what are you doing right now?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Sitting off the coast of Costa Rica this morning, we do t go out until 10, so are having a leisurely breakfast.  Hit the spa last night, but need to go with TD as I cannot get out of the hot tub by myself.  I did manage to do so, but it wasn’t pretty and had I slipped it would have been an issue.

Off to see some crocodiles today!

[Deleted]

Dec 29, 2022 21:17:37 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Today was really busy, we started going through the Panama Canal around 7 this morning, so we were out on the balcony watching.  Got dressed, had a quick breakfast and went up to the Explorer’s lounge on the 7th deck to watch.  Mimosas were being served, so drank several.  TD had prime standing space out in front where he was getting some good pics.  

There are 3 locks to go through, and we were through them all around 3.  When we got out into the Pacific, I counted over 26 ships waiting to go through.  I have no idea of the pecking order for entry into the locks though.  One of the guides told me that going through the locks can range from $400k to $1M.  

Your timing was good!  My cruise through the Panama Canal started around 7 PM.  A lot of people stayed up through the whole transit but I wasn't one of them.  I did get to see the process through several locks, though.  David McCullough's book "The Path Between the Seas" is fascinating- goes into the engineering, politics, economics, epidemiology, etc. involved in the building of the Canal.  It was in our ship's library but who has time to read a 1,000-page book when there's so much out there?  I read it when I got home and now I want to go again.   Our transit cost about $15,000 IIRC but it was a ship with fewer than 100 passengers and it was 5 years ago.  

As we were enjoying breakfast in the San Jose port in our last day we saw part of the loading/unloading procession.  It's all run by computer, of course.  The truck cabs pulling empty beds would line up and the automatic crane would drop a container onto the bed and the next cab would pull up.  A similar unloading process was probably going on at the same time.  

And, back to real life... quiet day ahead till BF and I go to see "Babylon" (about Hollywood in the 1920s/1930s) this afternoon.  Dinner will be picked up from Subway on the way home.   We will definitely be asleep before it's 2023.

[chiver78]

thanks for the book rec, Athena. looks like Amazon has it for $14. that does sound fascinating, and now I'm curious if anything like that exists for the digging of the Cape Cod Canal - which started around the time the Panama Canal was finished.

[TheOtherMe]

Watching Elton John's supposed farewell concert in LA from last month.

Finished watching the Beatles Get Back for the 2nd time.

[daisylu]

Awake since around 4. Will try to grab a nap later so I can ring in 2023 in my pjs in the living room. Grabbed some shrimp to steam later and the rest of the menu will be apps - mozzarella sticks, fried pickles, potato skins, and onion petals. All courtesy of Farm Rich frozen foods. 😆

[giramomma]

I started part 1 of a new project. I can't spend an hour on every new start. But, I might be able to squeeze in 20 minutes.

We're taking the girls out this afternoon. I am going to the stitching store with the missy in a little bit. They have toys.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Dec 31, 2022 9:42:43 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Dec 29, 2022 21:17:37 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Today was really busy, we started going through the Panama Canal around 7 this morning, so we were out on the balcony watching.  Got dressed, had a quick breakfast and went up to the Explorer’s lounge on the 7th deck to watch.  Mimosas were being served, so drank several.  TD had prime standing space out in front where he was getting some good pics.  

There are 3 locks to go through, and we were through them all around 3.  When we got out into the Pacific, I counted over 26 ships waiting to go through.  I have no idea of the pecking order for entry into the locks though.  One of the guides told me that going through the locks can range from $400k to $1M.  

Your timing was good!  My cruise through the Panama Canal started around 7 PM.  A lot of people stayed up through the whole transit but I wasn't one of them.  I did get to see the process through several locks, though.  David McCullough's book "The Path Between the Seas" is fascinating- goes into the engineering, politics, economics, epidemiology, etc. involved in the building of the Canal.  It was in our ship's library but who has time to read a 1,000-page book when there's so much out there?  I read it when I got home and now I want to go again.   Our transit cost about $15,000 IIRC but it was a ship with fewer than 100 passengers and it was 5 years ago.  

As we were enjoying breakfast in the San Jose port in our last day we saw part of the loading/unloading procession.  It's all run by computer, of course.  The truck cabs pulling empty beds would line up and the automatic crane would drop a container onto the bed and the next cab would pull up.  A similar unloading process was probably going on at the same time.  

And, back to real life... quiet day ahead till BF and I go to see "Babylon" (about Hollywood in the 1920s/1930s) this afternoon.  Dinner will be picked up from Subway on the way home.   We will definitely be asleep before it's 2023.

Yep, it was recommended here too.  TD is waiting to hit LA before he downloads it to his kindle as Amazon doesn’t always do foreign downloads.  

The prices quoted are for the largest cruise ships with thousands of passengers.  There are less than 1000 on this ship.  Interesting factoid….cruise ships have priority over cargo ships in going through the canal.  I think the Princess Emerald was right behind us when we went through.  It was much larger, we look like a peanut in comparison!

[cooper88]

It's supposed to be 70 with no wind today, so we're grilling a steak. I've got a few things to do in the yard. I like to get all the "heavy lifting" done before summer; it's just too hot then. I might go ahead and sow some lettuce and cilantro seeds today too.

[daisylu]

Rainy and dreary all day here today. 2022 going out like a bang.

Debating on putting on a bra and going through my closet to start a bag for donation. I did pack away our water shoes earlier. Likely won't need them before May. 😔

[chiver78]

I'm off to a productive start again today. woo! Walmart run was successful, I checked out some small chest freezers at Lowe's, and now I'm working on a fully dressed bagel and a glass of prosecco while watching an episode of The 90s on NatGeo. current focus is the Jerry Springer Show, and it's a hilarious train wreck. I forgot how utterly ridiculous that show got in later years. it started out as a pretty respectable one.

[jerseygirl]

Foggy and gloomy here also.
Cousin I never met is visiting this afternoon. Found him and his sister in Germany through ancestry.com
Putting together some photos of family we share. He lives in north Jersey also

Bought pierogis, will have with cucumbers in sour cream with dill and a shrimp cocktail ‘round’ for this evening and for tomorrow

My tooth under a crown is aching and throbbing will need to go to dentist soon. Gagh!! Will probably buy dental insurance before going as probably need to replace all 3 crowns that are together

[andi9899]

Bathroom is done except for the floors. I'm going to sweep and vacuum today, but mopping and carpet cleaning will be tomorrow or Monday. I decluttered so much from the bathroom it was insane. Expired OTC meds,old lotions, consolidating multiple boxes of tampons, panty liners and pads into single boxes. It's nice to open a drawer or cabinet and not have crap falling out all over the place. It was long overdue.

I do have my bedding washing and just unloaded the dishwasher. I'll be going upstairs soon and dusting. T2's room is a lost cause, so the door will just remain shut. If I can't see it, it doesn't exist. When I'm done for the day I'll bathe myself and go pick up my Sam's order. I do still need to take all the shoes out of the huge bin we throw them in and put them on the racks they go on upstairs.

[andi9899]

Dec 31, 2022 9:17:58 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Sitting off the coast of Costa Rica this morning, we do t go out until 10, so are having a leisurely breakfast.  Hit the spa last night, but need to go with TD as I cannot get out of the hot tub by myself.  I did manage to do so, but it wasn’t pretty and had I slipped it would have been an issue.

Off to see some crocodiles today!

I'm jealous. Outside of the crocodile part.

[teen persuasion]

DH wanted to go to the Y for a run and to swim a few laps.  I tagged along to grocery shop early.

Chiver, I *wish* our Y was close - it seems so crazy for DH to drive into the (tiny) city for a run, but that's why he has a membership: to give him somewhere to run in the winter when snowbanks and plows make it dangerous to run on our road.  He signed up again when they had a $0 signup deal, and the monthly fee is sliding scale based on income, so $27/month now that he's retired.  At ours you can suspend your membership for a few months once per year w/o having to pay a new-member signup fee; he might do that in the summer when he rarely uses the Y because he's running outside.

[weltschmerz]

As a Christmas present, my nephew took my son out for supper. He's a hipster, hot shot young lawyer with a BMW. So. he took DS to one of the trendiest, most expensive restaurants in Old Montreal. DS is a meat and potatoes man. This place was Hawaiian/Thai fusion....lots of pineapple and coconut. Nephew eats there all the time.
My son had the fries. That's it. He won't touch pineapple or coconut or anything he's not familiar with. Just fries.

[weltschmerz]

I had a mouse jump on my head last night while I was trying to sleep. Sushi was on the floor, in hunting mode. So, this little critter decided to go UP.
This is unacceptable.  I'm going to ask the janitor to put poison out. I don't like doing that, but what choice do I have?

[Cookies Galore]

Dec 31, 2022 11:40:38 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

Foggy and gloomy here also.
Cousin I never met is visiting this afternoon. Found him and his sister in Germany through ancestry.com
Putting together some photos of family we share. He lives in north Jersey also

Bought pierogis, will have with cucumbers in sour cream with dill and a shrimp cocktail ‘round’ for this evening and for tomorrow

My tooth under a crown is aching and throbbing will need to go to dentist soon. Gagh!! Will probably buy dental insurance before going as probably need to replace all 3 crowns that are together

Ouch! I went through all that in 2021. Infection got in under the crown, had to see an endodontist for a root canal retreatment, but luckily, the crown was not damaged and my dentist was able to do a repair afterward.
And my luck with crowns, in October I broke another crown while out to lunch. Fun times!

Good luck with your tooth! Get to a dentist ASAP!

[Cookies Galore]

An early happy new year to you all! Dreary, foggy day here so not feeling festive quite yet. I think I'm sad my two week vacation is almost done and I have to go back to work on Tuesday.

I'm on appetizer duty for our dinner at our friends' house tonight. Decided on a cheese and meat board with whipped feta with a honey drizzle, aged Gouda, cheddar, a variety of salame, candied pecans, raspberries, grapes, and toasted baguette. As I was leaving Wegmans I thought "I should have just made crab stuffed mushrooms." Next year!

[Cookies Galore]

Dec 30, 2022 19:55:34 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

My laundry is in the dryer and DH will put his in the washer in a few.

Two dear friends took an incredible leap of faith and went from stable and lucrative pay jobs to their dream jobs effective Jan 1. I applaud their spirts and embrace their choices, plus that will put them in places to benefit my community going forward.

Next year will be incredibly bitter and hard-fought local mayoral and council races. Council races are already being litigated in our courts, and those issues will probably go to the state Supreme Court. DH and I have already discussed who we will support and for how much $$. The results will definitely impact our home values and quality of life here.

Night all!

Damn! First your civic group and now local elections drama! I ran unopposed for my council seat twice and I'm pretty bummed that literally no one else cared to run, but maybe it's for the best. Lol.

[cooper88]

I just saw a butterfly!

[Pink Cashmere]

Yesterday morning, a little after 5am, a car came in the cove, stopped in front of our house, some guys got out, walked next door, and started messing with Mr. and Mrs. T’s Challenger and Jeep. They must have made some noise because one of the T’s dogs (inside the house) barked and Mr. T’s sister looked out the window and saw them. She turned a light on when she was going to tell Mr. T and when they saw the light come on, they ran back to the car they drove up in and sped off. There was another car waiting at the corner of the cove.

I am so afraid that one morning Mister or I will be leaving home for work and stumble up on something crazy outside since that’s the second time something has happened around that time.

They aren’t even my vehicles, but I’m tired of this stuff happening right next door to me. Mr. T had already told Mister that he was sick of it, and if they finally manage to steal the cars, whatever.

It’s ridiculous that you can’t enjoy the fruits of your labor without someone trying to take your stuff from you. Idk if it’s the same people that keep coming back, or if it’s been different people, or both. 

Mr. T moved their fence when they first moved in, and now their garage is behind the fence, with a gate across the driveway. Idk if that’s why they don’t park in their garage, because they’d have to get out and open and close the gate all the time, or if there’s another reason. But even if they did, that doesn’t mean thieves won’t keep snooping around and trying shit. Car theft and break ins have become a huge issue in this area. It’s crazy.

We’ve added more lighting and installed clearly visible cameras, and so did the T’s. These idiots simply don’t care and it’s the boldness that scares me.

[Deleted]

Just got a call from an old friend asking me to transcribe a semi-autobiographical book he's written, and I agreed. That and my civic association projects should keep me busy during the New Year which is good as I feel my anxiety and irritability are often linked to boredom. Downside is that I have to go to his apartment to get the drafts and he will make his ritual pass and I will make my equally ritualized negative response.

[Pink Cashmere]

Yesterday Mister came home from work in a terrible mood. I asked him why he was so irritated and he said he got irritated when it was time to leave work and come home. I didn’t know what to say to that. Then he got even more irritated because his Dad told him he’d told Mom he was going to bring her some tacos. 

Mister had already stopped and picked up a grocery order on his way home, and hadn’t planned on going back out. Plus his Dad didn’t have any money to buy tacos, and I guess just assumed Mister would pay for them. After having called Mister earlier because the vet keeps calling him about money he owes them, and asked Mister to pay them something for him.

When they left to take her tacos, I was kind of relieved, because I don’t like being around a lot of negative energy and it was oozing out of Mister. I didn’t even realize until several years ago how much other people’s negative energy can affect me, or even that I could feel other people’s energy like that, but once I became aware of it, I started trying to limit my exposure, regardless of the source.

I didn’t really think about it until last night, but before Mister got home, his Dad made several comments about us being “rich”. We have double ovens, we’re rich. I asked if he let the garage door back down after we went for a short walk up the cove (he didn’t), he’s not use to rich people stuff like that. There were a couple more, I forget the context.

Is that why he started asking Mister for so much money some months ago, and seems to expect Mister to pay his bills and for stuff for him? Because he thinks Mister has it to blow? Even though Mister keeps telling him he doesn’t have money like that, he has his own expenses, including 2 children in college and another minor child. His car is sitting in our driveway, the monthly payment is behind and the temporary tags (he just bought it this summer, against his wife’s wishes and Mister’s advice), expired a couple months ago.

I keep offering to try to help Mister figure things out, regarding his parents, but I guess he has to do everything his way. I asked all those questions here, regarding his Mom, a lot of you were kind enough to give me advice and tell me who he needed to talk to, and I did some more research on my own, and gave him all the notes I took from here and other things I looked into. And there is still no resolution. So why keep doing that stuff, if it doesn’t help? 

I know I’m all over the place with this post. Sorry.

[saveinla]

Pink Cashmere - I think as strong women, we want to solve our loved one's problems, but my son told me once - Not all people are as strong as you are and you need to give them grace to do things at their own pace. 

It's very hard for me, but I try to remember that when I get frustrated with people who dont go ahead and attack the problem that is very clear. I don't always succeed and get mad, so there is that  . Hugs.

[chiver78]

Dec 31, 2022 12:43:05 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

I had a mouse jump on my head last night while I was trying to sleep. Sushi was on the floor, in hunting mode. So, this little critter decided to go UP.
This is unacceptable.  I'm going to ask the janitor to put poison out. I don't like doing that, but what choice do I have?

 no. I'm all for "live and let live" but I draw the line where my personal space is invaded. that line is in different locations for different species (ex: spiders....), but a mouse on my head, in my bed, has definitely found itself on the wrong side of the line. say Dr Seuss. 

[TheOtherMe]

Pink   

[CCL]

Dec 31, 2022 12:43:05 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

I had a mouse jump on my head last night while I was trying to sleep. Sushi was on the floor, in hunting mode. So, this little critter decided to go UP.
This is unacceptable.  I'm going to ask the janitor to put poison out. I don't like doing that, but what choice do I have?

Eek! If that happened to me, you would have heard me scream all the way up there in Montreal.

[chiver78]

Dec 31, 2022 12:05:39 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

DH wanted to go to the Y for a run and to swim a few laps.  I tagged along to grocery shop early.

Chiver, I *wish* our Y was close - it seems so crazy for DH to drive into the (tiny) city for a run, but that's why he has a membership: to give him somewhere to run in the winter when snowbanks and plows make it dangerous to run on our road.  He signed up again when they had a $0 signup deal, and the monthly fee is sliding scale based on income, so $27/month now that he's retired.  At ours you can suspend your membership for a few months once per year w/o having to pay a new-member signup fee; he might do that in the summer when he rarely uses the Y because he's running outside.

this is pretty much why I was already leaning toward joining even before I posted. andi9899 can attest as to how close it is. this Y location is in the development across the bogs, where I walk my dogs when I don't have time to get out to the canal over midday. there's also no sidewalks near my house, not that I'd be running. even when I was in the best shape of my life, I'd never run just to run. put me in a soccer game and I'd run for hours, but to just run? not my speed. nevermind that I can't hold my balance on a treadmill even at walking speed.     it's bad. I have to hold on for dear life. 

thanks to all that said "do it!", I'm going to head up on Monday to check it all out. I'm not leaving the house again today in deference to Amateur Night. lol... but, I know I need to break some bad habits, and this feels like a good start. 

[chiver78]

Dec 31, 2022 14:52:32 GMT -5 saveinla said:

Pink Cashmere - I think as strong women, we want to solve our loved one's problems, but my son told me once - Not all people are as strong as you are and you need to give them grace to do things at their own pace. 

It's very hard for me, but I try to remember that when I get frustrated with people who dont go ahead and attack the problem that is very clear. I don't always succeed and get mad, so there is that  . Hugs.

 all of this. it's taken me a very long time to learn that what I might find crisis/top priority isn't categorized the same way by everyone else, and that's on me to process. I wish you good health, sanity, and grace in the new year as you continue to navigate this new normal.   if I can listen at all, if there's something you don't want to post in the forum, PM or FB message me. I'm still mostly logged out over there, but the messenger app is separate. but overall, don't forget to breathe. be well. 

[giramomma]

Dec 31, 2022 14:23:40 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

 Downside is that I have to go to his apartment to get the drafts and he will make his ritual pass and I will make my equally ritualized negative response.

I just lol'ed.