random thoughts – Day 2,172 (Thursday) – poor choices

It was a day with some less-than-ideal dietary choices. It kicked off with cherry pie and coffee for breakfast. At least it was a smallish piece of pie, and the pie is almost gone and then it will no longer be a temptation. 

Lunch was a healthier improvement with homemade turkey vegetable soup from the freezer, with some fresh mushrooms and carrots added, plus half-and-half. It was delicious. In the words of an ex-husband, the first bowl “tasted like more” and was followed by a second bowl. And a third. In my defense, they were small bowls.

It didn’t take long before the food pendulum swung back to highly questionable choices. This time, it was an afternoon snack of too many sugar wafers with coffee flavored frosting schmeared on them.

Casserole cross-section,
before being heated.

After the day of reckless consumption, the plan was to give the digestive system a break and skip dinner. That idea didn’t last long and the next thing I knew I was dining on a square of the penne, salsa, cheese casserole from the other day. Later, there were more sugar wafers, but without the frosting this time.

Tomorrow I will do better. It will be easier because I have plans with Mom and won’t be sitting at home all day. 

random thoughts – Day 2,171 (Wednesday) – resting phase

The sight of snow falling steadily when I woke up this morning caused a small degree of sadness. Knowing it was cold out and not knowing how long it might snow, the decision was made to be a homebody for the day and the corresponding “probably not leaving the house” outfit was chosen.

What the heck,
puzzle company?

The jigsaw puzzle started on Monday was completed. It was a brand-new puzzle, still wrapped in the outer plastic, with the pieces encased in a sealed bag inside the box. And it is missing a piece. Thanks, puzzle company. There was a card in the box with a code to get a “free gift” and I almost emailed the company to ask if the free gift might be my missing piece and if the code was the secret password to ransom it from a hostage-type situation.

The special offer free gift is a vinyl sticker and a discount code to buy puzzles online from the company. Prices are around $20 for a 1,000-piece puzzle, and free shipping kicks in at $59, so I think I’ll take my chances at the puzzle swap table at the library, thanks. Especially knowing my current puzzle from the company came missing a piece.

After the puzzle, the domestic kitchen gene kicked in and a penne, fake sausage, salsa, and cheese casserole was baked. It was really good, and solved the “what should I eat” question for both lunch and supper. So efficient!

Home for the day.

For snow day entertainment, I snuggled under the beautiful afghan my Aunt made for me (which coordinates perfectly with my couch) and watched Finnish crime dramas on Prime video. I had abandoned them for a couple years (or more) when it felt like I had seen all the free ones. Today, I learned that my carefully curated watch list was full of shows “no longer available due to license expiration.” Oops. I guess it has been a while.

While Detective Maria Kallio played in Finnish with English subtitles, I enjoyed the thrill of still recognizing words. It’s been a few years since I last took the Finnish classes at Saima Park. I bailed after a couple terms because the language is very difficult, the drive from Lowell was a pain in the butt, and seriously, do I really think I'm ever going to Finland? 

Overall, it was nice day of rest. Even in the afternoon when the sun came out, I continued my outdoor boycott with no guilt. 

random thoughts – Day 2,170 (Tuesday) – breaking up is hard

Today I hit the road to visit the bank with the IRA CD in need of a visit and paperwork. The highway was delightfully clear of snow and light on traffic. The Fitchburg roads were about what I expected. The potholes were plentiful but the snow clearing was adequate on the major streets.

Welcome!

Near the bank, blue and red emergency vehicle lights were flashing like it was the Independence Day parade. A police car blocked the plaza entrance nearest the bank. An ambulance and a fire truck were parked nearby. Two cars sat facing each other in the entrance with another police cruiser behind them. A cluster of people talked with police officers. I drove to another entrance and was able to access the bank, but I might have been better off to take the scene on arrival as a sign to keep driving.

The transaction took a long time to process because it was an IRA CD and not just a regular savings CD. It was the banker’s first IRA distribution. A manual was consulted for the many forms to be filled out, printed, and signed. It was my first ever IRA distribution. I wasn’t prepared for the question about having taxes withheld from the transaction and after a nano second of thought, opted to have a random percentage withheld for federal taxes thinking to reduce taxes owed with the 2026 filing.

Calculations were made. Papers were signed. A check was printed for the account balance, less the amount of the federal taxes. The banker never asked how I wanted the funds. I had assumed it would just be put into my checking account at the same institution. A bank check was printed along with a copy of all my paperwork.

During my time in the bank, a flatbed had arrived and left. The ambulance, firetruck, police cars, and personal vehicles were gone. Something that sounded like a grandfather clock chimed on two occasions.

I drove to the credit union where I have opened accounts as part of my breakup with the old bank and deposited the check from the CD. The finance portion of the day took so long that I cancelled the food shopping part of the day, got some gas, and headed home.

At home, I went online to the oil company website to pay for the oil delivered late last week. My account showed no record of a delivery and no amount showing as due. I called the office and got a recording to leave a message for a callback. I’ll try again on Wednesday.

A couple hours later, a call came from the bank. The back office had found an issue with the CD transaction. Apparently, if federal taxes are withheld from an IRA distribution, Massachusetts state tax must also be withheld. The system did not provide an alert, and nothing prevented the transaction from processing, which seems like a flaw, but what do I know.

To correct the issue, the back office reversed the CD closing transaction and issued a stop payment order on the check I had been given. Yes, the check I had just deposited into my account at the other institution. (I’m pretty sure they are called financial institutions because after dealing with one in any capacity as employee or customer, you are pretty much ready for a nice long, medicated vacation in an institution. Or maybe that’s just me.)

The banker suggested I call the credit union to ask for my deposit to be reversed to avoid me being assessed a fee when the check is rejected in the system due to the stop payment. The back office at the credit union coordinated with the branch, reversed my deposit, and suggested I come in to pick up the original check, which might be fine if not for the half-hour ride to get there. And now I can look forward to doing the whole CD closure all over again. Had it just been deposited into my checking account at the bank, it would have been a breeze to unwind. This is what I get for trying to break up with a bank and move on. It is feeling like a bad boyfriend scenario all over again.

In considering all the screwy screw-ups of the past week, I checked to see if we are in Mercury retrograde because it sure feels like we are. During Mercury retrograde, miscommunications, delays, travel issues, and technical glitches are common. Based on the glitches in the past week (misinformation, absence of communication, plaza access issue, bank account headache, oil company account mystery), I don’t even want to speculate what could go wrong during the actual retrograde period which begins February 26 and ends March 20. Yay. Can’t wait. Should be fun.

random thoughts – Day 2,169 (Monday) – snow day aggro

Snowy day. Again.

The blizzard raged with cold air, hostile steady snow, high winds, and occasional white-out conditions. Snow clotted on the window screens and gathered on the ledge between upper and lower panes. It blew and cleared some roofs and drifted in driveways, against sheds, stairs, and homes. The storm was a combination of fascinating and picturesque, best observed from inside. 

In between watching episodes of the never ending reality show “winter snow 2025-26,” regular daily life of emails, job applications, and phone calls took place. This included the frustrating labyrinth of bank customer “service.” Short version: last Tuesday (because Monday was a holiday), I called the bank with a question about an IRA CD that had matured on the 14th and had a 10-day window for changes. Based on the crappy rates provided, I said I wanted to close the CD and was told it could be closed and moved to my checking account easy peasy, it just might take a couple days.

Today, after checking for the millionth time and seeing it hadn’t happened yet, I called to ask when this transaction might happen.  I learned I had been misinformed last week and because it is an IRA instrument I need to visit a branch to sign paperwork. This information was noted in my bank file, but was never relayed to me. Nice. And tick, tock, the 10-day clock is slipping away.

Relaxing with a puzzle.

It looks like tomorrow I’ll be making the 15-mile journey to the closest branch, which could have been accomplished at several pre-blizzard points last week, including Wednesday when I was next door to said branch. I can’t wait to be fully divested of business with this bank.

To restore calm and shake off the aggro, I started a new small side quest with a jigsaw puzzle. It has only 500 pieces, but it’s harder than I assumed. It’s good diversion for housebound annoyances and aggravation.

random thoughts – Day 2,168 (Sunday) – prep and dread

Snow and ice sculpture.

The shadow of an approaching blizzard loomed over the day like a comic supervillain. At dance practice, I noticed the snow and ice balanced on the edge of the roof. The thick snow had slid and hung off the roof like some sort of avalanche in the making. The icicles hung at crazy angles that looked like monster fangs. It was fascinating, and also hard to photograph from inside due to the full screen outside the window and impossible from the outside due to the deep snow behind the building.

Driving home from dance practice, I mentally ran through the contents of the pantry and decided I would go to Aldi if the list of needs was longer than two or three items. The items I came up with were half-and-half (for coffee), milk (for cooking and baking), and refried black beans (for more empanadas). Then I remembered there was enough half-and-half for a couple days and I had bought instant milk for baking purposes so I was off the hook and spared a pre-blizzard grocery run.

To use the remaining box of pie crusts approaching its best by date, I baked a cherry pie using canned pie filling. Lessons were learned. First, canned cherry pie filling is okay, but not that great. The edge of the crust was overbaked because I didn’t put the foil on the edges quickly enough to prevent such.

Cherry pie.

The biggest lesson was that not all off-brand pie crusts are alike. Specifically, Hannaford store brand pie crust isn’t as good as the off-brand pie crust I used a few days ago for the empanadas. The Hannaford crust stuck to itself and cracked during the unrolling step. The other crust had been rolled with parchment paper which made it much easier to unroll. Unfortunately, this is only partially useful information because I don’t recall the brand of the other pie crusts or where I bought them and the box is out in the recycle bin.

At 8:15 p.m., the snow hadn’t begun yet, but it’s coming and preparations have been underway. Parking bans, trash delays, and school cancellations announcements rolled in during the day. This afternoon, a recorded phone message, a text, and an email notified me that my Monday appointment with the surgeon for the final follow-up appointment for last year’s broken wrist is cancelled. A blizzard warning is in effect for five counties (including mine) until Tuesday morning at 7:00 a.m. The governor declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, and certain trucks were banned from traveling on Massachusetts highways as of 5:00 p.m. Yikes. 

The Weather Channel app says the magic hour for the snow to arrive in Gardner is around 9:15 p.m. I feel like the host of a family event who is dreading the arrival of that one predictably loud, obnoxious family member (with luck, the family has just one) and hoping that maybe it won't be too bad this time. 

random thoughts – Day 2,167 (Saturday) – winter life

Winter 2025-26 feels like it has already been six months of snow. There were another three or four inches of fresh whiteness this morning. The neighborhood critters were busy with tracks along the backyard tree line. The tracks in the driveway under the carport featured some very cute tiny little toe prints. Squirrel maybe?

The weather forecast for the weekend is described as a full-blown blizzard. Forewarned is forearmed, I guess, but so far, I have failed to dash out for bread and milk as mandated by American snowstorm protocol. It looks like I may be queued up at the grocery store Sunday afternoon after dance. Or not. The pantry is well stocked and can handle a day or two in the kitchen, it’s the freezer that has the capacity issue. Soup? Mac and cheese? Baked goods? It could be a wide-open stove-centered adventure. Or a guilt free stretch of time on the couch with a book. We shall see. My domestic ambitions tend to change like the weather.

But back to today. There was fresh snow in the morning and it was cleared. Then I met a friend at the movie theater in town. I had been thinking of show shoeing until she called and suggested seeing Wuthering Heights, which I had already wanted to see so it was a perfect idea. Two movies within eight days / two movies in one year is a level of movie activity (and giant popcorn buckets) quite possibly not seen since high school. There were previews shown today for other movies I’d like to see (The Devil Wears Prada 2, Odyssey), so this could be a big year for me and the movies.

As for Wuthering Heights, it featured moody UK landscapes and wet weather, interesting characters, and some gorgeous costumes. And Margot Robbie has been great in everything in which I’ve seen her (Wolf of Wall Street; I, Tonya; Suicide Squad; Barbie, to name a few). It was an afternoon well spent.

random thoughts – Day 2,166 (Friday) – motivated

Today saw some tasks get knocked off the list. The tax return is finally done and submitted. Most of the tax forms had been rounded up, except for the one from my old mortgage bank. I called their customer service number and learned that a form had been sent out, but it's anyone's guess where it is. I could either wait for a new one in the mail or pick one up at a branch. I opted for the branch pickup, and in no time, I had my form in my chilly hands.

In the library.

From the bank, I traversed a block or two over to the library and finally got myself a library card. When I tried to get one in the summer, I didn't have documentation showing my new address with me. Today, armed with my excise tax bill, I got my library card.

It’s a beautiful library with lots of wood, windows, and cozy nooks with comfy-looking chairs. I wandered around like I used to do when I was a youngling, turning down random rows, pausing at random shelves to read titles. One title would spark and idea and then I would be off looking at something else. 

The snow, which had started when I left the bank a few minutes earlier, gained intensity as I worked my way through the library and got heavier as I made my way home.

Snow falling.

The main roads were primarily wet, but the streets in my neighborhood were collecting snow. Back at home and looking out the windows, it was like being inside a snow globe. The snow was falling and blowing and swirling from multiple directions and piling up fast. It was pretty on the trees out back and across the street, and covered the yucky dirty snow. With the snow swirling outside and a new library card in my wallet, I was feeling sufficiently motivated to continue the momentum. The tax return was revisited and finally finished. 

The little timekeeping feature in TurboTax, which I imagine is intended to be encouraging, estimated my return would take 54 minutes. It was laughable, because in all the years of using the program, I've never been able to finish within the estimated time. 

Worse than the gross inaccuracy of the estimator was the way it held fast to that original estimate like if it repeated the lie enough it would finally be true. It passed an hour the first day I logged in and clocked more than six hours by the time I was finished. But it’s finished, officially crossed off the list, and it’s all over except waiting for the direct deposit of the refund. Bonus, I don’t need to deal with it for another year.

random thoughts – Day 2,165 (Thursday) – polished

Cleaning underway.

Since attending the tai chi class last Thursday, I had every intention of returning this week. I was dressed and mentally ready for class when I realized I would need to leave early for a detour to get some cash from an ATM. I spent all the money in my wallet on dance trinkets Tuesday night when I bought two pairs of zills, a silk veil, and a pair of black dance pants from another dancer at class. (No regrets.)

Instead of leaving early, the Barkeeper’s Friend powder was fetched from under the sink in the guest bathroom. One zill was tested to see if the cleaning was as easy and effective as the YouTube video I watched for drum kit cymbal cleaning indicated. It was, and that is when I chose to skip the ATM and tai chi. Instead, I got busy cleaning four of my sets of zills, which were the two newly acquired sets and the two sets that usually live in my dance bag. There are still three or four more sets elsewhere, generally neglected because they are cheaper quality and don’t sound as nice.

The wetting and scrubbing and wiping and scrubbing and wiping went well and the zills look all shiny and new again. It was surprising how tarnished they all were, and satisfying when they were all cleaned up.

Shiny and fresh.

After the cleaning, a trip was made to Dollar Tree for small hair elastics to replace the old elastics. The hair elastics are hard to push through the slots in the tops of the zills, but it’s still easier than using flat elastic and sewing, gluing, or pinning them on the underside of the zills and running the risk of malfunction when in use.

I would have preferred black elastics, but the only colors available today were spring pastels in a pack of 30. No amount of my wishing and looking produced any black ones and I was not interested in dealing with the massive square footage of Wal-Mart to look for small black hair elastics in there. New pastel elastics were bought and installed in most of the sets with one color for the thumbs and a different color for the middle fingers in each set. For the rarely used emergency spare set I left the old elastics in.

Now it’s time to play.

random thoughts – Day 2,164 (Wednesday) – empanada a go-go

There were boxed pie crusts in the refrigerator that were racing up to their “best by” date finish lines. I have a vague recollection that I was going to make brown sugar and cinnamon pinwheels for Christmas Eve, and like several other ambitious ideas, it just never happened. They have taunted me from the bottom shelf of the fridge ever since. 

Empanada supper!

An Internet search for “recipes with refrigerated pie crusts” yielded a winner in empanadas. Vegetarian beef and sausage crumbles were cooked with onion, taco seasoning, and a can of refried beans and cheese was mixed in. The filling was dropped into pie crust cut in four-inch circles, folded, and crimped with a fork.

The two crusts yielded 14 empanadas. Half were packaged for the freezer for baking later. The rest were brushed with beaten egg and baked for 15 minutes. And it was so delicious. Definitely a winner.

The scraps were re-rolled, filled with apricot preserves, brushed with egg and sprinkled with sugar and baked. Extra delicious. Super easy. It might be time to add refrigerated pie crust  to the regular purchase rotation.

random thoughts – Day 2,163 (Tuesday) – memories and chicken

Today was less exciting (term used loosely) than on this date one year ago. One year ago today, it was the Monday President’s Day holiday, and my sister and I spent the day at an appointment with a surgeon.

The Thursday before, while shoveling the  water collecting on my front walk, I stepped back onto water-covered ice and landed on my arse and slammed my hand/wrist. I got dizzy, felt nauseated, and elbow crawled/dragged myself into the house like I was competing in some sort of warrior competition. Once I had gathered my wits, I messaged my boss that I would be logged off for the day and parked myself on the couch.

The wrist was uncomfortable, but it didn’t really hurt. I wrapped it in an Ace Bandage found in the bathroom cabinet and debated trying to get in to see my doctor or just going to urgent care. Either destination would have required me driving, which seemed ill-advised. I did the ice and elevation thing and took it easy.

The next morning when the wrist wasn’t miraculously regenerated and repaired like I had imagined it would be, I called the doctor and scored a same-day office visit followed by x-rays. A friend served as my chauffer. We went out for lunch while awaiting a call-back with the next medical instructions.

Dave's Hot Chicken - Top Loaded Fries.

For the entire weekend, I thought my wrist was badly bruised and dislocated, mostly because it was discolored, at an odd angle, and a little swollen, but it didn’t really hurt. My sister took me to the Monday appointment in Chelmsford, but first, we had lunch at Dave’s Hot Chicken. Her daughters make the trip from Fitchburg for the stuff so we decided to see what they were willing to travel so far for. It turns out the Top Loaded Fries are mighty good. 

I seriously thought the surgeon was going to take my hand, yank it, and I’d be on my way with a straightened and bruised wrist. Instead, I was told it needed surgery (scheduled for two days later), and I was sent to the building next door for “a splint” which turned out to be a heavy-ish cast to above my elbow and left me with my arm hanging out of my shirt. At home, I cut the sleeve off a thermal shirt for sleeping in.

Anyway. There was surgery and no driving for a bunch of weeks which meant I missed practices with both dance groups because I had no way to get to them, which hurt more than the wrist ever did. There were some movement issues and it got aggravated during the move over the summer. There was a silver-ish lining, though – when I had the very painful neck/shoulder issue all this past fall, I completely forgot about my wrist.

Tonight, at dance group, the wrist was doing rolls and floreos and all was good. In terms of mechanics, it felt like the whole being broken thing never happened. The still-red-but-fading scar over the location of the titanium plate is the only publicly visible evidence that something went down. I am aware that the left wrist is a bit larger than the right one now, which offends my appreciation for symmetry and my watch no longer fits and needs a link added back into the band, but I’m pretty sure I will get over that someday. 

And now that I've been thinking about that day of a year ago, I really, really want some Dave's Hot Chicken Top Loaded Fries.

random thoughts – Day 2,162 (Monday) – busy lazy

It was a holiday, and I knew it in the back of my mind but then forgot. Holidays hit differently when unemployed. When I had a job, every holiday was committed to memory before the year began. Now, every day is pretty much a holiday, so it isn’t much different when a real one rolls around.

Today, there was a sliver of holiday recognition when half the houses on the street didn’t have the barrels out for trash and recycling pickup, but then the truck showed up on the other side of the street like a regular Monday. I got real busy real fast to get my half full trash bin rolled to the edge of the driveway, a place it hadn’t visited for several weeks.

I consulted the weekly to-do list (which is identical to last week’s list which was untouched) and called the bank about a CD that had a renewal date over the weekend. The answering recording reminded me of the holiday.

Maybe a couple of these?

Much of the day was spent mentally exploring possible activities. Everything remotely interesting involved leaving the house and going to places that would likely involve spending money. I looked at the website for a consignment shop I like, but they didn’t have anything I really need or want and ruled out an in-person visit. I remembered Wuthering Heights opened this weekend, but got too lazy to check to see where it is playing. 

Did I read a book? Clean the house? Nope and mostly nope, but I did clean the litter box and empty the dishwasher. Did I eat the suddenly ripe avocados bought the other day or cook amazing foods? Nope, and the only cooking was microwaving pastrami for a half sandwich on marble rye (twice).

It wasn’t a total loss of a day. I played so much Duolingo chess, Words with Friends, and Woodoku that the phone had to be recharged twice. I skimmed job ads. I watched Search Party on Netflix and ate the remaining half of the large bucket movie popcorn from Saturday. The popcorn bowl and bucket were washed by hand and put away. The spreadsheet for the month’s bills was updated. 

Maybe this?

It may be wintery cold outside, but thoughts turned to spring and summer when I looked online at raised planter boxes with a trellis to line the driveway along the carport. In my imagination, climbing or hanging plants and the trellises would add color, shade, and privacy and maybe even some herbs and vegetables, although my recent track record as a vegetable and herb grower is not very good.

All told, it was a physically lazy, mentally active, overall relaxing day. Five stars. Highly recommend.

random thoughts – Day 2,161 (Sunday) – dreams and such

This morning’s dream before waking up involved driving, which is not exactly one of my favorite activities. I drive because I want to be transported from my current location to a different location, and the futuristic transport devices of my youth that included personal jet packs, crossing one’s arms and blinking with a head bob and nose crinkle, or stepping into a magical tube all turned out to be total unsubstantiated bull crap and fantasy.

Anyway. In the dream, I was driving, third in a line of cars, on my way to some sort of job. There was a road detour marked, and I followed the two cars ahead of me down a narrow street lined with tall brick buildings. There was construction equipment in what turned out to be a dead-end street and huge dunes of sand that started to seep into my car under the doors and up through the floor and piled up under the gas pedal and over my feet.

Shadowy dudes in trench coats and fedoras stood in shadows lending the air of 1940s film noir while utility workers in hard hats and soldiers in fatigues scurried about. The overall scene was dark and foreboding, but I chose to not be worried because the Jeep has four-wheel-drive settings for “automatic, snow, sand, and mud” and I thought I could power through the rising sand.

Soon, there was no way to move forward due to all the heavy equipment and the excessive sand, no side street or alley through which to exit, and no way to back up the way I had come in. The car was surrounded by sand, equipment, and activity. I got out of the vehicle and started walking through shops that had doorways to side streets on the other side, looking for help in buildings with staircases and a labyrinth of hallways.

I gave up seeking help and headed back to the Jeep which I couldn’t find in the sand dunes covering the street. There were many vehicles abandoned in the sandy street, but mine was no longer among them. Panic took over as I trudged through the shifting sands, worried about how I was going to get to the mysterious, undefined job I seemed to have and also how I would explain my tardiness in a manner that wouldn’t make me seem insane.

As the morning light crept into the room around the edges of the honeycomb blinds, I woke up, thinking “what in the heck was that about?” Potentially so much to unpack.

Nerd alert – of course, I conducted a quick search of the elements in the dream. The Internet and AI summaries spit out the following:

“Dreams about driving generally symbolize the direction of your life, personal control, and your journey toward goals. Being in the driver's seat suggests independence and self-direction, while an uncontrollable vehicle or failed brakes often reflect anxieties, feeling overwhelmed, or losing control in waking life.”

“Sand dunes in dreams generally symbolize major life changes, emotional transitions, and the passage of time, often reflecting a need for adaptability and patience. They represent a shifting landscape where the past is continuously reformed, suggesting that the dreamer is in a period of flux.”  

“Men in trench coats and fedoras, often called the "Hat Man," are common, menacing figures in nightmares and sleep paralysis, are often interpreted as symbols of fear, deep-rooted anxiety, or, in some cases, paranormal omens of death.”

“Dreaming of soldiers generally symbolizes confrontation, discipline, inner conflict, and the need for protection or structure in your life. These dreams often arise when you are experiencing stress, facing major life changes, or dealing with repressed anger.”

“Construction equipment in dreams often symbolizes major life transitions, the building of new foundations, or personal development. These dreams typically represent a, "work in progress" scenario regarding your mindset, career, or personal journey. Seeing construction workers suggests active, ongoing repairs in your life.”

Well, well, well, and holy hell's bells. That all actually makes a lot of sense. The analysis seems less foreboding in the light of day than it all felt while dreaming it. Also, I love the Internet.

random thoughts – Day 2,160 (Saturday) – galentine and a movie

It was quiet on the Valentine front, but the Galentine front more than made up for it. A month or so ago, my cousin had sent forth an invitation for a Galentine gathering. Today, four of us met up to see a special 40^th anniversary screening of Pretty in Pink.

O’Neil Cinemas (Littleton, MA) was the closest theater showing it. I wasn’t familiar with the theater or the really nice retail and dining plaza it’s in, but now I’m glad I do know about it. The concessions include a food menu, bar drinks, and of course, the usual movie snacks, soda, and bags and buckets of popcorn. The theaters have wide reclining seats with trays to accommodate the foods and beverages.

Restocked movie popcorn and Galentine treats.

My cousin had solicited advance candy orders for contraband boxes of candy. At the theater, she presented each of us with a Valentine bag with treats including our individual candy choice, pink heart glasses, and a personalized pink leather book mark. She really thinks of everything. 

The theater was reasonably full with a couple groups of four to six people and many couples. The movie about love and belonging has stood the test of time, and even though I’ve seen it several times including at home on streaming, it was fun to see it again on the really big screen. And the soundtrack is still great. According to the movie factoids before the show, it's ranked as the 14th best movie soundtrack (Rolling Stone The 101 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, September 24, 2024).

On the way out, we had our large popcorn buckets topped off under the free refill provision of the $9.90 purchase. Now, my largest Tupperware container is full of movie popcorn. Galentine’s Day with my cousin and her friends was definitely a win. 

random thoughts – Day 2,159 (Friday) – snow tracks and ice cream

Blah Blah, quiet day. Blue sky and sunshine. Temperature above 30 degrees. 

Several times during the morning, the neighborhood black cat passed the house as it patrolled the 'hood. Once, it was in the front yard, pacing the cleared path to the door and emitting a combination meow-yowl. It paused in the driveway and I opened the back door. For what reason, I wasn't sure, but the cat saw me and ran back to the street. Meanwhile, Kiki was lounging on the bed, seemingly unaware of the cat outside. 

I stayed in most of the pretty day, but two things lured me outside.

Tracks out back.

First, I looked out back and saw animal tracks out behind the oil tank. The poor critters came around the corner, were faced with a two foot snowbank, and turned back. This intrigued me enough to go outside, down the driveway, along the street, and up the snow blower cleared path to the oil tank, adding to the tracks with my big human feet.

Second, I wanted ice cream. Market Basket has the best combination of selection and price, but the closest stores are 20 to 25 minutes away. The current grocery store flyers had been tossed into the recycle bin this morning, so an online search was done to check ice cream prices. Aldi won for lowest price and advertising maple walnut.

The Aldi excursion led to the acquisition of the really good light rye marble bread I couldn’t find the last time there, a package of five frozen lobster cakes, and the intended maple walnut ice cream. I was tempted by the cheesecake assortment but successfully resisted. The cover charge for the visit was under $12, a personal best and improvement over the other day when I spent $37 when I went in for one thing.

I almost drove over to Hannaford for pastrami after getting the marble rye so I could recreate the amazing hot pastrami sandwiches of a couple weeks ago, but the car magically autopiloted out of the Aldi lot and took me home. I put away the frozen items and then I didn’t want to go out again.

random thoughts – Day 2,158 (Thursday) – balanced

For months, I’ve seen a notice about a weekly tai chi class in town on Thursdays at 1:00 and thought I should check it out. I had taken one or two tai chi classes when I lived in Tennessee but there were a lot of other activities going on including roller derby, photography, belly dance, and stained glass making, and tai chi didn't make it onto the permanent schedule.

For months since moving, every month I would see tai chi in the newsletter available at the mail boxes, and week after week, I would forget about the class. Last week, it was noted in my day planner but I forgot to check the planner when thinking about what I might do during the day and it was 1:45 when I remembered the class.

This week went much better. On Wednesday, I used the technological tools available and set an alarm in my cell phone for noon, with a note to get ready for tai chi. Today, the alarm went off and I made sure I was attired in something I could move in. Waze was consulted for the route, which is an easy breezy 2.5 miles and eight minutes from home.

At the center where the class is, I met a lady in the vestibule. She didn’t know where to go, and I had never been in the building, so I wasn’t much help. We got into amateur detective mode and started walking around. It turned out the classroom was on the first floor, but the entrance from the street side of the building is the lobby level and reaching the first floor requires going up one level. The parking lot has another entrance that goes directly to the first floor, and now we know that helpful nugget for the future.

Balanced.

There were several people waiting for class when we arrived in the correct room. My new pal Jane and I sat at a table and the lady who later sat next to Jane turned out to be one of her high school classmates. Everyone was friendly. The instructor came over to introduce herself, recognizing that Jane and I were first timers, in between chatting with the established regulars.

The class was fun. There were 15 students in stocking feet on a hardwood dance floor surrounded by carpeting. The class instructor led us through a gentle warm up of breathing and arm, torso, and hip movements. Then we moved into a formalized series of slow movements involving weight shifts and arm movements with directional changes that required a bit of balance. Before I knew it, an hour had gone by and we were calm, centered, grounded, and done. It was fun. I will definitely go back.

random thoughts – Day 2,157 (Wednesday) – fresh tracks

The Tuesday forecast included snow, and right on cue, it began around 5:00. That put the timing at when travel to Tuesday dance group would be underway, but the decision had already been made to not go. It snowed at least until I went to bed.

I slept late this morning (8:00!), which seems to be becoming my new new-normal. It feels like I’m slipping back into my college-era sleep pattern of staying up late at night and sleeping later in the morning. During the very many responsible adult years of working in an office I molded myself to be in bed close to 10:00 p.m. and up by 6:00 a.m. It eventually felt kind of natural, and took a lot of coffee to wake up in the morning. 

Fresh snow, fresh tracks.

The fresh snow accumulation that greeted me when I raised the shades in the morning didn’t seem to be too horrible. A line of critter (likely bunny) tracks extended from the street and up my driveway to the spot under the carport that was snow-free. The tracks resumed at the far end of the carport, skirted the edge of the newly mounded mountain of snow from the roof, and around the corner of the shed.

random thoughts – Day 2,156 (Tuesday) – birthday chat

Pretty morning sky color.

It’s Dad’s birthday tomorrow. When I was a kid we talked about his age, and for years he would say he was 29.  When he was well past 29, he upped it to 39. I know how old he is, but I don't consciously think about it because then I have to accept the reality of my own age and I kind of like it in my little bubble of age denial.  

My sister had today off from work. She has a birthday tradition with Dad where she makes sausage gravy and biscuits for breakfast. Now that I’m local (and still unemployed) it’s a lot easier for me to be able to play, too. 

My butt was out of bed and mobile in time to see a pale schmear of color in the morning sky before I hit the shower. Before too long, I was caffeinated, dressed, and headed out to Fitchburg. I brought over the mini cupcakes with coffee frosting made on Monday night for the occasion.

Wee cupcakes with coffee frosting.

Dad, Sis, and I drank coffee, ate breakfast, and talked about a lot of random topics and it was nice. And instead of having conversational questions that linger unanswered in the air forevermore, I harnessed the power of the Internet and visited Google several times.

When the conversation was our mutual disdain for the highway robbery of cable providers and a digital antenna was mentioned, none of us knew quite what it was or how one worked. A quick Google query provided photos, places to buy such a thing, and advice on where to install one.  

Google search topics from our morning together included:

- kerosene near me (Dad has a lantern and said kerosene couldn’t be gotten anywhere – Google disagreed)

- how tall is Brendon Urie (niece has a cutout and I wanted to know if it is true to height)

- Tedy Bruschi Papa Gino’s cutout (Sis missed her chance and is still bummed Tedy landed in the Papa Gino’s dumpster before she could get it. I wanted to see if there are any kicking around somewhere)

- digital antenna (smaller than I expected in both size and cost)

- can crystal go in dishwasher (oops, I’ve been doing it wrong for decades)

- clay flower pot candle heater (allegedly, a room can be heated with one)

I love research. It’s probably not a shocker to anyone who knows me, but I was the nerd on the edge of my seat waiting to hear the details for final papers in school. I loved having to look stuff up and crank out 15 or so pages on it. Research was one of my favorite aspects of background prep for articles and interviews for the newspaper, for customer testimonials for bank ad campaigns, and for the learning center articles I wrote for the website. I don’t think a day goes by that I’m not tapping random questions into a search engine at least a couple times because it’s so easy.

random thoughts – Day 2,155 (Monday) – snow and cupcakes

Snow cloud and clods.

Friday night there was a leak in the cabinet over the stove where the vent pipe is. Sometime on Saturday the leak stopped and the thin wood material dried. It remained dry through Sunday. A roofing team arrived this morning to check it out and cleared the roof on the back half of the house. There was concern about the carport, which was bowing due to holding a lot of snow (nearly four feet of it against the peak of the house). The carport snow wasn’t light and fluffy like the rest of the snow. Clearing the carport was added to the scope of the job.  

For 1.5 hours, snow flew by the windows in clods and clouds, and the sound of dammed ice being chopped off the roof rattled the house. At the end of it, I had half a cleared roof, a massive pile of snow next to the driveway, and a bank account that was lighter by half a grand. I also have an estimate for a new roof which seemed reasonable until I saw the cost for new skylights and the total-total. Holy hell. Two skylights equal half the cost of the roof materials and replacement. The forecast is for more snow Tuesday. 

Canned frosting
obsession.

After supper, I decided to make mini cupcakes to take to my sister’s house tomorrow. I’ve stepped away from baking for the most part, and with it, the desire to make everything from scratch so it was a Funfetti box mix and a can of frosting for the win. And let me tell you, the Pillsbury “Creamy Supreme” Coffee frosting is danged good. Which means I’ll probably never find it in a store again.    

Even cupcake baking from a mix had issues. I wanted to do mini cupcakes using the three pans I have. I wanted to use the colorful mini cupcake liners to make pal cleanup easier. The cupcake liners, however, where a smidge larger than the holes in the pans, so the papers wouldn’t sit flat, and worse, the cupcake bottoms didn’t come out flat. Errrr. The high point was eating the four or five mini-cupcakes with coffee frosting that didn’t fit into the container to take to my sister’s. 

random thoughts – Day 2,154 (Sunday) – show time

Performance day rolled in with bitter cold. It was -3 degrees – yes, minus three degrees. We’re talking Siberian-type temperatures. No bueno.

Show packing. 

The time before leaving for dance practice was spent organizing for the show tonight. Costume parts and accessories for each dance in the show tonight were grouped in zipper seal bags.  Bags with hair accessories, jewelry, and various underlayers were lined up on the dining room table.

By noon when we left practice, the temperature had risen to 15 degrees. It felt like a heat wave compared to earlier in the morning. The sun was shining and the snow along the edges of the roads was turning slushy. I began worrying and wondering about the roof leak and whether the new heat wave would activate it again. Roofers are scheduled to check things out Monday morning.

At home, lunch was eaten. Makeup was applied and then the various powders, tubes, and applicators were set into the travel toiletry bag. The trickiest things to pack are the 25-yard skirt which is takes up a lot of room in a bag and the water bottle which is mildly clunky and heavy when full of ice and water.

Then I sat around calmly, trying not to undo the makeup that had already been done. I read a book. I paced. I bothered Kiki to pet her pretty little face and then reward her with treats. She is a sucker for the Temptations mixed treats.

The show was great. And despite it being Super Bowl Sunday, there was an enthusiastic audience. 

There was, once again, a variety of music and dance styles and beautiful costumes. So many beautiful costumes. The troupe dance went well. People were amazed we had nine of us on the stage, but we have actually danced in smaller spaces. And weirder spaces, like last fall when our designated dance spot at an event was on a hill. We are very adaptable. The duet went beautifully, we looked great, and we had fun.  My new hair piece stayed put and the only "malfunction" was three or four times before dancing when the sparkly stones on my mesh leggings got stuck together. Overall, a stellar night.

random thoughts – Day 2,153 (Saturday) – snow globe

Another morning in the snow globe.

I had heard it might snow over the weekend, and sort of zoned out after that. As a result, I was a bit surprised/perturbed when I woke up around 7 am and the world was once again a snow globe. It snowed heavily and steadily for about four hours. The neighborhood plow dove up and down the street with plumes of snow sent airborne from the side edge of the plow. 

In other exciting news, the drip in the kitchen cabinet over the stove was still dripping. The towels placed there last night were wet and about a half-inch of water was pooled in the plastic wastebasket that wasn’t even under the main drip. The wet towels were run through the spin cycle of the washer then popped into the dryer before being returned to drip collection service.

The house was quiet and I was on extra high alert for unusual sounds, especially of water dripping. I wandered from room to room examining the ceilings in search of signs of trouble of the hydration variety. Is that a new spot or is it old or is it just a shadow? Should I pull out the property inspection from the summer and look at all the ceiling photos?

In between rounds of ceiling critique, time was spent reviewing the troupe dance and the duet. The phone was always in hand or within reach in expectation of the promised call back from the roofing guy. At noon, having heard nothing, I sent a text to check in. 

After the neighborhood saint cleared the driveway with his snow blower, I went out to do the finer shovel cleanup. I started a path behind the house for the roof guys to have some sort of access. Luckily, the new snow and the snow from the last storm was light and fluffy. It was up to my knees as I scooped and tossed the stuff further into the yard. Icicles were knocked from the roof with the shovel. The whole thing was a good arm workout that I may regret mightily tomorrow.

The duet partner arrived for practice. We moved the furniture out of the way and got to dancing. We were great in the first run-though, then a couple spots got a little messed up the next couple times. That happens when we start getting into our heads. The roofer called while we were practicing. He could send a couple guys over Sunday morning, but I will be at dance group doing final troupe run-throughs before the show tomorrow night so we scheduled for Monday morning.

After that, I went full-on snow-day hibernation and sat on the couch to read a book.

The leak in the cabinet seems to have taken a break, and the wood that was obviously wet earlier seemed nearly dry by 8:30. The towels were washed and dried, and a couple were reset in the cabinet in case there is more hydro activity overnight. The temperature has dropped to a whopping one degree with an “extreme cold warning” in effect until 1 pm Sunday, so whatever was leaking is probably frozen again and that is okay with me for now.

random thoughts – Day 2,152 (Friday) – bangs and buckets

Back with bangs.

There was a hair appointment in Worcester today. As I left for the appointment, a guy in a bucket truck was working on a pole down the street. A sandwich board stuck in a snow bank declared that some new not recognizable brand of internet something was happening. There were too many words on the sign and they were too small to read from the car. Note to sign makers – nobody can read your novella in passing, even when the speed limit is 15 miles per hour.

After weeks of consideration and countless minutes searching for reference photos that looked even a tiny bit like my mostly wavy, partly straight, longish hair, on a person with glasses, I took the step and boldly reclaimed my bangs. When I wore contacts, I had bangs for years and loved them, except for one or two stifling humid summer days when they clung to my forehead in a puddle of sweat. When contacts finally failed me and required the addition of reading glasses, I ditched the contacts and switched to full time glasses.

With full time glasses, bangs felt like too much stuff happening on my face, even though I think other people with bangs and glasses look great. There have been brief flirtations with wispy bangs, curtain bangs, side-swept bangs, and face-framing layers, but today, full bangs and I were reunited. For a while anyway, they tend to grow fast and once they are in my eyes I feel like a sheepdog and then I get testy. But so far, so good.

In a bucket on a cold day.

The bucket truck was still on the street when I returned several hours later. A couple hours after that, it was outside my house. The truck was driven by one guy, with a second guy in the lowered bucket in the back of the truck. Bucket guy would yell to the driver when the truck was near where he needed to be, then the truck would stop and the bucket would raise. And lower. And raise. And adjust until it was correctly placed, with yelling to the driver the whole time. I felt bad for bucket guy. It was cold out. At least driver guy had heat, even if he had the window down to hear when he was being yelled to by bucket guy.

After a debate about whether or not to eat supper, and if so, what that supper should be, with contenders including yogurt, soup, pasta, and grilled cheese, a frozen pizza was decided upon. While setting the oven temperature, I noticed the top of the control panel of the stove was wet. Very odd. An amateur investigation ensued. It revealed that there is a leak in the cabinet over the sink where the range hood vents to the outside world. Water is dripping behind the vent pipe, making it impossible to get any sort of bucket, bowl, or collection device under it, so it's towels for now.

The potential spring/summer roof exploration because I really want siding and the professional guidance is to do the roof first, was near the top of the list, but not necessarily at the top-top under the belief there was plenty of time. Now it looks like roofing work is, at the very least, a more urgent winter repair. Hooray. I always love a surprise. (No, I don’t.) A roofer has been contacted. There will be a phone conversation in the morning. 

random thoughts – Day 2,151 (Thursday) – activities and practice

The days, the weeks, the months are flying by at a head-spinning pace and I don’t understand it. Not sure I need to understand it, but I do wish it would slow the heck down.

The day was spent mostly at home.  There was a trip to the mailbox and then Dollar Tree to get some dinner napkins. The Dollar Tree store overachieved with the additional acquisitions of Swiss Rolls, sugar wafers, vegetable broth, and a hook for the bathroom door upon which to hang my bathrobe.

It was sunny and around 29 degrees, so pleasant (relative to recent weather). The weekend forecast is for more bitter cold, so it felt important to get out and enjoy the civilized weather while possible.

A week ago, I noted a tai chi class on the calendar at 1:00 today. It turns out I’m better a noting events on the calendar than I am at checking the calendar to attend the events. It was 1:40 when I remembered the tai chi class. Maybe next week I’ll remember in time and attend.

Costume jewelry.

There was a duet dress rehearsal tonight, in preparation for the Sunday performance. We donned our jewelry and tights with our dresses and I tried out the newest hairpiece that arrived a few days ago. The costumes look great and our rehearsal was smooth, even when I smacked myself in the forehead with a prop. We are in the final finessing stage of presentation and paying attention to the details and it feels good to feel prepared. I might want larger, bolder earrings, but right now that is the only potential change.

After practice, the avocado that had today achieved the perfect ripeness was mashed with garlic and lemon juice and a scoop of salsa. It's always a very small window of time between the stages of not ripe enough, perfectly ripe, and then gross. The magical point of avocado ripeness usually results in the immediate cancellation of any other meal plans. Tonight, it was turkey soup that got the boot. The couch was the solo dining spot for avocado with flatbread crackers. Delicious.

random thoughts – Day 2,150 (Wednesday) – jewelry and sanity

The latest episode in the ongoing search for the misplaced jewelry took place this morning. The step stool was brought to the bedroom closets to explore the shelves. In the process, a shoe box stowed on the shelf was explored. It contained a random assortment of stuff including a Longsjo Bike Race cowbell, my roller derby armbands with my player number (813), a silver charm in a box, the fitness watch I abandoned wearing, buttons from vintage clothing items, a book about tarot, and the necklace I made a few years ago from vintage brooches. I didn’t expect to find my missing dance jewelry in the shoebox, but finding the brooch necklace was a win. I thought it was misplaced in the same bag with the dance jewelry.

The contents of the storage bag with the many troupe costume veils, hip scarves, and a top was reviewed and refolded with the tiny hope that the missing necklaces had appeared in there since a few days ago when I last pawed through it. They had not.

Reunited.

The shelves in both closets were tidied and some shoes were stowed away. As the operation was wrapping up so I could check on the soup on the stove and set the table for lunch with Mom and Sis, I looked down to the floor of the closet, and there, on top of a pair of dark colored boots, was the gray three compartment travel bag which I immediately knew contained the two missing dance necklaces. My stress level was immediately reduced and my sanity improved.

How it landed there or when I cannot guess. I can say with certainty that I didn't see it there when looking for boots to wear with dress pants just over a week ago. It's possible it was on the shelf and fell when I was looking for it in recent days. File it under household mysteries. At least this one had a positive outcome. Other missing items have never been found and still haunt me. 

random thoughts – Day 2,149 (Tuesday) – search

I needed a stamp to return the city census form because I didn’t feel like driving downtown to drop it off. The last time I remember using stamps was when sending Christmas cards, so a search for the remaining cards ensued. The leftover cards from 2025 had been set in a box with the leftovers from two or three years previous in a cabinet with art supplies. Address labels were found, but not the stamps. A stamp was eventually found in a desk drawer, but it was a flower stamp from a couple years ago and not even one of the holiday stamps.

Later, while sitting at the desk tracking bills and upcoming social events, I wrote an entry in my date book intended for February, but accidentally wrote it in March. No worries, corrector tape will take it away. The search began. It wasn’t in either of the desk drawers, so I checked the box of office supplies, which ended up being staples, paper clips, assorted pens and sticky notes and the thread trimmers from Mummu’s job at the yarn factory. The trimmers were moved to the sewing desk drawer with the fabric cutting tools.

Somehow, the search for corrector tape led to finding a bag of craft supplies. Those were moved to the sheer storage drawers with the other craft supplies that lives next to the filing cabinet in the guest room closet. Trims were found in the fabric tub in the craft room and placed in the newly acquired trim storage box. A weekend travel bag in the craft room closet was discovered to hold several jigsaw puzzles I had recently wondered about. Those were moved to the shelving in the guest room. 

This sort of activity went on for nearly an hour before I returned to the desk with little recollection of what I was originally looking for or why until I spied the datebook again. It was just another day, and this is totally typical. I go looking for one thing, find several other things, get sidetracked, forget the original mission, and do some other random things. In the course of it and with luck, random tasks are advanced or even completed. With even more luck, the original goal is somehow achieved.

Tonight after dance group, I found the corrector tape. It was in the pencil drawer of the filing cabinet which lived adjacent to the desk for several years in Lowell. Now, the filing cabinet lives in the closet. The same closet I was in organizing craft supplies earlier in the day. I was so close to the original target the whole time. Next up is the resumed search for the missing dance costume jewelry. That should also be fun.

random thoughts – Day 2,148 (Monday) – lunch, taxes, dance

The day flew by. In addition to the usual routines that keep me functional and semi-sane, there was time spent in the kitchen starting a pot of stock with the rest of the turkey carcass that has been in the freezer since Christmas. After several hours, the bones were removed from the liquid and the onion skins and trimmings were removed from the freezer and added. After a couple hours, the heat was shut off and the skins were removed. Later, the pot went into the refrigerator. Tomorrow, soup making will resume with the addition of vegetables bought on Sunday. Bonus -- there is now enough room in the freezer to hold some ice cream. Finally.

Stuffed mushrooms.

Lunch was a quick heat up of the rest of the artichoke stuffed baby portabella mushrooms. They came in a package of seven, prepared and ready to heat from the produce department at Aldi and were quite tasty. The first three were had for Sunday night supper. 

As the aroma of simmering turkey broth filled the house, I sat at the desk and tortured myself. There were job applications and then work on the tax return. Ugh. The timer feature on Turbo Tax estimates how long the return should take and mine started with a laughable estimate of 54 minutes. I remembered from last year how far off the estimate was when it was simple, but this year is blowing it to shreds with the house sale, unemployment, and the moving of bank accounts and the former company’s 401k. There is no longer a module in Turbo Tax to calculate the value of non-cash donations, so dealing with the eight or nine pre-moving donations to Epilepsy Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and St. Vincent de Paul are a lot more complicated. I don’t see me building a spreadsheet, logging the handwritten sheets done at each donation, and hunting down the values. If only I were a millionaire able to make large, easy to log cash donations. Sigh.

The countdown.

So far, I’m at 4 hours and 24 minutes on the clock on the tax return and I'm only 3/4 of the way into the Federal return. Chunks of that time were spent searching for online documents and entering information from paper forms and discovering there are still some forms missing from accounts once held at the now-defunct former employer. Super fun.

The evening included dance practice and it was a good way to shake off the dust of the afternoon. Redemption was sweet and had a great soundtrack.

random thoughts – Day 2,147 (Sunday) – searching

There was no new snow event (it stayed to the south and east) and dance group was able to meet for dress rehearsal. We ran our performance number several times and began working on a new old piece. Old in that we performed it back in 2018 or 2019 and new in that one-third of the troupe didn’t learn it and the rest of us barely remember it (at least until we review the videos and the muscle memory kicks in).

In preparation for dress rehearsal, there was a one-hour long search this morning for the necklace I usually wear for troupe dances. I wore it in December. It was last seen with a new necklace I wore for the duet in December. I can’t find either one now, but I’m pretty sure they are together someplace supremely safe and logical in the padded jewelry bag with a third (missing) necklace I made from vintage brooches. I know they are not in the dance costume jewelry bag in the bedroom closet or the travel bag used for jewelry, hair accessories, and makeup for shows that lives in the bathroom closet. A quick rifling through the underbed storage boxes of dance costumes and veils came up empty and they aren’t with the Halloween stuff. I hope the location comes to me in a dream or something. And soon. There is currently no troupe dance necklace plan B. 

Potential solution to the costume jewelry issue?

I need to get to work fast on the “better system” for dance costume jewelry because this is the second time in a week I've been searching for things. It will likely involve many hours of falling down a rabbit hole of jewelry cases, armoires, cabinets, etc. Maybe I should just get a nice tackle box. Or based on the volume of trinkets, maybe a mechanics tool chest fitted with cushioned linings. Of course, then the problem would be where to put the massive chest.