What happened today that you liked?

[Hound of Cullen]

1) I'm glad you're still here on the forums, SuperDave. I'm glad we've met face-to-face.

2) I got a nice, flirty egoboost from someone this morning. That's always a pleasure.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Yesterday, I read about Jean and Jorts and nearly fell out of my chair laughing. I needed that.

DON'T BUTTER JORTS!!!

Edit: Here's the reddit AITA thread about Jean and Jorts

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I got my flat tire fixed for $25.

I got out of work early, and I don't have to go in to the office until 2022.

I have ingredients for chili and cornbread.

We will have our first big snow tomorrow, and I can just watch it while I drink coffee and play Skyrim.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Today I finished the second season of the Witcher (nice!) and have a big pot of chili simmering in anticipation of the first blizzard of the year

 

[Hound of Cullen]

My housemate sold her Honda Fit.

It has been a great little car. 275,000 miles. Drivetrain is still in good shape, needs brake work and rear struts. Fellow who bought it is going to use it as a short-haul (for Vermont) commuter car. Less than 30 miles/day.

Despite the mileage and the age (a 2008), she got over $1,000 for it.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

My housemate sold her Honda Fit.

It has been a great little car. 275,000 miles. Drivetrain is still in good shape, needs brake work and rear struts. Fellow who bought it is going to use it as a short-haul (for Vermont) commuter car. Less than 30 miles/day.

Despite the mileage and the age (a 2008), she got over $1,000 for it.

Do I know your housemate?

Don't think so. Unless you just bought a Honda Fit.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

It is going to snow. And it is cold out. So I baked a chocolate cake and made espresso cream cheese frosting.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I got to work from home today, so I didn't have to drive in the shitty weather.

I had cake for breakfast.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

My toilet broke and I fixed it. The handle snapped, I can fix that!

I bet you were flushed with pride when you posted that.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I managed to avoid hitting a hawk this morning on my drive into work.

It swooped out of a tree, dropping to pick up speed before climbing up. I had to brake, *hard* to keep it from hitting my windshield. Hawk remained unharmed and I got a spectacular view of it, inches from my windshield.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Today, I got up early, fed the dog, then got to sleep for another hour.

And I'm making pretzel buns. Dough is rising right now.

And it is snowing, but I don't have to go anywhere, so I can just enjoy watching it fall.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

snow storm meant I worked from home today. Nice to be able to skip the commute.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

students are gone, so it'll be quiet at work for the next three weeks! There is stuff to do, but much more leisurely. Hooray!

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I have shaken off the cold I caught last week. First one in two years.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Got my first ever COVID test back today and confirmed that the cold that's been bugging me all week is indeed just a cold and not a plague.

First ever test... My first test was roughly two years ago, right as I started my current job. For most of 2021, I was tested on campus weekly.

And I'll get tested again next Monday, as the kids return to school, all staff gets tested then.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I had breakfast with some folks who were all alums of my former place of work. Good breakfast sandwich, nice coffee, good to catch up.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Had a cup of real, brewed coffee from a coffeehouse. And it's good. Nice change from the usual "road coffee" options. But that does make you really appreciate it when you get a decent cuppa!

Some day you'll be within range of a Wawa, and on that day I urge you to sample a cup of their Colombian brew. Especially if you drink it black. It doesn't suck.

I live in Gaithersburg Maryland right now, and there is a Wawa going in about walking distance from my apartment, likely opening this time next year. I look forward to it, really.

I grew up in Gaithersburg. I can still remember when 117 was a gravel road.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

(/me trims Gaithersburg stuff...)

Sugarloaf always made for a nice walk

Back when I was a sophomore in high school, in May or early June, 15 or so of my friends decided to go tot the top of Sugarloaf. Now, amongst my acquaintances was a jock-ish hotdog. Not too stupid, but impulsive and rather a dick about it. Near the top of the path, there's a cut rock face, roughly 12' tall, that the path skirts around.

Hotdog decides, "I'mma climb it." Which he does. Yay hotdog.

Unfortunately, another friend, perhaps less smart than hotdog, certainly less athletic, goes, "I'mma climb it too!"

He makes it 8' up the wall, loses his grip, falls and breaks his ankle. This was '84, so no cell phones; the closest phone is in the ranger's station all the way at the bottom of the mountain. Most of us stay with the injured idiot. We had enough scouts/first aid trained kids to keep him out of shock, despite not having much in the way of warm clothes or a first aid kit. Hotdog runs down the hill and gets the rangers, who call an ambulance, then get the trail stretcher up Sugarloaf with the paramedics (I *think* they had a little 4x4, but I don't remember.

Anyway, we didn't make it to the top of Sugarloaf that day. Idiot ended up with two pins in his ankle and had to miss his graduation. Hotdog remained a hotdog; I lost touch with him sometime in college.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I probably did not get an STD from this hotel room.

But if I do get an STD, it will be from this hotel room.

Stayed here, didn't you?

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I dropped $1K on car maintenance. Brakes, brake fluid, coolant flush, transmission fluid change, oil change, fuel pump replacement.

I liked this because I could easily afford it. 3 years ago, in my old job, I hadn't had a raise in over 10 years, and the gradual inflation over that time had eaten away all of my available income. I was living paycheck to paycheck and *hating* it. I'd cut back pretty much everything and was doing extra work after my regular job to try and build up a cushion.

After 2 years in the new job, I'm socking $1K/month into savings and I can *afford* things like car maintenance, new clothes, and the occasional goddam luxury. It really makes such a big difference.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

The Clown Motel is real, is open, and I have a friend who stayed there (said it was okay).

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/clown-motel

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I like simple tools. I have an axe. Nothing fancy, just a single bitted thing with a hickory handle. The head had become wobbly over the last few times I used it. So, today, I spent $6.00 on new wedges, then spent half an hour reseating the head and driving in the new wedges. Then I sharpened it, buffed off a bunch of rust with my detail sander, and oiled the head. I'll be able to split the wood from the fallen tree without worrying about my axe flying apart.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Got my hair cut.

Filled another garbage bag at the parents' house. (there is so much junk...)

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Still at my parents house, cleaning, organizing, prepping mom to move to long-term care. That is the no-fun immediate reality.

What happened today that I liked? I cleaned out dad's "change drawer" and brought it to a coinstar machine. I'm $67 wealthier than I was this morning.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Also, how much does $67 in change weigh?

It was mostly quarters, so not too bad. It was probably 12-15 pounds of change.

I'd dumped it all into an old, toy purse of my sister's to carry to the coinstar machine. No one commented on the grumpy-looking 50-something carrying a little red purse.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I am going home at the end of the week.

There's still a ton to do in my parents' house, and there's a memorial to plan for dad, but mom is moving into permanent care tomorrow, so we don't need someone staying *in* the house with mom every night (as I have been doing for the past... 3 weeks (with occasional nights away).

I am *really* looking forward to going home. Dad and mom shouldn't have been living alone for the past 5 years (at least), so the house is a shambles, even without my brother, sister and I trying to get it cleaned out. So it isn't precisely a *restful* place to stay. I am so looking forward to being in my own bed, walking around my own yard, and having a bit of quiet space where I can *start* to process the past three weeks.

Just knowing my return date is a big help.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I came home. I was at my parents or brothers house since April 20th. We're not done, by a long shot, still have the house to clean out, paint, and sell. But I managed to take a ton of stuff to goodwill, along with many, many truck loads to the trash/recycling. More than half the furniture is ready to be hauled away. But, we were at a pause point (accounts need to be set up, powers of attorney assigned, etc.), so I could come back to Vermont.

I'm not *precisely* a homebody, but being in my childhood home brings back quite a few troubling memories, and I never rest easy there (my brother's place is fine, we get on well, but I was still spending all day at my parents' house). This was the longest stretch of time I'd been there since 1990. When I passed "The Man of Kent" in Hoosick, NY, I could feel the tension start to leave my shoulders. I came home, unpacked, showered, and fell asleep for a few hours (unsurprising, since I left Wheaton, MD at 4 AM).

I'll be back in Maryland later in the year, as we finalize the house for sale. But a few weeks back home feels like heaven right now.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

When I passed "The Man of Kent" in Hoosick, NY, I could feel the tension start to leave my shoulders. I came home, unpacked, showered, and fell asleep for a few hours (unsurprising, since I left Wheaton, MD at 4 AM).

Man, does that bring back memories. I've done Rt. 7 so_many_times I can still picture the landmarks in my head, despite not having driven it since before the Bypass was built.

Yeah. Going from Vermont, as you cross into NY: Man of Kent, Hoosick downtown, with the ridiculous country store, the causeway, Ted's Fish Fry in Troy, then the highway.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Thunderstorms. Just the right level of thunder and lightning, nice amount of rain, and the cool, fresh air smells great.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I've never used a Japanese chef's knife. How do the handles feel? Very pretty.

It’s so nice and light! Cutting is effortless. I’m afraid to hurt it though

Hurt it all you like! The real beauty of those things is that they're so easy to sharpen on a stone.

Hurt it all you like within reason. The blades are brittle, so don't pry things open with them, or drop them, you can chip or break them. I bought a Shun 8" Chef's knife for my brother's wedding... 20+ years ago. When I was in Maryland, I saw it, on the windowsill, with the tip missing.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Way to go Bravehamster!

Welcome to the club. I'm one week in at a new job that's paying a looot more than my old one.

I'm a little over two years into a job that pays a significant amount more than my previous job.

That feeling is *still* there. And it is so pleasant to now be debt free, pumping up my retirement and saving *so* *much* each month.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Replaced the floor mats in my car, since I'd worn out the driver's side mat (stupid gravel drive brings so much grit into the car). I have made and am canning rhubarb chutney.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I rebuilt the stone wall that tumbled down back in March. I'm pleased because it is done. And because I know I can still muscle some fairly large stones up 3' and place them on the wall.

Of course, my arms now feel like spaghetti, but, hey, fixed wall!

 

[Hound of Cullen]

As long as no part of you came out of the rock-moving feeling like lasagna!

I dodged the one jerk of a rock that went for my foot. You can't show fear, they see it, and pounce.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I put a set of anti-vibration feet under my washing machine. I should have done this *years* ago. I had to be standing next to the washer during a spin cycle to feel anything. Used to be audible all over the downstairs.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

mazDa

I feel like I'm missing something every time you post this. Why is the "d" capitalized?

That's how it's pronounced.

Da Da Da

 

[Hound of Cullen]

It is a little thing, but the kludgy manner in which my predecessor bulk-added students to Active Directory was getting on my nerves. So, I worked up a little powershell script that reads the relevant information from a CSV and does everything in a much more straightforward manner.

I only need to use it twice a year (summer session kids and regular school year kids), but it makes those imports *so* much easier. I should have done it last year.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I saw fireflies. First time since I was a kid. Still magical.

Back in ‘94 my best friend and I were turkey hunting in the Cayuga Lakes region and ended up chasing our quarry to the top of an enormous gorge which itself was cut into the summit of a larger valley network, and when the sun set we were presented with the most incredible spectacle of looking down at the valleys below us alight with millions of fireflies. It was one of those magical moments that just sits you down and stops everything while you admire Mother Nature.

When I was an early teen, the next door neighbor took our family out onto the bay on his yacht for a long weekend. We spent one night anchored in a cove, way down by the mouth of the bay. The cove was surrounded with tall, tall pines. And the pines were full of fireflies. It was like being surrounded by the best Christmas trees you'd ever seen.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Congratulations SuperDave! *That* is some good news I needed today.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

I was up early this morning, so I threw the fishing gear in the car and went over to the West river in Townsend. Spent two hours walking in the water and throwing bait at the water. I didn't catch anything, so it was only a good morning fishing, not a great one.

This was around 6:00 AM: