Greenpea2

3 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

I didn’t realize last night was the time change until I saw it change. I’m not usually up till 2am so it was just a bad night for the time change.

This was weird. I had trouble falling asleep last night, so finally I got up to start a job due EOD on Monday. I have done this before and it usually does the trick--25 minutes or so and I am ready to sleep. I logged on my computer at 1:55 am this morning. Did a little work and went to log the time on my invoice--it said 3:25 am! No WAY I worked that long. Then I remembered the DST thing. But how weird is that, that it took my computer that long to change the time! Apple is usually more on the job than that!

Book it and splurge! I have done it twice--love it. 

It's been a quiet, grey, rainy day here (again). I did Step 1 of my planned overhaul of files. To the point where  decided I had earned an early martini. Tomorrow is our big BJ's junket. We will spend a lot but it is so worth it to stock up on paper goods, vitamins, detergent, water, etc. Good thing we have a garage ...!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. XO

11 hours ago, Stallion said:

I guess I'm a weirdo. I can't remember the name of a single Cruise Director-and they play absolutely no role in whether I enjoy a cruise. I consider myself the Cruise Director 

I'm with you! Just never an interest I guess. I love that some people really enjoy them, though. 

@pirate4me2 totally understand the emotional attachment to a beloved vehicle. Today, almost 2 months after the car accident that "killed" my beloved CR-V I finally sorted through the 2 bags of items I took from it as it sat sadly mortally wounded in the lot where it was towed. I honestly just avoided doing that until today. I found a few pieces of change and a sea shell and am going to put them in my new car. I see them not just as a connection to my ole buddy but as good luck talismans since Mr. Greenpea and I were ultimately safe from injury, physically at least. I guess that sounds pretty emotional and weird to some people, but it is how I feel. I know it wasn't a person...but it was my buddy for the past 15 years. 

@ceilidh1 that is really a most amazing journey you were forced to go on. Wow. I remember reading about parts of it, but honestly although I knew it was a battle, knowing the whole thing from beginning to end ... well, am I even more impressed with you and your steadfastness.. I'm so so sorry you even had to DO all that. I don't mean disrespect but what was the kids' dad even thinking. My God. What an exhausting frustrating journey that all has been. But you STAYED WITH IT. That is so incredible. Can't tell you how happy and relieved I am to know it has finally been put to bed and is over. Your kids are so lucky to have you. I'm sure they know that but, they are kids. You were/are a wonderful mom so of course they don't know the half of it. What a good job by you.  

On 3/7/2024 at 4:29 PM, Roscoe13 said:

We live a debt free lifestyle, including mortgage, and my wife is super-frugal.  I'm only mostly frugal...as a result, we are definitely in the target area...but we also don't do very many things in life other than cruise.  Which we just bumped up to twice a year.

 

So, it looks like we are playing the long game.  Rather than spend now we are stretching it out just in case we live well into our 80's or longer!!

 

BTW, if anyone has extra cash on hand the rates on CD's are impressive compared to what they have been.

We live debt-free as well, and have for a long time. Of course we have monthly bills like rent, various types of insurance, credit cards, booze, food, utilities, but other than that we owe nobody nuthin. That's why I paid cash for my new car.Yes, it took a bite out of my savings--but no interest, no owing anyone was so worth it.  I don't want anything hovering over me beyond what our regular expenses are.  

1 hour ago, pebbles1102 said:

My Child, Maris Wirt, was featured on the local news this morning.

 

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/lights-camera-cleveland-ohio-is-ready-for-its-close-up

This is so awesome. You must be so proud of her!

2 hours ago, BohJang said:

I'm just catching up because I have had a few very busy days.  My retirement is official and the paperwork is done! Last day of work is March 15.  When I told the office manager that I was retiring she got tears in her eyes.  I guess they really liked me here!

 

The process of moving is getting real now.  I paid 2 college guys to clean out the attic and haul stuff to the dump.  When we moved into the house 9 years ago I told my husband we didn't need any of the crap he put up in the attic.  It was not touched in 9 years and I had to pay to get rid of it. So frustrating. I'm finding so much stuff in his closet that should have been gone long ago as well.  I don't know why he was compelled to save a broken water pik but that's the kind of nonsense I'm dealing with.

 

Our new place will be ready to lease the first week of April.  I hope we will be ready to move by then. I need some minor painting and repairs done and have some pieces of furniture I want to sell.  Then we can get the house on the market.

 

I also have to get medicare stuff taken care of since my employer health insurance ends on March 31. I'm already tired of filling out all kinds of online forms for everything.   

 

I'm just hoping everything goes smoothly and I can't wait till the move is done!

I know it feels overwhelming right now--but it is so exciting too! We too had to deal with SS and retirement (for Mr Greenpea) at the same time we were in the midst of moving down here. It's a lot. 

Sadly, I can relate about the DH "stuff." We have a garage here that we rent for $150/month. Is there room for even one car in it? NO. How much of that reason is because of DH stuff? I would estimate 75% of it. Very frustrating. I agree. But congrats on the good stuff! Yay!

I am getting better and NOT posting a dozen of impulsive responses to posts when I am behind. But it is not easy--the impulse is real, folks.

Anyway, so:

@luvcruzing that is a very creepy thing, the cameras in the staterooms, put there by a the pervy cabin steward. A very creepy, well, creep. Teens and kids too, ugh. REALLY creepy.

@princess76021 Big hugs to you from this NC chick. Or broad, whatever. This stuff, that kind of loss, is just hard, there is no way around it. The loss of someone so very important to us and our lives is a hard, ongoing thing. 31 years after losing my mom, I still can and do tear up if I think about it too long. So what I do is, I accept that I will think about her, but I change the "thinks" to those that make me smile and feel good. Like gratefulness that I had her in my life. The big good differences she made by being in my life and by loving me. That doesn't take the sadness away, no it does not. BUT. It does bring to the fore the LUCKINESS of having had her. The gift. Your husband was a gift (not that I have to tell you that). It sucks that the gift is gone--but it isn't. You were so loved. That does not go away. It was, so it is still. My heart goes out to you. And so I am now sending more hugs. You were lucky. Always remember and cherish that. But I'm pretty sure you do. XO

@mkcurran hang in there, baby. Pretty soon you will be on a cruise and SHE will NOT. 🙂

@Saint Greg you, Mistah, are mighty generous to a perverted cruise steward but what do WE get? NUTHIN. Not even your face. Nuff said.

@LincolnLegend.Right with you on (almost) wanting to traumatize that pervy Cabin Steward, Come on, young pervy crap boy, LincolnLegend and I will do what we can to make yer eyes bleed! lol I am cracking myself up now. Thanks, LL.

@sid_9169 I loved the Wolf of Wall Street. I almost did not watch it either.  LOVE the windy day drone photos--they are wonderful.

@Funsince1983 You can be as vague as you need to be. I can hear you anyway. I am sending hugs and love.  

4 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

Yes, it is high as hell, but at least it includes water, electric, and HVAC... I can take a shower for a half hour if I want as well as run my air conditioning on full blast 24/7 during the summer...

Put that way, it is not really bad. More like $300 a month if you also had to pay your own utilities. 

6 minutes ago, dmet0225 said:

Turns out that my son has an appointment with his artist for another part of his sleeve, and I sent along a few pictures of what I wanted.  I take a LONG time to decide on what I want.  The first was in 2006 and the 2nd was in 2014.  

 

I've followed the activity since 1978.  After my year of marching, I even traveled to finals for the following 10 years.

 

It would involve an activity that I mentioned above in which I participated in 1984 (and have been a fan of since the late 70's).  I could go on and on about the activity.  In short, it's a youth activity only slightly similar to high school or college marching bands.  These drum corps travel the country for an entire summer competing against each other, end ends with the DCI World Championships.  The kids sleep on gym floors, travel all night in buses, practice in the hot sun all day long and perform their shows at night.  Get on the bus after the show and travel to the next site.  All instruments are brass (no saxes, flutes, clarinets, etc.) and all horns are designed to face forward.

 

I somehow want to incorporate the hat in my uniform that year with the horn that I played (I grew up playing trumpet but marched a mellophone that summer).  Below are 2 screen shots of me from our finals performance televised on PBS.  It shows the hat from 2 angles.  The 1st one is me in the middle of the screen and the 2nd is me on the far left side when the camera was switching to a different angle.  Hat is black with a wide brim, silver hat band and white plume.  One side is bent to hold the plume.  3rd picture is of the marching 2-valve mellophone.  I don't want just the pictures on top of each other.  I'm sure the artistic type can come up with something.

 

 

That is awesome!

I finally got to dealing with the ORBITx Find your Glasses thing I bought. It works! Makes a chime sound and all I have to do is follow the sound to find my glasses. Works with my Apple Find My app. And the battery supposed to stay charged a month. Awesome.

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Been a minute since I've had my new car for a few weeks.  Love it more now, as I've become used to it.  Honda just builds really good cars.

 

Anyway, mentioned I had stuck a "For Sale" sign in my former sled, the Acura.  Clean, nice care, well over 100K miles on the odd.  Well taken care of.  

 

But, since I've had my new ride, I haven't driven it much give I prefer the Accord.

 

Anyway, ran errands this weekend in the Acura with the For Sale sign prominently displayed.  Was coming out of Lowes and saw a guy and a young girl looking at it.  I approached, told him it was my car.  He asked if he could sit in it.  Sure!

 

I'm glad I detailed it a week or so ago.  It looked shiny and the interior smelled good as I put leather softener on the seats, which had a leather smell on top of the leather smelling like....well....leather.

 

Guy was shopping for his daughter.  He said he was looking at Civics, Corollas, etc.  But, mine caught his eye as he was passing by it.

 

I thought he was just kicking tires, as being approached in Lowes to sell/buy a car was not what I'd consider "normal".

 

I could tell his daughter was enamored with the car.

 

We all got in.  I started it up for them.  Played the stereo (which is killer in the older Acuras).  That really put his daughter over the edge.

 

He wanted to drive it on the spot.  I was skeptical and told him as much.  He said if it "checked out" he'd buy it.   I had all the service receipts in a manilla folder and showed them to him...oil changes, tires, brakes, battery, etc.  All done at the dealership.  H

 

I had it since new, no wrecks, no rips, no errors.  A few stone chips here and there,  One of the wheels had curb rash.  Aside from that, it was ready to go.

 

Daughter was maybe 17?  18?  19?.  

 

Never one to dilly about when it comes to a good opportunity, I said "sure".  Let's go for a ride.  First up, was the Father.  With me sitting in the back seat, him in the driver's seat, daughter in the passenger's seat, off we went.  He gave it a drive for about 2 miles in the area around Lowes (as all areas around Lowes tends to be nothing but coffee shops, fast food places, etc).  Traffic was heavy.  

 

He asked if we could take it on the highway.  "Sure"!  Off we went to the on ramp.  If there's one thing that's impressive about Hondas/Acuras, is the smoothness and the sound of their engines.  This V6 was no slouch.  He punched it, V-TEC kicked in and the sound of "WHAAAAAAAAAAA" to redline before shifts threw him back in the seat.  He smiled, his daughter smiled.

 

We pulled off the interstate and it was the daughter's turn.  She was much, much more sedate driving it  back to Lowes.  She touched all the buttons after we parked while the Father looked under the car for leaks.

 

Chatted about price.  I wasn't going to try to get rich on it, but it is a very nice car, albeit about 13 years old and the odometer had clicked over.  But, it's one owner, all receipts, and really needed nothing.

 

It helped my cause that the daughter kept whispering "Daddy...please"!  Attagirl!  

 

Anyway, I gave him a small discount ($250) off my asking price, which was on the high end of all the car pricing guides.  Told him it was an all cash deal.  He agreed, but couldn't get to the bank until today.

 

He said he'd be back Monday (today).  He gave me 5 crips Benjamins to hold the car.  OK, then...game on. I have him a hand written receipt from a page in a little spiral bound lined notebook I kept in the glove compartment.  It had been in there for years, you know..."just in case".  Never used it once.....until then.

 

He called an hour ago wanting to know if they could come pick up the car.  Ends up, he only lives about 20 minutes from me.  Banks aren't open yet, but sure....!  I figured we'd go to the bank together.  NOPE.  He had all cash.  Yippee!  

 

We just returned from the BMV.  Took my tags off, transferred his tags.  Signed the title over to him  And, we shook hands.  He gave me a ride home, and I'm posting here.

 

Easy-Peezy..Lemon Squeezy!  

 

Sometimes everything just works out right.

 

 

 

 

Good deal well done! Nice for all three of you too.

On 3/1/2024 at 1:57 PM, Roscoe13 said:

Back in 19 hundred and 73 when I was in 9th grade they decided that the student body should hold and assembly to select cheerleaders.  Which, of course, became a popularity contest.  Not the best idea, but I got out of class for and hour.

 

Anyway, this young lady named Kim E. who was extremely developed by everyone's standards, starts doing her routine and she was into it!  She was a shoo in was the consensus...very popular both for her looks and personality.

 

Right at the beginning of her routine her bra broke!  Poor girl!  A true trooper though as she just placed her pom poms a little more strategically for the rest of her routine and received a standing ovation!

 

She made the squad!

 

She sounds like the perfect candidate for a cheerleader, by God! I do think that was a terrible idea by the school, though. By doing that, yes, it becomes a popularity contest. Back in the day when I tried out, the people who decided where the gym teacher assigned to manage the cheerleading squad and the previous (or current) "head" cheerleaders. They really just looked at overall potential but you had to have that. My bff and I learned one routine from a cheerleader her older sister was friends with, we practiced like crazy and gave iit a shot. Nowadays a lot of it is more dance routines in some places, But back then it was a routine. Were you able to do a handspring? Were you coordinated? Etc. 

On 3/1/2024 at 10:47 PM, dmet0225 said:

Congratulations to your daughter.  
 

I can’t believe I’m going to even prolong this discussion, but here goes.  When I had mine last year, the pre-day prep work was not the nasty tasting stuff I’d always heard about.  My doc said I could drink a mixture of flavored Gatorade mixed with Miralax.   
 

Whataburger = overrated.  After seeing all of the high end foods you prefer, I can’t see this being palatable to you (or any fast food for that matter).

 

One stinking pin cost me my 6th 300 tonight at bowling.  Averaged 240.

 

Question for the Tribe-sters - do we have anyone who is artistic abilities with hand drawings?  I have an idea for my next tattoo.  The guy I previously went to has moved away.  I want to get an idea on paper before I go to someone else.
 

 

Do tell--what is the idea (yeah, I am nosey, But also just interested.)

5 hours ago, pirate4me2 said:

Happy Friday Tribe!

 

Tomorrow I finish the last of my antibiotics for my pneumonia, and I realized one good thing has come out of this: since I have been on the antibiotics, I have not been able to drink, so my liver has had a good rest pre-cruise! Maybe I can hold out all next week too, and then hit it hard when I get onboard with Zoltan on the 10th. 🙂

 

Speaking of my cruise, I gotta pack tomorrow! Eeeeek I am so behind on my pre-cruise planning! Being sick didn't do me any favors there. The good thing tho for this one is that when I get back I can just wash and dry everything and then re-pack it all again for my girls' trip in April. 

 

I am debating if I should do a "Live" review or a post-cruise review...what do you all think? Sometimes I feel like the "Lives" take away from the cruise experience, I do not unplug as much as I should. But I could just make it a rule that I don't post until each evening. And I feel like they are more detailed, as I do not forget things like I do with post cruise reviews. BUT, post cruise reviews help me deal with post-cruise blues.....hmmmm....decisions decisions! 

I think you should! Just back off when/if you feel pressured by yourself. I love doing them live, myself. If nothing else, the thread is there afterwards to keep as a great momento to save and reread all the details. 

6 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

I'll probably have to fork out a few grand for the colonoscopy at some point between now and then... We'll see.

Oh goodie. We are back to colonoscopies! Love this group...

18 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Supposedly these are the vegan biscuits and gravy on Carnival…..

 

Ew.

6 minutes ago, Mommapadraig said:

Now I want black jelly beans……

Dang, me too. Hoping the grocery store has some tomorrow!!

21 minutes ago, odie1024 said:

Black jelly beans are also my favorite. I always needed to have a white chocolate easter bunny  while my brothers got milk chocolate.

Oh yeah--Mr. Greenpea loves white chocolate and I love milk chocolate. The good thing about that for him is I won't steal any of his candy. I can't say the same about him though ...

Our previous discussion of names made remember that old Saturday Night Live sketch series about "Pat." Do any of you remember that? Pat's co-workers could not figure out if Pat was a male or female from Pat's looks or voice. So in every sketch they would be asking Pat leading questions that they hoped would reveal what sex Pat was. The answers were ALWAYS just vague enough to not tell them. It was really funny to me then and I just watched one before, and still found it funny. No meanness was ever meant. That's good and free humor. We don't get as much of that anymore and I miss it. 

Can you imagine any TV show (or movie) doing that now?? That cracked me up. OMG. There would be such an uproar! Humor to me is being free to  be irreverent and made fun of anything that can be funny--not  to be mean, but because a lot of stuff is just funny! 

Some of the funniest comedians (to me anyway) were Rodney Dangerfield, Jackie Mason, Richard Pryor, Jerry Seinfeld, and George Carlin. They would certainly not be popular being themselves nowadays, eh?

1 hour ago, edspec said:

Happy Peep Season Tribe!

I love that there are Peeps fans! I personally am a black jellybean chick, but having a favorite seasonal candy is happy stuff in general! 

1 hour ago, pebbles1102 said:

In a town I used to live in, there is a well-known gynecologist named Dr. Clapp!

OMG! 😳 lol

1 hour ago, TxTeach79 said:

The dentist who’s working on this last step of getting my teeth back to normal after the great Celebration Implant Failure is named Dr. Pepper. What could possibly go wrong? 
 

Maybe that is a good thing--getting it done and done right this time will pep you up!

I have a male friend who got his tubes tied a number of years ago (after having 5 kids no less). His doctor's name was Dr. Stop. I kid you not!