A Handful of Sugar

Walking out the door yesterday, heading for the morning’s workout, what did I see but management’s latest posting attached to the door.

Not a notice this time. Instead, it was a cute little candy filled Valentine’s Day card.

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth" it is said, but my first thought was this has something to do with that $500 rent increase that has so many moving out.

Every single day I’m seeing folks moving out in other quads — thus far, it’s been no one I know personally; but I can’t say for sure because, with no contact with others via bingo and no access to the view of the courtyard area, due to that window being covered with bubble wrap, I’m out of the loop.

However, in my comings and goings, I’ve observed that just as quickly as someone moves out, just as quickly new people move in.

It’s becoming like a residential inn around here. We no longer know who our neighbor are.

So anyway, to some degree, residents probably appreciate this gesture from management. However, inasmuchas the rent increase is essentially funding it — giving Corporate extra money to spend, I'm sure residents would have rather no increase in rent instead.

After that morning’s workout, I dutifully checked the ingredients in the packet of sugary candies and found, sure enough, not edible as they contained three of the many ingredients my sensitive gut cannot handle — corn syrup, modified food starch, cornstarch.

Waste not Want not, so rationalizing it was just a handful, I took a chance and turned the handful into lunch with a cup of coffee.

No problems after, so it’s good to know the rare sugary cheat won’t hurt me, but I’d never buy jelly beans or gummies for anything other than gingerbread house decorations anyway, because I prefer chocolates.

I hope this sugary treat isn’t management setting us up for something else coming — leading us lambs to the slaughter so to speak.

Time will tell. It always does.

Shame about what happened in Kansas City Chiefs' parade.

Guess no place is safe — even with snipers on the roof and a kazillion cops on the ground; and to think, we'd just had that conversation about people carrying, unbeknownst to those around them.

Valentine’s Day

It’s that time again … the day I dredge up the gif which expresses how I feel about today's hoopla.

Not only is Miley Cyrus still singing my anthem — Flowers, she’s singing it with a Grammy for Record of the Year.

It Ain’t Pretty

This is what the bedroom window looks like from the outside.

It ain’t pretty, but the bubble wrap is doing its job, seems to be effective in keeping the cold air out of the bedroom at night.

I did not have to run the heater last night, and woke up without sniffles and feeling chilled to the bone.

Because the outside view isn’t all that pretty, I did look into a window installation kit, as suggested by DrumMajor (Thanks friend) and liked that it was touted as "crystal clear", but was turned off by the mixed reviews ……… some purchasers liked it, others complained it did not live up to "crystal clear", tape didn’t hold, and the panels are not reusable when taken down.

Under the theory of "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it", now that I see bubble wrap is doing the job, I’m gonna stick with it.

Pun intended, LOL.

Besides, the shrink wrap touted a 30/35% reduction in heating bill. Bubble wrap is estimating a 50% reduction.

As for the aesthetics, I’m good with losing my view and the window looking unappealing through the Winter months.

I had errands to run after this morning’s workout.

The weather was perfect for a drive, so out of the area I went — looking for new pokémon characters at each stop.

Bass Pro Shop was crawling with pokémons, but nothing I needed in my deck.

They did however have a sign at the entrance that one does not see every day.

I asked the young lady at the desk if people actually come in with weapons on them. She replied in the affirmative, adding that it scares her when the weapons are placed in her hands.

I’ll bet, but that lets me know there are perfectly normal looking people walking around armed to the teeth with more than just pepper spray.

So, no pokémons at Bass Pro, but they did have a fun looking poke stop, where I snagged game tools.

The next stop was my reward for having worked so hard cleaning up the place over the weekend.

After a stop at Sprouts, for items I can’t purchase locally, finding no interesting pokémon, it was off to the hardware store to replenish cleaning supplies.

In the parking lot, I captured one I did not already have in my deck — a Frogadier.

I think this is where I also captured a problem because, just moments after jumping on the freeway, heading home, bells and whistles went off on the car's instrument panel, indicating the left rear passenger side tire was down to 28 psi.

Panic … Fright … and it had been such a nice day up until then.

The good news ……… I was in the right area — the tire place was just down the street from where I’d just been at the hardware store.

Getting off at the next exit, holding my breath I’d make it before the tire gave out, I jumped back on the freeway, headed to where I’d been, passed the hardware store, made it a mile further to the tire place.

They found a rather large nail, said it’d be like a 2-hour wait, because it was a busy day, did I want to wait and be serviced.

I said no, I did not, but had no choice.

More good news ………… the tire was fixable, and no charge.

Good news because I’d spent most of my cash and, had the nail been embedded in an area where the tire was not patchable (that has happened to me in the past), I'd have been SOL because I'd left my credit card at home.

It's a blessing to have a car, not rely on public transportation; but it's also a headache as so much can go wrong, at any time.

I'm still not over the terror of the blowout I had a few months ago, and now this.

So, that was the agony and ecstasy of my day. More like ecstasy then agony.

Chocolate was intended for days like this. Fortunately, I’d just stocked up.

I did not watch yesterday’s game, but had timed it just right to tune in and catch halftime.

It was okay. At least Usher’s performance didn’t lull me to sleep like Rihanna's did last year.

My only criticism …… half time was just too short. It felt to me like Usher had been cheated on allotted time, compared to other halftime shows I’ve seen.

Worth a Try

Seems we’re out of the woods insofar as rainstorms. Weather folks predict a few sprinkles Thursday and Saturday of next week, but the worst is over and done with.

Other than the annoying sound of water continuously falling from the sky, I didn’t mind the wet weather all that much. It’s the chill factor before the rain, after the rain, in fact this whole season, that’s causing difficulties for me.

In order not to catch pneumonia, I’ve been running central air heating during the day.

At night, even though I’ve tripled up on clothing — wear two night shirts, my camo onesie pajamas and the bed is covered with two quilts, I’m freezing. Consequently, I’ve been running a little bedroom heater at night.

All these measures to survive the Winter season has caused a jump in heating bill to $188 — double what it usually is this time of year.

I don’t know how you people who live in cold climates manage … how you can afford to stay warm.

At any rate, in between sit down squats last week, I was complaining about the high bill to Trainer, saying that I had to find a way to lower it.

The Universe was once again listening, manifesting my thoughts into things, because, having a moment to read this week’s Woman’s World magazine yesterday, what did I see but an article entitled "Easy Ways to slash your heating bill".

Here we go again with that superpower working for me, or finding myself in the 4th dimensional pocket where thoughts become reality, but why does the Universe not listen in when the conversation is about my desire to win millions in the Powerball, Mega or SuperLotto????

The only suggestion applicable to me, in the article, was to insulate the windows with bubble wrap.

"Bubble wrap creates a barrier between the glass and the warm air in your home, helping you retain 50% more heat … Simply cut a piece of wrap the same size of your window, spray water on the bubbly side and place it against the glass".

It just so happens that I have bubble wrap on hand, so worth a try.

I don’t recall seeing the part that said to wet the bubble side until I just now typed those instructions into this post. So, even though I screwed up and wet the smooth side, the wrap went up easy peasy.

So we’ll see how it goes until it looks like I may have to reverse sides.

It’s still a mystery as to why TinTin has that strip of tinfoil in her window. The article did say heat rises, that you can insulate your attic with foil and save $1000 on your heating bill, but said nothing about a strip of foil on a window.

As for me, should a neighbor inquire, I've a good explanation as to why I’ve bubble wrapped my bedroom window.

Once word gets around, more than a few will begin bubble wrapping their windows because more than a few have commented on how the cold cuts straight through at night.

We once had a Complex Manager that liked working with old people, was nice to us, tried to make living here better for us.

She was looking into getting double pane windows installed to protect us from the Winter cold/Summer heat.

It got her fired.

Corporate wants its managers to collect as much as they can, spend as little as possible. They didn't like that she was spending money on bettering our living situation with activities, events, repairs and when she wanted to spend even more money on double pane windows, they summarily dismissed her.

Corporate greed.

So, I double dog dare them to do an inspection and complain about the bubble wrapped window.

Go bother TinTin about her aluminum and the dresser drawer still on her patio, even though that "friendly reminder" was included in this month's calendar.

My friend Q posted a meme from a site called Modern Art last night that sent me down a rabbit hole. The artist puts an unusual spin on artwork and everyday photos. Lots of his work to enjoy, but these are the two that made me laugh the loudest.

Fool Me Once

I’m reticent to say the storms have passed because, after a dry yesterday, it rained during the night.

Today was all blue skies and a bit of sun, but there's snow on the mountains.

I spied a couple cars coming down from there with snow falling off the roof.

I'm actually hoping some of that snow makes it down like last year and we get a snow day.

Expecting it to be so, I some time ago invested in insulated boots.

She ready.

The houses on the hill are still standing, but it does look like there's some erosion going on.

If I were they, I'd be worried.

In case you heard about today's earthquake, thankfully it didn't reach this far. It was a 4.6 centered 90 miles away in Malibu — Barbie land, one the areas already experiencing devastation due to the storms.

A 4.6, after we just had that 4.1, would have done some damage to us for sure.

Just in case today’s calm weather was fooling me — calm before the next storm, I wore myself out after this morning’s workout — multitasking like nobody’s business.

After replenishing a few things at the market, I didn’t even take time to change out of workout clothes, as I first dropped off two of four bags upstairs, popped into the laundry room and got a load started on my way to check mail, circled around to the car to bring the other two bags upstairs, started sushi rice cooking and, in preparation for steam cleaning the bathroom, pulled the steamer from the hall closet, loaded it with water and, while the water was getting hot, put the groceries away, finished cooking the sushi rice and, in-between going back and forth to the laundry room, made sushi, steam cleaned the bathroom, and rearranged the hall closet.

I kinda sorta had to redo the closet because, in order to get to the steamer, I had to pull everything out.

I was a real whirling dervish.

Before I ran out of energy for the day and put the steamer away, I steam cleaned the kitchen floor.

Goal for tomorrow is to make albondigas soup, shampoo the carpet, then crash.

No updates on Red Light’s situation.

I did see her for a hot second, when I was out on the patio, pulling the carpet cleaner out of storage, but I was too busy to get into a discussion with her.

She looked woebegone, so I did ask if her situation had been resolved. She said "no". I responded with an "Oh" as I shook my head sympathetically and rushed back to my cleaning duties.

Speaking of fooling me once … Randy Rainbow has a new book coming out.

I’m still sore about paying extra for an autographed copy of his first book, only to receive what is obviously his having signed a page before the book went to print, and that page being copied and included in the book as a "signed copy".

So, sorry Randy. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice won’t be happening.

Rain Drops STILL Falling on my Head

I’m kinda enjoying this rainy weather …. so long as it gives me the occasional break to make it to the Pain Cave and to the market after without swimming to those locations, which it did this morning with a calm sky before the next storm hits.

I don’t have to head out again until Friday.

Received an email two days ago "Long Beach Pride Early Bird Ticekt Offer: $20 for a limited time!"

Because of the typo in ticket, I thought it might a trick from some spammer, but learned it’s for real.

Long Beach Pride is scheduled early — first Pride of the Season, May 18-19. Probably to make up for scheduling late last year; and the Parade is back, after absence of a parade last year, which is why I didn't attend.

The new great grand baby will be six months old in May, so thinking going to Pride this year would give me an opportunity to see the fam, that I might be allowed to hold the baby and kiss the great grandson this time, I decided to give Long Beach another go.

Returning to the complex after this morning’s workout and market run, booking a hotel turned into an all-afternoon ordeal.

Last visit, my preferred hotel let me down, so I decided it’s time for a change.

Even though I got stuck in the bathtub at the hotel closer to the ocean and shoreline village a decade or so ago, I wanted to book there because it’s more upscale, which translates into a safer area. I can walk around, visit the village, get close to the Queen.

Problem with booking there is that it’s too far from the festivities.

My other option was a kind of snooty clientele hotel closer to the festivities.

Downside of booking there, other than I don't care for snooty, is there wouldn't be too many sightseeing opportunities as it's located too far from shoreline village and the Queen, plus they have no microwave — which is essential for me.

Having a little crock pot that I can use as a microwave, I decided to book that snooty closer to the festivities hotel and, looking at how few rooms are available at the favored hotel (only 6 remaining), the one near shoreline village (7 remaining) and the one I booked (? available but only accepting nonrefundable prepaid), I’m glad I didn’t putz around and think too long about whether or not to go this year.

Can you believe it’s only February, the event is not until May, and it’s looking like hotel rooms will be gone before the week is over.

So, there’s that.

As for how I got stuck in a hotel bathtub — I think it was the Thanksgiving my sister hosted family at her place. I had injured my right shoulder in the office gym doing an overhead tricep extension from a bench position, which injury I later learned was a torn rotator cuff.

In the interim, before I sought treatment, I was using pain ointments and could not use my right arm, cause pressure to be put on that shoulder without searing pain. So, taking a bath in the hotel tub, when it was time to get out, trying to lift my body out of the tub with just the left arm wasn’t working. And, as the water drained completely out, and with the tub being rather small and slippery, I got stuck.

I don’t know how long I lay there ..... thinking about a solution to my predicament, squirming, wiggling, but somehow after the tub and my body became completely dry, which gave me some traction, I was able to extract myself.

I do know I stuck to showers thereafter and hopefully, by now, the hotel has upgraded their tubs to adult size as I would one day like to book there, visit shoreline village.