Five Things Tuesday

[Planit]

1. Pressure washed the side patio & truck yesterday, both needed it
2. Was going to do the deck too, but I want to paint it too & didn't have time or paint
3. The Girl's best friend had a b-day this weekend & she is vegan. So The Girl researched and baked a vegan cake from scratch for her - it was good
4. Department head mtg started today & a Council budget workshop discussion will end it
5. Friends of ours are having an issue with Ticketmaster not refunding their money for a game date that has already passed. Ticketmaster said the 'event' has not been cancelled yet since there's been no decision on the season...but the date has already passed.

 

[Salmissra]

1) Slept poorly last night, and am ready for a nap.

2) Have an Alumni function tonight right after work. I'll need to change tops and put on some makeup!

3) Crappy weather on the actual holiday day, but overall still had a nice long weekend.

4) Talked with my dad quite a bit this weekend. I wish he was in a better situation, but also know where I get most of my stubbornness from.

5) Grilled steaks last night. Mine was a smidge overcooked, but Hubby's was fine. Served with potatoes and salad. Yum!

 

[dandy_warhol]

1. Is it Tuesday?

2. I love food.

3. I think I have the type of personality that I will never be satisfied in a job/career.

4. Unless kitten cuddling pays enough.

5. We have a 1000 piece puzzle of cats.

 

[michaelskis]

1) Keto Tacos for dinner tonight.
2) It is going to be hot here this week.
3) Mental fatigue is overwhelming right now. I am thinking about taking a few days off but there is too much stuff going on.
4) I have been in contact with an old friend recently and it has been terrific to hear from them.
5) Neighbor decided to list their house for sale. I am sorry to see them move, but I hope they get the asking amount for their house because it is WAY more than what they paid for it, and they have the same floor plan as I do.

 

[HomerJ]

1) I'm finally heading back to the office next week. With the exception of going back 1 time to grab a few things it will have been 3 months since I've been in the office. It's going to be weird putting on nice work clothes again.
2) Our budget outlook heading into the next fiscal year (as well as 5 year forecast) is very grim, so far we've only been talking about more drastic cuts but we're nearly at the point where a decision needs to be made.
3) I am really worried all of the protests are going to lead to another huge spike in cases. I don't know what happens to our economy if another lock down becomes necessary, or even worse, we can't implement a meaningful lock down because people refuse to stay home.
4) To distract myself from all of this, I've started a few home remodeling project. I already knocked out a wall dividing my living and dining room to create an open floor plan, and found out the previous homeowners buried a fiberglass pool in my backyard (and then threw a bunch of junk in the pile that I am having oh so much fun pulling out).
5) One definite downside to working remotely is the blur between the week and weekend. Normally I get really excited that it's Friday. Now, it's pretty meh.

 

[Planit]

1) I'm finally heading back to the office next week. With the exception of going back 1 time to grab a few things it will have been 3 months since I've been in the office. It's going to be weird putting on nice work clothes again.
2) Our budget outlook heading into the next fiscal year (as well as 5 year forecast) is very grim, so far we've only been talking about more drastic cuts but we're nearly at the point where a decision needs to be made.
3) I am really worried all of the protests are going to lead to another huge spike in cases. I don't know what happens to our economy if another lock down becomes necessary, or even worse, we can't implement a meaningful lock down because people refuse to stay home.
4) To distract myself from all of this, I've started a few home remodeling project. I already knocked out a wall dividing my living and dining room to create an open floor plan, and found out the previous homeowners buried a fiberglass pool in my backyard (and then threw a bunch of junk in the pile that I am having oh so much fun pulling out).
5) One definite downside to working remotely is the blur between the week and weekend. Normally I get really excited that it's Friday. Now, it's pretty meh.

Obviously, today is Friday. Not Tuesday...

 

[HomerJ]

Obviously, today is Friday. Not Tuesday...

Well there I went validating my own point about blurring the week and weekend

 

[Planit]

1. We were originally scheduled to be leaving for CNU this morning.
2. Cristobal was never going to be a big storm, The Weather Channel didn't even send Jim Cantore out of the studio.
3. Contractor: Why can't I start building? Me: Your engineer dropped the ball and didn't turn in the rezoning application.
4. The Girl made us spaghetti last night for dinner.
5. There was a bear sighting in the park next to our house yesterday. The park's split rail fence is our property line.

 

[kms]

1. I'm recording an educational slide show from home.
2. I live beside the fire station. Enough said.
3. My office today is my enclosed back porch. It's my favorite room in the house, even if it's only available for about 4 months a year.
4. The Allegheny River valley upstream of Pittsburgh is just beautiful.
5. My daughter is coming home for a visit. I cant wait to see her.

 

[Planit]

1. Developer meetings can be a wide range of interactions - some good, others...
2. There been a great breeze all day blowing all day, keeping the temps down
3. I was told by 'someone' that this virus stuff would all disappear once the weather turned hot
4. The Girl still likes her job
5. Hopefully tonight's Planning Commission meeting will be quick and easy

 

[Planit]

1. Contractors were a no show today on the downtown project - there'll be a pissing contest on liquidated damages
2. Haircut today for the first time since March
3. Dropped off a frozen turkey at a local bbq place - they're smoking it for me to have for the weekend ($10!)
4. Mask mandate are showing people's true colors
5. Friday = Holiday day off this week

 

[Maister]

1. Depression still kicking my butt.
2. That is all.

 

[Salmissra]

1) One week post-contact with a COVID positive person: no symptoms except lack of sleep due to stress.

2) However, it was a really craptastick weekend and I really don't want to redo that one. I canceled all plans even though I am suffering serious cabin fever, and am struggling with the feeling of being defeated by the events of the outside world.

3) Cases are spiking here, so I know even if I get past this hurdle, there are a zillion more opportunities out there. Hubby goes back to work in a couple of weeks.

4) Dog is so clingy she's bothering Hubby. She is really going to be pissed when he goes back to work.

5) I don't know what to do about my raging case of apathy. Or maybe it's numbness. How can you tell the difference these days?

 

[RandomPlanner]

1) Working a staggered in-office schedule will take some getting used to.
2) I never seem to know what day it is.
3) I'm constantly looking at my calendar to decide if I have to go into the office or not.
4) It's also throwing off my sleep schedule because I'm not good at a consistent bed time yet.
5) What day is it again??!

 

[Maister]

3. I think I have the type of personality that I will never be satisfied in a job/career.

I'm supposed to remind you that you're six weeks past due on your annual club membership fees. Also, don't define your yourself in terms of your job/career and you may find that satisfaction lands on your shoulder unexpectedly.

 

[Planit]

1. The Tuesday vibe continues
2. Still muggy here with some light rain around, making it more 'muggier'
3. Need to make sure my iPad is fully charged for tonight's meeting (for those slow times)
4. I hate mosquitoes
5. I can't believe Websters now recognizes the word 'irregardless" as a word (spellcheck still doesn't!)

 

[Salmissra]

1) Had a great webinar on a Slow Street project, and low attendance. Partly due to the quickness of the event - date chosen/panelists agree on a time took longer than the amount of time from said agreement to event.

2) Boss is about to go on vacation!

3) A coworker is back after having a baby.

4) Tired and really want a nap. I have an hour until my next call . . .

5) WFH continued through the end of this month!!

 

[michaelskis]

1) I have come to realize that one of the hardest things in the world is to really figure out exactly what you want out of life. Even more so is finding the delicate balance between striving for better and being content with what you have. Also trying to understand if expectations are unrealistic without falling into the trap of 'good enough'.
2) Between COVID, Politics, and Protests, I no longer question if we will return to the way things were before, but I do question what aspects of life will be better, and which ones will be worse. I am also curious how the future lives of my children and their friends will be different than my life.
3) Today, I maxed out the capacity of my computer... it was an interesting experience.
4) My middle son loves listening to audio books on our commute to his therapy program. He will be an expert on Ben Franklin before the end of the summer.
5) What are the limits of human potential? I mean if you do all the 'right' stuff for a given period of time, how much different will your life really be? If you eat the right foods, have the right exercise program, get great night's sleep every night, keep stress super low, avoid bad habits and learn beneficial things from books, audios, or videos, will it really be worth the effort? If so, why doesn't everyone do it?

 

[Planit]

1. It's hot again today and will continue all week with no rain in forecast either
2. A co-worker fell and broke 2 ribs last week & thought it might have been a punctured lung, but thankfully not
3. Its a shame, we have a brand new splash park in the city and can't open it
4. The CM will be back on Monday
5. I love Mrs. P's pasta bake

 

[Salmissra]

1) Had a big meeting this morning, and it wasn't near as bad as I thought it was going to be.

2) Hot, HOT, HOT here but still not as hot as AZ.

3) Found out we're keeping our "flexible teleworking schedule" through the end of the year. I can go to the office if I want/need to, but don't have to. Considering what happened last time, I bet it'll be a while until I go back!

4) Headache today from just general stress and then a new deadline.

5) Two days down, 3 to go! And every single one of them has at least 2 meetings, if not more.

 

[Maister]

1. It's cloudy and rained earlier this morning.
2. The temp is a comfortable 70 out
3. It hasn't been a comfortable temp out for a long time
4. But Michigan doesn't know what high temps look like. Not really. We're not AZ
5. I intend to grill some ribs this weekend.

 

[Planit]

1. Instead of going on vacation to Fla, The Girl is having her wisdom teeth extracted
2. Michael McDonald killed the Doobie Brothers, they just became his backup band. This is a fact.
3. Some good thunderstorms have rolled through the last couple evenings - much needed cooling off rains
4. Today is primarily going to be a 'reading contracts day'
5. I need to get the car inspected - I've been procrastinating

 

[kms]

1. I never realized how much activity there is on my quiet street during the week.
2. Its getting difficult to focus on work while I'm working from home.
3. Today's forecast says that the temps will only be 85. Only 85, compared to the last few weeks.
4. I got stung by a carpenter bee that I was flicking out of my hair. Didn't I just read that carpenter bees don't sting?
5. A 50 mile bike ride in 90 degree temps isnt too bad if the ride is downhill and the trail is covered by shady trees.

 

[Maister]

1. Mr. Plow's a loser and I hear he is a boozer
2. I need a vacation so very badly yet have nowhere to go.
3. Been doing really well the past four months using up most leftovers
4. I hate repeat offender code enforcement cases
5. It's been about 45 years since I last saw Godzilla vs the Smog Monster

 

[Shellac And Vinyl VelocitY]

4. I got stung by a carpenter bee that I was flicking out of my hair. Didn't I just read that carpenter bees don't sting?

Male carpenter bees do not have stingers. But the females do, and they can and do sting.

Many publications downplay the female carpenter bee's likelihood to sting, saying that she only stings when she's "provoked". Apparently, flicking her out of your hair was "provocation" enough. But what were you supposed do--let the bee mosey 'round your tresses, so near your face and head, 'til she felt like leaving at some indeterminate time?
Here's hoping you had no adverse allergic reactions to the bee sting.

 

[Salmissra]

1) I was almost late to my own meeting this morning! I had the wrong start time on my calendar, but the correct time in the email. Good thing I checked!

2) The heat and humidity tell me it's July in Texas. The weatherman says it's a couple degrees below normal due to east coast systems. Cooler? That's a relative term when the average is 97 with 90% humidity.

3) I need a vacation where I actually go somewhere, not just "not work" while at home.

4) My dog loves having someone home all the time.

5) My boss is back from her real vacation.

 

[Shellac And Vinyl VelocitY]

2. I need a vacation so very badly yet have nowhere to go.

You, your son, your S/O, etc. are invited to drive to my house in NYC & stay here (for free). There's ample parking. If you get your food at the supermarket (~5 min walk away) and prepare it at the house then the eating is very cheap.

NYC just entered Phase 4 of re-opening. The Atlantic Ocean beaches are very nearby, If you want 'NYC culture', most museums & theaters are still closed, but tons of outdoor things are open. Walking around amazing & interesting neighborhoods any hour of the day or night is even more of a NYC past-time than ever. If you end up wanting to be in an air conditioned house a lot of the time, my tenant & I can teach you all about Ebay; you can even open a vendor account, with a free inventory load to get you started.
...And maybe if you're in NY metro, somebody would feel like organizing a Laefest near upstate NY...?

 

[Planit]

1. A good bbq sandwich is never a bad thing for lunch
2. Extra long department head meeting this morning was boring
3. Sometimes I wish I had a boat, other times I'm glad I don't
4. Same thing about a pool ^^^
5. 99 days & counting...

 

[Salmissra]

1) Webinar at lunch - busy afternoon afterwards. Too many meetings = less actual work produced.

2) New desk is supposed to come tomorrow!

3) Taking Friday as a vacation day. I'm thinking some gardening will occur.

4) Rain this morning! Yeah! However, humidity is through the roof.

5) School starts in a few weeks. I don't have kids, but there are a lot around here and with distance learning the requirement for a while, I think I'll be seeing less of them during daytime dog walks.

 

[dandy_warhol]

1. Looked at a possible house today.
2. It would be a lateral move.
3. Our realtor is not good at giving advice.
4. If we move would it be weird to take our squirrels and chipmunks with us?
5. The possible house has one of the weirdest layouts ever.

 

[michaelskis]

1. Wife wants a pool. I don't want the $50,000 price tag that would come with it.
2. I need to get a good nights sleep tonight. I have not been successful at that for the past few nights.
3. I have a love/hate relationship with my neighborhood. However, I plan to be there for at least 3 more years while the commercial area gets built out. That will allow for the maximum return on investment as it will have a profound effect on the values.
4. Hardest part of living a simple, almost minimalist lifestyle, is spending the time and energy to get rid of things. Not so much because of the sentimental value, but more so because there are just so many other things to do.
5. My workouts have been going ok, but I think I am pushing the limits of what my body will take at this point in time. But the results will be worth it.

 

[Tranplanner]

1. First non-home haircut in 5 months today.
2. It's been too hot this summer.
3. I don't miss working in the office at all.
4. Time gained from not having a commute has been slowly eroded by increased workload.
5. I've lost all interest in professional sports.

 

[kjel]

1. Today was a hard day with John Lewis' funeral, reading his last words in the NY Times, and watching President Obama deliver his eulogy.
2. There are less than a 100 days until Election Day.
3. I don't mind working from home, but I feel bad that I have to leave my 8 year old to her own devices for much of the day.
4. I will be keeping the 2 days per week office schedule through the end of the year due to the hybrid schedule the school district has adopted; there's also no childcare.
5. My husband is super frustrated with his job transfer that he took in order to enable us to relocate to the beach house. He loves his job and is good at it, but his new location's manager runs a very chaotic operation that isn't good for anyone: staff or customers/patients. I've told him 100x to just quit and hang out at home while looking for something else because we're fine financially,

 

[Planit]

1. Heading off for a university visit on Friday
2. The term 'working with NCDOT' is not accurate - it's more like 'dictated by NCDOT'
3. CM brought us each 3 cloth face masks this morning
4. I just bought a 3-pack of cloth masks that were shipped today
5. Increments of Neighborhood is a good reference book

 

[michaelskis]

1) I ordered new shoes off of Amazon this morning... this is a big deal because it is the first time I have ever bought shoes online. I don't know how I feel about it. It is the exact same shoe that I wear, just in a different color. I know it will fit but it still feels wrong. It shouldn't because I hate shopping, but it still feels wrong.
2) For the past several years I have just mulched my grass clippings... but now my lawn has tons of weeds. I mow it every week, but I think I am going to start bagging my clippings. We have a yard waste container from the City, but at some point I want a compost bin.
3) I read an article on the concept of "Decision Overload" that causes many people to have anxiety. It claims that people like Tech Giants wear the same thing every day because it is one less decision that they need to make. I am not sure if I buy it. I figured that they wanted to maintain image consistency, thus they did that for all public appearances. What are your thoughts? More so, do you have limited chose selection for wardrobe? I have discovered brand and style of dress shirt that I like. I bought several of them in two colors (white and light blue) and will rotate out 3 colors of pants and 3 suits. That is as simple as I can get.
4) When was the last time that you went "All In" on something and how long did it last for? I have been all in for a particular diet program and workout program for the past almost months, sticking exactly as detailed. I have one week left before to complete this particular program and thus far I am very happy with it although there were many almost breaking points. I think it helped that the program had bits of flexibility and was not the exact same week after week.
5) The question of should we stay or go in terms of our house. I have a crazy love/hate relationship with it. We have a phenominal amenity center, there is a commerical area and a large national grocery store under construction within walking distance of the house. We live on a 1/4 acre at the end of a cul-de-sac with several other families to the point were two of the kids in my youngest son's class live on the cul-de-sac, and the house has a really good open floor plan. On the flip side, there are no shade trees in or around my house, there will be 4000 dwellings within the development, the HOA is crazy strict (I need approval to plant annuals in my landscape...), our yard has a progressive slope to the back alley that we do not access off of, the pool hits capacity frequently although we have never had to wait more than a couple of minutes, and now we are wondering if we want something a little more rural. We have decided that we will remain there for at least 2 more years to allow the commerical section to be built up and see how we feel then.

 

[Salmissra]

1) Love my new desk! Have room for my feet under the desk, and the adjustable height option is wonderful!

2) Busy week, and I have my first hair appointment since March this weekend! Yeah!

3) Hubby cracked a tooth and had to schedule a root canal. Ouch!

4) It's hot. Like TEXAS in the SUMMER hot. But it's still not as bad as AZ, I believe. Plus, we have humidity.

5) Later this month is going to suck. So enjoy the now while you can!

 

[kms]

1. There are never enough sesame sticks in the snack mix.
2. Sometimes I have to Google people to get their addresses. Sometimes there are newspaper articles about them. In the past few weeks, I've sent mail to a someone who's convicted of forgery and someone who pled guilty to mortgage fraud.
3. I don't worry much, but when I do, I worry hard.
4. My warm weather office is on my enclosed back porch and feels like being in a tree house.
5. I'd much rather use this porch as a sleeping porch.

 

[SlaveToTheGrind]

1. Done with the summer heat - bring on fall and make it last all year
2. Still Zooming City Council meeting - makes it shorter
3. My wife's cat has attacked me the last two nights when I sat on the bed (the cat likes me more than my wife, unfortunately)
4. I am a dog person
5. Posting this on a Tuesday

 

[Planit]

1. If I put a McDonalds straw in a Bojangles drink cup, is that blasphemy
2. I was handed a project from the Recreation Dept project because I "am better at that sort of thing" (the ACM said that), but its a Rec project
3. There's a couple ED projects that in the mix, at least one needs to hit
4. It seems as though we're getting less USPS mail, but I don't know if thats COVID19, tRUMP actions or increased email related
5. The first week or two of The Girl's school will be on-line only - not because of COVID19 but because the HVAC is being replaced and won't be done in time

 

[Bubba]

4. It seems as though we're getting less USPS mail, but I don't know if thats COVID19, tRUMP actions or increased email related

There was definitely a noticeable drop off in the amount of junk mail during the first few months of the pandemic.

 

[Planit]

1. +4
2. The CM's calendar does not reflect reality
3. Mrs. P brought home several jars of green beans from her mom's garden
4. I haven't really gotten into watching baseball that much this year
5. Karen called today complaining that cars on parking on the street in her neighborhood, I forwarded it to the police

 

[Salmissra]

1) Lots of meetings this week, and I realized that no two meetings are on the same virtual platform.

2) I have a headache.

3) I like my new setup with the desk and office chair. Too bad I don't have an actual office at home. But it still beats having to drive to the office!

4) School started around here this week. My county is at-home only for the first 3 weeks, then there are options for afterwards, all subject to case numbers, spikes, and politics.

5) No rest for the weary - I have a family wedding to attend this weekend (with masks and social distancing) and some work at home planned.

 

[kms]

1. Broken foot blues. My friends have a bike ride coming up, and are staying at a place where you sleep in converted cabooses.
2. My mom really can't be left alone anymore, so I moved my work at home office to her place. It's working well so far.
3. I had to make some pretty severe boundaries with my siblings to make #2 work.
4. I feel as though I could walk on my healing foot, but don't want to risk re-injuring it.
5. My new neighbors are city detectives. I think I'm going to like talking to them.

 

[Planit]

1. Its nice to know there are others on this board that appreciate Little Feat
2. I just gave my manager 3 items of good news - he was ready for bad news on 2 of the 3
3. My last project came in almost $113,000 under contract budget & that wasn't part of the above news
4. The school put out an email to parents informing them just because some classes were online, the students still need to be there in front of the computer and connected to be marked present. Evidently there was some very liberal interpretations about that during the first week.
5. I hate sales drives that make it look as something completely different

 

[michaelskis]

1. I am not sure if it is the heat or what the situation is, but everyone is driving like an f-ing moron today. I got pushed onto the rumble strip twice by two different drivers at two different points today. One guy came around the corner in a parking lot straddling the two lanes (with arrows) and looked at me like I was stupid because I was not going the same direction as him. Three vehicles traveled almost right next to each other doing 1 mile over the speed limit for 5 miles (box truck, semi truck, and contractor with trailer). Semi with a lowboy decided to not make the left turn into a shopping plaza and merged into the through lane next to him. The car in the next lane over decided to stop... I was behind that car.
2. The number of agenda items that my department has going to Council next month is insane. This packet will be several hundred pages long. I am still waiting on a couple bits of information from two other departments and my stuff will be complete.
3) I have come to the reality that I have way too much on my plate at the moment. However, I don't think that there is much that I can delegate to someone else.
4) Our PW department has been hacking and topping trees for years. They say that street streets can't get any larger than that. We are having a meeting about it next week. He is not going to be a happy camper.
5) Things in the the local development community are a bit volatile right now. We scrapped our old zoning code with a completely new development code. More so, there was some interpretations that the old staff made that were questionable. Reality is we were the most relaxed place in the county to build a few years ago, and developers are having a difficult time coming to terms with the reality that things change and we want quality over quantity.

 

[Maister]

1. I learned about the VIXX volatility index yesterday
2. Going to take a couple days off soon
3. I'm kind of eager for some fall activities. I think covid will put the kibosh on some but not all
4. Folks. Get your 401's and other investments in the safest places you can think of while there is still a little time. Don't worry about making money, at this point its all about cutting losses for the coming market crash that'll occur within the next 10 weeks. I'm dead serious.
5. That's a tough random to follow

 

[michaelskis]

4. Folks. Get your 401's and other investments in the safest places you can think of while there is still a little time. Don't worry about making money, at this point its all about cutting losses for the coming market crash that'll occur within the next 10 weeks. I'm dead serious.

Oh good. I am going to stash cash and go on a buying spree when it crashes because everything will be on sale!

 

[Planit]

1. My annual physical is scheduled for Friday
2. Plans are coming together for this weekend - 2 quick little day trips
3. A small part of me is looking forward to the debates, although I'm sure they'll piss me off but there will be some comedic gold
4. ^Unfortunately I understand that's a sad commentary on the reality of today's politics
5. I used to own a 1968 Chevelle & wish I hadn't let dad sell it (or his 1968 Cougar XR-7)

 

[Salmissra]

1) Last month of the fiscal year. Lots of budget issues to deal with!

2) Taking Friday off so a 4-day weekend for me. Plans include a socially-distanced visit with family and some dog grooming (she needs a bath and a good brushing).

3) Work is not thrilling me right now.

4) I want to hire someone to redo my front flower beds. They need more than just a trim and weeding.

5) Our mowers do not come at a consistent time. Sometimes it's the morning, others it's late afternoon, today it was just before lunch. Makes it hard to have a virtual meeting when they are right outside the window.

 

[Maister]

1. I wish the election was a week ago
2. Wow that annual doctor's visit did not go well
3. Big big changes at work
4. The idea that change is good is a relatively recent one historically speaking
5. There is an old Spanish greeting/well-wish "may no new thing occur"