Ben, Barack, and Barnacles

Ben, Barack, and Barnacles

I read yesterday that Barack Obama tested positive for COVID. His symptoms started the exact same day that Ben’s did. Coincidence?

I think NOT!

My friend who has kids in the medical field called last night and the first words she said were, “I don’t want to freak you out, but…” Of course, hearing those words would freak anyone out. Right?

Because Ben’s symptoms included his face and eyes ‘hurting,’ she wanted me to go look at him. She mentioned the medical data regarding younger people with COVID and increased risk of blood clots and strokes.

My heart pounding, I thought about a friend that lost her brother to an ischemic stroke because of COVID. It didn’t help that I’d just read a news article about Justin Bieber’s wife Hailey’s hospitalization for a COVID related “stroke like” blood clot.

I’m no doctor, but I’m 99.9% sure Ben is currently stroke free. I know he’s feeling better and sounds better. Colette tested negative.

Once my limited medical capabilities were exhausted, I decided I would perform a scientific exercise that would make Bill Nye proud…

barnacles

I hung baggies filled with vinegar on faucets and shower heads. I got a good start and only have 11 more to go. 😏

TIL (Today I Learned): A serving of Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken from The Cheesecake Factory is 2210 calories. (Nicknamed ‘heart attack on a plate,’ I’m guessing my version is equally as unhealthy.)


don’t wake me to tell me you’re going to sleep

don’t wake me to tell me you’re going to sleep

I’m doing better with the Android phone… or I WAS until 1:23 AM this morning. That’s when my phone decided to set off this loud notification to tell me it was putting certain apps to sleep.

Not as smart as smart phones — and watches — should be…

My Apple watch has decided I sleep better at night if I am in bed by 1:30 AM. The health app reminds me when it’s time to go to bed. BUT, if my watch knows what time I fall asleep and is able to record that — why does it not know when I’m already asleep at 1:30 AM? I can be in dreamland and that darned notification wakes me up. 🙄

Changes at the 80’s house are incoming

I’m about 75% sure I’m going to put this house on the market next month or the month after. Concentrating on the primary area that I want to spruce up before listing, I moved furniture around in the master bedroom. It had everything to do with aesthetics and nothing to do with the fact that I can’t see TV as well when in bed with it against another wall.

Since I fall asleep to what Ben calls “murder porn,” listening and not being able to see the screen over a big black dog isn’t ideal. I want to see the serial killers as they are hauled off to prison after searching for them for 45 minutes.

Although not clear with the lighting in the photo above, the carpet in the master is a light gray… not tan or brown at all. The dude at Seymour Decorating picked it out and it’s the worst carpet I’ve ever owned in my entire life. It picks with dog toenails and it’s time for it to go. GET!

To DIY or not DIY — always the question.

While I thought I’d try to do the flooring myself, it’s probably best to simply do what I did before… call Seymour Decorating to order the product and send an installer. And that lone mirror on the back wall looked fine when over the bed. Now it looks like a portal to some unknown world… need to do something about that, for sure.

I’ll wait until the flooring is down to tell you about the master bath. Now that’s where the DIY is going to happen. 😯


I always sucked at math

I always sucked at math

In early January, Fauci recommended Americans count COVID hospitalizations rather than infections. Makes sense… right? But when you consider the number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 has risen about 85% since mid-November? I dunno.

Maybe count how many people are off from work instead of counting infections or hospitalizations. Or maybe count how many kids can’t attend school. Or Cheerios in a box. I always sucked at math. I don’t like numbers. Any problem with numbers that requires brain power, I just pass right on by it.

Something else I ignore (and I hate to admit this, but it’s true), are the places in my house that no one sees. You come to my home anytime at all and it will look neat/clean. But I’m telling you… do NOT open a closet door or you might die. That also goes for cabinets.

I should probably have visitors sign a waiver.

cabinet is full

I’ve never counted how many coffee cups I have, but above is only one cabinet with them in it. Same with glass bowls and pots. I will never, ever use them all. The girl that lived in a house with few cabinets for 30-years, I have probably 3 or 4 times that many now and they are ALL crammed full.

So full that the shelf pegs are breaking. Yes, seriously.

On this fine Monday, not only am I going to do regular work, but I’m starting one cabinet at a time (and one dishwasher load at a time) to rearrange, throw away old stuff, and put in new shelf pegs.

I won’t be counting anything but the money I’ll save by not having injuries. 😉

TIL (Today I Learned): Fart spray was originally designed for use in pranks but is now more widely used in combat-zone medical training. (I had to read the article because I wondered how that could be true. If you’re interested in how Liquid Ass spray is used, check out this article on ‘The Science Explorer.’)

i’m good at making poor decisions on impulse

i’m good at making poor decisions on impulse

I’ve talked before about wanting to downsize. With the impact that COVID has had on the speaking industry, that desire has grown. So much so, that today I called a realtor and looked at a house I saw on Zillow.

This house is in a great neighborhood and has mature trees on a large lot. The asking price is a bit more than $100k less than I hope to get for where I live now. I can’t tell you how close I came to making an offer! But 12-hours later, those two things just mentioned are the only real attributes I can even think of.

The kitchen is TINY and has no dishwasher. All the windows are single pane and there’s also a sliding glass door that would have to go. Every shrub surrounding the house is overgrown and would need removed. The outside is partly ugly brick and partly blue wood siding that would require paint.

I should pass on buying this house.

One room in the tri-level house has had water standing at some point. There are some rooms with dark wood paneling and drop ceilings. All the light fixtures are 1960/70ish. The carpets are bright colors and the kitchen has linoleum. And… get this… the attached garage has no direct entrance into the house. I’d have to drop a minimum of $40k.

Yes, the house would work — and yes, when finished it might be worth more than what I would have invested. But that’s a maybe also dependent upon the housing market. This one time I didn’t make an impulsive decision is probably a good thing.

I’ll just keep looking… and be happy that Zillow and Realtor dot com don’t charge per click.

i want to find a whole bunch of junk to buy

i want to find a whole bunch of junk to buy

I mentioned yesterday I was going to paint a couple pieces of furniture. Actually, I claimed to be a “furniture restorer,” but y’all knew that was an exaggeration. Today… I’m fitting into that title like a boss!

I’ve used chalk paint on furniture in the past, but took my first whirl with milk paint yesterday. I wanted to do something with two pretty crappy pieces that are in my office. Basically, that’s where old furniture goes to die — it’s the last stop before curbside on trash day.

I started with this small table that resided in the sun room for the past 4 years or so. One door of that room stays open 24/7/365 so the dogs can go out — so other than getting rained/snowed on, this thing has basically been in the elements. It was only moved to the office so I could burn a candle on a surface other than my desk. It was purchased when I redid Nanny’s old house.

painted table with milk paint

Next up was the ugliest chest on the planet. I seriously have no clue why I bought this thing with flowers and butterflies. I like the Bombay shape, but I’ve hated this thing for the past 15 or so years that I’ve owned it. I debated on tossing it when I moved to Seymour, but somehow it survived. (Probably only because it will hold a nice-sized TV — or because the gondola was full.)

how ugly is this?
Told you it was ugly.

After painting, it doesn’t look half bad. I sprayed the handles with copper enamel rather than buying new hardware — not because I like the shape of them, but because I didn’t want to spend $$ on the hideous thing.

It looks even better than the photo so now I want a whole bunch of trashy furniture to paint. I feel like it’s my mission to go out and buy a whole bunch of junk furniture! Heck with that Scott McKain guy and the speaking circuit! I want to paint furniture until my arthritic hands can no longer hold a brush. 🙂