Thursday, October 31, 2019

Happy Halloween???

Having awakened to the smell of smoke and news of a new fire in the area, only time will tell if this is going to be a Happy Halloween.
I don't remember hearing sirens or helicopters during the night, but the Hillside fire is only 1.5 miles away (thus the smell of smoke inside) ─ over by the Dog Park, a Starbucks, the Golf Course and the school where a husband walked into the classroom and killed his wife last year/year before.
The Archeologist lives smack dab in the middle of that area.
Having just run into her at the market two days ago, I know it’s just she and the kids, as her husband is out of town on business.
Checking Facebook for her status, I learned she’d been impacted in a big way.



Hopefully her home is intact when she's allowed to return.
With the University having been closed two/three days in a row, the Archeologist evacuated, I decided to take no chances at the fire spreading and jumping this way, or power being cut so, instead of dilly dallying around this morning, I quickly got myself fed, bathed and dressed ─ in my Bat Woman outfit from the recent 5K because, if our luck holds out here at the complex ... if the day continues to be business as usual for us, directly after working out in the pain cave, I’ll be heading to the Community Room for the costume contest party.
Silly as it seems, I also made the bed and straightened up things in the unit ─ all the while asking myself why I was hurrying to do so because, if we ended up in danger, how put together this unit is will not much matter, especially if it burns.
It’s always bad around here during fire season, but this season is the worst ... crazy scary.
On another note, a less scary note, Mildred posted a clip from Witches of Eastwick, saying Jack Nicholson always gets her in that scene and asked readers to “Post a Movie Scene” that gets them.
For me, it’s a scene from The Closer, where Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson has been ordered to humiliate herself by apologizing to three higher ups for having embarrassed them by being better at her job than they were at theirs.
Is it weird that I long ago recorded that scene and keep it on my cellphone? 


Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Cupcake Wars

Yesterday’s event was a smashing success, but it always is when the Residents Volunteer Activity Committee (RVA) is involved.
The RVA has age and experience on its side, while our younger Activity Director, though an okay girl, struggles to find ways to draw a crowd.
Activity Director was on the premises (I saw her car in the parking lot), but she had the good sense to not come into the Community Room, ask us sign in so Corporate could take credit for a successful event.
Though I wasn’t able to fit decorating into my schedule, I did stick around long enough to learn how to make graveyard dirt out of Oreo cookies and to snap a few photos of cupcake decorating in progress.




A young visitor, popping in to see her grandpa, used the Oreo dirt, gummy worms and came up with this cute graveyard cupcake.



Heading out, I managed to snap a photo of this over the top cupcake, which I thought was winning Cupcake Wars.


It’s the creation of a new resident, one who has already earned herself a reputation of being desperate ─ because she’s so aggressively coming onto the men.
This new resident upset Church Lady last week, because Church Lady has formed a bond with the old guy who moved into my quad October of last year ─ the man whom Nosey described as Black and not walking so good”.
He’s a quiet old guy, does appear to have trouble moving but, with the aid of a walker, slowly gets around and still drives.
I’d noticed some time ago that he and Church Lady were spending a lot of time together, and made an assumption they’d made a special bond.
Sure enough, it was just last week when Church Lady pulled me aside to say Quiet Old Guy had asked her, “Will you be my friend?”
I thought, how cute. Both are younger than I, but neither is in good shape ─ he on a walker, she can't seem to straighten her spine and uses a cane. So being each other’s “friend”, in their mutual poor conditions, takes on a sweet rather than sensual meaning.
At any rate, when Church Lady was telling me about being asked to be his friend, she pointed to that new resident and said, “See that woman over there? I don’t appreciate her hanging all over ___. He asked ME to be his friend and here she comes, sitting at our table, wearing a low cut top showing all of this (indicating buxom) and hugging on him".
I was amused, but held it in, didn’t show amusement on my face, because Church Lady was serious.
So serious that she asked me to pray on the situation.
God has bigger more pressing issues to attend to than helping Church Lady hang onto a man, thought I. So, I did not agree to pray, but diverted her from the request by saying, “You have nothing to worry about. He chose you because you’re a lady. He seems a gentleman, not likely to want a hoochie mama type”.
I could have been wrong because, at the cupcake event, Church Lady cornered me and said something about, “He asked ME to be his friend, but he came in and ...” We were interrupted, so I didn’t catch the rest of what she said ─ didn't really care and am almost to the point of telling Church Lady to cut it out/grow up, but I did see the new resident (let’s call her Hoochie Mama) greet Quiet Old Guy by hugging him and kissing his cheek.
Sometimes, around here is like high school all over again, LOL.
At any rate, as I was saying, at first glance, I thought Hoochie Mama’s over the top cupcake was great. But late yesterday afternoon, while editing and posting photos taken to the residents facebook page, it gave me pause when I noticed that long piece of candy precariously dangling strategically under the skeleton.



I refuse to think it’s me, having a dirty mind, imagining this to signify what it looks to signify, but rather, considering Hoochie's repuration,  it is exactly the x-rated thing Hoochie intended it to be.
Oh well. It’s on the facebook page now.
I wasn’t able to post my creations to the facebook post. I did my decorating late that afternoon, in my unit, and couldn’t figure out how to add additional photos to the already published post.
My decorating skills fell far short of the gore I’d intended and came out rather cute as I recreated ideas I’d previously seen on Pinterest.

Bloody Claw Marks

Mummy

Smashed Witch

Next up is Thursday’s Halloween Costume Party.
The mother of the little girl who made the graveyard cupcake said she’d bring her by so we could see her costume.
I’m going to have to run to the market, pick up some treats for her trick or treat bag.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Craft Day

Today is the Cupcake Decorating event.
The winds have been howling through the complex. So loud the other night that I mistook the sound for thunder.
It confused the PokémonGo app as well.
Checking the app to see if there were any Halloween Pikachu in the area, the game showed rain outside, when there clearly was not.
The good news is we still have power. So, with nothing bad going on near enough for us to be concerned about, and with our power thus far being a go, today is business as usual.
Not so with the university down the street. Without the usual advanced notice, their power was cut for a third time ─ mid-morning yesterday, without warning, while operations were in full swing, leaving some folks trapped in elevators.
I just don’t know if the outages, and threats of outage, are really serving a purpose.
Cupcake decorating doesn’t start until 11:00, which will give me time enough, before I leave for the pain cave, to take a few pics, but may not allow time for me to do any decorating.
Having watched so much of Food Network’s Halloween shows this month, it’s in my mind to try my hand at something gory. So, if not enough time to decorate with the seniors, I’ll just take one or two cupcakes upstairs, do my decorating when I return.
Hopefully, Apache won’t come to the event wearing his Make America Great hat, beating his chest at his hero having killed an Isis leader. But, if he does, I’ve got the duct tape all ready to go. Except, I saw on one of your blogs where “Great” had been peeled back and “Russia” was revealed, turning the phrase into “Make Russia Great Again”. I thought that much better than my idea to change Apache’s hat to “Make America Suck”.
He ain’t gone like it. Lol.
What Apache will like is that I did indeed turn those images, received from 45’s reelection organization, into a gift with Apache's name on it.

Side 1

Side 2

Could not decide on which image liked best, so I made back to back different images. Encased in a sealed holder, looks  pretty darn legit. ROFLMAO!
When I first blogged about those images, Mike commented “We need a card that just says Impeachment Official.
Here you go Mike. This one’s for you :-)




And while we’re on the subject of 45, it made me sooooo happy to read he was booed, and there were chants of “Lock him up”, at the game. That guy feeds on being pandered to, so those boos and chants will torture him forever.
I love it!
As I type out this post, I’m listening to the news.
It was just said there was a hero dog involved in the overtaking of the Isis leader, and that the dog would be invited to the White House.
I hope the dog declines the invite ─ barks, “Thanks, but no thanks”.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Endorphin Less

Saturday’s 5k was not the endorphin high I usually get. Instead, I arrived back at the complex sore all over and completely drained of energy.
Not sure if it was the heat or the boredom.
Few were in attendance.

I reasoned the poor attendance on this being an inaugural event, mostly known about by friends/family of firefighters and first responders. The organizers were dependent on word getting out to “grow the event”, but it was not advertised through the regular channels (I myself learned of it last minute, and only because I happened to drive up on the electronic sign).
And, because of the fires, though there were some firefighters/first responders representing, those the organizers had depended upon to populate the 5k were out battling the flames.





So, there were few in attendance ... it was a little too hot/humid ... and then there was the course ─ six times around a circular path with nothing to see. It was boring, like watching Nascar with feet instead of cars, and I couldn't just slow down, try to stroll and enjoy the walk while  listening to music on the iPod, because us walkers were being paced around the course by a group of full geared flag carrying firefighters leading the charge.
I did feel for those in gear, no doubt using the event to condition themselves to the rigors of the job. There were a few who actually ran, with either a pack on their back or in gear.



No medals at the finish line, but we were encourage to keep the badge of the 9/11 fallen hero included in our packet and to read his story.

My badge was Eugene Whelan.



The race was on the "honor system" … not timed, not monitored; and I don’t know if it was this “honor system”, the heat, the boredom or the fact there was no medal at the end, but I saw participants up ahead opting to not finish. They left the course. At one point, I turned around and found those behind me had also dropped out, leaving me to finish last in line behind our pacers.
Oh well. The organizers described the event as “an experience”, and it was that ... a boring experience!
No disrespect to fallen heroes, but not my kind of thing.

Friday, October 25, 2019

So Far So Good

Waking up Thursday morning, fully expecting to find power shut off, I was pleasantly surprised to find everything around here was still a go.
Same thing this Friday morning.
Us seniors have so far been lucky, but we’re still not out of the woods.
With fires raging all around us, it’s unnerving to say the least.
We’re taking it a day at a time as the latest message from the utility company is that it “continues to explore options for a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in your area. No power has been shut off at this time. We are identifying circuits in that area that might be affected by dangerous high winds in high fire risk areas”.
I don’t know how they “identify circuits that might be affected by dangerous high winds”, but the college must fit the bill because their power was cut, causing the college to close down for the second time.
Stopping  into the Community Room after yesterday’s workout, I found Apache wearing his “Make America Great” hat.
That guy just LOVES controversy.
However, everyone is wise to this tactic of trying to get a rise out of someone and ignored the hat.
That is everyone except me.
Though Apache would have liked otherwise, our relationship is that of an annoying little brother/older sister (he's ten years younger). Consequently, I can say things to him that would rise to the level of a loud argument with someone else saying it, so I went with “You wearing that damn hat again? What are you gonna do with it when they impeach him?”
“He’ll be finishing up another four-year term before that happens”, Apache countered.
God forbit, but 45 is slippery, will do anything to escape consequences of his actions, with the support of his self-involved party and unillumined base, so it could happen.
Oh well.
But next time I see Apache wearing that hat, I’m going to write “suck” on duct tape and stick it over the words “great again” changing his hat to “Make America Suck”.
Apache would love what came in this morning’s mail ..... an opportunity to choose one of three styles and own your very own Impeachment Defense Badge.






Crafty girl that I am, I might type Apache’s name into one of these and turn it into a gift.
Topic in the Community Room turned to cancellation of the cupcake decorating event, and us seniors decided to fund the event ourselves.
We don’t need no stinking Corporate or Activity Director.
Baker said she’s got a couple boxes of cake mix in her unit, will make the cupcakes, and we took up a collection and gave her $20 to purchase icings and other decorating supplies.
So, Cupcake Decorating next Tuesday is a go but, I’m going to take a leaf out of Apache’s book of life and stir up some anarchy.
When Activity Director hosts an event, we are required to sign in, as proof Corporate has met its obligation to provide social services to us seniors, something for which they get a tax break.
It's technically Activity Director's event, so she will be present but, inasmuch as she is not funding it, I’m going to encourage the seniors not to sign in.
No ill towards Activity Director, but Corporate should not be getting credit/meeting its quota on this one.
It’s only fair.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Homage to Halloween



Looking at the elaborate Halloween decorations gracing the patios of our seniors, I got bit by the decorating bug, but too late to get a Frankenstin doormat I saw online in a timely manner.
Lucky me ... out and about running errands this morning, I walked up on that wreath in the craft store.
Not only was it marked down to $14 from $50, but it matched my nails.


So, a wreath on the door is my homage to Halloween.
Because of my gut issues, I burst out laughing when I saw these party plates, because it’s pretty much what my gut says to me when I even so much as THINK of putting some forbidden treat in my mouth.


No need for the plates, I restrained myself and did not impulse buy.
I also admired, but did not impulse buy, Home Depot’s animated spooky tree.



Driving away from Home Depot, I passed an electronic road sign advertising a 5K this Saturday.
Upon researching the event, once back at the complex, I learned it’s a doable 19-minute drive, “was created to honor the heroic life and death of a New York City firefighter who lost his life on September 11, 2001 after strapping on his gear and running through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers” and “Honor all of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and support our first responders and military who make extraordinary sacrifices in the line of duty!” ... “We will also provide every registrant with an FDNY Hero badge from 9/11 so that they all can be carried over the finish line!”
Cool, but I don’t think we get to keep the badge.
Seeing that electronic sign just hours away from the close of online registration, I took as meant for me to see, so I registered ─ even though, according to what I’m reading in the frequently asked questions, a medal at the finish line seems questionable and the event is looking to be a somber rather than fun event.
“FAQs: Will there be awards for running? Yes, we keep them very simple since our mission is to honor first responders, most of our awards are based on firefighters, police or military running in gear. This event is intended to be an experience and much more than a run.”
So, a serious event rather than a fun run, and vague as to a medal, but worst case scenario, I’ll get in some weekend exercise.

Again?

Yesterday’s Fall Crafts Class didn’t happen.
Activity Director showed up 10:00, per schedule, but announced that, because we are once again without a Community Manager, there was no one to disperse the budget ─ supply her with money for supplies.
Though she said she’s trying to work something out with Corporate, I’m guessing next week’s Cupcake Decorating Class won’t happen either.
Oh well.
In addition to the daily emails from No. 45 whining that “It’s a COUP. They want to steal the election”, asking me to “Stand with me against Pencil-Necked Adam Schiff”, “This is BS. We need to fight back”, “Be my VIP guest in Chicago” and one from Jr. that “My father is asking about you” there was once again this from the utility company:
“Due to forecast fire weather conditions, Southern California Edison is exploring a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff of electrical lines in your area. These conditions may result in SCE turning off your power. SCE anticipates that this may occur on Thursday, October 24, 2019 though it may occur earlier or later depending on actual weather conditions. We encourage you to prepare by having an outage plan and emergency kit. SCE will send daily updates until conditions improve.”
What?!
Again?
So tiresome, but I’ll be preparing with boiled eggs, pick up bananas and apples while out and about today, making more of the grain-free crackers and calling it a wrap.
And speaking of tiresome, the wife beater and his spouse put on a show of solidarity by showing up for crafts yesterday ... both of them ... together ... at the same time. Something they’ve never done before.
She rarely shows up for crafts
He’s never made an appearance at crafts. It’s not a guy thing around here.
The way they sat ─ alone, at the biggest table, her head chin up in a proud stance, lips tight in defiance. His head posed straight ahead, eyes looking like he wanted to be friendly but dared not because she obviously did not want him to be.
It was a performance, a statement to all of us.
We saw it, we got it, and none of us cared. Our focus was disappointment at there being no crafts and how Corporate should have planned for dispersal of the budget.
The news is on as I write this post. I wasn’t paying attention to it until Duchess Megan popped up on the screen. Evidently, she and baby Archie are spending Thanksgiving Holiday in the USA. No mention of hubby joining her.
I’m glad she’s getting out of that country, even if it’s only for a few days.
Talk about being an abused wife … and not by her husband, but by an entire country.
Maybe she’ll decide having married Harry isn't worth the drama, and never go back.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Fire on Little Mountain

I'd just mentioned in that last post of having gotten renters’ insurance because of all the fires on little mountain and wouldn’t you know.
Along about 4:00, it sounded like Armageddon outside — dozens of fire vehicles racing down the street, sirens blaring.
My thoughts immediately turned to the Pacific Palisades fire, thinking that maybe they were headed that way to assist, but that area is more than an hour and a half away, so couldn’t be that … has to be something going on in our area.
Not smelling smoke, not hearing neighbors in a commotion outside, and totally engrossed in needlepoint work, I pushed the sirens out of my mind until 2 hours later when I heard helicopters overhead.
Stepping out onto the patio, I found 5 helicopters hovering over the complex. That could only mean yet another fire on Little Mountain.
Jumping onto Facebook, found the fire to be on the other side of the mountain — “16 fire engines, four chiefs, aircraft and two hand crews, making up roughly 75 firefighters total”.
I’ve a former coworker, now friend who lives on that side. The flames came close to her home that last time and I’ve not seen a posting from her yet as to how she fared this time.
My friend the Archeologist could see the flames from her front yard.
By 8:00, it was contained ─ homes lost but no loss of life.
Arson is suspected.
Time to revisit the go-bag.
On another topic, I called it correctly when I said I’d not be surprised to see the wife beater forgiven and back.
Heading to the Community Room this morning, to sign up for next week’s Halloween Costume Contest, I passed the wife at the mail box, said “Hey” without stopping to engage in conversation, entered the building, and there he was seated in the foyer at the far end of the hallway, by the Community Room door.
He waived.
When I got to where he was seated, I stopped just long enough to say “You still here?”
“I’m back for a few days, then I’m going to rehab”, said he.
Having been an abused wife myself, having to grab my 6 month old twins and flee for my life with the clothes we had on our backs, starting over with nothing, my heart is hardened against the both of them  that they've allowed this to go on through 33 years of marriage into what should now be their golden years. I just don't want to hear it. So, assuming “rehab” meant blaming his activities on overuse of prescription medication, said “Good luck with it” and then went about what I was there to do.
I’d been pondering for days about what to bring to the Halloween event.
Creepy deviled eggs are out of the question.
What with working out and needlepoint, I just don’t have the time or the inclination.
I looked at a couple recipes and found I could pretty quick make witch fingers out of premade cookie dough but, yet again, I don’t want to take time away from needlepoint for that. I decided the least I could do, after having disrupted next week’s Bingo, was to spring for deli fried chicken  ─ which the seniors love almost as much as bingo.
How did I disrupt Bingo you ask?
Well, I’d not initially planned to go to the Halloween event because the Resident Volunteer Activity Committee (RVA) advertised it as “Halloween Costumed Bingo, Thursday, October 31, 12 noon”.
When Apache and the Baker, both of whom spearhead the RVA, asked if I was coming, I said no, that I’d not be back from the Pain Cave until 12:15/12:30, and I wasn’t interested in bingo, they changed Halloween Bingo to Halloween Costume Contest/Potluck, 1:00.
So sweet of them, but bingo is huge around here. I’m going to be a marked woman if any of the seniors find out my schedule/my dislike of bingo is the reason there’s no bingo next week.
So, there’s that.
Heading back to my unit, I spotted the wife beater and his spouse in Assistant Manager's office. Getting him back on the lease I imagine.
The calendar for tomorrow indicates … “Fall Craft 10:00 – 12:00”.
Crafting is my thing, so hopefully Activity Director will actually show up at 10:00 — which will give me at least an hour to participate before I have to leave for the Pain Cave.
We’ll see.
P.S. I may have spoken too soon about the fire being completely contained because, it's 11:55 PM, I'm just finishing this post and there's a helicopter circling the area.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Ice Cream for Breakfast

Activity Director scheduled some fun events for the seniors this month.
First on the calendar was an Ice Cream Social, last Tuesday, at 10:00 in the morning.
That’s a little early for ice cream, thought I. But even though early, and I can’t eat ice cream, I went down to the Community Room anyway because that gave me an hour and a half to socialize, take photos for our facebook page before I had to leave for the Pain Cave.
Arriving shortly after 10:00, I found the room packed but no Activity Director.
I stuck around for a bit, then The Baker came in around 10:30 to say Activity Director had called to say 10:00 was a typo, she’d be arriving at 11:00.
My initial thought was to stay until Activity Director arrived, take a few quick photos, head back to my unit, get ready to leave for that morning’s workout. However, something within told me to leave now, maybe check back at 11:00.
It’s a good thing I’m in tune with and listens to that something within because, when I opened the door, I could hear the sound of something percolating, and there was the strong smell of over boiled coffee.
I’d forgotten I had the 2-cup stainless steel stovetop percolator on the burner when I left the unit.
It wasn’t the coffee boiling off that stunned me. It was the thought of how I could have been so careless as to leave a pot on the burner and what could have happened had I stayed longer ... and the pot percolated until it was empty of water.
The week before, while oven roasting veggies, I caught wisp of a burning smell. Checking the oven, I saw it was the smell of the oven mitt on fire because I’d left it on the handle of the cast iron griddle.
Of course, the smoke detector was silent when I caught the burning smell. It only works when it wants to annoy me.
At any rate, remembering how it was my mother burned down her kitchen three times by forgetting she was cooking, my goal now is to not be my mother. To slow down, be more mindful of what I’m doing, be in the moment rather than allowing my hands to do one thing while my mind ruminates … and also to check the stove, make sure everything is turned off, before I leave the unit.
Worst case scenario, inasmuch as we’ve had several close calls from fires on Little Mountain, I did finally invest in renter’s insurance two years ago, but I’d really rather not have to use it because I myself started a fire.
Other than those two serious senior moments, with no fun 5Ks until end of November, my life continues to be the peaceful rut of housework, needlepoint, working out.
Looking up from needlepoint, eyes landing on that wood bib/medal board I’d made, I decided it wasn’t working for me, so I tossed it and replaced with an additional two medal displays.
Before "One Mile at a Time" and wooden board
After "Beast Mode and Think Strong, Be Strong, Finish Strong"
Needing a 3/16 drill bit to get them up, I drove to Walmart where I found that area, and most of everywhere else in the store, to be behind locked cabinets.
I must have waited a full 15/20 minutes, pressing the little red button. waiting for assistance, pressing again, more waiting, pressing, waiting, pressing, waiting. Finally, I became so frustrated that I pressed, pressed, pressed, pressed, until finally a gentleman appeared — let’s call him The Talker because, while unlocking the cabinet, he told me his whole life story. How, as a teenager, learning to read had been a struggle. How he was bullied, doesn’t hear well. Has a close caption set up on his television, yada yada yada.
At the end of his tale of woe, I said “Bless your heart. You’ve had a challenging life” to which he replied, “Yes, but I’m okay now” and something to the effect that “It’s just me”, which made me think he’s a talker because he’s lonely.
Taking into consideration the incidents I’d blogged about earlier ─ the woman who stuck to me like glue at the drug store, the resident who, when I said “Good morning, how are you” unloaded her entire family’s drama, I’m beginning to feel a little like Lucy.


To top it off, last Monday, a 62-year-old resident I ran into in the hallway, said he was on his way to the office to ask them to evict him because he’d spent the night in jail for spousal abuse.
He said he'd blackened his 70-year-old wife’s eyes, beat her head into a wall, was arrested and was just returning to the complex, after being bailed out by their son, to find his wife gone with his car and credit card.
He looked quite defeated, said he’d snapped, never done anything like that before, and now, “I just don’t want to live here any longer”.
My thinking at the time was “Here” is not the problem. "Here" is not responsible for your actions and there is no escaping YOU because no matter where you go, there YOU are.
I’ve not seen him since. However, I did learn the office said they could not evict him, but he could have his name taken off the lease and leave, which is what he chose to do.
He left and seeing his wife, the very next day in the Community Room as us residents waited for Activity Director to show up, I gave her a hug and said I was sorry to hear what happened to her. She was a bit scratched up, with makeup covering her puffy eyes, and said not only that she was okay but that this has been going on throughout their 33-year marriage.
WHAT!?  So, he lied to me that it was a one-time occurrence, but staying in an abusive relationship for 33 years begged the question ... “Why did you stay with him?”, asked I.
“I always forgave him”.
I’m sorry if I sound callous but, now that I know and later learned neighbors had previously encouraged her to get a restraining order which she declined to do, it’s hard for me to sympathize with either one of them.
This is the dance they choose to live, and it won’t surprise me at all to see him forgiven and back.
At any rate, after listening to The Talker’s sad tale, he put the drill bit in my hand — an item so small that, had I been a thief, I could easily have slipped it out of the package and into my pocket.
So, what’s the point of locking it up behind a cabinet, thought I.
I don’t know if putting items behind locked cabinets as a loss prevention measure is going to help the bottom line because, after I removed the wooden board and saw the gaping holes the drywall anchors made in the wall, instead of running to Walmart for repair putty — so I could fill those holes, make new ones, and having to wait for someone to unlock a cabinet, I decided it wasn’t worth the hassle, ordered online and received what I needed the very next day.
So locked cabinets as a loss prevention measure helping vs hurting the bottom line???
I don’t know, because it results in loss of sales, as shoppers like me will go elsewhere for our needs.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Oh Hell No!

Except for the college, which was closed for two days due to power shutoff, my area was lucky ─ no fires, no shutoff as the power company had threatened.
We were all on edge, not knowing if and then, late yesterday, came this email from the power company:
“Due to current conditions, your area has been removed from Public Safety Power Shutoff consideration, and no electric service will be proactively turned off at this time.”
Whew!
Earlier the morning before, I headed to the Pain Cave not sure he’d have power but factored in it would not interfere with a workout. The treadmill would be inoperable, and no lights, but there would be daylight flowing in through the windows and the weights, balls, pulleys to work with.
So walking in, seeing everything was in order, I said to Trainer “Great! You still have power”.
“What do you mean?” said he.
He was totally unaware, saying he doesn’t watch the news, because of all the negativity, and did not receive a notice from the power company.
I teased him about living in a fool’s paradise, not knowing what’s going on in the world, and that if everything had suddenly gone dark, he’d have thought it was a zombie apocalypse.
“No”, said he. “I’ve have called the power company and demanded an explanation”.
“And then, once you learned it was a shutoff and you had not prepared with food or water?”
“I’d have gone to the liquor store next door, loaded up, and then the Mexican restaurant down there (pointing to the new restaurant), loaded up there”.
ROFLMAO!
MEN!
At any rate, the high winds are behind us ... I think, and its onward and upwards.
I got the dentist off my to-do list yesterday.
Next up is an appointment with the doctor because of gut episodes every single day, off/on all day since mid-August, when those brussel sprouts tried to kill me.
But then, all of a sudden it stopped.
Yesterday came and went without an episode.
Waking up this morning, expecting the usual discomfort and acid regurgitation, there was none.
I began rethinking seeing the doctor about a specialist ─ figuring the specialist would run expensive painful tests.
So, logging onto the provider’s website, I researched what the specialist would do and learned “ ... a spray medicine that numbs your nose and throat. A probe will be passed through a tube in your nose and into your lower esophagus.”
OH HELL NO! said I to myself and cancelled the appointment.
I’d rather deal with the discomfort.
On tap for today is housework I’ve put off ─ including shampooing the carpet, because I’ve been so obsessed with the newest needlepoint project.
Obsessed to the point where I’d put in as many hours as I could on the project before heading off to the Pain Cave in the morning, get back to work on the project when I returned, working through until 7 o’clock at night.
And, on the non-Pain Cave days, I found myself putting in 12-hour days on the project, letting everything else go.
But today, it’s first things first, then back to my obsession.