Sunday is National Chip and Dip Day

What?!, you didn’t know that, never heard of it.

Truth be told, I never heard of it either but, when I went down to the Community Room yesterday, to check out the seniors, I saw Activity Director had put out potato chips, salsa, guacamole, for an early celebration of Chip and Dip Day.

She didn’t have many takers, only Upstairs Lady — the resident who has problems with her legs, walks by propelling her body from side to side, and the new lovebirds — Dream Lover and Lu.

The love affair seems to be going strong, as I see the two carving a path on the walkway, going back/forth to each other’s unit, Lu looking adoringly at Dream Lover when I saw then in the Community Room, constantly touching his arm, shoulder, back.

A partner constantly touching me would drive me bonkers. I'd lose my shiz, grab and toss his hand away (I did do that once, when Michael, the drummer I dated back in the day, kept moving his fingers along my shoulder), but to each their own.

As long as Lu has her car to drive Dream Lover where he wants to go — he doesn’t drive, continues to supply him with homecooked meals — feed his stomach and ego with the adoring looks and touching, this one might take.

So, anyway, no intel of interest to be gleaned out of those three, I just said hi and goodbye.

I did find printouts of the monthly Activity Calendar, stacked up on a side table. So, I guess that’s the new method of getting the calendar to us …… check for printouts in the Community Room.

While in the room, I also noticed the Baker wasted my time, printer ink and 25 sheets of paper, when she had me revise this month’s Bingo flyer.

I’d already given her flyers to distribute and post. There was a date change, so she asked that I reprint.

No problem I.

She also asked me to add a blurb, saying it was because, "I've got to do something" about the noise ……… people talking, making it difficult for others to hear numbers being called, etc.

Again, no problem.

So, at the bottom of the flyer I added the words she'd given me, "Reminder: Please keep voices quiet when we are calling bingo, or if someone is calling bingo back to us."

I just knew some of the bingo players were going to be offended, weren’t going to like that blurb and, in the back of my mind, I kinda thought the Baker thought that if I thought she was doing something about the noise …… that gave me a headache last time I attended, I’d return to bingo.

I’m over bingo, won’t be returning under any circumstances.

At any rate, I saw the Baker had not posted the revised flyer with the blurb. Instead, she’d penciled in the date change onto the original flyer, posted that one.

I guess she too knew some of the players would be offended and, people pleaser that she is, chickened out.

She’s not like me. If I were going out of my way to arrange bingo, so the residents would have something to do …… using my time, my energy, my money to provide prizes, even baking cupcakes and providing other treats for break time, and you couldn’t respect or appreciate me enough to not steam roll all over me with your talking after I’ve constantly asked you not to …… the Baker even once had a rubber squawking chicken that she’d squeeze to quiet the room down, and last I saw brought a bell to ring to quiet the room down; if they nonetheless persisted, failed to comply with bingo etiquette, as they do, I’d pick up my bingo equipment and pull an Eric Cartman "Screw you guys, I'm going home".

I definitely will not go back to bingo.

I got a call from Manager yesterday, that guys were coming in to fix a problem with my patio this morning, would be arriving at 8:30 AM.

When Head Maintenance Guy did his pre-inspection before the Regulatory Agency was due to arrive for its random inspections, he spotted an area on the patio that appeared to be peeling.

He indicated, at that time, it wasn’t a big deal, that I was not likely to one day step out on the patio, find myself crashing down to the first floor.

When the Regulatory guy toured my unit, I saw the Inspector and Head Maintenance Guy looking at and having a conversation about the area.

I guess it was then decided it was a big deal after all, needed to be repaired.

This morning was a workout day, and with the guys set to arrive at 8:30, to patch up the hole, I was sure I’d be able to keep my 11 AM schedule.

Didn’t work out that way.

What I thought was a patch job, turned out to be a complete patio redo, estimated to take all morning.

I had to text Trainer that I was giving him the morning off.

BTW, last Wednesday marked my 6th year training at the Pain Cave. My first session was March 12, 2019.

I've told Trainer that he’s the longest lasting relationship I’ve ever had with a man.

Though Trainer still tries to "push me … build", unfortunately there’s a lot my 81-year-old body won’t now let me do. So "cross fit" has slowly morphed into "maintain fit".

The work on the patio began early — 8 AM. The guys completed and left at 12:30, with instructions for me to wait until tomorrow to put patio furniture back in place.

I originally had a wood floor patio but, when the current management group took the complex over in 2012, they replaced the patio floors with concrete, and did so without entering the unit …… they went up and down a ladder.

So, though I don't understand why the guys didn't use the same manner to do the work, so I didn't have to stay home, watching the process while working on that never ending needlepoint project was interesting.

The guys put down something that looked like chicken wire over the existing patio, poured concrete, sanded the concrete down, finished by painting the concrete.

Painting the concrete was new to me, it looked fine as it was, but whatever.

The guys were respectful, affable and managed to do all the work without getting a speck of mess anywhere inside.