random thoughts – Day 1,310 – (Wednesday) – vacation adventures

So far Vegas has felt a lot more like regular life than a vacation. Well, maybe someone else’s regular life. The morning featured sitting around drinking morning coffee poolside, and maybe someday that will be my life. It was 11:00-ish before there was mobilization to leave the house. Three of us went to a Goodwill near the house, which makes my second Goodwill in 24 hours. I wanted a zip front sweatshirt due to my state of freezing in the house, my sister wanted lighter colored short sleeve shirts. The mission was successful. 

After Goodwill, we couldn’t figure out where to go for lunch so we went back to the house where there wasn’t much food yet, pending a trip to Costco planned for the afternoon. Lunch became an apple at 2:30 when I felt like there was imminent danger of my keeling over. It was a desperate move, I don't really like apples unless they are cooked in a crisp or sauteed for tossing into something else.

Remy Martin Louis XIII 8699.00

We visited the niece and saw her and her soon to be husband’s home after they got home from work. they live just a few miles from the rental house and then we all had a family trip to Costco. The place was full of Christmas trees and holiday cookies and candies, but our task was beverages and other things for the wedding after-party and food for the house. 

Some discoveries were made – like the cranberry and jalapeno dip and the new-to-the Yankees Coca-Cola from Mexico. Oh, and a bottle of Remy Martin Louis XIII French Cognac for $8,699. We did not by that. Maybe next time.

There were eight of us, and we probably looked like a clown parade moving through Costco. We realized we had become the people we are most annoyed by in stores – you know, pausing to talk, blocking the stuff, talking too long to the soup sample lady. The soup was very tasty. My sincere apologies to the Costco shoppers.

Back at the house, my brother-in-law prepped and cooked dinner and some of us helped by staying out of the way. The young’uns played pool and some of the rest of us sat outside enjoying beverages, testing the cranberry and jalapeno dip (it's delicious!), and talking. Later, the younger folks hit the pool. There was a nighttime photo shoot involving an inflatable duck float and a plastic owl. We sure know how to have a ball. Maybe we'll go back for the Remy Martin. 

random thoughts – Day 1,309 – (Tuesday) – wiped out

Travel day for the Vegas vacation was exhausting. 

Destination: Vegas.

Departure day was preceded by a few nights of insufficient sleep. The wakeup call on departure day was 2:00 am, and it arrived after three hours of trying to sleep followed by two hours of actual sleep. One of the in-flight movies was so boring it inspired a few minutes of sleep, so that was good.

There was a car ride, a shuttle to the airport, a five-hour plane ride, a shuttle ride to baggage claim, a shuttle ride to the car rental, and then some white knuckle driving in search of food. The shuttle rides were often preceded by lengthy lines and waits.

The check-in to the rental house was at 4:00, but the flight arrived at 9:30 am. A good chunk of time was consumed with standing in line and riding a shuttle, then standing in line for the car rental. When the clock read noon, we were very hungry because our stomachs were on east coast time (3:00), and some of us hadn’t eaten since 7:00 pm ET Monday night. 

Even after finding sustenance, there was time to occupy, but we were too tired to do anything. A couple of us dragged ourselves through a Goodwill Store with the interesting placement at the far end of a parking near the Premium Outlets. We were not feeling like high rollers. Not that anyone would ever mistake us for such, ever.

We got lucky with an earlier check-in available which helped with the “what do we do next and will it look weird if we nap in a parking lot?”

There was time to relax at the house and poolside under a bright blue, cloud-free sky. The young'uns enjoyed the hot tub and the pool while the elders fought the urge to nod off at the deck table.

By 7:00pm Las Vegas time, nearly all the occupants of the rental home were crashing and heading to bed. It was a long day. At least we have several days to rest up before the main event -- my niece's wedding on the weekend.

random thoughts – Day 1,308 – (Monday) – hither and yon

It was a vacation day and the morning was free to go to the gym. It was the usual hasty exit – grab the keys, the wallet, and the phone with the app to check-in at the gym and dash out the door. After the gym there was a quick detour to the gas station. Inside the wallet there was a surprise – no license, debit card, credit card, or cash. Consequently, no gas.

That’s when I remembered those necessary items were all on the kitchen table because I used a small purse over the weekend that can’t accommodate the big wallet. I had emptied the purse, but not out the items into the wallet. Sure enough, when I got home, they were all neatly stacked right near where I had grabbed the keys from. Duh.

After a shower and breakfast there was another trip out to the wild for gas and a visit to Chowder Factory. The Chowder Factory was the furthest point and I went there first. I’d seen the sign for the place dozens of times, and never turned down the street. Recently, there was a Facebook post about the soups sometimes being half-off and today was one of those days. I got some seafood chowder and oyster crackers and if the freezer had any room, I may have bought more.

Clouds to the left.

While driving to the gas station, imagining eating the chowder for supper, I remembered the swordfish chunks bought from Market Basket in the past and wanted some. Or fish sticks. 

Exiting the gas station, the volume of traffic (or maybe my lack of patience) prevented taking the left turn onto Aiken Street to head to Market Basket. I ended taking a right and going back down Lakeview for what felt like forever to finally take the right onto VFW and towards MB. Along the detour, I thought maybe I’d go to Hannaford for the last day of a $10 off a $25 order coupon but talked myself out of it because that would turn into a big grocery shop.

Clouds to the right.

The weather was what has become the usual lately – clouds, sun, clouds and sun, showers, and sun showers. Crossing the University Ave Bridge, there were low, heavy, gray clouds to the left and blue sky and more cheerful clouds to the right. The red lights are so long that there is plenty of time take photos to entertain myself.

Over at Market Basket, it was lucky I had the fish sticks back-up plan because there were only large swordfish steaks. Fish sticks were bought but they weren’t needed, because the chowder was plenty filing for supper. I made myself run around like a nut for nothing. Certainly not the first time. Or the last. But now I have fish sticks and tater tots. 

random thoughts – Day 1,307 – (Sunday) – potentially perfect day

This was not the usual Sunday. The annual Bay State Marathon was this morning, with a route perilously close to The BungaLowell and the already limited access out of the ‘hood. Having seen the signs posted along Route 113 (my regular Sunday route to dance class) and encountered the traffic in previous years, I sent my regrets to dance class and made no attempt to leave during the event. That eliminated a lot of stress and opened the morning for coffee, relaxation, and falling into the magical rabbit hole of a troll post on a town discussion group that generated hundreds of responses spanning hours of timestamps. It was the most captivating cyber soap opera I’ve seen in ages. Positively riveting.

I managed to eventually tear myself away from the manufactured drama long enough to visit the gym for a quickie with the treadmill and the massage chair. There was a stop at Family Dollar for birthday cards, a frozen pizza, and a box of the super tasty and convenient BiBiGo Korean steamed dumplings. The marathon signs had disappeared and it felt safe to cross a bridge and move around the city.

After the stunning accomplishment of leaving the house for 90 minutes, there was a hearty brunch of eggs with onions and the remainder of the roasted potatoes and onions. During the lunching I remembered the thing that kept me up very late on Saturday night. Much time had been spent until my eyes balls watered and ached from reading on the tiny phone screen about National Park locations and NPS access passes. As I finally drifted off to sleep, I decided to visit the NPS Visitor Center in Lowell to buy a pass for the upcoming vacation and the potential of visiting some National Parks.

After the eggs, I traded the gym pants for jeans, slapped on some makeup in an attempt to look like I give a crap about appearance and not frightening innocent bystanders, and headed downtown. The police department temporary no parking signs were gone and the only visible remnant of the morning’s marathon was someone on the street wearing a marathon volunteer tee shirt talking to someone in civilian clothes.

National Parks pass.

At the NPS Visitor Center, I was greeted by friendly team members and helped immediately. I was chided for saying I wanted the “old people” pass and told I’m not old. But ummm, let’s be real young NPS Visitor Center staffer, it’s for age 62+ and numbers don’t lie. Finally accepting the reality of my advanced age got me the “Senior Pass” for only $20 for a year and it can later be applied towards a Lifetime Pass that costs $80.

After all the strenuous accomplishments it was time to settle down and watch The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix. Each episode is titled after an Edgar Allan  Poe story and it’s a pretty good mind bender of a series. Plus, the classical piano music woven into the soundtrack is great, but I like classical music and may be completely biased on that particular point.

A wee bit charred.

A slice of pizza was warmed in the toaster oven. It tasted like more and a second was heated. After being tossed in olive oil and resting in the refrigerator for a couple days, the acorn squash seeds were finally salted and roasted. After only 10 minutes in the same toaster oven that often requires two cycles to produce toast that is actually toasted and not just stale bread, half the seeds were charred. This may have been because instead of hovering over the toaster oven, I went back to the living room and the creepy show and forgot they were in the oven. They still taste pretty good, charcoal is supposed to be good for digestion, and the house is still standing, so it's all good. 

It was a reasonably productive day interrupted with spells of delightful leisure, laziness, and leftover pizza. A perfect Sunday, really.

random thoughts – Day 1,306 – (Saturday) – day and night

Earlier this week, there was a listing for a yoga or stretching or some sort of movement class scheduled for this morning at Boarding House Park. It sounded good when reading about it on a 60 degree afternoon, but this morning was too chilly for me to be doing any sort of outdoor on the ground class. It was a visit to the magical Planet of Fitness to walk on the treadmill while staring at the many TV screens and lay on the heated hydro massage table instead.

Back in the days of the beloved 
 Canine Overlords.

While eating lunch, I remembered the drive-up medication and sharps drop-off was at the Senior Center until 2:00. Five boxes crammed with Winston’s used insulin syringes were dropped off. It was a LOT of sharp stabby things to be liberated of. 

Since August when Win passed away, I really haven’t dealt with the doggy things. The half bag of prescription dog food is still in the bathroom closet and the beds, leashes, dishes, sweaters, and so on are all still around. Someday I’ll deal with it. Or have another set of Canine Overlords and need it all again. Who can say. 

After the drop-off, the car successfully navigated past Market Basket without pulling in. Instead, it autopiloted to the nearby St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop. It worked out, because it’s going to be hot on the upcoming vacation, like in the 90s hot, and I don’t have any shorts. None that fit or are suitable to wear in public, anyway.

There was a full rack of shorts at St. Vincent's, but none that met the rigorous criteria (not too short, not too tight in the legs but also not too loose, the fabric should have some body and not be so soft and drapey, the waist should be at least mid-rise) and also fit. Between all the rain and spending most of the summer inside often freezing in air conditioning, shorts weren’t needed this summer. Not by me, anyway. Normal body temperature people probably wore them.

The haul was a pair of capri-length jeans that seemed brand new, two pairs of dressier pants for work, a flowered necktie, and a lightweight jacket that seems great for spring and early fall hiking. Everything had either red 50% off tags or yellow 99-cent tags, so it was budget friendly.

The pants were laundered this afternoon, which resulted in a minor mishap. Some light-colored tee shirts were tossed into the washer with the jeans and it seems those jeans were brand new and the “wash before wearing” instructions have a very valid reason. Now the pale pink tee shirt has a light purple tint and the white baseball shirt with pink sleeves looks grayish, gross, and dingy. Luckily, those are both worn as pajamas and nobody will ever see them. Like, never.

Fuzzy sun.

I remembered to look for the eclipse, but New England wasn’t in the best range for it. The sun was a white, fuzzy ball in the cloudy sky. No nibble from the moon. No ring of fire. 

The rest of the afternoon is a blur and suddenly it was nighttime, which is a lot longer now that sun sets around 6:00 and it’s pitch dark by 6:30. There is something really cozy about the long nights. Or maybe that’s just the blanket, the candle, and the wine talking.

random thoughts – Day 1,305 – (Friday) – sign and relax

The advertised as velvet but actually velour jacket and the advertised as silk but actually polyester blouse arrived today. The product titles and actual fiber content were not a surprise. It's the same thing as when eBay items are listed as "vintage" when they were made last week in a style remotely similar to an actual vintage style. 

When ordered, the delivery was shown as October 13, but a day later, it was showing as the 14^th. On the 12^th, while checking emails after getting home from the after-work event, the delivery date showed as the 13^th between 2:00 and 5:00, with a signature required. Wait, what? A signature required for a generic blouse and jacket bought for chump change? For real? That feels a lot like overkill. And the earlier delivery date put it on a day I’m at the office-office and not at home to sign for it.

The UPS notification had an option to change the delivery, including to a nearby UPS pickup spot, but the link kept giving an error. It was decided to deal with it in the morning. I wasn’t sure if I was annoyed with Amazon or UPS, but I was definitely annoyed when I went to bed.

The morning delivery status update from Amazon continued to show Friday the 13^th.  Amazon’s update mentioned nothing about needing a signature. Another update from UPS again contained the signature note. Luckily, the option to sign online was available, which came with about 1,200 words of disclaimer and legalese. The delivery "instructions" were verified. Options included “Porch,” which is defined as "a covered shelter protecting the front of the entrance of a building," (yes, I looked it up) and “Deck,” which is an open, uncovered attachment. Porch, as in, the covered thing running across the entire front of the house, was confirmed as the delivery option.

Compelling proof
of delivery.

Late in the afternoon, a text arrived that the package had been delivered. It included  a photo intended to provide proof of the delivery. The compelling "proof" was a photo of the lower portion of the recycle bin and part of the steps to the open deck. Was it on top of the recycle bin? Behind it? Deliveries have found in both locations. It was anyone's guess.

Curses against UPS were uttered. Of all the delivery services that bring things to The BungaLowell, UPS is the most lackadaisical. Prime, FedEx, and US Postal are pretty mindful of protecting deliveries against weather and visibility from the street, but it seems like UPS could not possibly care less.

After the usual commute home with the usual dumb bunny drivers blocking the intersections, I pulled up to the house where there was no package in sight. It was questionable as to whether that was a good thing or not. 

Relax.

The package had been left on the open deck that runs along the side of the house. The deck, which was very deliberately not chosen as a delivery location. But it was safely delivered, and that is what was important. Later, I’ll get around to seeing if the items fit.

It was time to unwind. Supper was eaten – a sensible, comforting bowl of vegetable soup with a slice of buttered bread. The “Relax” jar candle, a gift from last Christmas, or maybe a birthday or some other event in the past five years was lit (finally). A glass of wine was poured.  Then another. The large bag of Utz chips from last week’s pizza delivery was opened. And eaten. 

The stress of the week is melting off and things are improving. Well, except for the nagging shame of demolishing an entire bag of chips and yet another night of not going to the gym. 

random thoughts – Day 1,304 – (Thursday) – repeat business

It was another day of receiving someone else's DoorDash notifications. It had stopped for a few weeks, and before that, the deliveries were on Fridays in the 2:00 to 3:00 timeframe, so Thursday at 5:00 was a slight shift in their repeat business. 

I wish I knew who "CSB" is, and even more, I wish CSB hadn't messed up the phone number in their own DoorDash account. Each delivery is accompanied by four text messages. One has the expected delivery time, the next when it is picked up, one when the driver is approaching, and finally, when the order is delivered, accompanied by a photo of the bag on the doorstep of a cute blue house. 

In other repeat events, it was another night and another event at Lenzi’s. Being out two weeknights in a row, and three, if we count Tuesday’s board meeting, feels a bit like being a socialite. Or at least, significantly less hermitlike than usual.

Table at Lenzi's.

Several of us at the Bank-sponsored table at tonight’s event had been at the same venue on Wednesday night for the Bank’s dinner. We wondered if the menu would be the same, but luckily, it was not. Tonight’s dinner was ham with beans, roasted turkey breast with stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and amazing crisped, caramelized sweet potato cubes tossed with peas. The dessert was warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. So yummy! 

Tonight’s event was The Bridge Club of Greater Lowell’s Person of the Year dinner. I wasn’t familiar with this organization, but I learned that The Bridge Club’s mission is to stem the tide of alcoholism and addiction in the Greater Lowell Area and beyond, is dedicated to providing a safe place for those in recovery to meet.

The speakers included an owner of my favorite pizza delivery place. She spoke about her family’s experience with a loved one’s addiction, and I gotta say, my eyes got kinda wet.

Tonight’s event ran a bit longer than last night’s and I arrived home perilously close to the time I am usually winding down and beginning to prepare for bedtime. Oy.