Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

19 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

Not to get too personal, but...

We have free healthcare here via the health service, but it is much slower than private. I once had chest pains and the hospital told me it was GERD but that I should check with a cardiologist. I could either wait 8 weeks on the list, or I could pay for a private consultation  - which I did, and saw him the next day.

I had the CT done because of a lump in my stomach the size of a Julie mango. That turned out to be benign but that's when they spotted the tumor in my kidney. Since I have no money to pay for that to be dealt with, Dr. K. spoke to a kidney specialist who said that if I went to him at QEH he would put me on the list for free treatment via the health service. I had an appointment with him on April 17th but the damned nurse in charge of the paperwork gave me a hard time, delaying me 4½ hours, so I missed the appointment. Next appointment was May 15th. I saw him, he asked questions and took notes, then called a surgeon to schedule a biopsy.

After several attempts he failed to reach the surgeon so he said he would call me with the date/time of the biopsy as soon as he could get hold of the surgeon. That call has not come yet. On Friday last week when I was being checked out by Dr. Kristi, I her about it and she said she would get in touch with him and find out what was happening/give him a little push. Nothing further from her. I will message her now and give her a little push. She's usually very busy at this time so a response could take a while. And she may have to wait for him to get back to her with info. So...

Dr. K. says that the biopsy needs to be done under CT guidance, and the CT machine at QEH is down. Apparently it has been for some time. So, cross my kidney and hope not to die!

[Netfoot]

In bed with Mo snuggling against my tummy. He is welcome because he is warm and the fan is blowing cold and my skin is wet.

Soukora by Ali Farka Touré, a musician and singer from Mali. He sings in English and what I first thought was Malian (Bambara, apparently). But I eventually figured out that much of it is French, although with a very strong accent. If I remember correctly, Touré's music was briefly featured in a 2002 movie starring Diane Lane & Richard Gere. (I like them both well enough but perhaps Lane more than Gere?) The movie is called Unfaithful. If I remember correctly, it was a good watch but not earth shattering. I already had the album when I heard it on the movie and recognized it immediately. I can't remember who I was with but they were gob-smacked that I knew it.

All ready for tomorrow, but I fear it will not turn out well. I have $10 for entry but I am not sure there is enough gas in the car to get there, far less get back again. And I have less than $5 in change in my pocket so I could only afford one liter of gas if I went to the station. If the car coasts to a stop there is literally nobody I can call. 

Not to mention that if there are no sales tomorrow I won't be able to go again the following Saturday to try again, I won't be able to buy any food for Mo and myself, and all the bills remain unpaid for the month. 

But I had a good lunch, so good I skipped dinner. And if I'm lucky, I will make it to Brighton, I will get a few bucks in sales, I will then make it to the gas station and can put a little fuel in the van, maybe even get some food for my baby, and some groceries for me too. 

Anyway, I will try and lock up the house now, and get some shut-eye before I have to deal with it all, tomorrow. If Mo will let me lock up...

Edited July 3, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Well, I made it, but

I'm not sanguine about getting home again...

(Wow. My car really needs a clean-out. It's almost as dusty as the house!)

[Netfoot]

On my way home now. Here's hoping I make it...

[Netfoot]

No sales all day long. 3-4 folks were happy to talk about each and every piece before giving me the "I'll be back..." which is so rarely true. In fact, I don't mind if [they] just are curious and want to ask questions or talk. They don't have to make excuses to get away. 

And the... five minutes before I packed up, I had three sales. Someone bought one of my micro- Adirondack chairs, someone bought a tiny bowl, and someone bought a toaster tongs! So, $115 in my pocket! Plus four bucks in change...

That still didn't mean that there was enough gas in the van to get all the way home, so I set off, aiming for Rubis Mapp Hill station which is the closest station in the general direction of home. I could have found something marginally closer if I'd headed away from home but that just felt counter-intuitive. So, I set off for Mapp Hill, 5.9 Km away, coaxing the car to make it. And it did! Well done, my old Townace! What a pity that the Mapp Hill station (open 24/7) was closed...

With my heart literally pounding (you saw the gas gauge when I got to Brighton, right?), I set my sights 2.8 Km further on at Sol Wildey, and running on fumes, I'm sure, the old van made it! With twenty big dollars in the tank, I made the remaining 2.7 Km home like a breeze! But I stopped at Price Lo grocery on the way and bought some supplies.

Have I ever explained the process of coming and going when Mo is On Guard? Before departure, I have to sneak out of the house and lock Mo in so I can open the gate and get the van out. Then close the gate again, open the house so he can come outside, and then squeeze through the gate to the van, and depart. Arriving back home I park right outside the gate and go say hello to a puppy who is going "Roo-roo-roooo!" and leaping three feet off the ground to kive give kisses over the gate. I open the gate and squeeze in, open the house and then, when he rushes inside, slam the door, trapping him inside. While he barks furiously, I can open the gate wide, back in, lock the gate and free the puppy. The difficulties of undressing with an energetic pup in your lap are greater than those of getting dressed in the first place.

I know I am old, but sometimes young people are more of a mystery than they should be. Lots of people go to Brighton either to have breakfast and socialize, buy supplies for the coming week (vegetables, eggs 30, 40, 50 at a time, etc) and are not there to shop. Young women for instance will not be buying pottery, wood turnings, or stuff like that. If they buy more than food, they will buy cosmetics or costume jewelry. So today, when two young ladies (I'd estimate somewhere between 20 and 25 but possibly late teens) came into the tent to buy coconut bread from Marva - who I was sharing with - I knew they were not potential customers of mine. But when they are standing six inches from your table, I don't think it is an offence for me to look at them and say, "Good morning!" This young woman didn't deign to respond. She span around, stared at me like I was a leper, then put her nose in the air and stalked off with a snooty expression on her face, dragging her friend with her. Now, I don't know who she was, and I don't know what was her beef. But did she think that her behaviour made her a better person than saying "Howdy!" and moving on about her business?  Did she ever consider that next week when she goes for a job interview, she might find herself being interviewed by me? At the very least, that if she had a tire blow out on the way home, the next motorist who came along might just remember her rudeness and pass her by instead of stopping to help?

 With my newly purchased groceries, I had cheese cutters with cucumber and pepper sauce for lunch. And (O glory!) a cup of tea. I am well aware that this time next week I will regret spending ten bucks on inessentials. But I'm so glad I did.

Now, an afternoon nap to compensate for the 4:30 rise time.

Edited July 1, 2023 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

• NNetfoot, as you know, I live in the south. I speak to almost everyone I see and I read repeatedly on this very website, not this exact Small Talk forum, that speaking to strangers is an obnoxious habit. I cannot fathom that. In fact, I quit those particular forums quite some time ago because of those opinions.

This morning I ran to the grocery store for a few items. As I was walking in, two young people were coming out holding a bouquet of flowers. I said oh those are gorgeous! The young girl said thanks they’re for our mother! I replied she’s a lucky girl! The young girl beamed.

Then as I was checking out at the store, I asked the lady checking me out how are you today? She said I am great, thanks for asking! It is my belief that people just need/want to be recognized and noticed.

Also, being a southern girl, I tend to call everyone honey. That’s why I named my late great girl Honey…because I knew I would call her honey anyway! Some people think honey is a derogatory term. In my vernacular, honey correlates to a precious human being who deserves love and respect. 

A few mornings ago, I went to the grocery store super early because our heat index was in the upper 100s that day. I was so early that the three produce stockers were there. I appreciate these people so much who provide services to make our lives easier. So as I was shopping, I said good morning honey. Every single one of them looked up and smiled and responded. I can assure you that they didn’t take the term honey as an affront.

I visit my Walmart at least once a week and I always exchange pleasantries with Robert who is a greeter upon entry and a receipt checker on the way out. I asked him once if he thought me saying honey was rude or condescending and he said no! He said he thought it was nice and made people feel that they mattered. I have many more examples but I think you get what I’m saying. 

So, Netfoot, I feel sorry for the girl who glared at you when you said good morning. It is my opinion that she will have an unfulfilled life if she can’t appreciate the people around her. She is no better than any one of us. In fact, it has been my experience that people young and old gravitate to others who speak with kind and welcoming words. I look forward to hearing what others on this thread think.

For those of you who hate the term honey, as we say in the south, bless your heart! 

Edited July 1, 2023 by Spunkygal

[andidante]

26 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

So, Netfoot, I feel sorry for the girl who glared at you when you said good morning. It is my opinion that she will have an unfulfilled life if she can’t appreciate the people around her. She is no better than any one of us. In fact, it has been my experience that people young and old gravitate to others who speak with kind and welcoming words. I look forward to hearing what others on this thread think.

For those of you who hate the term honey, as we say in the south, bless your heart! 

I agree wholeheartedly and I loved your whole post!

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

That’s why I named my late great girl Honey…because I knew I would call her honey anyway!

That's largely why I named Buddy "Budweiser". Because I think of my pups as my little buddies and I knew I would call him "Buddy" or "Bud' all the time. I sometimes call Mo "Buddy" or "Bud", not because I a mistakingly using Budweiser's name, but because Molasses is my little buddy just as Budweiser was And DotCom was before him. 

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

I see and I read repeatedly on this very website, not this exact Small Talk forum, that speaking to strangers is an obnoxious habit.

That wouldn't fly at Brighton. Almost everyone says hello, or "speaks" in some way. If not with an actual "Good morning" or "Hello" then either a nod or a smile or a wave of the hand or a tip of the hat. 

Apparently there was once a vendor who was so over the top that people complained and they had to speak to him about it. I avoid greeting people several times, which is what he used to do. I might start with a verbal "Howdy!" And if they pass my way again I might just nod or smile or something.

I just don't understand how people can be offended by what used to be called being polite. But some people do, and I find that some younger people, particularly young women, are offended when an older person dares to interact with them. Well, I'd prefer some youth be offended by my trying to be polite than have them ba be able to truly say I was unfriendly.

Edited July 2, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

What Do You Want From Life? by The Tubes! (Well, you can't have that, but...) The crazy list of things that you can win is always worth a laugh. I actually saw The Tubes live on stage at The Brighton Conference Center. (Not the same Brighton I was at this morning.) Left me with an enduring love for this band despite Fee Waybill's tendency to distort words to make his lyrics rhyme. Example: "Other dudes are living in the ghetto/But born in Pacific Heights/Don't seem much betto" from one of their iconic tracks, (White Punks On Dope) which took them nearly 20 minutes to perform when I heard them. It is normally a longish number, nearly seven minutes long, with the key phrase reaching a crescendo and then repeated through a slow fade to the end... When suddenly it comes roaring back in force, as you realize the song ain't actually ending after all. On stage, it happened repeatedly with the crowd screaming for the song to continue. Its a song for head-bangers, that's for sure. But they also had some amusing and unusual numbers as well, such as Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman. (He was parked down near Three-Mile Point, making out with his girlfriend, "blue eyes and five foot two", when "I heard her cry, the reactor flared/ She grew and grew, I freaked and stared..." and his evening is all downhill from there as he tries to deal with. "A 50' woman in a 5' dress".

Little Mozie is here with me. He has taken to giving sloppy kisses on the mouth. Well, I think it's actually on the moustache. What he's doing is auditing me to find out what I've been eating. And what that is, is more cheese & cucumber cutters with pepper sauce and a sprinkle of salt. Which he knows very well, because the Hot Breath On My Hip got to sample my cutters several times as well as being fed slices of cucumber and pieces of cheese in between. I can make more cutters for lunch tomorrow, but I may make pasta instead and grate the last piece of cheese on it. (I only got a little piece.) Then maybe bully beef or even tuna cutters for dinner?

Was looking into adding a news  headline feature to the robot but discovered that the API is capable of delivering 1.1 million headlines a day. Sure, when you call the endpoint you specify what type of news you are interested in, such as "SpaceX" or "Professional tennis in Portugal", or what ever, but what search criteria should the robot use? I have to give it some thought before progressing, but I may have to expand the robot command to  something like "/headline pre-Columbian art theft" so the user could choose their own topic of interest in the moment.

Never did get my afternoon nap and I was up early so I will lock the door, kill the lights and switch my brain to standby mode

Edited July 2, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

It's a full moon, tonight. Well, technically the full moon will be at 7:39 tomorrow morning. Mo and I went out. A pleasingly cool breeze was blowing, and there was a rainbow halo around the moon. And the security lights over at the mall. And the streetlights.

Been having fun with the robot. I have been worried that testing will tick off the other members of the group. All the test messages and responses thereto. So I am working to have two ways to contact the robot: via the group, or directly via a private chat. With a private connection to the robot, I can in theory send test commands all day long and neither the commands not the robot's responses will appear in the group. 

So far, I have got to the point where the robot has joined a private chat and I can send commands from within that chat and have the bot respond. Unfortunately, the bot is still sending all responses back to the group. 

When initially conceived, the bot was expected to converse with the group and it's members and nobody else. So the chat_id which determines where the responses go, was hard-coded into the bot software. Now it is plain that was not the best idea. But I think each inbound update (message} contains the specific chat_id from where the update originated. If I'm right about that, it should be pretty straightforward to get hold of the origin chat_id of the < command and direct any responses back to that specific chat_id rather than a hard-coded chat_id. But that will be for tomorrow. 

Listening to Your Gold Teeth by Steely Dan. It's off of Countdown To Ecstasy. Steely Dan is a good band, I think, but as albums go, if I had to recommend an album to someone who didn't know the band, I would suggest Aja.

I've got $56.95 in my pants pocket plus $12.02 in the bank but I have to reserve $10 to pay the entrance fee on Saturday. Plus about $13 for the monthly bank charges. I think I will end up with s bag of chow for Mo and maybe $15 left over.

Mo is snuggling against my back and bogarting the majority of the pillows... no wait! Elvis has left the building. I took his collar off a few minutes ago and he became agitated. Doesn't like to have his collar tampered with. But I like him to get a night's sleep without it now and again. 

I have to get a shower. I have not done anything very dirty today but I feel like I want to wash myself down with a slice sluice of warm water. So I will do that in a minute and lock up on the way back. 

Had the last if the cutters for lunch and macaroni for dinner with corned beef,  field peas and pak choy. There are just enough peas left to make a bowl of rice tomorrow. So as soon as that's done I will put the next package of beans to soak overnight. I've got black beans, pinto beans and red kidney beans, one package of each, I think. Plus several packages each of lentils and field peas. And somewhere in the back of the fridge is some salt kine and/or salt pork that's been there since before the lockdown. I'll put a piece of that in to soak with the beans and the next day when I boil the beans I'll boil the salt meat in the pot too, which will add some flavour to the party. Mo will get any pigtails but I will maybe keep the salt kine for myself.

Mo just walked back in, jumped up to stand next time and went flap-a-tap-a-tap! with his ears. His whole body, actually. Apparently it is drizzling outside because he managed to shower me with little drops of cold water. He then proceeded to roll around on the pillows to aid in drying out. And finally, he rubbed himself all over me to get rid of the droplets. Anyway, I'm starting  to doze off, so before that I will go get my skin sluiced off, lock the door and cut some wood.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

It's been chucking it down all morning, and I have to go out later. Found two 3-blade props and I have no idea why I ever bought them. But one of the lads wanted them so I will let him have them.

Cooking some rice for lunch, with a little corned beef, a little carrot, a little cucumber, and the remaining field peas. I think it will taste good! And I will put some pinto beans so to soak this afternoon so they should be ready tomorrow.

Got the robot sorted out and have the ability to send commands and receive responses without disturbing the club group. I've also implemented aliases for the commands. So for instance I can say /cocktail or /booze or /drink, any of which will cause a cocktail recipe to be generated. The /help command lists the aliases along with each primary.

ETA: Wow. The rice tasted very good!

Edited July 3, 2023 by Netfoot

[ShowsILoveToHate]

On 7/2/2023 at 12:07 AM, Netfoot said:

What Do You Want From Life? by The Tubes! (Well, you can't have that, but...) The crazy list of things that you can win is always worth a laugh. I actually saw The Tubes live on stage at The Brighton Conference Center. (Not the same Brighton I was at this morning.) Left me with an enduring love for this band despite Fee Waybill's tendency to distort words to make his lyrics rhyme. Example: "Other dudes are living in the ghetto/But born in Pacific Heights/Don't seem much betto" from one of their iconic tracks, (White Punks On Dope) which took them nearly 20 minutes to perform when I heard them. It is normally a longish number, nearly seven minutes long, with the key phrase reaching a crescendo and then repeated through a slow fade to the end... When suddenly it comes roaring back in force, as you realize the song ain't actually ending after all. On stage, it happened repeatedly with the crowd screaming for the song to continue. Its a song for head-bangers, that's for sure. But they also had some amusing and unusual numbers as well, such as Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman. (He was parked down near Three-Mile Point, making out with his girlfriend, "blue eyes and five foot two", when "I heard her cry, the reactor flared/ She grew and grew, I freaked and stared..." and his evening is all downhill from there as he tries to deal with. "A 50' woman in a 5' dress".

Little Mozie is here with me. He has taken to giving sloppy kisses on the mouth. Well, I think it's actually on the moustache. What he's doing is auditing me to find out what I've been eating. And what that is, is more cheese & cucumber cutters with pepper sauce and a sprinkle of salt. Which he knows very well, because the Hot Breath On My Hip got to sample my cutters several times as well as being fed slices of cucumber and pieces of cheese in between. I can make more cutters for lunch tomorrow, but I may make pasta instead and grate the last piece of cheese on it. (I only got a little piece.) Then maybe bully beef or even tuna cutters for dinner?

Was looking into adding a news  headline feature to the robot but discovered that the API is capable of delivering 1.1 million headlines a day. Sure, when you call the endpoint you specify what type of news you are interested in, such as "SpaceX" or "Professional tennis in Portugal", or what ever, but what search criteria should the robot use? I have to give it some thought before progressing, but I may have to expand the robot command to  something like "/headline pre-Columbian art theft" so the user could choose their own topic of interest in the moment.

Never did get my afternoon nap and I was up early so I will lock the door, kill the lights and switch my brain to standby mode

I’ve seenThe Tubes live, too! Late 1970’s. Somewhere in New Jersey or New York, USA. I LOVED them live. I can’t say that about every band or singer that I’ve seen live.
 

The Tubes must still be alive and well and performing! We had gone into Boston to see a play, and when we were outside waiting for our car to pick us up, I looked down the street a bit and saw this!  This was April 23, 2019  

Edited July 3, 2023 by ShowsILoveToHate
Added date.

[Netfoot]

14 hours ago, ShowsILoveToHate said:

I’ve seenThe Tubes live, too! Late 1970’s. Somewhere in New Jersey or New York, USA. I LOVED them live. I can’t say that about every band or singer that I’ve seen live.

It was a long time ago but I recall a girl dressed as a tab of acid, motorcycles entering the stage from both directions several feet in the air, presumably due to ramps in the wings, and Waybill dressed in a skin tight leotard and a pair of boots significantly larger than those worn by Elton John for Pinball Wizard in Tommy. And they developed a tremendous rapport with the audience that had everyone raving as they manipulated the mood of the crowd with their use of the music and how it was presented.

The town was Brighton and was a key venue for anyone doing a tour of England. The Tubes played at the Brighton Conference Center but there is also The Dome for bands who want a smaller, more intimate setting. I saw Rick Wakeman at The Dome.

(The Dome used to be a stable for Brighton Pavilion. The Pavilion was a getaway home for the Prince of Wales - later King George IV - and was where he consorted with his mistress. If you've ever seen the lavish nature of The Pavilion and it's appointments, you will understand that the stable was an architectural delight that became a delightful auditorium.)

Anyway, bands setting out on tour would often start at Brighton before traveling further afield. Then, as a last stop before their triumphant return to London for the final gig, they frequently returned to Brighton. So you had two chances to see many bands. And you could choose to go when they were fresh and full of energy as the tour started, or wait to see them later when their performance had been polished & perfected by performances all over the British Isles.

Been working on the robot again. Not doing anything immediately obvious, but cleaning up all the code. Removing tons of debugging statements, reformatting statement layout, fleshing out the comments etc. Right now it only does two interesting things. It will tell a corny joke

or suggest a cocktail for your consideration. 

I'd give instructions on how you could use your own Telegram account and try it for yourself, but I don't want to make that info too public. The last thing I need is squads of strangers pounding on my server day & night. (Why would they? One reason only: Because I don't want them to!)

After The Rain Has Fallen by Sting. I once had the chance to go to hear The Police live at the same Brighton Conference Center. Fiona (brunette) and Claire (blonde) who I'd just met, tried their damnedest to drag me with them but I declined, because I was moping about after being given the boot by a different Fiona (also brunette). One of the truly stupidest mistakes I ever made in life, and have regretted for over 40 years, now. Oh well, I guess you don't get to be handsome and smart...

Well, guess I'd better douse the lights and get some sleep. It might rain again in the night. The sky was wooly when Mo & I patrolled the garden. The full moon was visible as a bright round spot behind the cloud cover. A spot whose brightness varied as I watched it. I don't know where Mo is, but I know he's inside because I locked up a few minutes ago. I expect he will show up and snag most of the pillows, the moment I switch the lights off.....

Edited July 4, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Avalon by Roxy Music, from the album of the same name. Bryan Ferry has an unmistakable voice, and was known as a snappy dresser as well. It's said that he and Brian Eno couldn't stand being in Roxy Music together, because by definition, there can only be one prima donna. I like Ferry, both as lead for Roxy Music as well as his solo work. I have a dozen albums of him, between Roxy Music & his solo work, but I do think that Avalon is the best of them.

After soaking for 24 hours with a piece of salt kine from early 2019, I boiled my pinto beans with the meat for about an hour. At that stage the beans were still a little too crunchy for my taste but the beef was soft, so I cut the meat into tiny slivers and stirred them back into the beef. Another hour on the slow boil, periodically adding hot water from the kettle to keep them covered, and they were the ideal consistency. Not crunchy, but not mushy either. And they were delicious, and I could have eaten them with a spoon! 

But then, they wouldn't have lasted long, so instead I took some of the dough I'd made and rolled it into snakes, before dropping them into a pan of boiling water. They were like long, thin dumplings - or short, fat noodles. Only not really like either. But I took a scoop of the freshly cooked pintos and ate them with the dumpoodles (or noolings) and called it late lunch. Dinner was 2019 powdered mash with more of the pintos on top and again it made a meal. Tomorrow I will have rice with carrots and pak choy but I have not figured out if to cook the bean into the rice as usual, or cook the rice separate and put the beans on top for a change. With the salt kine soaked and cooked into the beans they are plenty meaty in taste already so I think I can dispense with the bully beef for a while, thank goodness.

I did say that Mo could get all the pig tails and that I'd have the beef...

Well, I've been struggling along for a couple of years now, with things going from bad to worse. And I'm stupid enough to hold out hope that Mum's estate will be probate as I've been promised again and again that it soon will. But last year, when the car's insurance came due, I caught my royal arse to pay it, consoling myself that within the year the estate would be settled and I wouldn't have to go through this again. But as of today, my van's insurance has expired, and there isn't a hope in hell of my finding the wherewithal to pay it. And that is the least of my problems. I've known for a while that things weren't sustainable as they are, but I've been fooling myself that if I could hold on long enough the Probate Court would come through and I would no longer have to be defrosting the freezer and calling the meltwater "soup". But guess this is what the end of the rope looks like. 

At least Mo will be looked after. Dr. Kristi told me she wanted to be his godmother even before I got him, and that if ever I was not able to look after him she would find a good home for him and that if she couldn't, she would make a good home for him in her household.

If I have to give him up, that will be the end for me. 

Who else will bogart my pillows and when I turn around to complain, give me a kiss on the nose?

I have $10 to return to Brighton on Saturday (in my uninsured and therefore unlicensed van) but even if I sold everything I have, it still wouldn't get me out of the spot I'm in. So there is no point going. But I will, none the less.

[andidante]

7 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Well, I've been struggling along for a couple of years now, with things going from bad to worse. And I'm stupid enough to hold out hope that Mum's estate will be probate as I've been promised again and again that it soon will. But last year, when the car's insurance came due, I caught my royal arse to pay it, consoling myself that within the year the estate would be settled and I wouldn't have to go through this again. But as of today, my van's insurance has expired, and there isn't a hope in hell of my finding the wherewithal to pay it. And that is the least of my problems. I've known for a while that things weren't sustainable as they are, but I've been fooling myself that if I could hold on long enough the Probate Court would come through and I would no longer have to be defrosting the freezer and calling the meltwater "soup". But guess this is what the end of the rope looks like. 

I'm so sorry Netfoot! Do you know why your Mom's estate has been in probate so long and what the hold up is on that? I have never understood probate matters.

[Netfoot]

9 hours ago, andidante said:

Do you know why your Mom's estate has been in probate so long and what the hold up is on that?

Because my sister, who is already as rich as God, decided that instead of the estate being divided in three between the three children, she should have it all. And she hid critical documents, lied to all and sundry about what Mum's desires, tried to forge a codicil, and generally stood in the way of probate. She was in control of the entire estate so she did not suffer over the delay.

Now that she is suffering from senile dementia, her thieving husband is carrying the torch. He now controls the estate and would rather the probate never came through so he remain in control of 100%, rather than probate be granted and he lose control of 66%.

I honestly believe their goal is that the probate not be granted while I live. Yet I am equally convinced that were I to die today, probate would be granted by early next week at the latest. 

Now, in order to maintain "the blood pressure of a 16 year old athlete" as Dr. Kristi likes to describe it, I will refrain from such talk and tell you how scrumptious my rice was for lunch. The pintos and a medium sized carrot plus two leaves of pak choy and some cilantro made for a tasty dish with no tuna or bully beef at all. Only the tiny fragments of salt kine in the beans. And they were fire few and far between, but they had infused the whole pot of beans with a tasty tang.

It's approaching three and I feel I might make myself a mug of tea soon.....

Edited July 5, 2023 by Netfoot

[andidante]

3 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Because my sister, who is already as rich as God, decided that instead of the estate being divided in three between the three children, she should have it all. And she hid critical documents, lied to all and sundry about what Mum's desires, tried to forge a codicil, and generally stood in the way of probate. She was in control of the entire estate so she did not suffer over the delay.

Now that she is suffering from senile dementia, her thieving husband is carrying the torch. He now controls the estate and would rather the probate never came through so he remain in control of 100%, rather than probate be granted and he lose control of 66%.

I honestly believe their goal is that the probate not be granted while I live. Yet I am equally convinced that were I to die today, probate would be granted by early next week at the latest. 

Now, in order to maintain "the blood pressure of a 16 year old athlete" as Dr. Kristi likes to describe it, I will refrain from such talk and tell you how scrumptious my rice was for lunch. The pintos and a medium sized carrot plus two leaves of pak choy and some cilantro made for a tasty dish with no tuna or bully beef at all. Only the tiny fragments of salt kine in the beans. And they were fire few and far between, but they had infused the whole pot of beans with a tasty tang.

It's approaching three and I feel I might make myself a mug of tea soon.....

I know you are not in the position to hire an attorney, but I will keep my fingers crossed for you that this will be settled soon. 

Your lunches/dinners always sound yummy to me!

[Netfoot]

57 minutes ago, andidante said:

Your lunches/dinners always sound yummy to me!

I'm not much of a cook, but thankfully I enjoy simple fare as much as elaborate cuisine, so I can usually knock up something to eat which I find palatable. Usually. Not always.

These days, there is so little choice in terms of ingredients that the meals are getting a little repetitive. Up until recently I at least had the choice between rice, potatoes and pasta. But potatoes are off the menu, lately. And I have half a pack of macaroni I will eat tonight, but after that it is rice, rice and more rice. I recently discovered that the packages of dried beans & peas I laid away for an indeterminately long lockdown can indeed be turned into a tasty dish. But sooner or later those packages will be used up, as will the bag of rice. I think I have one tin of corned beef left.

There is a few dollars in the bank - enough to buy a bag of food for Mo. After that, I don't know what I'm going to do. And while food for Mo takes precedence, food for myself comes after paying the electric, telephone and water bills, the car insurance and the blood-sucking bank who wants more per month than all the others put together.

"Dinner Meds" in four minutes. I guess I'd better look to getting that macaroni cooked and calling it dinner!

[Netfoot]

Lying in bed with Mo leaning against my tummy and resting his head in my knee. A moment ago he was sitting on my shoulder, but he tends to move around until he is perfectly satisfied with his location.

Santana plays Black Magic Woman (off of Abraxas). One of the bands best albums, released, I think, right after their eponymous debut sometimes known as "Lion-Face". If you only ever own one Santana album, Abraxas is the one.

Well, I was patting myself on the back for having completed two more mini-Adirondack chairs (for a total of three) when I remembered that the armrests need to be drilled for the two pins that support a phone in landscape mode. So I put them on the drill press to remind me to do it first thing tomorrow. The correct drill is already in the chuck and everything.

I also made three more toaster tongs just the same as before, with purple heart limbs. While I had the saw set up I cut enough purple heart to make 12 tings tongs, but I only had three middles ready with magnets already attached, and I've misplaced the jig I used for cutting them out. Where did I put that?!??

Been considering using the scroll saw to make wooden dinosaur 3D skeleton jigsaw puzzles. (I'm sure you know what I mean - they are not exactly unheard of.) I've got patterns for four different designs. The trouble is, the patterns were drawn up for ⅛" thick sheet and would have to be scaled to suit other thicknesses. The birch ply I have is 6mm and ⅛" is 3.175mm. so to scale the dinosaurs up for 6mm ply they would end up 188% of the original size, which was 16" to 18" if I remember correctly. I think 4mm birch ply would be a better plain plan, but a sheet would cost me $49.99 which simply is not feasible now. As a puzzle they might be fun to assemble and if put together with glue you end up with an interesting sculpture of sorts.

Of course, I want to do one out of ¾" plywood, which would give me a 7½ foot dinosaur.....

Tomorrow I want to try and make some conventional phone stands like I did before. But I have to find suitable wood for the basic blocks. I have some thicker purple heart strips I can use for decorative accents so maybe I can find something to use for the rest? I have a stick of oak, complete with nail-holes but sometimes it is possible to arrange the glue-up such that the nail holes cancel out.

Also thinking about wooden six-packs for toting bottles of beer. Or eight-packs. Or even twelve-packs for the very thirsty. I think rustic rather than beautifully planed and sanded and painted blue! Must check on what suitable boards I have handy. 

Mo is playing a particularly energetic game of Tummy Trampoline so I'd better call it quits and take him in hand before he ruptures something. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Dug around for wood to make the twelve-pack beer carrier I was thinking about but when I located the boards I had been thinking of, they were much uglier than I remembered. Now, I had thought to plane and sand them only slightly to leave them very rustic, but if I were to use them I would need to sand/plane much more than anticipated. And as the boards are pretty thin to start with, not sure I would end up with boards of sufficient thickness for the project. Still got two ¼-sheets of 6mm birch ply but ply is never a good idea for items that are likely to get wet often. And a beer carrier could easily get put to stand on wet beach sand, stuck bodily into a cooler of ice, dangled over the transom of a boat at anchor or simply drenched with the condensate from the bottles it's carrying.

Tomorrow is Friday and there is just enough food for Mo for the day. So on Saturday I will have to buy more grub for him on the way home. I have just enough in the bank to buy one bag, plus $10 left over.

Can't Get This Stuff No More by Van Halen. The latter is somewhat unique on that it was one of two new compositions produced specially for their "Best Of - Volume 1" album. (Did they ever produce Volume 2?) Also, although he had left the band over ten years prior, David Lee Roth was invited to return to provide vocals for those two new tracks.

Normally, I don't buy "Best of" albums. Most of the time they are disappointing. This is one of the few exceptions that prove the rule. (A couple of others are "The Best Of Sade" from 1994 and "16 Greatest Hits" by Steppenwolf from 1973. There are others but I can't think of any more right now. Oh, Cat Stevens "Greatest Hits" from 1975.)

Made dumplings with some of the dough in the fridge and had them with pinto beans for lunch. Just a small portion. Two dumplings went on the floor so I rolled them into a different shape and left them in the bowl with a few beans for Mo who always likes to get a taste of my meal.

For dinner I cooked rice with a carrot sliced thin along with about half a cucumber also thinly sliced, and a scoop of the pintos. As I waited for the water to come up to the boil I grabbed a handful of the remaining dough and made a couple dozen tiny dumplings and tossed them in to cook with the rice. Odd combination maybe - rice with dumplings - but it tasted fine and the occasional chewy mini-dumpling made the meal interesting. Pintos running low now, and not sure to make ready next. Got lentils & field peas more than anything else. And I have one package of green split-peas. Last time I tried to make dried split-peas palatable I was hugely unsuccessful but maybe I should try again with the one package I've got. 

Anyway, it's late, the door is locked, Mo is snoozing up against my back and the alarm will go off early tomorrow. Mo has just moved to curl up against my butt. No, now Elvis had left the building.

Ok, sleep time!

[Netfoot]

Didn't sleep well. Mo played games (Tummy Trampoline, Bitey-Bitey, etc), bogarted the pillows, stole the top-sheet to make himself a comfy nest, and generally wouldn't let me sleeo until about 2:30. Then at 4:00 he positioned his face about 1" from my ear and barked louder than I've ever heard him bark before, until I got up and opened the door to let him out. But he was back in bed before I was, bogarting the pillows and the top-sheet again. The alarm went off at 4:30 and I couldn't get back to sleep for half an hour, so I got 4½ hours of sleep total, but broken and disturbed, and the majority of it was leading up to Morning Meds and Blood Sugar Jab (4.4 mmol/L).

I finished the latest additions to the Robot. It now responds to an /image request by sending a random photo selected according to your search term. Sometimes (most often) you get something applicable, such as:

Another example:

Sometimes the image has only a tenuous connection with your query term:

(I thought that was a clever, if obscure, connection.) And:

OK, maybe this deserves a pass? But my buddy Jim probably won't be happy to see this:

 

[Netfoot]

Almost forgot to show you this one:

LOL!!

[Netfoot]

In bed with Mo who is polishing his toenails and will.nomdoubtbwantbti give me kisses when he's done. Could be worse - just imagine what he could be polishing!

All set for tomorrow morning - except for car insurance, of course. Well, you gotta do what you gotta do. Mo had the last of his chow for dinner and I will have to get more by lunchtime tomorrow. Fingers crossed for s whole bunch of sales because I need it bad. 

Dizzy by the Goo-Goo Dolls. You don't hear much about this band but every now and again they drop a good number on you, so you can't count them out. Don't know a great deal about the band itself or the musicians in it, but I have half a dozen of their albums.

We've had sprinkly rain off an on over the last few days. Today was essentially dry so maybe tomorrow will be as well. If it is wet and dreary looking first thing in the morning it tends to reduce attendance. 

I think Toni will be there tomorrow. I hope so. I have come to quite like her - she is interesting to talk to and always cracking s joke or telling a funny story. Her pastries have nothing to do with my appreciation of her! Unfortunately her attendance is not very predictable. She only comes every other Saturday and if that is not possible for some reason or the other, it means a month between her appearances. I know that last time she got far less sales than she had expected and was figuring out how to dispose of the leftovers. (I think I've persuaded her that she must not try to force loads of baked goods on me any more, because I have no willpower and don't know how to refuse.)

Do You Feel Like We Do by Peter Frampton, from his live album, recorded when he toured the USA. I remember that they flew out in coach and returned in a Boeing 707 they hired for their exclusive use and had painted blue with silver stars. It was a good album and this is a particularly good track, but lengthy at over 14 minutes. It featured him and the Talk-Box he was do famous for using. 

My baby has his head on my thigh again but I need to go lock the door. However, it is unlikely he will hold that position for long. I'd better end now so I can go lock up and get some shut-eye as soon as he frees me.

[Netfoot]

All set up under the tin roof - which may be good because we just had a short shower of rain. I am between Katherine (focaccia) & Ahmed (honey) and hoping to get a few sales.

Toni is a little further down in her own tent which she is sharing today with Joseph (wooden spoons). She tells me she had a batch of cinnamon rolls that didn't turn out as expected... "so I brought them for you!" You get no respect from the young 'uns. Sarah isn't here and she is a staunch regular so I hope all is well with her & family.

My back was killing me when I got up so I took two Panadol right after I let Mo in at 4:39. 4:30. But it's still hurting. Mo was outside because he behaved like a monster all night until finally at 2:30 I threw him out. 

Sally has a problem with her easel which is falling apart. Literally. Four of the glue joints have failed. She should re-glue the joints but it seems it's easier to get someone to bodge it back together every few weeks instead!

Going to go see if I can find out what happened to Sarah...

Edited July 8, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

My back is giving away, and I'm falling asleep. Jim isn't here this morning and he usually buys me a coffee.... Have not even had anyone stop and show interest this morning as yet.

Toni has gone and made some doggie treats out of chicken livers and has given me a baggie to take home for Mo. She is giving them away to people who brought their pupper with them. 

[Netfoot]

No sales.

Sally did very well and is over the moon. Kathrine sold all of her focaccia except for one loaf which she gave to the lady across from us. Toni seemed to do well, but she gave me a box of five cinnamon rolls plus a bag of homemade treats for Mo. She says she is going to Cattlewash beach for a vacation so I probably won't see her again for a month.

Stopped on the way home and bought a bag of chow for the pup. I have enough for another bag or I can go again next Saturday but if I do that there will be none left for another bag next week.

Going to drink a cup of tea, eat a cinnamon roll and go to bed. Nearly fell asleep behind the wheel twice on the way home.

[Spunkygal]

I’m so sorry there were no sales today. Was the market well attended today?

[Netfoot]

6 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Was the market well attended today?

No, not very. I was driving through puddles on the way up and there was a brief shower of rain very early on, probably before the market was actually open to shoppers (although some arrive early while vendors are still setting up). Some vendors said they noticed a slight uptick in shoppers, but all I noticed was a severe shortage of people showing any interest at all. Usually there are 5-6 (or more) times when people come over and talk about each piece and ask how certain tasks were achieved, and so forth. Mostly these people don't buy anything, but it's nice to hear what they think and sometimes they give me ideas I can use in the future.

Today: None.

[Netfoot]

Back in bed, and Mo has just jumped up to join me. Notice I said back in bed. I went to bed this afternoon around 2:00 PM and setting my alarm for one hour, I took a nap. Waking with an urgent need to pee, I noticed it was 7:00 PM, because it seemed I slept through the alarm.

Had porridge for dinner because I couldn't be bothered to cook anything. I noticed that I still hadn't put any beans on to soak (which I should have done last night) so I put a package of red kidney beans to soak, but if the others are anything to go by I won't be able to use them before tomorrow night. And then they will need to be boiled for 1-2 hours before they become palatable. 

To sweeten the beans I put a piece of salted pork in to soak with them and will boil the beans with that still in there. I told myself I'd keep any salt kine for myself and let Mo have any pigtails and salt pork. But the label on this piece of pork had the legend "(BONES FIN" before the text ran off the side of the label. Not sure what that means, but I am concerned that it may be a warning about fine bones. If so, Mo won't be getting it. Gristley pigtail boned are one thing, but potentially dangerous bones are not on his menu. I will have to examine it carefully when it is finished soaking and perhaps again after it has been boiled before I decide if there is any reason for concern.

I'm tired.

I'm tired of my back hurting me. I have several types of back pain. Lower spine, lower sides (kidneys?) and just under the shoulder blade on the right side. When I get two at once it is particularly uncomfortable. And all three together...

I'm tired of trying to make a dollar out of ninety nine cent. Just so I can go and buy the cheapest brands of the cheapest foods and see how many days I can make them last. The record for a single tin of corned beef is 16 meals. That was when I could afford other foods to add. Onions and plantains and so forth. Now 8-10 meals are about the best I can do. Milk, sugar and tea bags almost gone. 

I'm tired about worrying about Mo. What will I do if he needs to go to the vet? Will I be able to buy more food for him? He never goes to the club any more (nor me) and he really misses the chance to go and meet the other guys and run and run and run! He gets so excited when I put him in the car... then we make a short run to the grocery and back home again without him getting a chance to come out of the van. I don't think my happy little puppy is as happy as he used to be.

I'm tired of paying off my entire credit card balance in a single year and thanks to the bank levying fees constantly, still being mixed out at the end of it, and having to pay it off again the next year. 

I'm tired of weeks, months and years going by and all I can hear from the lawyers is that they are waiting on someone else and they have no idea when this matter (that's been pending for 13½ years) will be resolved but "it could only be a few months, maybe even only weeks!", Which they've been telling me since 2016.

I'm tired of sitting at the market hoping for a $20 sale, while the bastard who is in control of the estate wanders around buying the best of everything for breakfast - using my money.

I'm tired of pretending this is a sustainable way to live. When the situation gets worse and worse each month with more and bigger and more urgent bills arriving every day while sources of funds dry up, tools wear out or cease to function due to lack of simple maintenance, and the larder gets more and more empty as I gradually work my way through emergency supplies laid down years ago.

You know, people tend to greet one another with a "How are you?" or maybe "How are things?" and I think that in fact this is a simple pleasantry which should always be answered positively. "Fine!" or "Life is good!" or something like that. The hard part seems to be keeping a cheerful expression on your face when you tell the little white lie. I started answering "Not dead yet!" which everyone thinks is a terribly amusing response.

From Now On by Supertramp. This is from their "Even In The quietest Moments..." album.

This is my favourite song off of my favorite album of theirs. Yes, yes, "Breakfast Over America", a fantastic album, but I love this album. And this track is my favourite, largely due to the plaintive, sad sax. Which I used to whistle along to, hitting every note spot on, until that very last high, which I just couldn't reach. Alas, these days I find myself struggling more & more with the higher notes.

I'm tired. Just weary, despite a five-hour nap this afternoon. I think I will sleep again now. And maybe things will be better tomorrow. 

[luv2lurk]

I hate to say this, but have you considered "un-retiring" yourself, maybe on a part time basis?

[Notabug]

It's pretty obvious from your posts that you are quite computer savvy.  Could you use that skill to free lance?  Set up web sites for businesses?  Maximize search engines? Help with internet security?

Edited July 9, 2023 by Notabug

[Netfoot]

16 hours ago, luv2lurk said:

I hate to say this, but have you considered "un-retiring" yourself, maybe on a part time basis?

 

5 hours ago, Notabug said:

It's pretty obvious from your posts that you are quite computer savvy.  Could you use that skill to free lance?

I was an IT guy for years - that was my profession. But I have been out of the business for a lot of years. Things move fast in that industry. I've kept up with things that interest me, but I have no idea what skill sets are in demand these days, and probably lack them. 

However, to @luv2lurk's question: Sure, I would gladly do any work that I am capable of doing. Not sure my software engineering skills are up to snuff and I know that since my fight with MG I don't have the physical strength to do any labour intensive work like loading bags of cement onto a truck. But the real problem is it's very difficult to find a job. Believe me, I've been looking.

Mo has his head resting on the inside of my knee. It's a position he has taken a liking to. But he never stays put for long. He will move around a dozen times or more until he is satisfied. We went out on Garden Patrol, which we kept short because there was a sprinkle in the air. But Mo did show me his latest plaything, which I assumed was a chunk of wood... but turned out to be beeswax, stolen from the lathe (little bandit!).

I had red kidney beans soaking for 24 hours along with some salt pork. After 24 hours soaking, I set the pot aboiling, salt pork and all. Two hours on the fire and they were still a little crunchier than I wanted, but good enough to eat. So I made a pot of rice with some beans, a carrot and a leaf of pak choy. Tasted fine. 

I think that the secret to using dried beans & peas is to use small ones. In the past I've used black beans, lentils, field peas and even the pinto beans. After a soak and a little boiling they all came out very nice and tasty. The red beans were ok but they didn't come out as well as the others. And the ted beans didn't "yield" as much either. The smaller beans swell up a hell of a lot in comparison. Exception: split-peas which are small but gave me a hard time and no good eats when I tried using a package of them before. 

Anyway, as a result of the slow process with the red beans, I didn't get dinner until after 10:00 which will probably affect my blood sugar. And that now reminds me I have to go get my meds sorted out for tomorrow...

So I guess I'd better do that. And I can put the red beans in the fridge - they are prolly cool enough by now. Naturally, Mo will jump up and cglhRgec  sngmf fuxv rush outside. Boy! I'm tired tonight and I'm typing gibberish!

Better go do what I must and then catch some sleep!

[Netfoot]

Ok, well the telephone & internet have been cut off at home for non-payment this last two months. I have strolled over to the mall and I'm using their free wifi. 

Electricity and water will be next. Not to mention it's probably time to get a new gas cylinder for the stove before it runs out. Car insurance was due last Tuesday and before I can get that I will need a "roadworthy" test ($50) to say that the vehicle is OK. The only time I've ever failed is when they told me I needed new tires which are $300 each.

I have around $12 so none of those are payable. 

So this looks like it. I won't be on here much, but I will pop over to the mall now and again and will touch base when I can.

Now the embarrassing part: telling all my mates I'm offline and explaining why...

Mo sends his love. He was very snuggly last night...

[andidante]

10 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Ok, well the telephone & internet have been cut off at home for non-payment this last two months. I have strolled over to the mall and I'm using their free wifi. 

Electricity and water will be next. Not to mention it's probably time to get a new gas cylinder for the stove before it runs out. Car insurance was due last Tuesday and before I can get that I will need a "roadworthy" test ($50) to say that the vehicle is OK. The only time I've ever failed is when they told me I needed new tires which are $300 each.

I have around $12 so none of those are payable. 

So this looks like it. I won't be on here much, but I will pop over to the mall now and again and will touch base when I can.

Now the embarrassing part: telling all my mates I'm offline and explaining why...

Mo sends his love. He was very snuggly last night...

I am hoping things get better for you soon!

[luv2lurk]

I'm sorry to hear of your current situation.

Have you considered a position in retail i.e. a store clerk - the pay might not be great, but better than nothing. Plus you could interact with people which you are good at. Around here, stores are short of staff - you can just walk in and give your resume.

I do agree with @Notabug's suggestion about doing freelancing on computer stuff - not to the level you worked in - but helping everyday people with their computer insecurities, setting up a website; basic stuff. And I am sure there is a demand for those services. But with no telephone/Internet that could be challenging.

The Cat and I send you and Mo hugs, and hope things improve soon.

(In the meantime think of how fit you will become walking to the mall everyday in search of free WIFI 😁 . And while you are there, you could ask if they have any staff openings in the stores.)

[Netfoot]

Back at the mall. Applied for two jobs here yesterday, one at the mall itself and one at one of the largest stores.

Had a visit yesterday from my niece Heidi. She arrived at my gate and handed over bag after bag of groceries containing:

A box of shredded wheat, a box of corn flakes, two sounds of sugar, two liters of milk and a liter of apple juice, a bag of Milo crystals, a box of teabags, five coffee singles, a large jar of non-dairy creamer and half a liter of evaporated milk. A jar of peanut butter, six salt breads and a large white sandwich loaf. A large bag of penne, two large packets of linguine, a six packs of chicken curry-flavoured ramen noodles and big jar of three-cheese pasta sauce. A package of red kidney beans, one of lentils, one of mixed beans and one of yellow split-peas. Plus 1 Kg of flour. Four packets of minced beef, a large sack of chicken parts, ditto lamb necks, ditto stew beef. Two small packs of Shirley biscuits, two larger packs of sweet biscuits, A piece of pumpkin, half of a large cabbage, a small bag of apples, a sack of fresh, mixed herbs,  some broccoli and a sack of onions. Two large tins of kernel corn, two large tins of mixed vegetables, two tins of tuna, A dozen eggs and a bag of rice. A small box of chicken stock cubes, a foil sack of tomato ketchup, and a bag of loose salt. A bottle of pepper sauce and a bottle of cooking oil. And a coke. Plus, 4 Kg of grub for Mo, And two large  tins of chicken flavoured food for him as well.

Also, a deodorant stick, a bottle of shampoo, four bars of soap, a tube of toothpaste and a new toothbrush and a bottle of Listerine. A bottle of washing up liquid, three sponge cloths, a scrubbing sponge, a roll of paper kitchen towels, and a sack of laundry detergent. 

Then she handed me a large empty bag and said "Go and put all your dirty clothes in here and I will wash them for you."

Next, she asked what size bed I have because (apparently) she has mattresses "in storage".

She just texted me to say she has dropped off the clean laundry which is a pity because I wanted to talk with her.

Curious: I never told her I was having problems doing laundry, and I never told her I had no mattress. The only person I mentioned these things to was Dr. Kristi.

Anyway, I may sink without trace before the end of the month, but I will do it well rested, with a full belly, and wearing clean clothes.

Gotta run...

[Notabug]

22 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Back at the mall. Applied for two jobs here yesterday, one at the mall itself and one at one of the largest stores.

Had a visit yesterday from my niece Heidi. She arrived at my gate and handed over bag after bag of groceries containing:

A box of shredded wheat, a box of corn flakes, two sounds of sugar, two liters of milk and a liter of apple juice, a bag of Milo crystals, a box of teabags, five coffee singles, a large jar of non-dairy creamer and half a liter of evaporated milk. A jar of peanut butter, six salt breads and a large white sandwich loaf. A large bag of penne, two large packets of linguine, a six packs of chicken curry-flavoured ramen noodles and big jar of three-cheese pasta sauce. A package of red kidney beans, one of lentils, one of mixed beans and one of yellow split-peas. Plus 1 Kg of flour. Four packets of minced beef, a large sack of chicken parts, ditto lamb necks, ditto stew beef. Two small packs of Shirley biscuits, two larger packs of sweet biscuits, A piece of pumpkin, half of a large cabbage, a small bag of apples, a sack of fresh, mixed herbs,  some broccoli and a sack of onions. Two large tins of kernel corn, two large tins of mixed vegetables, two tins of tuna, A dozen eggs and a bag of rice. A small box of chicken stock cubes, a foil sack of tomato ketchup, and a bag of loose salt. A bottle of pepper sauce and a bottle of cooking oil. And a coke. Plus, 4 Kg of grub for Mo, And two large  tins of chicken flavoured food for him as well.

Also, a deodorant stick, a bottle of shampoo, four bars of soap, a tube of toothpaste and a new toothbrush and a bottle of Listerine. A bottle of washing up liquid, three sponge cloths, a scrubbing sponge, a roll of paper kitchen towels, and a sack of laundry detergent. 

Then she handed me a large empty bag and said "Go and put all your dirty clothes in here and I will wash them for you."

Next, she asked what size bed I have because (apparently) she has mattresses "in storage".

She just texted me to say she has dropped off the clean laundry which is a pity because I wanted to talk with her.

Curious: I never told her I was having problems doing laundry, and I never told her I had no mattress. The only person I mentioned these things to was Dr. Kristi.

Anyway, I may sink without trace before the end of the month, but I will do it well rested, with a full belly, and wearing clean clothes.

Gotta run...

It seems you've got a guardian angel.  And perhaps a messenger angel providing updates to her.  So glad for you.  And a mattress!!!! You'll be living like a king!

Have a hearty supper tonight, you've earned it.

[Netfoot]

Forgot to mention that she also took away my empty gas cylinder and returned a full replacement.

And now, she has sent me a link to a place where I can sign up for financial assistance. So we will see what happens.

Had a very nice lunch: a little minced beef with onion and beans, also a potato, a small plantain and a little broccoli boiled.  Combined to create a tasty meal. Only way it could have been better was to have remembered to drink that coke with it instead of iced water. 

Going back home now and drink. Cup of tea. Or maybe even a coffee!

[andidante]

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Forgot to mention that she also took away my empty gas cylinder and returned a full replacement.

And now, she has sent me a link to a place where I can sign up for financial assistance. So we will see what happens.

Had a very nice lunch: a little minced beef with onion and beans, also a potato, a small plantain and a little broccoli boiled.  Combined to create a tasty meal. Only way it could have been better was to have remembered to drink that coke with it instead of iced water. 

Going back home now and drink. Cup of tea. Or maybe even a coffee!

So glad that you have groceries now! and all of the other things. I have been worried about you!  Hopefully you will be able to get the financial assistance without too much trouble.

[Netfoot]

Back at the mall to check my messages. I was here this morning after a trip to the poly-clinic to collect my meds for the month. Didn't post because I'd already been away from home for a while so I just checked messages and ran.

Locked myself out of the house again just now and had to wait on the landlord to bring his key. He was not amused but he did come fairly quickly. I will have to do something with a spare key so I don't have to trouble him again. 15 years I've not locked myself out and suddenly twice in a few days? Senility creeping in....

Mo is in fine form. Barking deafeningly in my ear as we drive along. I set up a camera in the back today to capture him in full song, but when we got home I spotted that it had fallen over, so until I examine the file I won't know if it fell after only a few seconds or whether it caught my if his performance.

Food in the larder is a good thing. I had one meal of potato, broccoli, plantain, minced beef, onion & red beans but I've been eating the bread mostly, because it will go stale much faster than the other stuff will take to spoil. 

Started a new book: Altered Carbon which was made into a TV series a while back. The book was better than the show, in my opinion And I can't remember much of the details anyway, so it should be a good re-read. I actually have three of the books in that universe so that should hold me for a while.

Also starting a project to develop a device based on a tiny computer. It's very hard to get anything done without being able to use the net as a reference book.

It's sort of late. Well it's later than I'd planned to be here because of the delay waiting in the landlord so I won't stay much longer. Took a diagram to the print shop and they told me it would be $13 to print it and after searching under the sofa cushions I only have $10. And the fuel gauge is looking very low despite my adding $10 to the tank today, so I might have to put that extra $10 towards a little more gas rather than towards printing a pattern!

Will run now. Will check back in an hour then home for the night.

[Netfoot]

Lying in bed with a full stomach. Linguine and a sauce of minced beef & onion with red beans and some pasta sauce from a jar. Very fine. And a beastly cold coke poured over seven large ice cubes in a tall glass. <burp!>

No idea where Mo has got to, but he will show up eventually. 

Listening to Party Weirdo by Moloko from their Do You Like My Tight Sweater album. She (Róisín Murphy) saw him (Mark Brydon) across the room at a party, liked what she saw and decided to pick him up. She walked up and asked him "Do you like my tight sweater?" Not only was the pickup successful, they formed this duet and named their first album accordingly. The name "Moloko" comes from A Clockwork Orange, which is a very unusual book to read. Set in the future, it's full of derived words, slang and imports (from Russian, I think). There is a glossary at the back of the book to help you along, but in just a few pages you find yourself understanding the lingo without help from the glossary, so don't let that put you off. "Moloko" is a word in that glossary, used to describe a drink consisting of milk and drugs of some sort.

Returning to the sweater. If some stranger asked me that, I would assume they were drawing my attention to their boobs. One of these days I'm going to do a Google image search for the singer and see if they (the boobs) are at all remarkable. [Just did it. They are perfectly fine, but in no way spectacular.]

You know I live alone apart from Mo. (Speaking of, where is he?) Usually during the course of a week I don't interact with many actual people. Shop clerks & cashiers are too busy to do more than the minimum of interaction. So I'm suffering from the curtailment of online interaction due to phone / internet being down. And I fear electricity will be next. 

Today Mo stole a wooden plate I'd turned on the lathe. I will try to re-chuck it and see if I can turn off the bite marks without it getting too thin. He also stole a hand-towel and a sock, and a big roll of sticky tape.  The sick and the towel will be  OK. I might be able to resuscitate the plate. But I don't think there is much you can do about a large roll of Scotch tape that has been lightly chewed and then left out in the wet grass.

Anyhow, I showed him the roll of tape and wagged my finger at him while speaking in a stern voice. He hung his head and had been making himself scarce ever since. (Except when I open the jar with the liver treats Toni made for him, or set out three biscuits to have with my tea.

Nearly one in the morning, and I have to get up again to try to find the spare house key and figure out where to conceal it outside that I never have to call the landlord again, while not making it easy for burglars. Better do it now, because tomorrow I may have forgotten all about it. 

And I'll whistle up Mo and see if he would like to come inside for the night. Wouldn't fault him for preferring to stay outside. It's been sweltering most of the day. Although there is a pleasantly cool breeze in the window tonight... Whooops! Here he is now!  And with Sade singing Please Send Me Someone To Love, my live-puppy comes and snuggles up against my back.

Will save now and send next time I get online. 

BCNU AGN 73 ES GN

[Netfoot]

Well, I've just had an info-dump from the family regarding my situation and the trend I'm seeing is simple. It's all my fault.

And I guess they're right. I should never have trusted that Mum's estate would be probate under any circumstance where I would benefit. 

I will have to get a job and earn enough to get by. This is not so strange - 99.9% of people do exactly that. But all the times I was told that I would soon inherit a considerable sum of money, it was all bullshit. "Just a couple of months, now! Maybe even only weeks." I should have known it was all lies.

[luv2lurk]

I'm sorry but I just don't understand this. Either you are a beneficiary of her will, or you aren't. And probate is the process of transferring the assets of the deceased into the estate to be transferred to the beneficiaries of the will.

So how exactly is this your fault?

To clarify, I am not a lawyer and maybe rules are different in Barbados. But I have lost enough close family members to understand how the process works. And I can't believe the law is that much different in Canada than in Barbados.

[Netfoot]

16 hours ago, luv2lurk said:

So how exactly is this your fault?

No, it's my fault that I ran out of money.

It's my fault that my sister decided to steal the entire estate for herself instead of dividing it between herself, my brother's children and me. It's my fault that when I blocked her, she embarked on a program of obstruction and delay. It's my fault that 13½ years later they are still telling me it could be years away. It's my fault that I had to deal with two serious illnesses, one of which had to be managed by a physician that is renowned for being the most expensive money-grubbing doctor in the entire country by a huge margin, and who unfortunately was the only person who could help me. My fault the drugs I had to take for three years were nearly a thousand bucks a month, doctors visits nearly $200ba month, periodic CT and MRI scans between $2000 and $3000 each, and essential surgery tens of thousands on top. So, it's obviously my fault my savings ran out.

It's my fault that to avoid a clash between my thieving sister and myself, my family chose sides. And chose the side of the matriarch in their family. Which is why I have been essentially excluded from family life for years and when I bump in to any of them they quickly move away to avoid conversation.

But hey! Mosie-posie still loves me. And I'm glad he came home with me, even though I received clear instructions at the time, not to adopt him or any other puppy. They could all get together at holiday time and enjoy Christmas (for example) with grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren plus five dogs, two cats and (maybe?) a parakeet with an eye-patch, while I have to spend the holiday at home without even a puppy to keep me company, after Budweiser died.

Maybe that's my fault too?

[Netfoot]

Got home to discover there was no water in the house. Checked only yesterday and was told the account was not in arrears, so that was a surprise. But on checking the meter I discovered that it was not disconnected and a stroll around the neighborhood confirmed my house was not the only one. So it is neighborhood-wide. And given how hot it's been today I was looking forward to a shower...

I do understand the electricity will be cut off in four days if the bill is not paid. At least partially. 

Recovered the video of Mo in the car. I got about 26 minutes before the camera fell. After the first 10 minutes it is just Mo alone in the parked car while I am in the polyclinic getting my meds.

Unfortunately, the video is upside down. I have the tools here to invert it but I can't remember the options and of course, I can't ask Google. I will see if I can't find a section of the first 10 minutes that typifies Mo in the car. If I can do this, I will post a link. But it probably won't be soon.

Anyway, I must go use drinking water to cook my dinner. May pick this up later tonight. Either way I will post it tomorrow when I go over to the mall again.

Later: Right after I finished my dinner - sliced white with peanut butter - the water came back. OK, so no hot dinner for me, but at least I got my shower. I'm developing patches of heat-rash and it was nice to be able to gently wash the affected areas in cool water. Came out of the shower dripping and Mo came and rubbed himself all over me, getting quite wet in the process. Then he rubbed himself dry on my pillows and departed. 

My electronics project is not going well. I had about 10 of the little computer boards but now I can't find more than three. And they all refuse to connect to the local LAN via wifi. Which is a requirement, seeing that they are so small it's tricky to connect a keyboard, mouse and screen, so I want to log in wirelessly. 

I downloaded a fresh operating system image two days ago. Had to download it in compressed format onto the phone when I was over at the mall, then transfer it to zaphod (my dual-headed desktop machine) when I got home. This is the latest image from this May and since the previous image I had was from May '21, I figured I'd try it out. So I dug out a suitable SD card to write the bootable image to, and tried to decompress the .xz file. Corrupted. Why, I don't know. And I didn't bother grabbing the MD5 signature when I downloaded the image, so I can't even double check the download.

<sigh>

I guess I will have to try again tomorrow, download the image to the phone and bring it home. Maybe I can find an app to check the MD5 digest on the phone before I take it home.

Anyway, I'm going to join Takeshi Kovacs between the pages of my book. The Hendrix, an AI-owned & opetated hotel he is staying at just deployed a twin-barreled, 20 mm auto-cannon to deal with two professional killers sent to kidnap our hero. Very effective way of protecting a hotel guest. Possibly overkill, but I sure sends a message! And paints the wall red at the same time.

[Netfoot]

Just heard from Heidi. My electricity was going to be cut off at 6:00 PM unless the arrears were paid by close of business 3:00  PM today. She went to pay it for me but they demanded cash, so she had to rush to sn ATM and rush back. Paid st 2:57 PM. 

Meanwhile, the van won't start. I accidentally left the park lights on on Wednesday when I went to the polyclinic and didn't catch it for 3-4 hours. Have a battery charger connected but it is a small one designed to charge model plane starter batteries, not van batteries. But with any luck the battery will get enough of a boost to start in the morning. If I make Brighton I will post again then.

[andidante]

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

No, it's my fault that I ran out of money.

It's my fault that my sister decided to steal the entire estate for herself instead of dividing it between herself, my brother's children and me. It's my fault that when I blocked her, she embarked on a program of obstruction and delay. It's my fault that 13½ years later they are still telling me it could be years away. It's my fault that I had to deal with two serious illnesses, one of which had to be managed by a physician that is renowned for being the most expensive money-grubbing doctor in the entire country by a huge margin, and who unfortunately was the only person who could help me. My fault the drugs I had to take for three years were nearly a thousand bucks a month, doctors visits nearly $200ba month, periodic CT and MRI scans between $2000 and $3000 each, and essential surgery tens of thousands on top. So, it's obviously my fault my savings ran out.

It's my fault that to avoid a clash between my thieving sister and myself, my family chose sides. And chose the side of the matriarch in their family. Which is why I have been essentially excluded from family life for years and when I bump in to any of them they quickly move away to avoid conversation.

But hey! Mosie-posie still loves me. And I'm glad he came home with me, even though I received clear instructions at the time, not to adopt him or any other puppy. They could all get together at holiday time and enjoy Christmas (for example) with grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren plus five dogs, two cats and (maybe?) a parakeet with an eye-patch, while I have to spend the holiday at home without even a puppy to keep me company, after Budweiser died.

Maybe that's my fault too?

Money makes some people so hateful! I am so sorry you are having to go through this. My sister was horrible when my father died and demanded she get more of his life insurance money than my brother and I because she felt she deserved it more. Nope! 

[Netfoot]

She's Gone by Hall & Oates. While they aren't my favourite musicians in all the world, there is no denying thst some of their tunes do resonate through the years. Not sure when this one was originally released but I have it off a disk that came out in 1983, so what? 40 years old?

After Garden Patrol I checked the van and it started right up. Indicators on the tiny charger indicate that it hasn't switched to trickle as yet so it obviously thinks it can do more. I've left it charging tonight and hopefully I'll have no trouble at 4:30 tomorrow. 

This has been a terrible week. Phone/net still off, and I got a call from someone in Jamaica whose speech was almost indecipherable but the gist of it was that I have to pay $150 on Monday. Or else what I don't know, seeing as I'm already cut off... The bank also called to day they want $987 by the end of the month. If I sold every single thing on my table it would just about cover it, but then I'd have nothing to sell next Saturday and with the bandsaw down it will be difficult to make more stuff. 

And if I sold everything on thevtsble and the table too, i would be able to pay back the $300 that was paid on my behalf to prevent the electricity being cut off this evening. (I think its pretty mean to cut people off on a Friday evening, because even if they have the money, they have to live in the dark until Monday morning before they can pay! But I i guess the intention is to make the experience as nasty as possible to encourage brisk payment in future.) Fortunately, I'm not in arrears with the Water Authority. Not until the 17th... which is Monday.

But who wants to hear this talk? It's none of you guys fault (its all my fault, as I keep on hearing.) And there us nothing you can do to help me out, since you are there where you are and I'm waaaay over here! No, I appreciate the moral support I've had from you and hope it will continue, but there are better things to talk about. 

Inverted the video of Mo barking his head off in the car and my eardrums out as well, but I have to trim the video down a bit. The trip from home to the polyclinic is about 10 minutes and Mo barks excitedly almost constantly the whole way there. If there isn't a pedestrian or a nearby car for him to bark at, he barks at me! Once trimmed I can out it online for you to view (as much of as you can stand) but I'm don't know how to do it with no internet connection. I guess I could FTP it onto my phone and uploaded it from there next time I see free wifi. That's how I downloaded the OS images for my tiny little computers, only in reverse. Redownloaded the images again, BTW, and checked the SHA256 digests to confirm uncorrupted data before bringing them home. Got the three machines working to a certain degree, but the tiniest one I wanted to use refuses to connect to wifi despite being specifically designed to do so and named accordingly. Well, the camera connector on that board is also busted so I'll need to locate another one anyway...

I'm taking one of the others with me tomorrow morning to see if I can get it to auto-connect to the wifi at Brighton. I won't be able to see or know what it's doing but it should write some interesting data to disk which I can examine when I finally get it back home.

Well, my clothes & EDC are all ready for tomorrow, the door is locked, a very snuggly Mo is curled up against my tummy (and simultaneously bogarting the sheet), and my favourite Led Zeppelin track ever in the world just started: Since I've Been Loving You from III. So I'm just going to kill the lights and try to get some sleep. 

Will send this out when I make Brighton in the morning. By time you read it I will already have discovered what type o day it is.

Later: Made it somehow but I was on fumes and I can only pray I make it to Mapp Hill station on the way home. Made $200 do far which should get the phone/internet put back on on Monday. 

Will post this now.

[Netfoot]

I made it past Bulkeley and Constant, turned left before The Valley and down through Dash valley. From there, all the way up Mapp Hill to the station at the top, I was literally grinding my teeth... but the TownAce didn't let me down, despite having been neglected in the servicing department.

After putting $20 in the tank, there is enough to pay the arrears on the phone (and get reconnected) and pay the water bill which will be in arrears on Monday. Or, I could pay 27% of what I owe the bank, which won't impress them at all. 

it's scorching hot these past few days and today is the worst so far. There is a strong, gusty breeze blowing which cuts the edge off the heat, but it isn't blowing inside! I was so hot my vision was blurry. Probably due to sweat running down into my eyes.

I stopped at the mall and bought a Coke (entirely for medical reasons) and I could have drunk it in one guuulpppp but I am sipping it instead. Shopped around at the food court and found the cheapest Coke which fortuitously was also the coldest. Cokes must be beastly cold or you are wasting your time. I'm about ¾ of the way through it and I've burped 37 times. At least. 38. 39. 

Will check my messages and go home to my boy Mo. I'm hungry but I don't want to stand over a hot stove and all the bread is gone. So I may have to cook lunch naked. (Brain bleach!) Mo won't mind.

This place won't be open tomorrow, so I may not post again before Monday. By which time my phone/internet may be reconnected.

Wait a minute... the TelCo has a store right in the mall! I will enquire whether I can pay now and get immediate reconnection. If I have to wait until the work week for reconnection, they will wait until the work week for their money!

[Netfoot]

I paid and (according to the agent) my phone & internet were reconnected in an instant. It was certainly operating again by time I got home!

Before I could even leave the mall I had a splitting headache, nausea and dizziness. Probably a touch of sun. I came home and rather than stand over a hot stove I skipped lunch, even though I was hungry. I was tired, too. I turned the lights off at midnight last night and Mo woke me at two. Stared at the ceiling until three and gave up and watched episodes of Robin Hood until the alarm went at 4:30. 

But tired as I was, I couldn't get to sleep. I found a file with a list of nine little computers, giving amongst other things, their MAC (hardware) addresses. I could only find three computers and the three I found had MAC addresses not listed. So there should be 12 of them at least around here and I can only find 3. I wonder what I did with the others? 

By night I was pretty hungry but still feeling ill enough to want to avoid the kitchen. So I was all set to skip dinner too, when I remembered that I had cereal And cold milk! I could have had a bowl of cold cereal for lunch, if I'd only thought of it! So instead I had an extra big bowl for dinner. 

Johnny Too Bad by The Slickers, off the soundtrack album from Jimmy Cliff's movie The Harder They Come. "Walking down the road with a ratchet in your waist. Johnny, you too bad!"

This, by the way, is the ratchet they are talking about: by far, the most popular murder weapon in Jamaica at the time. They are illegal in this country to this day. Naturally, my father had a box of 100. I had a dozen or so. One in my big toolbox, one in my small toolbox, one in my car on the front shelf, one in the boot, etc, etc.

Called a ratchet because the back of the blade had ratchet-like set of grooves. Opening the blade produced a ratcheting sound. Johnny Too Bad would have disassembled the knife, filed away the ratchet and put the knife back together. This would allow the blade to flick open and lock with a flip of the wrist. A highly illegal modification. Of course, I modified all of mine that way, too!

Alas, I don't own even one of these today, and trying to import one results in the knife being immediately seized  by Customs. I've had two knives seized because they had only superficial resemblance to a ratchet! 

Anyway, due to only 2 hours kip in the last 47½, muh eye-string pop! Going to have to put my head down without delay. Will have to fetch Mo... Oh, here he is now. Right. Will go lock the door and crash.