I’m staring to get organized on my new laptop, which I love, by the way. Worked a lot today and have spent way too much time on the computer, but I cut up some yummy strawberries for dinner. I needed to redeem myself after an impulse purchase of Haagen Dazs butter pecan ice cream at the store today. Yes, I ate the entire 14 ounces right out of the carton.
Oh, and I’m only at 6,500 steps today, but I am skipping the treadmill because it’s after 10 and I’m just going to go to bed.
What’s the best thing you all did for yourselves today?
Kristine
Just ordered some canned smoked salmon from American Tuna/Salmon.
I mix a can with regular pink salmon for burgers/loaf and it adds the right amount of smokiness.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
Turns out I have a chance to travel to Venice, Italy in a few weeks!
Any tips for travel in Italy? Can I exchange dollars at the post office?
I speak a little Italian, probably enough to get by, as I was a classics major in college and spent a semester in Italy back then.
Dr Daniel Price (excruciverbiage)
Did little productive as installation of rooftop solar panels and associated infrastructure began.
Jackie
For myself? LOL!
Got up an hour early to turn off the auto sprinklers so my daughter would have water pressure for her shower! Discovered and fixed the gap allowing my grandpuppy to escape multiple times this morning.
For the family, baked chocolate chocolate chip muffins, cooked their favorite dinner – spaghetti pasta chicken spinach and cheese casserole.
It was a giving with love day. :-D
Ferdinand
First day of my new job after a horribly long transition period since I was laid off a year and a half ago. The long road brought me back to Santa Fe, NM, where my adult kids still live. I’m the IT Specialist for a local non-profit heavily involved in anti-fascist political resistance. Plus, I get to walk to work and made my 10,000 step daily goal! Yay me!
Scout211
@Ferdinand: Wow. So much good news. Congrats!
Dr Daniel Price (excruciverbiage)
@Ferdinand: Absolutely yay you.
WaterGirl
@Jackie: clearly, a good day to have Jackie in your life!
WaterGirl
@Ferdinand: wow, what a day you had!
Scout211
I hear you.
I racked my brain trying to think of something I did for myself today.
Nope.
ETA: getting the Costco shopping done today was at least an accomplishment.
As an aside, jackals have been commenting that Costco is really busy right now and that was true at our Costco. We shop once a month and get there before opening on a Tuesday or Wednesday because those are the slowest days. This morning there was a line of shoppers waiting for the doors to open! I’ve not seen it like that since the pandemic.
WaterGirl
Apropos of nothing, I have a theory that so many phone apps have updates nearly every day just as a marketing thing to remind you about their app. Is that a crazy theory?
WaterGirl
@Scout211: @Jackie:
OK, two of my favorite people on Balloon Juice and you did nothing for yourselves. Your assignment for tomorrow is to do at least one nice thing for yourselves. both of you!
WTFGhost
I finished up the paperwork for my hopefully-final torture test. I recovered from the latest bout of doctor induced PTSD, along with other minor trauma.
It’s kind of surprising how complicated the one made the second, and vice versa.
frosty
I drove 50 miles to a reservoir in Lancaster County where a lot of eBirders saw a Eurasian Wigeon which needless to say doesn’t belong here and is a rarity. I hung out there for two hours when some ducks finally showed up including the Wigeon.
LIFER!!!
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Chacal Charles Calthrop:
I’ve lived outside of Venice, been there many times the most recently last October.
Take a day and just get lost in Venice. No phone, no map. Just wander around and see what you find.
If you do a day trip, go to Torcello.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Ferdinand:
Go you!
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Ferdinand:
I’m impressed a local non-profit can hire an fulltime IT person. That’s great.
One of my oldest friends is lives there, EV nut and solar energy advocate.
WaterGirl
@WTFGhost: happy to hear that things are looking up at the moment!
Scout211
@WaterGirl: Awww, that’s so sweet. Thanks. I’ll do my best.
WaterGirl
@frosty: you’ll have to report on that in OTR tomorrow, people will be jealous!
WaterGirl
Not one person has shamed me for eating the entire carton of ice cream. I am shocked!
Kristine
@Ferdinand: Congratulations!
AM in NC
I met this evening with my theater group, and we nailed down what we will be doing for our next performance. We started by taking classes at our local arts center, and a group of us decided we wanted to put on performances. This will be the second show we stand up. Producing is a different skill set altogether. It’s been great to make a whole new group of friends and do creative work together!
Scout211
There is no shame in eating an entire carton of ice cream. Those are the rules. Look it up. ;-)
Kristine
@Scout211: Costco has been gaining new members since affirming their DEI commitment.
I just joined a few weeks ago, but so far have only shopped online.
Harrison Wesley
@WaterGirl: Yet not a single one cheered you on, either
Eolirin
I’m not dead, so that’s a positive thing.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
Martin
@WaterGirl: A little bit. Most people set updates to be automatic so they’re never reminded of the app.
I think generally apps have frequent updates because they don’t have a traditional deployment cycle (App, App 2.0, App 3.0) and because they tend to have really huge install numbers warranting lots of updates.
Ferdinand
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: It’s a 25 hour/week role, which is actually perfect for me because in theory I can pair it with intermittent freelance gigs at a higher hourly rate. I’m the new addition to a small staff with the local Unitarian Universalist congregation. We have a really inspiring assortment of social justice groups that organize through our space. Plus really active LGBT, recovery and environmental groups. We even host the Santa Fe drum circle! Very much my kinda folks, I’m very grateful
Martin
@WaterGirl: Yeah, generally that’s okay. Except when you go and get a quart of Ben and Jerry’s (I used to get stacks of coupons for free quarts, so we got them all the time) and your wife sits there watching TV and eats the whole quart and doesn’t share even a spoonful. Then it’s not okay.
Kristine
@WaterGirl: Sometimes you just have to eat the ice cream.
Eolirin
@Martin: That’s why you get one for you and one for her. ;p
WaterGirl
@AM in NC: how did you all come together in the first place? That sounds very ambitious and awesome.
rikyrah
I know what you mean 😌
cain
I’m making seekh chicken kebabs today.
It has been a good day unfortunately, my wife filed a complaint against her boss. It didn’t pan out even though it was clearly outrageous. There is a really good reason why Oregon education is behind Mississippi despite spending so much more.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@WaterGirl:
It’s Haagen Dazs, it’s understandable lol
WaterGirl
@Eolirin: very positive! I would be very sad if you were gone.
mrmoshpotato
Josh Johnson has a YouTube special tonight about Dump’s dumbass tariffs. Should be good.
Ivan X
Decided I was going to keep fighting, in whatever form that takes, in whatever it means to me.
RevRick
@WaterGirl: This old fart has gotten 8200 steps in, plus I did my exercises to prevent sciatica, an excruciating pain I never want to experience again. Tomorrow our Climate Hope Affiliate chapter has its final training, and then we will be fully launched. Our family will get together on Easter Sunday, which coincides with MrsRev’s birthday.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Eolirin:
That bad?
WaterGirl
@Martin: I never have updates that on automatic cause I hate iOS updates and OS updates to happen automatically. I’m not a huge phone person so I didn’t even know you could set apps to update automatically. It’s just in this past couple of months that I’ve started updating my apps on my phone when I go to bed at night.
WaterGirl
@Martin: I can’t believe you haven’t learned to carry a spoon with you then when you sit down to watch TV. :-)
Melancholy Jaques
45 minutes on the treadmill @ 3.5mph w/6 elevation.
eclare
Filed my taxes and fed the pets.
WaterGirl
@Kristine: was the 14 ounce container. I put it back in the freezer when they were like 2 ounces left and then I went and got it half an hour later and finished it.
All of witches to say, I think you are right!
mrmoshpotato
@Melancholy Jaques: What angle is 6 elevation?
eclare
@Ferdinand:
Congratulations!
WaterGirl
@Ivan X: that’s important.
WaterGirl
@RevRick: that all sounds good. What’s the latest scoop on your thumb?
brendancalling
I have a cold, so the best thing I did for myself was sleeping all day.
Also, the new episode of the Progress Pondcast is up.
Kristine
@WaterGirl:
Always listen to the witches.*
(*yes i know it was spellwrecker)
WaterGirl
@Melancholy Jaques: holy shit-ski!!!!
Eolirin
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Yeah. Thing have been… difficult.
They may get a lot better in like 4-5 months, but I have to get to that, and a number of things need to line up right and not fall over and catch fire in the meantime.
@WaterGirl: Thank you WG, and I have enough people who that’s the case for, and you’re definitely included, that it’s not nearly as hard to hang on as it could be. But holy hell does it suck sometimes.
WaterGirl
@eclare: that’s a monkey off your back. congratulations!
eclare
@Chacal Charles Calthrop:
Kind of related, if you haven’t seen the movie Don’t Look Now, try to see it before you go. Set in Venice, and it makes Venice look menacing instead of romantic.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Eolirin:
I hope things improve for you
WaterGirl
@Kristine: yeah, dictating on my phone while I’m lying in bed. sometimes you just have to shrug and say oh well. :-)
WaterGirl
@Eolirin: Anything we can do to help?
Eolirin
@WaterGirl: Other than just being a community that I can be part of, I can’t think of much that’d help right now, a lot of my current issues are really being caused by other people or, you know, intractable chronic conditions flaring up which isn’t helped by the stuff with other people :P
I am so tired.
If that changes I’ll let you know though.
H.E.Wolf
Nice things today:
Saw a sleeping rabbit yesterday. Saw it again in the same yard today, having another nap. Very cute.
Watched the Beginning Yoga DVD that’s due back to the library this week, and took notes (and screenshots) so I can remember the poses.
Matzoh-ball soup! Made by someone other than me!
Jackie
@Ferdinand: Heartfelt CONGRATS to you!
eclare
@WaterGirl:
I also found some recipes online that I want to try. With prices rising I’m trying to find more meals without meat. Or very little meat. But also no tofu, I do not like the texture.
Doc Sardonic
We used to go to Costco on Tuesday or Wednesday evening and it was never crowded. Now everyday is like Friday…
Martin
@WaterGirl: Well, I do now.
MCat
@Ferdinand: That is fantastic, Ferdinand. Congratulations. Santa Fe is a wonderful place and you will be fighting the good fight on your job. I’m happy for you.
Ferdinand
Super grateful for all the congrats here! These threads are a nice break from the overall dire straights of 2025 …
Eolirin
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Thanks Goku, me too. I think there’s a good chance they will, it’s just going to take a while.
Melancholy Jaques
@mrmoshpotato:
If I understand it correctly, it is a 6% slope, 6 feet up for every 100 feet forward. If somebody else knows more, I’d be pleased to be informed.
When i started cardiac rehab in December, I could only do 20 minutes at 2.5 mph w/no slope. I’ve been working my way up.
WaterGirl
@Eolirin: please do let us know If that changes. All the hard stuff is exponential I think, not additive. It’s all hard when you’re so tired.
Jackie
@WaterGirl:
I get to watch my Mariners on TV tomorrow! Family knows “I’m unavailable” when that happens LOL! GOOO M’s! Puleeeze win!!!
WaterGirl
@eclare: Tofu. Shudder.
Eolirin
@WaterGirl: It is, for sure. But still I’m persisting. That can be enough for now.
Jackie
@WaterGirl:
We’re too busy being envious! Happy Day to YOU!!!
WaterGirl
@Martin: excellent! I would like to see her face when you pull out a spoon from your pocket. and then sidle over! :-)
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Eolirin:
No problem, Eolirin. Hang in there. I’m sure things will work out : )
eclare
@Melancholy Jaques:
That is incredibly fast improvement, wow!
WaterGirl
Finally sleepy, not just tired, so I will see you guys tomorrow. Goodnight!
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@WaterGirl:
Goodnight!
Jackie
@WaterGirl: Sweet dreams! Ice cream before bedtime is a great start! ;-D
Doc Sardonic
@WaterGirl: It was only 14 ounces……now a gallon or the 5 gallon Costco size…..I would greet you with a laurel wreath and a hale and hearty handsha….Damn girl, that’s a lot of frozen dairy product.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: easy advice to follow
@eclare: also Thks.But I think I’ll watch it after I’m back; I’m looking for the fun Venice, not the scary one.
NotMax
Drove over to the bank to deposit a check while trying out wearing the spiffy new sandals.
;)
NotMax
Social security supposed to hit the bank account tomorrow (Wednesday). Paws crossed it does.
@H.E.Wolf
100% sure it wasn’t a sleeping rabbi?
:)
Kristine
@NotMax: My first check arrived last Wednesday as scheduled. Fingers crossed for you!
Gloria DryGarden
@WaterGirl: an entire pint of Häagen-Dazs, or Ben and Jerry’s, or so delicious, is one serving. Eating the whole thing is normal behavior.
managing to show enough restraint to only eat one third, or half, is the shocker.
pluky
@WaterGirl: Glass house resident here.