"You gonna get another job?"...
- Thread starter Volpone
- Start date
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
Bleah. Needed a little fun and variety so I worked on unobtrusive stuff for a secret door to my bedroom. I'll have to put up paneling to hide the door and it could turn out pretty neat. But it could also turn out pretty expensive. Or pretty lame. Keeping things simple means a 15" wide door. I was thinking studs are 17" apart. But they're 17" apart *on center*. So your studs are roughly 2" wide. So you lose about 2" from your space between the studs (and apparently these studs are actually 2" instead of the modern 1.5").
So The Plan is to glue up 1/4" hardwood plywood and then put hardwood 1x2s (or whatever) up to trim it out, hide seams and gaps (and the secret door), but coming up with a pattern that hides the door without a 1x2 every 17" or so is desirable.
The whole project has been harder than I expected. Partly because I wasn't thinking but partly because they don't make 'em like they used to. I figured I'd cut out the drywall in the closet between the studs, sink a drywall saw just far enough through the drywall on the other side so I could see where it came out in the bedroom and confirm it will work, and then do the job when I feel like it.
Well, since this long narrow closet exists mainly because they extended the house back, the old back of the house was behind the drywall in the closet. Luckily there wasn't siding too, but still, I had to cut through boards that were the old back of the house (I guess I should be happy it wasn't plywood, that would've been really hard to get a saw started on). Efforts to get a saw through the bedroom drywall from the closet before cutting any boards (the saw would just fit between boards) failed miserably. Was I hitting the baseboard? Who knows? I finally sawed off a board and it still took at least a minute of diligent work with all my strength to work the drywall saw through the drywall. What did they make drywall out of in 1938, cement? This has been a problem from the other side as well. Forget using a thumbtack to hang a calendar--it isn't sturdy enough to penetrate the drywall; it just bends. Heck, even finish nails bend when you pound them if you aren't careful. Well, should get going. Time to walk The Dog.
I really need to line up a job of some kind too. I did the numbers on whether or not I could afford to be retired and at first it looked like it just about penciled out. But then I realized I was forgetting something and I'll likely wind up losing about $100 a month--if I'm strict with my budget and don't have any unplanned setbacks. Not a good plan. Well, The Dog is sitting here whining at me, so I guess it is walk time.
So The Plan is to glue up 1/4" hardwood plywood and then put hardwood 1x2s (or whatever) up to trim it out, hide seams and gaps (and the secret door), but coming up with a pattern that hides the door without a 1x2 every 17" or so is desirable.
The whole project has been harder than I expected. Partly because I wasn't thinking but partly because they don't make 'em like they used to. I figured I'd cut out the drywall in the closet between the studs, sink a drywall saw just far enough through the drywall on the other side so I could see where it came out in the bedroom and confirm it will work, and then do the job when I feel like it.
Well, since this long narrow closet exists mainly because they extended the house back, the old back of the house was behind the drywall in the closet. Luckily there wasn't siding too, but still, I had to cut through boards that were the old back of the house (I guess I should be happy it wasn't plywood, that would've been really hard to get a saw started on). Efforts to get a saw through the bedroom drywall from the closet before cutting any boards (the saw would just fit between boards) failed miserably. Was I hitting the baseboard? Who knows? I finally sawed off a board and it still took at least a minute of diligent work with all my strength to work the drywall saw through the drywall. What did they make drywall out of in 1938, cement? This has been a problem from the other side as well. Forget using a thumbtack to hang a calendar--it isn't sturdy enough to penetrate the drywall; it just bends. Heck, even finish nails bend when you pound them if you aren't careful. Well, should get going. Time to walk The Dog.
I really need to line up a job of some kind too. I did the numbers on whether or not I could afford to be retired and at first it looked like it just about penciled out. But then I realized I was forgetting something and I'll likely wind up losing about $100 a month--if I'm strict with my budget and don't have any unplanned setbacks. Not a good plan. Well, The Dog is sitting here whining at me, so I guess it is walk time.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
Ask Frontline if he thinks that time has come sometime. :marathon:
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
I finally cannot avoid that I am getting Old. I can just about see most things without reading glasses. Mostly. And mostly, I've been able to convince myself that I ran out of day before I ran out of energy. But 50 is not 30. It isn't even 40. Gravel driveway that was neglected for a very long time. So long that when I got the place I didn't even know there was gravel. Totally overgrown with grass. I've weeded it at least 2-3 times now but as long as there's soil in with the gravel--and you don't get all the roots--it grows back. Maybe not as bad, but it grows back. For various reasons I've been on a weeding jag for a few weeks now and I'm making some progress.
Slow progress.
Tonight the winter storm hit. Started snowing maybe 2 hours ago. Temp is down 30 degrees from 5pm or so. Supposed to go down another 20 degrees or so by morning. But during the day it was drizzly all day and in the high 40s. The Dog cut the afternoon walk shot by about half. I mean, we tramped around in a field and I was wearing suede boots instead of rubber Wellingtons, so my feet got soaked, and we were coated with drizzle, but i had my wool cap and my army field jacket and good leather gloves, so I was fairly comfortable. So I took advantage of the extra time, got out the camp stool and a 5 gallon bucket and got to work on weeding on the driveway. Made good progress but not as good as I'd have liked. Called it when the bucket was full and I was starting to shiver (you have to take the gloves off to do the weeding so my hands were wet and cold and dirty). Got in, warmed up, unwound and now it is hitting me. Between 5 miles of dog walking (I guess more like 3-4 today) and being wet in relatively cool weather and weeding...you wouldn't think weeding would be tiring. It's pulling plants out of the ground. That's basically what picking flowers is. But you don't have to wrench the roots of stubborn flowers from wet muddy 45 degree gravel. It's a small task, but it takes up all the strength of your fingers, arms, shoulders, and back. And you repeat it every few seconds. Pooped out. Time for bed.
Slow progress.
Tonight the winter storm hit. Started snowing maybe 2 hours ago. Temp is down 30 degrees from 5pm or so. Supposed to go down another 20 degrees or so by morning. But during the day it was drizzly all day and in the high 40s. The Dog cut the afternoon walk shot by about half. I mean, we tramped around in a field and I was wearing suede boots instead of rubber Wellingtons, so my feet got soaked, and we were coated with drizzle, but i had my wool cap and my army field jacket and good leather gloves, so I was fairly comfortable. So I took advantage of the extra time, got out the camp stool and a 5 gallon bucket and got to work on weeding on the driveway. Made good progress but not as good as I'd have liked. Called it when the bucket was full and I was starting to shiver (you have to take the gloves off to do the weeding so my hands were wet and cold and dirty). Got in, warmed up, unwound and now it is hitting me. Between 5 miles of dog walking (I guess more like 3-4 today) and being wet in relatively cool weather and weeding...you wouldn't think weeding would be tiring. It's pulling plants out of the ground. That's basically what picking flowers is. But you don't have to wrench the roots of stubborn flowers from wet muddy 45 degree gravel. It's a small task, but it takes up all the strength of your fingers, arms, shoulders, and back. And you repeat it every few seconds. Pooped out. Time for bed.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
The joys of renting storage space. First off, I'm pretty sure the other guy that rented the other half of my space just needed a place to tint a window on his car and now that this is done, I'll never see him again. And I'll never see a dime from him. But on paper, he's got half my space booked, so I can't list it for anyone else until the website that handles the money tells me he's in default.
The other thing is, I "hardened" my space. I had a padlock on the shed, but I basically never locked it. And I never locked the gate to the yard. Did not check the shed, but when I went to collect the trash can I couldn't unlock the gate because the keyhole on the padlock is frozen. Since I don't *need* to unlock the gate right now and it is projected to get relatively warm relatively soon, I just left the trash can at the gate instead of trying things like heat or WD40. If push came to shove, I could use a hammer to knock the hinges off (it's a chain link fence).
Anyway, since my car is in the little garage that has traditional gate-style doors instead of an overhead door, I'd have to shovel just to get that door open. Probably for the gate too.
The other thing is, I "hardened" my space. I had a padlock on the shed, but I basically never locked it. And I never locked the gate to the yard. Did not check the shed, but when I went to collect the trash can I couldn't unlock the gate because the keyhole on the padlock is frozen. Since I don't *need* to unlock the gate right now and it is projected to get relatively warm relatively soon, I just left the trash can at the gate instead of trying things like heat or WD40. If push came to shove, I could use a hammer to knock the hinges off (it's a chain link fence).
Anyway, since my car is in the little garage that has traditional gate-style doors instead of an overhead door, I'd have to shovel just to get that door open. Probably for the gate too.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
I'm starting to really hate "flippers."
The next step in the housing market correction is going to have to be the flippers. House popped up in my feed. Walked by it most days at my old place. Had a feel for what the inside would look like based on how the outside was cared for. On the tax rolls for $92K. On Redfin today for $147K. Standard greige color scheme interior screams "flip." ...
Went on the market 126 days ago for $200K. Came down and down and down. Had a buyer but the deal fell through. Came down some more. I'm tempted to offer them $92K just to be a dick. Until all these people who bought a house for $75K and think a little grey paint and LVP (vinyl floor plank) make it worth $200K 3 months later get weeded out, things can't return to normal.
The next step in the housing market correction is going to have to be the flippers. House popped up in my feed. Walked by it most days at my old place. Had a feel for what the inside would look like based on how the outside was cared for. On the tax rolls for $92K. On Redfin today for $147K. Standard greige color scheme interior screams "flip." ...
Went on the market 126 days ago for $200K. Came down and down and down. Had a buyer but the deal fell through. Came down some more. I'm tempted to offer them $92K just to be a dick. Until all these people who bought a house for $75K and think a little grey paint and LVP (vinyl floor plank) make it worth $200K 3 months later get weeded out, things can't return to normal.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
I gotta stop answering when Retarded William Shatner calls. I mean, he's an old friend and I love him and guys my age don't have many friends, so I have to answer, but DAMN.
He's like, the mirror universe version of me. I do NOT multitask. He cannot NOT multitask. He called because he's making cranberry sauce from scratch with his daughter so naturally he isn't doing enough. And he called to talk about NOTHING while running the battery down on my phone just about the time I'm getting ready for bed.
I took the call because I wasn't really doing anything--playing an "Evil" Sudoku and listening to Christmas songs on YouTube. But you can't really talk about nothing while trying to solve an evil Sudoku. And you can't really listen to Christmas songs while talking on the phone. So I'm trapped. Eventually I extracted myself but by now my cocktail is empty so I try to decide if it is worth the effort to make a festive eggnog from scratch. I pretty quickly decide that it is not and go make something else with rum. But I left the windows open. So by the time I get back to my computer it is frozen beyond recovery and I have to hard reboot. Luckily, it all came back fine, but dang, I really don't need this kind of stress and annoyance when I'm just about to go to bed. I've got enough headaches as it is.
The Dog last went to the bathroom at around 7:30am. Despite my efforts to get her out, she's decided it is too cold. So as a Plan B I put down potty pads. Hope it doesn't come to that.
Oh, now I gotta start over on my fucking Sudoku. :/
He's like, the mirror universe version of me. I do NOT multitask. He cannot NOT multitask. He called because he's making cranberry sauce from scratch with his daughter so naturally he isn't doing enough. And he called to talk about NOTHING while running the battery down on my phone just about the time I'm getting ready for bed.
I took the call because I wasn't really doing anything--playing an "Evil" Sudoku and listening to Christmas songs on YouTube. But you can't really talk about nothing while trying to solve an evil Sudoku. And you can't really listen to Christmas songs while talking on the phone. So I'm trapped. Eventually I extracted myself but by now my cocktail is empty so I try to decide if it is worth the effort to make a festive eggnog from scratch. I pretty quickly decide that it is not and go make something else with rum. But I left the windows open. So by the time I get back to my computer it is frozen beyond recovery and I have to hard reboot. Luckily, it all came back fine, but dang, I really don't need this kind of stress and annoyance when I'm just about to go to bed. I've got enough headaches as it is.
The Dog last went to the bathroom at around 7:30am. Despite my efforts to get her out, she's decided it is too cold. So as a Plan B I put down potty pads. Hope it doesn't come to that.
Oh, now I gotta start over on my fucking Sudoku. :/
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
My life is pretty good. I'm an older, white, property owning, man in the USA in the first part of the 21st century. Compared to someone living in the parts of Africa you see on those "feed the children" commercials or even the pioneers--read the Laura Ingalls "Little House" books some time if you think your life is hard--my problems are minor. But to me...
Apparently, for some reason, The Dog will now not go Out in the morning to go to the bathroom unless I go Out with her. Fine. It's Christmas. I really should go to church, so I guess I'll get dressed and get her walk out of the way. It's above zero now and the sun was out, so it wasn't terrible, but wandering around on ice and snow in the cold for an hour while The Dog sniffs things isn't my favorite way to spend a weekend morning.
Got home with enough time for breakfast before church. I accidentally bought frozen pancakes instead of waffles the last time I went shopping. We all have our laziness boundary. Precooked pancakes or bacon is mine. Waffles are OK because I don't have a waffle iron. And if I did I wouldn't want to clean it every time I wanted waffles. Those little puck-like formed hashbrowns are fine too. Yeah, I can run a potato over the cheese grater, sop juice from the shavings with paper towels, and then pan fry them in grease--and then clean up that mess. OR! I can stick a hashbrown patty in the toaster and then finish it off on the griddle and call it good. Easy peasy. But I digress. Screwed around to the point that I was in danger of being late for church.
Other day I thawed out the padlock on the gate so I could get out of the yard; tested out all the doors to make sure they worked. Got in the car and fired it up. Before turning over, the solenoid made the "CLICKCLICK" noise that warns that the battery is low. Between the cold draining the charge and just not driving that much while I'm currently semi-retired, the battery is run down. My car is one of the last relatively simple cars. No cameras or infotainment systems or any of that crap. But it does draw a small amount of power just sitting--if for nothing else, to flash a little red theft deterrent light on the dash but there's got to be other things because I've had this happen when I've left her parked for extended periods and/or wasn't driving a lot. So after church I resolved to take her out on a 55mph road for a good stretch to give the battery a charging. Of course the gas is low so I'm likely going to have to tank that up if I do that but such is life. (If you live someplace really cold like Wisconsin, you want to keep your tank fairly full because the added pressure helps keep the fuel line from freezing, believe it or not.) I got to church and the parking lot was empty.
Apparently they must have a different schedule than regular on Christmas. Well, I'm off the hook. I tried. So now I'm free to go charge up the battery. Made a good choice for a road. Plowed and in pretty good shape but not a lot of traffic. Just about getting to where I planned to turn when the "LOW TIRE PRESSURE" light comes on. This is usually because I haven't been staying on top of tire pressure. Especially since the last time I checked tire pressure was in September, when it was probably in the 80s and it was in the teens this morning. But sometimes it isn't. So when I got to a stoplight at my turn-around, I popped out to do a quick check of the tires. Then for the drive home with the warning light nagging my OCD brain the whole way. Decided to cut my drive a bit short. Then I started overthinking things and turned the radio and the heater off to minimize battery drain (yeah, I'm crazy). Then I realized it was getting into the 20s today and up to 30 tomorrow so I didn't really NEED to fill the tank, so I headed home. Got out the bicycle tire pump (I'm also cheap) and pumped up the tires, which were all around 10-12# low.
Well, probably time to get back to the kitchen to finish up the Christmas meal.
Apparently, for some reason, The Dog will now not go Out in the morning to go to the bathroom unless I go Out with her. Fine. It's Christmas. I really should go to church, so I guess I'll get dressed and get her walk out of the way. It's above zero now and the sun was out, so it wasn't terrible, but wandering around on ice and snow in the cold for an hour while The Dog sniffs things isn't my favorite way to spend a weekend morning.
Got home with enough time for breakfast before church. I accidentally bought frozen pancakes instead of waffles the last time I went shopping. We all have our laziness boundary. Precooked pancakes or bacon is mine. Waffles are OK because I don't have a waffle iron. And if I did I wouldn't want to clean it every time I wanted waffles. Those little puck-like formed hashbrowns are fine too. Yeah, I can run a potato over the cheese grater, sop juice from the shavings with paper towels, and then pan fry them in grease--and then clean up that mess. OR! I can stick a hashbrown patty in the toaster and then finish it off on the griddle and call it good. Easy peasy. But I digress. Screwed around to the point that I was in danger of being late for church.
Other day I thawed out the padlock on the gate so I could get out of the yard; tested out all the doors to make sure they worked. Got in the car and fired it up. Before turning over, the solenoid made the "CLICKCLICK" noise that warns that the battery is low. Between the cold draining the charge and just not driving that much while I'm currently semi-retired, the battery is run down. My car is one of the last relatively simple cars. No cameras or infotainment systems or any of that crap. But it does draw a small amount of power just sitting--if for nothing else, to flash a little red theft deterrent light on the dash but there's got to be other things because I've had this happen when I've left her parked for extended periods and/or wasn't driving a lot. So after church I resolved to take her out on a 55mph road for a good stretch to give the battery a charging. Of course the gas is low so I'm likely going to have to tank that up if I do that but such is life. (If you live someplace really cold like Wisconsin, you want to keep your tank fairly full because the added pressure helps keep the fuel line from freezing, believe it or not.) I got to church and the parking lot was empty.
Apparently they must have a different schedule than regular on Christmas. Well, I'm off the hook. I tried. So now I'm free to go charge up the battery. Made a good choice for a road. Plowed and in pretty good shape but not a lot of traffic. Just about getting to where I planned to turn when the "LOW TIRE PRESSURE" light comes on. This is usually because I haven't been staying on top of tire pressure. Especially since the last time I checked tire pressure was in September, when it was probably in the 80s and it was in the teens this morning. But sometimes it isn't. So when I got to a stoplight at my turn-around, I popped out to do a quick check of the tires. Then for the drive home with the warning light nagging my OCD brain the whole way. Decided to cut my drive a bit short. Then I started overthinking things and turned the radio and the heater off to minimize battery drain (yeah, I'm crazy). Then I realized it was getting into the 20s today and up to 30 tomorrow so I didn't really NEED to fill the tank, so I headed home. Got out the bicycle tire pump (I'm also cheap) and pumped up the tires, which were all around 10-12# low.
Well, probably time to get back to the kitchen to finish up the Christmas meal.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
I've been drinking rather more than I should of late. Started to worry about it a bit. Just a bit. And then, just like that it seems to have transitioned out. Started tapering back and then tonight I had a cocktail before dinner. Was gonna have one before bed and it was like "y'know, I'd rather have tea."
Practiced the ukulele a bit before bed and then watched YouTube videos of a couple of the songs I'm teaching myself to compare the arrangements I have to the familiar version. Then I needed to unwind a bit. Now I'm unwound but I have a dog snoring smack-dab in the middle of my bed and a cat grooming himself on my lap here. :/
aaaand I just realized my phone is about dead. :/
Practiced the ukulele a bit before bed and then watched YouTube videos of a couple of the songs I'm teaching myself to compare the arrangements I have to the familiar version. Then I needed to unwind a bit. Now I'm unwound but I have a dog snoring smack-dab in the middle of my bed and a cat grooming himself on my lap here. :/
aaaand I just realized my phone is about dead. :/
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
This is going to ramble.
I can plan. I make good plans. I also hate to plan because I know no matter how good my plan is, it is going to go to shit the instant I try to execute. (HA! As I was typing this, I remembered my favorite Dwight D. Eisenhower quote: "Plans are worthless. The planning *process* is invaluable." We'll see why:
The guy working on a car in my shed texted me last night to see if he could come by today--and how early. So I'm thinking about when I get up, where he is, when The Dog likes to go Out to use the bathroom and realizing there are too many variables and anything I say will be instantly wrong and I just say "How's 9 sound?" He says that's fine and that he has a lot to do. So I'm thinking. He really can come any time he wants. I've just got to get up to unlock everything and be aware of The Dog if she wants to be out while he's in the yard and text him this.
That's when I realized my phone was at about 45%. Since I had a cat on my lap and the dog was smack-dab in the middle of the bed, I stuck it on a charger for a bit. Got it up to 52% before I had to go to bed. Realized my plug-in charger was nowhere to be found so I closed the laptop monitor (in my bedroom) as far as I could and put a bandana over it and set the phone so I could see the charge light from the bed. Of course within 5 minutes the laptop went to sleep and the phone stopped charging. Fine. Fuck it. I'll go hunt for the charger again. No luck. I guess I'll shut the phone off and make sure the alarm is set. Then I spent the night penned into a tiny sliver of the bed by a dog next to my feet and a cat next to my side (which is odd, because the cat usually insists on laying on my feet--which sucks just as much, but I'm at least used to that).
I get up, turn on the phone, and around 8:30 I get a text that, because of the snow that is currently falling the guy isn't coming until around 11. That's fine. Then The Dog can get Out with plenty of time. We might even be on our walk by the time he gets here (I can just leave everything unlocked for him). Of course by now I'm running late. And then I get sidetracked by The Dog, who wants to go back Out. 17 minutes before the guy is supposed to get here. And she doesn't want to just go out for a quick bathroom break, she's doing fuckery in the yard. Phone beeps. He's a few minutes out. I'd better change out of jammies in case I have to collect The Dog. I'm halfway through that when I hear The Dog barking. She's ready to come In. Which is good because I can hear the guy turning into the driveway.
And as I let The Dog In, The Cat (who hasn't been out for any length of time--by his choice--since the cold and the snow) slips Out. And doesn't want to come In. By now The Dog has realized the guy is here and starts barking like crazy at him as he's pulling past the gate. I'm trying to get some outdoor gear on because the spot where he usually parks can be surprisingly treacherous in snow. Then I hear scratching at the door. The Cat has decided he wants back In, so I get to the door as quick as I can and get it open just in time to see him go "FUCK IT, I'M GONE" and jump down off the deck because a strange car is pulling in the yard.
I wanna get some boots on, but I'm watching my guy slide his car around as he's trying to get it out of the main driveway so I just have to jump out in slippers and yell to him to just stay up on the level ground. He manages that. Just. Oh, I've got around 15-20 minutes of morning routine computer stuff when this all started to unfold. I change out of slippers into rubber boots to see if I can coax The Cat In. Of course The Dog is going nuts in the mean time. Luckily with the snow, I can see where The Cat went. Over and into the neighbor's front yard. :/ Now I'm on good terms with the neighbors, but I don't want to be stomping around in their yard unannounced. Anyway, I've got to calm The Dog down too. So I might as well grab her leash and see if we can go lure The Cat back from the street. Since I don't want to stop for 5 minutes and deal with tracked in snow like I had to when I changed out of my slippers, I just reach in and grab the leash and the house keys and head out--even though the computer is still running on stuff I was reading and, more importantly, I have to pee.
While I'm doing this, the aforementioned neighbor let his dogs out. Which, if The Cat is still in their yard, is going to spook him. Started heading out to look for The Cat but then realized since the neighbor doesn't have a fully fenced backyard, there's a risk that his dogs will come out onto the street to play with my dog--and maybe get run over. And anyway, The Cat isn't going to come out if the dogs are out. Maybe I should stay home in case The Cat makes it back, but by now it is too late, we're out for a walk.
So now it's 1pm, a relatively simple plan is shot to shit, my cat is outside in the snow, and I've accomplished nothing. About the only thing that was good--totally not according to plan, but worked out--is by the time it is time to head home from the walk I have to pee so bad I can barely think but there's no discreet place to go so I'm resolving to holding it when what do I see? A porta-potty on a job site, right at the turnaround point of the walk. Amazingly it isn't chained up and there's a handy surveyor's stake to hook The Dog's leash on while I pee for about 5 minutes straight. Then, since it was a vacant lot that abuts a green space, I decided to cut through the lot and across the green space, saving me about 3 blocks of trudging along a slushy busy 2 lane road with a 45mph speed limit. I realized a flaw in my plan in that there would be a creek that would need crossing, but the weekend's extended cold weather actually froze it enough to easily support me (worst case, I had the tall rubber boots and the dog had already crossed).
So I guess I'd better get things wrapped up and get some lunch in me and try to salvage what remains of the day. The Cat is pretty resourceful and I know he has some sheltered hiding places--as long as they all aren't buried under snow--so fingers crossed for him. And if he didn't want to be outside he shouldn't have went outside, he should have come in when I tried to get him back in, he shouldn't have run off the second time I tried to get him in and he shouldn't have left the yard. And should've come when I called him. But there's no teaching cats. They'll do what they want.
I can plan. I make good plans. I also hate to plan because I know no matter how good my plan is, it is going to go to shit the instant I try to execute. (HA! As I was typing this, I remembered my favorite Dwight D. Eisenhower quote: "Plans are worthless. The planning *process* is invaluable." We'll see why:
The guy working on a car in my shed texted me last night to see if he could come by today--and how early. So I'm thinking about when I get up, where he is, when The Dog likes to go Out to use the bathroom and realizing there are too many variables and anything I say will be instantly wrong and I just say "How's 9 sound?" He says that's fine and that he has a lot to do. So I'm thinking. He really can come any time he wants. I've just got to get up to unlock everything and be aware of The Dog if she wants to be out while he's in the yard and text him this.
That's when I realized my phone was at about 45%. Since I had a cat on my lap and the dog was smack-dab in the middle of the bed, I stuck it on a charger for a bit. Got it up to 52% before I had to go to bed. Realized my plug-in charger was nowhere to be found so I closed the laptop monitor (in my bedroom) as far as I could and put a bandana over it and set the phone so I could see the charge light from the bed. Of course within 5 minutes the laptop went to sleep and the phone stopped charging. Fine. Fuck it. I'll go hunt for the charger again. No luck. I guess I'll shut the phone off and make sure the alarm is set. Then I spent the night penned into a tiny sliver of the bed by a dog next to my feet and a cat next to my side (which is odd, because the cat usually insists on laying on my feet--which sucks just as much, but I'm at least used to that).
I get up, turn on the phone, and around 8:30 I get a text that, because of the snow that is currently falling the guy isn't coming until around 11. That's fine. Then The Dog can get Out with plenty of time. We might even be on our walk by the time he gets here (I can just leave everything unlocked for him). Of course by now I'm running late. And then I get sidetracked by The Dog, who wants to go back Out. 17 minutes before the guy is supposed to get here. And she doesn't want to just go out for a quick bathroom break, she's doing fuckery in the yard. Phone beeps. He's a few minutes out. I'd better change out of jammies in case I have to collect The Dog. I'm halfway through that when I hear The Dog barking. She's ready to come In. Which is good because I can hear the guy turning into the driveway.
And as I let The Dog In, The Cat (who hasn't been out for any length of time--by his choice--since the cold and the snow) slips Out. And doesn't want to come In. By now The Dog has realized the guy is here and starts barking like crazy at him as he's pulling past the gate. I'm trying to get some outdoor gear on because the spot where he usually parks can be surprisingly treacherous in snow. Then I hear scratching at the door. The Cat has decided he wants back In, so I get to the door as quick as I can and get it open just in time to see him go "FUCK IT, I'M GONE" and jump down off the deck because a strange car is pulling in the yard.
I wanna get some boots on, but I'm watching my guy slide his car around as he's trying to get it out of the main driveway so I just have to jump out in slippers and yell to him to just stay up on the level ground. He manages that. Just. Oh, I've got around 15-20 minutes of morning routine computer stuff when this all started to unfold. I change out of slippers into rubber boots to see if I can coax The Cat In. Of course The Dog is going nuts in the mean time. Luckily with the snow, I can see where The Cat went. Over and into the neighbor's front yard. :/ Now I'm on good terms with the neighbors, but I don't want to be stomping around in their yard unannounced. Anyway, I've got to calm The Dog down too. So I might as well grab her leash and see if we can go lure The Cat back from the street. Since I don't want to stop for 5 minutes and deal with tracked in snow like I had to when I changed out of my slippers, I just reach in and grab the leash and the house keys and head out--even though the computer is still running on stuff I was reading and, more importantly, I have to pee.
While I'm doing this, the aforementioned neighbor let his dogs out. Which, if The Cat is still in their yard, is going to spook him. Started heading out to look for The Cat but then realized since the neighbor doesn't have a fully fenced backyard, there's a risk that his dogs will come out onto the street to play with my dog--and maybe get run over. And anyway, The Cat isn't going to come out if the dogs are out. Maybe I should stay home in case The Cat makes it back, but by now it is too late, we're out for a walk.
So now it's 1pm, a relatively simple plan is shot to shit, my cat is outside in the snow, and I've accomplished nothing. About the only thing that was good--totally not according to plan, but worked out--is by the time it is time to head home from the walk I have to pee so bad I can barely think but there's no discreet place to go so I'm resolving to holding it when what do I see? A porta-potty on a job site, right at the turnaround point of the walk. Amazingly it isn't chained up and there's a handy surveyor's stake to hook The Dog's leash on while I pee for about 5 minutes straight. Then, since it was a vacant lot that abuts a green space, I decided to cut through the lot and across the green space, saving me about 3 blocks of trudging along a slushy busy 2 lane road with a 45mph speed limit. I realized a flaw in my plan in that there would be a creek that would need crossing, but the weekend's extended cold weather actually froze it enough to easily support me (worst case, I had the tall rubber boots and the dog had already crossed).
So I guess I'd better get things wrapped up and get some lunch in me and try to salvage what remains of the day. The Cat is pretty resourceful and I know he has some sheltered hiding places--as long as they all aren't buried under snow--so fingers crossed for him. And if he didn't want to be outside he shouldn't have went outside, he should have come in when I tried to get him back in, he shouldn't have run off the second time I tried to get him in and he shouldn't have left the yard. And should've come when I called him. But there's no teaching cats. They'll do what they want.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
The fucking cat is back. Finally got around to lunch. By the time it was done it was time for The Dog's evening walk. Did quick prayers to St. Francis and St. Jude, looked out the back door window and saw little cat footprints all over the deck. Opened the door and called a few times and he came barreling around the corner, over the fence, and into the house. Then I walked The Dog and we managed to not die. It is now 5:35pm and I have accomplished nothing today except managing to keep all of us alive for another few hours.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
I was about to make a post that I'm pretty sure was repetitive and in the time between the thinking and the doing, about 4 more things happened that are directly related to the OP: I love my current dog and cat. But (and I could be wrong about this, things change in 5-20 years) I think these are my last pets. Old Dog died within a few months of moving to my new home and Old Cat died 3 months after that--after having them for 10-ish years. I wasn't ready for it, so I needed another dog for closure.
I wanted a puppy so I wouldn't have to lose a dog again so soon. Wound up getting a 5 year old dog. Ultimately I'm OK with this and I can't imagine what it would be like to have a year old dog--or an active dog for 10-15 years. I forgot how tiring even a 5 year old dog can be and I'm physically, mentally, and emotionally worn out caring for her. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I sincerely believe my Old Dog was my angel, guiding me to where I needed to be and when her work was done, she went on to whatever was next for her. That's how I wound up with New Dog. Her name at the shelter was "Angel." I renamed her "Starbuck." She's less like Starbuck (or Old Dog) than The Cat is--and she's more like Old Cat--but that's another story. The point is, I do believe she is leading me to where I need to go next.
I did wind up getting a kitten, but that's mostly working out.
So anyway, The Cat is being a cunt. Well, they're both cunts. The Cat has a chirping bird toy that The Dog tried to steal. The Cat has since moved it under a futon, where The Dog can't get to it and sometimes plays with it, like tonight, and I could tell The Dog was pissed that she couldn't get to it. One of Old Dog's found toys is a smaller Kong toy that has a nylon shell over it with a tail, kind of like a badminton shuttlecock. It squeaks. New Dog loves it. She has it on my bed with her. She guards it from her stepbrother, Gaius Fracking Baltar.
There is a vacant lot across the street from us. It is...infested?...good enough--with these weeds I call "fuck-its". They are basically a stalk with pea-sized...you know those little paper triangle footballs you played with in study hall if you're older than smart phones? Like that. Only velcro. And invisible. You don't see them. Then you look down and your pants are covered with little green/brown pea-sized velcro triangles and you go "Fuck it" before picking them off. Now that they've turned brown, I know where they patches are in the field, and there's snow on the ground, I've gotten to where I can avoid them. But The Dog follows her nose in pursuit of rabbits. So she went right into them. Her fur is more resistant than bluejeans and she shedded most of them but I had to pick a few off around her neck before heading for home.
She's on the bed with her Kong toy and I decided she needed some pets I found about another half dozen fuck-its on her belly that I proceeded to pick off and collect for later disposal. Of course this is the point The Cat decided he needed to be on the bed as well, as close as possible to piss off and annoy The Dog. And of course he immediately sat in the pile of fuck-its I was collecting. Luckily, apparently cotton throw blanket is more velcro than cat butt, so I was able to collect them up and throw them away. I did wind up getting the squirt gun to run him off for a bit.
Then I came over here to post this. During the first few paragraphs, he jumped back up on the bed near the Kong toy, so The Dog was forced to growl at him intermittently, but eventually he lost interest and is now laying on my legs, which are up on my desk. For a bit he was fucking around with the pens in the cup on my desk, but currently he's content to just lay there like a bit heavy turd, slowly cutting off circulation to my legs.
I wanted a puppy so I wouldn't have to lose a dog again so soon. Wound up getting a 5 year old dog. Ultimately I'm OK with this and I can't imagine what it would be like to have a year old dog--or an active dog for 10-15 years. I forgot how tiring even a 5 year old dog can be and I'm physically, mentally, and emotionally worn out caring for her. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I sincerely believe my Old Dog was my angel, guiding me to where I needed to be and when her work was done, she went on to whatever was next for her. That's how I wound up with New Dog. Her name at the shelter was "Angel." I renamed her "Starbuck." She's less like Starbuck (or Old Dog) than The Cat is--and she's more like Old Cat--but that's another story. The point is, I do believe she is leading me to where I need to go next.
I did wind up getting a kitten, but that's mostly working out.
So anyway, The Cat is being a cunt. Well, they're both cunts. The Cat has a chirping bird toy that The Dog tried to steal. The Cat has since moved it under a futon, where The Dog can't get to it and sometimes plays with it, like tonight, and I could tell The Dog was pissed that she couldn't get to it. One of Old Dog's found toys is a smaller Kong toy that has a nylon shell over it with a tail, kind of like a badminton shuttlecock. It squeaks. New Dog loves it. She has it on my bed with her. She guards it from her stepbrother, Gaius Fracking Baltar.
There is a vacant lot across the street from us. It is...infested?...good enough--with these weeds I call "fuck-its". They are basically a stalk with pea-sized...you know those little paper triangle footballs you played with in study hall if you're older than smart phones? Like that. Only velcro. And invisible. You don't see them. Then you look down and your pants are covered with little green/brown pea-sized velcro triangles and you go "Fuck it" before picking them off. Now that they've turned brown, I know where they patches are in the field, and there's snow on the ground, I've gotten to where I can avoid them. But The Dog follows her nose in pursuit of rabbits. So she went right into them. Her fur is more resistant than bluejeans and she shedded most of them but I had to pick a few off around her neck before heading for home.
She's on the bed with her Kong toy and I decided she needed some pets I found about another half dozen fuck-its on her belly that I proceeded to pick off and collect for later disposal. Of course this is the point The Cat decided he needed to be on the bed as well, as close as possible to piss off and annoy The Dog. And of course he immediately sat in the pile of fuck-its I was collecting. Luckily, apparently cotton throw blanket is more velcro than cat butt, so I was able to collect them up and throw them away. I did wind up getting the squirt gun to run him off for a bit.
Then I came over here to post this. During the first few paragraphs, he jumped back up on the bed near the Kong toy, so The Dog was forced to growl at him intermittently, but eventually he lost interest and is now laying on my legs, which are up on my desk. For a bit he was fucking around with the pens in the cup on my desk, but currently he's content to just lay there like a bit heavy turd, slowly cutting off circulation to my legs.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
A friend...actually a Facebook friend...originally from Wordforge...SHUT UP! IT'S A THING! Had a medical thing with his dog that reminded me of my dog's final battle. God willing, his dog seems to be coming along, but it got me thinking about some of the things on the grieving list that I hadn't gotten around to for lack of time. In this weird gap of being retired(?) and between Christmas and New Year's--with a couple hours before a sane adult would go to bed--I'm thinking maybe I should bang them out.
Movies: E.T. And the Star Trek trilogy of 2, 3, and 4 (with maybe 6 for good measure). And of course rereading The Sandman. Or I could just get to work on a small plastering project I've been delaying. Or just get, like, 9+ hours of sleep. Mmm...too much sleeeep..... ghahahghahhh.....
Movies: E.T. And the Star Trek trilogy of 2, 3, and 4 (with maybe 6 for good measure). And of course rereading The Sandman. Or I could just get to work on a small plastering project I've been delaying. Or just get, like, 9+ hours of sleep. Mmm...too much sleeeep..... ghahahghahhh.....
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
I do need at least a part time job. The rate on my HELOC just went up to 7.5%. So in the unlikely event that I can find a nice house that I can afford, I'll pay 7.5% on a good chunk of the debt (unless I get a mortgage on it once I own it--that is less than 7.5%). At that point it is still getting expensive enough that I might as well just pump money into the stock market while I try to ride this out.
That was actually an afterthought I meant to say I applied for one job that should be a dead-bang--something I did well and got promoted for for a company I worked for--and haven't heard back, so I decided no one is doing much hiring until the new year as an excuse to work on projects around the house. I've been cutting out boards in the hall closet wall in preparation for making a secret door to my bedroom (which has a tiny closet, so a 10' walk-in closet will be a nice bonus--especially as a secret way to the back door). And I got the plaster out and cleaned up my putty knives for some touch-up work around the threshold for the 3rd bedroom so I can finally finish painting that. There's a bunch of other touch up plaster and paint work I should do, but I'm going to pretend it doesn't exist for now because I hate going back to rework something that was "finished." Speaking of which...
I hate multitasking. I don't even like changing between tasks. I'm fixing up the carriage house, patching leaks on the tin shed roof, and digging weeds out of the driveway (along with the interior projects). The carriage house went on the back burner because it doesn't make me money like the tin shed. Then we got rain and below 50 degree weather that put a stop to leak patching. I moved to the indoor projects when the cold snap stopped me from working on the driveway but yesterday was warm enough to work on that more.
Today was warm and dry enough to work on the roof. But I was getting close to getting the approach to one of the double doors in the shed cleared of weeds, so I worked on that today instead. Anyway, a lot of the leaks are in the area that is rented out and the guy's got tools and car parts all over so trying to get to stuff (and not get drips of patching compound on his stuff) is a pain in the butt.
That's about it. Pretty soon it'll be time to read some more "The Sandman." I've got enough time to watch a movie, but since I read the first issue last night, I kind of don't want to change gears until I get to at least the end of the first arc.
That was actually an afterthought I meant to say I applied for one job that should be a dead-bang--something I did well and got promoted for for a company I worked for--and haven't heard back, so I decided no one is doing much hiring until the new year as an excuse to work on projects around the house. I've been cutting out boards in the hall closet wall in preparation for making a secret door to my bedroom (which has a tiny closet, so a 10' walk-in closet will be a nice bonus--especially as a secret way to the back door). And I got the plaster out and cleaned up my putty knives for some touch-up work around the threshold for the 3rd bedroom so I can finally finish painting that. There's a bunch of other touch up plaster and paint work I should do, but I'm going to pretend it doesn't exist for now because I hate going back to rework something that was "finished." Speaking of which...
I hate multitasking. I don't even like changing between tasks. I'm fixing up the carriage house, patching leaks on the tin shed roof, and digging weeds out of the driveway (along with the interior projects). The carriage house went on the back burner because it doesn't make me money like the tin shed. Then we got rain and below 50 degree weather that put a stop to leak patching. I moved to the indoor projects when the cold snap stopped me from working on the driveway but yesterday was warm enough to work on that more.
Today was warm and dry enough to work on the roof. But I was getting close to getting the approach to one of the double doors in the shed cleared of weeds, so I worked on that today instead. Anyway, a lot of the leaks are in the area that is rented out and the guy's got tools and car parts all over so trying to get to stuff (and not get drips of patching compound on his stuff) is a pain in the butt.
That's about it. Pretty soon it'll be time to read some more "The Sandman." I've got enough time to watch a movie, but since I read the first issue last night, I kind of don't want to change gears until I get to at least the end of the first arc.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
Meh day. There is a problem with my car where, if it sits for any length of time, the battery runs down. The theft deterrent system? I dunno. Some short that came from the factory? Can't tell. But if I don't get out and drive on the freeway at least once a week the battery runs down. Now being retired(?) I make it to the supermarket once a week. Maybe I take The Dog somewhere fancy on the weekend, but she isn't as big a car rider as the Old Dog, so it's easy to skip that. So today I needed groceries. And I had to charge up the battery so I decided to run to the place where there's a Wal*Mart and a Tar*get on the same parking lot (next door to a Lowe's). Oh, and I've never been to Texas Roadhouse because it's always packed so I figured I'd go there for lunch. But since the battery needed a charge, I figured I'd do that after I went cross-town to Targ*Mart.
I need to find a store that is in the late 20th century. Because people don't buy the things I buy anymore. Needed a couple dress shirts. Target does not have dress shirts. I mean, maybe they never did, but not they really don't. Had maybe a 4' long rack of collared shirts with buttons in the entire menswear section. Of course Wal*Mart was no better. In the end I wound up getting maybe 45% of the things I was looking for. Then I got to Texas Roadhouse--around 2pm. It was a circus. Parking lot overflowing, people milling around. I intentionally came at an off hour and it was still a zoo. Oh well, I had a plan for this. You've probably heard of Bob's Big Boy. Burger place. Well if you're in Louisville and surrounding places it's *Frisch's* Big Boy. Apparently in the early days of franchising, a guy from Ohio was out in California and liked the idea of making a burger from 2 patties so you could have twice as much meat but it could cook just as fast as a smaller burger and licensed the idea. But he didn't want to call it "Bob's," so around here it is "Frisch's." Wanted to see if there was any other difference. Got to the place I've driven by countless times. Parking lot was unnervingly empty. Circled around a second time and realized the menu had been taken down from the drive-thru. Fucking place had closed recently. I intentionally drove past a different one because Plan A was Texas Roadhouse.
That about sums up the day.
I need to find a store that is in the late 20th century. Because people don't buy the things I buy anymore. Needed a couple dress shirts. Target does not have dress shirts. I mean, maybe they never did, but not they really don't. Had maybe a 4' long rack of collared shirts with buttons in the entire menswear section. Of course Wal*Mart was no better. In the end I wound up getting maybe 45% of the things I was looking for. Then I got to Texas Roadhouse--around 2pm. It was a circus. Parking lot overflowing, people milling around. I intentionally came at an off hour and it was still a zoo. Oh well, I had a plan for this. You've probably heard of Bob's Big Boy. Burger place. Well if you're in Louisville and surrounding places it's *Frisch's* Big Boy. Apparently in the early days of franchising, a guy from Ohio was out in California and liked the idea of making a burger from 2 patties so you could have twice as much meat but it could cook just as fast as a smaller burger and licensed the idea. But he didn't want to call it "Bob's," so around here it is "Frisch's." Wanted to see if there was any other difference. Got to the place I've driven by countless times. Parking lot was unnervingly empty. Circled around a second time and realized the menu had been taken down from the drive-thru. Fucking place had closed recently. I intentionally drove past a different one because Plan A was Texas Roadhouse.
That about sums up the day.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
So. I bitch about Fetlife. My Fetlife profile talks about Dagny Taggart in "Atlas Shrugged," being disappointed by cocktail parties and that this was how I felt about fetish parties. And my profile photo is me (from the chin down) in a tuxedo, with the caption "It's hard to find an excuse to wear a tuxedo these days."
Well for NYE, the folks up in Indianapolis look to be putting together a fairly swanky affair with some beautiful kinky people doing beautiful kinky things--which is pretty much what I've been bitching there needs to be some of. On top of it all, it would be an excuse to wear a tuxedo. But it's 2 hours away. And I'm comfortable with my place and my animals and my routine. I don't know that I want to spend 4 hours on the road to spend about as many hours milling around awkwardly with other people.
Well for NYE, the folks up in Indianapolis look to be putting together a fairly swanky affair with some beautiful kinky people doing beautiful kinky things--which is pretty much what I've been bitching there needs to be some of. On top of it all, it would be an excuse to wear a tuxedo. But it's 2 hours away. And I'm comfortable with my place and my animals and my routine. I don't know that I want to spend 4 hours on the road to spend about as many hours milling around awkwardly with other people.
Ancalagon
I'm not wearing any panties!!
IIRC you are carrying a Walther PPK/S. At 25.3oz it is significantly heavier than the new(ish) Ruger LCP at 9.4oz (also .380 Auto). If you are considering regularly carrying it might be worth keeping an eye out for a decent used one.
Volpone
Zombie Hunter
Weight isn't an issue. Just the shape. Uncomfortable to wear. And since a pistol has to be a certain height for people to hold it and a certain length to allow gunpowder to expand, and a certain width to surround a decent diameter bullet, there isn't much you can do about size.
On an unrelated note, a few days ago the local news did about a 2 minute piece--complete with interviews--about why you shouldn't engage in "celebratory gunfire" on NYE. And at 11:25pm, I'm realizing no one paid attention.
On an unrelated note, a few days ago the local news did about a 2 minute piece--complete with interviews--about why you shouldn't engage in "celebratory gunfire" on NYE. And at 11:25pm, I'm realizing no one paid attention.