Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

Airbag from Radiohead's technically and musically superb OK Computer. It is honestly impossible to find a single bad note on the entire album. People who ask which is my favourite track don't really understand: the entire album is my favourite track! 

Blisteringly hot again after around 1:30 or 2:00 and I got very little done until it was much later and the day had cooled. To make matters worse, an idiot managed to spill a gallon of gas in the back of the container so it was fumes all morning and heat & fumes all afternoon. 

Had to stay as Pilly the bobcat man moved a 12 cu. meter load of marl which was thoughtfully delivered as everyone else was heading home. They all left at 4:20 and expecting to be paid until 4:30 whereas Pilly worked fight through until 5:20 with the expectation of not getting paid for the extra hour. I stuck around and made sure the time sheet reflects his extra hour of work. Of course this meant I didn't get home until after six. Putting Mo in the house so I could open the gate and get the van in, the little bastard peed on two pillows and the top sheet. 

I knew something was wrong because when I opened the door, instead of coming inside to help me get undressed and spend some time cuddling, he fled. Well, he is still fleeing now. The door is locked and he is on the outside of it.

Garden Patrol was a bit brief. I think Mo was expecting me to give his butt a paddling, but I made no attempt to do anything like that. I just chased him quietly but firmly out of the house when he attempted to come in for bedtime.

I think I will have to find 3 yards of light chain and restrain him that way when putting the van through the gate, rather than lock him in the house.

Anyway, I am tired and I miss my little cuddle buddy, but I just can't sleep each night in a pee-drenched bed. Last time he was on this kick, I ended up sleeping on pine boards as he peed on everything, including the mattress. I'd give him a thoroughly good spanking, except I'm pretty sure Mo is the kind of kid that responds to a spanking by retorting "That didn't hurt!" Besides, I want a puppy, not a whipped cur! But two years and counting and he still bites, he knows full well not to pee or poo in the house but he does both when it suits him, he won't stop barking at odd hours of night, and generally his training has been a bit of a failure. 

But I miss his fuzzy little butt.

Sleep!

[emilicika]

Does anyone still remember about the boiled egg?😅

[Netfoot]

14 hours ago, emilicika said:

Does anyone still remember about the boiled egg?😅

Sorry, but apparently I don't. 

Left work after 6:00 PM today and it was approaching 7:00 by time I got home to find an uncooperative puppy who wouldn't let me get the van in through the gate. Eventually put him on a lead and took him out through the gate (he fought like a game-fish to get away), put him in the car and reversed him and the van back through the gate, exited the van to close the gate (game-fish again) and finally locked the padlock. He is now huffing.

Hot day made bearable by nan an hour's rain mid afternoon to cool things, and by a fan brought in to blow the gasoline fumes from yesterday's spill out. I have declared I will not give the fan back, and I have also been promised a fan of my own, but this one isn't moving unless and until I see the second fan arrive.

So late leaving because six brooms, four shovels, a crowbar, a "drill" and a framing square failed to return at end of day and I had to search the entire site (basement to rooftop to recover them. Up and down and up and down the stairs carrying that lot and I was too tired to carry my gear up to the car. I left them by the gate and went for the car and loaded them in before locking the last padlock.

I have more soup to warm up but you know what? I don't feel like eating soup tonight. I want pasta and a lot of it. I just don't feel like cooking it, so I will put some water to boil, and I will try to identify the easiest sauce I can think of to go with it. I have a dried up lump of corned beef sitting in the fridge. Maybe I can find a can of tomato sauce? And a thinly sliced onion? Godnozewot, but if I don't drag my ass out of this chair right now, I will end up eating bread and cheese.

Edited August 25, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Ok, linguine with a simple sauce of tomato sauce, ancient fridge-dried bully beef and onion. Been shopping at a different grocery and they have a stock of Turkish pasta. (Who knew the Turks were big on that stuff?) It is usefully cheaper, tastes perfectly fine but for some reason takes 12-14 minutes to cook instead of the more usual 6-9. Anyhow, had that for dinner. Breakfast was a Ensure. I thought ensure was for Old People, but now that I have half a dozen in my fridge, I will have to reassess. Because naturally, I am not old!

And When I Die by Blood, Sweat & Tears. I like this band. I once heard BS&T described as "The band Chicago wished it could be." Which is a load of bollocks. Chicago doesn't have to tip their hat to BS&T or anyone else! But there may be some similarities which explains while I enjoy them both. And if one band is influenced by another, or if both bands were influenced by the same third-party, why is that a bad thing? They were both formed the same years, so who exactly is influencing who?

All I will suggest is that if you like Chicago, take the opportunity should it arise, to listen to some BS&T. 

I'm going to have to take a morning off. I've developed a rash that started across my shoulder blades but is spreading north, south, east and west. I can't drive to Cattlewash to open up, drive back to town to see Dr. K., Back to Cattlewash for the rest of the day, and back home again. So I will have to arrange to see her first thing and go on to work afterwards. Which means coming 2+ hours late some morning. Which might not be all that good with my employers. So maybe I will try some patent medicine I can buy at the pharmacy as recommended by the pharmacist. 

It's late and I want to get my head down but Mo has been avoiding the house all evening. He was huffing when I wouldn't let him run away from the van to explore the neighborhood. I would like him to sleep inside with me tonight, but I am not going to push the point. I will whistle him up and see if he comes. If not, I will lock up without him.

[b4pjoe]

11 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I'm going to have to take a morning off. I've developed a rash that started across my shoulder blades but is spreading north, south, east and west.

Probably from being in the gas fumes inside the container. Not good for the lungs either.

[Netfoot]

8 hours ago, b4pjoe said:

Probably from being in the gas fumes inside the container.

I don't think so, because I have actually had it for a  few weeks. However, whereas it was mild and could be generally ignored, it has become progressively worse.

[Netfoot]

No breeze in the window so thank goodness for the fan. Mo is here with me and annoyed that I won't open the door and let him out.

Calm, still conditions noted on Garden Patrol. 

Listening to The Asphalt World by Suede off their Dog Man Star album. This track is over 9 minutes in length and perhaps not an ideal introduction to the band. Better might be Beautiful Ones from their Coming Up album. 

Very busy day today, had 7 minutes for lunch and didn't get all the paperwork done before heading home. Well, it will have to be tomorrow because I just couldn't face any more today. 

Tomorrow is another day, and Mo has convinced himself that there is an urgent need to go outside so he can bark at a shadow or something, but I'm not moving from here now. In fact, I will turn off the light and try to get some sleep.

Edited August 26, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

With the container still stink with fumes, the foreman came and demanded I return the fan. I am not sure if it belongs to the company or is his personal property, but I didn't feel like I could refuse. His office or is right above mine, where the heads of the trees offer protection from the sun and the breeze passes right over the shade-cloth on the fence. Check it out:

A wide-open door and a wide open window to allow breeze to enter. What you can't see is the other window on the other side to facilitate airflow right through.

What you can see if you zoom in, is the fan that is critically needed by him, since two windows and an open door are not enough. Now my container, which has been bearable for the last 2-3 days is devilishly hot again. 

Maybe good news about the rash - realized last night that I had a bottle of medicated talcum powder and sprinkled some over my shoulders onto my back. It seems to have helped with the rash which did not seem to be as itchy last night or today. Problem is application since I can't reach around to powder my own back. Got to think of a way! Sprinkle it on the sheet at night and lie down on it?

Lunch: a pack of Eclipse biscuits (crackers) that have been in my bag since Tuesday....

Edited August 27, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Back In The USSR by The Beatles. Late sixties guitar riffs and slightly shocking lyrics that (according to Paul) had no political message but simply tried to humanize and normalize young people forced to live in the Soviet Union. 

Despite the loss of the fan today was not too bad. Uncomfortably hot, but I stayed on top of the job for most of the day and I'm of the opinion that I'm slowly getting to the point where I'm not scrambling to do the job. I may still get a fan of my own, so let us live in hope.

One of the big problems is getting back the tools that I loan out during the day. If you want a tool, intake I take your name and note the number on the tool and it's description. Later, when you return the tool, I mark it ROK (returned OK) or RUS (returned unserviceable). Anything US gets sent back to HQ for repair. At the end of the day everything that went out should have been returned, but that is rarely the case. You can get several tools not returned for overnight lockup. The other day I searched the site after everyone had departed and found/recovered 6 brooms, 4 shovels, a hoe, a crowbar, a "drill" and a framing square. Which I have to search the entire site for, from the basement to the rooftops. And in this case, it took several trips to get all that lot back to the container. 

Now the "drill" is not a power tool. It is a 6' long, 2" diameter bar of hardened tool steel with a point on each end. It is used for pounding holes in rock & soil, concrete slabs or walls, digging in the ground, etc, using sheer brute force. The thing weighs about 1 lb. less than my maximum lift capacity so to lift that from the roof several flights down to ground level leaves me exhausted. And I still have to go back up for shovels, etc, which may not be anywhere as heavy but are still too many to be carried all in one go. The brooms, shovels, etc are one thing but when an expensive power tool doesn't come home to roost, it's a real problem!

Now, we have (for instance) three identical chisels and three identical lump-hammers. Guy comes in and takes out a hammer and a chisel. Later, I say "Where are the hammer & chisel you took?" He looks around the container and says "There is the chisel and there is the hammer." And since they are all identical I can't actually argue. So I am now gradually numbering everything. I can say "You took hammer #3 and chisel #2 and they have not returned!" So I am gradually taking control of the situation but it is taking a while to get everything set up. 

It also does not help when Tom points to an angle grinder and says "Dick asked me to fetch that for him!" And then later in the day it is returned by Harry. So I have to be strict and say "Tom, whether you are fetching it for Dick or not, you are taking it out, and if Dick let's Harry walk off with it, you Tom will get the bill for it's replacement!"

Anyway, had a good dinner of cavatappi with a simple sauce of minced beef, thinly sliced onion, shredded cucumber, tomato sauce, and spices. Made a lot and had half for dinner and will rewarm the other half for brunch tomorrow.

Plan to sleep most of the day but will go off to bed now. Mo is inside somewhere and after I douse the lights is likely to come along and join me for a cuddle.

Edited August 27, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Finished my cavatappi and called it an early lunch. Now have a cup of tea before me, drawing. Just mixed up a liter of rehydration salts in water and added several ounces of sorrel syrup. The salts alone taste pretty horrible so I try to improve the taste by adding something else. It usually still tastes bad but not quite as bad...

The mixture is now in the fridge, freezing, to be taken to work tomorrow.

I went to the grocery yesterday on the way home. A bag of Mo's favourite chow and a bunch of things for me. I've been drinking an Ensure Max every morning on the way to work but they are between $5 and $6 each. I bought half a dozen eggs ($4.75) and six salt breads ($4.25) so I can have a boiled egg in a salt bread for breakfast for a buck, fifty a day. I just have to figure out how to boil the eggs without breaking the shells. A task I always have trouble with.

I have to make some bootlaces for my new boots. I will use black Paracord. I have discovered that if I lace the boots all the way to the top, my shins pay a price. If I stop two holes down that problem goes away, but the laces are then so long they go floppy-flop all day long and are a tripping hazard. So: custom bootlaces long enough for a solid bow to be tied and short enough not to make me fall down those blasted basement stairs! And the addition of a couple of these:

might add a personal touch.

I had a good sleep last night, but I'm thinking a nap this afternoon could be a good idea. It's just gone midday so as soon as this movie is over (Sherlock Holmes in New York, 1976, Roger Moore) I will get something cool on ice and go to bed.

[Spunkygal]

I learned this method of boiling an egg from Martha Stewart. Place the egg(s) in an empty saucepan and cover the eggs with water. Bring the pan to boil and as soon as it starts boiling, turn off the heat and cover the pan. For hard boiled, let it sit for 11-12 minutes. Then take the eggs out and put them under running cool water to stop the cooking. A peeled boiled egg will last a few days when in a closed contain in some water. This method has never failed me.

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I learned this method of boiling an egg from Martha Stewart. Place the egg(s) in an empty saucepan and cover the eggs with water. Bring the pan to boil and as soon as it starts boiling, turn off the heat and cover the pan. For hard boiled, let it sit for 11-12 minutes. Then take the eggs out and put them under running cool water to stop the cooking. A peeled boiled egg will last a few days when in a closed contain in some water. This method has never failed me.

I second this method.  Perfect hard boiled eggs every time.

[Netfoot]

5 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

This method has never failed me.

 

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Perfect hard boiled eggs every time.

I will give this method a try. To be honest, I think my mother used a similar method for cooking eggs. Soft boiled, served the English way in the shell, for my dad and the American way in a cup, for everyone else. Different people want eggs at different times. 2½ minutes, 3 minutes... So a longer cook-time for a firmer - to the point of being hard boiled - makes sense.

Will try this tomorrow. Will go with one of the remaining Ensure Max tomorrow. Got some gala apples to have at lunch. All the bananas were too green for my liking.

Just had dinner: Nine cutters. But before you freak out, they were mini-cutters made from dinner rolls. Three cheese & cucumber, three cheese & marmalade and three marmalade & crunchy peanut butter. I generally don't buy crunchy because crunchy doesn't blend up with milk to make peanut punch. (The peanut crumbs don't blend, they just sink to the bottom.) But I made a mistake when I bought this jar, so...

Oh, I filled up the car. Last Sunday I put gas in it and the tank was almost 100% full. After a full week of trips to Cattlewash, I refilled it (this time to actually 100% full) and it cost me $135.02 plus I also bought a quart of oil as well. So $135 a week in gas. My travel allowance is $60 a week and while it is only half, it's better than no travel allowance, which is more the norm. Next week Sunday I will get exact, full-to-full refill price but I don't think it will be hugely different. 

More later.

[Netfoot]

In bed, wet from the shower, with a puppy lying right next to me wriggling like a python and demanding tummy rubs. Oooh - he's off.

On Sunday I have to fill up for the week ahead but I also drop off my laundry. On the way, I pass through a tunnel in the trees and today a troop of about 7-8 adult monkeys crossed in front of me. I slowed to a stop and the monkeys were all through the leafy bushes & branches on our right, peeping to see what we were doing as we were peeping at them. Got a few shots off with the phone but only got one shot that actually shows any part of a monkey - his butt.

Look in the top, left hand quadrant and you might just see a monkey's rear end vanishing behind some leaves. You can see his bum, his two hind legs and obviously he is drawing his tail behind him.

Mo is outside now. Barking, of course. I miss him every day I go to work. He is such a sweet little guy to have around that when he isn't, you feel the loss. I don't know if he feels lonely at home alone on work days, but I think he's fine. He does not seem to be down in spirits and he is always glad when I come home. He is getting wise to the various tricks I have been using to lock him in the house until I can get the van through the gate. Now I have to get a switch and threaten him with a spanking to get him locked away. Naturally, I wouldn't actually spank him, so all he has to do is stand his ground. But he doesn't know that...

Black Dog from Led Zeppelin IV. The first four albums are what I think of as "Classic" Zeppelin, with III and IV being the more polished but not necessarily better of the bunch. Don't get me wrong, the later albums are great as well, but I think the first four are the definitive set. Like TAR 1-7, they set the standard.

I remember the old, 12" vinyl cover for III that had the holes in it and an insert that could be rotated to allow different images to appear in the holes. Not something the CD Generation got to enjoy. Nor the iTunes generation either. 

(Speaking of weird album covers, do any of you remember the cover for Jethro Tull's album Thick As A Brick, which unfolded into a full 16-page newspaper, with everything from articles, adverts and classified section, all insane and mind bending? I must have read that thing from cover to cover a hundred times over, trying to decipher the hidden meaning in every piece and part of it.)

Anyway, time for me to get some sleep. Going to give Mo the opportunity come in then lock up, what ever he decides.

Look closer.

[Spunkygal]

If you don’t want to mess with boiling the eggs, you could scramble them and stuff those dinner rolls with them for portable brekkie sandwiches. Of course I would add a ton of cheese too! 😛

[Netfoot]

7 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

you could scramble them and stuff those dinner rolls with them for portable brekkie sandwiches.

I thought of that, but I will try boiling two eggs this evening and see how thyey they come out.

7 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Of course I would add a ton of cheese too!

Thought of that as well. cold Could mash the boiled egg and add mayo, garlic, pepper sauce, etc...

Edited August 29, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Brimful Of Asha by Cornershop. Asha in this case is a famous Bollywood actress with 1,000+ movie credits and this song is a tribute to her. Cornershop is a British indie-rock band that is Indian-fusion in nature. The very name is a reference to the stereotype of Indian families operating all the corner shops. Their first album was pressed on curry-coloured vinyl. I think this is possibly their biggest hit, but I am also particularly fond of their cover of Norwegian Wood. With the blessing of Paul McCartney (and Yoko but nobody cares what she thinks) they recorded the song entirely in Punjabi.

My black, Paracord bootlaces were a 100% success! I tied them on this morning and not only wasn't I tripping over them all day, I never gave them a thought until I removed the boots after I got back home. One very minor issue: Apparently I am unable to differentiate black from navy under artificial light...

Placing two eggs from the fridge into room temperature water from the tap, I put them to boil. No vinegar, salt, oil, or any clever additives to the water. The cold-from-the-fridge eggs did not shatter when they met the room temperature water from the tap, nor when the water heated to boiling on the stove. As soon as the water boiled, I shut down the gas and covered the pot. 10 minutes on the dot I removed the pot from the stove and held it under running water the eggs had cooled, then bunged them into the fridge unpeeled. Tomorrow morning I will peel one and stuff it into a salt bread. Possibly with other stuff, maybe only with a sprinkle of salt. I will let you know how it turns out. 

Dinner tonight was provided (unexpectedly) by Heidi, in the form of a Rubbermaid thingy with a meal in it. Rice with what looked like field peas, stewed beef and potatoes and a touch of gravy. It tasted very nice. 

For some reason, Mo is rooting around under the bed. It all sounds very Budweiserish... He has retrieved a coke bottle and is chewing the bajeezuz out of it in bed! Gotta be careful or in no time there will be 200+ bottles stashed under there.

The big boss was on site today. I saw him but did not get a chance to speak with him. Apparently he was not pleased with the level of hard-hat compliance. The men hate to wear them (especially the guys with dreads) but Management really insists - I suspect because insurance companies do. So tomorrow I am to take note of who clocks in without a hard hat. And I think I am to ignore that 3/4 of the men clock in wearing the same hard hat...

I've got to take an inventory of tiles tomorrow. The tiles are kept in a locked room in the basement, along with some other bulk valuables. Except every day a few workers need to work inside the locked area so I have to open the door for them. Later, when I go to lock up, all the stuff that is stored in there has been moved around. This makes it difficult to differentiate the first batch of tiles which were stored over there from the later batches which were stored over here. Because now they are all higgly piggly over in that corner!

And all 70 of the 5-gal. pails of paint have been moved over against the wall, and in every single case, placed so the label is up against the wall. This means that I have to lift up each one (50+ lbs. each) and turn them so I can see what it contains. 

Anyway, fun & games tomorrow, so rest and sleep needed today.

The sorrel flavoured rehydration salts were not a huge success. On their own the salts are an 8 out of 10 on the Nasty Scale. With the lime squash or sorrel enhancement it drops to maybe only 6 on the scale. So its a help, but the stuff is still nasty to drink.

Bed! With a fuzzy friend snuggling up against my back. For how long I have no idea but any puppy-time is an improvement on no puppy-time.

[Netfoot]

Nice weather! For ducks...

Boiled egg went off a treat, except I could not peel the shell off without losing some of the white. Bit of mayo, bit of pepper sauce, a sprinkle of salt: fine mobile breakfast. I think peeling the eggs when they are just cooked and have not spent the night in the fridge might help. And honestly, I think mashing and "enhancing" the egg with seasoning & grated cheese could improve it, but that is more work than I want to undertake on a morning as I'm rushing to get to work. Maybe make the cutter the night before? Maybe settle for scrambled or poached rather than boiled?

Stormy weather is keeping temperatures down. If they had stopped work at 9:30 I might have done a run to Dr. K. and had her look at my rash. Assuming peg-leg Pete the pirate is working today - with the busted foot she is only working some days. But they are unlikely to stop work now, and even if they did. My end-of-day routine would most likely stop me from getting to town before Dr. K. left at noon, even supposing today is one of the days she is working!

I am hearing that next week I will lose my container and will be located in a small wooden shed of some sort. Given how packed this 160 sq. ft. space is, I'm really wondering how small the shed will be. But it couldn't be any hotter, so that is a good thing. 

Although, it might leak when it rains...

Edited August 29, 2023 by Netfoot

[Browncoat]

3 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I think peeling the eggs when they are just cooked and have not spent the night in the fridge might help.

That would help.  And if your eggs aren't fresh fresh, they'll peel easier, too.

[Spunkygal]

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

That would help.  And if your eggs aren't fresh fresh, they'll peel easier, too.

Yes! After peeling, put in an airtight container with some water in it and put in the fridge. I peel them under running water after they’ve cooled off a bit out of the pan.

[Netfoot]

There is a near-full moon peeping down through a foggy sky. There is a breeze - not strong, but cool. No surprise - it's been damp and cold all day. 

Child in Time by Deep Purple, off the "...in Rock" album. This is early stuff, when Gillan's voice was young and fresh enough that he effortlessly managed a 4½ to 5 octave range. Their fourth (I think) album and a new, heavier sound, but my favourite album of theirs. Not that the other albums - including earlier ones - we're not good. The final track  from their debut "Shades of..." is my favourite rendition of Hey Joe anywhere.

Every single tool came home this evening, except that blasted chisel that Mr. Mingo lost on Friday. So a quick walk-through and no tools to lug back. Home through the damp and a pretty decent dinner of penne with minced beef, onion, cucumber and a little tomato sauce. There is a little left to make a small meal tomorrow. 

I peeled the second egg. I carefully broke the shell into a million pieces then tried lifting the membrane and directing running water underneath. Better than last time but still not 100%. I have a box containing a pack of Eclipse biscuits, a strip of red herring and a gala apple. So a bit more in the way of lunch than previously. 

Currently drinking a glass of sorrel. Will test my blood sugar tomorrow morning. After penne for dinner and sorrel at bedtime it probably won't be good. Last time it was 5.9 mmol/L which is still in the green but only just. 

Personally I blame Heidi. It is her that has me eating breakfast, having a snack for elevenses, then lunch and dinner as well! She will soon suggest I have Tiffin too. And prolly high tea. When I next see Dr. K. she will probably tell me I'm putting weight on again. 

Anyway, Mo who was looking out the window gave a sudden, unusually loud "Blert!" and rocketed off down the passage. Better go and advise him the door is closing. Because early to bed means less likely to die of exhaustion before end-of-day tomorrow. Oh, here he comes now! 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

6.3 mmol/L. Not good. Not dangerous, but I hate anything that starts with even a five, so six don't make me smile.

Rainy morning; I thought we would be sent home, but the rain stopped and left behind super-high humidity instead. A joy to work through. And the little towel I brought to wipe the sweat off my face? Some guy thought it would be ideal for sopping up spilt paint.

Everything you bring gets destroyed. Everything you ask for, you get asked "Can't you bring one from home?"

I've eaten my apple. Looking forward to my strip of red herring with crackers for lunch. Which will be in 28½ minutes.

Sweltering right now; will get hotter when the sun comes in this afternoon.

[Netfoot]

Here is my lunch - red herring with Eclipse biscuits:

The herring is smoked/salted, but I buy it filleted because I can't deal with the head and fins and scales and guts. It doesn't look palatable but it has a strong flavour that I actually like. The tiniest piece is enough for a cracker. One strip chopped very fine is enough to flavour a pint of rice.

This used to be "poor people food" but now it is as expensive as anything else. Everything is expensive now. I remember when I routinely bought pigs ears, three for two bucks, and gave them to Dotty as a treat. Budweiser got them infrequently because of the rising prices and now they are the same price as pork chops! So poor Mo won't see them very often at all. Hell, I feel compelled to buy him some, now!

It has been so hot I've been suffering in my container. I have finally given up and taken a chair out in the shade. If anyone comes, I will go in, do what I must and come out again. There is a lot of rearranging going on now, and I hear my container will be removed on Friday. I will live in a little shed instead. No sign of the shed so I presume that will be built tomorrow?

Anyway, here is the view from where I sit, with the blue end of my container where I can keep an eye on it, the ocean beyond and a bunch of guys making a foundation for a flight of beach stairs, starting in a hole at least 10 feet deep which is to be filled with stones and concrete. 

[Netfoot]

Ironic, the machine in use. That's Pilly's Bobcat. The markings stand for Joseph Cyril Bamford, who started the company in 1945 in rented premmesis at 30 shillings per week (£1.50 in modern money) on the day his son Anthony was born. The house itself is being built for Anthony, the Right Honourable Lord Bamford, chairman of JCB.

Edited August 31, 2023 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

Except for the bobcat, not a shabby view! Can’t wait to see what the shed is like. Hope it’s not another torture chamber. 

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Can’t wait to see what the shed is like. Hope it’s not another torture chamber. 

Well, it shouldn't be. It will be positioned so I can see who comes in and who leaves. This is a problem because I am supposed to take a note of visitors but they come and they leave and most often never come anywhere near where I am, so... how am I supposed to know they came? And went?

Secondly, it will be wood so I can nail up any sort of brackets I need to store tools methodically, rather than have them in a heap.

Third, it will have at least two windows as well as a door (or that is the current plan) so hopefully it will have a little breeze through it.

Now, it will be considerably smaller, because supposedly much of our stuff will be going back to the bond. Right now I have 10 lbs. of shit in a 5 lb. bag. I just hope I don't end up with 5 lbs. of shit in a 1 lb. bag...

The rain is hosing down; started only a few seconds ago. Last couple of days we have had lots of rain at night but sunny days. Result sweltering hot, humid working conditions in ankle-deep mud. Tomorrow might be the same.

Identified an issue with my boiled egg cutter scheme. Will elaborate later. Just had the balance of last night's penne for dinner. Still tasted fine, but it was less. Will look at filling a little gap with something, not sure what, I can find in the fridge. Again, will give details later. 

[Spunkygal]

Am I the only one who has this problem….when I click on a topic like Small Talk, it takes me to page 1 and then I have to click on the double arrow for last page and then scroll down to get to most recent post? I seem to recall that in the past, when I’d click on a topic, it would automatically take me to the most recent post. 

[b4pjoe]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Am I the only one who has this problem….when I click on a topic like Small Talk, it takes me to page 1 and then I have to click on the double arrow for last page and then scroll down to get to most recent post? I seem to recall that in the past, when I’d click on a topic, it would automatically take me to the most recent post. 

Clicking the title still takes me to the first unread post. Using Firefox on a Mac.

[chitowngirl]

I get taken to somewhere in the middle of the last page and have to hunt for the Unread Replies. Also, the page endlessly reloads, losing the notification for Unread replies.

Edited August 31, 2023 by chitowngirl

[Netfoot]

The mobile interface definitely has room for improvement. I've complained (in here) several times, particularly about the editor. 

The proclivity to cover more and more of the palm-sized screen real estate with even more adverts does not help. You go to press SAVE and some ad picks that moment to pop up right over the SAVE button so instead of saving your post you abandon all you've typed and go off to visit some bullshit site selling galoshes!

Grrrr!!!

[Netfoot]

The coconuts came under attack again today. And I actually got a small one, which I left at work and will drink tomorrow. 

There were several bunches picked and split up between the men with a handful stashed in my container for safe keeping. (I suspect that's the only reason I got one for myself!)

Well, the container is supposed to move tomorrow, but the hut I'm supposed to occupy in its place is still pie in the sky. 

They did clear a space close to where the cement mixer used to be. What was a huge pile of sand is now the proposed site of my hut:

Right next to the changing room for the men. I'm sure they can be counted on to moderate their language!

But I've been promised an awning, a fan, a counter, a rack for tool storage, a selection of simple stationery items like pens... and none of the promises have come through. I didn't get my three shirts, I didn't get my hi-vis vest/waistcoat, I had to pay for my boots and my hard hat... So I will believe the shed/hut when they hand me the keys!

Marilyn Manson's Disassociative. The man is a weirdo and ever so slightly a poseur but I can say that (to my surprise) I like the music. 

Can't remember if I said, but I've made an appointment to see Dr. K. next week. 

Mozie-Pozie is here looking pleased with himself and also very fuzzy. He is back and forth between the window and playing with my toes. Outside that window is a nearly clear sky with a moon juuust past full, a light cool breeze... In fact outside the window is essentially last night.

Dinner was English Cheddar on crackers and a cuppa tea. Just an apple for lunch and an Ensure Max for breakfast. Not sure what I will do tomorrow. I have more apples, I have a couple stale salt breads, I have eggs but not cooked... Got more crackers, a little more cheese, crunchy peanut butter, Tina tuna and mayo, and lots of things.

Got a pain in my neck. Will end this now, kill the lights and get my head down.

Edited September 1, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Sorta stormy today. 

Ooo shit! Just had the closest lightening strike I ever experienced. The lightening & thunder were simultaneous and the flash totally blinding.

Can't get anything done. I have to do a tee-shirt inventory that takes up my entire lunchtime. I have to take an inventory of all the paint. And I have to take an inventory of the tiles, despite coming in at 6:45 to do one only on Wednesday, two days ago.

Any minute now I will be asked to account for the grains of sand on the beach.

One of the lads brought this for me today:

Sweet! I will eat some on Sunday and maybe blend some with milk. Not sure.

[Browncoat]

What is that?

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

What is that?

LOL!!

A soursop.

Rather than building me a new hut, they are demolishing the existing hut used by the men for changing. For each man working there are two men giving instructions and three men shouting!

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

A soursop.

Oh!  I don't know that I've seen one whole -- I've eaten them, though, and I love the flavor.  I went to Costa Rica last December, and the tour company chefs made a sorbet with it.  I think I had that for dessert every day.  So yummy -- I'm a little jealous of that.  Y'know, now that I know what it is.  

[Netfoot]

18 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I'm a little jealous of that.  Y'know, now that I know what it is.

It's really a lot for one guy so I have to avoid just pigging out on the whole thing at once. I will eat quite a lot with a spoon but I suspect quite a lot will also end up as a smoothie or two.

They really do taste better than the name suggests. 

I opened my coconut and after it had spit in my eye (as coconuts almost always do) I got about ⅔ of a large glass of water which was nice with 2-3 icecubes in it. 

Well, we had rain today,followed by  tremendous thunder and lightning, then a power outage. When the power came back our network didn't and so I couldn't connect to the wireless printer. With no stock-taking sheets, I couldn't take stock of tee shirts, paint or tiles. My shed was not built but instead the other shed to the left of the spot was demolished instead. The container is still right where it's always been but I'm hearing that a 10-strong landscaping team will be here on Tuesday and we have to clear up the site for them which involves moving masses of junk and getting the container out of the way.

Part of the clean-up has left the breaker box inaccessible, other than by prodigious acts of mountaineering skill, over a dangerous set of basement steps. I have to shoot those breakers on every morning and off again every night.

Stopped in the way home to deposit my pay (sadly diminished by the rainstorm two Saturdays ago and by deductions to pay for steel-toed boots) then went to buy groceries. In one store I buy Mo's favourite chow, then I move to another, cheaper store to shop for myself. (Both stores sell his food but for some reason the cheaper store sells it for $4:30 more than the other store.) While there I bought $5 in Histal tabs (25) to try and contain this rash. They were dispensed in a plastic bag and I rolled it up and stuck them in my fob.

After shopping and spending some money on a treat or two (later), I went home and got undressed. A short while later I said "Oh, yes. Let me get those tabs and put them with my other meds." So I went into the bedroom, removed the Ziploc bag from my pocket and unrolled it, meanwhile walking back to my desk. Later I said, "Now, where did I put those pills?" But although I've searched the entire house, I can't find them. Searched the bedroom, the area around my desk, the kitchen, searched the path between these places. Searched all those places again, including inside the fridge. Searched outside. 

No Histal.

Well, I'm going to have to live without tonight and tomorrow and buy another $5 worth tomorrow. Then, when I get home I can buy another $5 worth.

Don't You Think? by Natalie Imbruglia, from her debut, I think. She was an actress with a small part in an Australian daytime soap. Her first album was pretty successful for her, and she has produced several more, been in a few movies, done some modelling and generally made a success for herself. Of course, I had no idea back when I bough her first album, what her future might hold.

One of the luxuries I purchased today was a 2L bottle of Portugal juice. (Probably artificial) Portugal oranges are called "pottygal" in Trinidad. There was a story my mum chelp but trot out every time I was trying to impress someone. Apparently, when I was born, the midwife declared "He batty like two pottygal pegs!" And the entire world had to be told, even many decades later.

Had an apple for rolling breakfast this morning, and Eclipse biscuits and red herring for lunch. Not clear what to have for lunch tomorrow but if I get up a little earlier tomorrow incan I can pass through Brighton and maybe buy a cinnamon roll from Toni, assuming she is there.

But for that to work, I gotta get some shut-eye so will wrap up now. My eyes are shutting down anyhow...

Edited September 2, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

See that think thing I'm holding?

It's called a "drill bar" or simply a "drill". It is a bar of solid tool steel, extra hard, about 1½" in diameter, with a point on one end and a sort of spade end on the other. I can barely lift it, so when I see guys whirling it around their heads like a school-parade majorette, I cry for my lost youth.

We have two of them; one yellow and one orange. They are normally propped up against the side of the container, waiting for the proper racks to be installed. (Real Soon Now.)

A couple of days ago, as I was working in here, they got nudged and fell sideways until they hit something that stopped them. 

The first one hit me, in the temple. The second one, a split second later, hit the first one, just to make sure it struck solidly. 

I could have been killed. Instead I got a small cut and a headache. (Wow. I'm a wrinkly old man.)

Stopped at Brighton and Toni gave me a cinnamon roll. She also gave bad news: it's her last day at Brighton because she is moving to Canada some time in the next two weeks to put her kids into school there.

Damnit. I like Toni and I'm going to miss her. And no, not just because she can bake!

Edited September 2, 2023 by Netfoot

[Mr. Sparkle]

You look like you've lost weight. 

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Superclam said:

You look like you've lost weight. 

I did lose 100 lbs. but because of all the eating I have been instructed to indulge in, the weight is probably going on again.

Here is a truck loaded with 2x4s and construction grade ply.

Is it arriving to build me a hut? Nooo! It is leaving site, which makes me wonder.

Because here is the site of the hut I was told I would have. With hut suspiciously absent. 

I am hearing that the container will now be placed across the road where there is absolutely no shade whatsoever, and where I will have to lock up and run across the road to even get on site if required. And run back and open up when someone wants something.

FFS!

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Because here is the site of the hut I was told I would have. With hut suspiciously absent. 

Notice the upper container, where lives the foreman who must have the fan. Notice multiple windows. On the other side is a large window and a door that are only ever closed when it rains.

And is that an A/C unit I behold? I will give credit by saying I have never seen it running. Just as most of the time the fan isn't running either. Why run an A/C or a fan when you are cool as a cucumber?

[Spunkygal]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Notice the upper container, where lives the foreman who must have the fan. Notice multiple windows. On the other side is a large window and a door that are only ever closed when it rains.

And is that an A/C unit I behold? I will give credit by saying I have never seen it running. Just as most of the time the fan isn't running either. Why run an A/C or a fan when you are cool as a cucumber?

When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

Absolutely. And if the containers are located in a shade-free zone as I suspect, the A/C just may swing into action!

As I came home, Mo jumped up and his head or paws struck the bottom of my shirt pocket. My old but immaculate phone popped right out, landed on one corner and the screen is now cracked. I am most upset by this because a phone is 100% required for this job and I can't afford even the cheapest, nastiest phone in the island. Not Mo's fault, but when I told Heidi I was going out to chase him with a stick, she thought I was going to whack him for the phone whereas I was only going to wrangle him inside the house so I could close the door And open the gate to fetch the car inside.

For breakfast this morning I had a cinnamon roll from Toni and a cup of coffee. I am still upset to think that Toni is going away, never to be seen again. I've grown quite fond of her in a sort of share-a-tent-once-each-fortnight sort of way. 

Had a banana for elevenses and lunch was a Gala apple and a pack of four Shirley biscuits. Now dinner was a pot of rice I cooked. In the rice was pumpkin, cucumber, carrot, pigeon peas and tuna fish. Cooked it up and served myself half in a bowl with a couple knobs of red butter. It was remarkably tasty! I ate every last grain and contemplated going back for some more from the pot but ultimately decided to save that for breakfast (brunch?) tomorrow. May fry it to reheat since I have no microwave.

To complement the rice was a glass of Portugal "juice drink" on ice, which tasted great as well, despite almost certainly never having been near an actual Portugal orange in its life.

I bought another batch of Histal tabs on the way home and took one immediately. Just swallowed another and will take one at waking and another at midday. So, 4 in 24 hours, or exactly double the recommended dose but I want to get the Histal kick-started in my system. And while it has not stopped the rash/itch, it certainly seems to be reduced from what I recall. 

Pinball Wizard by Elton, from Tommy, the concept album by The Who. Apparently Tommy was only a small part of the full concept, but I never did grasp the entire thing.

Have a look at this. It's part of the time sheets I have to keep to indicate when people check in for work and is recorded in the column on the left. 

The second (right-hand) column is sign-out at end of day, but everyone gets exactly the same sign-out time, which is the official end of day time. At first I just wrote in 3:15 (Friday & Saturday) or 4:30 (Monday thru Thursday) in the topmost line and "dittoed" down the column. But none of the men knew what that meant. So I have to write the number in each column to avoid being mobbed.

I'm quite tired so I will shut off the lights and get some sleep. 

[andidante]

It

12 hours ago, Netfoot said:

For breakfast this morning I had a cinnamon roll from Toni and a cup of coffee. I am still upset to think that Toni is going away, never to be seen again. I've grown quite fond of her in a sort of share-a-tent-once-each-fortnight sort of way. 

 

 

It is so hard when friends move away! Perhaps you will still be able to stay in touch? Through emails or texting? Or maybe even letters; do people still write letters anymore?

[Netfoot]

5 hours ago, andidante said:

It

It is so hard when friends move away! Perhaps you will still be able to stay in touch? Through emails or texting? Or maybe even letters; do people still write letters anymore?

It's a nice thought, but Toni and I are not really close. We would see each other and share a tent every couple weeks, but otherwise didn't socialize. She is a very pleasant person who is easy to chat with. We might have started socializing a little more in time, but now that isn't going to happen. We do have each others emails but only exchange mail for practical purposes.

[Netfoot]

In bed with Mo... at least he was here when I started the post. Wet from the shower with the fan on low and a gentle but cool breeze in the window. The moon was almost at last quarter when we went on Garden Patrol, and there was only a light breeze. The night is quiet - Sunday, I presume.

Ate the balance of my rice for an early lunch or late breakfast, and simply Eclipse biscuits for lunch with cheese and marmalade at first, then switching to marmalade and peanut butter for desert. Which is silly because I have a new jar of jelly in the kitchen, but I forgot about it.

Dinner was pasta with chopped sausages, onion and some mushroom flavoured sauce out of a jar. I was going to add black beans but forgot. The meal was perfectly adequate but I was surprised how little flavour that jar of sauce brought to the party. I could make a tastier sauce with ketchup and some spices.

I once asked what type of jelly people immediately thought of when talking about a PBJ. Most folks emphatically said Grape with a couple coming up with more exotic flavours like Blackcurrent or Rose Hip. Around here, the J in a PBJ is always Guava.

Boiled 3 eggs using the agreed upon method and shelled them as soon as they were cool enough to handle. The shells came away allllmost perfectly leaving one egg 100% perfect and the other two with only tiny little blemishes. Just made a cutter by hollowing out the salt bread a little, and then using mayo, pepper sauce and salt on the egg. Put it in a Zip-lok bag and it's in the fridge with tomorrow's lunch. A banana, an apple, a pack of four Shirley biscuits and a small pack of salted peanuts. One of them will be for elevenses - will decide which then - and the balance for lunch. As if I will get a lunch break...

Mo has not returned. Prolly enjoying the cooler outdoors. I like him snuggling with me but that can't always happen.

Listening to Fast Car by Tracy Chapman. I recall when she came on the scene. I said to a large group of friends as we watched the music video, that she had a good voice but that she was not exactly easy on the eyes. I got mobbed by all the girls in the group. If I had been on FecesBook back then I'd have been instantly cancelled. Except FecesBook had not been invented yet. And if it had, I wouldn't have been interested in joining any more than I am today.

Well, the container is supposed to move tomorrow. I don't know how that is achieved. There are dozens of boxes of different size washers, nuts, bolts, screws and nails on the top shelf. There are tools balanced precariously on end and just looking for an opportunity to fall over and harm themselves. Paints, alcohol, thinners, adhesives, all waiting to go tumbling everywhere. I don't know how they are going to move it without everything tumbling all over the place. And in the midst of all that disruption I have to do the tee-shirt inventory and the tiles again which I did only last Wednesday. 

Anyway, I will douse the lights now and get some snooze time

[Browncoat]

7 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Listening to Fast Car by Tracy Chapman.

That song breaks my heart every time I hear it.  It's a great song.

[chitowngirl]

11 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Listening to Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

 

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

That song breaks my heart every time I hear it.  It's a great song.

Luke Combs recently released a remake of Fast Car that’s worth listening to

[Browncoat]

23 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Luke Combs recently released a remake of Fast Car that’s worth listening to

I've heard it.  It's fine, but I think I prefer the original.  It's so much more meaningful to me coming from a woman -- I knew girls like that in high school, who relied on their boyfriends to take them away in those fast cars for a better life.  

[Netfoot]

Dying to sleep - must be fast.

Container was emptied, moved and repacked.

7⁶7v

I was promised the addition of some shelving, etc and the opportunity to pack it back the way I wanted it but the shelving did not materialize and large number of people packed the containers (two. I have two now. Explanation in a later post.)

I juggled with consciousness all afternoon. The heat was terrible. Eventually it was time to go. 

Tiley lost the keys to his van so I drove my van over and we managed to get the van open after a long effort. No key inside. He called a guy to see they could locate a spare key but the key did not fit.

Went to leave and my car was stuck in Park! We got it into Drive and I made it to my mechanic. 

No car and still expected to get to work at the usual time. Dropped the phone around 40 times. Will post this now and avoid loosing it all.

[Netfoot]

21 hours ago, Netfoot said:

7⁶7v

I thought I'd deleted all of these. They occurred when I fell asleep while typing.  I did that about 40-50 times. Also dropped the phone about 40-50 times.

The mechanic (who is actually overseas, but his "Assistant") told me they didn't get around to working on my car today but hopefully tomorrow. But they couldn't guarantee it, and even if they did, they couldn't guarantee it would be fixed in pne one day. It is a fairly simple fix. the cable from the shifter to the actual transmission is either broken or simply detatched somehow. So reattach it, or at the most complicated get a new one and fit it. Seems pretty simple to me. Just check whether a new cable is required, get one if it is, and either fit the new one or reattach the old. But what do I know?

Got  lift to Cattlewash this morning with Heidi who is always extremely helpful, but said she could not come and collect me at end of day, not nor promise to take me there every morning. Shaun gave me a lift home but made it plain he was not going to be able to facilitate transport to or from work.

So it looks like I will have to simply take a few days off work until the van is fixed. I don't want to do this because it will cost me for each hour far less day I miss. 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Netfoot