Where’s My Ballot

Tuesday, September 14, is the last day to vote in the Gubernatorial Recall Election.

After seeing friends post, weeks ago, that they’d voted “No!” … “Hell No!” … “F__k No!” and, with me having not yet received a ballot to date, thinking shenanigans may be in play, I looked into the matter this morning.

I did receive the Official Voter Information Guide, two weeks ago, flipped it open and landed on this …..

Not a very flattering photo.

At any rate, having registered and voted only once in my entire life, and that time just because it was absolutely necessary — No. 45 had to go, I was surprised to find my voter status listed as “inactive”.

What the heck?

This better not be one of those fiascos where I’ve been declared dead.

It happens.

At any rate, if I want to vote “No” in this election, I’ll have to reregister.

No thanks.

Once was enough, and if the powers that be are gonna bug me with having to sporadically repeat the process, followed by my name being resubmitted to the jury pool, having to re-submit my Permanent Jury Duty Excuse, then “F__k No!”.

So long as I’ve not been declared dead, I’m good.

I’m just gonna trust the recall process, and however it works out is however it works out.

Yesterday’s TikTok oven-baked pancakes were a win. One of the few things I’ve tried from TikTok that wasn’t a fail except, instead of substituting a sheet pan with a cake pan, I should have used a pie pan — which would have resulted in flatter looking pancakes. Cake pan baking caused the pancakes to rise, come out looking more like slices of corn bread. Especially since I sliced in rectangles.

Blueberries & Crispy Uncured Bacon

Nevertheless, DELICIOUS! Plus, light, fluffy. 

My sensitive gut will not tolerate traditional syrup, so I made a clear stevia simple syrup.

I’m tempted to do pancakes again this morning but, inasmuch as I’ve already ordered a quarter sheet pan (they do exist), I’ll wait.

So this was a win, but the TikTok idea I tried a few weeks ago was an epic fail.

A creator, who calls himself the Dancing Dentist (a Periodontist that likes to dance) suggested, to keep our pearly whites white, that a straw be utilized when drinking liquids — coffee, sodas, etc.

Inasmuch as I’d just had my teeth cleaned, not wanting coffee stains, I took a sip of my hot coffee through the straw and ……

You guessed it.

The inside of my mouth caught fire.

Fortunately, I was in the kitchen, near the sink and could quickly safely, spit the burning coffee out without damaging carpet, couch, laptop (other places I could have been when I took that sip).

When next I run across that clip, I’ll leave a comment asking the dentist to specify “cold liquids”, for those of us who don't think it through, because the roof of my mouth has yet to return to normal.

And btw, as to how I received a Voter Information Guide when listed as "inactive", I just noticed that though the document was addressed to my unit, it was not my name, nor the name of anyone I know.

May be shenanigans after all.

Nice While it Lasted

Ran into Jan yesterday. She seemed down, a bit whipped.

Returning from the Pain Cave that morning, I saw her, and a group of other residents, selecting veggies from that mobile food bank, run by the Talker’s brother.

There is not a doubt in my mind that, once management becomes aware of what the Talker’s brother is doing — bringing that van in, giving away free veggies, they’ll come up with a reason to put an end to it — either saying someone has complained or it’s a liability issue.

I didn’t need anything from the van but, just to be sociable, I walked over, selected a few tomatoes and a spaghetti squash.

Jan just wasn’t her normal chipper self.

I didn’t inquire, but I began to wonder if management sic’d the lawyers on her with one of their cease and desist letters.

When I told her that someone must have liked the latest big rock she’d put out — the one that said God Isn’t Finished With Me Yet, because it had disappeared, she said, “I’m glad it’s gone because someone liked it, rather than tossed it in the trash”.

THAT was very telling — she knew management was throwing painted rocks away, looked hurt (Manager probably told her of this disposal method, just to twist the knife as he stuck it in, show her who's boss around here because she'd challenged him).

Jan further went on to say she wouldn’t be painting or planting anymore rocks because of the complaints.

Yep, management wore her down … or threatened her.

Oh well, it was nice in the short while it lasted.

I’m feeling very sorry for the residents who don’t have the option to get out and about. There’s nothing for them to do here, except stay in their units and fade away or, as one yelp commenter wrote, “You don’t get to ‘live’ here. We just exist”.

Speaking of fading away, it’s becoming a struggle not to just hold up in my unit and fade away my own darn self.

Not because I can’t get out and about, but more and more that I don’t want to.

Having become accustomed to the pandemic thing of ordering online, having goods delivered to me, I’ve gotten so comfortable with that accommodation that, low on Trader Joe’s Stevia — the only stevia that satisfies the tastebuds, I came thisclose to ordering online for delivery, but then I motivated myself to get out and drive the 18 miles to Trader Joe’s.

Not to mention that I'm supposed to be training for an upcoming in-person 5K, but can't motivate myself to go walking in the indoor mall, to test my endurance, see if I'm still up to a 5K after so long an absence from.

At any rate, in-store shopping at Trader Joe's is the second return to normalcy for me, post-pandemic, the first being the nail salon.

Upon returning to the complex, I checked mail and found I’d been issued an “Official Jury Summons”.

I’d rather have root canal than do that so-called civic duty.

Fortunately, I don’t have to.

I applied for and was granted a “Permanent Jury Excuse” in 2017. Consequently, they are not supposed to even be bothering me, so the joke is on them.

All I have to do is return the summons with a copy of my permanent excuse, and I’m thankfully off the hook.

Nice try, criminal justice system, but no cigar.

Keep This Notice

Opening the mailbox yesterday, right on top I spied a card captioned “Official Business of the Court”. On the flip side were the words “This notice is to confirm that you have been permanently excused from jury service … keep this notice for your records”.

Whoopdedo!

Keep it? I’m gonna frame it!

Had I known it was this easy … a simple notation on the summons to “Please remove my name from rotation”, I’d have done it the second I hit 70 years of age -- the age when an exemption can be requested.

Of course, my stomach issues weren’t as bad at age 70 as they are now, but still to the point where I could have received a medical exemption.

At any rate, that’s one less glorious thing I have to deal with out in the world.

Speaking of dealing with things out in the world, I logged on one day to find I’d suddenly had an enormous rise in visitors, over 1500 in one day to be precise.

I’m not THAT interesting, so I chalked it up to some sort of mistake until the high numbers kept rolling in, followed by comments. The comments were nice, but the fact that they came in with a mask on, gave me pause.

I ignored those as well, but when they persisted, I solved the issue by shutting comments down completely, thought better of it, and am in the process of trying a different setting.

I realize this setting has, in the past, caused issues for those of you whose comments I value. I apologize, but it has to be this way because of the weird happenings.

Tonight’s movie in the Community Room is Will Smith’s Independence Day.

I’ll pass.

Happy Birthday America

The original plan for today was to celebrate the 4^th in Long Beach – drive up on the 1^st, suit up in those patriotic leggings I made back in 2014 and participate in America the Beautiful Beach 5k on the 2^nd, layover to attend a family event on the 4^th, return afternoon of the 5^th.

That was the plan, but then that summons -- to appear for jury duty on the 5^th, threw a monkey wrench in the plan and, by the time I’d figured out how to get out of jury duty, I’d taken the summons as a sign and lost interest in Long Beach, that 5K and family.

No idea what the seniors are up to today.

No one signed up for the BBQ scheduled for the 2^nd. That doesn’t mean the folks didn’t get together yet and still, but that was World UFO 10K Day, so I never made it down to check.

Some of the residents that didn’t leave the complex today, to spend the 4^th with family, may do something impromptu in the Community Room. But, I find I’m not feeling all that social or patriotic under the current political climate, so the plan for today is laundry, logging in a few more miles to reach the required 39.8 for the San Francisco Challenge and, if I’m not too exhausted after all that, to shampoo the carpet.

Even though I don’t generate a lot of dirty laundry, having to go down to the laundry room is my least favorite chore. Doing laundry is such a pain that sometimes I go out and purchase more sheets, towels, undies, just to put the dreaded chore off.

Hopefully, the other residents are otherwise occupied in celebrating today, and I have the laundry room to myself. If relocating end of year is in my future, I’ll be looking for a unit with a washer/dryer hookup.

I finished the needlepoint landscape yesterday.

A lot of embellishments went into the project at the end stage -- french knots, back stitching, cording, all of which brought the project to life.

Even though it’s now more pleasing to me, I’m not proud because I could have done a better job of pressing and stretching.

Since I’m not keeping it for myself -- because I don’t really care for landscapes, I figured The Seer and visitors to her unit probably wouldn’t know the canvas was not as taut as it should be. But the perfectionist in me is feeling so guilty about the wrinkles that I’ll undo the backing, press, stretch and make it right.

FYI, due to something weird going on in blogger, comments have been disabled, but I’ll see you around and leave comments on your posts.

Desperately Seeking

Desperately seeking a way out of reporting for jury duty on July 5, I did some research and learned that, if you’re over 70 years of age you can get excused on an “impairment”.

Realizing the issue with the gut definitely qualifies as an impairment, I filled out the Request to be Excused portion of the summons.

It was then I noticed, a doctor’s signature was required.

Emailing the doctor on Monday, asking for a time convenient when I could come in for signature, and receiving no response, I’d pretty much convinced myself the failure to respond was in retaliation for not submitting to unnecessary medications and unnecessary exams, which I feel the medical center is imposing on its physicians as a quota they must meet.

Oh well, thought I, it’s up to the Universe … if I have to appear, then I’m going to show up and hope to not have a gut episode that day.

No sooner than I had that thought yesterday -- releasing the issue to the Universe, when the phone rang. It was the doctor’s office telling me to come to the Reception Desk this morning, pick up a letter to the court the doctor had written excusing me from jury duty.

HALLELUJAH!

And not just that, but the doctor advised her office to make me aware that, because I’m over 70, I can request to be taken off the roster … permanently.

You’ve no idea how happy I am to be 73.

Age has its privileges.

Now if I could just get the DMV to stop with that written renewal test every few years. Plus, I’ve been advised that, because of my age, I’ll also have to take the driving portion next time.

Age also has its disadvantages.

Tomorrow is Movie Night here at the complex. Expecting a packed house because it’s a good one this time.

Yep. Apache remembered and accepted my offer.

Scattered 100’s

That’s something you don’t want to hear first thing in the morning from the weathergirl. “Scattered rain” maybe … “Scattered 100˚ weather”, absolutely not.

I feel sorry for my race buddies participating in tomorrow’s Platoon Run, there’s also a Tin Man 5K in the area. The Tin Man probably has medics standing by. Those involved in the Platoon Run, being as how it’s a smaller group, participants are on their own.

Needless to say, I’ll limit myself to indoor bike riding with the A/C blasting.

Pokémon Go is running a Fire and Ice Event, releasing more fire and ice Pokémon types into the wild and assigning extra points for various actions but, inasmuch as a student at the University has tested active for tuberculosis, it won’t just be the heat driving me to hunt only in and around the complex.

In fact, since I’m soon to be stuck in a room at the creepy old courthouse, being subjected to voir dire along with a room full of others whose status I don’t know, I’m wondering if I should get vaccinated.

I once again snuck out early at yesterday’s Residents/Management meeting, and for the same reason I snuck out early last time … the old people droning on and on and on repeating themselves, bringing up things that don’t matter, like someone removing their clothes from the washer/dryer.

The removal is because the cycle has completed and the clothes are just sitting, holding up use by the next individual.

“So don’t leave your clothes in the laundry room, stay with them” they’ve been told over a million times, but they don’t want to do that. They’d rather complain.

Inasmuch as I’d had a kid come to the door selling candy, I asked, “When is the walk-in gate going to be fixed?”

Maintenance said the part they’d been sent was the wrong one. The correct one had just arrived and the gate is to be repaired today, though I’ve yet to see that happen.

One resident said she too had the kid come to her door selling candy. Another had a man approach asking for gas money, saying his car broke down at the market.

If his car broke down at the market, why then did he walk a quarter of a mile to ask for money here?

Nope.

Like the kid selling candy, he probably noticed he could just walk into the complex and was casing the joint for what he could come in later to do.

Apache, who has a problem sleeping and consequently is out walking 2:00/3:00 in the morning, saw a naked woman taking a shower at the pool facility.

Even though access to the complex is compromised because of the missing knob on the gate, the pool area is gated. So how she got inside is a mystery ... maybe found a way to climb over. At any rate, I’m going to tease Apache unmercilessly about how long did he watch before making his presence known.

When I asked how the walk-in gate got damaged in the first place, one of the maintenance guys said a resident’s power chair went out-of-control and banged into the handle so forcibly that it bent and popped out.

That’s too bizarre not to be true.

One thing interesting that was discussed was the “harassment” clause in the lease. That “harassment” will not be tolerated.

Inasmuch as there’s all this stuff going on about neighbor President of the Resident Activity Committee, though nothing to the level of “harassment”, I didn’t know what was meant.

I wasn’t the only one.

A couple of residents said they are well aware not everyone here likes everyone else, but don’t consider it harassment not to like someone and asked for specific examples that would be considered a lease violation.

The Community Manager seemed reluctant to get specific. It was like pulling teeth to get her to say she meant “harassment” in a male/female situation.

A resident then said that too is subject to interpretation. That when a male tells her she looks good, she sees it as a compliment, but that another might see it as harassment.

This is true because, when I read Bill O’Reilly was deemed a harasser for calling a Black woman “Hot Chocolate”, I couldn't understand why she didn't take it as a compliment ... I certainly would.

At any rate, after much hemming and hawing, the Community Manager finally said she’d received a complaint that a male resident touched a female resident inappropriately … “He grabbed her butt”.

Ohhhhhhh!

Never a dull moment around here.

Not Great, Not Wonderful

After that good luck sign of spotting two peacocks on the property yesterday and, this morning, finding good luck twin yokes in two out of the three eggs I cracked for breakfast, I felt like a kid at Christmas, excited for what was coming, because surely the peacocks and back-to-back twin yokes were the universe alerting me to something great and wonderful coming.

Killing time at the spa, to avoid down time created by SCE’s four-hour planned power outage this morning, I decided not to hang around Victoria Gardens for lunch after, because I’d awakened tired and sleepy. I remember dreaming, but can’t remember what I’d dreamt. Whatever it was must have been hard work, because I woke up so tired that, had it not been for the power outage, I’d have stayed in bed all day.

Arriving back at the complex a half hour before the outage was to have ended, I found the crews gone and everything back to normal. Stopping at the mailbox, I open my slot and there, right on top, was a letter from “Office of the Jury Commissioner”.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh Noooooooooooo! thought I.

Jury duty.

That’s not great and definitely not wonderful.

I’ve been duped.

The Universe has punked me.

Furthermore, I’m scheduled to appear July 5, the day after the Fourth of July.

I’d been thinking of spending July 1 through July 5 in Long Beach, to participate in a beach 5K on the 2^nd, stay over to attend a family event on the 4^th, returning afternoon of the 5^th. Just last night, I’d researched the cost of a hotel for that length of time, but didn’t book because I was considering if I really wanted to go through the drive, time, expense of either event.

The court has decided for me.

I’d not unhappy about not being able to participate in either event. In the final analysis, I probably would have opted to stay home. But I’m not looking forward to performing my so-called civic duty.