Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

Ok, so I quit today. My spectacles were completely destroyed when I tried to carry a batch of 28 small, but surprisingly heavy and even more surprisingly expensive lights. The truck could easily have driven right up to where the lights were, but it was more fun for everyone (I guess) to watch me lug them through the heat which was near 100° at the time. When I was done, my glasses were gone. All that remained were the two limbs (arms? Wings?) And everything in between just vanished.

That's when I quit.

Fortunately, they essentially ignored me. And as I was blind and useless (for anything to do with reading & writing) I left work two hours early and hurried into town, where I located a set of reading glasses. Extra ugly reading glasses which don't seen that robust. But at least enough to get back to work in the morning. 

My little shed is great in the afternoon but it is essentially useless before about noon. And with no cloud, no shade, no breeze, come lunchtime you are too fried to recover in the shed when afternoon shade kicks in. 

To make matters worse, the brakes on the van are starting to go. Up and down Horse Hill six days a week have not helped them. Plus all the extra driving has worn out my tires significantly. And I notice she is running a little hot too. Coolant is a bit low, and the fan belt squeals sometimes. So with the water pump not running at peak efficiency and less coolant than normal, overheating will happen. 

I fell asleep at my desk just now and I was about to tumble out of the chair I woke with a violent spasm which wrenched my neck. So I'm just going to shut this light off and try to dream of an air conditioned, 5 day a week, office job 

 

[Netfoot]

My broken & missing specs showed up.

They came back on the truck this morning. All I had was the two limbs but the middle portion - essentially the important bit - returned intact!

Good thing too, because I went to work this morning and left the new specs at home!

It started as a scorcher of a morning but now a big rain cloud has shown up and is not only providing some wcome shade from the sun, but it is spitting a little too. Perhaps a deluge will follow shortly. 

[Netfoot]

There hasn't been much rain at all. But the clouds have increased so I am not being scorched by the sun so badly today. 

They say we can expect some "weather" which is Bajan+speak for anything from a thunderstorm to a cat. 5 hurricane. Although an actual hurricane would more likely be called a "blow".

[Netfoot]

Not nine yet, but I'm in my bed. There is no water in the house. Yesterday water pressure was so low I couldn't have a shower. But an hour later there as enough water flowing to have a shower. 

Today there is no water in pipes and it's almost nine. So, I am going to bed now, with an alarm set for 11:55 PM. Hopefully by then there will be water and I can bathe, do a garden Patrol and go back to sleep. Otherwise...

[Netfoot]

Not nine yet, but I'm in my bed. There is no water in the house. Yesterday water pressure was so low I couldn't have a shower. But an hour later there as enough water flowing to have a shower. 

Today there is no water in pipes and it's almost nine. So, I am going to bed now, with an alarm set for 11:55 PM. Hopefully by then there will be water and I can bathe, do a garden Patrol and go back to sleep. Otherwise...

[Netfoot]

Damn those shitty little adverts that pop up in the lower right corner of the screen and overlay the content! Just lost an entire post because of one!

Awoke at midnight, went on Garden Patrol (very still), refilled the water bottles from the fridge, had a shower and  shared a midnight snack with a friend. TeaTime biscuits and a glass of milk. Now to get back to sleep....

[Netfoot]

It was so nice after a hot and frustrating day, to come home to a house with water in the taps! Has a shower and a long cool drink, ate a simple meal (with help) and watched some YT. Garden Patrol tonight was still again, slightly cool but not very. There was a huuuge, full moon in the sky, like a silver penny. 

Back when I was a kid, there were penny coins in circulation and they were much larger than the cent coins. We used to steal silver nitrate out of the chemistry lab at school and after cleaning the big, copper coins, a wash with silver nitrate would turn them silver. Of course, that worked with cent coins as well but the big pennies were much more impressive when silvered.

Some explanation of cent vs. penny may be in order. Before independence, our dollar was tied to the pound sterling. A pound where 12 pennies made a shilling and 20 shillings made a pound. This was known as Lsd. Pounds, shillings and pence. (The British currency symbol "£" is a cursive "L" in case you did not know.) The exchange rate was $4.80 to £1.00 and since a pound was 12x20=240 pennies, 480¢ = 240d so one penny (d) was worth two cents (¢). In this country to this day, a penny is two cents, not one. Even though we have long since done away with penny coins and even cent coins, for that matter.

Every You, Every Me by Placebo. This band has seen several changes to the lineup over the years with Brian Molko being the only permanent fixture. A founder of the band with a nasal voice, androgynous appearance, self confessed bisexual with self-admitted mental issues and a onetime drug habit that involved every imaginable drug including heroin, he does not sound like someone who you might want to listen to, but I've found his music entertaining and enjoyable. Even if I can't put my finger on exactly why.

A little brouhaha at work when the owner of the property across the road from the house turned up. That is where the site office is and in the parking area is where my container is located. He chucked a wobbler about just about everything. I sloped off rapidly when he got started. Site Manager gets the big bux for dealing with this sort of thing. But one thing I heard that was a problem was that there were "cars in the car park!" You may have seen the large parking area where my container sits? Well, behind the house is another car park that is prolly four times bigger. But apparently, we are not supposed to park in either of them.  My van had to move, and more to the point, I heard some talk of the little covered area recently built in an attempt to keep me alive? Now I understand not only will I not get an awning to help with the morning sun, but I might lose my little shed entirely!

Payday tomorrow. I've lost track of how many hours I should get paid for and also how much will be deducted. (I think I have one more payment to go to pay for my boots.)

Anyway, time to lock the door and kill the lights!

[Netfoot]

'Member my half-shed? With no protection during the day right up until midday? They made it better!

Yep! They cut the counter in half and removed the roof entirely to eliminate the shade.

And on top of all that, they now insist I find space inside a jam-packed container to store it because every evening it has to be put away in case it offends the eye of the property owner. And since it weighs a ton and since I'm first at work and last to leave, I have to do all the heavy lifting by my self. I told them to take the table away and use it to light a bonfire and roast a breadfruit. 

They have promised to get me a 10x10 folding tent. Folding, because it too will have to be dismantled and stored each night and mantled back up each morning. But the best part about the tent is I'm not allowed to put anything in it!

On the way home today I fell asleep behind the wheel. Seven times. Perhaps lost consciousness would be a better. Three times I was stopped in traffic and when I didn't move the guys behind tooted their hooters and woke me up. Three other times I actually ran off the road on the left (remember, we drive in the left) and the left side wheels bumping over uneven ground and swishing through tall grass was enough to wake me up and get me back on the road. The last time I drifted into the adjoining lane and I woke up just in time to yank the wheel over and avoid smashing into a nice new car. 

When I mentioned this to Site Manager his response was "That is really dangerous. Why did you fall asleep?"

Listening to Funeral For A Friend (Love Lies Bleeding) from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Elton has always been there, but ever since he bastardized a tribute song to Marilyn Monroe in order to get a knighthood I've been a little suspicious of him.

Ate PB&Js (guava, of course) for dinner because I couldn't face cooking. Garden Patrol before 8:00 and off to bed after the second shower since I got home

Fuck knows what I'm going to do tomorrow!

[andidante]

3 hours ago, Netfoot said:

'Member my half-shed? With no protection during the day right up until midday? They made it better!

Yep! They cut the counter in half and removed the roof entirely to eliminate the shade.

And on top of all that, they now insist I find space inside a jam-packed container to store it because every evening it has to be put away in case it offends the eye of the property owner. And since it weighs a ton and since I'm first at work and last to leave, I have to do all the heavy lifting by my self. I told them to take the table away and use it to light a bonfire and roast a breadfruit. 

They have promised to get me a 10x10 folding tent. Folding, because it too will have to be dismantled and stored each night and mantled back up each morning. But the best part about the tent is I'm not allowed to put anything in it!

On the way home today I fell asleep behind the wheel. Seven times. Perhaps lost consciousness would be a better. Three times I was stopped in traffic and when I didn't move the guys behind tooted their hooters and woke me up. Three other times I actually ran off the road on the left (remember, we drive in the left) and the left side wheels bumping over uneven ground and swishing through tall grass was enough to wake me up and get me back on the road. The last time I drifted into the adjoining lane and I woke up just in time to yank the wheel over and avoid smashing into a nice new car. 

When I mentioned this to Site Manager his response was "That is really dangerous. Why did you fall asleep?"

Listening to Funeral For A Friend (Love Lies Bleeding) from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Elton has always been there, but ever since he bastardized a tribute song to Marilyn Monroe in order to get a knighthood I've been a little suspicious of him.

Ate PB&Js (guava, of course) for dinner because I couldn't face cooking. Garden Patrol before 8:00 and off to bed after the second shower since I got home

Fuck knows what I'm going to do tomorrow!

I don't understand how your job thinks this is appropriate for you to work this way! I am worried about you too with the falling asleep while driving. Please be careful!

[Netfoot]

Came home safe by practicing some stay-awake techniques. Turned the hifi up from 16 to 28, sat forward and did not lean against the back of the seat and kept pouring ice-water over my head and down the back of my neck.

Took my clothes off, put a full glass of water beside the bed, and had a shower. The glass of water had mysteriously be one a half-glass, so I drank that, set a timer for 2 hours, then rolled over and went to sleep. 

Got up a couple hours later and could not figure out what to eat. Walking into the kitchen gives the impression that I've left the stove on, but it's just that the room is naturally hot. Other than Eclipse biscuits I could not think of anything to eat and I had Eclipse biscuits for lunch. So I skipped dinner because I couldn't face cooking the minced beef and rice or pasta or potatoes to eat it with.

Went outside and immediately noticed Mo is favouring his left front. So I guess it's the vet in the morning...

Plus groceries. It's been two weeks since I shopped properly. Have to lay in some essentials. 

Tried finding my current telephone balance online. According to their email billing, my balance was $149.64 as of the 8th and it was due on the 21st. I paid it in full on the 18th but now I owe over $450?!??

A nice new tent arrived in a box today. It's supposed to be a 10'x10' collapsible tent with side panels. I have not seen it because I can't even lift the box without rupturing something. But I don't know where the side panels are because the box appears too small to contain any. I have to set it up Monday but it then has to be stored away each evening and brought back each morning.  I guess we will see how practical that is on Monday. One thing that might be a problem is that the tent has been approved for use but only if nothing is placed in it!

Hammering In My Head by Garbage off their Version 2.0 album. I love garbage and Shirley. I'd say this was my favourite track of theirs except every track of theirs that I hear turns out to be my favourite.

Spent half the day folding, sorting & counting tee-shirts. It's a weekly chore that is ridiculously unnecessary and it seems that every effort has been put into making it more difficult. A new batch has arrived and I can't believe how many are navy (as opposed to grey) and how many have long sleeves. The only people who want long sleeves in this climate are the painters who just need protection from paint splatter. And nobody wants black deep navy blue! 

Just before I kill the lights and strive for deep, untroubled sleep it occurs to me I've not posted a picture of Mo for a while. That being the case:

I think these were taken with me either putting on or taking off my boots:

I always have a helper in my lap when the boots come on or off.

Bo Mo is now barking furiously at something outside the window and wants to be let out but I'm not playing that game any more. 

So. "Time for bed, Florence!" said Zebedee...

Edited October 1, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

So, Mo is definitely favouring that right front foot. The vet examined him but found nothing except a tiny, pink spot on one of his pads. So she suspects a sprain and says I should keep him quiet.

This about a puppy who is amped on adrenaline and ricocheting around the examining room like a march hare on speed. 

They gave me an anti-inflamatory pain killer (probably an ibuprofen analog like vetprofen - should check) for ten days and if he does not improve I should bring him back in two weeks for an x-ray. Why are we waiting two weeks instead of doing the x-ray immediately? Don't know (in the voice of The Critical Drinker).

Also, as the receptionist handed me the envelope of pills, she distinctly said "Half a tablet every day, with food, starting from tomorrow." Which I repeated back and she said "Correct!" So imagine my surprise when I glanced at the envelope this evening to see to say "Start immediately" on the label! 

Of course, I can do nothing but give him his meds, since I'm going to be away all day, so he will have to look after himself.

Hotel California by the Eagles is playing. Around the time this track came out I made a transatlantic flight (LHR to YYZ) in a BA 747. In those days you had to pay £3 or something ridiculous for a pair of "headphones" that were little more than plastic tubes that let you listen to audio piped into the armrest of the seat. Everyone allowed themselves to be ripped off in this way because there were no iPods, laptops, smartphones, or any other electronics available at the time. That £3 was your avenue to the only entertainment on the flight! Anyway, for your three quid you got access to 12 channels. Wow! One was the soundtrack for the movie, ten were boring discussions on politics, high finance, religion, real estate, and so forth. And one was "pop" music. It was one hour long (they probably all were) and played on a loop. The track selection was anything but spectacular but it did include Hotel California. I timed my journey to Toronto by counting the number of times that track played. Normally, you would expect that to turn you off of a track, but in fact it had the reverse effect. I was so happy to hear it - not just the only decent tune on the entire £3 loop, but an hour closer to journey's end!

Not looking forward to tomorrow. I have to fight up with that tent in a box, and I still have a giant box of tee shirts which have to be folded, grouped, packaged, counted and sealed in a box. Until next Friday when the box has to be unsealed and the entire process repeated. Because maybe some of the shirts are magic and will disappear out of the sealed box. Or perhaps they will reproduce (asexually, I hope) in the darkness of their confinement. But once a week, counted they must be. 

Lunch was rice, with broccoli, carrots and pak choy. Over this I ladled minced beef with onion and red kidney beans. Had the same for dinner except I fried the rice with eggs while the meat sauce heated in a separate pan. I'm noticing I only eat food is on the weekend (IOW Saturday night and Sunday) and the rest of the time I eat peanuts, Shirley biscuits, PB&J sandwiches or on crackers, cheese on bread, or sometimes pasta, boiled and served with little or nothing by way of a topping except maybe a tin of tuna or a spoonful of corned beef quickly heated on a pan. Also noticing that while food is not cheap but not terribly expensive, it isn't the rice, pasta, potatoes, beef, fish, vegetables, etc that give pause. It's the bottle of soy sauce or Worcester sauce for fifteen bucks or the Sriracha sauce for $18 that are difficult to justify and whose absence makes meals just a little less tasty than they might be. 

Anyway, I have to be up in 6½ hours, so I'd better get my head down now.

[Netfoot]

Rainy night last night, off to work under an overcast sky with frequent showers. By the time I got to the top of Horse Hill, there was thunder & lightning and everything was thoroughly wet. I was concerned about making it safely to the bottom, but I went slow and careful, and got down without issue. Pitched my new tent which took four of us 30 minutes. Good thing because the rain continued falling all day long, light or heavy but non-stop. Here it is:

The sides are made from the same fabric as the Emperor's New Clothes. So it's a good thing there was little wind or the rain would have blown in making the tent unusable. Even so water flowed across the ground and everything kept falling on the ground and getting muddy or was sprinkled by water in some small way. Here is my tiny table, surrounded by a sea of muddy water:

One of the problems was the fact that there was no way to prevent water falling off the tent between it and the container. So entering and leaving the container involved passing through a bead-curtain of raindrops.

Anyway, the real reason for the tent was to protect against heat by keeping the sun at bay. Today being cool and damp I had no problems with overheating or heatstroke and drove home perfectly safely and wide awake. (Although "perfectly safely" does not take into account climbing back up Horse Hill in the rain with thunder & lightning still very much in evidence and going home on wet roads.)

Passed by Heidi's house and not 50 yards away found this:

The creamy looking wall is Heidi's front wall and her property ends right where the wall ends - literally only a few feet from the fall. The electric and power lines coming down tripped the breaker on a transformer up a pole so the entire neighborhood was without power. The linemen were busy trying to get through to fix things but apparently there were several tree-falls like this and they all had to be cleared and repaired before the section could be brought back up. Fortunately, when I got home there was power, but according to my UPS monitoring software the power had gone out several times forcing the system to switch to backup power. The UPS does not have a long reserve, something like 37 minutes. So the outages couldn't have been for more than a couple of minutes a time.

Mozie is hobbling about like a cripple (unless someone walks past our gate, in which case he becomes a rocket powered defender if our homestead). The silly vet wants me to watch him for two weeks and then bring him back for an x-ray if he does not improve. I'd say he's definitely worse today than yesterday and I just wish she'd x-rayed him then and there! It's now 6vdayscuntil.my next day off, and I don't know if I can wait that long. But to take him earlier I have to lose pay so how do I afford to take him?

It's wet and a fairly strong, cold breeze is blowing. I could see frequent flashes of lightning off to the West as we did the Garden Patrol (I made it very short and simple to accommodate my gimpy-footed little guy.) But Cattlewash is to the East so maybe it will be dry and hot tomorrow. Another test of the tent under those conditions will produce interesting results, one way or another.

I Heard It Through The Grape Vine by Marvin Gaye. A very influential musician who is considered to have helped make Motown what it was.

For dinner I boiled some potatoes and also stewed some chopped sausages with onion and black beans. When the potatoes were done I combined them with the sausage stew and scoffed the lot. 

Earlier in the day, I bought a slice of pizza from one of the lads who makes and sells them to earn a few extra bucks. I didn't actually want it but I do try to support the fundraising efforts of the guys now and again. 

Wrapped in cellophane and foil it obviously wasn't as appealing to the eye as hot-out-of-the-oven pizza, and I thought it would taste awful and probably give me The Belly as well, coming as it did out of someone's backpack. But it tasted fine and didn't have any deleterious effects. 

Anyway, wet or dry I have to get up in the morning and head off to work, leaving my poor puppy to limp along alone at home. So I'd better get to sleep as soon as possible!

[b4pjoe]

16 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Mozie is hobbling about like a cripple (unless someone walks past our gate, in which case he becomes a rocket powered defender if our homestead). The silly vet wants me to watch him for two weeks and then bring him back for an x-ray if he does not improve. I'd say he's definitely worse today than yesterday and I just wish she'd x-rayed him then and there!

Sounds a lot like my dog who has been limping. Vet says she probably has a torn cruciate ligament. Will x-ray Thursday and if the x-ray confirms that will go ahead and do surgery at that time. They have to sedate for this x-ray so she can’t move for it. In the mean time I am supposed to not allow her to run or jump which is no easy feat. Good luck to Mozie.

This is Summer

[Netfoot]

11 hours ago, b4pjoe said:

In the mean time I am supposed to not allow her to run or jump which is no easy feat.

Tell me about it!😶

Mozie is like a rocketship if something attracts his attention and there is no stopping that!

Summer looks sweet but I know those sweet looking pups can be a handful when they are ready. Best of luck for Summer and Molasses both!

[Netfoot]

Today was supposed to be the second - and worst - day of a three-day weather event. But whereas there was significant rain and some thunder and lightning yesterday, today there was none. The day was seriously overcast with stormy-looking black clouds, we had no rain. There was some wind but it was not remarkable other than as a contrast to the uncomfortable, flat calm days of the past few weeks. The day was hot and very humid but my tent allowed me to stay in the shade and the overcast reduced the intensity of the sun considerably anyway. 

So in rainy conditions (with very little wind) and in dry overcast conditions with only modest (but very welcome) breeze, the tent is proving a success. I can fold it up and put it away by myself in 15 minutes and the same to unfold and set it up. With a helper maybe five minutes? And with a crew of four (one on each corner) probably under two minutes.

Now we still need to see how it handles rain with wind blowing the rain sideways, because there are no sidewalls. And I got pretty damp yesterday, even with no wind blowing.

A dry but windy day could also get interesting, I think! I picture myself hanging on for dear life as the canopy functions like a Spinnaker and it's Next Stop: Oz!

And we also need to see how it handles blistering heat like we've had for the last two months. Will molten blue nylon drip on my head? Prolly not, but...

Mo seems little different from yesterday. I gave him his painkiller/anti inflammatory meds when I came home and he's pretty much normal, but he won't keep quiet and I just had to holler at him for trying to murder someone who is passing by our house. Annnd there he goes again. Unfortunately when he's not under the influence of the painkiller I'm not around to see how he is. And when I come home, he is amped not to be on his own any more so it's difficult to see how the leg is affecting him. As I approached the house this evening at 5:45 I told myself that if he was limping and hobbling around when I got home, I would rush him directly back to the vet and try to get in the door before six. But he looked perfectly normal, and "helped" me take my boots off as usual.

I'm listening to If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next by Manic Street Preachers. It's sobering to think that this song was released 25 years ago and it's fundamental warning could not be more apropos to the current times than it is. The track is from This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. Not considered by MSP purists to be one of their foundation albums, but I think it is an excellent album with many great tracks for all that.

Anyway, I will not day any more, rather I will get some shut-eye. This morning, despite going in pretty early, I found it challenging to clamber out of bed at 5:30!

What has become of Mo, though? Better go check on him before powering down... Ok, he's here with me now, and looking out the window, of course.

 

[Netfoot]

Day started hot & pretty clear - only a few wispy clouds. The sun hammered down and the tent was not much help as the rays came in sideways. I had to sit under a tree until the sun had elevated enough that I could move to the tent. A single - or at most a pair - of side screens/panels would have solved that problem, but so far none appear to be on the horizon. 

After a while, the sky became gloomily overcast and rain began to fall. Unlike Monday's rain, it was accompanied by a fresh breeze which drove the rain into the tent and as result, drove me into my container. 

I never liked being in here with the door shoved in like that. It would only take one 'wag' to come along and latch the door shut. There would be no phone or wifi service in there, so you would not be able to call for help. I'd be forced to get a lump-hammer and just beat on the door until someone came to investigate. But I really don't feel paranoid enough to leave the door open and get soaked.

Later the sun came out again and again, a couple of side panels would help. As the sum moves across the sky, the shadow cast by the canopy moves as well. And I have to keep moving my table from one place to another to stay shaded. At one point I was actually sitting beside the tent in order to get shaded. With the dark clouds above my head making me wonder if it would rain again. This picture taken late in the day shows how far "out from under" the canopy shadow has gone. 

I don't think there is any realistic chance that side panels will be provided. I will have to collyfox something myself. We  buy 10' x 100' rolls of polythene, some black and some clear. I could use some of that, but the perimeter of a 10' x 10' tent is 40' which is a big chunk of a 100' roll that was bought for another purpose. 

Anyway, we will see what can be done. The good news anyway, being that since the arrival of the tent I have not suffered any of the symptoms of heat stroke and I've not had any trouble driving home at the end of the day. So in that regard at least, it's a win!

Mo seemed improved when I got home but then he went and slammed himself - or his front paws, anyway - repeatedly against a literal brick wall when someone dared to walk past our house. He was limping again by the end of it, of course.

The Harder They Come by Jimmy Cliff, off the soundtrack album for the movie of the same name. If you aren't really into reggae this album might change your mind. With tracks from half a dozen musicians who were undeniably the foundation of the genre, it is a hard album to beat.

Or you might watch the film itself. Not sure how you'd go about that; maybe one of the streaming services would have it.

Enjoyed a meal of PB&J on Eclipse biscuits tonight. I had to pay Mo-tax on each biscuit, but there was plenty for me. He's here now, looking out the window and drinking my glass of water. Now he's curled up against my back, but I doubt he will stay long. 

Anyway, it's late and the alarm will go off in six hours so I will end here and kill the lights.

[Netfoot]

Trapped in the container again, with rain falling outside. The tent nearly blew away and was saved and is to be seen folded on the left. At least the fan is blowing and it's cool...

But I don't know what's going on outside...

[b4pjoe]

We don’t call that a tent where I live. It is called a canopy. A tent has walls. Your boss should be ashamed that is what he gave you to try to work under. 😄

[Browncoat]

18 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I don't think there is any realistic chance that side panels will be provided. I will have to collyfox something myself. We  buy 10' x 100' rolls of polythene, some black and some clear. I could use some of that, but the perimeter of a 10' x 10' tent is 40' which is a big chunk of a 100' roll that was bought for another purpose. 

You really only need one side panel -- one side of the tent is backed up to the container, and one side with a panel could be on the sunny side.  You could just adjust the tent as the sun moves so the panel side is always on the sunny side.

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

You could just adjust the tent as the sun moves so the panel side is always on the sunny side.

One of the hard things is having to keep moving the paperwork, the computer, the chair and the table to keep up with the shadow of the tent. Canopy. Whatever. But I had a brainwave. Put the table, ewtc, in the middle of the yard. Then as the sun moves and the shadow shifts away from the table, move the TENT!! Just as you suggest!

It's light and with one other person to lend a hand I can move it in 2 seconds. And yes, with a single side panel or at most two, I should be able to manage any conditions that come along.

I wonder if every Site Clerk on every job gets to deal with these problems? Or am I just lucky?

Edited October 6, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Came home wet and smeared with mud. Made my rounds of the house and it was one of those days when every step caused an additional pound of mud to stick to what was already on the bottom of your boots. By time I got that scraped and washed off, my trousers were soaked and smeared from the knee down. 

It rained after I got home. 

Dinner was rice, with pigeon peas, pak choy and sausage. Tasted good. 

Garden Patrol. Wet. Overcast. Heavy drizzle. Blustery. Cold! Goose-bumpy cold! I was glad to get back in under cover. Mo, less so. He's here snuggling up with me now and reveling in tummy robs. He is a strange lad in that he doesn't like anyone messing with his collar. Whereas I would take Bud's collar off and let him sleep without it, Mo gets agitated if you take his collar off. You have to immediately give it to him so he can assure himself you aren't going to steal it. Then you have to put it where he can keep an eye on it and reassure himself that it is safe. Only when he is satisfied it's safe can he relax and enjoy an extended neck-scruffle! Here is a collarless Mo peering out the window. Only because the collar is hanging right over the bed in plain sight. He is very snuggly and cuddly tonight. 

Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer. I know absolutely nothing about this band but I thought this track was sort of cute in a wholesome way so I included it in my playlist. I don't even know what the lead singer is called or what she looks like. In fact, BRB...

Ok, the band is actually a Christian rock band, which I never knew until this moment. The lead singer was Leigh Nash, a sometimes blond/sometimes redhead who has recently announced she will be joining 10,000 Maniacs as their lead singer. I used to be a huge 10K Maniacs fan, back before Natalie Merchant left to pursue a solo career. 

Anyway, my phone is displaying an anxious looking, red-faced battery on the notification bar, so I guess I'd better call it quits and put the thing on the Qi charger for the night. It's already late and tomorrow is pay day with the interesting possibilities presented by the fact that I worked last Sunday so it should be reflected in this week's pay. 

Could get up early tomorrow and spend 20 minutes at Brighton on my way to work, but maybe I'll just sleep in the extra 30 minutes instead.

G'night, folks!

[Netfoot]

18 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Could get up early tomorrow and spend 20 minutes at Brighton on my way to work, but maybe I'll just sleep in the extra 30 minutes instead.

Old age. It isn't Friday morning that I have to get up early for Brighton, it's Saturday....

Here is my tent this afternoon:

I'm hanging out the front! This morning I was hanging out the back!

Just got the biggest pay packet so far, because no deductions for boots any more, extra time for working a couple Sundays ago.

Can't leave yet because two plumbers are working in the basement and I have to lock up when they are done. Also got to get a signature from a guy who is always late on a Friday...

Meanwhile, hanging with who remains here. 

The amount of grass that gets smoked on this site is unreal. Completely on the quiet, of course, but none the less. But the grass looks like torn up brown paper bags and dried breadfruit leaves. I don't know. I never saw anything like that. Mind you I mostly smoked hashish. Moroccan Gold or Lebanese Red. Very Occasionally, Lebanese Gold. And if you really couldn't do better, Afghan Black or Kabul Black. The Black was more expensive and just put you to sleep. The Leb was guaranteed to give you a sore throat, but otherwise was great stuff. The Moroccan was great like the Leb but without the sore throat. And was the most common. Six quid a quarter at first but worked it's way up to eight quid.

Anyway, got to go find out what is with the plumbers in the basement who told me they were only going to be another 10-15 minutes, over half an hour ago.

[Netfoot]

What it was with the plumbers was that they'd buggered orf and never told me! So I could have been on my way home 20 minutes earlier. Grrrrr!

Lilac Wine by Jeff Buckley. This guy was a four-octave tenor and his tragic, untimely death probably deprived us of decades of great music. Instead, we have to be satisfied with a single studio album, Grace, and which, if you have the opportunity, I recommend you give a listen to. 

Lying in bed after a shower, with a fan blowing and a light breeze in the window. Garden Patrol went similar to last night, except not so wet and not so cold. 

We have a "gentle giant" at work. He came and signed himself out at noon yesterday, minutes before I was told he was being ejected from the site and was not to return for the remainder of the day. Apparently he threatened to kill another worker - which obviously is unacceptable behaviour. The threatening, not the killing. Well, the killing too and even moreso, I guess, if it came to that!

Back at work this morning, he came to explain. "You won't know this, but I've already served two thirteens!" I was later to discover that with time off for good behaviour, 13 years was what you can expect to spend in jail for premeditated murder. Apparently he spent his first term in prison, was released after 13 years, and less that two years later was back inside for another 13 years. "But," he said, "That was back when I lived the gang life! I don't live that life any more. Not like these young fellas around here!" Nodding sagely he continued, "But you can't let these young thugs think they can push you around! I mean, you have to stand up for yourself. Right?" 

Tonight I stopped at the supermarket and did some shopping so I wouldn't have to on Sunday. I made tuna sandwiches for dinner with the loaf of sliced bread I bought. Unfortunately, the bred turned out to be quite stale. But the moist tuna mayo with garlic softened the slices and made them perfectly edible. In fact if I had a toaster, I would be fine with the bread. Unfortunately...

Definitely going to skip Brighton in the morning and opt for the extra 30 minutes sleep. Which I will initiate now, seeing as I will have to be up exactly 6 hours from now.

Puppy:

Edited October 7, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Today was pretty mundane up until the lead from the electrical sub-contractors came to me and said, "When will you get here tomorrow?" I explained that tomorrow was Sunday and I don't work on Sundays. "So, who will open up and let my team in?" Dunno, buddy, but it won't be me because I ain't working tomorrow. 

Eventually, I was told to give him my keys. But if he has the keys, how do I open up on Monday? Oh, he will be there early. Suuure he will. Well, the men will be happy to clock in with me and then sit around until the keys finally arrive.

For me to get the van in the yard every evening, Mo has to be temporarily incarcerated in the house while the gate is open. At first he didn't like that much but last couple weeks when I say, "You go in the house while I bring the car in!" He is most cooperative. So today, when I went in to take off my boots, I was very disappointed to see that the little Monster had peed copiously on the pillows and fitted sheet. (Top sheet fortuitously avoided the deluge.) Unfortunately for Mo, I had just spent $3 at the $$$ Store, to buy a bamboo back scratcher. So puppy's botty got smax!

Anyway, he's here with me now, and I will lock the door in a minute. Despite having a cup of coffee, I am dog tired. (Of course, Mo isn't.) I only allow coffee Saturday night and Sunday morning, because I can stay up late on Saturday night. But not tonight, Josephine! My eyes are closing down and I've already dropped the phone twice! So I'm going to lock up and get an early night. And because I shopped yesterday evening I don't have to go tomorrow morning. So a nice lie In.

Off to lock up and crash, then...

Edited October 8, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

In bed after an uneventful Garden Patrol and a cold shower. It is not hot but not especially cool either. Not much breeze in the window. The fan is always welcome. 

Baby Mo is here with me now, sitting on the bed directly in front of me and leaning back against my chest.

I didn't do a hell of a lot today. Stayed in bed late this morning, and had a cup of coffee when I got up. Cooked a large bowl of rigatoni with julienned chicken breast meat, mandolin-cut onion rings, pak choy stems and leaves, and black beans. Had half of that for lunch. 

Watched Ben-Hur after lunch. The 3½ hour original with Charlton Heston, not the steaming pile that was the recent remake. Paused playback at the intermission and had a 2½ hour nap.

Rose from my nap and sorted laundry then loaded Mo into the car and dropped that off. I will collect on my way home tomorrow. On the way home stopped at a gas station to fill up for the week and give Mo a chance to chat with one of his girlfriends - the attendant on pump #1. Back home to enjoy the conclusion of Ben-Hur and then reheat the left over rigatoni. 

After dinner I decided to watch The Fugitive. My mom was a great fan of the original TV series with David Janssen & Barry Morse which we watched as it was first broadcast in the 60s. I was just a nipper back then in Trinidad. But what I watched this evening was the 30 year old movie, not the 60 year old TV series. And come the point where the the Chicago River gets turned green on St. Patrick's day (which is only incidental to the plot), I paused the playback and came to bed.

I'm listening to Moving In Stereo by The Cars. I like this band and have ten of their albums, including two "Greatest Hits/Best Of" albums and an anthology. My favourite song is probably My Best Friend's Girl but honestly, the band has a number of excellent tracks to its name, perhaps the best known of which would probably be Drive.

So anyway, a mostly do-nothing day spent resting and vegging out. Yet I am not looking forward to work tomorrow. I still feel tired and if I'm honest, the job is hard on me physically (I'm too old for this shit!) And isn't doing my fantastic old TownAce any good. Last few days I've had a very unpleasant pain in my lower back on the left side as I roll out of bed in the morning. (I have to roll left to get out of bed.) The pain only lasts a few seconds - 10 or 15 maximum, but I could do without it. It is probably arthritis in some way, shape or form, like the strange pain in my left heel. Or it might be the cancer in my kidney. After all, it is April I went to have a biopsy scheduled and have not been called back as yet...

Anyway, I will kill the lights now, and adopt a fetal position. If I die in the night they can just wrap me up in the sheet and sling me in a hole as-is.

[Netfoot]

No Woman No Cry by Bob & the Wailers. Do I really need to say anything? Thought not...

Dripping wet in bed with fan and window. No puppy. He will be along later.

Five ice cubes in a glass of water, carry the glass into the bedroom and before I can take my first sip, they are almost melted completely away.  It's been a really hot day. Fortunately for me, I have my tent to get under to shelter from the rays. And "under" is a bit misleading too, because early morning and late afternoon you have to sit outside the tent to be in the shade. Was looking at an 8x10 tarp but the price is 26 bucks so I have to think before I buy. In particular I have to take some measurements. The tent is 10x10, but I don't know how tall it is so maybe an 8x10 is not the right size. I'd guess an 8x10 will entirely fill one side of the tent from one leg to the next and from the canopy to the ground, but I would like to measure and be sure before spending the big bux!

Dinner was Eclipse biscuits with mayo, cheddar and pepper sauce. Trying a new brand of pepper. Ever since burning out my mouth and having to grow new taste buds, my tolerance for hot pepper isn't as high as when I had a fully battle-tested, Trinidad-born & raised palate & tongue. So I look for a pepper sauce with good flavour (of course) and a bit of a zing to it, but not an eyeball-poaching, liquid lava that "says goodbye as well as hello!" The new stuff is pretty good - nice flavour and the right amount of heat for me, but it has one flaw: it's too runny. Normally, pepper sauce is slightly thickened but this stuff has the consistency of water, almost. This makes it difficult to get the right amount out of the bottle for the task at hand. When making a sandwich for instance, I typically pour out the amount I want onto the blade of the knife and use that knifecto spread it around on the sandwich. Or the rice or whatever. Tonight I was carefully pouring from the bottle onto the knife and it flowed so easily I was accidentally getting 2, 3 or 4 times what I wanted. When time comes to replenish supplies I think I will probably try something else.

A heavy shower of rain just fell for about 5 minutes and Mo came running inside. I shut the window, he sat on my hip and looked out through the glass while the rain continued to fall. As soon as the rain stopped, out he went again... and now he is back, more damp all over than wet, and is drying off on the bedsheets and also on me! Now he's back looking out the window, which I've reopened... Woops! He's gone again.

Woke up this morning with pains and messaged to say I would probably be late but after 15 minutes or so the pains had diminished enough that I could get rolling and was actually at work around my usual time. 

Anyway, I'd better call it quits and go to sleep. Tomorrow I will try making a cup of coffee when I wake, and drinking it before departing for work. Maybe I can find a covered, reusable coffee mug so I can actually take it with me instead of having to finish it at home before departure. 

Mo is back and his feet are soaking! But I guess I should go lock up the house and turn in before too much more time passes.

 

[Netfoot]

Original by Leftfield, with guest Toni Halliday providing the vocals. An English duo whose debut album (Leftism) was rather good. Their second was a disappointment, I'm sorry to say, but perhaps I'd change my mind and learn to appreciate it after extensive listening? And I don't think they made any more albums after that. Not in their original form, anyway. 

Another hot day today. My 2 liters of ice melted away to warm water by lunchtime. Fortunately for me I was shaded by the tent - which I keep moving around so as to keep it's shadow centered on my tiny table. 

Site Boss asked for a paint inventory and when I went into the basement to do a check, someone had moved / rearranged the paint again! About three times I've sorted all the paint and grouped each type of paint together with the labels pointing out. This allows me to go into the basement (which is a bit of a sweat-box), photograph each stack of paint, and exit quickly. The counting can be done above ground in the fresh air. Except every time I organize it properly, within a day or two, someone moves all the paint to some other part of the basement and piles them all together higly-pigly, with all the labels facing the wall. And a 5 gallon pail of paint is not an easy lift for an old buzzard. Plus the lights have stopped working down there so I'm doing it all in the dark with a little torch in my mouth...

Not been feeling too well the last couple of days. The aches and pains are a little more intense than usual and the itchy back is still a problem. Especially since I ran out of Histal. But I've rectified that by buying 60 tabs this evening along with two boxes of Panadol. First thing I did this morning was brew a mug of coffee. Enjoyed drinking it, but it almost made me late for work. What I need is one of those unspillable car mugs. That way I can take it with me rather than delay departure until I've finished a mugful.

Bought a salt fish cutter this morning and four times I was prevented from biting into it because someone came along demanding my attention. The fourth time I was prevented from taking a bite I accidentally knocked it off the table into the dirt. And the lady had run out of salt breads so I couldn't get another. So instead, when the afternoon guy came I bought a lunch from him which was peas & rice, macaroni pie, macaroni salad, coleslaw, and a big piece of chicken breast, all drenched with a dark, brown gravy.

No need for dinner, then! So I bought a large bag of cheezy puffs and a liter of OJ. Not feeling hungry. Do intend to buy another salt fish cutter tomorrow, though. And anybody who tries to stop me eating it will be told to bug-roff!

Bought the 8x10 tarp tonight. Should give me better protection from the early morn & late afternoon sun if I can figure out how to rig it.

Mo is here worrying at his foot. He has a little infection of some sort under the foot and spends too much time worrying at it. If things don't improve by Sunday he's going to the vet again. 

Speaking of doctors, I need a prescription from Dr. Kristi which I can ask her for no problem, but how do I collect? Wish I could go see her and winge about all my medical issues.

Just going on ten. Go to get off to sleep. Won't brew coffee in the morning. 

Edited October 11, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Got my salt fish cutter at least...

Salt fish! A Bajan staple since the age of sail! (It is salted cod from Canada.)

Kidney pains are ramping up. Dr. K. says there is nothing she can do; talk to the kidney specialist. His office says they have no information because it is all happening through the hospital. The hospital is a bureaucratic nightmare and the very idea of calling to get information makes me feel sick.

Edited October 11, 2023 by Netfoot

[Mr. Sparkle]

13 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Original by Leftfield, with guest Toni Halliday providing the vocals.

I met her in an elevator after a Curve show! I would write more, but that is pretty much the extent of the story. She was absolutely stunning. 

[Netfoot]

10 hours ago, Superclam said:

I met her in an elevator after a Curve show!

Wow! How is it that people have these experiences... but not me?

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

10 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Wow! How is it that people have these experiences... but not me?

 

Well, I live in NYC, so I guess that helps. In the early 90s I was on my college radio station, so we got a lot of tickets and backstage passes, so I met some early "alternative" bands. In the late 90s I worked in a photo shop in midtown Manhattan, and I met a few medium-level celebrities who lived nearby. 

Other than that, I'm just as dull as everybody else. 

[Netfoot]

Yesterday was a terrible day.

Woke up with pain. Cuddled with Mo and planned to take a pain killer before leaving home. Time slipped by and I forgot to take it before I left home.

Got to work and discovered I'd forgotten my backpack at home, with the company laptop in it. As a result, had to try to do as much as possible via my phone. 

Called the bank to inquire about the ~$1K they owe me. They got very stroppy. "I told you it would be 10 working days!" Yes, but you've told me that every two weeks for the last three months!

Called the doctor to find out if he was any closer to giving me the date for the biopsy! "I never promised to get back to you with a date!" Oh, yes you did. "Sorry, but you will have to call the hospital and make an appointment to visit the clinic!" And who will I see? The same guy I saw six months ago? Anyway, six months time wasted and I get to take a couple days off work and start all over again.

Later in the afternoon, my phone warned it was about to die and that's when I realized the charger was in the laptop bag, at home. Before leaving for home it did die.

Because my phone was dead, I didn't get any of the frantic messages from a contractor working late on site. He wanted to tell me that I'd left without locking a critical lock. Had to get meds but instead of buying them on my way home, I went home first. It's always a dance to get Mo locked away before I can bring the van in. So I went home, positioned the van right by the gate, opened the side door and let Mo through the gate. Instead of hopping into the car, he got down on his tummy and caterpillar-crawled under the car door. He was off down the road heading for high-traffic country in a split second. My heart was in my throat until I could capture him safe and sound.

When I finally got home,  I could not get the phone to charge. I tried three chargers and three cords before I found a combination that worked. It was eight o'clock before I got a message... from my boss. After failing to contact me the contractor was obliged to warn my boss. So now the boss knew of my screw-up with the lock.

The bosses message was that I needed to go and lock it. So $25 in gas and 90 minutes driving at night to go all the way back to Cattlewash and home again. (Mo came for the drive.)

Finally to bed, in as much pain as when I crawled out. Battery on phone still too low to play music. 

Just zonked right out on a day where I put in an exhausting days work, was told by the bank that they were going to rob me if they could, was told by the doctor that I'd wasted six months (which in itself is a probable death sentence.) Got in hot water up to my eyebrows with my boss, didn't have time to eat a proper meal (bag of chips and a glass of milk)

And did all of that in pain.

Thank goodness puppy came and snuggled with me as I drifted off.

[andidante]

5 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Yesterday was a terrible day.

Woke up with pain. Cuddled with Mo and planned to take a pain killer before leaving home. Time slipped by and I forgot to take it before I left home.

Got to work and discovered I'd forgotten my backpack at home, with the company laptop in it. As a result, had to try to do as much as possible via my phone. 

Called the bank to inquire about the ~$1K they owe me. They got very stroppy. "I told you it would be 10 working days!" Yes, but you've told me that every two weeks for the last three months!

Called the doctor to find out if he was any closer to giving me the date for the biopsy! "I never promised to get back to you with a date!" Oh, yes you did. "Sorry, but you will have to call the hospital and make an appointment to visit the clinic!" And who will I see? The same guy I saw six months ago? Anyway, six months time wasted and I get to take a couple days off work and start all over again.

Later in the afternoon, my phone warned it was about to die and that's when I realized the charger was in the laptop bag, at home. Before leaving for home it did die.

Because my phone was dead, I didn't get any of the frantic messages from a contractor working late on site. He wanted to tell me that I'd left without locking a critical lock. Had to get meds but instead of buying them on my way home, I went home first. It's always a dance to get Mo locked away before I can bring the van in. So I went home, positioned the van right by the gate, opened the side door and let Mo through the gate. Instead of hopping into the car, he got down on his tummy and caterpillar-crawled under the car door. He was off down the road heading for high-traffic country in a split second. My heart was in my throat until I could capture him safe and sound.

When I finally got home,  I could not get the phone to charge. I tried three chargers and three cords before I found a combination that worked. It was eight o'clock before I got a message... from my boss. After failing to contact me the contractor was obliged to warn my boss. So now the boss knew of my screw-up with the lock.

The bosses message was that I needed to go and lock it. So $25 in gas and 90 minutes driving at night to go all the way back to Cattlewash and home again. (Mo came for the drive.)

Finally to bed, in as much pain as when I crawled out. Battery on phone still too low to play music. 

Just zonked right out on a day where I put in an exhausting days work, was told by the bank that they were going to rob me if they could, was told by the doctor that I'd wasted six months (which in itself is a probable death sentence.) Got in hot water up to my eyebrows with my boss, didn't have time to eat a proper meal (bag of chips and a glass of milk)

And did all of that in pain.

Thank goodness puppy came and snuggled with me as I drifted off.

Gosh you did have a DAY! I am so sorry you have to go through all of this. I hope the hospital can get you in so you can get that taken care of! And I hope the back will get their head out and give you your money back. 

[Netfoot]

Today was a much better day. It was hot, but no major screw-ups to make me feel foolish and look bad. No bad news from the bank or the doctor - because I did not speak to either one.  

The worst part of my work day was when I printed some blank time sheets and when I went to collect them at the printer, some ass had left a plastic bag full of crap directly in the path of the outfeed, causing an Olympic class paper jam. I only ask one thing of the exalted who get to enter that room without applying for permission, cap in hand: Don't. Fuck. With the PRINTER! Stop stealing paper from the infeed to write out your shopping list. Stop unplugging it so you can plug in your phone charger. Don't move it to the edge of the counter so the pages end up on the floor in a heap! Just. Leave. It. ALONE!

And the best part of the day or the work day anyway, was

the soursop and coconut I was gifted with. The soursop came from one guy's tree at home, while the coconut came from trees behind the site office. I hope the soursop will be ripe over the weekends. I could drink the coconut now (it's a water coconut, not a jelly coconut). But I will have it tomorrow over ice. 

(Best part of the day was Snugglebunny helping me put my boots on this morning before leaving for work, and helping me take them off again when I got home.)

Mo and I went out for a Garden Patrol under a sky with no clouds visible but very few stars visible as well. But there is a huge point of light which Sky Map tells me is Jupiter & Uranus in moderately close conjunction. 

Well, tomorrow is payday and I hope to leave work with enough energy to go shopping at Popular. If I'm too pooped, I will have to rise early on Sunday and do it then.

Oasis plays Some Might Say, opening track from my favourite album of theirs: (What's The Story) Morning Glory?). Not my favourite track from the album, however. That honour goes to one of the final three tracks on the album. I keep changing my mind as to which one of the final three... but it's probably the last track on the album: Champagne Supernova. 

For some reason, Mo has decided to sleep on the floor next to the bed with his head on my boots. It's probably the cool of the ceramic tiles. But what ever his reason, I will join him. In slumber, not on the floor. Fridays are my busiest days, and tomorrow is the 13th. I will roll over and stick my head under my wing now, because I want to be fresh tomorrow.

Edited October 14, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Short day - Friday & Saturday are 3:15 close instead of 4:30. I always get stuck working after the official closing time but I still get away earlier than usual. 

I'm getting quite adept at putting my tent up and taking it down again, on my own. Two people would find it much easier and for four it would be a snap! But I have found a way to walk around the tent in a circular (square?) pattern adjusting one leg at a time until it is up. And the reverse to get it down again. Now I am refining the attachment of the 8x10 tarp I bought which (coincidentally) is almost a perfect colour match. 

The tent does a great job of protecting me from sun-stroke but it isn't the best solution to help me do my job. The original wooden hut was fat better at that and the addition of my 8x10 tarp would have been ideal for both jobs.

Now, I want to show you two photographs. This is the first:

Taken at 7:03 this morning. As you can see, the paints have been positioned against a wall with no other junk around. Inventory is visibly very low but 103 gallons are already on order. Even with that added to our stocks, it will be easy to check quantities of each type of paint. (Interior, exterior, primer, paint, for wood, for stone, for floors, for roof, and which particular version of white. (Seven different whites were in store at one time.)) We are entering a painting phase wright right now, with our painting team increased from 3 to 10. A little more organization of the store would be good, but even as is, it won't be hard to get the inventory sorted in only a few minutes in the morning...

4:31 this afternoon. They've ballsed it up again! You can hardly see the paint! Far less count how many gallons of each there is, taking note of the shade of white - which is usually printed on a small slip of paper and stuck to the lid. 

I mean, I moved all the paint out of the room where it was overwhelmed by tons of other crap... So they moved the tons of crap right back on to the paint! 

And whereas I had plenty of room for that 103 gallons of paint to be stored when it arrives (maybe tomorrow) I now have nowhere to put the new supplies of paint that they won't get thrown around by the next asshole who wants a roll of wire, a box of tiles or a pair of Wellies!

When I bitched to Site Boss, his response was to separate the paint from the other crap so that it's more accessible. But isn't that exactly what I did this morning? And how well did that work? Less than 12 hours and it was all buggered up again!

Now, they want me to come down on Sunday and "Just open up for the team of painters." It will take me half an hour each way but I will only be there for a few seconds, and they won't pay me for doing 10 seconds worth of "work". And even if they give me the $10 daily travel allowance, I would still be out of pocket because it costs me approx $25 in gas to go to Cattlewash and back.

I'm developing some sort of sore throat. Anyway, I've started dropping the phone again, so...

Off with the lights. Dunno where puppy is but he will join me when he's ready. Or not, either way is good.

Edited October 14, 2023 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

Lots of wasted vertical space. Some freestanding shelving would help.

[Netfoot]

19 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Lots of wasted vertical space. Some freestanding shelving would help.

Yeh... Except it's inevitable that the paint would be slung in a corner and the shelves appropriated for use by the electricians to store their spools of wire, or by the tiler to store tile cement and grout.

Not the best of days. Drove to work as usual, eating a banana on the way. As I approached the bottom of Horse Hill, the hifi started breaking up and sounding scratchy. Funny - never had any reception issues before..... Oh, wait! No reception is involved - I play a random selection of 1,450+ tracks from a Micro SD card! WTF?

Arrived at work and parked close to the container. Set up the tent and unloaded my things from the van, then went to park it in an acceptable spot. Turned the key: click! Not good. Metered the battery: 7.2 volts. (Anything under 12 is considered low.) Tried a jump-start: click! Left it connected to another vehicle whose engine was running and waited an hour to see if my battery would recover. click! 

Question: is the battery dead? Or is it just badly depleted because the alternator is dead?

Finally, I had no choice but to call PitStop. It's where I usually get my batteries. They will come and install a new battery anywhere you happen to be and you only pay the price of the battery. Which in the case of the TownAce is $400 on the nose. In other words, north of 50% of yesterday's pay.

<sigh>

When the guy came along, he connected a set of sophisticated test equipment to the van. It showed what we'd already knew : very low voltage on the battery. He connected a starter pack and she started right up! Then he monitored the alternator, which was chucking out 14.4 volts (which is actually the peak charge voltage of a "12 volt" lead-acid car battery. So the alternator is perfect but the battery is now a boat anchor. 

I handed the guy my pay packet and in return he installed a replacement battery and departed. 

So the car is working again, starts at the slightest touch of the key, hifi no longer suffering from  "reception" problems...

Now I have to try and fix squeally, slipping fan belts, then....

Tired. Got home and persuaded Mo to wait in the house while I brought the car through the gate. Went inside to take off my (Not sure how the word "boots" became this ⇒ bo⁶⁶6]:]]]⁶ots ⇐ but Mo is probably to blame...). The little bastard had peed in the bed! I could have smacked his ass into the following week, but instead I closed the door and left him outside all evening. Garden Patrol was brief. I followed our normal route exactly in reverse which confused the puppy.

In bed, listening to some Joe Satriani (specifically Summer Song). Guitar tutor & coach to many who went on to achieve great success in their music carreer career, he eventually began to produce albums of his own and is, according to Google, the world's bestselling instrumental rock guitarist with at least 10 million album sales.

I am falling asleep and dropping the phone again. So I'd better call it quits for today. Very bad cramps. Foot, calf & thigh last night, both sides simultaneously. Mixed up 2 liters of the rehydration salts, but we will have to see (More gibberish ⇒ hiwe ffective vitvi. ⇐ which I think was supposed to be "how effective it is".)

Gone.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

My van has very noisy fan belts, and I am thinking about replacing them. They are very noisy! The noise comes from the belt slipping on the pulley(s) and resulting in an unpleasant screech or squeal.

The van uses three belts. The first and arguably main belt is the skinniest. It is an ordinary Vee-belt and runs from the pulley on the end of the crankshaft around the water pump  which cools the engine, and around the alternator which keeps the battery charged. I suspected that this belt was the bad one, resulting in the alternator not generating enough charge and therefore indirectly responsible for the flat battery. But tests yesterday showed that the alternator was working just fine.

Belt #2 is a poly-vee belt and runs the power steering.

Belt #3 is also a poly-vee belt that runs the A/C unit (which doesn't work at present).

A small diversion: Stuff is constantly being delivered on-site at Cattlewash. We have two truck drivers we see all the time. "Cally" (Mr. Calendar) and Winston. When I had my head under the bonnet yesterday... "Wuh yuh doin' day?" Winston had arrived with a truckload of stuff.  He peered in under the bonnet as well. "Ah! The K35 engine! That's better the the K30..." Wondering how he knew, I asked, and it appears he worked with the dealer for over ten years!  Anyway, end of diversion.

This morning I set off for a place I'd heard of that sells car parts on a Sunday. It's called "AA". I went in and asked for a set of belts for the TownAce. But apparently, depending on various features, the TownAce can carry one of four different belt sizes in term of width & length. He offered to let me take one home and try it. If I got the old belt off and the new one didn't match, I could bring it back along with the old one and he would then take back the wrong one and exchange it for the correct. I tried repeatedly to explain that once I'd got the old one off, there was no bringing back anything because the van would not be driveable. So, at an impasse, I went out to the van to see if I could find any markings on the belts that might help identify which ones I would need. 

Once more, with my head under the bonnet, I was thinking that I was foolish not to ask Winston yesterday, what he could tell me about the belts. "Wuh yuh doin' day?" Winston again! Now that's creepy! Explained that I tried to buy belts but could not tell the storekeeper which belts exactly. Winston turned to a bunch of men and said, "Buju! Cuh check deeze belt fuh my man, heah!" a man stepped out of the crowd and spent a minute examining the belts. "Dem belt good, buh duh slack. Got dubba dee farty?" Uh, yep! "Spray dem, an' den tighten!" He pointed, "Slack hey, pull dis, den tighten back dat." With that, Buju disappeared back into the crowd.

Winston said he would lend a hand in the morning, and with my thanks, he too vanished into the crowd.

So, I've sprayed the belts with WD-40 while the engine was turning, to make sure that the belts were coated along their entire length. Apparently the belts dry out and shrink a bit with age, and the dubba dee farty will help them to plump up a bit. And I should then be able to slacken the pinch-bolts, adjust the alternator / power steering pump / A/C compressor and retighten the bolts.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Loaded all my spanners, sockets and socket drivers into a 19" military grade canvas tool bag and put it in the car. I could barely lift it. If the chance arises tomorrow, I will see if I can tighten up those belts. 

Meanwhile, Mo and I are back from our Garden Patrol. There is a very gentle breeze blowing but it is cool. After today, that's a relief because today was a real scorcher. Just driving out to get the laundry dropped off and the sun was baking, blistering and blinding, all at the same time. And that was after 4:00 PM!

I have opened an extra window in the bedroom to let in more coolth. Normally I don't open this one because I can't close it from bed. If rain starts to fall I have to get out of bed and walk across the room. First, I will have to remember it's open. But I think rain is unlikely. Least ways I hope so 

Having said that, I hear we are due some weather during the week ahead. We will have to see how well the 8x10 tarp protects against rain! But if the weather develops into any sort of a blow, the tarp may only make the tent more likely to become a kite.

Mo was here a moment ago but when he realized my glass was empty, he left again. I will invite him in later when I go to close the door.

Tears by Teenage Fanclub, from their Grand Prix album. Not a huge fan, really, but they have a few tunes that are listenable.

Had egg & cheese sarnies for dinner, with just a touch of pepper sauce on them. The eggs were beaten with salt & black pepper before cooking in a pan. Mo was present to consume the heel of the cheese, piece by piece. He also insisted on taste-testing each sandwich as well. 

I've concluded that a one-day weekend really does not suit me. After six hard days at work, I spend most of the "weekend" day resting and recovering and a second day would be ideal for getting things done around the house. But after 6 days at work a two day weekend would require an 8-day week. On the other hand, if I worked only five days, I wouldn't be so tired. It might be possible to make do with only one day of rest. But then, we'd be talking about a six day week! No, I think five days at work and two days off is the best way divide the week. Especially when you are an olde farte with ongoing aches & pains all over. 

Having risen late and had a 2-hour nap this afternoon, I should not be tired now. But I am. (Which only reinforces what I just said about needing more than one day to recover!) One way or another, I need to get some shut-eye, so I will go lock up and put out the lights. Mo may decide to come in. Or choose to sleep outside where it will probably be cooler for him. Poor lad wears a full-length fur coat all the time. And it's black, as well!

Edited October 16, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

The dubba dee farty seems to have done it's job fairly well. I was halfway to work before I realized I was not hearing any belt-squeal!

I still want to change the belts, but it isn't as critical as it was.

[Spunkygal]

17 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Loaded all my spanners, sockets and socket drivers into a 19" military grade canvas tool bag and put it in the car. I could barely lift it. If the chance arises tomorrow, I will see if I can tighten up those belts. 

Meanwhile, Mo and I are back from our Garden Patrol. There is a very gentle breeze blowing but it is cool. After today, that's a relief because today was a real scorcher. Just driving out to get the laundry dropped off and the sun was baking, blistering and blinding, all at the same time. And that was after 4:00 PM!

I have opened an extra window in the bedroom to let in more coolth. Normally I don't open this one because I can't close it from bed. If rain starts to fall I have to get out of bed and walk across the room. First, I will have to remember it's open. But I think rain is unlikely. Least ways I hope so 

Having said that, I hear we are due some weather during the week ahead. We will have to see how well the 8x10 tarp protects against rain! But if the weather develops into any sort of a blow, the tarp may only make the tent more likely to become a kite.

Mo was here a moment ago but when he realized my glass was empty, he left again. I will invite him in later when I go to close the door.

Tears by Teenage Fanclub, from their Grand Prix album. Not a huge fan, really, but they have a few tunes that are listenable.

Had egg & cheese sarnies for dinner, with just a touch of pepper sauce on them. The eggs were beaten with salt & black pepper before cooking in a pan. Mo was present to consume the heel of the cheese, piece by piece. He also insisted on taste-testing each sandwich as well. 

I've concluded that a one-day weekend really does not suit me. After six hard days at work, I spend most of the "weekend" day resting and recovering and a second day would be ideal for getting things done around the house. But after 6 days at work a two day weekend would require an 8-day week. On the other hand, if I worked only five days, I wouldn't be so tired. It might be possible to make do with only one day of rest. But then, we'd be talking about a six day week! No, I think five days at work and two days off is the best way divide the week. Especially when you are an olde farte with ongoing aches & pains all over. 

Having risen late and had a 2-hour nap this afternoon, I should not be tired now. But I am. (Which only reinforces what I just said about needing more than one day to recover!) One way or another, I need to get some shut-eye, so I will go lock up and put out the lights. Mo may decide to come in. Or choose to sleep outside where it will probably be cooler for him. Poor lad wears a full-length fur coat all the time. And it's black, as well!

So is working every Sunday a permanent thing until the job is completed? 

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

So is working every Sunday a permanent thing until the job is completed?

Well, as  they say: "We're down to the crunch!" A completion deadline is approaching so every man-hour they throw at the job hastens us to completion. So they are bringing on extra workers, offering bonuses for people who come in on Saturdays (traditionally the attendance on Saturday is low), urging people to work late, persuading people to work through their lunch break, etc, etc.

They had a fairly good turnout this last Sunday (yesterday) but I was not there because I was looking to do something towards improving the TownAce. I hear talk already about working next Sunday, but that can only happen if the workforce agrees. The $50 Saturday bonus worked well, so I don't know if they are planning something similar for Sunday or not.

Of course, it will probably never occur to them that if you pay overtime at the same rate as regular hours, people are less inclined to work overtime. Even my cheapskate dad used to pay time-and-a-half overtime and double time on Sundays & bank holidays...

Mo peed on the bed again this evening when I brought the van in. And I back-scratchered his little ass good. It's annoying because it isn't like he doesn't know not to. A puppy will pee inside because he has not learned better. Mo knows perfectly well he isn't to do it but he does it to punish me for locking him in the house for 2 minutes. He has never been on a chain but I'm thinking the way to prevent this is not to lock him in the house but to put him on a chain, and leave him outside where he can pee as much as he wants. But I can't find a suitable chain. I used to buy a very light, 20Kg chain with welded links and used it for Dotty and Buddy, rarely, but when needed. But they don't sell it again. So, Mo has no chain. And I wish that none were needed, but Mo keeps insisting...

 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Garden Patrol on a deadly still night and a fingernail moon overhead. Today was as hit hot as ever, and while tonight is not hot per se, it really isn't cool either. So I'm wet from the shower and with the window open and the fan turning, I'm fairly comfortable. 

Mo is here with me, cleaning his feet while leaning back on my middle. He is oblivious to the new sheets on the bec and probably doesn't even remember the incident.

So Much Time by Dishwalla. I have the first three of their albums. The first two were real corkers with many great tracks. I didn't find the third that good and did not pursue their later stuff. The band went through a cabinet reshuffle and emerged with a new lead singer. (If anyone is in a position to comment on their later albums as compared to their earlier ones, please do!) Despite a lackluster third (in my opinion) I can strongly recommend their first two albums to anyone who enjoys alt-rock. My favourites include Charlie Brown's Parents, Counting Blue Cars, Miss Emma Peel, Moisture, Bottom of the Floor, Truth Serum..... Like I said, many great tracks. 

Dinner was PB&J on Eclipse biscuits. Served with noxious rehydration water mixed with ginger beer syrup. I've drunk nearly 2 liters of that muck in the last 24 hours because cramps were creeping up on me. I find I'm eating lots of sandwiches, etc. Not because I don't feel to eat proper food but because I don't feel to cook proper food. Neil Young was right with track #3 of Harvest: A Man Needs A Maid!

Anyway, I'm up at crack o' dawn tomorrow again, so I will go off to sleep, now.  With a puppy snuggling up against my back. A very naughty puppy.....

Edited October 17, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

[andidante]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Hope you are doing ok!

[Ancaster]

 

On 10/6/2023 at 8:33 PM, Netfoot said:

 

Lilac Wine by Jeff Buckley. This guy was a four-octave tenor and his tragic, untimely death probably deprived us of decades of great music. Instead, we have to be satisfied with a single studio album, Grace, and which, if you have the opportunity, I recommend you give a listen to. 

 

Truly a tragic loss.

[Netfoot]

15 hours ago, andidante said:

Hope you are doing ok!

Well, it's hottern hell again

and we are expecting a minor (I hope) blow tomorrow....

[Netfoot]

Well, we should be getting weather of some sort and the prediction is tomorrow afternoon / evening and on into Saturday morning. Rain and maybe a little blow. Light rain starting as early as this evening. 

Well a light drizzle started just as we began our Garden Patrol. We proceeded as usual, but perhaps a little faster than we normally might. 

There was talk that we might close tomorrow at 1:00 instead of 3:15, but all that does is make it more difficult for me to prepare the weekly timesheet for display. I presume they will have to pay at 1:00 if they are closing at 1:00 but I am not the guy who gets paid the big bucks to work it out.

My only fear is that the weather will deteriorate earlier than expected and I will be left trying to get up Horse Hill with heavy rainfall sluicing down the surface.

Listening to Pagan Baby by Credence Clearwater Revival. I have 6-7 of their albums but this is from Pendulum, perhaps their best know. It is of an era contemporary with Woodstock, and CCR did actually perform at Woodstock.

I've just considered that with tomorrow possibly rainy, the tent might be difficult. The problem is that water flows in on the ground which becomes a film of mud. Large amounts of paperwork and a relatively small desk leads to clipboards, folders, pads etc falling on the ground a lot and if the ground is muddy...

Add to this the danger of rain blowing in sideways if the wind gets up. And who knows? Maybe the wind rising to the point where the tent is in danger of blowing away? Will have to come up with a plan to deal with those eventualities.

As for tonight, the second window will not be open because rain is apparently likely instead of possible. And since I can't close that window without getting out of bed, I won't open it to start with. The usual window I can open and close as needed without lifting my head off the pillow. 

So, with baby here in bed with me (at the foot of the bed, enjoying an ice cube) and the house all locked up, I will call an end to today and get the lights off and my head down.

Jeez! That was scary! I closed my eyes and yawned hugely... and Mo stuck his nose in to investigate!

Ok, I'm gone, now.

[Netfoot]

Well, we've been told by the MET Office to look out for wind and rain this afternoon and into tonight. So far? Cloudy skies and that's it.

I'm home with Mo and we're still waiting for something to happen, but... No, latest Met Office advisory (#9) has nothing new to say.

 

[Netfoot]

Moderate rain started about an hour ago, and comes and goes. The sea did look sorta stormy this morning.

Now the rain intensifies. I think Mo and I might go to bed early tonight and avoid the weather as much as possible! He has somehow refrained from going out and getting soaking wet so far. But if we go on our usual Garden Patrol (we've never missed yet) then getting pretty wet is unavoidable. No problem for me because I will be straight in the shower afterwards, but Mo will just be wet and probably flap-a-tapping his ears all over the place! Wait...

Latest message from the MET office 18 minutes ago says "A flash-flood warning is in effect..." This will be updated or terminated at 6:00 in the morning. I don't know what that means for myself who normally leaves home at 6:15-ish. I guess I'll see what things look like then. 

Ok, time to rip the band-aid off, especially since the rainfall has diminished to a light sprinkle. Mo and I will patrol!