what are you doing right now?

[toomuchreality]

May 24, 2023 5:11:11 GMT -5 finnime said:

Good morning, illustrious invisipeeps, caring and making things work. Happy Wednesday. I hope your day is fantastic; that no grievances irritate you but happy happenstances happen.

Thanks for posting the pics, minnesotapaintlady.

I'm really glad you have an engaged and caring doctor working with you, Pink Cashmere.

Welp, except for a couple of small tasks we are ready. I need to get dressed, for one. And organize the paperwork for the cruise. The Uber driver comes at 10:00. Hard to believe I'll be in London tomorrow. We'll be staying on Hyde Park.

This pic was taken yesterday at dawn at the beach. I thought it was fittingly glowing and optimistic. I did not go there today. I think I'll be spending time on the plane purging pictures on my phone and laptop to make room for new ones. I plan on posting updates, too, because that's also good clean fun.

Safe travels. Have a good time and enjoy your trip! I hope it is wonderful. ♡

[daisylu]

Ouch. $1,200 to drop 9 trees. That is without removing them - DH and FIL will cut them for firewood.

That's just the first batch, on one side of the house. The other side and front will be another $2,000. I think all total will be 20 trees, and at least 6 will require bringing in a bucket.

DH usually does it himself, but these are all too close and are leaning towards the house so we are mostly paying for insurance in case something goes wrong.

I told DH when we married that I was uncomfortable with the way about half of those he wants to take out now were leaning towards the house. We have been lucky so far, IMO.

[lurkyloo]

May 23, 2023 16:33:29 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

May 23, 2023 16:24:50 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

The more I think about it the more I’m like who TF thought this was an acceptable system in the first place?  I refuse to believe there wasn’t a better way to ensure the survival of the human race...or any other mammals for that matter    Periods suck.

for real! I'll try to find a transcript or video, if I can remember the comic's name. but there was some stand-up skit that included a line about firing the civil engineer that designed the female body - with a recreation center set up right next to a toxic waste ! 

I’ve seen that somewhere, either live or quoted, and it really resonates.  That part actually applies to both genders 

[lurkyloo]

Have a great trip finnime!  Looking forward to hearing all about it  

[minnesotapaintlady]

Annoyed with myself.  I caught the driver's side mirror on my car pulling out of the garage and now the reflector is all floppy inside the housing.  Of course it's a mirror with tons of electronics crap in it. 

[Deleted]

May 23, 2023 21:09:30 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

May 23, 2023 15:37:54 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

Just finished watching 90-Day Finance, The Other Way, Tell All Part 2 with DH.  Now he knows why it's called the Tell All.  Including a very detailed description of the procedure for creating a male organ for a trans person, and how it functions during sex.  

I happen to be team Gabriel.

I think he and Isabel are the strongest couple this season.  I hope he squashes Monica somehow because she's very toxic and needs to butt out of his marriage

[Deleted]

Baby goats are the cutest things on the planet IMHO

[giramomma]

I'm sporting some false eyelashes.

For a first shot, its not half bad. I didn't get them alighed quite right. But, you can only tell if my eyes are closed.

How much glue to use is a thing. I may or may not have glued my eyes open at one point.

So far, though, they don't make my eyes itch and I can tolerate mascara better.

And they don't really look fake.

[Deleted]

taz157  Happy Anniversary to the Taz's - hope your DH feels up to celebrating soon

[giramomma]

I also only have one super stressful meeting for a half hour today, and then I'm home free for a while.

This is a hard one though. I'm set. It's just that I can't reveal I know what I know.

I am also reconnecting with someone later this week. We'll see what it results in, in terms of windows opening.

[chiver78]

checked in with the boss this morning for a 1:1. we both mentioned how relaxing the weekend was (even though he was still travelling for part of it, he flew Sat. am) while we were pulling up our notes. went through active projects, and then he asked about site visits. I said no, I really hadn't thought about it at all since Friday. he said some stuff and asked if I was halfway out the door to give him a bit of a heads up so he can wrap his head around the specific stuff I cover. I chuckled and said yup, no prob, that it's kind of looking that way if there's no change to the answers I got last week. his camera was on, and he didn't hide his reaction very well. said that he's having his own 1:1 with the Irish guy that was here last week, tomorrow morning, and that he was going to bring up the questions again. it will be interesting to see if anything comes of it. I'm not holding my breath, but maybe I'll be surprised. 

[Ava]

I'm writing from beautiful Montevideo.
It's supposed to rain today. That would be great since there's a drought here.

Weather has been very mild.

I've been eating out, meeting with family , reading, sleeping and going to the cinema and live theater.

I still have a few more days of vacation left and I plan to enjoy them to the max.

[toomuchreality]

May 24, 2023 9:06:04 GMT -5 Ava said:

I'm writing from beautiful Montevideo.
It's supposed to rain today. That would be great since there's a drought here.

Weather has been very mild.

I've been eating out, meeting with family , reading, sleeping and going to the cinema and live theater.

I still have a few more days of vacation left and I plan to enjoy them to the max.

Enjoy! You might as well, while you can.

[toomuchreality]

May 24, 2023 9:05:37 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

checked in with the boss this morning for a 1:1. we both mentioned how relaxing the weekend was (even though he was still travelling for part of it, he flew Sat. am) while we were pulling up our notes. went through active projects, and then he asked about site visits. I said no, I really hadn't thought about it at all since Friday. he said some stuff and asked if I was halfway out the door to give him a bit of a heads up so he can wrap his head around the specific stuff I cover. I chuckled and said yup, no prob, that it's kind of looking that way if there's no change to the answers I got last week. his camera was on, and he didn't hide his reaction very well. said that he's having his own 1:1 with the Irish guy that was here last week, tomorrow morning, and that he was going to bring up the questions again. it will be interesting to see if anything comes of it. I'm not holding my breath, but maybe I'll be surprised. 

I like this boss. Too bad he doesn't doesn't get to make all you job decisions.

[azucena]

Different day, same work shit.

One of my clients got promoted and her job just posted internally. I started a rumor that I was looking at it.

My boss blew up one of my projects yesterday...on.its.due.date - after hearing about it for weeks. He's such an azzhat. Then, this morning, he changed his mind on several things he 'decided' yesterday. Pretty typical of him.

So I'm online finishing it today when I'm supposed to be on PTO bc DD10 is off school.

Got voluntold to take an internal leadership course - meets 2-5 hours per month for two yrs including travel to in person meetings once a year. Leader spent 30 mins telling us all about how it's an honor to be chosen and how many approval hoops it went thru. There was no good way to turn it down - believe me, I thought long and hard about it. Will have to do several presentations and also meet monthly with a mentor of their choosing. Ain't nobody got time for that and I don't want to be groomed to move higher.

And apparently succession planning is a big topic, due at the end of June. I've been contacted four times this week with requests to add my name to various positions. Nope, nope, nopity, nope. I couldn't be more clear about staying in this role until I hoard enough cash to retire. On track for age 60 which is 15.75 yrs away. 

[jerseygirl]

For all the travelers , enjoy !

[Cookies Galore]

May 23, 2023 21:26:47 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

There's an abandoned mansion near my house that is now on the market.  I need 750K (and probably a few million to fix it up)

www.edinarealty.com/homes-for-sale/22571-briarcombe-wilson-mn-55987-1832985

After Rockwell Kent died of a heart attack in 1971, a front-page New York Times obituary attempted to cram his multitudes into the lede:

At various (and frequently simultaneous) periods of his long life the protean Rockwell Kent was an architect, painter, illustrator, lithographer, xylographer, cartoonist, advertising artist, carpenter, dairy farmer, explorer, trade union leader and political controversialist. 'He is so multiple a person as to be multifarious,' Louis Untermeyer, the poet, once observed.

Understandably, there is only a passing reference to the famed artist's Minnesota days, which coincided with his ramblin' architect/carpenter era. During his brief stay living near Winona, spanning 1911 to 1913, Kent would build a double-mansion property known as Briarcombe Farm.

On Sunday evening, that combined eight-bedroom, six-bathroom, 8,053-square-foot estate spanning 15 acres near the Mississippi River hit the market for the first time in decades. For $750,000, you can purchase the abandoned marvel that Kent literally built with his own hands. Here's John Weiss of the Rochester Post Bulletin writing ahead of a 100-year celebration of Kent a decade ago at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum:

He directed the work, helped physically build it, did some painting, sold some vegetables and then left, never to return. In the town along the Mississippi River, the man who was to become world famous did few of his major works and left no impression on the city.

I've watched both the original BBC Ghosts and the CBS version. I say get the mansion, have a tumble down the stairs, and enjoy your new ghostly friends! Imagine all the shenanigans you can get it into!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

May 24, 2023 9:20:08 GMT -5 azucena said:

Different day, same work shit.

One of my clients got promoted and her job just posted internally. I started a rumor that I was looking at it.

My boss blew up one of my projects yesterday...on.its.due.date - after hearing about it for weeks. He's such an azzhat. Then, this morning, he changed his mind on several things he 'decided' yesterday. Pretty typical of him.

So I'm online finishing it today when I'm supposed to be on PTO bc DD10 is off school.

Got voluntold to take an internal leadership course - meets 2-5 hours per month for two yrs including travel to in person meetings once a year. Leader spent 30 mins telling us all about how it's an honor to be chosen and how many approval hoops it went thru. There was no good way to turn it down - believe me, I thought long and hard about it. Will have to do several presentations and also meet monthly with a mentor of their choosing. Ain't nobody got time for that and I don't want to be groomed to move higher.

And apparently succession planning is a big topic, due at the end of June. I've been contacted four times this week with requests to add my name to various positions. Nope, nope, nopity, nope. I couldn't be more clear about staying in this role until I hoard enough cash to retire. On track for age 60 which is 15.75 yrs away. 

Enough of all that let's get to the most important thing.  Did you remember to not yawn while doing all this?  

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

May 24, 2023 8:43:02 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

Baby goats are the cutest things on the planet IMHO

So are lambs.  Seen a lot of them the last few weeks.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Someone posted an interesting factoid.

Think of what your absolute favorite song is.  Chances are, it was released when you were 15+/- 2 years.

Mine is Bohemian Rhapsody, which is 1975.  I was 16.  

TD’s was released when he was 15.

[azucena]

May 24, 2023 9:27:38 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

May 24, 2023 9:20:08 GMT -5 azucena said:

Different day, same work shit.

One of my clients got promoted and her job just posted internally. I started a rumor that I was looking at it.

My boss blew up one of my projects yesterday...on.its.due.date - after hearing about it for weeks. He's such an azzhat. Then, this morning, he changed his mind on several things he 'decided' yesterday. Pretty typical of him.

So I'm online finishing it today when I'm supposed to be on PTO bc DD10 is off school.

Got voluntold to take an internal leadership course - meets 2-5 hours per month for two yrs including travel to in person meetings once a year. Leader spent 30 mins telling us all about how it's an honor to be chosen and how many approval hoops it went thru. There was no good way to turn it down - believe me, I thought long and hard about it. Will have to do several presentations and also meet monthly with a mentor of their choosing. Ain't nobody got time for that and I don't want to be groomed to move higher.

And apparently succession planning is a big topic, due at the end of June. I've been contacted four times this week with requests to add my name to various positions. Nope, nope, nopity, nope. I couldn't be more clear about staying in this role until I hoard enough cash to retire. On track for age 60 which is 15.75 yrs away. 

Enough of all that let's get to the most important thing.  Did you remember to not yawn while doing all this?  

Probably not as the mtg started at 7 am my time to accommodate international folks. I broke the rules and stayed off camera except when speaking and only spoke when required to introduce myself and answer some stupid ice breaker about whether 100 duck sized horses would win in a battle against 1 horse sized ducks. I gave a pithy 'root for the underdog' answer which was countered by which is the underdog. I said that's open to interpretation now isn't it and left it in awkward silence. Play stupid games, get stupid prizes.

Next month's mtg topic is the required Insights personality test that my company loves. Not surprising that I'm true blue and off the charts analytical. In July, we each have to present for 15 mins about our role within the company. I don't care what someone is doing in South Africa, and I doubt they care what I do. Bah humbug. 

Oh, did I mention that we did our annual engagement survey last week. I made a point to do it first thing one morning before anyone pissed me off. I've never marked disappointed so many times, particularly in the boss section. There's six of us with two still working toward VP promotion, one heading into retirement, and one who never says anything bad about anyone. Will be so obvious which results are mine. Looking fwd to the discussion of those charts in six months.

[azucena]

May 24, 2023 9:43:22 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Someone posted an interesting factoid.

Think of what your absolute favorite song is.  Chances are, it was released when you were 15+/- 2 years.

Mine is Bohemian Rhapsody, which is 1975.  I was 16.  

TD’s was released when he was 15.

It's thought provoking how huge music is in our teen years. With DD14 having Alexas in most rooms and unlimited Amazon music, I'm truly amazed by the range of songs on her favorite list, not to mention how many lyrics she knows which then trickle down to DD10. 

[swamp]

May 24, 2023 9:54:23 GMT -5 azucena said:

May 24, 2023 9:43:22 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Someone posted an interesting factoid.

Think of what your absolute favorite song is.  Chances are, it was released when you were 15+/- 2 years.

Mine is Bohemian Rhapsody, which is 1975.  I was 16.  

TD’s was released when he was 15.

It's thought provoking how huge music is in our teen years. With DD14 having Alexas in most rooms and unlimited Amazon music, I'm truly amazed by the range of songs on her favorite list, not to mention how many lyrics she knows which then trickle down to DD10. 

THis.  

My children know and listen to most of the songs i listened to as a teen.    Which is the equivalent of me listening to late 1940's and early 1950's music when I was a teen.  

[swamp]

I reorganized the bookshelves in my office.   The books I used the most were on a shelf that I couldn't reach, so getting those books required either getting a chair, or climbing up the shelves, both of which security frown on my doing.  

I am now very sweaty. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

May 24, 2023 10:07:15 GMT -5 swamp said:

May 24, 2023 9:54:23 GMT -5 azucena said:

It's thought provoking how huge music is in our teen years. With DD14 having Alexas in most rooms and unlimited Amazon music, I'm truly amazed by the range of songs on her favorite list, not to mention how many lyrics she knows which then trickle down to DD10. 

THis.  

My children know and listen to most of the songs i listened to as a teen.    Which is the equivalent of me listening to late 1940's and early 1950's music when I was a teen.  

Gwen was complaining about another girl in middle school and how that girl is not a "true fan" of Queen because all she knows is Bohemian Rhapsody and she probably only knows that from the movie.

I had to point out to her that most 12 year olds are not listening to Queen's entire playlist.  And stop making me feel old by gatekeeping Queen.

[raeoflyte]

I don't know, or maybe don't have a top favorite song. Which is funny because most hated song I couldn't post fast enough.

[taz157]

Work was interesting today too. They fired a person in one of the sub-departments under my main department. I’m not surprised she was fired but I’m kinda surprised it was today.

Time to get back to work!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

May 24, 2023 9:54:23 GMT -5 azucena said:

May 24, 2023 9:43:22 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Someone posted an interesting factoid.

Think of what your absolute favorite song is.  Chances are, it was released when you were 15+/- 2 years.

Mine is Bohemian Rhapsody, which is 1975.  I was 16.  

TD’s was released when he was 15.

It's thought provoking how huge music is in our teen years. With DD14 having Alexas in most rooms and unlimited Amazon music, I'm truly amazed by the range of songs on her favorite list, not to mention how many lyrics she knows which then trickle down to DD10. 

You might be surprised as to how many lyrics you know too.  I (scarily) know lyrics to songs I don’t even remember listening too.

All I can think about is all that wasted brain space, remembering lyrics from 1970s songs when I could use that space for important things…..like remembering where 8 left my car keys.

This most recently slapped me in the face when Rocky came on the radio.  I knew every freaking word to that song, yet I do not remember listening to it. 

[swamp]

May 24, 2023 10:17:27 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

May 24, 2023 10:07:15 GMT -5 swamp said:

THis.  

My children know and listen to most of the songs i listened to as a teen.    Which is the equivalent of me listening to late 1940's and early 1950's music when I was a teen.  

Gwen was complaining about another girl in middle school and how that girl is not a "true fan" of Queen because all she knows is Bohemian Rhapsody and she probably only knows that from the movie.

I had to point out to her that most 12 year olds are not listening to Queen's entire playlist.  And stop making me feel old by gatekeeping Queen.

WTH is up with the kids gatekeeping over who is a true fan?  Who cares?  

[alabamagal]

May 24, 2023 9:43:22 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Someone posted an interesting factoid.

Think of what your absolute favorite song is.  Chances are, it was released when you were 15+/- 2 years.

Mine is Bohemian Rhapsody, which is 1975.  I was 16.  

TD’s was released when he was 15.

I was 12 when Bohemain Rhapsody was released. I HATED it. Guess I was too young. Then when it was on its second round of top playlist-guess during Wayne’s World- I really liked it.