now.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:10 AM on January 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
Antibiotics don't do jack shit if your ear infection is FUNGAL! wHEEEE!
....But seriously: this is for an ear infection I've been struggling with for a month, and also it came just 3 months after another infection. All told this was two urgent care visits, two calls to my regular doctor, 2 visits to an internist who had an opening THIS month as opposed to next one, and 4 rounds of antibiotic ear drops. And this ENT took one look and said "oh, yeah, duh, this is a fungal thing," and cleaned me out with a teeny little vacuum and sent a prescription of fungicide to my pharmacy and I should be fine in 10 days. I'm just relieved that it sounds like this is finally getting properly addressed - and doubly relieved that he didn't have to shove any kind of scope deep into an uncomfortable orifice. I even had a hearing test booked today or safety's sake but he cancelled it because "this is obviously the problem, I don't need the hearing test".
Worst case scenario is if it's an unusually stubborn infection that hasn't cleared up in 10 days, we'll try a stronger medication - which will require me to walk around with an ear full of this antifungal cream for a solid week and a half. And, since I've been walking around with a stuffed-up ear for the past month already, that's almost normal for me by now.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:10 AM on January 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
https://merrysky.net/forecast/5138%20illinois%20ave%2095628/us
posted by wmo at 8:32 AM on January 9, 2023
posted by wmo at 8:32 AM on January 9, 2023
My dog has to have surgery to remove a belly tumor today so we'll be on pins and needles until we get the call from the vet to bring her home. It's also the first day of winter term where I teach, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of things at work to distract me, but...ugh.
posted by Tesseractive at 8:34 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Tesseractive at 8:34 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
A weird morning here. Woke up to texts from the sibling I don't talk to anymore, saying that if I ever want to reconnect he's there. What a backhanded way of asking for my attention. There's always a stinger at the end, this time a bit of unnecessary ugliness about another sibling, with the "but I didn't say it so it's not my fault" weasel at the end. Nope.
Also my 10 year old cat peed on the couch for the first time ever, a whole bladder's worth. A harbinger or just a one-off, who knows? But it happened just as we were hustling the child out the door for school and it made the morning feel fraught and disjointed, transitions are always tough enough without additional worry.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 8:39 AM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
Also my 10 year old cat peed on the couch for the first time ever, a whole bladder's worth. A harbinger or just a one-off, who knows? But it happened just as we were hustling the child out the door for school and it made the morning feel fraught and disjointed, transitions are always tough enough without additional worry.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 8:39 AM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
I would like to sleep past 4 am. Really, really body I need more than 6 hours of sleep. I am so tired and so tired of being tired. Anyway I was up at 4 and gave up trying to go back to sleep at 5:30, since the alarm goes off at 6:30 anyway. Yesterday we went for a lovely walk around Fort Stevens with the baby and the stroller and the dog and the baby splashed in puddles and walked all by herself. Until, that is, her mama and I got no doubt foolishly alarmed by the thought of cougars and picked her up and headed back to the noisy busy part of the park. Therefore I spent my extra morning hour learning more about cougars in Oregon. There has only been one known fatal cougar attack in Oregon, in case you are interested, and it was near Mt. Hood in 2014.
All the elk were at the park including three big old bulls and we stopped and looked at them and told the baby they were daddy elk and she looked at them for a while and said very seriously "Llama. Dada llama."
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:45 AM on January 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
All the elk were at the park including three big old bulls and we stopped and looked at them and told the baby they were daddy elk and she looked at them for a while and said very seriously "Llama. Dada llama."
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:45 AM on January 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
I'm hoping that my Monday will result in having a working washing machine again after significant repairs to the pipes under my pier-and-beam house. If the problem is actually solved, my Monday night will involve sorting two weeks of laundry and beginning the long process of washing the Mt Everest of dirty sheets/towels/clothes.
On the plus side, this means Mr Epigrams and I have a good idea of what we'll wear and what doesn't get worn even when we're scraping the bottom of the barrel laundry-wise. There's definitely some Marie Kondo in our future.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 8:48 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
On the plus side, this means Mr Epigrams and I have a good idea of what we'll wear and what doesn't get worn even when we're scraping the bottom of the barrel laundry-wise. There's definitely some Marie Kondo in our future.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 8:48 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
My intial reaction to the train thing is that this was someone's 'brilliant solution' to the trains being late, and it wasn't (as is usual with brilliant solutions) really well thought out.
Mitheral's idea sounds plausible. It would be helpful to know what exactly caused this change.
Having ridden some subways in my time, I assume the problem was folks running to jump through the doors as they are closing, the doors open back up (or someone gets stuck) and then others try to jump in.
I wonder how long the train was usually stopped in the station before this change.
If before, the train stopped for 4 minutes with the doors open, now it's going to be open for only 3 minutes, so it's not going to add 10 minutes to the overall time.
A minute does seem like a long time, but you're probably still going to get the same last minute door jumpers, and this should lessen the delays this behavior causes, while still leaving time to get to the seats.
It might also encourage folks to show up on time??? I learned decades ago in DC that my life was so much less stressful if I left myself extra time to get anywhere. I know something often comes up you can't help, but trying to get somewhere in a hurry when you're late never works in a city.
Without knowing any details, it sounds like a good idea to me.
Why should people who got there on time suffer because of door jumpers?
posted by MtDewd at 8:48 AM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Mitheral's idea sounds plausible. It would be helpful to know what exactly caused this change.
Having ridden some subways in my time, I assume the problem was folks running to jump through the doors as they are closing, the doors open back up (or someone gets stuck) and then others try to jump in.
I wonder how long the train was usually stopped in the station before this change.
If before, the train stopped for 4 minutes with the doors open, now it's going to be open for only 3 minutes, so it's not going to add 10 minutes to the overall time.
A minute does seem like a long time, but you're probably still going to get the same last minute door jumpers, and this should lessen the delays this behavior causes, while still leaving time to get to the seats.
It might also encourage folks to show up on time??? I learned decades ago in DC that my life was so much less stressful if I left myself extra time to get anywhere. I know something often comes up you can't help, but trying to get somewhere in a hurry when you're late never works in a city.
Without knowing any details, it sounds like a good idea to me.
Why should people who got there on time suffer because of door jumpers?
posted by MtDewd at 8:48 AM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also, last night I realized that the word I used as my starting Wordle guess every day this year (with an average of 2.875 guesses 1/1-1/8) will never give me a 1 because it's already been used as the target.
So I should have looked into finding another word.
Especially after today's word.
posted by MtDewd at 8:56 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
So I should have looked into finding another word.
Especially after today's word.
posted by MtDewd at 8:56 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Lawn Beaver My late husband did not talk to his brother, for good reason, and when he died, I tried for reasons of sheer courtesy to notify him of the memorial service. The phone number I had for him didn't work, so I Facebook Messaged the guy. He just finally picked the message yesterday, nearly four months later, and his reaction was "I'm the only one left," which struck me as fairly typical. Sometimes family just isn't worth it.
posted by Peach at 8:59 AM on January 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Peach at 8:59 AM on January 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
It's been a while, so I think it's time for another feral cat update.
I'm saddened to report that I think Captain Midnight won't be coming back around anymore; she's been gone for a few weeks now. I'm sure someone has adopted her into a lovely home where she can get all the sunbeams and belly rubs she wants. Please don't tell me any differently, this is an emotional support delusion.
So theoretically I should be down to just three or four cats now; The Phantom, Luna, James and sometimes Moose. Except a few nights ago I heard something odd going on outside, and went out to be greeted by a sound I can only describe as caterwauling. There's a white and black cat who's decided to start hanging around and occasionally serenading the other cats. I call him Tom Jones. He's showed up for dinner a couple of times since then.
And then a few days ago I was just about to bring the cats their breakfast when I saw one cat jump up on a garbage can across the street. At first I thought it was one of mine, being mostly black, but then I took a closer look and she's got a white belly, four white socks, brilliant white whiskers, and a white boop-button on her nose. I'd never seen her before. But she waited politely for the other cats to feed, and then ate ravenously. And she's been to every meal since then, gradually achieving a sort of reserved detente with the other kitties. I'm calling her Flurb. There's a slight chance she might be a long-term stray as opposed to a feral, and in that case I'll try to befriend her and find her a new home.
So I'm back up to five or six cats in my little colony, and the social relations are definitely in flux as they all get used to one another, and I'm going to need to get the newcomers trapped and neutered/spayed soon because they're not ear-tipped. But in the meantime it's fascinating to watch, it's like having a fishtank but with cats.
posted by MrVisible at 9:06 AM on January 9, 2023 [10 favorites]
I'm saddened to report that I think Captain Midnight won't be coming back around anymore; she's been gone for a few weeks now. I'm sure someone has adopted her into a lovely home where she can get all the sunbeams and belly rubs she wants. Please don't tell me any differently, this is an emotional support delusion.
So theoretically I should be down to just three or four cats now; The Phantom, Luna, James and sometimes Moose. Except a few nights ago I heard something odd going on outside, and went out to be greeted by a sound I can only describe as caterwauling. There's a white and black cat who's decided to start hanging around and occasionally serenading the other cats. I call him Tom Jones. He's showed up for dinner a couple of times since then.
And then a few days ago I was just about to bring the cats their breakfast when I saw one cat jump up on a garbage can across the street. At first I thought it was one of mine, being mostly black, but then I took a closer look and she's got a white belly, four white socks, brilliant white whiskers, and a white boop-button on her nose. I'd never seen her before. But she waited politely for the other cats to feed, and then ate ravenously. And she's been to every meal since then, gradually achieving a sort of reserved detente with the other kitties. I'm calling her Flurb. There's a slight chance she might be a long-term stray as opposed to a feral, and in that case I'll try to befriend her and find her a new home.
So I'm back up to five or six cats in my little colony, and the social relations are definitely in flux as they all get used to one another, and I'm going to need to get the newcomers trapped and neutered/spayed soon because they're not ear-tipped. But in the meantime it's fascinating to watch, it's like having a fishtank but with cats.
posted by MrVisible at 9:06 AM on January 9, 2023 [10 favorites]
This week is Hell Week at work and they are short staffed, which is very bad news for me. Plus horrible weather, of course. I could never do Dry January because January is so awful it makes me want to drink and drink and drink.
My power went out over the weekend--only for about 12 hours, but most of the town was out due to downed power lines. I was really hoping power would go out at work today instead, but so far no.
Friday night's show sucked, as the lighting designer kept nitpicking cues at me over the comms, which was so loud I got yelled at for making a racket, and for missing cues because of the yelling. Then one cue was broken at the end and I got yelled at for that, so I went home depressed and sad. I am pleased to report that all this shit got fixed the next day, so Saturday's show was near perfect. And then of course it got canceled on Sunday because the power was out there until midafternoon.
I am just hiding in my house this week, being/feeling miserable, I think.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:09 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
My power went out over the weekend--only for about 12 hours, but most of the town was out due to downed power lines. I was really hoping power would go out at work today instead, but so far no.
Friday night's show sucked, as the lighting designer kept nitpicking cues at me over the comms, which was so loud I got yelled at for making a racket, and for missing cues because of the yelling. Then one cue was broken at the end and I got yelled at for that, so I went home depressed and sad. I am pleased to report that all this shit got fixed the next day, so Saturday's show was near perfect. And then of course it got canceled on Sunday because the power was out there until midafternoon.
I am just hiding in my house this week, being/feeling miserable, I think.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:09 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Heading back to work today after three involuntary weeks off (plant shut down over the holidays) so even though I knew I be heading back the whole time that's a stressor that has been removed.
Had to auger the main line in my house again last week (there is a slight pitch change about 60' out that slowly accumulates fines that over the course of a year creates a partial blockage). Found out there are hose/attachments for pressure washers to clean drains so going to buy a setup and give her a preventative rinse out every six months or so going forward.
posted by Mitheral at 9:18 AM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Had to auger the main line in my house again last week (there is a slight pitch change about 60' out that slowly accumulates fines that over the course of a year creates a partial blockage). Found out there are hose/attachments for pressure washers to clean drains so going to buy a setup and give her a preventative rinse out every six months or so going forward.
posted by Mitheral at 9:18 AM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
oy, the first week of this new year has been difficult/rotten for me due to a number of things. I'm trying to adjust my attitude. thanks to those here who have positive or at least amusing things to share. ugh. hugs (if you want em) to those in the doldrums with me.
posted by supermedusa at 9:20 AM on January 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by supermedusa at 9:20 AM on January 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
heading into a weird month that will almost certainly be bad on a few different levels, but right now we are just waiting. I am so afraid of the worst possible (but very unlikely) outcome that I can't imagine being upset about the medium-hard, rather annoying likely outcomes. I will be so very very grateful and happy if the next month is simply a pain in the ass.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:24 AM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:24 AM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
according to this article they'll only be closing the doors earlier at certain stations.
Generally the busiest ones
Union Station
Durham College Oshawa GO
Old Elm GO
Allandale GO
London GO
Kitchener GO
Niagara Falls GO
West Harbour GO
Hamilton GO Centre
Bloomington GO
Milton GO
--
The train door thing reeks of someone having sued the transit system
Given that the trains are double decker, there would be last minute people climbing the stairs as the train lurches out of the station. So that's possible.
Union , Oshawa are very busy stations.
posted by yyz at 9:34 AM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Generally the busiest ones
Union Station
Durham College Oshawa GO
Old Elm GO
Allandale GO
London GO
Kitchener GO
Niagara Falls GO
West Harbour GO
Hamilton GO Centre
Bloomington GO
Milton GO
--
The train door thing reeks of someone having sued the transit system
Given that the trains are double decker, there would be last minute people climbing the stairs as the train lurches out of the station. So that's possible.
Union , Oshawa are very busy stations.
posted by yyz at 9:34 AM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I woke up at around 1:30am, tossed and turned for a half hour before going to the bathroom to wake myself up and reset my brain, which usually lets me go back to sleep, which happened around 2:30 I think? But then I slept hard -- I am always up before my alarm time, often an hour earlier, but today I slept right up to the alarm waking me up, and found my wife was awake before me because she'd had a coughing fit in bed and got up, then came back to bed and then again got up: none of this woke me in the least. A rare unfitful stretch of sleep. Trazadone before bed seems to help me at least fall back asleep if I wake up after 5 or so hours, but it's definitely a stress-related thing when I do wake up too early. I also take a couple melatonin gummies which I don't think do much to help, but I like eating them so I take them anyway, a little treat for hopeful sleepiness.
In other news, I *think* a different department in the very small company where I work just hired my ex-wife's second husband; I haven't seen him but he has a unique name and I'm pretty sure it's him. I'm not a fan of him but also hold no particular resentment against him and haven't even thought about him in probably a decade since my daughter (thus his stepdaughter) moved out on her own. I generally don't have to spend much time in that department, but there's a *sigh* what am I going to have to deal with now if he wants to commisserate over also being my ex-wife's ex-husband -- she married three times before she passed away -- or discuss our daughter, or any other sort of polite chitchat you do with people you knew several years ago but have a very different memory of how that time went, which I have no interest in doing.
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:34 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
In other news, I *think* a different department in the very small company where I work just hired my ex-wife's second husband; I haven't seen him but he has a unique name and I'm pretty sure it's him. I'm not a fan of him but also hold no particular resentment against him and haven't even thought about him in probably a decade since my daughter (thus his stepdaughter) moved out on her own. I generally don't have to spend much time in that department, but there's a *sigh* what am I going to have to deal with now if he wants to commisserate over also being my ex-wife's ex-husband -- she married three times before she passed away -- or discuss our daughter, or any other sort of polite chitchat you do with people you knew several years ago but have a very different memory of how that time went, which I have no interest in doing.
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:34 AM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
There's a white and black cat who's decided to start hanging around and occasionally serenading the other cats. I call him Tom Jones.
Please tell me you greet him by asking what’s new.
according to this article they'll only be closing the doors earlier at certain stations.
That would make more sense: these are mostly the start and end points of trips, where it is feasible. I could find nothing on the GO site when I looked yesterday, and the news stories on three or four different pages all just regurgitated the same press release.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:01 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Please tell me you greet him by asking what’s new.
according to this article they'll only be closing the doors earlier at certain stations.
That would make more sense: these are mostly the start and end points of trips, where it is feasible. I could find nothing on the GO site when I looked yesterday, and the news stories on three or four different pages all just regurgitated the same press release.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:01 AM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
I have an acquaintance who tried to catch a train that was pulling out, fell, hit his head, ended up on life support, and died, so as a result I tend to sympathize with the train people.
posted by Peach at 10:37 AM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Peach at 10:37 AM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I live in Oregon in an urban forest overlap. Cougars are spotted along this border once every year or two, although none particularly close to us. When I hike in the area I look behind me occasionally. About a month ago my next door neighbor (a biologist) was out for a pre-dawn jog and spotted a "giant" bear less than 100 meters from my house. So I am more observant when walking the dog at night although I don't doubt that I could scare off a black bear.
I go to the eastern Oregon desert several times a year and often get to hear coyote parties at twilight. Great stuff.
My fatigue has been worse lately so my anemia is likely worse (I bleed from AVMs in my intestine). I'll get my blood tested this week. Yesterday our backcountry ski patrol did a search & rescue training. I stayed in the base as the radio operator. It was just my second time up on the mountain this season so it was good to see old friends and to talk about books with a new member. Today I'm taking it easy, watching the football games that I recorded yesterday.
posted by neuron at 10:40 AM on January 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
I go to the eastern Oregon desert several times a year and often get to hear coyote parties at twilight. Great stuff.
My fatigue has been worse lately so my anemia is likely worse (I bleed from AVMs in my intestine). I'll get my blood tested this week. Yesterday our backcountry ski patrol did a search & rescue training. I stayed in the base as the radio operator. It was just my second time up on the mountain this season so it was good to see old friends and to talk about books with a new member. Today I'm taking it easy, watching the football games that I recorded yesterday.
posted by neuron at 10:40 AM on January 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
My mother just tested positive for COVID. She's the only person I know IRL who;s older and sicker than me. She's got a telemed appointment in an hour and she has a great doctor, but I have no way to be with her and I'm really freaked out. We've both been so careful for the last two years.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:10 PM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:10 PM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
The good news is that I’m safe and warm and don’t need to go anywhere. The bad news is that I can’t go anywhere because of flash flooding and since we were supposed to have the house tented for termites (now delayed to Thursday) nearly all the food has been packed up and put in storage. So I’ll just be eating vegetable soup and kippers for dinner I guess!
posted by cali at 12:42 PM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by cali at 12:42 PM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
There was a recipe involving kippers on the times recently.
posted by Oyéah at 12:44 PM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 12:44 PM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
My husband found out yesterday that he was exposed to Covid on Saturday, so we are isolating for at least the next four days (five days total, per CDC recommendations). That is, provided we remain symptom-free. He also tested this morning - negative. We got Covid last March while on a trip and we we So Sick, I really really hope we’ve dodged this bullet (and yes we are fully vaxxed).
posted by dbmcd at 12:52 PM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by dbmcd at 12:52 PM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
today is my first day back t work since before Xmas, sigh. I'll have to log on to fucking teams at 5. Someday I'll retire, and deleting teams will be such a joy.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:53 PM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:53 PM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Speaking of LEGO, I got my nephew an 'advent' box of minifigs and minipacks (along with some fossils and other stuff) - and it was a mega hit. The LEGO motorcycles are really cool and have some zip (it's got a weighted fidget-spinner type bearings on the back wheel, you charge it up by pushing it forward quickly a couple/ three times, then let it go) - I had to get myself one.
It's very cool, but I'm wondering whether I should gift it to the nephew the next time I see him.
And... saw a Mandalorian + Baby Yoda bobblehead kit for $25 so I naturally had to get a set. Waiting for it to arrive. Not sure if I'll keep it at work, or leave it at home just for myself.
posted by porpoise at 3:41 PM on January 9, 2023
It's very cool, but I'm wondering whether I should gift it to the nephew the next time I see him.
And... saw a Mandalorian + Baby Yoda bobblehead kit for $25 so I naturally had to get a set. Waiting for it to arrive. Not sure if I'll keep it at work, or leave it at home just for myself.
posted by porpoise at 3:41 PM on January 9, 2023
Your nephew doesn't really exist, does he?
posted by hippybear at 4:11 PM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 4:11 PM on January 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
OMG yay I am doing laundry again! I never thought I would be this excited about getting laundry done. There's still drywall to be fixed and the kitchen drains need a pressure wash but the laundry drain is fixed and the first load of towels is getting clean!
posted by gentlyepigrams at 4:22 PM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by gentlyepigrams at 4:22 PM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Yesterday, drove up for four hours to Saint Paul for a job interview. Bought a desk at Ikea.
Today, interviewed. I think it went all right. The sense of doom that I'd been carrying with me since Sunday seemed to be just hormones. Drove four hours home.
Just got in, exhausted, and found a note on my apartment door. My landlord might sell the building, and is having a potential buyer come by on Wednesday. This means I just have Tuesday evening to get my apartment looking a little bit more presentable.
This is almost certainly not going to be a situation where my landlord sells my building and I have to move suddenly, or where my landlord sells my building and my rent goes up by $700. But I do not really want to spend all of Tuesday evening cleaning.
posted by Jeanne at 4:40 PM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Today, interviewed. I think it went all right. The sense of doom that I'd been carrying with me since Sunday seemed to be just hormones. Drove four hours home.
Just got in, exhausted, and found a note on my apartment door. My landlord might sell the building, and is having a potential buyer come by on Wednesday. This means I just have Tuesday evening to get my apartment looking a little bit more presentable.
This is almost certainly not going to be a situation where my landlord sells my building and I have to move suddenly, or where my landlord sells my building and my rent goes up by $700. But I do not really want to spend all of Tuesday evening cleaning.
posted by Jeanne at 4:40 PM on January 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
blaseball is back and I am extremely thrilled. It has felt like coming home.
I've been watching a lot of Bluey lately.
I just emailed my library asking when they switched from a dial-up/telnet system to just web-based, because I remember kind-of when it happened but not exactly and it's bugging me.
posted by curious nu at 5:12 PM on January 9, 2023
I've been watching a lot of Bluey lately.
I just emailed my library asking when they switched from a dial-up/telnet system to just web-based, because I remember kind-of when it happened but not exactly and it's bugging me.
posted by curious nu at 5:12 PM on January 9, 2023
Jeanne is a better human than me. If I had a landlord and they wanted me to clean so they could sell my home, I'd suggest an hourly rate or hiring a service. (I mean, I'd probably shovel the most offending piles into a trash can regardless, but still.)
posted by maxwelton at 6:00 PM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by maxwelton at 6:00 PM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
I want to clean because my landlord has previously threatened to evict me for having a messy apartment. (I'm not a hoarder or anything; I have an ordinary level of clutter which is somewhat exacerbated by Christmas traveling and job interview traveling and the whole bottle of sesame sauce that I accidentally broke the other day.)
posted by Jeanne at 6:14 PM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Jeanne at 6:14 PM on January 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Had a need to be in nature recently; these six day work weeks are exhausting when you're in your mid 50s and have many more fun things you'd rather be doing. So I grabbed my camera bag and trekked to my favorite seaside historical area. I was lucky to have fog that made for great photos with the historical buildings; and bonus- it was a perfect seal watching day. Harbor seals come here for the winter, and are nice enough to lounge on rocks just far enough out to be easily seen over the cement wall.
I've never heard coyotes sing, but a couple of years ago I camped next to a wolf preserve and I would hear them sing....and it was majestic. My last day there I walked up to the pens early in the morning (their pens are acres big). I did not see any of the wolves, but they all sang for me. It felt like a private concert, as I was the only human there. Gave me chills and joy at the same time.
posted by annieb at 6:16 PM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
I've never heard coyotes sing, but a couple of years ago I camped next to a wolf preserve and I would hear them sing....and it was majestic. My last day there I walked up to the pens early in the morning (their pens are acres big). I did not see any of the wolves, but they all sang for me. It felt like a private concert, as I was the only human there. Gave me chills and joy at the same time.
posted by annieb at 6:16 PM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
My first trip into the desert, I stayed in a campgound full of rabbits. The first night, I realized why all the rabbits: outside the campground were all the coyotes. It sounded like we were encircled, which was mildly unsettling. But then again, the bunnies seemed to be thriving.
Once I get past this week's adventures in home improvement, I am taking a driving vacation, heading west to look at geology. No camping this time, but looking forward to the scenery.
posted by mersen at 7:11 PM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Once I get past this week's adventures in home improvement, I am taking a driving vacation, heading west to look at geology. No camping this time, but looking forward to the scenery.
posted by mersen at 7:11 PM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Your nephew doesn't really exist, does he?
He's been pretty real so far. Hasn't shown any trends towards being a superficial douchecanoe who views truth as mutable and simply a personal belief... yet.
But he's only 3 and a half.
In the future, not if I have anything to do with it, despite early (nepotistic/ hereditary) LEGO baron feels from me.
/s If I (crone/ spinster) play with it first, does he get to legit claim that "it was all hand-me-downs?" (lol)
posted by porpoise at 7:40 PM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
He's been pretty real so far. Hasn't shown any trends towards being a superficial douchecanoe who views truth as mutable and simply a personal belief... yet.
But he's only 3 and a half.
In the future, not if I have anything to do with it, despite early (nepotistic/ hereditary) LEGO baron feels from me.
/s If I (crone/ spinster) play with it first, does he get to legit claim that "it was all hand-me-downs?" (lol)
posted by porpoise at 7:40 PM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Cheers for doing the fun things.
I got caught tap dancing in the laundry room today. ( Skimballshanks from the recent film version of Cats, but the long film version, not the abrigarted soundtrack version.) The woman and her dog were very kind. I like my building.
posted by eotvos at 8:19 PM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
I got caught tap dancing in the laundry room today. ( Skimballshanks from the recent film version of Cats, but the long film version, not the abrigarted soundtrack version.) The woman and her dog were very kind. I like my building.
posted by eotvos at 8:19 PM on January 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
I'm finally ready to do some stepping back out into the world again I think.
The double-whammy punch of a broken knee and the world being all pandemicky kept me kind of isolated for the past couple years, but that came after a decade of underemployment, where I was really just hanging on by my fingernails; and I dealt with that by stiff-upper-lipping it most of the time, and then venting to some people in great detail at other times. I think I've sadly pushed a couple people away because I simply leaned on them too much.
My much, much better job came right at the same time as the pandemic (seriously, my first day there was March 2, 2020), and I think I just needed a couple years to catch my breath some. But I think my breath is caught now...and I've started feeling weirdly restless, and thinking I need to shake things up for myself a little.
I forgave myself first for being kinda lazy and chill; Ze Frank released this beautiful video recently, about how sometimes you just need to make your world small for a while until you're ready for something new again. And....yeah. But...this past week I went down a Sense8 rabbithole, and it got me thinking that "Huh....friendship. Celebration. Fellowship. Joy. I need me more of that."
....I reached out to a couple of the people I'd pushed away over the past decade, sending letters of apology; even if they never answer, they at least know that I realized I was a spode, and that's enough. I have a couple more people I will reach out to similarly later.
I also am making myself take some more initiative on planning Things To Do again, and a friend and I will be doing some more Stuff soon (hitting up some fancy-ass food shops this weekend; and next month, when she is temporarily relocated to a spot near where I work we may hang out then as well). And...I went looking for more Meetup groups and found that there is a whole-ass film club in my neighborhood that I never knew existed, and they're having a meetup tonight and screw it I'm going.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:09 AM on January 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
The double-whammy punch of a broken knee and the world being all pandemicky kept me kind of isolated for the past couple years, but that came after a decade of underemployment, where I was really just hanging on by my fingernails; and I dealt with that by stiff-upper-lipping it most of the time, and then venting to some people in great detail at other times. I think I've sadly pushed a couple people away because I simply leaned on them too much.
My much, much better job came right at the same time as the pandemic (seriously, my first day there was March 2, 2020), and I think I just needed a couple years to catch my breath some. But I think my breath is caught now...and I've started feeling weirdly restless, and thinking I need to shake things up for myself a little.
I forgave myself first for being kinda lazy and chill; Ze Frank released this beautiful video recently, about how sometimes you just need to make your world small for a while until you're ready for something new again. And....yeah. But...this past week I went down a Sense8 rabbithole, and it got me thinking that "Huh....friendship. Celebration. Fellowship. Joy. I need me more of that."
....I reached out to a couple of the people I'd pushed away over the past decade, sending letters of apology; even if they never answer, they at least know that I realized I was a spode, and that's enough. I have a couple more people I will reach out to similarly later.
I also am making myself take some more initiative on planning Things To Do again, and a friend and I will be doing some more Stuff soon (hitting up some fancy-ass food shops this weekend; and next month, when she is temporarily relocated to a spot near where I work we may hang out then as well). And...I went looking for more Meetup groups and found that there is a whole-ass film club in my neighborhood that I never knew existed, and they're having a meetup tonight and screw it I'm going.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:09 AM on January 10, 2023 [5 favorites]
Oh, and I did a more concrete Life Hack thing:
I took the whole week off between Christmas and New Year's, and in between the very very important Laying Around And Doing Jack Shit stints, I took a comprehensive inventory of my entire pantry, fridge, and freezer, and have been trying to use more of it; and the week off let me do some cooking of things as well. Between the two I may not need to do any cooking or grocery shopping for a couple weeks (save the occasional "I'm out of coffee" or "I need more eggs" emergency one-offs).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:16 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
I took the whole week off between Christmas and New Year's, and in between the very very important Laying Around And Doing Jack Shit stints, I took a comprehensive inventory of my entire pantry, fridge, and freezer, and have been trying to use more of it; and the week off let me do some cooking of things as well. Between the two I may not need to do any cooking or grocery shopping for a couple weeks (save the occasional "I'm out of coffee" or "I need more eggs" emergency one-offs).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:16 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
I've started back to the gym after a back half of 2022 that was filled with illness, injury, and medical crises.
My body still hurts from three days ago, but I'm tentatively planning on going back tomorrow.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 6:00 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
My body still hurts from three days ago, but I'm tentatively planning on going back tomorrow.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 6:00 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
BTW. I'm normally able to switch between English and Danish without much thought, though I spend a lot of time here, practicing, when I have to write in English for work. But one word always makes my brain jump a bit, and that is sky.
Sky is sky in English, but it is the Danish word for aspic. So when I open MetaFilter and see this post title, I get an image of a beautiful clear aspic. It is a bit disturbing. Does it contain mushrooms? Or is it on top of a pate? That changes.
posted by mumimor at 9:02 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
Sky is sky in English, but it is the Danish word for aspic. So when I open MetaFilter and see this post title, I get an image of a beautiful clear aspic. It is a bit disturbing. Does it contain mushrooms? Or is it on top of a pate? That changes.
posted by mumimor at 9:02 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
I forgot why I don't buy my dog Pupperoni treats. It's because she cannot handle the knowledge that they are there. She woke me up with insistent barks last night that sounded like desperate poop requests but actually led to her looking up at the dog treat bag, looking back at me, and barking some more. To be fair, I feel the same way about Cheeto Puffs, which is why I don't get them. But I have had a hard time waking up today.
posted by Countess Elena at 9:59 AM on January 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 9:59 AM on January 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
Cycled by myself at Cape Point today.
It's an incredibly beautiful place. (apologies for the Instagram link.)
Set a new style trend by wearing my cycle helmet over my floral sun hat. It works remarkably well to keep the sun off my face and neck.
The funicular at the Cape Point light house makes a sort of humming sound, a series of harmonies that triggered a earworm of "Pumped up Kicks" to start playing in my head.
So that's what I had in my head for the cycle back.
posted by Zumbador at 10:17 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
It's an incredibly beautiful place. (apologies for the Instagram link.)
Set a new style trend by wearing my cycle helmet over my floral sun hat. It works remarkably well to keep the sun off my face and neck.
The funicular at the Cape Point light house makes a sort of humming sound, a series of harmonies that triggered a earworm of "Pumped up Kicks" to start playing in my head.
So that's what I had in my head for the cycle back.
posted by Zumbador at 10:17 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
* Yesterday at about 9:30 am the ENT sent a prescription to my local pharmacy.
* I called them in the afternoon to ask if it was ready; not yet.
* I called the ENT this morning to ask if they had the right pharmacy. They did, and said they would have my doctor call them again.
* I got a call back from the ENT an hour later; they said that they called the pharmacy, and the pharmacist said that my prescription was ready.
* I just walked there to pick it up - but it turns out someone noticed a mixup. (I'd been given the antifungal TOPICAL CREAM instead of eardrops, so someone said "Hang on a second....") They only have the generic version of the ear drops and wanted to clarify what I need to get and whether the generic would work. So I had to leave again.
Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:35 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
* I called them in the afternoon to ask if it was ready; not yet.
* I called the ENT this morning to ask if they had the right pharmacy. They did, and said they would have my doctor call them again.
* I got a call back from the ENT an hour later; they said that they called the pharmacy, and the pharmacist said that my prescription was ready.
* I just walked there to pick it up - but it turns out someone noticed a mixup. (I'd been given the antifungal TOPICAL CREAM instead of eardrops, so someone said "Hang on a second....") They only have the generic version of the ear drops and wanted to clarify what I need to get and whether the generic would work. So I had to leave again.
Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:35 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
Freaking out a bit less. Mom is feeling better today. Her doctor prescribed a different inhaler. Because of her kidney disease she couldn't take the go-to antiviral and none of the local pharmacies had what she needed in stock, but an angel neighbor made the hour-long drive to the nearest place that had it. Don't know how I'll ever thank her enough.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:56 AM on January 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:56 AM on January 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
Oh, man, I've got some great news to share with you all. Captain Midnight has returned! I'm so excited to see her. She looks a bit worse for wear; she's thinner, and she's limping pretty heavily on one of her back paws, but she ate dinner tonight and then I put out all the treats for the gang and she enjoyed those. The other cats seem to be excited that she's back as well, there was a lot of rubbing up against each other at dinner. I'll be worried about her until she heals, but I'm so incredibly relieved to see her again.
posted by MrVisible at 5:04 PM on January 10, 2023 [18 favorites]
posted by MrVisible at 5:04 PM on January 10, 2023 [18 favorites]
❤️🐈❤️🐈❤️🐈❤️🐈❤️🐈❤️
That's wonderful Mr Visible.
posted by Zumbador at 6:51 PM on January 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
That's wonderful Mr Visible.
posted by Zumbador at 6:51 PM on January 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm in Glasgow for my dad's funeral. Lemme tell you it has pished down the whole time so far. Even by Glasgow standards, this is horribly wet.
Downtown Glasgow seems semi derelict, with ⅓–½ commercial properties empty. Still, Slater's (the largest menswear store in the world?) had exactly what I needed, plus I managed to get a gloriously garish Partick Thistle Kingsley Mascot Scarf (the David Shrigley design) at Greaves.
Just finished the playlist for the after-funeral lunch. Hope everyone likes trad jazz, 'cos dad did.
posted by scruss at 2:08 AM on January 11, 2023 [7 favorites]
Downtown Glasgow seems semi derelict, with ⅓–½ commercial properties empty. Still, Slater's (the largest menswear store in the world?) had exactly what I needed, plus I managed to get a gloriously garish Partick Thistle Kingsley Mascot Scarf (the David Shrigley design) at Greaves.
Just finished the playlist for the after-funeral lunch. Hope everyone likes trad jazz, 'cos dad did.
posted by scruss at 2:08 AM on January 11, 2023 [7 favorites]
I am so sorry for your loss, scruss. That is quite the memorable scarf. You might be able to pull off a bank heist wearing that, cause no one would be looking at your face. It's fabulous.
posted by Bella Donna at 4:04 AM on January 11, 2023
posted by Bella Donna at 4:04 AM on January 11, 2023
So sorry, Scruss.
....
Spotted something on the way to work this morning...I walk there, and at some point I was waiting for the light to change. A car in the road was also waiting for the light to change. The car had two huskies in the back seat - and one had his head poked out the left rear window, and the other poking out of the right rear window. And....they were both howling away in stereo. (Kind of like this.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:19 AM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
....
Spotted something on the way to work this morning...I walk there, and at some point I was waiting for the light to change. A car in the road was also waiting for the light to change. The car had two huskies in the back seat - and one had his head poked out the left rear window, and the other poking out of the right rear window. And....they were both howling away in stereo. (Kind of like this.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:19 AM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
When I woke up this morning, I felt I was in Blade Runner: the darkness, the pouring rain, and the lights of cars, ambulances, police cars, garbage trucks. But it cleared up.
I don't think one ever stops missing a loved person. But in my experience funerals are life-giving. You share your grief and remember the life of the deceased, in a way, you help them live on in memory. I don't know how you feel scruss, I hope you are surrounded by friends and family now, and wake up to daylight tomorrow.
Today, my day went from bleak to very hopeful. Until I got home and my dog stole the meat for our pasta sauce while I was out of the kitchen for a minute or less. On the other hand, my daughter had very strongly suggested this morning that it would be a good idea if I made a Spanish tortilla, so that was what I did instead of the spagbol. And everyone including the dog was happy.
posted by mumimor at 3:00 PM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I don't think one ever stops missing a loved person. But in my experience funerals are life-giving. You share your grief and remember the life of the deceased, in a way, you help them live on in memory. I don't know how you feel scruss, I hope you are surrounded by friends and family now, and wake up to daylight tomorrow.
Today, my day went from bleak to very hopeful. Until I got home and my dog stole the meat for our pasta sauce while I was out of the kitchen for a minute or less. On the other hand, my daughter had very strongly suggested this morning that it would be a good idea if I made a Spanish tortilla, so that was what I did instead of the spagbol. And everyone including the dog was happy.
posted by mumimor at 3:00 PM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I just finished this book which made me feel seen in a big way. I wish I knew how to make a good Fanfare post because I have a lot of feelings to work through.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 4:02 PM on January 11, 2023
posted by gentlyepigrams at 4:02 PM on January 11, 2023
I want everyone to see this Ask about amazing books with terrible covers because it's so gloriously awful.
I wish I knew how to make a good Fanfare post because I have a lot of feelings to work through.
In my opinion, a good Fanfare post should have the first comment be by the person who made the post, talking about why it's amazing/interesting/terrible/worth finding and talking about. So I think just making the post with the basic back-of-cover blurb, and then follow up with a comment about what it means to you, would be a great Fanfare post. :)
posted by curious nu at 4:33 PM on January 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
I wish I knew how to make a good Fanfare post because I have a lot of feelings to work through.
In my opinion, a good Fanfare post should have the first comment be by the person who made the post, talking about why it's amazing/interesting/terrible/worth finding and talking about. So I think just making the post with the basic back-of-cover blurb, and then follow up with a comment about what it means to you, would be a great Fanfare post. :)
posted by curious nu at 4:33 PM on January 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
I don't think one ever stops missing a loved person. But in my experience funerals are life-giving. You share your grief and remember the life of the deceased, in a way, you help them live on in memory.
This resonated with me. I think it's part of why months/years later I feel like I haven't fully grieved for my grandmothers. I remember my grandfathers funerals being very cathartic. I don't think I had cried for either of their deaths at that point (both had lived good long lives and their deaths weren't unexpected) until their funerals. But at those funerals hearing people talk about them brought the tears out and I felt much better after. I never got that for my grandmothers. My mom's mom died a couple months into the pandemic and I didn't feel right about flying there at that point. I watched the funeral on a livestream from her church but it wasn't the same. My dad's mom died about six months ago and they didn't have a normal funeral. Just a small ceremony when she was buried that I found out about after it happened. So for both of them I feel like I never got a chance to get past it in a healthy way. I know they're gone and I've been back home several times to visit their graves. But I just don't feel like are. I think of things that remind me of them and want to share it with them and then I remember I can't. The funerals were good for making peace with everything.
posted by downtohisturtles at 7:57 PM on January 11, 2023
This resonated with me. I think it's part of why months/years later I feel like I haven't fully grieved for my grandmothers. I remember my grandfathers funerals being very cathartic. I don't think I had cried for either of their deaths at that point (both had lived good long lives and their deaths weren't unexpected) until their funerals. But at those funerals hearing people talk about them brought the tears out and I felt much better after. I never got that for my grandmothers. My mom's mom died a couple months into the pandemic and I didn't feel right about flying there at that point. I watched the funeral on a livestream from her church but it wasn't the same. My dad's mom died about six months ago and they didn't have a normal funeral. Just a small ceremony when she was buried that I found out about after it happened. So for both of them I feel like I never got a chance to get past it in a healthy way. I know they're gone and I've been back home several times to visit their graves. But I just don't feel like are. I think of things that remind me of them and want to share it with them and then I remember I can't. The funerals were good for making peace with everything.
posted by downtohisturtles at 7:57 PM on January 11, 2023
I have decided that I really want "Lego decorative salad" and "lumberduke" into the world as Things. Like in addition to looking for rainbow butterfly unicorn kitten patterns, I started trying to figure out a combination beard + lumberjack hat + crown combination on Ravelry. Like there's officially a costume NOBODY would understand, unless it suddenly Caught On...
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:39 PM on January 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:39 PM on January 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Have you heard about those vampires that suck the sap right out of trees with their fangs? LUMBERDRACS!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:51 PM on January 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:51 PM on January 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
THIS IS EVEN BETTER!
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:14 PM on January 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:14 PM on January 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Because of her kidney disease she couldn't take the go-to antiviral
My mom had COVID at Christmas, and this was the case for her, too. They prescribed the second-choice antiviral and she was right as rain a couple of days later. She's extremely immunocompromised, but has also had every vaccine available, and thankfully the worst she got was a low fever and some head congestion. Hope your mom is doing well!
I also need to take this opportunity to brag on my daughter, who I mentioned in an earlier free thread is pursuing screen acting. Still no real roles, but she had her first on-set experience yesterday as an extra (a "featured" extra, even though "real" actors hate that phrase) on a big-budget prestige TV show. Even got her first SAG waiver! I was nervous that she would freak out once she was on set and in front of the camera, but she had the time of her life and can't wait to do it again. I'm so stoked for her.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:00 AM on January 13, 2023 [9 favorites]
My mom had COVID at Christmas, and this was the case for her, too. They prescribed the second-choice antiviral and she was right as rain a couple of days later. She's extremely immunocompromised, but has also had every vaccine available, and thankfully the worst she got was a low fever and some head congestion. Hope your mom is doing well!
I also need to take this opportunity to brag on my daughter, who I mentioned in an earlier free thread is pursuing screen acting. Still no real roles, but she had her first on-set experience yesterday as an extra (a "featured" extra, even though "real" actors hate that phrase) on a big-budget prestige TV show. Even got her first SAG waiver! I was nervous that she would freak out once she was on set and in front of the camera, but she had the time of her life and can't wait to do it again. I'm so stoked for her.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:00 AM on January 13, 2023 [9 favorites]
The load shedding schedule for next week is 12.5 hours per day without electricity.
Going to have to figure out how to keep my fridge and freezer cold.
Aquariums also a concern.
We have an invertor so I can run my computer and Internet connection and get my work done.
posted by Zumbador at 10:16 PM on January 14, 2023
Going to have to figure out how to keep my fridge and freezer cold.
Aquariums also a concern.
We have an invertor so I can run my computer and Internet connection and get my work done.
posted by Zumbador at 10:16 PM on January 14, 2023
Your freezer will be fine if it is full or mostly full. If it isn't full use something like milk jugs 80% full of water to fill the freezer.
Is it 12.5 hours in a row or split over 2 or more periods? If the latter your fridge will probably be fine too though a good idea to minimize opening it during power out periods. Though again having it full helps and plain old water can be used to increase the fullness. Best to used containers that can be sealed if you have them but even a soup pot of water is better than empty space.
posted by Mitheral at 4:49 AM on January 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
Is it 12.5 hours in a row or split over 2 or more periods? If the latter your fridge will probably be fine too though a good idea to minimize opening it during power out periods. Though again having it full helps and plain old water can be used to increase the fullness. Best to used containers that can be sealed if you have them but even a soup pot of water is better than empty space.
posted by Mitheral at 4:49 AM on January 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
Oh good tip about the water for the fridge. You mean it doesn't need necessarily need to be frozen, right? Just volume of cold?
Just now realising how us not eating meat actually saves quite a bit of power. Fridge not being super cold all the time is maybe not such a crises.
Our power situation is not going to improve in the foreseeable future so I'm going to be learning how to not be so reliant on electricity.
posted by Zumbador at 5:20 AM on January 15, 2023
Just now realising how us not eating meat actually saves quite a bit of power. Fridge not being super cold all the time is maybe not such a crises.
Our power situation is not going to improve in the foreseeable future so I'm going to be learning how to not be so reliant on electricity.
posted by Zumbador at 5:20 AM on January 15, 2023
I think the idea behind cramming the freezer with stuff is that everything in there is frozen and is jammed in there with other frozen things, so they'll keep each other colder longer. Kind of like how a bunch of people huddling together all keep each other warm with their collective body heat (only in reverse).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:05 AM on January 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:05 AM on January 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
Just coming back in to share:
I needed to watch Doctor Zhivago for my blog this weekend (it's a 3-hour epic so I saved it for a long weekend), and I just got a fantastic new cookbook for Christmas that had a recipe for borscht in it; and my roommate will be out for much of the day. So I decided today was a day to clean house and then watch the movie, rewarding myself with some borscht.
The beauty of it is - that cookbook was designed so that every recipe a) is scaled to fit in a 3-quart cooker, instead of the huge 6-quart ones that most cookbooks call for; and b) takes at least 8 hours to cook, instead of the many recipes that cook for 6 hours or 4 hours, so they can be done on a weekday and left while you're at work.
I had to start the borscht going this morning; browning beef, cooking an onion, chopping the various veg and dumping it all in. I did that about 20 minutes ago, and the house smells GORGEOUS right now.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:25 AM on January 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
I needed to watch Doctor Zhivago for my blog this weekend (it's a 3-hour epic so I saved it for a long weekend), and I just got a fantastic new cookbook for Christmas that had a recipe for borscht in it; and my roommate will be out for much of the day. So I decided today was a day to clean house and then watch the movie, rewarding myself with some borscht.
The beauty of it is - that cookbook was designed so that every recipe a) is scaled to fit in a 3-quart cooker, instead of the huge 6-quart ones that most cookbooks call for; and b) takes at least 8 hours to cook, instead of the many recipes that cook for 6 hours or 4 hours, so they can be done on a weekday and left while you're at work.
I had to start the borscht going this morning; browning beef, cooking an onion, chopping the various veg and dumping it all in. I did that about 20 minutes ago, and the house smells GORGEOUS right now.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:25 AM on January 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
Good grief. Had lunch with sis today and found out that the nephew is an alpha stud, or something.
He's 3.5 yo! in preschool! There are gangs of girls who keep mobbing him everyday. WTF. PRESCHOOL!
(no, he does not carry LEGO around)
posted by porpoise at 7:41 PM on January 15, 2023
He's 3.5 yo! in preschool! There are gangs of girls who keep mobbing him everyday. WTF. PRESCHOOL!
(no, he does not carry LEGO around)
posted by porpoise at 7:41 PM on January 15, 2023
Having been through too many scheduled power outages myself, frozen water bottles in the freezer door are my choice to absorb heat flux. Putting perishables inside a cooler inside the freezer compartment further protects them from thawing by minimizing heat transfer within the freezer, particularly via convection. It looks like Zumbador's electric utility is scheduling outages of two and a half hours staggered throughout the day, which should not lead to spoilage assuming the load-shedding plan works to prevent the crash of the entire grid. A UPS can handle an aquarium aerator and filter, but not the starting amps for a fridge compressor. An absorption refrigerator is better suited to run off low-voltage DC (or piped/bottled gas). A thermoelectric mini-fridge paired with a chest freezer could also work with intermittent mains power.
Meanwhile here it has rained every day since taz posted this thread, ten inches in total. The reservoir just down the road is up to the spillway, and the lake on the other side of the ridge is up 44 feet for the week. Thanks for the jinx, and please call again in October.
posted by backwoods at 1:51 AM on January 16, 2023 [4 favorites]
Meanwhile here it has rained every day since taz posted this thread, ten inches in total. The reservoir just down the road is up to the spillway, and the lake on the other side of the ridge is up 44 feet for the week. Thanks for the jinx, and please call again in October.
posted by backwoods at 1:51 AM on January 16, 2023 [4 favorites]
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So in the fridge there's a "trifle" (not enough layering to be a true trifle) to rescue the pancakes that were going a bit stale (which in turn used the milk that was a little sour a few days ago) and the cream that I threw into the freezer before we left to visit family for Christmas/New Year. Custard, strawberries and some of an tin of "two fruit" (pear and peach), and some raspberry jam. Looking forward to eating it tomorrow!
And also I made lemon curd, of which the scrapings were delicious. I found a recipe for bulk biscuits (cookies) and still have dough in my freezer and some of this curd I think will do well as "jam drop" biscuits.
Did the fun things. Now have to go and do the not fun things but my mental health is better for it.
posted by freethefeet at 3:14 AM on January 9, 2023 [9 favorites]