Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

In bed with my boy. Garden Patrol was brief. Mo came as far as the corner of the house and watched me make the full circuit, all the while shaking his head slowly. Either at the rain drops, or at my lunacy. It's 100% still right now but a wind could pick up at any moment. The rain is also very light, little more than a find drizzle. 

Listening to Radioactivity by Kraftwerk. Interesting that unlike many, I don't understand the German, but I do understand the Morse! And of course, the English. Referred to by the fraternity as CW ("Continuous Wave") understanding or "copying" Morse by ear is a skill that must be practiced and I have not been operational for a while, so my skill at copying CW is covered with a thick layer of rust!

When I applied for a license I had to pass two exams (City & Guilds of London Radio Amateurs Examination Part I and II). Three hours each. And I had to pass a practical test in CW. Receive three minutes of plain text at 12 words per minute, then send three minutes of plain text at 12 WPM. Followed by the same all over again but with random 5-letter groups instead of plaintext. Only four mistakes allowed. My instructor (Sam) received the results from the government radio operator who invigilated the test to say that I'd passed, making only one error (while sending) and immediately correcting the error using the approved procedure. (Sam was pleased as punch!)

After that, I received my ticket but was told not to use phone (voice) modes until I brought in my log book showing a minimum of 200 on-air contacts using CW.

Like most people, I went into it thinking "I'll learn CW, pass the test, get my 200 contacts and never use CW again!" Trouble was, in the process, I came to like it...

I've made some really memorable contacts. Perhaps my most memorable were with Musa Manarov U2MIR on FM phone when the MIR spacecraft made a pass over the island. He said he could see the island below him by looking out the window! Also NASA astronaut Ron Parise, WA4SIR who operated a Packet Radio station on space shuttle Columbia (STS-35). I was also privileged to meet Ron in person twice. The first time when he was visiting the island, and the second when he spoke at the Dayton Hamvention on the only year I ever managed to attend. 

Yep, I had loads of fun on the air. I remember being the first Bajan to put a signal on AO-13. Dropped my transmitter carrier on the satellite, tuned the receiver downlink until I could hear myself speaking, and called CQ. Man, there must have been thousands of people waiting to work an 8P station! I worked 153 of them in slightly under two hours, before the satellite went "over the hill" and I lost signal on the bird!

I could go on and on! But your eyes probably glazed over long ago. And it's time my eyes glazed over. I have to go to work in the morning, unless the weather jets gets a lot worse. And there is no wind or rain, right now.... And they will probably want me to work Sunday as well. Which I will do. Because no matter how much I make, the bank balance never seems to change. I guess when income equals expenses the balance is in equilibrium?

Going to summon a puppy inside, lock up, then crash.  Wait, here he comes now. And what the hell has he got there? It's a piece of a pool noodle. I dunno where he got it - we don't have a pool. But what we will have by tomorrow morning is a pile of orange snow on the corner of the bed and the floor below!

Or he'll be pooping orange for the next week...

Edited October 22, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Sorry - not sure why the duplicate.....

Edited October 21, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Near continuous flashes of lightning at 4:00 this morning. Virtually no cars on the road coming here. 29 workers showed up so I am not the only fool. Been raining most of the morning, suddenly intensified to a considerable degree.

Of course, I am safe in my office... 

But unfortunately the tent leaks (not to mention the blow-in). And the thankfully few cars that pass by have a tendency to transfer the muddy water from those puddles into my lap. 

Maybe the MET office was wrong about Tammy? 

Near continuous flashes of lightning at 4:00 this morning. Virtually no cars on the road coming here. 29 workers showed up so I am not the only fool. Been raining most of the morning, suddenly intensified to a considerable degree.

Of course, I am safe in my office... 

But unfortunately the tent leaks (not to mention the blow-in). And the thankfully few cars that pass by have a tendency to transfer the muddy water from those puddles into my lap. 

Maybe the MET office was wrong about Tammy? 

[Netfoot]

Well, the rain has stopped. And now comes the deluge of photos and videos depicting idiots at play..... 

[Spunkygal]

That cord on the wet ground makes me nervous, my friend! What are tomorrow’s hours? You have got to get some rest!

[andidante]

6 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Well, the rain has stopped. And now comes the deluge of photos and videos depicting idiots at play..... 

I hope you got home ok! 

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

That cord on the wet ground makes me nervous, my friend! What are tomorrow’s hours? You have got to get some rest!

I agree on both counts!

[Netfoot]

Just had my post-Patrol shower and boy, there is water pressure to spare for some reason! It is very calm outside, with just the occasional zephyr to convince you you aren't on some Blake's 7 type death planet. But it isn't hot. I guess the sun not peeping out all day plus the cooling effect of the rain is responsible. 

By time I left Cattlewash, the rain was gone and for the most part (puddles and potholes being the exception), the roads were pretty dry. Don't let that fool you though. I took a walk around the property and the black mole mold the landscapers have been shipping in by the truckload was clinging to the bottom of my boots like 10 lb. snow (mud?) shoes.

I am happy to say that there was a decision not to work tomorrow. Or am I sad to say it? I need the rest, but I could use the pay. So I was OK with whatever way they went. 

Currently enjoying Oracabessa Moonshine by UB40. This song is from my favourite album of theirs: Guns In The Ghetto. The band's name derived from form "Unemployment Benefit 40" which you were issued when you "signed on" to social security. I had one after I left college and could not find a job. It is a form you are supposed to keep in case you do find work. Then you fill out the details of your new job and mail the form back to the office to "sign off". Otherwise you bring it with you each time you go sign to get your GIRO cheque sent to you. In my case I had to sign on at 9:15 every other Wednesday. The actual UB40 forms very quickly fell apart so every two weeks you would present this little pile of paper scraps for them to examine. Then they would give you your form to sign, and two days later the GIRO would come through the letter box. I never could understand why they wouldn't give you a new form when the old one fell completely apart.

None of which has a lot to do with the band UB40, who I believe chose that name because they were all unemployed at the time they decided to put the band together. One of their albums (Signing Off?) styled the album cover after the form. 

Yes, the extension cord in the water looks scary, and it isn't something I am totally blasé about. But the fact is, I had just made that extension cord a few minutes before the water came a calling and had examined every inch of the insulation from one end to the other. And thick insulation it is too. So I knew I was not exposing myself to a lot of risk, so long as I didn't let the end - with the exposed contacts - fall into the water. And what the photo doesn't show is that the end was tied up out of danger with a sturdy piece of cord and a sound knot.

Anyway, I am starting to drop the phone - which has a battery in the red zone anyway. So I will call it quits. Mozie is somewhere inside so he can join me when ever he feels like it. And I will sleep late in the morning, too!

Edited October 22, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

😡🤬

At 5:41 this morning the foreman sent me a message saying he needed my keys. I would normally have been awake by then but I slept in a little this morning and didn't get the message until 6:37.

When he came to collect I was ready to go to the supermarket. His truck was packed with workers. "Why wasn't I told we were working today?!?? In fact, why was I repeatedly told we were not working today?" He drove away without saying a word. And now, an entire truck load of them ruffians know where I live!

Now they will invade my container. Nothing taken out will be pug back where it belongs. I will be struggling to find things for three days, while the same foreman who ballsed up my container will be standing there tapping his foot and saying "It is your job to know where everything is!"

Sure, a day of rest and relaxation is nice, but so is an extra day's pay. And not having my container turned upside down is also worth something. 

This two Sundays in a row, now.

😠

[Netfoot]

I never liked Prince. Not his music and not his public persona. What he might be like in private I never tried to find out. Wikipedia says he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. Well, some people actually think Bob Dylan is good. But I will admit Prince wrote a few songs that I do like, such as his Little Red Corvette, which I'm listening to right now. And there are a few others as well. Some becoming worthwhile when covered by other musicians.

I let Mo lead us through our Garden Patrol this evening. His choice of path was not what we usually take, but not much different. And it wandered around a bit more than I usual. But as I was following him for a change, I did notice he has an occasional tendency to bunny-hop on his right rear leg/foot. When he was a tiny little puppy his vet observed he had a tendency to bunny-hop (both feet). She said it could become serious in his adult life. If anyone has experience of doggies bunny-hopping please tell your story.

Off to work tomorrow. Very glad to have had the day to rest but somewhat annoyed to have been excluded from the team who worked today. I have always been willing to work on a Sunday. I'd expect to be paid, of course, but I have never hesitated otherwise. Now, last Sunday they wanted me to drive 30 minutes to Cattlewash, unlock the gate and drive 30 minutes home again. This scheme would have earned me one whole minute of pay, while costing me an hour of time and $25 in gas. To this I objected. But barring some silly sort of arrangement like that, I am willing. And I said so when I was interviewed for the job. It now looks like I am going back on that. I'm going to have to talk to the boss about this.

Very lazy today. Cooked nothing. Ate biscuits and cheese last night. Lunch today was cheese & cucumber sandwiches. Dinner was an Ensure and a pack of peanuts. Most days when I get home I feel too tired to want to stand around in the kitchen cooking. So I eat sandwiches, crackers, etc. (I am actively avoiding fast food.) But on Saturday night / Sunday I can usually get some actual food cooked and eaten. For some reason, not this time.

Anyway, the little red battery has appeared on my notification bar and I'm tired too. So with a puppy curled up on my feet, I will switch off all the lights and get my head down.

[Ancaster]

On 10/21/2023 at 7:44 PM, Netfoot said:

Just had my post-Patrol shower and boy, there is water pressure to spare for some reason! It is very calm outside, with just the occasional zephyr to convince you you aren't on some Blake's 7 type death planet. But it isn't hot. I guess the sun not peeping out all day plus the cooling effect of the rain is responsible. 

Currently enjoying Oracabessa Moonshine by UB40. This song is from my favourite album of theirs: Guns In The Ghetto. The band's name derived from form "Unemployment Benefit 40" which you were issued when you "signed on" to social security. I had one after I left college and could not find a job. It is a form you are supposed to keep in case you do find work. Then you fill out the details of your new job and mail the form back to the office to "sign off". Otherwise you bring it with you each time you go sign to get your GIRO cheque sent to you. 

Boy, it's a while since I've thought about Blake's 7, or being "A One in Ten"!

[Netfoot]

14 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Boy, it's a while since I've thought about Blake's 7, or being "A One in Ten"!

It's one of the few advantages of old age: There is a lot of stuff in the memory banks!

[Netfoot]

It's been a bad day.

My blood sugar meter malfunctioned today. Had to skip the test entirely, and will try again tomorrow. Machine needs two CR2032 cells. I will have to buy them, because the supply I had has been depleted. 

The container was a complete mess, with tools not returned and others returned but stored in unexpected places. The socket set was divided into two, the two pieces were scattered in separate places and neither of those places were where the set is usually stored. We have two lump-hammers, two hatchets and two cold chisels. None of them could be found. There should be seven battery packs for our cordless tools but I can only find five. Meanwhile, people requesting (say) a hammer & chisel get told that there are none and complain to the foreman. Who comes and asks who took out the hammers and the chisels. "Nobody. There were none in here when I opened up this morning!" Well, it was the foreman himself who had control of the container so obviously I'm an incompetent liar!

Later, I get taken to task for taking too long to close up on an evening. Well, maybe it wouldn't take so long if I didn't have to dismantle a tent and pack it into the container every evening before going home. If my entire office, essentially, didn't have to be loaded into my van at each end-of-day. A van which is not allowed to enter the parking lot for one instant, not even to facilitate loading & unloading. 

Speaking of the van. Went to collect my laundry. Put it in the van (sans towels for some reason) and the van would not start. Click....

After about 40 minutes of faffing about I tried it and it started. So I drove home. I almost switched off to go and shift Mo in the house before opening the gate, but caught myself in time. Only, the gate key and house key were on the same ring as the car key which was in the ignition. It was fun detaching the car key from the bunch without turning off the car! In the dark. But I got it done 

So the car has to go to the mechanic because I just couldn't get those belts changed myself. I have no idea what it will cost and I have no idea how long it will take.

I walked over to the mall to buy two CR2032 coin cells. Found a place selling them for ten bucks each. $20 to get the machine going. I thought that was a bit expensive. Went to another shop. 2-pack for $20. They also had a 4-pack. For $19.80! Bought the 4-pack.  So now I have a working machine and several spare batteries. Just sorry I bought the first two for $10 each. I could have got eight instead of six and saved 20¢ into the bargain. 

Tomorrow is another day. And I guess I'd better listen to Meet Virginia by Train. The band produced a couple fun albums at first but I just have not followed along to see what came next.

So will go off to sleep. Mo is already curled up at the base of my spine. Eyes are closing and Battery: 9%.

See ya!

[Netfoot]

My way home is the Speightstown bus to the terminal and the ABC Highway bus from there. It drops me across the road from my house. Very easy (and free!) But it takes anything up to 1¾ hours. The Speightstown busses run every 2 hours. It passes is us heading for Bathsheba and maybe ½ hour later it comes back. Usually around the half-hour or possibly earlier. Since we stop work at 4:30 those people who need to catch that bus will end off a bit early to catch it. But of course, I can't do that. So I'm now waiting for the bus that will come after six. Hopefully closer to 6:00 to 6:30! Because if the bus comes at 6:30, I won't see my home until after 8:00. Just in time to go straight to bed, so I can get up in the morning to go straight back to work!

It would seem most efficient to sleep in these clothes so I don't have to get dressed in the morning!

Edited October 25, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Six o'clock. It's all but full dark.

And the bus has not passed me on its way to Bathsheba yet.

PS. Nice view of the skip...

Edited October 24, 2023 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

Is that the project y’all are working on? Wow! Gorgeous!

[Netfoot]

6:18 and I'm on my way!

This is the most rattle-trap vehicle I've ever been in, and that's saying a lot! If I was carrying a gallon of milk, it would be butter before I got close to Speightstown!

Never saw the bus pass down to Bathsheba do so I dunno what happened there!

Just noticed this bucket of bolts is electric! I wonder which politician made that happen? And how much he ripped off in the process? (I'm typing only when stopped at a bus stop, BTW. It wouldn't be possible otherwise, while I hold on to my guts and try to prevent my internal organs from flying out my ears.....

And the bus has wifi! But you have to login and of course the login service is broken. So this will get sent when I get some real wifi. Probably when I get home.

6:50 at Speightstown terminal. The ABC Highway bus is scheduled to depart at 7:00 and I am in the queue. The bus has not arrived as you but I don't want to miss it, and there is a longish line, so I'm staying right here until it comes and I can hop aboard. Battery is only 18% so can't play with the phone too much. Pleased to say my internal organs survived the first leg of this journey with only mild bruising. Oh, I think the bus has arrived... No, it's the bus for Warrens.

ABC Highway bus is 4 minutes late but it has working wifi and it's air conditioned. Not sure if it is a bucket of bolts or not because we are only now leaving the terminal. Uh-oh! Shake, rattle and roll!

Home! 8:09.  Boots, baby's dinner, cup of coffee, PB&J on stale white, Garden Patrol, shower, bed.  Will make a post before shutting off the lights.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

On 10/24/2023 at 6:54 PM, Spunkygal said:

Is that the project y’all are working on? Wow! Gorgeous!

Yes. That's the house. And I am coming to hate it, just because of how much trouble I've had, entirely due to its existence. 

My niece is a fantastic person and I love her more than life. But she can be very manipulative and very stubborn when she wants to and she is a master of the passive-aggressive voice.

Last night, Heidi said that I should try and get it as far as the mechanic in the morning and that she would take me to Cattlewash on mornings while waiting for the car, but I'd have to catch the bus home.

After trickle-charging the car through the night, it started immediately with a vigorous crank from the starter. I tried it 3 times and it started immediately each time. I contacted Heidi with a plan, which went like this:

We abandon the idea of taking the car to the mechanic and leaving it there for as many days as it took for him to get around to it. Instead, I drive to work as usual, and drive home again in the evening. I put the car on charge overnight every night. I contact the mechanic and ask him when to bring him the car. When ever that is, I take the car that day and she can drop me to Cattlewash from that day until it is ready to be collected. Probably only one day, maybe two.

What if it won't start to bring you home from Cattlewash?

Well, I can then call 24/7 roadside assistance which comes free with my insurance policy! They get it running, and then we admit defeat and leave it at the mechanic. But if necessary I can put it on charge all day in Cattlewash as well as all night at home!

Well, if you don't want me to drop you in Cattlewash on a morning, you can go ahead with that plan!

In other words, do it my way or you won't be able to rely on me as a backup!

Ok, so I did it her way and started regretting it almost immediately.

Now she wants me to harass the mechanic all day to ask what progress he has made. But he won't be able to get to my car until he has done the jobs he already has in hand! Constantly calling him will only piss him off! As we discussed when talking about driving the car until he could squeeze my van in, it could be days! Remember the disconnected gear change linkage? They took four days to get to the van! It's not like he is a good buddy that will jump me to the front of the queue if I pester him!

How are you getting to work tomorrow morning?

So, make myself a pain in the guys ass because that's what you want, or find another way to get to work. 

Candle In The Wind. The real one before it was bastardized to win a knighthood. I refuse to voluntarily listen to the other one. I will turn off the radio if it comes on. It's like melting down a memorial statue of someone to make a memorial statue of someone else. I think that is horribly disrespectful and quite unforgivable.

Any way, it is probably time I went to sleep. It is looking like from leaving home to returning home will be in the order of 14 hours a day for the next while.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I have a bone spur in my left heel. It feels like I stepped on a nail and left it there. Every step is painful. Funnily enough, the more I walk on it the less it hurts. Or put another way, resting it makes It worse.

Say I sit at the computer for an hour and the heel gets an hour's "rest." When I get up the pain becomes acute. Walk around a little bit - even only 10 or 15 seconds and the pain fades away. 

It's worst first thing in the morning when I get out of bed. I have to hobble on the right foot and use a walking staff to help with the left. Go into the kitchen and make a cup of tea. By the time the kettle has boiled, the pIn pain has diminished significantly!

Now, the toes of my right foot. They have been hurting for months. Ever since I bought cheap boots.

The left hip and right shoulder I put down to arthritis.

So this morning I wake at 5:20 and sit up to get out of bed. It was a bad night because of several bouts of muscle cramp in my legs and feet. Howling with pain (scaring Mo) and ending up with muscles in my right thigh that ached the entire day and still are now.

Anyway, I get out of bed at 5:20 and rather than search scorch my eyeballs by turning in a bright light, I decided to go with the light coming in the window. 

I hobble a few steps and blammo! I slip in a puddle of puppy-puke and go crashing down. I smashed my right arm against the door frame and my right temple against the bed frame. Thought I'd broken my arm! Then I realized I had a large egg on my head.

Off to work. Opened up the container which probably stands 12" high. As I was unloading, I tripped and fell from inside the container into the ground outside. Landed hard, on my left hip and it has been stiff and painful all day.

Dinner was crackers and cheese. Not much of it because munching crackers is hard when both hands are knotted into inescapable knots. Does not Bode Well for tonight!

Anyway, Billion Dollar Babies by Alice Cooper and me about to go to bed. Uh-oh! Here comes a cramp in my right thigh..... I've drunk a liter of that muck, BTW, and it hasn't helped one little bit.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Netfoot

[andidante]

9 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I have a bone spur in my left heel. It feels like I stepped on a nail and left it there. Every step is painful. Funnily enough, the more I walk on it the less it hurts. Or put another way, resting it makes It worse.

Say I sit at the computer for an hour and the heel gets an hour's "rest." When I get up the pain becomes acute. Walk around a little bit - even only 10 or 15 seconds and the pain fades away. 

It's worst first thing in the morning when I get out of bed. I have to hobble on the right foot and use a walking staff to help with the left. Go into the kitchen and make a cup of tea. By the time the kettle has boiled, the pIn has diminished significantly!

Now, the toes of my right foot. They have been hurting for months. Ever since I bought cheap boots.

The left hip and right shoulder I put down to arthritis.

So this morning I wake at 5:20 and sit up to get out of bed. It was a bad night because of several bouts of muscle cramp in my legs and feet. Howling with pain (scaring Mo) and ending up with muscles in my right thigh that ached the entire day and still are now.

Anyway, I get out of bed at 5:20 and rather than search my eyeballs by turning in a bright light, I decided to go with the light coming in the window. 

I hobble a few steps and blammo! I slip in a puddle of puppy-puke and go crashing down. I smashed my right arm against the door frame and my right temple against the bed frame. Thought I'd broken my arm! Then I realized I had a large egg on my head.

Off to work. Opened up the container which probably stands 12" high. As I was unloading, I tripped and fell from inside the container into the ground outside. Landed hard, on my left hip and it has been stiff and painful all day.

Dinner was crackers and cheese. Not much of it because munching crackers is hard when both hands are knotted into inescapable knots. Does not bode Well for tonight!

Anyway, Billion Dollar Babies by Alice Cooper and me about to go to bed. Uh-oh! Here comes a cramp in my right thigh..... (I've drunk a liter of that muck, BTW, and it hasn't helped one little bit.

Goodness you did have A DAY!! I hope you are feeling a bit better today. 

[Netfoot]

Some VVIP on site today. They did a massive cleanup even emptying my waste bin. But left a skip piled with crap front & center. 

The sky opened and everything got drenched but that didn't spoil the inspection. Then they closed the site at 3:00PM. So I had plenty of time to do my end-of-day and now I'm waiting for the 4:00 bus instead of the 6:00 bus! Yay!

Of course I'm soaked to the skin but fortunately Tomorrow is a Change-Your-Pants day. 

Bathsheba bus just went past. 4:06PM. It will go to Bathsheba (next beach over) and reverse course at which time it will be the Speightstown bus. Be interesting to see how long the turnaround takes. 

Tomorrow Heidi says she can't bring me to Cattlewash. But she said she might be able to take me to where I can catch the other Bathsheba bus. The one that comes from Frederick St. across country. It will leave me about a mile to walk, bone spur and all, but it will be all downhill. I just hope she confirms she can drop me at Hothersal Turning by 6:15 or my plan is ruined.

Signing off now so I can jump straight on the bus when it returns.

[Netfoot]

Sometimes you think things are going great! That's usually when life steps in and kicks you in the balls.

I'm waiting for the Speightstown bus when Sophie drives out. She is the designer/architect and commands the construction of the house. If she doesn't like how the chimney came out, she will demand that it be demolished and a different chimney built in its place. We exchange pleasantries and that is about it.

Anyway, she offers me a lift to Speightstown bus terminal in her new, spiffy car! At first I decline because I'm dirty, wet and stinky but she insists so off we go. A while later after a pleasant conversation I'm dropped at the terminal in time to catch the 4:40 ABC Highway bus. I can be home well before six! Spend some time playing with Mo! Actually cook a meal!

The 4:40 is cancelled, so I have to wait for the 5:00 bus.

The 5:00 is cancelled, so I have to wait for the 5:45 bus. 

Which arrives on time. (Good thing. The next one would be the 7:00 bus.)  I go to board but the driver tells me my ID card is the wrong colour so I need to pay. I have no money, not even a cent.

Eventually he relents and let's me on but I now leave over an hour later than intended. In a bus packed with three bus-loads of people. The wifi doesn't work but the A/C is going like gangbusters. And since the sun isn't shining and the rain is falling, the bus becomes an icebox in which I sit, in wet clothes.

The highway is like a parking lot. And I have to figure out what to do about the business with the ID card. Better carry sufficient cash to pay a fare ($3.50) in case the next driver on the next bus also refuses to accept it. So I get off the bus and instead of heading home I walk in the opposite direction - into the mall.

The bus will only accept exact money and the ATM gives me two $50s. This means I must participate in commerce. I buy a bag of chow for Mo and decide to splurge on a roti for about $15. Two separate transactions so I get some change. Unfortunately, it is now so late the roti shop is closed. So fsck() it! I blow $26 on a footlong at Subway. I'd buy chips (our kind) too but all they have is chips (your kind) and they are three bucks a bag. No. 

So I finally get home later than before but at least I have something hot to eat. It tastes fine but it isn't my first choice. I shopped by price.

When I hit wifi country again I get a message from Heidi. She will collect me from home at 5:30 and take me to Hothersal. But can't help at all on Saturday. 

Thank goodness. I just hope I can manage the walk down to the site in the morning. But 5:30 is when I am normally getting out of bed. So tomorrow I must rise at 5:00 and hustle! I think that at that hour she could drive me to Cattlewash and then back to Hothersal in time to catch the bus but perhaps she is right. Better safe than sorry.

So I will listen to Love Is Stronger Than Pride by Sade (what a lovely voice this woman has!) and crash out. Tomorrow is payday and also the day I got my car back last time. Fingers crossed because I am in great need!

Edited October 27, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

4:29! Have I missed the four o'clock Speightstown bus?

And it's starting to rain...

[Netfoot]

No sign of the bus but the raindrops are getting larger. I have to run for cover!

I'm in the verandah at the site office. Where no bus will see me and where I won't see one coming in time to run out and flag it down. 

I had a 50 gal. garbage bag in my backpack to make a raincoat with and of the thieving MFers I work with has pinched it. So I go home wet or I don't go home at all. Well it's 3 minutes to five so obviously I've missed the four o'clock Speightstown bus and will have to wait for the six o'clock bus instead. Let's hope I don't fall asleep and miss that one too!

The good news is the van is ready and I can get off the ABC bus, and the garage is only 20 minutes walk. Let's hope the rain isn't falling. The job cost me $300. 

Cross fingers I can get out of Cattlewash and away from Speightstown without any draaama!

When I look at this house from where I'm sitting, and consider all the grief it's given me, it is sobering to think that once it's handed over, I will never again be able to set foot on the property without being arrested. Even if I walked up the beach and fortuitously saved the great-grands from drowning, I'd have thank-yous heaped upon me, but at the beach gate. I'd never be invited in for a glass of water.

The rain has redoubled. I'm going to be soaked to the skin. 

[Netfoot]

Suprise!

6:38 and I'm home, wearing a pair of shorts, the van is inside, I've had a long cuddle with Mo. (Mo, it appears has a cough. I hope we aren't working Sunday so I can take him to the vet.)

How?!?? I went back onto the site to find a nasty piece of polythene to make a raincoat. Cut a piece and washed it under the pipe to get off the wet cement. And who did I find inside but a cabinet maker!  I told him he was lucky, because he'd have been locked in all night! (Just joking - he could easily have gotten out over the wall. I locked the Site Boss in the other evening and he jumped over just fine.) Anyway, I told him I was making myself a raincoat out of the polythene because I had to wait an hour in the rain to catch the bus to Speightstown to catch the bus to Salters where the van was... and he promptly offered to drive me to Salters! An offer I did not refuse.

I am not made of icing sugar and I'm not afraid of water. but I'm carrying a phone with a cracked front and back, and the company laptop. So I had to try and keep them dry, and might as well keep myself dry too.

So the van appears to be purring nicely - not a squeal or a squawk form brand new OEM belts and it was a pleasure to drive it home. The price to fix was $180 for belts and $120 for the work. And my pay packet this week contains... (Checking...)  $844.30 ! just for that, Mo gets a small tin of corned beef mixed in with his chow.

And speaking of chow, I got to try and cook something for myself. Left all my sausages in the freezer so they are frozen. Scrambled egg with cheese & onion? Wait. What did I do with the crackers I was trying to eat when cramps in my hands stopped me?

[Netfoot]

It's still and uncomfortably warm. Not brain-meltingly hot like it was for a couple months only a short while ago. But hot enough that I'm glad I just came out of the shower and that the fan is blowing a breeze at me, because there is none in the window.

Mo is outside. I hope there is no work on Sunday. As I'm sure I've mentioned, Mo has some issues with his feet. Little sore spots between the paddies. He is very protective of his feet and won't let me examine them. Not only now, he never wants me to examine his feet. And now it's down to the point where when I try to, he snaps at me, warning that he will bite. Not the play-biting that he does all the time, but a real bite. A serious warning. 

So that and the cough are something I really want the doctors to look at. So I really don't want them to call me out on Sunday, because I want to see if there is a decent vet on duty that can help set him on a path to improvement. But I don't want them to say I can stay home but I have to surrender my keys. Because when they have my keys off me for a single day, it takes me a week to get it sorted out again and meanwhile I get the blame for all of it!

Dinner ended up being a cup of coffee and an apple. I actually ate a fairly solid lunch from a van today. Not spectacular fare but not bad and with the sauce of hunger to help, I wolfed it down. So technically, a cuppa and a bikky is all I really needed. 

Listening to The Beatles tonight. Come Together. Very definitely from the latter half of their career. One thing I'll say about them is that it they are a band that demonstrated tremendous growth when considered. They grew from Love Me Do to The Long And Winding Road and right on into their individual solo careers.

I'm looking at a little red battery on the phone and an early wake-up in the morning. So I'm off to invite Mo to come to bed (or remain out where he might catch an occasional breeze - his choice, lock the door and hit the hay.

[Netfoot]

Welcome to Sunny Barbados!

It's been threatening all day. I moved my van close (this side of the road, just out of shot stage right) so I could run in there if I had to. The rain isn't thundering down but there is enough of it to make you miserable if you got caught out in it.

I wouldn't be surprised if we shut shop in the next 10-15 minutes....

[Netfoot]

Time is twelve minutes to one.

WhatsApp message from Site Boss: "We are closing site at 1 PM due to weather..." Thereafter follow A list of five tasks I must complete (including another paint inventory) before closing. Oh, and also check in all the tools and check out all the workers.

Oh, and there are contractors working in site installing the plumbing for a water feature and they are working on the ceiling directly over the paint with ladders and scaffolds so I can't access the paint anyway. 

I asked the contractors how much time they required and they said "About 20 minutes." But that was 55 minutes ago. So I asked them again and this time they said "About 20 minutes..." So I've been off the clock for over an hour and I have "about 20 minutes" before I can do my lockup and shut down power to the site and head home. Because I'm not doing another paint inventory down in that dark, sweat-box of a basement while dripping wet, when everybody else has gone home!

I was hoping to get home early enough that I had the energy to cook a meal and then relax tomorrow. But guess what? We're working tomorrow! (Weather permitting. But I hold little hope for the chance of being able to take a test rest day tomorrow and maybe get the vet to look at Mo's feet.)

Edited October 28, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

So we shut down at one and I was able to leave at a quarter to three. butbibeas So I was able to get home in time to see Mo in daylight, which was very nice indeed. And later I made myself a thick soup or stew (stoup?) From mostly vegetables with a tin of corned beef added. In chicken stock I cooked black beans, tomato, carrot, pumpkin and cabbage along with the corned beef. I had a big bowl with bread and there is easily as much left as I've already eaten - probably more.

And now it's a quarter past eight and I'm listening to Janice singing Piece Of My Heart in 1969. I love Janice. What  terrible shame she couldn't break the cycle of self-destructive behaviour that robbed the world of her "powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and electric stage presence" (to quote Wikipedia.)

In bed early because tomorrow is a work day. I really don't want tomorrow to be a work day but only weather can stop that from happening. 

When you already work six days a week, working a single Sunday means you end up going 13 days without a rest. Bad enough under normal circumstances but when you factor in several long, tiring bus journeys for several days due to the car being out of commission, it only makes it harder. And we may be working every Sunday from now on. Unfortunately, I'm the only guy who can't take a day off.

Anyway, I'm shutting down the lights now and trying to get a nice, long sleep before I have to press my nose to the grindstone again!

Edited October 29, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

So I was in bed early last night and slept and slept and slept! I kept waking up wondering if it was time to get up and the first couple times was amazed to discover it wan't even midnight yet! So much so that I even dreamt that my phone (alarm clock) was broken and that the alarm failed. And somehow in the way dreams are, the phone was in two equal sized pieces but the music was still paying and the phone still displayed the time.

Eventually it was time to go get up so I brewed a cup of coffee, put on four socks, my work pants and boots... and then got the WhatsApp discussion between SB and foreman that workers from all over were reporting heavy rain so we weren't going to open. Well, the sky looks threatening yet there is no rain here. But who am I to argue?

I'm going back to bed, with my boots in two plastic bags. Mo is going to the vet but between now (6:13) and 9:00 I hope he will return to bed with me and give me some more of the sweet snuggles he's been giving me all night!

Vet. Ok, will check the bank balance before I go to the vet so I can give them a PNE. That's like a VNE but for money.

[Netfoot]

Mo's bill was refreshingly low. Only $142.13 in total. He has a modest infection on his feet and a touch of a bronchial infection. He is now on a reducing dose of steroids for the next 2 weeks, which should help with both complaints. I also have to wash his feet with a medicated wash, twice a week, for... As long as the bottle of foot-wash lasts. It's a fairly large bottle.....

Also picked up some groceries on the way back. Bought a bag of Doritos for a snack. Also bought a small bottle bag of some sort of cheese sticks with a prominent warning about how immensely hot they were. I crushed the super-hot chips until they were all coarse crumbs, added ketchup, garlic powder and mayo to create a chunky/crunchy dip. It had absolutely no "heat" at all until I added a tablespoon or two of Bajan pepper sauce. But it turned out OK in the end. And I blended three over-ripe bananas in milk to make a creamy drink to go with my Doritos.

There is some of the dip left over. I think I will put it on top of my lunch - which will be some more if of last night's stoup.

Then I will have a giant nap until it's time to go to bed again!

But right now I'm watching a silly movie called Triangle of Sadness. Woody Harrelson is in it so I'm hoping it will improve.

Edited October 29, 2023 by Netfoot

[andidante]

Glad you got the day off! 😀

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, andidante said:

Glad you got the day off! 😀

Me too. I'm really taking the opportunity to rest and recuperate from the recent strain/stress and to prepare for the days ahead. But mostly, I'm glad for the opportunity to take Mosey-posey to the doctor.

He had a tremendous time. If you ever see him standing next to a person you will realize that he is no giant of a dog. What most people don't expect is for him to do a standing jump up to where he can give them a wet kiss on the lips! I'm glad the vet has a sense of humour. Because he gave her several wet ones!

Now, after that, how do you convince the vet that he is not well? Thankfully the footy-pads had some visible sore spots and I had a video on my phone of him coughing several times. Anyway, he had a proper exam and his temperature is good and his heart and lungs are fine. Plus, he demonstrated that he was active and alert to a high degree. So hopefully the treatments recommended will get him back in fine form. 

But now I will roll over and nap, with Fleetwood Mac and Behind The Mask, and the alarm set for 3½ hours from now so I won't oversleep.

Oh. At the vet there is a bookshelf managed by The Ark. Take a book and leave a donation in the piggy bank. Mo and I have not seen the book-tent ladies for a while, so I grabbed a book and left a fiver. Can't remember what the book is - it's in the next room. It's something By Iain Banks so it will probably be a reasonably good read. Although, when I'll have time to read it, I just can't imagine.

Edited October 29, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

In bed and soon to extinguish the lights. Mo was here a moment ago but has gone out again. I will soon lock the door so he will have to make up his mind.

Listening to The Drugs Don't Work by The Verve. This is from Urban Hymns, which I consider their best album. I acknowledge that many people feel that their earlier stuff is better, but I simply can't find a bad track on UH to point my finger at. This is probably why the album is one of the top selling albums in the UK in history.

With only one dose of prednisolone in him, Mo appears no different, but hopefully that will soon change. The problem is not the $6 steroids. The problem is the $32 bottle of shampoo that I have to wash his footies with twice a week. I just can't find it anywhere. I can't find it in the car or in the house nor anywhere in between. Where on hell did input it?

And while I'm asking that question, what has happened to my warfarin? I bought meds on the 10th. I got 45 and I take 1½ a day. There are 31 days in the month so I should have enough to last until the 9th of next month, but I run out tomorrow.

Anyway, going to lock the door and prepare for another day. Hope Mozie chooses to snuggle with me again tonight...

[Netfoot]

 Another "wonderful" day.

Let us start with the tyre that burst (not a simple puncture so not repairable) halfway down Horse Hill. Then, we can discuss the fact that as I lay on the ground to get the spare tyre out from under the back of the van, there was a crunching sound from my pocket. That would be my phone. Got to work and was quickly instructed to do a paint inventory. Yes, another one. Then the landlord who doesn't want anyone to park in the parking lot that we are hiring by the month... decided he didn't like my van parking on the public road in front of the property. He called the Ministry of Transport & Works and they sent a man in a van to make me move. (One of these days he will make the mistake of giving me the chance to kick him square in the nuts. With my steel-toed boots.) The day was hot and hectic. At least I found Mo's foot-wash on top of the upper cupboards in the kitchen (Why?!??) before I left home.

Late afternoon and time to pack up. I had to go and climb a ladder down into the basement. The steps down are being cemented so nobody can walk on them. But the ladder had at least one badly damaged rung and one that is questionable. Come out of there to find that someone has stuck a large pressure washer (I think) in my container. It prevents access to the inside of the container without mountaineering. It was quite a task to get the other stuff in and over the top of it. They seem to think they can present me with a double-decker London bus and say "Put it in your container," and I will say "No problem! I'll put it next to the cross-channel ferry you lumbered me with yesterday!"

(Puppy is nibbling my toes.)

Now, you can get an awful lot of stuff in a container, even if it's only a 20-footer like mine. Imagine cardboard boxes full of widgets, from side to side and top to bottom and all the way back to the far end. But a container can hold far less if you need to be able to go into it and lay your hands on any particular box or item with only a few seconds delay. Anyway...

As I am squeezing the container door shut and preparing to leave, I get one more WhatsApp from the boss. Can you guess what he wants? Yup. Another paint inventory. He wants one daily now, with additional inventories on demand as his mood decides.

What's the big deal? Go count the paint and make a note of the quantities of each paint. As each gallon bucket or 5 gallon pail goes out, make a subtraction. When necessary, give him the updated totals. Right? Except the paint is stored in an unlocked room in the basement. I have a key to the door but if I lock it a plumber or a painter or an electrician will arrive within 15 minutes to say they have to work down there. So it's open all day. I can't see what's happening down there because it's in another building across the street and in a basement room. So the painters go in and help themselves and the first I know that we have no SuperPaint is when a painter comes and asks "Any more SuperPaint?" Yes, we have 15 gallons in the basement... "That's all gone. Any more? No? Why didn't you order more when we got down to 5 gallons?" Because you've been using the paint without informing me you were doing so.

Honestly, it's like the Doomsday Book. When I go and count the paint, before I can get it written out to send to Site Boss, the count is already invalid. 

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel? I ain't in the mood for that. OK, Chocolate Cake by Crowded House. A little better. This is off their Woodface album. I've got five of their albums but I enjoy Woodface and Together Alone best. I've also got an album by Niel Finn solo.

Anyway, I was able to find a bent pharmacist who sold me 10 warfarin without a prescription which should hold me until I get to the point where I can renew the whole set of meds in one ho go.

Three doses of prednisolone and Mo seems a little better. Does not seem to be favouring any one foot any more. Also far more active during Garden Patrol. Let's hope he continues to improve. I'm really looking forward to washing his feet twice a week. I'm sure he will be cooperative about that.

Anyway, better get some shut-eye. Not looking forward to tomorrow one little bit.

Edited October 31, 2023 by Netfoot

[Ancaster]

On 10/24/2023 at 7:22 PM, Netfoot said:

 

Candle In The Wind. The real one before it was bastardized to win a knighthood. I refuse to voluntarily listen to the other one. I will turn off the radio if it comes on. It's like melting down a memorial statue of someone to make a memorial statue of someone else. I think that is horribly disrespectful and quite unforgivable.

 

I hated the bastardized version, as you put it.  It was yet another ridiculous addition to the sanctification of the definitely unsaintly and positively unremarkable Diana.

[Netfoot]

A while ago I linked a video showing a glider world record being set with a 20 foot wingspan Dynamic Soaring model. If I remember, the world record was set at (and still stands at, I believe) 548 miles per hour. The record holder stated that the aeronautical top speed had been reached for models that did not use swept wing designs (like a jet aircraft).

Well, here you go!

Gruelling day. Sweltering. Tried to do a paint inventory but every time I locked my container, I couldn't get ten paces away before there was a small crowd clamoring for me to open up and give them what they needed before departing. I locked that container seven times before I finally got down into the basement. 

I wasn't down there three minutes before someone came and said the foreman needed my keys. You know, the reason I lock the container is to keep people from screwing with the contents. That includes the foreman! But I can't say no, so off go my keys. 

About 20 minutes later I'm about ⅓ of the way through doing my count. Because you have to collect each can of each type of paint from where they are scattered all over the (large, dark, unventilated, hot) room and put them in orderly piles. But I'm not allowed to continue because the foreman says he wants me to get back to my job. I guess he didn't get the memo about how my job consisted of more than meeting his needs!

So I get a bollicking from the site boss for not presenting him with an inventory. But he is going to get one tomorrow morning. Because after everyone had gone today, I went down the creaky, old ladder and did the full count. By the light of a torch and scribbling it in a little notebook because I'm not climbing that ladder with a proper clipboard in my hand.

It's a waste of time, of course. Because of the doomsday book effect. When I went down in the morning, there were two 5 gal. pails of Tundra. Within 20 minutes of being summoned out of the basement, both of them were gone.

It's all pointless anyway. SB was in a rage this morning when the painters reported there was no Emerald. (A brand, BTW, not a colour.) "Why was I not informed that there was a shortage of Emerald!?!! I placed an order for paint yesterday afternoon, and if I'd only known..." The paint inventory I delivered to you at 12:14 yesterday listed all paints on site. No Emerald was listed. If more Emerald was needed, why was no more ordered?

See, it isn't up to me to decide what we need. Loxon for instance is an exterior primer. We have 7 gal. on hand. Now as far as I can tell, the entire outside of the house is primed. I don't know if that 7 gal. is surplus to requirements or whether we need another 40 gal. because we are going to apply two coats of primer. All I can do is make known that we have 7 gal. Site Boss and painters will estimate how much more they will need. Yet every time there is a shortfall in anything, it's because I failed to order more.

This morning, Mr. Taitt arrived to replace the lag-screws in the windows and doors with Stainless ones. He asked me for the screws. There were none in my container. This was automatically my fault, despite the fact that I'd never laid eyes on Mr. Taitt before. The foreman consulted with Mr. Taitt then rush-ordered 50 screws for him. Later, the truck arrived delivering a box of 50 stainless lag screws and off he went smiling. An hour later he was back. "Any more screws?" No, screws arrived and I gave them to you. More consultation with the foreman, and another 150 screws were rush-ordered. I'm not sure how, but I'm absolutely certain that the additional delay will turn out to be also my fault!

Anyway, enough! I had a simple if filling dinner of the last of the soup with cheese sandwiches. Mo seems to be far more comfortable with his feet and I am very pleased with that. I, on the other hand have been experiencing weakness and aching in my quadriceps. Least I think that's what they're called. Also sensitivity to bright lights. Like a blazing hot, tropical sun all-day and the magnesium-bright headlights In my face when driving home after dark. (Left Mon Desir at ten to six tonight.)

Minor hand cramps this evening. Hope no attacks of leg cramp tonight! Yawning big and hoping puppy-wuppy comes a- cuddling.

Tomorrow will be 3 months I've been working this job. Which I think will formally end my trial period. So I could be politely dismissed tomorrow. If so, I will need to be alert. You don't want to get fired and be so sleepy you don't notice! So the phone goes on charge, front door gets locked, lights get snuffed, Zzzz's get cut.....

[Netfoot]

On 10/31/2023 at 9:53 PM, Netfoot said:

Tomorrow will be 3 months I've been working this job. Which I think will formally end my trial period. So I could be politely dismissed tomorrow.

Well..... I am now without a job. 

They gave me a story about needing to downsize and having a long-time employee - a site clerk with lots of experience - sitting in his hands, so yada yada yada... The truth is more likely that after three months trial, they concluded that my performance was not up to their required standards, so they let me go.

I can't say I blame them. Maybe I'd have become better at the job if the first two months of my employment wasn't spent avoiding death by heatstroke. Maybe a dozen possible things that would have helped me do the job better. But most likely what would have helped the most is had I been younger and stronger and in better health.

So tomorrow I will sleep late, have actual breakfast, wash Mozie's feet and anoint them with coconut oil, go over to the bank and see why they have been unable to transfer a balance in three months. Then I have to look into buying at least one tyre for the van because I can't drive around with no spare. And I really should try and schedule a PT/INR. I will also need to try and start the process to get someone at the hospital to do something about the cancer in my kidney.

Oh yes, I'd better try and find another job, because I'm broke again now. Well, not entirely, but by time I do some of the things that really do need doing, I will.be, entirely.

Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm by Crash Test Dummies. Interesting Canadian band. I enjoy listening to their albums.

A really cute puppy is here with me now. He is a little ticked off that I didn't let him sample my dinner. In truth I'm not hungry. What I am is tired. So off to bed early with the prospect of a good breakfast to comfort me.

Yes, of course I'm disappointed but I do feel I was being ground slowly down and a little stress relief will produce good long-term results.

[andidante]

8 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Well..... I am now without a job. 

They gave me a story about needing to downsize and having a long-time employee - a site clerk with lots of experience - sitting in his hands, so yada yada yada... The truth is more likely that after three months trial, they concluded that my performance was not up to their required standards, so they let me go.

I can't say I blame them. Maybe I'd have become better at the job if the first two months of my employment wasn't spent avoiding death by heatstroke. Maybe a dozen possible things that would have helped me do the job better. But most likely what would have helped the most is had I been younger and stronger and in better health.

 

Oh yes, I'd better try and find another job, because I'm broke again now. Well, not entirely, but by time I do some of the things that really do need doing, I will.be, entirely.

Yes, of course I'm disappointed but I do feel I was being ground slowly down and a little stress relief will produce good long-term results.

I'm so sorry Netfoot! I really don't think they treated you well at all at that job. I hope your next one is much better.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, andidante said:

I'm so sorry Netfoot! I really don't think they treated you well at all at that job. I hope your next one is much better.

I don't believe that they deliberately set out to make it difficult for me. I think the difficulties are just part of the culture for that type of work.

Literally 2 minutes before end-of-day (and I mean 4:28) on my last day and with rain starting to sprinkle, two trucks made deliveries. One carried (among other things) bags of cement. My job requires that I i) sign & photograph the delivery notes, of which there can be several, depending if the items came from multiple sources, which they usually do. ii) enter all items listed on the delivery notes into a spreadsheet. iii) hand-write all items from the spreadsheet onto a pre-printed form.  There were 13 items. While I hustled to do my duties, the men hurriedly piled the bags of cement into the entrance of my container. Then they all jumped onto the trucks and the drivers hauled them away to town.

When I completed my work with the three-way recording of received items, i noticed that the entrance to the container was now blocked, and the pressure washer (which weighs so much that if it were 1 lb heavier I wouldn't be able to move it) would not not be dragged inside. Now, some of those guys can lift two bags of cement at a time, but I can't lift one without great difficulty! So in order to get the pressure washer inside i had to move the cement, bag by bag until there was enough room. It would have taken 30 extra seconds to position the cement in a sensible spot to start with, and Winston & Calli (truck drivers) would have waited as long as it took, no matter how long that was. But nobody bothered to do any such thing, because "that's your problem, not mine!"

Oh, well. I'd like to say it was fun while it lasted. Instead I will say it was quite an experience. I've just washed Mo's feet, had breakfast of 2 eggs and 4 sausages (well, three sausages and I'm sure you can figure out why) and finished with a cup of coffee. Mo's feet will have dried by now so I get to rub them with coconut oil, now. I have a few other chores tpo do this afternoon but today is essentially a day of rest. Tomorrow I have some matters to take care of, like some banking matters to get to, look into new tires (at least one) and maybe get a blood test done. Not to mention. After that I have to actively start looking for a new job - hopefully one that is closer to my sphere of experience and ability.

ETA: And closer to home, too.

Edited November 2, 2023 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

7 hours ago, andidante said:

I'm so sorry Netfoot! I really don't think they treated you well at all at that job. I hope your next one is much better.

I agree! I was and am still furious at how they treated Netfoot. I think most of us worried a great deal about his health and the on-site working conditions. Netfoot, I know you aren’t big on prayer but I am and will pray that something better comes your way very soon. I know you probably don’t have anything to sell at the market but perhaps you can go say hi to everyone this weekend…maybe get a free tasty morsel from someone.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

I know you probably don’t have anything to sell at the market...

No, not a thing

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

...but perhaps you can go say hi to everyone this weekend…maybe get a free tasty morsel from someone.

I intend to do so this Saturday. Visit as a customer!

You are correct - I'm not a devout man by any means but I thank you for your thoughts. I feel like I have to "recover" from Cattlewash for a few days, and then we can only hope I can find gainful employment!

[Netfoot]

In bed. Got an appointment at 8:00 tomorrow for a blood draw for a PT/INR. I am still on warfarin therapy which requires periodic tests to manage fluctuations. I've not had one in nearly 1½ years. Dr. Kristi said that because my blood viscosity was so stable I could manage without testing, but I think I should have a test done at least occasionally. 

But another complaint has cropped up and maybe she can assist me with that. I have been experiencing an irritation in my left eye for several weeks. It feels like a grain of sand. Or actually, like a bucket of sand. I've tried the usual flushing of the eye, folding one eyelid over the other, etc, with no success. And it has become quite irritating this evening. So maybe she will have a moment to peep into my eye and see if she sees anything.

I'm in bed at 9:30 and listening to Exit Music (For A Film) by Radiohead. This is from OK Computer, an album that is packed with flawless tracks from end to end. It's one of the few albums I own that the entire album ended up in my playlist. Why am I in bed so early? Because I am tired. Did little all day but rest and I'm still tired. Up at seven in the morning, blood glucose, cop cup of coffee and a PT/INR at eight. So bed at nine. With a puppy in your arms.

Tomorrow afternoon I also pick up my last paycheque and get to see if I can afford a new tire or two. I don't have to drive to Cattlewash to get it, but head office at Lancaster is just as far away according to Google Maps. Of course, the real difference is that I don't have Horse Hill to traverse to get to Lancaster!

Anyway, baby is now snoozing on my right foot and I think I will douse the lights and snooze myself!

Edited November 3, 2023 by Netfoot

[Lamb18]

13 hours ago, Netfoot said:

But another complaint has cropped up and maybe she can assist me with that. I have been experiencing an irritation in my left eye for several weeks. It feels like a grain of sand. Or actually, like a bucket of sand. I've tried the usual flushing of the eye, folding one eyelid over the other, etc, with no success. And it has become quite irritating this evening. So maybe she will have a moment to peep into my eye and see if she sees anything.

I'm in bed at 9:30 and listening to Exit Music (For A Film) by Radiohead.

Netfoot, I'm glad that job is over. That site boss was a creep. He gave you a hard time because he could. I'd like you to find a job in a book store or a music store (with vinyl) or a toy/games store where they sell model airplanes. I can see a bunch of little boys crowded around you as you tell them about airplanes.

You might have a viral eye infection. I've had those a couple of times. They started out feeling like I had something in my eye, then it got worse and very painful. An anti-viral medication will take care of it, if that's what you have.

Ian Rankin (Scottish mystery writer) used "Exit Music" as a title for one of his books - the one where Detective John Rebus retires. Both Rankin and Peter Robinson liked to use song names as the titles of their books.

[Netfoot]

3 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

Netfoot, I'm glad that job is over. That site boss was a creep. He gave you a hard time because he could. I'd like you to find a job in a book store or a music store (with vinyl) or a toy/games store where they sell model airplanes. I can see a bunch of little boys crowded around you as you tell them about airplanes.

You might have a viral eye infection. I've had those a couple of times. They started out feeling like I had something in my eye, then it got worse and very painful. An anti-viral medication will take care of it, if that's what you have.

Ian Rankin (Scottish mystery writer) used "Exit Music" as a title for one of his books - the one where Detective John Rebus retires. Both Rankin and Peter Robinson liked to use song names as the titles of their books.

You describe pretty good jobs! If only I can find one of those!

The eye felt perfectly fine this morning and my Doctor was clearly very busy, so I only mentioned it in passing to the nurse. Now, the irritation is starting to flare up again. I can be foolish when I want to be. Anyway, I'm trying not to rub it. That will only make it worse.

I've read many of Rankin's books about Detective John Rebus (and Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke, whose character I also like), including Exit Music. I once set out to read them all, but have not achieved that yet. I've managed to read them all up to #17 (Exit Music, as it happens) but not 18 through 24.

The trouble is, after #17, Rankin introduced Inspector Malcolm Fox, who has a series of his own, but often appears in the Rebus books, starting with #18.. I thought it would be best to read some of those novels as well, so I could better understand who it was Rebus was interacting with. That makes finding all the books to read in sequence even harder on this small island. But I am still looking...

[Netfoot]

Just after midnight. It's been raining off am on most of the day. So much so that when we went on Garden Patrol, the ground was so sodden there were puddles on the lawn. I was going to rouse myself early and go to Brighton Market but I've decided not to do that. It's usually very dead when it's rainy. Even if it isn't raining tomorrow, the ground will still be waterlogged and the parking area will be a sea of mud. 

Mo went out and got thoroughly wet. I caught him heading for the bedroom to dry off on my bedclothes. I towelled him down all over, from nose to toes, which he liked. I had to sternly advise him not to go out and get wet again just to get another towelling! Right now he's lying on the floor near the door. I asked him if he wanted to come to bed but he remained essentially inert. The only part of him that moved were his eyes, which brightly followed my every move as I made to turn in. I believe he may join me later. I still have to go out and close the door, but I doubt he will choose to spend the night outside in this weather. 

Listening to some classic Deep Purple but doubt I will be awake to hear much more music because I am tired. It is late, after all. And I've got little aches and pains all over. Nothing bad though. Not now, anyway.

[Netfoot]

It rained off & on all day but it really began bucketing down around nightfall. It wasn't until almost 10 o'clock that the rain slowed to a heavy drizzle and Mo & I were able to make our Garden Patrol. The lawn was ankle deep in water and it was cold. We kept it brief, circling the garden once without undue delay. Back under cover Mo needed towelling off again so we did that after which I enjoyed a cup of coffee and Mo got a packet of Shirley biscuits.

I got told off today for not having found a new job yet. I want to first start the process of getting help for this cancerous kidney on my left side. Last time I had to make an appointment at QEH it took me 4:50 and they threw every obstacle in my path that they could. But I will simply sit through the 5:50 or however long I need to. Meanwhile my left eye is really beginning to irritate, and I'm getting pain in both heels, right toes, left knee (new, and quite bad) left hip, left elbow, right shoulder and both hands. Might have to get them to look at some of that as well.

Listening to Mummy Can't Drive by Angelfish. Developed from the Scottish band Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, they cut one little-known album before being dissolved. But while it was being promoted, their music video was played once, in the middle of the night I believe, on MTV. But it just so happened to be seen by one of the co-founders of the band Garbage. They took one look (listen?) at Angelfish vocalist Shirley Manson and invited her to join Garbage. I've probably mentioned more than once how much I love Shirley & Garbage.

Breakfast this morning was french toast with pepper, and sausages which I shared with Mo. Lunch was a pot of tuna rice with carrot & pak choy. Dinner? Corned beef & tomato sandwiches. Plus numerous cups of coffee thrown in at various points during the day. 

Something is happening inside my head. I sometimes find myself unable to exhale through my nose. It's like a valve closes and no matter how hard I push, no air escapes. It happens most when I try to blow my nose (and as life would have it o have a bit of a cold going on right now) but it is not limited completely to nose-blowing. It is very strange. And a little worrying.

The rain appears to.havevstopped, and I have the window open, but who knows if it will start again or not? It could easily do either one. 

Tired. Always tired....

[Spunkygal]

I agree….you have got to find out what is going on with your health! That entire process is such a huge investment in time and must come first! In the scheme of things, I believe that’s why you were let go from the job…so you could tend to yourself!

[andidante]

11 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I got told off today for not having found a new job yet. I want to first start the process of getting help for this cancerous kidney on my left side. Last time I had to make an appointment at QEH it took me 4:50 and they threw every obstacle in my path that they could. But I will simply sit through the 5:50 or however long I need to. Meanwhile my left eye is really beginning to irritate, and I'm getting pain in both heels, right toes, left knee (new, and quite bad) left hip, left elbow, right shoulder and both hands. Might have to get them to look at some of that as well.

Something is happening inside my head. I sometimes find myself unable to exhale through my nose. It's like a valve closes and no matter how hard I push, no air escapes. It happens most when I try to blow my nose (and as life would have it o have a bit of a cold going on right now) but it is not limited completely to nose-blowing. It is very strange. And a little worrying.

Good grief you have only been out of a job for three days! Not sure why people are giving you a hard time! And I totally agree with Spunkygal, you need to take care of you first! We are all very concerned about you. 

[Netfoot]

Got bitten by a dog, awhile delivering my laundry.

The coin is a local dime comparable in size to your own. That bite was on my lily-white thigh that never sees the light of day, and through the fabric of my trousers. I was carrying the laundry basket at the time and I smashed it down on the dog like a giant fly-swatter. It's just lucky that I wasn't wearing boots.

Mo Bites. He bites my nose. He nibbles my toes and chews on my fingers. But he isn't trying to hurt you. But this little monster was out for blood and got it. They say a dog has one bite. If he bites twice the authorities can mandate he be out put down. I very much doubt that I'm the first person that this little beast has bitten. Of course I won't call for the animal's destruction. But I should. 

The Dam At Otter Creek, by Live. This is from their Throwing Copper album. Generally considered a bloody good album, I wholeheartedly agree. I was driving home from work one evening when a track from this album (not this track, but Lightning Crashes) was played on the car radio. I stopped the car and wrote down the details of the song when they were given. It is a really excellent album with 14 or 15 excellent tracks.

It occurs to me that most music can be found on YouTube these days. (Checking...) Yes, I found a link for this track and have added it above. I don't plan to do that with every song but it's nice to know that when I start telling you about some obscure track, you could go and listen to it easily enough, if you were curious.

Had a great spaghetti meal this evening. The sauce was simple. Minced beef, onion, black beans, tomato (not much) and garlic seasoning. There is some of the sauce left over and I just might put it into a salt bread (sloppy Joe style).and have it for lunch tomorrow. Of course, I may not be here tomorrow at lunch. I plan to go down to QEH and get in the queue to make an appointment to see a doctor at the clinic regarding the kidney. Last time it took essentially 5 hours so if I aim to get down there at nine in the morning I could easily be there after two. They might be open from eight but eight fifteen is  more likely. Government are expected to be at work from eight and are paid accordingly, but thanks to union negotiations, they have to be given 15 minutes to prepare themselves for the job. Put down their handbags, matter with their mates about last night's TV, and so forth. So they don't actually begin to work until 8:15 as a rule. I could try to be there by then, but I'd rather not fight with rush hour traffic so I will leave home after 8:00 and join the line at the hospital when ever I get there.

It's been raining again today. Sometimes heavy, sometimes only a drizzle. Mo and I waited until it had slowed to a medium heavy drizzle to make our Garden Patrol. Once again, we didn't dawdle. Lying here in bed there is little sign of rain outside the window but that could change at any moment. Mo has been running in and out, flapping his ears and sending a spray of rainwater flying in every direction. Or curling up against my back and rolling around to dry off. He's just gone out again. 

Mo really is an interesting roommate. I woke this morning with the weight of a little body against my back. I chose not to move immediately because I was still tired. Eventually I reached over my shoulder to stroke his back. Imagine my surprise to discover that the little body I was feeling was one of my Crocs.....

Weird difficulty exhaling continues without explanation. If I ever go and see about the eye (still burning/itching)bi may ask about that too. Unfortunately I'm avoiding Dr. Kristi because I know she won't be happy about my losing my job. 

I was bemoaning the fact that I would have nothing to do for hours at QEH when I realized that I'd recently bought a book. The Quarry by Scottish author Iain Banks. Not much by way of a blurb but I have hopes it might be a fair read. I've read a couple of his before and they were pretty good. He also wrote Sci-fi novels under the name Iain M. Banks and they were pretty good too. Anyway, I will read a few pages tonight and get "stuck into it" before I take it with me tomorrow. 

Must try to find something to take with me that I can sit on. There are 16 chairs, if I recall, and it is highly unlikely I will get one if them, so I will have to sit on the floor because there is no way I'm standing up for 5 hours. Last time I was lucky to find a perch on the side of a flower bed but I can't count on that happening again. 

I'm actually contemplating taking my lunch bag with a liter of bottled water and a few snacks but not sure if that's a good idea or not.

Anyway, let me go and briefly see what Mr. Banks had to say before I lock up and try to sleep.

Edited November 6, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

It's 9:51 and I'm at QEH. I asked (to be sure) whether I should pull a number and wait in line. I was told to take my story in to Records, speak to a clerk and see what the status of my case was. The clerks have all "stepped out" so I am waiting for them to come back in. I was told not to pull a number but if course I pulled one as soon as I set foot in the place. Numbers can be discarded or given to someone else. When I pulled the number they were processing 606. My number was 656. Here comes a clerk now...

The clerk tells me I will have to make another appointment to see the same fool I saw last time. So, go out, Pullman number and wait. I'm waiting now. I can't sit on the edge of the same broken flower bed as last time, because it is under repair. So instead I am sitting on a broken water feature. Maybe next time I will be able to sit on a repaired flower bed and the water feature will be under repair?

Anyway, I'm sharing the water feature with 4 other people so I can't stretch out and my back is hurting already. Good thing I took two preemptive Panadol before leaving home! Unfortunately I can't see the LED display that says what number they are calling. But with 50 people in front of me, I don't think I have to wonder about that. I will go check the number every chapter or so and only reposition myself when they get close to 656. Yes, I brought my book. I also brought my lunch and my 2:00 PM medication.

By the way, the LED sign is broken too.it only displays the top half of the numbers properly, so some deciphering is required. 

Another thing that need doing: renew my drivers license which expires this month. Get an up-to-date UD card. I think the new "Trident" cards are a combination of ID, driver's licence, voting card and (probably) social credit score keeper. And apparently, I've got to take the van to have it "scanned" so their traffic cameras can recognize it. Presumably the long term effect will be that I can be automatically charged for things like using the highway, driving into town, failing to give way to a "big-up", having a breakdown at an inconvenient place & time.....

Anyway, better get stuck into this book.