Healthy Living Thread

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday kids!

Curby, I'm also a fan of cinnamon in chocolate! There's a restaurant here (or at least there WAS, not sure if they're still open) called Hot Chocolate and they have a slew of HC options for dessert, one of which is Mexican HC which is super dark with cinnamon in it, and so thick you could almost stand the spoon straight up. We ended up at a nice place across the river for my woodchuck's lunch. At the end of the meal there was some lingering but I looked out at the sky at one point and was like, uh... I think we better head back NOW. We weren't even off the elevator on our floor and the sky just opened up and rained solid for two hours. I found out later that some other people on our floor had gone to lunch later and got caught by the rain and eventually stopped trying to wait it out having to return soaking wet. It's good you fixed your laptop issue without having to try Dee's Ice Idea.

Yesterday my neck and shoulder hurt so much after spending fourteen hours the previous day mousing in the same bad position that I had to fashion a poor man's standing desk using a bunch of compliance manual binders to raise things up. Yowch. I'm sure I'll be healed just in time to go back to work on Monday...

I woke up multiple times in the night thinking it's tomorrow and I better get up and go sit in front of that estate sale house!!!

Today I need to clean up a bunch of things I bought in my suit frenzy and see about some returns. There is a local Macy's that I can take stuff back to, but I almost hate to do that to them because they always seems so sad when I make a return there. I also need to arrange a trip back to the Ann Taylor outlet. I am keeping quite a bit of stuff though, so not everything is going back.

Alright, off to wordle and then to get this show going!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, now I want hot chocolate. Of course, they told me nothing hot for 2 weeks too. I like mint hot chocolate, but I bet the dark chocolate with cinnamon would be delicious!

Good deal you beat the rain back to the office. What luck!

Ouch for your shoulder and neck hurt after using the mouse so long yesterday. I had to watch that at my last job because my desk was too tall for me and I'd get that problem if I worked on a spreadsheet all day. I hope you are feeling better SOON.

Oh no for a bad night's sleep and thinking it was time to head to the estate sale. I hate nights like that! I had a weird dream but slept okay. I more often than not laying awake for hours in the middle of the night. I wake up then can't go back to sleep. What the heck? I know we don't need beauty rest but still . . .

Good luck with the returns. And have fun finding new things while you are there.

I am Curbynocar - we dropped Marty's pickup at the dealer this morning. His backup sensor isn't working. This is the second time it's quit since they rebuilt the back of his pickup. Thanks to the lady who smashed in to the back of his park vehicle.

So the Curbymobile is out there in the wild, on a city street without me watching over it. The part "should" be here tomorrow.

We went out for breakfast after dropping the pickup off, I worked about 6 hours today. I have a roast in the crock pot. I'm starving already. Maybe I'll eat a peach.

Laters,
Curbynocar

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy stupid early Friday kids!

Curby, sister #1 is down visiting mom and dad in Missouri and they were going peach picking yesterday too. Tis the season! Did Marty bring the Curbymobile back in one piece? My neck/shoulder issue has morphed into a headache and I didn’t sleep much. When I did finally drift off I dreamed I was with a bunch of people and we were renting an apartment. My share was $175 a week. I’m pretty sure it was in New Orleans — a place I’ve only been to once and have no real desire to go back to. Who knows why I would dream something like that?!

Yesterday it took ages to wrap up the orders I had outstanding. Then I did a bunch of running around — post office, pick up at a local auction place (I had something from the week before I never got around to retrieving), UPS, the packaging supply place (more peanuts!), pedicure and grocery store, and I scouted out the estate sale on my way back to the house (which is where I’m sitting now). The sale is in a neighborhood close by and there are a lot of winding interconnecting streets. I’m convinced the satellite view must look like the Audi logo LOL. Anyway, I’m pretty sure I saw a guy that I recognize from the local auctions cruising around here too. Not my usual nemesis, but someone else. I don’t really associate him with buying glass though so he’s probably interested in something else.

Yesterday I did get the clothes situation sorted at least. Now I have piles for three places. Oh… and I mayyyy have ordered another blazer in a second color because I really like one of the ones I’d gotten online. Now I just need to take everting back that I’m not keeping. But that will be an adventure for another day!

Alright, off to Wordle and then read a book I queued up last night because I knew this was going to be a looooong wait this morning.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I hope sister #1 gets some delicious peaches.

Did your headache go away yet? Seems like the older I get, the easier I get aches and pains and the longer they linger.

You did have a strange dream. What's up with strange dreams this week? Seems like I had one last night myself but zip its gone already.

You had a busy day yesterday. I hope your scored some treasures. Nice your nemesis didn't appear early.

Marty did bring the Curbymobile home in one piece. He said he kept checking on it. We called Ford at about 3 pm yesterday and they didn't have the part yet, so Marty told them he was coming to pick it up since he wanted it this weekend. Between that call and when we got there, the part had arrived but they couldn't get it done that day. So I guess we'll take it back to Ford Monday morning.

That's great you organized your new clothes and figured out which to keep and which to return. My latest orders are in the dryer now. I found out Christopher and Banks filed chapter 11 in January of 2021 and the only stores open are in Arizona. Phooey.

I worked until about 5 last night then wasted time on Angry Birds and watched some TV. I worked on mini me #2 a bit.

This morning we ran over to Laramie (45 miles away) to pick up some computer board but took the scenic route over and back. It was fun. There is a restaurant about 13 miles out of town on that road so we stopped and and had lunch there.

We are meeting some friends for supper. I totally plan on having a glass of wine with dinner. I am pretty sure 2 of the 3 stitches on the inside of my tooth came out the other day. That area aches a bit more than before but it's not bleeding so I'll just not worry about it.

Laters,
Curby

Here is a pano shot from our drive today

 

[Dee*Jay]

Curby,

That photo is great -- SUCH a gorgeous blue sky! Is Marty's truck in the shop to get the new part installed? How are the stitches? These are SUPPOSED to be coming out... right? I.e., the ones that dissolve on their own... ? I have two funny stories about those. One is that my mother had some sort of surgery in the 80s and these used them. Well little bits of "thread" worked their way out of her body for years in strange places (the crook of her arm, the back of her neck). Fortunately they had warned her about that or else or else there would have been some major panic! The other is that I had two layers of stitches when I had suspicious mole removed, one layer in the muscle and one layer in the skin. The muscle ones were dissolvable and a couple of months after the surgery I had a really angry red welt right at the scar. So of course I did the only normal thing to do at that point... I squeezed it. And a perfect tiny square know popped right out of my skin. To this day I have a tiny dimple there from that hole. I'm sure all of these weird stitches stories are exactly what you wanted to hear.

What a weekend!!! I got the blue glasses I wanted for an absolutely stupidly low amount of money. So low that I thought at first the price was per glass -- which I still would have gladly paid! -- but it was for the Entire Set. I almost danced with glee! I also got another set of glasses that I frankly paid too much for, but hey, I was standing right here and had bubble wrap and a bin... so... There was a third set of glasses that were just too much for what they were and I went back on Saturday morning and got those, along with a couple of other things. As I was pulling out of the neighborhood I realized they hadn't charged me enough so I went back to give them more money. It created a whole bunch of confusion. Eventually I managed to pay them some more, but frankly based on the amount of angst I should have just let it be. As I was driving home Liam called and said there was some stuff for me at a local auction, so I went and spent several hot humid hours there. For $27.50 I came home with a car full of stuff. After a quick shower we all headed north to the hotel with the water park where we got the ferals checked in and then we went off to dinner and to the Air Supply concert. Curby, I am SO OLD!!! I had a fabulous time though!

Yesterday morning I headed back to The North Estate crazy early and listed all day. At one point I thought OMG, I am exhausted. It must be about 6 pm. It wasn't even noon yet!!! The rain on the way back to the house was pretty intense and I told Liam to hold off coming back until the storm had passed. I actually hydroplaned there was so much water on the highway. Thank go I was in my Audi and not Billy Ray.

This morning I woke to another crazy storm, but there was a break in the wave so I headed out thinking maybe I could beat the rest of it. Nope. I didn't go over 50 MPH on the highway for the first 2/3rds of the trip. And then the sky cleared and it didn't look like it had rained toward the city at all. Pulling into my parking garage I realized I had forgotten my condo keys. A whole bunch of hassle ensued, including having to exit the garage on the other side of the block at the public door because I couldn't into the building without my fob, which is on the same ring, getting my spare key from the doorman, unloading my car, taking the key back down, and then getting ready. A lady who lives a few blocks from my condo bought a set of really delicate glasses last night and I told her I would hand deliver them this morning. I hadn't planned on having to walk over there in the rain when I made the offer... but that's exactly what I ended up doing because it had finally started to come down in the city by then. My walk to work was hot and sticky and I felt disgusting when I got here. Ick.

And now... here I am. This day has no where to go but up!

(Whew -- what a lot of b!tching I just did. Sorry!)

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Nothing much exciting going on here today, just working working working. Considering heading back to The North Estate tonight and working from home tomorrow, yet to be determined. There is a set of dishes (almost 200 pieces total) on an auction tomorrow that I'm trying to resist... but who am I kidding?

Alright... time to dust off the annual review and make some real progress.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, yay for getting the blue glasses you wanted plus filled your car with more glasses. Sounds like you scored. I would have done the same thing on going back and paying the money; but of course that would cause confusion. That is great you enjoyed the Air Supply concert. I definitely sing along with their songs when they come on the radio. I'm OLDER! Glad the weekend trip went well.

Those stories about stitches and your mom are quite funny. I am worried what is left on the inside of my gum isn't enough to pull out. I am not sure how the stitches are doing on the outside. I guess I'll see on Friday. I even had a few strawberries with lunch today - I'm a rebel. I never picked up my "narcotics" for pain, but I did get a 2 page letter from my insurance company on the evils of opioids and how to NOT get addicted to them. That's a case of CYA there.

They finally got Marty's pickup done today. My SIL rode out to Ford with Marty and then drove the CurbyMobile home - she said she had fun and didn't check how fast she was going.

Thanks for the kind words on my picture, the skies here can be really blue. Probably the wind clears it out.

Darn you woke up to a storm. Even worse driving to the North Estate in heavy rain, I am glad the sure footed Audi managed it okay. I always say, Germans know how to build cars that go through snow and on ice. We get some thunderstorms rolling through in the afternoon but don't get much rain. Sorry you got rained on delivering some glasses. It's gets colder here when in rains but I've been places where it makes it hotter and muggy. Not pleasant.

Oh no to forgetting your condo keys. Sounds like a pain for you.

I'll look forward to hearing about your 200 pieces of dishes.

My SIL showed up a day early yesterday. I waited at the door until she saw me and shut the door. Ha Ha. We didn't get her joke Prime box ready since she was a day early. The pickup was at Ford, so she bought us supper from Taco Johns - enjoy some of the delicious potato oles. I worked about 9 hours yesterday and did finally lift again.

Today, I ran errands at about 10 am and picked up groceries. My SIL grilled burgers for us for lunch and I made corn on the cob and a fresh fruit salad. We are going out for supper after Marty is done with the gym tonight.

Work was hectic today, one of the part time writes died in his sleep last night. He was 69. Kind of unsettling for everyone. The article I worked on yesterday and finished this morning apparently wasn't edited as expected. Oh well, I offered to work on it after the boss lady writes an intro paragraph on it. I tried!

Take care.
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, on the few occasions when I've taken a pain pill I've promptly puked it right back up there's not much chance of me getting addicted. Prosecco is my medication of choice! The problem with the Deemobile, and I'm sure the Curbymobile too, is that you don't FEEL like you're going that fast in them. And then you look down at the speedometer and RUT RO! I'm so sorry to hear about the guy passing away. A couple of jobs ago I worked with someone who was at his desk with his door closed and his light went out (we had the ones that are motion activated in our offices). His assistant thought it was odd so she went to check... and... well you can figure out what happened. Poor guy. Super nice fellow too.

Yesterday I did some work, but didn't really get motivated until well after lunch. My boss and I left together a bit after eight. He came into my office at one point said "You're really doing great -- I never have to worry about you. You get everything done and everyone likes you." Uh, buddy, can you please get out now and close the door behind you, I have a phone interview in five minutes.

I'm hoping to head out a few hours early today if I can manage it so I better get crackin'.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday kids!

Welp... I am the owner of a couple of hundred pieces of yellow depression glass. No one saw that coming, right?! And I got it for a realllllly good price, so super pleased. I'll need to run up there today and retrieve it. Lotttttts of paper and boxes. There's also an estate sale starting this afternoon that only has one set of glasses I might want if the price is right, but they also have a couple of fake plants I could use as photo props and a really pretty quilt, so I might go by there too. Other than that I need to ship off two orders, one of which is for a set of glasses I didn't put any inventory info on so I hope they aren't too hard to find. My system usually involves saying what kind of box it's in, a two or three word description, and sometimes a colored dot... but on this set I didn't ID it. The search begins...

Ok, off to get this party started!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I get sick from pills too. If a pill has codeine in it, you can set a timer and watch the gross reaction 15 minutes later. I always wanted to tell someone "you make me sick" 14 minutes later then wait for it. Ha Ha. No, I don't have a clue how fast I'm going in the Curbymobile either. Often when I look down, it's a big surprise. That's why I see flashing red lights in my rear view mirror.

That is too bad about that guy passing away at work. We had one like that at my last job too. Pretty awful.

The boss "knows" your looking. It's nice to hear he values you and of course how could everyone NOT like you? How did the interview go?

Sweet to score a good deal on lots of yellow depression glasses. Fake plants will make good props for your pictures. Good luck finding those glasses to ship. I imagine you will soon need to rend a giant warehouse. LOL.

Yesterday was hectic. Marty and his sister were in the living room talking a lot and I couldn't concentrate so I worked early and late. Today his sister stayed at her RV. She said she didn't sleep well. Marty left early for DIA on a quick work trip to Nashville. He'll be back Saturday. Since I got up so early, I worked 2 hours, lifted then ran errands. Then worked some more. I obviously was in to comfort food today. My surgery tooth is bugging me. Not bad, just something I am aware of; I get the stitches out in the morning. I ordered an individual thick crust pizza for lunch and ate 2 small pieces of it (yes it was the "EVIL" canadian bacon and pineapple) and then for supper I had a bowl of fruit, a grilled burger and a root beer float. Oh, I forgot the big peanut cookie I picked up. I picked up 2 snickerdoodle and 2 peanut butter cookies from a local cookie store for me and my sister-in-law. Since she didn't come to town today, I froze three of the cookies but ate one.

I was ready to get a picture of the full moon tonight but just got a few shots before the clouds covered it up and the rain started. Phooey.

Take care.
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Saturday kids!

Curby, that picture of the moon is even cooler with the partial cloud cover! How did the stich removal go? The interview was a waste of time. The interviewer (and I'm going to stereotype here!) was named Misty and she has a side business as a wedding planner. Hopefully she's better at picking venues and arranging flowers than the is at interviewing. That's OK, I'm 48 days from bonus payout!

Yesterday was all about the yellow glass. I washed and washed and washed some more! And just when I was about to take pictures of my vignette for place settings I was like... aren't there salad plates... ? So I dug around and found twenty of them at the bottom of a box of pink glasses. Ha! That involved some more washing and THEN some picture taking. By that point it was late afternoon and I only got photos done for a few listings due to the waning light. The kitchen counter is completely covered with glass and everyone has strict instructions not to go near it!

Today I'm heading downtown to do a scavenger hunt with my kid from Big Bros / Big Sisters. That will suck up my whole day I'm sure so there likely won't be any picture taking today. And tomorrow we're supposed to go to Iowa to see Liam's new niece, but I'm going to try to beg off and get the counter cleared.

Alright, off to make the trek into the city!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, well darn the interview was a waste of time. The stitch removal was okay - two of them were stuck and came out very reluctantly. I can brush the tooth - or actually temporary crown - but not the gum area for a month. That will be tough. Use an extra soft toothbrush, avoid crunchy food, nuts, popcorn and go back in a month to see how it's doing. It had a coating on it which is gone now so it is a bit more agitated but as she pointed out, I have an exposed root now. So we'll see how it goes.

Yay 48 more days and counting.

You did have a busy day washing dishes. Good luck keeping everyone away from the kitchen counter. How was the scavenger hunt? What strange things did you have to find? Good luck begging out on the trip tomorrow.

My sister-in-law and I went out for a late lunch yesterday and did some shopping. After she headed back to her RV, I finished watching about 5 more episodes of The Terminal List on Prime. It took me until after 11 pm, but I finished the series.

I still got up early today so did a bit of work for my "job", then ventured out to see if my dad's buddies were at the donut shop. Only 2 of them were there today, but I visited with them and had a donut. It didn't taste as good as I remembered. I picked up a few groceries and got home right when my SIL showed up. We did some more shopping and then headed to Colorado to meet Marty for lunch. His flight was on time but he was stuck in traffic. We filled on up wine while waiting for him. This afternoon we sat on the deck and visited for a while. Looks like rain moving in now.

I guess we aren't busy on the website (story wise) this time of year so it was suggested I take a few weeks off. However, I still have to maintain and update my one article and do my 2 days of proofing - if there are any stories to proof. Oh well. I can have time to cook lunch again. I guess it's kind of dead between Christmas and New Year's too which is a great time to not worry about work.

Laters,
Curby

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

My SIL left this morning. Now there's no one to help me pull pranks on Marty. I'll carry on by myself.

So far I've only worked a few hours today, but I did put together some things for work last night. I'll be bored during this slow time.

Marty grilled a tenderloin roast yesterday; it was amazing. We had grilled corn too but it was just so-so. So we all filled up on the tenderloin. I had some leftovers for lunch today, it was still delicious.

I picked up a few groceries this morning and made Marty some rice for the week. He eats a ton of it with his protein.

I found some new yarn to try yesterday at Walmart. Marty left his charger for his Airpods on the plane so that was the only place in town we found that "supposedly" had them in stock. Wrong! He ended up buying the noise cancelling Bose earbuds and really likes them. I can't justify buying new earbuds tho since I rarely use the ones I have.

It's chilly here today. It was raining when I got up and hasn't really warmed up much since then. Of course, I cannot claim to be a impartial judge as to whether it's cold of not.

Take care.
Curby

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Apparently, someone didn't get the memo for me to work less. Ha Ha. I worked 7 hours today and could still be working. Oh well. Keeps me out of the bars.

Marty had an appointment in Colorado this morning so we left for that at 7 am, quick in and out, went out for breakfast and we got home before 10. After that, I worked until 5 pm.

I was starving then so had some fruit and baked 1/2 of one of those mini pizzas I made a few weeks ago. Yay for quick stuff from the freezer.

I am still tittering between buying a new laptop but to spec it out ends up costing way more than I am willing to spend. Marty suggested I get a Mac Studio (PC) and just use it for work. Good idea as it's cheaper than a laptop, but I don't think I want to be using two different PC's. Decisions, decisions. If it was a sapphire - it would be an easier decision. Ha Ha.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, I'm behind! The scavenger hunt was fun. We got clues and had to go all over Navy Pier (which I swear is a mile long!) looking for answers. I was worn out by the end! What are you using the new yarn for? I can only assume you're starting on MY mini-me. Where is your SIL off to now? I will have to replace my olllllllld laptop that I keep in my downtown condo at some point. I will get something very cheap as I only use it for web surfing when I'm in bed there those one or two nights a week, but I definitely want to have SOMETHING. I mean, it just so much easier to online shop that way!

I am swamped. Seriously... things are getting crazy. And we just hired fourteen new people on Monday. Training, training, training. Things are heating up on the job front too -- just went I thought it was going on the back burner! I had a call yesterday with a very large international bank, I talked to the recruiter for a private equity firm today, and the regional bank that I met with a few weeks ago wants me to come in and talk to the chief operating officer next week. Forty-four days to bonus payout... !

I'm hoping to scoot out of here early(ish) because I've got a call I need to listen in on at 5 pm and I'd like to be on the road and take it from the highway. We'll see if that works out. When I get back to The North Estate I've got six orders to pack, including another one of those vintage aprons. I enjoy those so much -- light, easy to pack, and unbreakable!

Alright, back to the grindstone.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, that's great the scavenger hunt was fun. I bet it did wear you out. I didn't buy any of that new yarn - yet. I haven't worked on our mini me for a few days, I best get on it, eh? Of course you need a laptop to shop while lounging in bed. I an still contemplating what I want to do. Sometimes, I'll admit my Air is fine; it is mere seconds we are talking about when it starts slowing down. Then, I want the PC since it is screaming fast - but then I don't want 2 machines. But wait, just a faster laptop would be nice. The kicker is either of the new choices has a built in SD card which I like, right now I have to use a USB SD card device or a dongle off my monitor. Are those inconveniences worth a few thousand dollars? If I was considering a new ring or earrings, you know it would be on order already.

Fun for you to be training 14 new people. You will be busy. Woo hoo things are heating up on the job front. Fourty-four days to go and counting. Tick-tock.

Did you get on the road in time to listen to your 5 pm call? Marty was listening to calls on our way to Colorado and back yesterday. I was bored.

Wow, that sounds like a lot of orders to pack. Do you save the easy aprons for last or just pack them first? I tend to do my least favorite things first.

I didn't sleep much the last two nights so I am yawning already. I only worked about 3 1/2 hours today. I grilled a burger for supper today but dropped it on the deck when I got it out of the grill. Luckily, I had some frozen chicken strips so had those instead. I swear, I have dropped more stuff in the last two weeks than I have in the last six months. What a klutz and I have to small knife cuts on my hand that I don't remember doing.

My lengthened tooth is quite sensitive. Great.

Off to play angry birds. I'm finally made it to the 1000 level. Woo hoo! Marty is still hundreds of levels ahead of me.

Laters,
Curby

 

[marcy]

I forgot - my SIL is heading to their brother's house in Virginia. She is driving I-80 and plans on taking her time getting there.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

Curby, can you sell your old machine to offset the cost of a new one and still have only one device then? My 5 pm call got moved to 5:30 so I was able to get out of my garage and dialed in with no time crunch. How's your tooth doing? Your SIS is a road warrior! Good for her, I bet she sees lots of interesting things along the way!

Yesterday morning I headed to the estate sale early and I was sitting in my car because it was a bit chilly out still. About half an hour later one of the other regulars pulled up beside me and asked if I knew there were people sitting in lawn chairs in the driveway on the side of the house. Wha...... ??? They certainly weren't there when I drove past the driveway earlier and I didn't see them show up. Turns out they were neighbors and had come through the back yard from their own house to this one. No conflict because they were interested in the kitchen appliances and a piece of furniture in the dining room, but still! I was totally snipered by that -- better pay more attention next time! Anyway, I got a lot of what I wanted. There is some stemware but it was priced wayyyyyy too high. Even at half off tomorrow (assuming it's still there) I need to think about it.

So Liam has the rona. He tested positive yesterday. We're staying in completely different parts of the house, have all the windows and screen doors open, and I'm wearing the most aggressive mask I have (I can barely breathe in this thing!). Hopefully I won't get it, but I guess time will tell. I could decamp for my condo downtown but I've got a ton of things that should get done here so I'm just going to keep on keepin' on and hope for the best.

Alright, off to do a whole bunch of laundry. And clean everything with Lysol again. EVERYTHING. AGAIN. Over and over and over!!!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I just bit the bullet and ordered a maxed out MacBook Pro 14. Marty has tried - often in vain - to convince me to get the best to begin with so I don't keep buying it over and over. I found it $200 somewhere so that almost covered my 3 year Apple Care. I get it Wednesday. I'll try to sell my MacBook Air to cover the tax anyway.

My SIL has done a lot of sight seeing plus visiting friends and relatives. Sounds like she might buy some land in a year or two to live on for awhile and eventually build a house.

Good deal the timing on your call worked out on the way to the North Estate.

WTH the neighbors appeared behind your back at the estate sale. Glad they weren't interested in glassware. Sounds like you got a lot of what you wanted too. Sweet.

Oh no that Liam has the rona. I hope he feels better soon and you don't catch it. I think everyone of us has had it several times by now. No one can run or hide from it.

I only worked about 3 hours today. I guess I am going to be tracking and updating something as well. The curse of competency strikes again. The boss had me check on how many posts one gal did versus the guy that works on the same articles. It was 3 to 1 in his favor and the missed something. Joy. Reminds me why I don't miss being a boss.

A friend of mine came over for lunch today and to play cards. She was just in D.C. and brought me a stuffed Snoopy dressed as an astronaut. She was visiting her son who started at the naval academy in June and they visited an air and space museum. Strangely other than the Smithsonian.

I dodged bumble bees while picking off dead flowers. They must like my flowers out there.

Have a great weekend.
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Sunday kids!

Curby, you're going to be so happy when you get the new machine! I live my technology life vicariously through you! It seems like Liam is going to live. He even cut the grass yesterday, which is a good thing because I think if it grew one more inch the little dog would have gotten lost out there! So far I'm uninfected. To the best of my knowledge I haven't had it, although I was SUPER sick in January 2020 and I really think it was the rona, even though it wasn't a "thing" yet. My office tests every Monday so I'll be curious to see how my results come back tomorrow morning! Bees and wasps scare me -- I was last stung about forty years ago and I still remember that it HURT!

Yesterday I got a bunch of quilts at the estate sale (half off!) but the stemware was gone. That's ok, if someone else was willing to pay up for it they are welcome to it! It rained here on and off most of the day but I was determined to get pictures taken anyway, and it looks like today's going to be about the same. I've got two orders to ship at this point and I'm going to send them UPS so I can take them over this afternoon as Liam is still in lockdown tomorrow (five days) so he won't be going to the post office).

Might as well get this show on the road, those pieces of glass don't list themselves!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I'd better be happy with my new laptop and if I'm not I'd best keep my mouth shut. I am sure Marty won't want to hear about it. LOL. What a relief Liam is going to live! Be sure and study for your COVID test at work tomorrow. I am rather surprised they are still testing people at the office. Sorry to hear you got stung once and it hurt. Bees make me nervous, wasps scare the crap out of me. I was stung by a bee once a long time ago but I don't remember how much it hurt. I am sure it wasn't pleasant.

That's a good deal you got pictures taken even though it rained. It is clouding up here right now. I have no idea if we are going to get some rain. If only I had an app handy to check these things!

That's great you always seem to have orders to ship out. I agree, if someone paid more for the stemware then they are welcome to it. Nice you found some quilts though.

Our dinner party went well (mostly). Having both tenderloin and pichana meant we had a lot of leftovers, but it was sure good. My friend brought her Martha Stewart scalloped potatoes, they are quite tasty too. My cookies didn't get ignored either. Let's just say, I ate more than I'm used to eating, plus drank several glasses of wine. I was brewing up a glass of alka seltzer in no time.

We played several games, and then Marty and my friend started discussing contrary political views - so after about 20 minutes - I put a stop to that discussion before it got as contenious as the political threads used to get on here.

I didn't feel too great when I got up this morning but felt better as the day progressed. I had to go to two groceries stores because the one thing I wanted wasn't in stock at the first one. I topped of my gas tank and shed a tear there. We went out for both breakfast and lunch since I didn't feel like doing dishes today.

I worked a bit on the September newsletter for the club, finished and emailed my September article for the local paper and did a bit of cleaning. Maybe I'll knit on mini me 2 this afternoon.

Laters,
Curby

 

[marcy]

Dee Jay, the wedding ring quilt and pig napkin holders are pretty cool. I bet they sell soon.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Curby, I love that quilt and the piggy napkin rings too! I hope they go to people who will ultimately enjoy them! As far as I can tell we'll be testing in the office into infinity... ugh. Scalloped potatoes! I keep hearing about lower gas prices... but haven't really seem them yet... ?!

Yesterday I listed, listed and listed some more. Got up the rest of the yellow, washed and listed two more quilts, and put up a few things that aren't yellow just so my page have some other color on it LOL.

The drive in today was terrible. No idea what happened, but it took about half a hour longer than normal. And I've got Big Bros / Big Sis tonight so I need to be back at my place by 6 pm to dial into that.

Today I'm meeting with some people about the annual review. Oh joy...

Alright, off to find more coffee and keep moving forward!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I hope everyone that buys from your store enjoys them. I am always happy to see something go to a good home.

Yes, scalloped potatoes are delicious. I am being good though and baking a potato for supper rather than eating some leftover scalloped potatoes. My Saturday eat-a-thon resulted in a 2 pound gain. Grr.

Yes, they say gas prices dropped 3 cents here, 5 cents there, 10 cents - but it still isn't adding up to the $2 or $3 it increased.

I am sure a lot of businesses don't want to give up testing and restrictions for liability reasons. IMO - this "pandemic" reaction has gone on far too long. Even the CDC admitted this week they did some things wrong and are reorganizing. People can take precautions as they see fit and that's probably the best any of us can do. You can't run and hide from it, that's for sure.

I will go check out your new listings. Good idea to break up colors. Someone might think - what is this - a sea of yellow?

Darn the drive in today was so long. My commute was pretty quick. LOL. I know - bragging isn't pretty. How many more days till bonus day? Any news on the job hunting front?

So the Big Bro and Big Sis today is just online? I hope that was fun today.

Good luck with annual reviews. I called my tax lady to make an appointment to drop off my 3rd quarter payment on our taxes.

Marty is thrilled, he got a summons for jury duty in the mail today. It's just not his week.

I got to work on fun things today. New images of Jupiter from the Webb telescope and updated some Mars articles. Which the boss redid and after seeing her corrections - I'm like why didn't I do that? LOL. She is far more creative and definitely a journalist, which I am not. I keep trying to learn and improve though.

I have a pet fly annoying me in the den today. He hides when I get a fly swatter out. The jerk!

My rocket-top (aka new laptop) is getting delivered tomorrow. That was quick. I watched a video last night on getting that laptop with the top selections, he didn't think it was necessary for most people but did point out what Marty always says but phrased it different. "Buy it nice, or buy it twice". Sadly, I've bought things ore than twice sometime. Oops.

Laters,
Curby

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

I should check my blood pressure right now. Grr. I got another bill - overdue 60 days now - from Lenox on my crystal snowflake ornament. I called their customer service again who directed me to email them a picture of my cashed and endorsed check. I also just dropped a copy of that email and check in the mail.Then irritation #2 is trying to get a Superbill from some doctor Marty signed up with online. I've called multiple times now, left messages and no return call. They never asked for his insurance, his brain doesn't think of such things so we paid for it all instead of the doctor submitting the bill to insurance. We pay enough for insurance, I don't want to pay for something we don't have to pay for. I get too easily worked up from this kind of crap. Then sadly #3 is my laptop is not even in Denver yet. Oh well. Breathe. Maybe I should knit - I'd probably knit faster!

Other than these recent irritations, my day went well. First thing, I went and got blood drawn for my upcoming doctor's appointment. I only worked about 2 1/2 hours this morning and now I'm just goofing off.

Laters,
Curby

 

[marcy]

What a day. I think I'll go to bed here at 4:30. I just bought a lifetime MS Office for Mac 2021 through a third party. Yep, it tells me that keycode has already been used. My Office version was from 2016 and they quit updating it so I thought - cool, I will get a newer version for my new laptop. We'll see what customer service says if I ever hear from them again.

I knew $39.99 for Office was too good to be true. LOL.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, that is SO messed up with Lenox! Hopefully the mailed version will get to the right hands and they'll stop this nonsense. If you can't get a response regarding Marty's dental bill can you submit it to the insurance company yourself and ask for reimbursement? I'm sure it would be easier to have the dentist send it in, but then will they have to reimburse you since you already paid them... ? Oh Marty!!! Did you pay for the software with a credit card? If so, and if you don't hear back from customer service, I'm sure the card company will take if off your account. Is your laptop getting closer? And I think 4:30 is a FINE time to go to bed -- especially if there is a bottle of wine and a big glass on the nightstand beside you!

Yesterday was ok... but not great. The conference was more geared toward business stuff than regulatory stuff. I swear I read the agenda when I signed up but somehow didn't realize this. I did meet a lot of people who said all sorts of nice things about my company. I was like, Yah, Right, You wanna work here? Because I think there's going to be an opening real soon! (Of course I didn't say that, but I WANTED to!) The drive back to The North Estate was pretty bad. There were two accidents and that slowed traffic in a major major way. Ugh. When I got here Liam was starving so I scooped him out of the driveway and we ran to Culvers. The line was ridiculous so we ate inside, which we never do, and I have to say the chicken fingers were hot and crispy, not like when I take them out of the bag at home. Note to self, ha ha!

Today I've got one order to pack up and hopefully the packaging place will have my boxes ready because I am going to use up the last of the size that I go through most frequently. Etsy sent me a message that my tax information couldn't be verified and if I don't provide my corporate tax ID number my account will be locked. I went through this last year and for some reason their system won't take my info so I provided a screen shot of my state registration. They told me at that point not to worry about it so I figured it was a permanent fix. Apparently not. So I'll add this to the list of sh!t that needs to get done. And speaking of sh!t that needs to get done, the annual review... Fvck.

I have a zoom (which may be moved to in person) with the COO at the regional bank today. I've also got a zoom with a big bank about a big job tomorrow (frankly maybe more than I want to take on). And while I was at the conference yesterday another big bank called and asked to set something up. Of course the job that I WANT to go and talk to someone about is crickets. I might reach out to the head hunter and see if she has any intel.

I swear Curby, I'm tempted to take the regional bank job (assuming they offer it to me) and just make my life easy. I could do this in my sleep and I'm sure I could work out an alternate schedule; like maybe four tens, two days in the office and two days out. It would be a step down in terms of career but a step up in terms of quality of life. The base is more, the bonus is less. But how much money do I really need?!

Alright, off to get this day rolling.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I did get a response to my email today from Lenox. They didn't say it was corrected but they would pass it on to the correct department. I think sending the info by mail is a good follow up.

Marty's doctor still didn't return a call. The insurance wanted codes which aren't on a standard bill. Phooey. I'll continue calling but didn't get it done today.

I did get a response on Office and they finally sent me a new keycode. It worked fine. I have it installed on my new computer. Yay.

Darn that the conference was geared more towards business than regulatory stuff. That was probably a good call to not mention to everyone there might be a job opening soon. How many ore days until bonus day?

That is too bad there were two accidents on the way to the North Estate. I dread driving to Denver right now. I-25 between here and Denver is so crowded anymore and they have a lot of construction to much of it is down to one lane. I'll probably take a state highway rather than the interstate. I do need to get my rings turned in for sizing.

Funny you should mention how much better the chicken tenders are fresh. I usually save two for supper and zap them in the microwave but I noticed when I ate them in the restaurant how much better they were.

I hope you get more boxes for shipping. What a pain about the tax ID. Boo to the annual review.

Sounds like you'll soon have more job offers than you want. Good luck with that!

There wasn't much work for me to do today so I ended up only working about 90 minutes. My laptop showed up about 2 pm and I started setting it up first thing. I have to say, it's amazing. The keyboard is quite different with keys closer together but once I got used to it, I like it. I think Marty would hate it because his fingers are bigger than mine. As for speed. Holy speed demon. I opened one of my work articles and clicked on all the links. I pulled up the activity monitor and it was barely taxing the memory. It was using about 14 gb of memory which would explain my issues before since the MacBook Air only had 8 gb of memory. Even better is I confirmed it fits in my snoopy laptop case. I sent Marty a picture and he said "yes, that is what I look for in a new laptop". The resolution and display is very nice and definitely a bit sharper than the Air. I am quite impressed with it so far.

Laters,
Curby

 

[marcy]

Dee Jay, you have a lot of new stuff on your site. I like the quilts and you have a wide variety of items now. Sweet!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday kids!

Curby, the customer service at Lenox sounds like the customer service at Etsy. They didn't resolve my problem, but they will escalate the issue. Uhhhhhh... O.... K.... I'm glad you got the software problem fixed! And that really is a great deal for office! The boxes are supposed to be ready today. I asked for an extra bag of peanuts too since I'll be there anyway, and I think they actually stock those all the time. Liam suggested yesterday that I look and see how much boxes are on Amazon now, which is where I started buying them originally, but they over 50% more on there! So local company it is LOL. Thirty six days until bonus pay-out! You mention the keys are closer together, is the keyboard smaller? Or maybe the whole computer is smaller overall? I had a moment down at my condo the other morning where my ancient laptop decided to randomly do an update... and it took For.Ev.Er. Like the entire time I was in the shower and getting ready. I was really afraid that was it, but ultimately it came back on. Some day it won't though! Thanks for peeking at my site! I've still got four more quilts and a bunch of aprons to list, as well as a cute vintage dress. Add that in to the giant piles of glass everywhere and I could go for a year without buying any new inventory and still be fully stocked! The good news is I don't have any sales I want to go to this weekend... the bad news is I need to work on the annual review instead of listing so I don't think there's going to be any progress on that front. It's always something...

Yesterday I hounded the fourteen new associates to get their certifications in by today. I've also got a managing director who started last week and she's due today too. So as you can imagine that will be chore one today since that's got a time component to it. Beyond that I have a call with a head hunter about ANOTHER job, I need to pick up the boxes, and I've got a zoom interview with the hiring manager at a big bank in the late afternoon. I had the call with the COO of the regional bank yesterday and he mentioned they want to make a decision by the end of next week. Yah, right. There's NOTHING moving fast with these people! But that's OK because it gives time for the other four jobs I'm now interviewing for (!) to play out. He said they have other candidates scheduled for meetings between now and then, but we went way over our scheduled time and he went pretty in depth asking me about comp and when I could start, so maybe that's a good sign... ? Anyway, until something really pops I sit tight and just keep counting down the days!

There's is laundry calling my name downstairs. I better go get to it!