what are you doing right now?

[daisylu]

Work trip next week to Ohio. I hope I do not have an experience like this:

link

A routine work trip turned into a “nightmare” when a hotel guest visiting from Texas awoke to a Hilton manager sucking his feet, he told Tennessee news outlets.



Now, the man accused of committing the assault early one morning at the Hilton Nashville Downtown has been arrested. News outlets didn’t list attorney information for the man, identified as 52-year-old David Neal.



In response to McClatchy News’ request for comment, a Hilton spokesperson in an email said the Nashville Downtown property is independently run.



“The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority,” the Nashville hotel wrote in a statement. “We are working closely with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and, as part of company policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations.”


The case dates to March 30, when a Texas man said he was visiting the hotel for work. At about 5 a.m., he was sleeping in his locked hotel room when Neal entered “without knocking or announcing himself,” the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm said in a lawsuit alleging negligence and invasion of privacy.



The guest said he woke up and discovered Neal sucking on his toes in a sexual manner. The guest later realized Neal had been in his room the previous day to fix a problem with a TV, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department told WZTV.



Police believe Neal made a key card to get into the guest’s room. He reportedly told officers he had gone inside because he smelled smoke, the TV station reported.



“When you close your eyes, you feel like you’re safe and you’re protected and it was a complete violation,” the hotel guest told WKRN. “I was just so, so shocked.”

[Ava]

In the final countdown to traveling.
I'm so stressed right now.
All the things I have to do before I leave.
Why did I decide going to Uruguay twice a year was a good idea?
Oh, well, it's booked and paid for, and it's almost here.
I'm not going to complain about a 2-week vacation.

I have to log into work in 15 minutes. I'm dreading it. Work has been crazy. And there's a lot to do and it's never ending. In general, I like to work, but it's been getting at me.

I have a ton of little things to do and organize before I leave. Everything takes longer than anticipated.
For instance, I took Michi to the vet this morning. Of course, the road was backed up because there's so much traffic lately. I guess a lot of people are working in person again.
It took 25 minutes to get to the vet. It should take 5 or 6 minutes. Then the vet, of course, is understaffed. So the receptionist was somewhere in the back doing something.
I waited for 15 minutes and then called their number. When she answered I explained I was in the lobby waiting to check in my cat for boarding.
Then coming back, the road was also backed up in my home's direction. Another 20 minutes.
Everything is like that.
Anyway, I'll enjoy, have fun, relax, and get pampered for the next two weeks. 

Guys, please wish me luck. I decided never again to attempt two vacations to Uruguay a year.
So I talked to my manager. I have an insane amount of PTO. That's something I cannot complain about.
So I explained I wanted to take it all in one fell swoop going forward.

He said, bring it on. So I submitted all my 2024 PTO for Dec. January 2024. If approved, I have a fantastic vacation during the Uruguayan Summer, while avoiding a good chunk of winter here.

Hope my manager doesn't get grumpy like he does sometimes when I submit my vacation request. He understands my situation. I don't have anyone here to spend vacations with, and the flight is far. expensive etc. But sometimes he complains. 

[finnime]

Well, that's gross.    daisylu's quote.

[finnime]

Good luck, Ava. At the last things are always a bit of a mess, but it will keep until you're back.

[Ava]

One more post before I close my personal computer and log into work.
Update about the graduation Sunday.

So my friend's husband always wants to leave stupidly early for everything.
He said, be here at 9.00. The school is about 90 minutes away during week traffic. The ceremony started at 1.30 and doors opened at 12.30. This was the Pharmacy school. For some reason, their graduation was in a smaller, separate building on campus. Everybody else's graduation was at a bigger auditorium.
For some reason, they did not email or snail mail tickets in advance. You have to pick them up at the door.
They gave an insane amount of tickets for each student. It was 10 tickets. So his parents were there, I was there, his uncle, aunt and three cousins. We still had some tickets left over.

Well, I arrived at their home 9.03 and they were already in the garden, house already locked, jackets & purse on their hands. I thought "give me a break". I arrived 3 minutes late and they looked like they had been waiting for me for hours.
So of course we immediately left. Who knows if we would make it on time otherwise
We arrived at the school at 10.06 and had to wait around until 12.30 to get into the building.
Ceremony lasted until 4 pm. Long and boring as expected.

I can say it's all about the money for these big universities. The buildings, the arrangements, etc. Everything looks so expensive. Tuition is crazy. My friend's son owes $160,000 in student loans.
They also gave an honorary degree to a lady who had made the biggest cash donation the school had ever received. She received her degree during the ceremony. They are also naming a building after her.

After the ceremony we went for dinner at a nearby restaurant.
I was back home at 8 pm.
Glad I did my duty by my friends. Also very glad the whole rigmarole is over.

[chiver78]

May 10, 2023 8:21:16 GMT -5 finnime said:

Well, that's gross.    daisylu 's quote.

  holy hell...     and thanks for the reminder to use the door stop lever thingy when I'm in my HGI room on Sunday night! 

[giramomma]

So this morning I was pleasantly reminded of one perk of being one of the old parents in the kids' school.

There are some younger parents that are easy on the eyes.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

This'll probably put a damper on sales


www.cnn.com/2023/05/09/us/utah-mom-childrens-book-husband-killing-cec/index.html


kouri Richins’ husband was found dead at the foot of their bed last March.



She’d just closed on a house for her business, she told investigators at the time. Around 9 p.m., she brought her husband, Eric Richins, a celebratory Moscow Mule cocktail in the bedroom of their home in Kamas, Utah.



She left to sleep with their son in his room and returned around 3 a.m. to find her husband lying on the floor cold to the touch, she told authorities. About a year to the day her husband died, Richins published a children’s book, “Are You With Me?” about navigating grief after the loss of a loved one.


But investigators now allege she killed her husband of nine years with a lethal dose of illicit fentanyl. This month, they charged her with aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

[toomuchreality]

May 10, 2023 7:30:13 GMT -5 finnime said:

In Connecticut going backward on the train. There is "police activity" on the track we had been routed on, so we are going to loop around it after we back up far enough. No other details.

That doesn't sound good (that you have to do this, due to police activity). But at least it can be done! I hope it doesn't take too long.

I've been seeing news reports the last few days, about a town where the kids have to climb over and under trains, to get to and from school every day. The trains are so long, they block every crossing in the town, for hours. Sometimes for more than 24 hr periods! They showed elementary age kids, with their backpacks, crawling under train cars, to get across tracks, with no idea if, or when the train would start moving! Apparently this has been going on for a few years.

I don't think I'd send my kids to school under those conditions. No way.

[jerseygirl]

Ava how very nice you’re going to Uruguay!
Yes last minutes are hectic but that’s ok, life seems more hectic for so many of us - and you’re going on a fantastic trip!!
Spending a longer time next year and missing a lot of winter here sounds lovely!!

[finnime]

 toomuchreality.

[jerseygirl]

Woke up really late -9:30!
Having breakfast coffe and reading the WSJ on the deck. Enjoying the grass scented mild breezes and the flowers we planted yesterday
First thing I did this morning was get deer spray out and sprayed the 2 big impatiens plants on sides of garage. Very luck the deer didn’t bite off all the flowers for a midnight snack.

[andi9899]

May 10, 2023 7:43:41 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Hoping to finish up a report today that I promised would be delivered by this Friday. DH is off Friday, and we are starting summer hours which means as long as manager approves we can log out at 1PM on Fridays. Manager doesn't pay much attention to our "on" time, as long as he sees results.

I love managers like this. We're all adults who are capable of getting things done. As long as my work isn't suffering, just let me be.

[andi9899]

May 10, 2023 8:10:13 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Work trip next week to Ohio. I hope I do not have an experience like this:

link

A routine work trip turned into a “nightmare” when a hotel guest visiting from Texas awoke to a Hilton manager sucking his feet, he told Tennessee news outlets.



Now, the man accused of committing the assault early one morning at the Hilton Nashville Downtown has been arrested. News outlets didn’t list attorney information for the man, identified as 52-year-old David Neal.



In response to McClatchy News’ request for comment, a Hilton spokesperson in an email said the Nashville Downtown property is independently run.



“The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority,” the Nashville hotel wrote in a statement. “We are working closely with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and, as part of company policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations.”


The case dates to March 30, when a Texas man said he was visiting the hotel for work. At about 5 a.m., he was sleeping in his locked hotel room when Neal entered “without knocking or announcing himself,” the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm said in a lawsuit alleging negligence and invasion of privacy.



The guest said he woke up and discovered Neal sucking on his toes in a sexual manner. The guest later realized Neal had been in his room the previous day to fix a problem with a TV, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department told WZTV.



Police believe Neal made a key card to get into the guest’s room. He reportedly told officers he had gone inside because he smelled smoke, the TV station reported.



“When you close your eyes, you feel like you’re safe and you’re protected and it was a complete violation,” the hotel guest told WKRN. “I was just so, so shocked.”

I saw that! I don't know if I've stayed at a Hilton hotel or not, but will not be in the future.

I've also been to Ohio a few times for work and have not had any trouble.

[andi9899]

May 10, 2023 8:35:49 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

May 10, 2023 8:21:16 GMT -5 finnime said:

Well, that's gross.    daisylu 's quote.

  holy hell...     and thanks for the reminder to use the door stop lever thingy when I'm in my HGI room on Sunday night! 

I just watched a tik tok about a woman who had a terrifying hotel experience and she showed this door jammer thing. It's in my Amazon cart now and will be going with me on my business trips from now on.

www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRKMYPxp/

a.co/d/1em4f8A

[andi9899]

My arms and legs hurt from last night's gym excursion. I'm feeling pretty old right about now.

[swamp]

May 10, 2023 8:10:13 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Work trip next week to Ohio. I hope I do not have an experience like this:

link

A routine work trip turned into a “nightmare” when a hotel guest visiting from Texas awoke to a Hilton manager sucking his feet, he told Tennessee news outlets.



Now, the man accused of committing the assault early one morning at the Hilton Nashville Downtown has been arrested. News outlets didn’t list attorney information for the man, identified as 52-year-old David Neal.



In response to McClatchy News’ request for comment, a Hilton spokesperson in an email said the Nashville Downtown property is independently run.



“The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority,” the Nashville hotel wrote in a statement. “We are working closely with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and, as part of company policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations.”


The case dates to March 30, when a Texas man said he was visiting the hotel for work. At about 5 a.m., he was sleeping in his locked hotel room when Neal entered “without knocking or announcing himself,” the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm said in a lawsuit alleging negligence and invasion of privacy.



The guest said he woke up and discovered Neal sucking on his toes in a sexual manner. The guest later realized Neal had been in his room the previous day to fix a problem with a TV, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department told WZTV.



Police believe Neal made a key card to get into the guest’s room. He reportedly told officers he had gone inside because he smelled smoke, the TV station reported.



“When you close your eyes, you feel like you’re safe and you’re protected and it was a complete violation,” the hotel guest told WKRN. “I was just so, so shocked.”

I have a work trip tomorrow and Friday.   Ack. 

[daisylu]

May 10, 2023 8:35:49 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

May 10, 2023 8:21:16 GMT -5 finnime said:

Well, that's gross.    daisylu 's quote.

  holy hell...     and thanks for the reminder to use the door stop lever thingy when I'm in my HGI room on Sunday night! 

DH has drilled this into my head. He does it every vacation. I thought it overkill with him in the room, but now I am in the habit of using it.

[seriousthistime]

Leftover pizza for breakfast.  

The only problem is that there wasn't enough left over. 

[wvugurl26]

The latch always goes on in the hotel room. Habit from business travel as a female. While many times I'm in a larger group, we always have our own rooms. DH has now been trained.

Especially after we had one incident where the maintenance/management tried to come in our room at 2am. Supposedly the rooms got dumped out of the system at midnight and showed as empty.

[skeeter]

If my memory serves me correctly minnesotapaintlady, Gus has a Vet appointment this afternoon.  If that is indeed the case, just wanted to wish you both good luck.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Yes.  I'm leaving work at noon today to get him to his 2pm appointment.  Not really looking forward to it.  

[daisylu]

May 10, 2023 9:12:13 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

May 10, 2023 7:43:41 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Hoping to finish up a report today that I promised would be delivered by this Friday. DH is off Friday, and we are starting summer hours which means as long as manager approves we can log out at 1PM on Fridays. Manager doesn't pay much attention to our "on" time, as long as he sees results.

I love managers like this. We're all adults who are capable of getting things done. As long as my work isn't suffering, just let me be.

Yup. Manager just verified that he has no issues with logging out for doctor (or any) appointments that I may have, as long as my calendar is updated and he is invited to any meetings that he may need to cover. His actual words at the end were "Save that PTO for real down/unwind time".

[chiver78]

yay, the work call ended early. now if someone could turn down the A/C in the dealership, maybe my teeth would stop chattering. jeez. 

[finnime]

Passed Philadelphia and Wilmington. Baltimore is next, then D.C. We're running an hour+ late. Ah, well.

[finnime]

Must get one of those hotel room door stops.

[giramomma]

I think I need to work on keeping my mouth shut today.

The thoughts going through my brain are not nice. If they go anywhere else, it would be bad.

Then again, I'm tired of being nice.

[bean29]

So, last night when I got home one of my neighbors handed me three big grocery bags of produce. Lettuce, corn, and one we had to use google lens to identify. It was baby bok choy. Don't tell my neighbors, but our rabbits are quite pleased with their treat. LOL. I am too, b/c I needed something to feed them. I still had a head of cabbage, but the bok choy I just had to trim the ends off and give it to them. I am going to the grocery store today to buy a bag of fresh green beans for them. Green Beans are pretty much their favorite. I usually give Cabbage or Kale with 4-6 green beans and a handful of Timothy Hay every am and pm. They eat the green beans first.



I am having a hard time keeping up with my household cleaning and decluttering. Retirement cannot come soon enough. High inflation is bad for my retirement prospects. hopefully it will slow down again.

[busymom]

Just so you know, bean29, bok choy is great to add when you make stir fry.  Dang, now I'm in the mood for stir fry...


The weather is perfect, the kind we waited for all Winter.  We might actually hit 80 degrees today.  

[alabamagal]

For those of you dealing with blood pressure issues, the FDA just approved a smart toilet seat that monitors blood pressure. Supposed to be available end of this year.