random thoughts – Day 1,484 – (Tuesday) – blue sky for now

Blue sky in Lowell.

It was another blue sky beautiful weather day and I could get used to it, even though I spent very little time outside for it. It’s comforting knowing it’s nice and seeing it out the window. There was a board meeting after work and it was very pleasant walking around downtown. The sunlight and blue sky were reflected in windows. Sunlight bathed a mural painted on the side of a building. Sunglasses were needed. It was glorious. 

Of course, the bad news is that the forecast shows rain for Wednesday through Saturday. I keep hoping there will be a major shift and we’ll get some more sunshine this week. The forever-long stretch of gray weather has gone on much too long for my taste, but I have never yet succeeded in altering the weather with my wishes.

Inside the house, two flies buzzed around in the office and kitchen during the afternoon. One was huge, approximately the size of a hummingbird, the other was tiny, and both were supremely annoying. I have no idea how they got inside, unless it was during one of the 227 times I checked the mailbox hoping for the stupid label to return the cancelled equipment for the cancelled Verizon program.

Beyond the sudden appearance of two flies on the second nice day in forever, there have been other mysteries at The BungaLowell. 

A fine microwaved mess.

Monday morning’s breakfast was prepared according to the package directions. At work, I add an unmeasured amount of hot water from the water machine to oatmeal in a cup and boom, it’s done. Yesterday, the water was measured (2/3 cup) and stirred with the instant oatmeal and put into the microwave to cook. Before it had reached the recommended time, oatmeal was flowing over the top of the bowl in a rather spectacular mess. I tried it again with another packet which came out like soup. 

This morning for breakfast, a bagel was taken from the freezer and toasted. Somehow, it was scorched in a couple spots and wet in others after the toasting. Maybe this is a sign that the usual dry granola bar is the best course for breakfast. I can’t mess it up, anyway.

Over in the win column, the bibigo brand steamed dumplings prepared for supper in the microwave did not meet with disaster and were delicious. Despite having been told by her former foster care human that Kiki doesn’t like wet food, I opened a can and put some in her food bowl with the dry food last night. This morning when I checked the bowl, the wet food was gone. I have never been so pleased when looking in a bowl of pet food.

random thoughts – Day 1,483 – (Monday) – eclipse (in)action

The weather forecast was for a sunny, warm day with temperatures in the 60s. That’s right, sunshine! No rain or even clouds! No raging wind! Pretty much a dream come true, especially for all the very many New England folks with plans for seeing the eclipse.

Some New England acquaintances traveled to Vermont or to Maine to be closer to the path of totality for the eclipse, and some Middle Tennessee acquaintances headed to Kentucky for the same reason. I had no such plans, despite having been aware of the event for possibly as much as a year. I neglected to hurry up and make friends to see the eclipse with. I neglected to get eclipse glasses, even after hearing that they were available at the library two blocks from work. Whatever. Planning for and getting excited about things as a party of one is just a lot of work for not a lot of fun.

It was a remote work day and I went outside several times during the height of the activity. I heard the birds being very active and chirpy as the light shifted. Neighbors chatted in nearby yards while wearing eclipse glasses and looking up at the sun.

I made a hole in a piece of manila folder to watch the shadow on another piece of manila folder, like I did once as an elementary school kid. Back then, I stood alone in the middle of our dead end street, some nerdy kid staring intently through a pinhole in a piece of manila cardboard, looking for the shadow on another piece of the flimsy cardboard. I don’t remember it working then, either.

I noticed the diminished light in the home office that was just a few minutes shy of needing to put on the light, and then it returned to the usual level of afternoon daylight. By the end of the workday, the lighting and workflow were back to usual.

Kiki's all day, eclipse day hangout.

While all the eclipse action was happening, Kiki stayed in her little hidey bed under the buffet. Like she has in recent days, she spent hours in it today, deep in the shadow, with one eye keeping watch from the opening. 

In addition to the eclipse, there was another unusual thing today, in that I wanted to go to the gym. Huh? So, I went. To limit the time I was there, the treadmill program was set for 20 minutes instead of 30, but to maximize the shortened time, the pace was increased from the usual 3.5 miles to 4.0 miles per hour. With a long stride at that pace, I could feel it a lot more than the usual slower place at a longer time. That might be the new treadmill plan.

Hours later, I could feel my lightly smoked hamstrings in a way that hasn’t been experienced in ages. Jackpot! The treadmill was followed by the massage chair, then a quick stop at Family Dollar for jugs of dishwasher and laundry detergents because even on a magical eclipse day, the boring things in life still need to be dealt with because I ignored them on the weekend.

Barely a bit left of the old nest.

Arriving back home at 7:00, it was still sunny. What a difference sunshine makes after a dreary winter and the recent temperamental weather which even destroyed the bird nest over the drainpipe, leaving a muddy mess on the ground near the downspout. If I act quickly, maybe the gutters can be replaced before the avian squatters return and I’ll be spared the guilt of home improvements displacing residents.

The gutter replacement might already have been scheduled if not for the current gutter heating system. It isn’t used often, maybe once or twice a winter for a couple days, but when the gutters freeze and I need it, it is crucial. The gutter folks were very clear in stating in the estimates that they will take the wiring out as part of the project, but under no circumstances will they replace it. It seems like every home repair that needs doing has some stupid speed bump.

random thoughts – Day 1,482 – (Sunday) – pizza and more

After the gym on Saturday, not a lot happened. I didn’t change into jeans and a sweater or any other outfit I might wear to go out. I sat on the couch not going to any of the several events scheduled around town that I had flagged in Facebook. Grocery shopping and laundry were ignored. It was a luxurious day and evening of relaxation and leisure and suddenly it was bedtime.

Sunday was busier than Saturday. Items were packed for transport to the booth at the co-op. The dance bag was reorganized and checked – zills, 25-yard skirt, veil, coin belts, payment for the new session, all present. Jeans for after class, card for my niece’s birthday, accounted for. The resale items and dance gear were loaded into the car, and it was time to hit the road.

After two hours of dance, the plan was to meet Mom at Jeffrey’s to add more items and reorganize the booth. We arrived at the same time to discover there wasn’t a single parking spot available, which is good for the sales potential, but not so good for us getting out of our cars and into the store. We skipped the stop and proceeded to my sister’s for family party time.

Yum, pizza.

We began with fresh popcorn and chips and dip, where I was introduced to bacon horseradish dip, which is quite delicious. We moved on to pizza and grilled chicken tenders from Parkhill Pizza. 

We shared stories and laughed and sang the Happy Birthday song (quite badly) before birthday cake and ice cream. There was a Facetime call with the eldest niece in Vegas. We were entertained with tales of my eldest niece’s career progress and the middle and youngest nieces’ hilarious workplace stories.

I hated to leave, but the laundry and grocery shopping chores ignored on Saturday awaited. A stop at Market Basket was an adventure unlike any experienced recently. There was a little kid dancing excitedly in the dairy department and then the deli, but thankfully, he seemed to have calmed down by the time I next saw him in another aisle. Three times passage was blocked by the same woman wearing a set of large white headphones – first in the very active dairy aisle, then the pasta section, then the ice cream freezer. Elsewhere, half-filled carts sat in the middle of thoroughfares while the shoppers wandered off to who knows where.

I had gone in for a few produce drawer staples – mushrooms, onion, broccoli – and got a few other items because, well, I was already there. The long checkout lines extended up a couple aisles. At least the 12 items or fewer line I was able to use moved quickly. There, the cashier slapped my produce around like it had offended him. The bananas, the broccoli, and the onion, all dropped onto the scale, then tossed down to the bagging spot, where they were tossed haphazardly into the bags. I walked out with two bags that resembled lumpy pillows and were awkward to carry. 

At home, I discovered the deli pack of Kalamata olives was on its side with olive juice dripping on other items and collecting in the bottom of the bag. Dumb bunny. 

The just-purchased pre-made salad with cranberries, walnuts, and blue cheese, was transferred onto a plate, and a quick dressing of red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper was mixed. Served with sauteed tuna chunks, I could feel all the fresh and healthy benefits flowing through my system. Practically like magic, or when Popeye eats spinach and get big muscles. Or it's just my imagination.

Maybe the healthy supper will be enough to chase away the “crap, it’s practically Monday again” blues, although usually that requires something more powerful, like half a cake or a tub of ice cream.

random thoughts – Day 1,481 – (Saturday) – delusions and time

This morning, after dicking around for three hours (pardon my French), I slipped into my unbranded black fleece pants which have seen better days and my recently acquired from the thrift store, slightly dingy at the cuffs white hoody imprinted with a pattern of roses in shades of tan and gray, laced up my blue and yellow Hush Puppy sneakers, and went to the gym. There was an age and stage of life where it would have been all the latest "cool" labels, but I mostly don't care anymore. (Hooray for being old and frugal!)

I was feeling a bit guilty over having not been there since last Saturday, and also for having spent three full hours doing nothing more than sitting on the couch in my pajamas while drinking coffee, reading emails, news, and social media, playing Wordle and Words with Friends, accidentally locking myself out of my online banking account (again), and hanging over the back of the couch to try and pet Kiki the recluse cat and hoping that maybe someday she will like me even just a little and allow us to transact at a distance closer than an arm's length away.

Mostly, I went to the gym so I could say I went. A secondary benefit was actually doing something while there, but accomplishing 30 minutes on the treadmill was not the main impetus. There was a sliver of motivation in the memory that last Saturday, as I walked into the gym, a handsome man held the door open for me. He had short gray hair, blue eyes, was a bit taller than me, and had on light blue shorts. I think. It’s been a whole week.

Last Saturday, at approximately a smidge before 9:44 am according to my check-in time on the app,  after passing through the magic portal to the planet of fitness and scanning the QR app code allowing entry, hot guy turned to the free weights and I went to the treadmills. After my 35-minute walking sentence, I went to the massage chair for the 10-minute reward. As I walked to my car, we caught each other’s gaze through the big window facing the parking lot, he inside, me outside. At least that is what I told myself. I definitely saw him, so half of that is true.

So this morning, yes, I may have used the idea of the hot guy from last week being at the gym again this week as an incentive to go. Except I didn’t go at the same time as last week, so that could be a factor. Whatever. At least I went, right?

In any event, there was nobody meeting the description of my memory from a week ago in attendance today. Trust me, I scanned the place from the treadmill, which afforded a pretty good view of most of the floor. There was, however, a much larger number of much older people and canes there today, which made me curious about the shift in demographics. Usually, I feel like I’m in the top 5% of the oldest people there, but today it seemed my ranking had slipped to barely the top 25%. I’m still processing my feelings about it. After that, I read the book I brought with me, which made the time pass more quickly, but not by much. I swear, the only time that doesn't fly by is the time on the treadmill. That half-hour sure felt a lot longer than the previous three hours.

While in the beloved massage chair after the treadmill (ten minutes that zip by in a blink), my mind wandered and entertained some fanciful thoughts. It occurred to me that on Sundays, I could go to the gym before dance class. All it would take is being ready and leaving the house just one hour earlier, then going to class directly from the gym. Easy. 

Of course, this idea is pure nonsense. It already requires a disproportionate level of effort to leave the house when I do. The logistics would be cumbersome. I wouldn’t want to go to the gym in my dance clothes, and I wouldn’t want to go to dance class in gym clothes. And yes, there are separate wardrobes for these activities. Mummu taught me about being properly attired for each of life's activities and events.

Further, I doubt I would want to be schlepping the extra clothes and shoes around, as I already pack civilian clothes (jeans and a normal top) to change into after dance, just in case I stop at Market Basket. It’s not like I’m 30 and energetic and bouncing from my suit and pumps-clad buttoned-up corporate finance job directly into the lycra-clad gym ensemble then into jeans and boots for photography class followed by Ralph’s Diner. The days of having a car that looked like a closet and possessing that much energy (and caffeine) are long gone, relegated to being a head shaking “how did I pull that off for so many years?” mind-boggling mystery for me to look back on in these delightful late middle-aged bordering on elderly years.

At the edge of the parking lot.

By the time I hit the car, parked at the edge of the lot overlooking the tiny pond? bog? swamp? drainage hole? it was pretty clear that the odds of me leaving an hour earlier than my carefully constructed Sunday routine are about equal to the odds of buying a remote tropical island and forming my own government. Since last fall, I could also have been going to the gym after dance class, because most weeks, I drive past the Planet Fitness in Townsend. This has never once happened. (See issues noted above.) 

It was a fun little massage chair fantasy while it lasted. I can’t wait to see what delusions I dream up (and destroy) next.

random thoughts – Day 1,480 – (Friday) – lunch and treats and training

It was another day of light assembly, this time for The Multicultural Alliance at work. Six of us gathered in a conference room to unpack dozens of boxes of tasty treats and line them along a table for packing into tote bags. The treats are snacks from the countries that are celebrating South and Southeast Asian New Year which is in April.

Lunch from District 5.

The treats included coffee, tea, crackers and other salty snacks, little wrapped cakes, candies, gelatin-type cups, and cookies. We unpacked the boxes and set up an assembly line. Items were loaded into more than 65 bags which were scaled by department or branch size which ranged from as few as four team members to more than 30.

All the bags were packed and confirmed in about two hours, and then we broke for lunch brought in from District 5 – Viet Street Food, a restaurant near the bank. I got a tofu and rice lunch plate and it was really good. I love getting tofu from restaurants because they know how to prepare it. I've tried a few times to make it at home, but it never went well. Lunch was filling, mostly because I ate it all, even though half would have been plenty. It saved time later, because I was full enough to not need to make any supper.

Treat bags, ready to  roll to the departments.

After lunch, we loaded the bags onto carts and rolled them across the cobblestone street. Thank goodness for the smooth concrete crosswalk or it would never work. It took several trips due to the size of the slightly oversized bags and the cart capacity of about nine bags. We got to chat with people in the departments we visited in three of our buildings downtown. Another wave of deliveries will go out to the branches on Monday and Tuesday.

After the fun part of the day, it was back to my desk. The suite was quiet, with just two of us on the floor.  I did a 45-minute video training on a program upgrade we’ll be getting in a couple weeks. Hooray for the upgrade, and I’m glad to have knocked out the training. Boo for the training video that stalled 3/4 of the way through, requiring a restart. At least it's done.

random thoughts – Day 1,479 – (Thursday) – crispy and blowy

The forecast for a storm delivered mixed results depending upon the area. The lights flickered a few times while I was setting up the coffee maker and staring out the window at the back yard. Our branch offices started out with a delayed opening time, but a couple regions remained closed for the day due to the local conditions.

Friends in central Mass got around seven inches. At my house, there were couple inches of a combination of snow, rain, and slush that, from the dry and warm safety of the home office, looked like a sloppy mess. I felt fortunate that it was a remote work day for me and I didn’t have to deal with being outside at all. I fired up the computer and dove right in.

Precipitation on the
office window.

Throughout the day, it rained, snowed tiny steady flakes, fluffy floaty flakes, and swirling, blowing crispy rain. At times, the problematic gutter over the front door had its special mini waterfall feature flowing, pummeling the steps and the young Bleeding Heart shoots in the flower bed below. Out back, the bright young shoots that recently emerged from the flower bed and along the fence peeked out from the snow.

The wind, which seems to have been raging forever but is probably only a few months, was howling. Small broken branches from the large tree in the yard across the street littered the street. Trees swayed wildly, and the shifting types of precipitation slammed against the office window behind me. Mother Nature’s special effects department was very busy. 

Nature got quieter by the end of the workday. The wind had died down and the precipitation stopped its crispy staccato on the windowpanes. 

Hot supper on
a cold night.

There was a lecture about “The History of the Ouija Board” at the library after work that I was interested in attending, but not interested enough to go out in the crappy weather to get to it. 

Instead of going to the lecture, supper preparations began. Leftovers were gathered from the fridge and freezer, which was the closest I wanted to get to cold and ice.  A block of frozen spaghetti sauce; Wednesday’s leftover mushroom tortellini; roasted brussel sprouts, broccoli, chick peas and carrots that had been tossed with sauteed mushrooms and onion were combined in the saucepan and heated. Dressed with shredded cheese and Kalamata olives and dinner was served.

I love fast hot food and a warm house on a cold night, but I am a little bummed about missing the lecture. It sounded pretty cool.

random thoughts – Day 1,478 – (Wednesday) – breezy

Breezy morning.

Once again, the morning weather forecast was misinterpreted. I saw the temperature numbers in the 40s and the periodic rain noted throughout the day, which somehow registered as choosing the lightest of my various winter coats before heading out for the office. 

Except for the stretch of road when stuck behind a trash truck, the drive to downtown was not bad. The view from my parking spot included the flag whipping on the pole atop the former Lowell Five Bank, which was a major clue to the wind. 

During the walk from the garage to the office, the air was raw and cold. It was beyond “invigorating” and deep into “crap, I screwed that up.” Somehow, I forgot that temperatures in the 40s are not created equally, and on a dreary, gray, windy day it is not the same as on a sunny, calm day. I regretted not choosing my regular warm winter coat with the hood, but the cold made me walk a lot faster than usual. Sometimes I shock myself with acting like it’s my first day in New England weather.

The rain kicked on and off all day, but there was a break that lasted long enough for me to dash to Market Street Market on a very important errand. I bought my winning lottery ticket for the big ($1 billion) Powerball drawing tonight. Yes, I’m going to win some big money, because I finally remembered to buy a ticket. Unless, of course, that is the extent of the miracles for now.

I imagined the possibilities available after I win, but it was pretty small potatoes. I didn’t really go very far beyond fixing some stuff on the house and paying off the car before I realized that was very limited thinking for a billionaire and I wouldn't be stuck in the same house. Duh. Clearly, I've been living too long in broke-ass mode. I’ll have time to work on expanding the thinking after I win.

Just in case I don’t win (ha!), I’m already mapping out my Thursday workday. There are my rare flights of fancy, but overall, I’m dreadfully practical.