susandennis

My latest quilt really helped the most. This one is twice as puffy as the first one and I was a little concerned that my serger would not play nice with the fatness but it did fine so whew! And I got enough done to feel really productive. I'm pretty much halfway done. And it's much nicer than the first one. The first one may need to go to Goodwill and I will make a new thin, Summer one that is better. Maybe.

I realized one thing contributed to my grumpies. I forgot my brother's birthday. I mean really forgot. His is on the 12th of August and last night I heard the TV news woman say... and that's the news for Sunday, August 18th. August 18??!!!! How the fuck did we get to August 18?? How did I miss his birthday? My baby brother. Like my calendar is so full that I'd miss it? No. I don't think he cared or noticed but I sure did and it made me feel terrible.

It's not like we have that many left!

But, I'm no longer grumpy. I took the nail polish off my nails. I'm over that. I also cut them way back. Shorter just suits me better. I just took a load of garbage and recycling down to the dumpsters. The cats are taking a nice long nap which has enabled me to get tons done. But, likely means there will be shenanigans tonight.

The baseball game starts in an hour. I have knitting to do. All is well.

I slept fine. I slept late (for me). I have a good project to start today. I've done my walk and now can do what I want for the rest of the day. The cats are adorable as always. Nothing is looming. But, for some inexplicable reason, I'm grumpy. Just in a bad mood.

I think it may be the swimming. I miss it but I don't miss getting up at 4:30. I hate swimming mid day or later. And I can't just roll out of bed whenever and hit the pool because of traffic. So what to do. It's only been a week so very likely by the time the pool opens again on September 5, I will have resolved this dilemma.

It might be something else entirely. I don't know but I need to shake it off. It's ridiculous for someone like me to ever be in a bad mood. I live in luxury. I have the life I've chosen, the life I want and the means to fix it if it breaks - except the gym pool :). I need to snap out of it.

First thing is I'm going to quit writing about it and then take a shower and then get the serger fired up and working on the new quilt.

Right now.

These cats are making me crazy. I have not found what is low on battery but I am sure whatever it is, it's something they hosed up. I discovered this morning that they unplugged my Roku speakers and, Roku speakers don't like to be unplugged. I had to totally reset them and repair them and it was a major PIA.

The afghan I crocheted has lived happily on the back of the orange chair since last winter. Until today. The Smalls won't leave it alone. He gets all into it with his claws and pretty soon he's going to shred it.

You can see it here in the background.



This is how he leaves it now every time I put it back.



I did get the quilt fabric all cut out and set up ready for the machine. The cats ran out of patience when it got to the batting. I got almost half of it done before they basically said 'step away from the batting'. Biggie LOVES the stuff. He loves to claw it and eat it.



Just as I typed that last sentence, I realize that both cats were in their afternoon coma so I quick grabbed the rest of the batting and cut it out without interference!!! Ahhhh. Now it's on to the serger - probably tomorrow.

I also remembered to update my Windows machine. I still have a Windows laptop. I use it for three things. I run Thunderbird on it to save a local copy of my email. I run LJ archive on it to save a local copy of this journal. And, I need it to because Adobe still won't let you print layers on Android or Chrome OS. Sewing pattern makers publish one PDF and use layers to isolate the various sizes. It's a very elegant solution all around except for stupid Adobe. So I keep the Windows machine going and try to remember to update it every once in a while.

I think now I'll take advantage of the cat coma to do some knitting while I watch some TV.

The battery in something in this house died last night. I heard the plaintive Battery Low beeps from 2 am til about 3:30 am. I finally got up to see what it was and could not find it. The obviously subjects were all plugged in and at 100%. It finally quit whining and I still haven't found it. Possibly I have too many gadgets?

I scrapped the eating breakfast at the hotel plan. I did go for my walk but the idea of possibly another crummy breakfast didn't appeal, plus I was sweaty. So I came home and made myself an excellent fried toast and eggs repast. The coffee was delicious. The service was respectful and kind. And... the price was right.

Now we're having a pre-shower rousing session with Stickie



Biggie likes to add fetch to the game.



Last night I had the new quilt out here in the living room and flopped it on the floor when I was done. The Smalls immediately made a cave and then they spent an hour playing in all the crooks and crannies of the quilt. It was pretty fun to watch.



The baseball game is at 10 this morning and I still need to shower and clean up the kitchen. Then I'm going to finish the quilt prep. Just a regular nice day ahead.

I'm really feeling old lately. Aches and pains that just pop up out of nowhere. Sometimes there's a pain in the middle of my right foot. And then it goes away and sometimes comes back. Yesterday my thigh went totally numb for a good 10 minutes - for no reason. Getting up from sitting or lying down takes more than a couple of seconds to get steady enough to get anywhere. The actual list is much longer.

It's ok. I am old so feeling it is expected.

BUT. The walking is helping. I just stood at the kitchen counter for nearly 4 hours straight cutting fabric. My back only just now started whining about it. I noticed this week when I was running errands that I had more stamina and was able to go and do as long as I wanted which is kind of a change from a few months ago.

So, as much as I hate it... and I do really really hate it... at least the walking is rewarding.

And I can't believe the cats let me do all that cutting. Whew. I got way more than half the fabric cut out for Quilt 2.0. I stopped because I decided to assemble, too. So I'm choosing and stacking the pieces right sides together in distinct rows. When I get 24 done, I'll take them to the serger and whip 'em out.

I'll get the rest cut out and 'rowed' tomorrow and also cut out the stuffing. That's way more than half way to finished quilt. Nice.



The Mariners just took the lead in the 8th. I'm going to make a cheese sauce to go over the rest of the White Lady Enchiladas and have the rest of them for dinner tonight.

The cats are still napping so I think I'll do some knitting.

The first weekend I lived in Seattle, my friend, John took me to 13 Coins and it was a wonderful experience. I returned over and over again for special occasions and non-occasions and it was wonderful every time. Great food, great service, wonderful place. Over the years, it did kind of degradate but I chose to write the issues off as one time problems. Then they moved from way cross town to two blocks away. In the move, they lost all the old staff that had been there forever. And the good cooks. And their desire to make it a great place. I tried to ignore it. Last March, when my brother and niece and nephew were in town, they were downright rude. Twice. I gave them a rest. I thought maybe it was me.

It wasn't. This morning I went in for breakfast. The place was nearly empty. The service sucked. The coffee that I had to ask for twice was burnt. The extra crispy hashbrowns I ordered were barely crispy. I had a gift card. I had been trained by another one of their wait staff that they do not allow tips on gift cards so if I add my credit card, they will run a charge of a dollar and I can add a tip to that. The waitress this morning said that was not possible. So I was not able to leave a tip at all which, honestly, did not bother me one bit.

My gift card has $1.21 left on it. I left it there. I'm done. We had a nice 26 year run but it's you, not me and we over.

That breakfast was preceded by my walk. I slept well and late (for me) and woke up with still an hour and change before the gym opened. I decided to freelance. I walked a circuit around my block and around the perimeter of the football stadium parking lot and then back to my front door - 15 minutes and then repeated it. The route is flat like the treadmill but full of little dips and cracks and stuff. On the up side, the route is free. On the downside, there's little to compel me to do it twice. At the gym, I have to stay at least 30 minutes or it's embarrassing.

But, the gym does not open til 8 on Saturdays and 9 on Sundays. Too late for me. So this is a nice alternative. And it will work nicely to keep up, if I can stand it, after my month at the gym is done.

There's a hotel down by the baseball stadium. Their restaurant has always been meh. But I haven't been in there in a couple of years. The gym doesn't open til 9 on Sundays so I think tomorrow, I'll do my outside walk again and then stop there and make sure it hasn't gotten wonderful.

The cats went wild last night. One of them knocked a coffee mug off the top shelf (about 10 feet to floor). It did not break but clearly I need to get up there and dust! In the middle of the night I heard other stuff falling. This morning I found a little piece of white plastic on the floor in the bedroom. It looks like the battery cover for something. But, what? I have no idea and so far no clues visible.

The Zappos credit, hit my Chase credit card today. The charge has yet to show up. I cannot imagine the call to Zappos to tell them I need to repay for my shoes. That's going to be strange.

The baseball game is at noon. I think I'll start cutting out the bits for my next quilt today. If the cats let me.

Here's what the Old White Lady Enchiladas looked like out of the oven last night.



They were ok. Not fabulous, but ok. I think just cheese on top isn't enough. I need to make a cheese sauce to pour over the top next time. And add some green chilies.

I got this strange idea the other day for a dinner dish and made it up this afternoon. I'm calling it Old White Lady Enchiladas.

Ground beef, crumbled and browned with chopped up green onions. A packet of taco sauce and a little bit of water. Once that's all cooked, I spooned a very good sized chub of it into flour tortillas and rolled em up burrito style. Then I took a glass casserole dish and spooned a little salsa (Trader Joe's) on the bottom and lined up the burritos. A little more salsa on top and then buried it all in a mountain of grated cheese. Tonight I will bake it until it bubbles. I have sour cream for serving. Stay tuned for the review.

Then I cleaned up and proceeded to make 10 breakfast burritos. 5 for the freezer and 5 for the fridge. I cleaned up that stuff and now I'm just chillin'

I wrote to the cat tree guy and asked for an update. He apologized for not being quicker and said that he hoped to get my stuff shipped next week. Me, too!

I did to Daiso and Uwajimaya. It was a little hot but I got back before it got really bad.

I am fanatical about my credit cards. I have 4. A Discover card that I've had forever. A Chase Visa that pays 5% back on Amazon purchases (and I only use it for Amazon). Two Capital One cards - one that pays 4% on food purchases and one for everything else. (Discover and the other Capital One card pay varying percentages of cash back depending on the purchase. And none carry an annual fee.)

I check them all nearly daily and I keep the balances low. When one gets over $100, I pay it back to zero.

Pro tip: If you are trying to improve your credit rating, do not do this. Wait until the end of the billing cycle and pay it then. You want to show a (relatively) big debt that you paid off. My credit rating is fine and has been for many years so I don't worry about it (although I do keep an eye on it always.)

Anyway... When I buy something - online or in store, I always check to make sure I can see it and that it's the correct amount in the Pending section on the card's website.

On Wednesday, I charged my Zappos shoes to my Amazon card to see if they were now part of the 5% Amazon cash back program yet. I charged $116 for two pair. On Thursday, when I returned one pair, an email from Zappos said they have refunded my credit card $60. None of that is showing up on my Chase account. Not the charge or the credit. This morning I bought something on Amazon and used the same card and the charge appeared on the card immediately. Still no Zappos. OCD me is a little freaked by this. And, of course, I need to wait at least 5 business days before anyone - Zappos or Chase - will even talk to me about it.

Oh well. Patience. Please.

ljtourist came over last night to see the boys. Left is last night (Biggie). Right is July 5 (The Smalls).



He agrees with me that they are growing closer in size. The Smalls is catching up. I may have to change his nickname to The Equals! Nope. If it weren't for the collars, I'd have lost track of who's who a long time ago. Biggie's on the left here and The Smalls is on the right.



After kitty time, we went down to the street to get a burger. There's a funky place next door - Sluggers - that Frank's never been to and I haven't been in ages. It's a sliver of a sports bar. Probably 12 feet at its widest. It goes the length of the block and two stories up.

However... Frank still hasn't been and I still haven't been in ages... they were closed! We ended up at a place up the street where I had one of the best hamburgers ever on the face of the earth also cooked rare like I like it and Frank had salmon that he said was also delicious. So, thanks, Sluggers! The place where we got these treats is a way too loud restaurant where we've been before. It was also way too loud then but both times, the food has been amazing and different (not my burger but Frank's salad and salmon sides) and the service excellent. I wish they had a quiet room.

Today's baseball game is a perfecta. It's a 4 which is my best baseball time. And it's against Toronto which has all kinds of fun excellent young players we have not seen before - several are the sons of great baseball players. And, finally, the asshole announcer is moving back over to radio and the good guy is moving from radio back to TV so I do not have to mute the TV and stream audio on my phone. Finally. I'm looking forward to the game for sure.

Between now and then is a question mark. I'd really like some Trader Joe's cake but enough to get in the car and go get it when I really don't need anything else? It's cloudy and so maybe I could manage a walk over to Daiso to get some backup Stickie's and a couple of other things on my Daiso list but they do not have air conditioning. It truly feels like Japan there in that Japanese dollar store and I do not mean that in a good way. :) Or I could just cool my jets here and knit which would be fine but lazy.

I do know a shower is next.

Stickie I came home!! Talk about peer pressure.

I pulled out another kind of thing on a stick. They played with it dutifully but with no love. It clearly wasn't Stickie. And I don't know where Stickie is.

So I went to the sewing room where I had hidden Stickie II. An exact replica of Stickie but pink and not torn to shreds.

OMG. I could barely get down the hall. They recognized Stickie immediately. They were so excited.



They just ignored the Faux Stickie (the red tail looking one) for the real thing.

They don't even need me. Biggie keeps dragging Stickie II down the hall for some alone time and The Smalls is having none of that. So then they bring it back here to me so I will wave it around for them. Lather, rinse, repeat.



They are so hilarious.

Note to self: You'd better replenish the backup Stickie situation, pronto!