TMI

Another thing that came out of Tuesday’s foray down into the Community Room was that a resident, new to the complex for about four weeks, brought her granddaughter down to wait for pizza delivery.

I don’t generally refer to folks in terms of ethnicity in this blog, but for purposes of telling the story it’s necessary to point out the new resident is a Hispanic lady.

When she walked in the door with the cute little blonde girl, around 11 years old, wearing a tee shirt that indicated she was into gymnastics, it was an obvious conclusion the girl was the woman’s granddaughter. It was also obvious the girl had some Black in her. She looked like a young Megan Markle.

Just an observation, meant nothing to me until grandma, at one point, said “It’s probably hard to tell, being blonde and all, that her dad is Black”.

“Not hard at all”, said I. “I could tell she was mixed the minute she walked through the door.”

Realizing my mouth had gotten away from me, I thought to temper what I’d said with, “She’s very pretty”.

Fortunately I wasn’t alone in not playing the game, having failed to pretend to be surprised, saying instead that it’s not that hard. Another new resident waiting for pizza delivery, chimed in an acknowledgment that it wasn’t hard at all.

I don’t really know what grandma was thinking that the child’s ethnicity isn’t obvious, but perhaps she thinks it’s cool to have a mix-raced family member and wanted to make sure we knew she’s a member of the club, so to speak.

Another thing that popped into my head later is the way Shadow described Apache’s attempt at fisticuffs.  He said Apache came at him, arms flinging wildly like a girl before others stepped in to save Apache from being knocked flat on his arse.

The image of Apache’s arms “flinging wildly like a girl” is now playing over and over in my head, causing me to occasionally LOL. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to not see that and be amused when I run into Apache from now on.

One last thing coming out of Tuesday’s session in the Community Room is a statement I made about the way Activity Director arrives on premise, then heads into Community Manager’s office, and there she stays chatting for a considerable time while residents do her job for her – pick up and deliver the pizzas, set up the tables, get signatures and distribute the pizzas.

“She’s always chatting while others do her job for her. Nice work if you can get it”, said I.

After Community Manager was called away by the school, because her son was injured, Activity Director had no choice but to join us in the Community Room.

BTW, the injury to Community Manager’s son turned out to be a sprained ankle.

But anyway, Activity Director announced she needs “volunteers” to make their involvement official. “Official” being fill out a form she presented, which form indicates a background check.

A background check to pick up pizzas and help out with other activities because Activity Director is a screw up?

The Seer and The Baker, who both help out with decorating the Community Room and organizing potlucks, said it’s ridiculous to have to go through all that for volunteering, but okay, sure.

The two ladies who use their own car to drive to the pizza place, pick up the pizzas and drive them back, using their own gas, said it’s ridiculous to go through all that for volunteering, no way will they submit to a background check. Activity Director said it's not a big deal, but you can't volunteer if you don't fill out this form and submit to a background check. The two ladies said, fine, we're done with volunteering.

I doubt they object because they have something to hide, because we all supposedly had background checks when we signed up for units in the complex, but you never know. Maybe there’s something management missed.

Will be interesting to see who picks up pizzas next week.

Activity Director also said she needs residents to give her copies of our medical cards. The purpose, or so she says, is to be able to arrange for on-site representation for plan members.

The office already has way too much information on my life documented in their office files, on their computers. They say everything is secure, but what’s secure in this day in age? There no such thing, so I’m not cooperating. I won't be giving them anything other than what they already have. And needless to say, I was done with volunteering a long time ago.

No News is Good News

Not a single solitary thing going on in my life. No drama, no excitement, no problems and I like it like that, which makes my long-time spiritual practitioner, now deceased, wrong.

Way back when life was overwhelming -- what with family problems, financial problems, dealing with racism and abuse of authority in work situations, I’d see my practitioner at least once-a-week and the Shaman, now also deceased, twice-a-year.

The Shaman would tell me what was coming, why others were doing what they were doing, which advanced knowing gave me a leg up, and the practitioner would meditate and lift me to a place where I could detach and stay high in consciousness under the bludgeonings of chance, bloody but unbowed as others went low.

I remember once saying to her, “Does it ever stop?”

“No, honey. Ninety percent of the world is here to challenge and test the other ten percent. It’s how we grow. Life would be boring without it.”

Well, I’m going through a period when the trials and tribulations in my personal life seem to have stopped and guess what ... I’m not bored.

So not bored that I started not to head down to the Community Room to people watch this Pizza Tuesday, even though I’d not had contact with others since last Tuesday. However, having nothing in my life to entertain you folks with, I decided to go down to see what the old people were up to.

Church Lady was once again back. Still looking for sympathy, she responded to my hello with an excuse for being there ... “I only came down because V_____ invited me to coffee”.

Did I ask? I just said "Hi".

At any rate, V______ interjected, “Yes. I told her she needs to come down more often”.

“You use to be here every day” said I.

“Not anymore” said Church Lady. “Nobody misses me anyway”.

Not wanting to go down that poor me road with her, I walked away. With all the serious things going on in the world right now, ain't nobody got time to acknowledge her little hurt feelings.

Catching up on the happenings, I learned Apache is still on that quest to get the pit bull off the premises. There was to be yet another big pow wow with the new Corporate Boss Lady, Community Manager and people Apache contacted from the county this afternoon, but Community Manager was called away around 11:30 on an emergency. The school called to say her son had been hurt.

Hopefully it’s just kid stuff and nothing serious.

With Community Manager called away, Assistant Manager missing in action, and Head Maintenance Guy (HMG) also missing in action, that leaves only Activity Director and Assistant Maintenance Guy to man the premises.

As to where Assistant Manager and HMG are today, no one knows. We’re guessing, however, that perhaps his wife is in labor.

What does that have to do with Assistant Community Manager being also missing in action you ask?

If HMG is at the hospital on baby watch, she'd be there with him because HMG is her nephew.

Which explains how he was able to get away with doing so little in the past, but he’s cool now. That shakeup with former Corporate Boss Lady being fired, former Assistant Maintenance Guy getting a write-up and then quitting, must have awakened him. Either that or he too got a warning from Corporate.

Upon remembering to ask what’s happened to the pregnant young lady living with her grandma, I learned she’s working now and also bought a car, which is why I’d not seen her in ages.

We’re waiting to see what happens once she delivers.

Will we be subjected to a baby wailing at 2:00 in the morning? Perhaps an echo with HMG's baby wailing from the west side of the complex, the young lady's baby wailing from the east.

Posted to the board was a sign-up sheet for a 4th of July Potluck next Tuesday, the 3rd.

This would be the first time Activity Director actually scheduled an event not days after, but actually more timely -- the day before.

Asked if I was planning on attending, I said probably not because Activity Director’s events are boring. But it looks like us seniors won’t be doing our own thing – a barbeque, music, dancing, because Apache and Shadow are fighting, even came close to blows I’m told, other residents had to jump in and separate them, and since those two are usually the ones to get those impromptu get-togethers started, I’m guessing not this time and I’ll have to drop in and satisfy myself with Activity Director’s event.

As to why the boys are fighting, there's nonsensical reasons coming from both sides. However, from where I'm standing, it looks to me like Apache is jealous that he’s now not the only big dog on campus. Of course that's too much truth for Apache, he'll nut up on me if I tell him what I see. So I'm taking the role of Switzerland here, neutral territory, not saying anything to either side, just listening.

However, if the boys don't settle down, if the two do come to blows, rule is both will be evicted.

The Saga Continues

That would be the saga of the skull print onesie pajamas I’ve been trying to get my hands on since April.

After the first online order went awry, I reordered and had shipped to a different mall, as I mentally blamed the first store for failing to notify me the item had arrived and then losing it.

The second order indicated the item would arrive in 12 days ... call customer service if not notified by then.

I waited 15 days before calling customer service, who indicated the item had arrived almost nine days earlier.

After escaping today’s power outage by spending time running errands, including having a manicure/pedicure, I went to the mall.

Good news is they did have a package for me.

The clerk asked if she could open the package to verify the purchase.

I generally say, “No. Don’t bother” but this time I fortunately said, “Sure. Go ahead”.

I say “fortunately” because expecting to see an item with this print pattern on it.

I instead found an ugly blousy looking thing with this print pattern on it, and a shipping label indicating it was to have been sent to a woman in Atlanta.

I’m done.

Not only with giving up trying to purchase the skull print pjs, but ordering online from this particular retailer.

Returning to the complex well after the all clear on the power outage, I was met by the neighbor in the downstairs corner unit, across the quad – the resident I refer to in the blog as Nosey because she keeps an eye on everyone’s activities and isn’t shy about running out to her patio to eavesdrop on conversations.

She obviously saw me leaving at 9:00, she always does and greeted my return with “We made it -- but that was a long boring four hours”.

What with meditating, needlepoint and three books I'm trying to make time to read, I could have easily done the four hours without being bored, but I had to escape because I can’t do anything in a hot upstairs unit, facing the sun, with no A/C.

At any rate, all seemed well when I returned and nothing in the fridge appeared to have thawed any.

Tomorrow is movie night. Casino Lady said she got her hands on Jumanji with Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black.

Sounds like a movie I'd like to see, but after that experience of trying to enjoy Black Panther with rude attendees chit chatting, I said never again and I meant it -- just like I'll never order again from that online retailer.

Pizza and Potluck

Another Tuesday here at the senior complex means pizza for the folks. In addition, Activity Director being not present last week to arrange for a Father’s Day activity, she scheduled the Father’s Day celebration for today – sandwiches, sodas, whatever other dishes the seniors wished to contribute.

I was in the Community Room earlier catching up with the folks, but headed back to my unit just as the 1:00 celebration was being set up, so I can’t tell you what dishes were served and how many fathers attended, but generally only two or three. That’s not including The Seer and I who consider ourselves fathers as we were both single parents doing the job of father and mother for our children.

Bingo is at 2:00 and since it’s not Activity Director’s boring bingo but an outside agency coming in trying to sell us medical insurance, bingo is likely to be more engaging with better prizes.

I’m trying to motivate myself into heading back down for that, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to tear myself away from the couch, television, laptop and needlepoint.

Notices were finally received by residents via snail mail that the power will be off on Thursday. Instructions are to unplug electronics, just to be on the safe side in case of a surge. As for refrigeration, everyone is hoping things won’t thaw out during the outage and perhaps the outage time will be shorter than the estimated 9:00 to 1:30 p.m.

Hopefully, because I’ve still quite a lot of frozen items in the freezer department I’d like not to lose.

I finally did get around to making that Chicken Curry recipe that beat Bobby Flay. It was barely edible, and certainly didn’t taste like it could beat anyone, let alone a famous chef.

Probably my fault. I’m just not good in the kitchen, even when following a recipe. Consequently, a freezer full of frozen products.

Church Lady was back in the Community Room this morning and, when I left, she was looking forward to bingo. So, I guess she’s over being upset that the Seer and Shadow called her out on talking the church talk but not walking the church walk.

She doesn’t appear to have learned anything from it however, because the Seer has on good authority Church Lady is still spouting venom to anyone who will listen to her here on the complex and in church.

Speaking of never learning, while in the Community Room Loosie Goosey received a phone call congratulating her on winning $9,000. “Sure", I sarcastically said. "Just send us $10,000 and we’ll send you the $9,000”.

“I know”, said she “Because they already got me”.

“What?! How?! When?!”

“I’m embarrassed to tell you …. it was last month”.

Loosie isn’t that old and being the tough from New York with a mouth on her type, she’s certainly not a pushover, but somehow fell for it, rushed over to Walmart and did as the caller was instructing … bought pre-paid cards, something about putting money into Amazon. They even instructed her to try to borrow more money when she ran out. All told, the caller conned her out of $500.

When I asked, “How did you fall for that?”, the answer was “Desperate. The idea of getting $9,000”. And when I asked, “When did you realize it was a scam?”, the answer was “As soon as I walked out of Walmart”.

She was off in another direction before I could get further details as to what it was that caused her to realize she’d been conned (probably because the caller, at this point, having gotten the money, hung up on her) but, inasmuch as the scammers now appear to have her on speed dial and are calling yet again, at least she knew to hang up this time.

I myself don’t even answer my cellphone if I don’t recognize the number. I figure if I don’t answer and it’s important, a message will be left.

Hard to believe, in this day and age, with so many warnings that intelligent people still fall for that particular scam.

Well, 2:00 has come and gone, bingo is in process but, comfortably settled inside, I’m not going back down.

Community Day

It was a relief waking up this morning to the inside thermostat registering 82 degrees with a breeze coming from outside once I opened the patio doors, rather than 90 plus, because it meant not only did I not have to run the A/C at 7:00 in the morning but also I would not have to break the rules today, as I’d planned to do.

Desperately in need of Pokéballs, and today being PokémonGo’s June Community Day, there was no way I was going to be able to walk the University Campus in "extensive heat", so I’d planned to do what we are cautioned not to do – drive around, albeit slowly, in the air-conditioned car and play while in motion, with an eye out for campus security.

It was a good thing that plan to be a rebel did not materialize, because the first car I saw when I turned onto the lot was security. I also saw this ...

Dang it!

The event requiring me to have a parking sticker, or park off campus, turned out to be graduation.

However, since security did not react when I drove onto campus, I decided to take my chances, park where I normally park, and hit up as many PokéStops as I could before chances of the car being ticketed seemed looming.

I didn’t end up with a full backpack, but what I managed to collect before time ran out will have to do.

I had no protein in the house, because I’d had to cook all the fish and chicken in the freezer because, last week, the utility company emailed a Maintenance Power Outage Alert indicating transformer upgrade on Thursday, 6/21 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Funny thing is that when I mentioned the outage at Pizza Tuesday, no one else seemed to know about it. It can’t just be my unit and I would think the utility company would send out snail mail notices to everyone in the complex, not just those of us with online access.

But we’ll see how the neighbors manage on Thursday. I myself made plans to spend the no A/C no television no computer time in the spa having a manicure/pedicure.

At any rate, I’m still working on cooking the frozen turkey meatballs I’d made, riced cauliflower, and frozen brussel sprouts, but today I felt like trying Palak’s Beat Bobby Flay Chicken Curry recipe, as seen in the last episode of Food Network Star. So, after the campus, I stopped by the market for chicken and saw the strangest thing.

Two young ladies, who looked like college students, had purchased some sort of leafy greens, potatoes, carrots, radish BUT instead of bagging individually in those thin little clear bags one finds at the end of every row in the veggie department, they’d piled them all in one bag.

I couldn’t figure out if they were trying to put one over on the cashier or didn’t know any better. It did appear that the potatoes, carrots and radish were kind of mixed in with the leafy greens so as to disguise their presence, but who knows. Either way though – on purpose or not, the casher caught it and meticulously separated the individual items and rang them up.

If it was an attempt at shoplifting, at least the girls were thinking healthy.

Once back in my unit, ready to start on that recipe, I realized it calls for tomato puree.

I’m all out of puree, so curry will have to wait until tomorrow.

Best laid plans.

Other than needlepoint and preparing for the outage, I’ve been spending time on the couch, watching the world go by. That feeling I had of something bad happening turned out to be a family member going through a rough time and being depressed about a recurring theme in her life. Self-reflection and change is the solution, but some of us have a hard time in seeing ourselves objectively and have egos so strong, yet fragile, as to not be able to hear what others have tried to point out so as to avoid recurrence.

Waking up is not an easy process. I’m hoping for the best.

While waiting for next week’s nail appointment, I’ve been doing my own nails and playing around with Mood Nail Polish.

This was the deep rich color of my nails at 8:30 this morning.

Two hours later, nails were yellowish green with a tye-die effect on the tips.

Getting out of the car at the university at 11:30, some nails were dark, others light.

So fun!

Pizza Tuesday

This morning started off with the mother of all senior moments. I neglected to put the coffee cup in place before I set the coffee maker to drip.

Fortunately, I caught the mistake before the spill made its way off the counter and onto the floor.

With nothing else on my schedule after the cleanup, I made my way down to the Community Room to see what the seniors were up to this Pizza Tuesday.

Nothing special going on. 

Pizza Tuesday is a lot more manageable since the old guy who didn’t like to follow the rules passed away. This would be the old guy who kept trying to touch the pizzas.

I’m not sure if I said before, but he passed away in December.

When Activity Director is not scheduled to be here, which she was not scheduled today, the Maintenance Guys pick up the pizzas. However, one of the residents volunteered to do that some time ago, and has been doing so on a regular basis.

Once the pizzas, wings, breadsticks are delivered, members of the Residents Volunteer Activity Committee take over the distribution process. However, Loosie Goosey – who has been known to be a bit of a bully at times, somehow managed to run them all off and take over that duty. She won’t accept help. She wants to do it all by herself.

Whatever.

Since none of the residents want to cross Loosie, there’s no more pushing and grabbing. Residents sit quietly and wait their turn. So, Pizza Tuesday has become a calm civilized boring affair.

Younger Sister arrived, sat next to me and I made the mistake of saying, “Hey, what have you been up to”.

That opened the door for her usual complaint of having nothing to do, being bored and wanting a different life than she now has.

Younger Sister has never worked, never lived independent of a family member – mother, brother, now here with her older sister, and has never been married, which is her basic complaint … “I want to experience being married, having children, a place of my own.”

The grass always looks greener.

Church Lady was not in attendance. She is still staying clear of the Community Room after saying there are demons in the room because The Seer and Shadow called her on being a two-faced hypocrite.

The truth hurts.

I caught a glimpse of Head Maintenance Guy’s expectant wife.

That woman’s stomach is HUGE, looks like there’s twins in there, but I have it on good authority it’s one little girl.

No word yet on a baby shower but, if there is to be one, it had better be soon.

Seeing her made me realize I’d not seen, for quite some time, the other one expecting a baby – the young lady living here as caregiver to her grandma. I meant to ask about her but, as soon as I had that thought, it was gone as another caregiver overheard Younger Sister lamenting about not having ever been married and chimed in that she’s been engaged three times, but never married.

“You’re smart”, I told her.

She said it was because she always figured them out and went on to say she’d been communicating with the 61-year old (She’s 65) brother of a church friend. They’d not gone out yet, but spoke frequently on the telephone. He’d tried to impress her with a lot of fast talk and bragging about what he had insofar as cars, homes, but then turned around and recently asked her to loan him $400. She hung up on him and blocked him from her phone.

Very smart lady.

That made me think about Shadow and The Seer.

Contrary to that dream I had of a wedding, Shadow has yet to put a ring on it but, well over a month ago, he did ask her to give up her unit and move in with him.

That’s quick work inasmuch as she’s only known him since he moved in the first week in March.

Fortunately, the answer was no because, as she put it, “I’m too set in my ways”.

But we’ll see how long she can resist his relentless pursuit.

I still don’t trust the guy. 

Not only has he's been caught lying about his background and accomplishments to others, he actually lied to me when he introduced a young weird acting girl to me as his adopted daughter, then told Apache she was some street kid he’d met down the street. 

That very day he introduced her to me, Shadow had to call the police to remove her from the property because she created a disturbance.

The Community Manager gave him a lease violation for bringing her in here, and though The Seer knows all about that episode, she doesn’t seem to question the who, what, why of it. I know he lied to her saying the girl was high on marijuana. She bought it without question, even after I went out on a limb and said to her, “That girl was high alright, but it was not marijuana”.

I’m also suspicious of the fact that with all this wining and dining and bringing flowers to The Seer, he had to borrow money from Apache. A few days later, he not only paid Apache back but bought a new car. Not brand new, but a nice used Malibu.

Hmmmm … broke one day, flush with cash the next, bringing in that street kid who was obviously into the drug culture.

Remember when I’d blogged The Seer was depressed and angry with the Universe because her prayer was not being answered? She was lonely for male company and wanted a man in her life. I think her inability to now see clearly, put the pieces together, is the result of her unwillingness to see Shadow as anything other than answered prayer.

I’m reluctant to say out loud to anyone what I think Shadow is into, but you reading this can probably put it together.

This relationship is like seeing an accident about to happen and all you can do is close your eyes so as not to see the carnage when it happens.

Time will tell.

Life is about choices and lessons to be learned.

Coming Up for Air

We’re not even into triple digits yet, but it’s been so hot since the last day I was out and about (the day I completed that 5K at the mall) that I’ve just been staying inside with the A/C blasting all day.

I’m scared to see my next bill, but it’s either run the A/C or die of heat stroke.

At one of our residents/management meetings, the Community Manager indicated one of her goals is to get all the windows and patio doors replaced with double-pane. My background being that of a poor ghetto girl, I had no idea what that was until I googled it and learned it’s window glass that keeps the heat out.

Yes, please and sooner rather than later.

Keeping to myself all these many days, working on the Black Panther needlepoint, listening to myself think, nothing to blog about, just watching the thoughts and feelings flowing through me, I’ve been getting the feeling something wrong is going on, but I can’t put my finger on who it involves and what it is.

Hopefully it’s not family, but I’m not going to make contact to find out if it is.

I really would rather not know because there’s nothing I can do about anything, because life is about choices and though I can see farther and deeper than those in my family, no one in the family recognizes this gift and appreciates or listens to what I have to say. So, my only recourse is to stand back and let them experience the results of the choices they make and hope for the best.

An old boyfriend crossed my mind – not the Arab attorney, but a 32-year-old long-haired drummer I dated when I was 50.

I googled his name and he came up on an obituary.

That was a surprise.

More surprisingly still was how recent it was. He passed on 3/17/18 of a cerebral hemorrhage and was buried on April 6.

Had he crossed my mind sooner and I’d learned of his passing, I probably would have attended the funeral.

He wasn’t a bad guy, just young, immature and eventually began trying my patience, which eventually got him shown the door.

His obit was white-washed with half-truths and glaring omissions.

Divorced from a Black woman, no children, he was drawn to me because I reminded him of her, which didn’t bother me in the least bit because I wasn’t serious about him. I was in it for the fun. He on the other hand eventually began sweating me for marriage. I declined, and probably for the same reason she divorced him -- because though fun to hang with, took me interesting places where I met interesting people, he was basically a loser, going nowhere in life, accomplished nothing other than hang out, travel and play with a few bands. His wealthy parents basically supported him his whole entire life and, in fact, he was living with his mom when he passed away.

I’m torn between feeling sorry he’s gone from this life, but thinking he now gets the chance to begin again and do better.

At any rate, the feeling something is wrong is still lingering, so what I’m sensing is not about him.

Tomorrow is Pizza Tuesday. Might be a good idea to check in and see what’s happening with the seniors.

It’s National Running Day!

A global event “that encourages everyone to get moving. It doesn’t matter how fast you run or how far you go—what’s important is that you take part, and how you do it is up to you. Run a lap around your block, take your dog for a long walk, or call your friends for a pick-up game in the park. The important thing is that you have fun being active—and you inspire others to join you.”

I did my part and finished the Virtual Copper Bones Goonies 5K.

3.16 Miles @ 1:18:11

And, in the process, earned another shiny medal.

Inasmuch as we’ve had extensive heat warnings every single day since last Friday, I got up early this morning, and headed for the nice cool indoor mall, arriving a little after 8 a.m.

Would you believe the outdoor weather was perfectly cool for walking?

Go figure.

It was so nice out that I did the first two miles around the outside perimeters of the mall, finishing the last mile or so inside, still ahead of stores and kiosks opening. As I was leaving, everything was just beginning to open, and the weather outside did warm up quite a bit, so it was a matter of perfect timing.

As I began that last mile inside, I’m guessing around 9:30, a guy introducing himself as Director of Security walked up and handed me a flyer indicating “As a reminder, there is no public access for mall walking allowed before 7:30 a.m. for your protection. If you are found walking prior to that, you will be asked to leave the mall”.

No problem here. It took great determination to get me up and out and at the mall as early as I was this morning. But, I wonder if this flyer is because something bad happened.

It’s a nice mall, in a nice area, but I guess creeps are always looking for an opportunity to catch us off guard where creeps are least expected – like the pervert that cornered me at the mail box day after Thanksgiving.

It’s a sad commentary on life that one has to constantly be ready for the unexpected.

At any rate, inasmuch as I was on that side of town and I’m still having a problem getting nice sweet apples at the market in my area, I next headed for the market in the new shopping center I mentioned a few posts back, with first a pit stop by the Senior Center in that area.

It must have been around 10:00 by then and that senior center was popping.

The computer room was full of people, the craft room was full, a tap dance class was in progress, the breakfast café was full, there was a counter selling jewelry and china knickknacks, and there were people all over the place.

Such an active area – that’s inside the senior center and runners, walkers, bike riders in the surrounding area.

You don’t see much of being active around here. All my neighbors want to do is eat. They won't attend an event unless food is involved, and when I go out walking the neighborhood, there’s this one guy I see running in one direction and a woman who runs in the other direction.

That’s it.

I’d love to live in the area of that senior center, soak up all that active energy, but I've checked and it’s waaaay too pricey for my budget.

Looks like the Center's entryway statue has been moved, because I had my photo taken with the old folks when I first visited the center back in 2006 and there was a wall in the backdrop. Now there’s a window.

Busted!

I didn’t even know I was doing anything wrong, until I opened today’s mail and found not one, but two Notices of Toll Evasion.

My first thought was this must be a mistake. I don’t know nothing about being on a Toll Road.

Double checking the license plate traced to me was when I realized I didn’t know the license number on the new Jeep. Not finding that info on any of the records I had upstairs, I had to go down to the parking area to double check.

Yep, it was my car doing the so-called evading.

Seeing the violation occurred in Irvine, location of the Great Donut Run, I could only deduce the GPS sent me via a road I should not have been on, and it directed me to that road both going and coming, thus two violations.

Inasmuch as I would have noticed a Toll Booth, pulled in and paid, I’m thinking this is some kind of a traffic trap, but inasmuch as $230 in penalties is being waived because “Our records show that this is the first time you drove on The Toll Roads without paying”, I’ll just pay and be done with it. Especially since it’s only $6.53 x 2 today, but will go up to $206.53 x 2 on 6/27.

Nice little racket they have going on in Irvine.

I don’t drive out-of-the-area all that much, but it might be a good idea to look into a FasTrak, just to be on the safe side.

Nothing to See Here Folks

Seriously. Literally nothing to see here.

Busy indoors finishing up that memory album and learning how to prepare meals in an Instant Pot, I’ve not made contact with any of the regulars and, with only two things worth mentioning on the June calendar of events – the Father’s Day event on the 19th, and a Residents/Management meeting on the 21st, I’m not likely to be catching up on what’s going on with the folks anytime soon.

I did run into Handsome Guy as I was picking up mail the other day.

“You’re a person I don’t see out and about often”, says he.

“I’m usually busy with my crafting and television shows, but I did come down for the Memorial Day Barbeque. You missed a good time. We had a ball”.

“Nobody told me”, says he.

That is so tiresome. Tiresome because it's an excuse he used before, and I didn't let him get away with it when he used it back then. Instead, I chastised him with “It was on the calendar. You really should read it” and here he is again wanting us to chase him, give him an engraved invitation to events. It's making him begin to look weak and less handsome to me.

This needing someone to hold his hand is just not an attractive quality.

Received notification of a three-day meditation retreat coming up in the area of Venice Beach. Having missed that retreat last year and the year before because of the gut issues, now that I’ve got a handle on how to avoid getting sick, I began looking for a hotel in that area with a kitchen.

I couldn’t find one, but did find one with a microwave -- within walking distance of the hotel where the retreat is being held.

Researching what kind of meals I could create in a hotel microwave, it wasn't looking workable. But then, I ran across an article touting Instant Pots for hotel cooking.

After looking at a few videos, reading how others have used the pot in hotels, I decided that instrument would free me from being stuck with inns with stovetops, ran out and picked one up.

It’s lightweight, so I won’t have any problem transporting it and the test meals I’ve made in it so far come out with more flavor than stove top and oven bake, so I’m thinking this is my answer to being able to attend not only this meditation retreat, but other travels without worrying about how not to get sick.

Not the meditation retreat in Hawaii, however. That meditation retreat was on my bucket list, but the angry volcano changed my mind about that.

A coworker and I treated ourselves to a Hawaiian vacation away from our troublesome teens back in ’88. It was fun. It was interesting.

However, we were stuck in the airport when our return flight was delayed for hours and hours and hours. It bothered me greatly that I couldn’t help myself (rent a car or find another way home) because I was stuck on an island, with the only way out being the airline. So the idea of being stuck on an island with an angry volcano, and the possibility of everyone fighting to get out and survive, is something horror movies are made of. So no.