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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 18, 2024 7:24:42 GMT -5
Has The Walk of the Penguin Mich checked in lately. Aren't they in Japan right now? I was wondering if their trip was affected by the earthquake and hope that all is well. Got an earthquake alarm on phones, but slept through it. Some people mentioned it at breakfast. It really was a non issue. When we hit Japan, there has been a tour every day. Today has been the first afternoon free. I think the day after Kobe, we don’t get into port until afternoon or evening, so a partial sea day. My hips need it!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 18, 2024 7:20:33 GMT -5
Left Hiroshima this afternoon. We went to the Peace Park, then TD and I stood in line and got tickets to the Hiroshima Museum. The 45 min we had to go through i5 was not near sufficient to do it justice.
Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were sobering places to visit. There is really no animosity there, just the want to see something like this never happen again.
We were the last bus to roll in at 11:30. All aboard time was 11, they knew we were going to be late as we were the last tour out. When Viking has a tour coming in late, they set up the loud speakers and set up music, and get some of the staff out there singing and dancing to greet us. YMCA was playing and everyone was dancing and singing. They also provided trays of mimosas. Our state room attendant was out there, I asked him if he minded and he said he was having too good a time out there. He’s a cutie….with braces! Oh to be 40 years younger…..
Kobe tomorrow.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 17, 2024 6:01:55 GMT -5
I did read something interesting. Goldman s judgement has the same priority as the IRS and comes before other creditors.
Apparently, his executor said that he’s going to make sure not a dime of the estate was going to go to Goldman. The following day, he backpedaled. I guess getting threatened with disbarment will do that to you!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 16, 2024 20:37:26 GMT -5
I just punted on the ss sweater I’m making for me due to the yarn shading issues. I need to frog it back to where I started the last hank of yarn. So I started on the yarn for the sweater I’m making my sister. It’s a combination of cotton and linen, and it definitely has a different feel. Not sure as to the stretchiness yet, as I’m just starting at the shoulders. When I get a bit further, I’m going to have to use the needles I’m using on the other (or find another set of 40” size 4 in Japan). I do have a set of 40” size 3 with me that I was supposed to do the ribbing at the bottom. I can use those as a placeholder, I guess. We have 7 sea days once we leave Tokyo before we hit Alaska. I have to figure it out by then. Yeah. That's a bummer. And enough that I would put the project in a time out. For a long time. I'd just try to find the needles in Japan. Do you have time? Do they have yarn shops? I have no idea. I guess I could google to see, as we will have time in Tokyo. One of the things I have discovered here is that items for sale have absolutely NO English translation. I was looking at some spices and was clueless as to what they were. Same with some teas. I did manage to find some really nice hand cream though, but only because there was a tester out. Had there been no tester, I’d have been clueless as to what it was. Maybe Tokyo will be different?
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 16, 2024 19:48:21 GMT -5
Today I put primer on a garden cart we bought at a high school chairty auction. The students built it in the woodshop class. This is not it, but it's similar. I have leftover outdoor trim paint, so I'm going to paint it that color and put it on our front porch. Then I shall have to buy more plants!!!
I'm making chicken fettuccini for dinner tonight. TD built me 2 of these. I have one on the back deck, one on the front. I had my useless tomatoes in the front, used the one on the back deck (off the kitchen) for my herbs. I need to replant when I get home, only my chives are still alive.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 16, 2024 19:45:46 GMT -5
I was using cotton yarn for a project, and I didn't know if it would be stretchy or not. So i unraveled the project. I should have just kept working on it. Oh well. Live and learn. I'm stoked about the replacement yarn I am using, too. I think it will cheer up my spirits. I am not having the week I thought I might have. I just punted on the ss sweater I’m making for me due to the yarn shading issues. I need to frog it back to where I started the last hank of yarn. So I started on the yarn for the sweater I’m making my sister. It’s a combination of cotton and linen, and it definitely has a different feel. Not sure as to the stretchiness yet, as I’m just starting at the shoulders. When I get a bit further, I’m going to have to use the needles I’m using on the other (or find another set of 40” size 4 in Japan). I do have a set of 40” size 3 with me that I was supposed to do the ribbing at the bottom. I can use those as a placeholder, I guess. We have 7 sea days once we leave Tokyo before we hit Alaska. I have to figure it out by then.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 16, 2024 17:09:28 GMT -5
Here's a fun thing to muse on. The kids' school keeps pads and tampons in the middle school bathrooms. Which, at first blush, I love. It's like keeping condoms in the linen closet in your house for your kids, and you replace, no questions asked. ALL of the parents are asked to contribute. It really rubs me the wrong way that we are asked to contribute. Like, why aren't parents capable of providing their own supplies to their kids? It's not a financial issue for most families. Why don't parents have a decent enough relationship with their kids so that their kids can say "I need pads/tampons." Even tight-lipped DD1 will let me know when she needs stuff. And she tells us like nothing. Likely, they do. But the ones at school are meant more for those unexpected days, or times. That would be my guess. I’m thinking this too. I remember at least 3 times in school needing my mom to come pick me up. I hadn’t quite figured out the cues my body was throwing off yet. By HS, I had it figured out but 7th grade was rough because of this. Stupid hormones!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 16, 2024 4:18:20 GMT -5
Just booked tickets to my niece’s wedding in Indianapolis for June. It shouldn't have been this difficult.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 16, 2024 3:31:20 GMT -5
We spent today in Hell. Actually, Beppu Japan, the highest concentration of hot springs in Japan. We went to visit some of these hot springs today. We saw 4 of the 8 I think. I wanted to see the crocodile springs, but not on the schedule.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 15, 2024 23:24:30 GMT -5
I talked about getting injections in my foot either steroid or cortisone, but I have had them before and like another person said the pain of those is awful. They gave me 7 around my ankle, hit the bone everytime, likely by design. I was in agony, but the result was I was then pain free for a long time. I'm going to put it off until the pain becomes too much. He said they can inject some lidocaine but that shot hurts too. That was pain management, I just can't bring myself to do it again, it's probably been 15 years or more since I had it and remember the pain like yesterday of those. Steroid injections into joints have been shown to hasten joint deterioration. Since you are not planning on surgery to replace or fuse the joint, you might want to think about this. For some reason, the link won’t post but if you google this, there are a lot of articles that have been published in the last 3 or so years talking at other joints than hips. J Bone Joint Surg Am . 2021 Nov 17;103(22):2070-2079. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.20.02155. Rapidly Destructive Hip Disease Following Intra-Articular Corticosteroid Injection of the Hip
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 15, 2024 21:53:01 GMT -5
Or maybe it was Cambodia…..
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 15, 2024 21:51:33 GMT -5
I think they need to check the family trees of folks like Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Greene, to name just a couple. Let's just say I have questions. Well, Lauren Boebert, at least, has no clue who her father might be. Unfortunately I can't remember where I read that bit about her background. Her mom married some guy later, he was definitely not the father, but turned out to be abusive, so mom left him and they moved away quick to escape. The whole jist of the article was why Lauren Boebert was the way she was. I think I saw her father in a tree in Vietnam last week.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 15, 2024 20:05:58 GMT -5
I needed to get on a flight with a sinus infection. The doctor suggested using Affrin both before you ascend and right before you descend. It’s off label use, but works. Thank you for the info. I will buy some Affrin and do that, just in case. I will do anything that is legal and reasonable to try to avoid that pain with my ears. So really, THANK YOU! It worked for me. The flight there, I thought my face was going to explode when we were landing. I had no interest in taking another flight after that without help.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 15, 2024 19:03:59 GMT -5
Can you take sinus meds? That and sleep are the only things that help me. Yes, I have started taking Sudafed. And doing all my allergy shit, Benadryl and nasal sprays. Hopefully I will be able to get things under control soon. I have to get on an airplane for some training for my side gig in a couple of weeks. My ears do not do well with planes, even when my sinuses aren’t causing all of these problems. They hurt like hell on landing and for some time after. Like, excruciating kind of hurt. So if things don’t improve soon, I’m going to go to the doctor for help. My ears are already hurting off and on, I can’t imagine the pain if I got on an airplane in my current condition. I needed to get on a flight with a sinus infection. The doctor suggested using Affrin both before you ascend and right before you descend. It’s off label use, but works.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 15, 2024 7:46:33 GMT -5
We are really doing some rocking tonight. Had a thunderstorm earlier with some pretty spectacular lightening. I really hope tomorrow is clear…….<br><br>Ship weather channel says more storms.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 15, 2024 1:55:51 GMT -5
Just got back from our excursion and lunch. The excursion was to a volcano island that is now a national park. The volcano is still active, and occasionally (sometimes daily) spews out smoke, ash and rock. School kids wear helmets to go to school (we saw them!). Interesting place, and would have been a lot more so if it wasn’t pouring rain.
The volcanic ash is apparently a great fertilizer as the island is so green and lush with a lot of fruit bearing trees. Satsumas were developed here, and there were stands selling fresh satsuma juice. Since I had no yen, I put a 300 yen juice on my credit card (about $2). I never used a card for purchases that small. Great excursion, cute guide. Still no access to an ATM, so used the money exchanger in the port terminal to exchange Hong Kong $ for yen. Lousy exchange rate, but we were going to get a lousy rate anyway, but now we have some yen.
Got back to the ship and had lunch. They had Mac and cheese on the buffet, and it has to have been the best I have ever had. I’m embarrassed to say how many times I went back for more! Today was definitely a comfort food sort of day. It is seriously icky out.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 15, 2024 1:40:31 GMT -5
I just went and took a look at what tuition is where I did my undergrad. Back in 1978-81, I seem to remember my tuition hovering around $428/semester for a state resident student commuting. Today, it is $4631 for a commuting student. A 10 fold difference in 40 years.
What I think was funny was that after I graduated I moved to Boston and started taking graduate courses at Harvard. Everything I learned in my undergrad education was essentially repeated at Harvard. TBH, I was pretty pissed at this, I was gearing up for a challenge. There was nothing new to learn, so I pretty much skated through. I changed job, and my new employer was not affiliated with Harvard, but Northeastern, so I could go there for peanuts too. I had to work a hell of a lot harder there.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 14, 2024 18:30:55 GMT -5
We are docked in Kagoshima. We are supposed to go to an observatory and get up close and personal to a volcano. Did I mention it’s raining? Ugh!
I really shouldn’t complain about the rain as this is really the first since we got on the ship. We did get some pretty epic rains in Bali. It’s about 70° out, so warm.
When I went to hit the ATM yesterday, it only exchanged cash for cash….no cards. First time I have ever seen one like that. It had a crappy exchange rate, so passed on it. TD didn’t find an ATM on his excursion either, so no yen.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 13, 2024 22:38:18 GMT -5
Back from my excursion in Nagasaki. We are only here until about 3 this afternoon. TD took off for a more demanding tour this morning, and will likely be back just before all aboard time.
There is an ATM in the ship terminal, so going to get some local currency. We are going to be in Japan for the next 10 days, so it will be useful. I saw the ATM when I passed thru, but idiot me forgot to grab my ATM card before I left this morning.
It took forever to get through immigration here. I was in various lines for over an hour. Fortunately, going back out should be easier. Lots of stuff for sale in the terminal I don’t need.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 13, 2024 22:29:58 GMT -5
In other news, Aunt G, who Mister took hime from the rehab facility a couple days ago, has lost her cell phone. She lied to the folks at the rehab facility, that someone would be home with her, because she really does not need to live alone. Whoever was present when she was discharged and Mister was picking her up, said that *they*, whoever *they* is, will be making a home visit. Which will be good, because *they* will see that nobody is there with her. Mister said he is going to contact that person and inquire about Aunt G going to live in a facility. He can’t rest easy right now regarding her, because she doesn’t even have a phone to call for help if she needs it. She kept telling him she would take care of it, but I don’t see how she can, if she has no way to communicate with anybody. So now he feels like he needs to drive all the way to her house, about a 40 minute drive from our house, just to check on her, since she doesn’t have a phone. Well, that’s what he said, but he hasn’t actually done it yet. This morning I suggested he ask a close friend of the family that lives in her neighborhood, to go check on her. He said that Aunt G fell out with that person, so that was a no go. The story with that, is that the family friend and Aunt G had made a mutually beneficial agreement last year, that I knew about. When Aunt G started having all of these constant issues, it was at the same time that the family friend did not have a car. So she let him use and keep her car, and in return, he did stuff to help her out. The family friend had told me himself about that arrangement. But what I learned today was that it fell apart because Aunt G would call him and tell him she was hungry and wanted him to bring her something to eat. He would tell her that he was at work, and would get her something when he got off work. She would say I’m hungry NOW, as if he should leave work and bring her something to eat. So he took her car back to her, and rented cars until he got his money together to buy a car, which he did. But she is still mad at him because he did not make what she wanted him to do a higher priority than him being a good employee that wanted to keep his job. Which makes her the bad guy in that situation imo, because she was being unreasonable. So now, the ally that lived near her and could check on her without Mister having to make the long drive to her house, is no longer an option. I am pretty sure that Mister is firm on not letting her come live with him or officially taking responsibility for her in any way, but because she is his Mother’s only sibling, and him and his brother are her closest relatives, he feels an obligation to try to figure things out for her, but without putting himself in a bad position. Why can’t Mister’s brother do the leg work here?
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 13, 2024 17:38:58 GMT -5
I hope she's on the mend soon. No. I didn't post it here, but in the coffee shop. Last Saturday I realized he was in trouble, and I probably could not fix it. He had sunken holes behind his eyes and he was losing weight rapidly. I tried what I used last time when I made the mistake about lawn chives, but this was a different level and I did not see it ending any other way but death. He died this morning while I was at work. He was falling into his wooden house bump bump bump last night, so he spent the rest of the night in my room in his snuggle snack on top of his couch. I fed him his beloved romaine and apple slices while he could still eat them. I hope his next life is better and he knows how much I loved him. I’m sorry. It is always rough losing a pet.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 13, 2024 8:48:36 GMT -5
My last employer had a deal with a local credit union as to dealing with the unbanked as they did not provide salary checks. I don’t know what the deal was for them to be able to bank people who had previously been denied. None of my step mom’s kids had a bank account either. All were really crappy with cash. If they cashed a paycheck, they spent it on shit until it was gone. I don’t know how much she spent in Western Union fees sending them money. Not my monkeys, not my circus. That's crazy. Is she still alive? If not, who is funding their lives? I just don't understand being a grown ass adult and not having a bank account. SM is still alive, she lives with her son (who was probably the best of the 4). 2 of her daughters died the last few years, so most of the money outflow has stopped. The other daughter has 2 kids, so no5 sure what’s going on there. I don’t think I have ever seen such a group of people so screwed up financially in my life. It was like watching a train wreck. My dad bought her son a truck, and son paid him back….in cash. I think by the time my dad died, the truck was pretty much paid off. I do think this is a bit hysterical as my dad told me and my sibs while we were growing up that he was NOT buying us any vehicles, and didn’t. We wouldn’t even think of asking.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 13, 2024 6:42:33 GMT -5
That's a good article and explains it well. But I still think the American taxpayer should not have to pay for someone's college degree. Especially if they picked a degree in a field that did not pay enough to pay off their useless degrees like left handed underwater Basket weaving, Theater arts, Fine Arts, Psychology, Music etc. When I was younger I had a few friends that got degrees and never put them to use. One friend was a professional student for about 20yrs. Always getting student loans. Got his Masters degree in something, worked for a few yrs in his field and then just became a logger. Said he didn't like the office work. He liked the outdoors. These are the types of people who got loans who Biden wants to pay off with my tax dollars. I don't know the figures but if 75% of the population did not go to college why should they pay for someone's else's loan? What's next? Biden paying off home loans?
Dubette #2 acquired a psychology degree then went to work at a facility that took in damaged children aged 7-17. Not pretty. Then she continued working while getting her MSW. Took a position at a sort of halfway house for post incarcerated teenage boy sex offenders. Was her psychology degree just a waste? Please explain why you might think that. TYIA My niece is doing similarly. Not an easy path to take, but she’s good with these kids…..someone has to be. Maybe if there was more of Dubette #2 and my niece, there’d be fewer school shootings.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 13, 2024 6:39:58 GMT -5
Rip - I had the same question because I have not gotten into the details of this one. Here is the most concise explanation: Short excerpt from www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/student-loan-forgiveness-new-biden-plan-30-million-who-qualifies-cbs-news-explains/The previous plan relied on the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, or HEROES Act, a pandemic-era stimulus package. The Supreme Court ruled that law didn't provide the Biden administration with the authority to forgive student debt. The new plan turns to an older law, the Higher Education Act, which allows the Secretary of Education to "compromise, waive or release" federal student loans. It's through this mechanism that the Biden administration is tackling its new debt relief program. That's a good article and explains it well. But I still think the American taxpayer should not have to pay for someone's college degree. Especially if they picked a degree in a field that did not pay enough to pay off their useless degrees like left handed underwater Basket weaving, Theater arts, Fine Arts, Psychology, Music etc. When I was younger I had a few friends that got degrees and never put them to use. One friend was a professional student for about 20yrs. Always getting student loans. Got his Masters degree in something, worked for a few yrs in his field and then just became a logger. Said he didn't like the office work. He liked the outdoors. These are the types of people who got loans who Biden wants to pay off with my tax dollars. I don't know the figures but if 75% of the population did not go to college why should they pay for someone's else's loan? What's next? Biden paying off home loans?
I hate to tell you this, but the American taxpayer has ALWAYS supplemented college education to the tune of about 80%. In the last 30 years, what states have paid out to colleges has dropped so now that the student is on the hook for the much larger chunk. So your friends, assuming you are around 60 years old or older got their education at the expense of the American tax payer. Their student loans were their portion of college. If that was in the late 1970s, early 80s you are talking about $400/semester or so. Considering this was 40 years ago, chances are they’ve paid off their $4000 in student loans.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 13, 2024 6:17:34 GMT -5
My sister’s company has let the lease lapse on their office building in downtown Minneapolis. There is no place for employees to come back to, even if they changed the rules on them.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 13, 2024 5:40:08 GMT -5
I have a case of that stuff that killed the cat aka curiosity. After his acquittal Simpson lost a civil trial with millions of dollars awarded to the Goldman family. As far as I know he never paid that off. So now I wonder whether the Goldman's can file a claim against his estate? Does anyone know? IMO, and it really is just my opinion, Simpson got away with murder. There is really no reason for even a penny to be left in any way, shape, or form. I just read he died $114M in debt. Not sure if the Goldman judgement is included in that number. A little looking said that this is what he now owes on the $33M judgement. He paid out $133,000.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 12, 2024 23:11:58 GMT -5
Sea day today, Nagasaki tomorrow.
Last night’s cocktail party was quite nice, free booze (we don’t pay for an alcohol package) and apps. There are quite a few people staying on the ship to Vancouver. I met a couple who got on in Auckland. She said she didn’t understand why so many people are continuing on from Japan, because we have 7 consecutive sea days. We like sea days, and they’ll be appreciated as this is our only sea day until we hit Tokyo.
Listened to a cruise consultant talk about the perks of booking a cruise. We could book 5 cruises, and get $1000 of OBC ($100/cruise/pp). To book a cruise would cost us $25pp, so if we booked cruises, ate the deposit, we’d still have enough OBC to pay a good chunk of our account. Something to think about…..
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 12, 2024 23:00:43 GMT -5
You didn’t miss it, that’s the same question I had. The last bank account she had was at a CU, and she messed that one up so bad that I wouldn’t be surprised if she still owes them money. That is the account she had when I was fussing and fighting with her because she kept overdrafting her account to the point that she owed her entire deposit to the bank and expected me to pay for everything for her those months. She didn’t give me a straight answer when I asked recently why she doesn’t just get a “real” checking account, so I am guessing that she probably can’t. I get it that her irresponsibility is probably the reason she ended up using the current account. If it was not an issuer that the federal government uses for people that don’t have traditional bank accounts, and just a random company she chose, I would be like “oh well”. But I do think that if this is who the federal government has a contract with, the company should not be so problematic. About 10 years ago my company put its foot down and said they were no longer going to issue paper checks and everyone had to go to direct deposit. There were so many that just lost their minds because they didn't have a bank account which kind of blew me away. They literally cash their checks at the grocery store and walk around with their entire take-home as cash. So, because of the backlash they gave them the option of having it all put on a debit card instead. Wisely I think is what they use. That seems even worse to me, because at least with it all in cash they could shove some in their mattress or cookie jar or whatever they do to save. Now if they lose this card it's like losing ALL their money. My last employer had a deal with a local credit union as to dealing with the unbanked as they did not provide salary checks. I don’t know what the deal was for them to be able to bank people who had previously been denied. None of my step mom’s kids had a bank account either. All were really crappy with cash. If they cashed a paycheck, they spent it on shit until it was gone. I don’t know how much she spent in Western Union fees sending them money. Not my monkeys, not my circus.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 12, 2024 22:54:27 GMT -5
Got my ebay order cancelled. Phew!
Also, sure am glad I'm getting my siding replaced. The duct tape I put up to hold the plastic on over my missing window is not going anywhere without pulling the color layer off the top of the siding.
I just bought our own mesh system instead of renting. It's on year 4, so that definitely worked out in my favor. We have a mesh system too, we got it when my sister moved in because she needed a decent signal to work.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 12, 2024 22:50:50 GMT -5
Did my PT and having an apple for dessert after my chicken and salad dinner. It is do or die (or just go barefoot) to next week's wedding. I must find shoes this weekend.
If you want to wear heels, try Sofft. They were pricy, but I actually wore them the entire wedding without kicking them off. That in itself is a miracle. I think I got mine at Dillards.
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