“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 789 (Saturday) – steampunk chill

Oy. Just like on this date in 2016, today was another chilly, windy day at the Steampunk Festival in Waltham. There was a good-sized crowd in costumes and what felt like an overabundance of photographers. A photographer friend was taking photos of me and my friends, and suddenly four more photographers materialized behind him, clicking away. 

We saw this repeated over and over throughout the festival as one person taking a photo of someone in a cool costume turned into a stampede. It’s kind of weird when you are just a normal, anonymous person at an event and suddenly a swarm of strangers appears with cameras. 

Dressing this morning involved a version of costume roulette. The only solid decision upon waking was the top hat. It wasn’t long before the mound on the bed included gunmetal metallic leggings, bronze metallic leggings, black leggings, silver skirt, and three black skirts. These were joined by tops – a black and white striped blouse, gold and black brocade top, and a red top. In a move to avoid the discomfort of the full corset, options were a black vinyl vest, black waist cincher, or tan waist cincher. Then there were jacket options, as it was cold. Red velvet, purple velvet, black velveteen, teal patterned silk. The elements were cycled through in various combinations for more than an hour. It was exhausting.

The final choices were a silver satin skirt over gunmetal leggings, red top, black waist cinch, black boots, black velveteen jacket, and a top hat. The skirt was gathered up in the front to make walking easier. There was one wardrobe malfunction when the sole of one of my favorite boots completely detached. Thank goodness it happened at home and not at the festival. And thank goodness there was another pair of black boots in the closet. 

A shawl was selected for added warmth and forgotten on the table when we headed out. Old-timey gloves were taken, well, because why not. And the recently reorganized eyeglasses were located. 

Delicious jalapeno margarita.

We lasted an hour in the chill before retreating to the warmth of Taqueria Mexico, near where the car was parked. It was warm and comfortable inside. My interest was piqued by “Jalapeno Margarita.” My friends said it is delicious, so I went for it. I liked how the jalapeno slices nestled in the hollows of the ice cubes. Yes, it was delicious. So was my cheese quesadilla with rice and beans.

On the approach to my house, I fished around in my "regular" purse (not to be confused with the tiny "costume purse") for the spare house key on a ring with a big plastic doo dad that makes it easier to find. It wasn’t in the big purse, nor the small one. 

The three of us searched my friends' car. We know I had it when we left, because it was used to lock the door from the outside. But when we got back, it wasn’t anywhere – not under the seat, not between the seats, not under the floor mat. Gone. 

Lap folds in a restaurant.
Stuff could be lost in here.

After I was home a few minutes and rolling back the tape of the day, I remembered feeling something hitting my foot while getting out of the car in Waltham, but when I looked down, nothing was there. I suspect the key was in the folds in the lap of the massive skirt, and when I got out of the car, it bounced off my foot and under the car. I had even taken a photo of the folds in my lap in the restaurant because I liked how they looked. Luckily, there is a backup key and I could get into the house. 

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 788 (Friday) – R&R and prep

It was another vacation day with no plans beyond rest and relaxation. There was a late sleep (8:00!) followed by coffee drinking while still in pajamas and robe. In my imagination, I was a lady of leisure draped in silks and velvets on a settee, worthy of being a subject in a painting, as opposed to just being some lazy, modern-day slug in a 10 year old bathrobe. At 11:00, there was a costume change from sleeping clothes into “could possibly leave the house in these” clothes.

In fact, there was no leaving the house, except to walk around the back yard once while Winston did his business. While there was possibility in abundance, there was a deficit in interest. Leaving the house often means spending money, and this is one of the weird periods that roll around every few months where the pay periods and the bills due don’t quite line up. To avoid raiding the savings account, which is considered sacred and untouchable, other strategies are usually tried first. Grocery shopping is often delayed, and visiting places where it would be tempting to spend money is avoided. There was a big failure earlier in the week with a spontaneous visit to the bookstore and another unbudgeted book purchase. That place is going to be my financial ruin.

During the day of R&R, shows were binge watched. Better Call Saul is now caught up. The Flight Attendant is up to date on episodes. The IT Crowd was revisited briefly, before launching into Somebody Somewhere. 

2016
Steampunk.

There was a brief period of running around looking for costume parts for a Steampunk Festival on Saturday, during which discoveries were made of several waist cinchers and purses I forgot were bought in the olden pre-pandemic times. 

The big mystery is eyeglasses. There had been a huge temptation a month ago to buy new frames specifically for a Steampunk costume. Sense, reason, and procrastination overruled and saved the budget, as I am about 99% sure I wouldn’t wear then for anything else but that one very specific costume category, for a few hours each time. They are cool, but a bit extreme for everyday life, and a bit expensive for a few hours of occasional use.

A year ago, every old pair of glasses I own was pulled out for a trip down optometric memory lane. It's possible I have every pair bought in the past 30 years. For the past four years, eight, maybe ten pairs of glasses lived in a cubby in a hanging closet organizer. After the inventory, when they were all brought downstairs to the living room, they lived on the dining room table for a few weeks before being put away. The problem today is, I can’t remember where the new “away” is. And in that cluster of relocated eyeglasses is a pair that isn’t perfect perfect, but better than all the newer ones for the Steampunk ensemble. This happens every time I “organize.” So annoying.

I couldn't remember what I wore the last time the Steampunk event was attended, but a photo from 2016 was located, which helped. That day it was chilly and an overcoat was included. Hopefully, tomorrow will be less cold.

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 787 (Thursday) – what the pollen

Wednesday, it was like being hit by a truck. Or maybe one of the infamous Acme branded anvils that Wile E Coyote was always trying to drop on Roadrunner. The sinuses began draining with a vengeance and soon, my nostrils were raw from all the encounters with tissues. As the afternoon wore on, sneezing began and the eyes became watery.

It all felt very familiar. A cold? Allergies? Or maybe it was Coronavirus? It was unnerving. And annoying.

After work, it was ramen soup for supper, made extra hot with Korean hot pepper paste. There was tea. There was a shooter of Nyquil before retiring to bed early.

Pollen. Ugh.

This morning, after a solid night’s sleep, it was an immediate return to runny nose mess of Wednesday night, with the added bonus of stuffy, blocked sinuses. A COVID rapid test was taken for peace of mind and to rule out that possibility. Luckily, the test result was negative. Equally lucky, it was a remote work day. My nose was so runny, it was grossing me out. 

Weather Underground says the tree pollen is high, but grass and weeds are low, so it’s possible the trees are not my friends right now. Again. We’ve had this rough patch before. In Tennessee, it was cedar that nearly did me in, but Weather Underground says right now it is birch, ash, and alder that might be terrorizing me.

Comfort was sought tonight in a mug of blueberry tea with some panettone, a bread-like cake, or maybe it's a cake-like bread. The tea was good, the bread cake is heavy in the stomach, and bed can’t come quickly enough.

Tonight, it will be another night with another shot of the green stuff to induce sleep and turn off the runny and stuffy nose. Thank goodness for modern medicine, and here’s hoping this thing runs its course quickly.

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 786 (Wednesday) – stubborn boredom

Another pizza lunch.

For the fourth consecutive work day I had a slice of leftover pizza for lunch. The refrigerator is mostly empty and the freezer is full of broths and components that are too complicated to deal with in the office kitchenette. 

There is just one piece of pizza left in the freezer, so it must be time for another delivery, although it has become tiresome. I didn’t think I’d see the day when I would be tired of pizza, but it may have arrived.

It’s definitely time for a trip to the grocery store for a “full shop.” There hasn’t been any half-and-half for several days and I’ve been drinking the coffee plain. I had dug my heels in and decided I wasn't going to the store yet, but it seems the time has come. Tonight’s supper was ramen, chosen for its speed and availability. The cooking thing where I prepared a bunch of stuff on the weekend for the coming week was fun for a while, but I’m kind of over it for now.

The King of the castle.

Tonight, Winston again displayed his boredom with the pricey prescription kibble. It’s subtle. He walks over to the bowl, gives a sniff, and walks away. Far away. Into another room away. 

Tonight, he sat on the couch while I ate, and the minutes ticked by with his food in the bowl in the other room. Then he got shaky and shivery, and that freaked me out a little. I added mixed vegetables to the bowl and he finally ate and took his insulin.

Today, it seemed like the dog food bag had been depleting quickly, and for a minute I thought the wrong size bag had been delivered under the auto-ship program. I thought that $74 got the 35-poud bag, and when I read the bag in the closet, it said 17.6 pounds. The past several auto ship orders were confirmed, and 17.6 pound is correct. It’s the price that has crept up to $74. That’s right, $74 for a month’s worth of food he won’t eat. I really miss the days of the Tractor Supply 35-pound bag of food for $35 with multiple flavors I could rotate to prevent Canine Overlord boredom.

I can’t fault Winston for the lack of interest in his food. I can choose to be lazy and eat the same thing day after day, but he doesn’t really have a choice. The level of control he can exercise is limited to willfully ignoring it or tossing it onto the floor, and eventually, I cave and add chicken breast or veggies. While he carefully picks around the kibble to eat the add-ins from the bowl, at least I can then give him the insulin. It’s a daily dance. Or battle of wills. Eventually he empties the bowl.

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 785 (Tuesday) – juggling and digging in

Tuesday saw some changeups. Instead of the regularly scheduled remote day, it was an office day to help greet and direct guests who arrived for annual meeting in the morning, which required being at work even earlier than usual. Winston had me up at 2:30 a.m. for his newly annoyingly regular potty break, and at 5:30 I was up extra early for the day, and extra tired.

Back at the desk, the emails arrived at a steady and frantic pace for most of the day. Multiple projects were juggled all day and not always well. Half the time it felt like being in one of the nightmarish dodge ball games we were subjected to in elementary school gym class. Being able to focus on just one project for 30 continuous minutes is the current fantasy, having replaced former frivolous fantasies of spa massages and resort vacations. 

Being in the office for a second day this week had me thinking it was Wednesday, which was confusing and will likely be equally confusing again on the actual Wednesday actual office day.  Changes in routine used to be fun, but now they are just mostly disorienting.

More new books.

A trip was made to the book store where the book budget continues to be destroyed. There actually is no book budget, so the wallet is running headlong and blindly into trouble. Maybe the books can serve as resale items for part of the future retirement income stream.

The two books bought today, for the May and June book club meetings, plus the three bought a few weeks ago, and all the ones before that, are piling up. There is a smidge of guilt that accompanies seeing any one of the stacks. The second recurring fantasy, right behind being able to spend dedicated and focused time on a singular task at work, is having about a month to just lay around on a beach or in a hammock and read, free of the guilt that I should be doing something more productive like laundry or yardwork.

There was a yard task accomplished after a supper of Triscuits, pepperjack cheese, and pepperoni slices. The shovel was taken to the back yard and the Hosta was liberated from its crowded cohabitation situation with the iris clump. 

Hosta relocation program success.

A small chunk of the Hosta went to the back of the yard near the fence line and the bulk of the clump is now settled in the front yard near the rose bush, mostly because there was space and there was also no better plan. It was all in a day’s work. The night plan is to go to bed early and read. Maybe one of the two books in process on the night stand, maybe one of he new recent purchases. We’ll see. Or not.

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 784 (Monday) – eye candy

Tomato and trail.

For a Monday, there was an unusual amount of interesting eye candy.

While headed out to work, about five houses from mine, a Waste Management truck was stopped at the side of the road conducting trash pickup activities. A cat darted out of a side street in front of the trash truck and across the street. It carried something sizeable in its mouth – a large grayish brown mouse, a small brownish gray bunny, maybe a kitten? It was just far enough away and moving quickly enough that I couldn’t really tell what it carried as it crossed the street and ran under a car parked at a nearby house.

I chose to think it was one of its own kittens being carried to safety from the danger of the trash truck and not lively, fresh, potential breakfast. And if it was kitty cat breakfast, I hoped it was a rodent and not a cute bunny. 

After work, while traversing Merrimack Street, there was a lone slice of tomato on the concrete sidewalk. The center looked like a starburst, with what appeared to be a schmear of tomato juice or possibly mayo trailing behind like a comet's tail. 

Underdrawers!

A few doorways later, some reasonably new looking gray underdrawers lay in the middle of the sidewalk, straddling a crack in the concrete. They were definitely not there at 8:20 when I passed by on the way in to work. I'm certain I would have either seen them or tripped over them.

Just a bit further down the sidewalk, there was a single slice of pickle on the sidewalk.

How does this happen? Do people walk down the street eating a sandwich with toppings and randomly flick fillings onto the sidewalk? And what about the underdrawers? Laundry fallout? Emergency reconsideration of the wardrobe? Did Captain Underpants have an adventure in downtown Lowell?

Maybe it wasn't exactly "eye candy" as much as "weird candy." 

“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 783 (Sunday) – time, time, time

The weekly Sunday drive on route 113 was a little bit of an extra interesting time today. It was sunny and nice, with unusual scenic events. 

First, there was the antique engine and tractor show with orange traffic cones in the road and a police detail directing the line of traffic into and out of the field. What appeared to be vendor tables formed a perimeter and in the center of a clearing was a big red tractor with giant wheels. The traffic moved  smoothly enough that I couldn’t see what else was happening at what seemed to be a happening event that was bustling at 9:15 am. I’ve driven past prior versions of the event and the curiosity is building. There may need to be a stop planned there some year.

Just beyond the location of the engine and tractor show, a digital message board on the side of the road displayed an announcement that road construction was beginning April 25. Fortunately for me and the tractor show attendees, there were no construction issues.

The return trip along 113 a few hours later was equally interesting. There was a table staffed by two children at the sidewalk outside the fire department in one town. A sign on the front of the table had the words “Lemonade” and “Cystic Fibrosis” in legible lettering but the rest was impossible to read at 20 miles per hour. The kids were enthusiastically bouncing behind the table waving small signs over their heads, but business was hampered by the inability to park. Sorry kids.

Newest fashion?

Just beyond the bend in the road after the Fire Station, spitting distance from the the inaccessible lemonade vendor, six or eight people wearing Revolutionary War styled tricorn hats and brown vests milled about on the lawn of the building across from the library. It was a big temptation to double back to observe Team Tricorn and what I assumed was about to be some sort of drill. Or maybe fashion cycles have taken a massive jump backward. In any event, I kept going.

Between the antique engine and tractor show, the lemonade stand, and the tricorn hat squad, it felt like a scene from some Twilight Zone episode. It wouldn’t have been surprising if the Jeep’s horsepower was suddenly transformed into a horse-drawn wagon.

Time travel route?

After that, the only fresh sights to accompany the usual farms and the old cemetery were the multiple small clusters of bicyclists in modern jerseys, shorts and helmets taking advantage of the beautiful weather to ride along route 113. 

Back at home, here were numerous shifts of wandering the yard where the sights were limited to the plants. There was an assessment of the grass and faux grass and an internal debate over the need for mowing today. The mowing need exists only for the few random  tall, lush clumps, so the verdict was “not today.” This will likely be regretted in a day or two when the chore is finally addressed.

In the yardwork victory column, the pansies bought several weeks ago were finally set in the ground, but the hollyhock bulbs still reside in a bag awaiting the not clearly defined planting date within the stretch from April to June “after the last frost date.” Time is all over the place today.