@GM, You're going to hell for that one! ;) It could happen! I'm thinking of an appetizer size. Make your bacon wrapped meatloaf as thin as you can maybe 3/4" thick when wrapped (like a hamburger steak), then pin it with tooth picks and cut into cubes. Coat in beer batter, deep fry and toss in LZ's Madcow sauce... sweet Jebus!
@BaKhan: It was something that we had when I worked at the last restaurant...function of 70+ people ordered the meatloaf for EVERYONE for lunch, only like 25-30 showed up. So we couldn't let it go to waste. The chef cut the remained up, and did what I described below. Now, the meatloaf itself is normally served with a mushroom demi glace, and green beans. But we just had one of those industrial sized salad mixing bowls filled with the stuff. None of the staff went home hungry that day(nobody had to pay for it either, since it was already paid for by the function).
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-12T17:46:23-04:00
@GM, well at least there was some sort of an upside to that job... ;)
The best part about working on most higher end restaurants, and not a chain one, is that the kitchen staff usually get to eat anything(within reason - so no seafood) for free. And they can make whatever they want.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-12T17:53:41-04:00
Bacon, meatloaf & beer TOGETHER?
You really don't want me to leave Canada when I visit, do you?
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-12T22:08:50-04:00
Oh dear God, why did we have to come to Philly on the worst part of a heat wave?! The 3 days we're here, forecasts to the lovely tune of 97, 98, and 98! Beautiful. It was 95 at 9pm today! And we're walking all up and down the historic district all day tomorrow. How fun!
But don't worry; it starts to cool off the day we leave, so that's pleasant. At least we won't be here for nearly a week of rain according to the forecast. At least my abnormal sweatiness fits in now.
Did I mention no air conditioning in the house we're couchsurfing in? Hell of alot of fans, though, luckily!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-12T22:12:08-04:00
GM, yeah, my entire maternal extended family gets along beautifully. We were talking about how we couldn't even fathom being in one of those families where you don't even see your first cousins for decades, and when you do it's only because they're meeting the same grandparents for a random holiday. I'm so unbelievably lucky with my family. And that's not even to say my paternal side is cold and distant, it's almost as close!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-12T22:17:35-04:00
If I hadn't eaten over a full week's worth of food in the last 4 days or so, I would absolutely be salivating at the food in these comments! As it is, mostly buffets and/or overly-plentiful food at least 3 times a day, I feel sick even without thinking of meatloaf. I've had so much of that that I can only have a couple servings of a good meatloaf before it starts riding on me. It goes from absolute heaven to "Oh dear God please no more meatloaf seriously I'm gonna be sick" pretty quickly if I"m not careful.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-14T07:44:02-04:00
I nearly died yesterday. Heat index of 111 F, 44C, in VERY large part humidity, and we walked and walked and walked in the sun for 8 hours, but don't worry, we walked the rest of the day until 9 pm as well, just not constantly.
I drank easily over a gallon of water. I think I somehow kept myself just shy of the brink of dehydration, which is really good.
Other than that, I had a great time! Philly is actually a great place to explore, just not on a record-heat-index-setting day. And I've walked half as much in much worse conditions, but yesterday really tried me. It was 93 at 10pm yet again.
Which reminds me: Corrections: he was my 4th cousin and the fiirst night it was 95 at 10 pm. Changes everything, I'm sure.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-15T09:16:38-04:00
Morning kittens
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-15T09:55:13-04:00
Morning kittens!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-15T10:00:42-04:00
I hope everyone had a good weekend, me, well I survived! The in-laws will be gone by the time I get home at least. The worst thing for me is company on a Sunday. Thats my day to recharge and get things done around the house. So I'm pretty tired today, they take it out of me, thats for sure.
@BaKhan: It wasn't too bad. Aside from being woken up for no reason(that I could see/hear) around 4am both Sat and Sun morning. Other than that, rather relaxing for the most part. Then today, we have family photos(oh joy!) at 7 tonight.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-15T10:41:51-04:00
It was sweltering this weekend. Despite this, I still ventured out and went to a sidewalk sale in Virginia. Gotta support small independent businesses. Found some interesting book finds and knitting patterns that were on sale.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-15T10:49:40-04:00
Wow, sounds like you guys had some great weekends!
@GM, family photos aren't so bad, it means you've got family (that you actually want to be seen with...)! ;)
@Geist, I totally agree, if we don't support the little guys, we're looking for more "Walmarts and Costco's", and who wants that! Not me, thats for sure! I support local, when I can afford to and when I can. One of the reasons why I like Kickstarter. ;)
@BaKhan: None of my siblings or I like getting our pictures taken. We're basically doing it to get our mom to stop pestering us for one.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-15T11:01:17-04:00
@GM, oh I hear that, I hate getting my picture taken, a lot! I was just meaning that, its nice to have family of your own. My mom and dad are both gone, and my sister and her family have decided to stop talking to me, so my family consists of my wife's family now, and they're cool and all, but they will never feel like my family. Does that make sense?
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-15T11:14:16-04:00
I don't shop at Walmart. If you see me in there, it's because I'm with someone else and I didn't feel like waiting in the car.
At least Costco pays its workers a decent wage.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-15T11:16:08-04:00
@BaKhan: Yes. I've completely split from all of my family. After all of the accusations of me trying to take all of my grandmother's money, I decided to cut off all contact. As far as I'm concerned, I'm an orphan.
Lord Zombitten 2016-08-15T11:37:44-04:00
My big fun over the weekend was the power going out last night, which meant I got to shower and shave by candle light.
@LZ: We had our power flicker last night too! It literally just flickered, for a second, which still caused my PS4 and TV to shut off.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-15T11:43:48-04:00
@Geist, I'm sorry to hear that, family can be tough. Why do people fight about money? I'm realatively certain that the reason my sister won't talk to me is jealousy. I married a doctor, so I'm stuck up I guess? Who knows, it wasn't me who stopped returning phone calls. I tried calling them 4 times last year, and they never even returned my messages. It makes me sad because I miss my neices, but I've probably been demonized to them by now anyways. Oh well, I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-15T11:44:58-04:00
@LZ, aren't power outages fun?! I remember one business trip where the power went out over night, somehow I actually woke up on time, and had to shower and shave by the light of my laptop, that was good times! ;)
@Geist and @BaKhan: I don't talk to 90% of my mom's side of the family because they were fighting over who got what out of my grandma's house before she passed. And my one aunt(who is retired) was demanding that she got the car, to help get my grandma around(she was taking my grandma out to Vancouver to take care of her), but everyone knew she wanted to just sell it.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-15T12:38:51-04:00
Before my grandparents passed, I told them to do with their money as they pleased. I watched for too many years them holding that inheritance over my parents heads. I saw what that did to their relationship over time, and it wasn't pretty. I always resented the fact that they did that. When they started trying to do that to me, I gently told them I wasn't interested in playing that game. They ended up willing their money to their church, my sister and I didn't get a penny of it, and I think we're better off without that greed money. I need money to live, but I don't live for money. I like to get nice things, but I don't need them. The love of a good women is critical, and I have that. Good friends are critical, and I have that. The rest, meh!
@BaKhan: My grandma left each of her children(all 5 of them), as far as I can tell, equal shares. And as far as my mom knows, she is the only one that passed some of the on to her children. I didn't expect anything(hoped for a queen size bed, got it - meant no more double bed for a 6'4" man to sleep on), but my mom wrote us each a check. My other grandma, who is still with us, decided randomly to give each of the grandchildren a check. That was a pleasant surprise, helped me get some bills in order.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-15T14:16:46-04:00
@GM, thats awesome, and as I far as I can tell, the way its supposed to be! That was really nice of your grandma to help you guys out with some money. I know that they prefer to see how you guys spend it, and the benefits it brings now, rather than after they pass. It sounds like you had / have some really special grandparents!
I even told my parents to do what they want with their money(my sister agreed with me as she was also in the room), and that I don't expect anything, at least anymore. There was one time where my bills were higher than my income(was working VERY part time - less than 15 hours a week) that I needed financial assistance from them. It was a loan, and I'm almost done paying them back for it. Interest included.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-15T15:44:07-04:00
You're a good man GM, I knew there was a reason I liked you! ;)
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-16T07:38:12-04:00
Morning kittens,
It's with a heavy heart that I report that despite passing every test, I didn't get the prize that I was hoping for. I can only guess at why I didn't get it but I don't think I'll ever know. Shit, this sucks.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-16T09:45:46-04:00
@Geist, I'm so sorry to hear that! We were rooting for you all the way. Don't give up, and don't give in, there's always the next opportunity waiting just around the corner. I know that doesn't mean much, but long distance hugs are pretty hard to accomplish. Hang in there, it may seem bleak now, but its always darkest before the dawn!
@Geist: Sorry to hear it didn't work out. Just need to keep pushing to get to where you want to be in life. Never give up, that's the first step to getting stuck in a rut.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-16T11:09:31-04:00
@Gesit, I'm so sorry, I know how much this meant to you! I know what its like to go for that brass ring only to have it pulled further away as you're reaching. Long range hugs don't really work, but what about long range binge drinking? ;)
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-16T11:10:46-04:00
lol@BaKhan: Don't go ruining your liver for little ole me. Not before I can get to Canada anyway. ;-)
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-16T11:33:20-04:00
@Geist, well I'll tilt a tall one for you anyways, and many zombies will die tonight in your honour! ;) When you get up here, I'll have to regain my tollerance so I probably won't be able to keep up, but I'll try! ;) Plus, cookies. ;)
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-16T12:24:28-04:00
Zombies!
Do you know that Universal Studios has a brand spanking new Walking Dead attraction? It's one that you walk though and it's suppose to make you feel like you are in the tv show.
Lord Zombitten 2016-08-16T12:39:00-04:00
Sorry, Geist. That really sucks!
Walking Dead attraction sounds awesome.
Lord Zombitten 2016-08-16T12:41:40-04:00
Our passports came yesterday!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-16T12:46:22-04:00
@Geist, last year we did that AMC Walking dead haunted house at Universal. Don't know if you're a fan of the show so I won't spoil it, but its based on the Terminus setting. My wife screamed her head off, my friend and I were laughing all the way! ;) It was great!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-16T12:46:57-04:00
@LZ, yeah! Passports to good times and maple bacon brittle! Whoot!
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-16T13:03:07-04:00
Oh good. I'm not the only one who is getting a passport for the first time. Some people I told that too gave me the stank eye.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-16T13:29:17-04:00
@BaKhan: I am a fan of the show but I'm currently two seasons behind. I'll have to catch up sometime this month or next month.
@Geist: I'm further behind than you. I keep meaning to start watching it...but other things catch my attention and I soon get side tracked.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-16T14:19:43-04:00
@Geist, catch up, catch up! So much goodness in store for you! I can't wait till next season, I swear its only getting better/worse, depending on your point of view... ;)
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-16T14:20:33-04:00
I didn't get my first passport till I was 35 so, it is what it is. If I lived in the states, I could see not needing one either... ;)
I'm not sure when I got my first one, but I know it was at least 10-15 years ago. Only used it on the one trip, and it expired.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-16T15:32:07-04:00
As much as I like TWD, I'm royally pissed that Penny Dreadful is not gonna be on the air anymore. That show was EVERYTHING! Action, romance, mystery, sexy. But season 1875 of some housewife or kardashian show is still going strong.
I swear, sometimes I want to smack the human race upside the head.
@Geist: Don't forget to do it with a true edged sword.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-16T16:38:03-04:00
It never fails to amaze me how many uber rich people live in Calgary. I just finished a quotation for a snowmelt project that the home owners decided to add onto their project, after the foundation had already been poured. It took me over a week to design it, and it will cost them $14000 more than if it was planned originally because I had to work around the outside of their house! Crazy!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-16T18:14:20-04:00
Home at last! We decided it wasn't worth stopping last night, so we just drove all the way here. More accurately, I drove most of the way here; 11 of the 17 hours total from Hershey, Penn. to home in Nebraska.
Here's the cool part: we stopped for gas at 10:30, I took back over just following a half hour nap, that's it, after getting tired from driving the first time. I drove until I got tired again, 9 1/2 hours later, not all peaceful interstate driving either. I finished off Pennsylvania, then Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and just into Iowa! The only state I didn't drive in was Nebraska! Though I just got a few miles into Iowa, and this is a funny part:
When I started to notice I was falling asleep at the wheel, I picked the first stop with a gas station I could find. It just happened to randomly be the exit my grandparents had stayed the night at, so we went and said hi to them!
So yeah, 9 1/2 hours straight through 6 or 7 really heavy rain squalls, most hitting just as I got to a 30+ mile 45mph construction zone just behind a semi. Not the most pleasant of conditions. That and an I-80 detour that disappeared halfway through so you had to find your own stressful way through Chicago to get to it at 2:30 am.
`
So yeah, half an hour of sleep since early yesterday and I drove a hell of a ways through some stressful times over 9 1/2 hours. Time for a nap! Another nap I mean. I've been napping since I stopped driving.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-16T18:28:09-04:00
I hate having constant pictures taken as well. Which is lots of fun on a roadtrip/reunion with my mom...
`
My parents always made sure to have our passports just in case we ever wanted them. It's come in handy a few times, and I'm 99.ten% certain mine is in our office. I'm just not certain if I'll be able to get all the necessary time off (I could, but I don't know how many classes I'll miss) or if I'll be able to drive to wherever it has or will be decided I'll rendezvous with a carpool. At least now I know I can drive there easily! ;)
Seriously, I drove from 10:30 pm until after 8 am with only one stop to get gas. I'm sure everyone here has their own story to trump mine, but I'm actually disappointed; I wanted to make it all the way back home! I was more than 2/3 of that stretch and only had to get past Iowa! I was hoping the sun would come up and wake me up, and I maintain that if it had half an hour earlier, I could have made it most of the way through Iowa, if not all!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-16T18:59:11-04:00
Home Sweet Reliable Wi-Fi!
Eric 'Trinkets' Baumgarten 2016-08-16T21:21:21-04:00
Good to be back!
Eric 'Trinkets' Baumgarten 2016-08-16T21:22:49-04:00
Geist, Zem, GM, LZ, BaKhan.......glad to see everyone still here.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-17T00:06:29-04:00
Howdy, Trinkets! I was here during extreme heat and wifi outages while on a roadtrip. Your inevitable excuse is invalid. Welcome back! Stay awhile! How's life been treating you? Can I get you some tea or something?
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-17T08:20:18-04:00
Aw snap! I missed Trinkets? Dang.
How you been Trinkets?
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-17T09:50:02-04:00
Morning kittens!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-17T09:50:48-04:00
@Zem, no shame in getting tired behind the wheel, it happens. Better that you did the responsible and smart thing by not trying to push it. People die that way bro! Glad you enjoyed it!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-17T09:51:10-04:00
@Trinkets, Whoot! How's it going bro! Good to see you!
Eric 'Trinkets' Baumgarten 2016-08-17T11:27:20-04:00
Hey gang. Things are going good. Finally. Had some setbacks with my neck/back issues. Life got hard for a bit. Finally got myself picked back up and put together. Nothing like about 5 months of pain and suffering.
Eric 'Trinkets' Baumgarten 2016-08-17T11:28:00-04:00
Getting real tired of the less than no communication at work. Heard, through word of mouth, that a manager was let go last Friday, never received official notice. Until a few minutes ago, when I sent something that said manager normally would approve to the VP of US ops. So, I now have official confirmation...the day that I need the item approve. -.-
Eric 'Trinkets' Baumgarten 2016-08-17T12:25:14-04:00
Same here for communication. And we only have 9 employees.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-17T12:26:46-04:00
@Trinkets, doing fairly well, issues, things, but meh, it is what it is. Sorry to hear that you had to go through that, glad to hear you have it under control again. I think thats the real thing with getting older, is getting used to the new you... whether you like it or not! ;)
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-17T12:28:29-04:00
@GM, you need to find their point of pain, to get it across to them, that you need to know these things. What are you supposed to email them daily, does this manager still work here, and still the person I report to? If at all possible, make them hurt, they won't do it again. ;)
@BaKhan: We've had three people paid TWICE after they quit(both salaried), and nobody said anything. Not even when the pay stubs, that go to the terminal and the admins then hand them out/mail them, showed up.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-17T12:55:50-04:00
@GM, sounds like Office Space... you need to make that loop hole work for you man! Retire a millionaire! ;)
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-17T13:03:23-04:00
Yeah, GM, just take a fraction of a cent off of every transaction, just like Office Space! It worked out for him, all you have to do is find a disgruntled employee, steal his red stapler, and then the situation will work itself out!
Lord Zombitten 2016-08-17T13:03:32-04:00
GM, be careful, man! What you're saying is sounding awfully close to expecting people to do things like work, their jobs, not be lazy, etc. That's skating on thin ice while playing with fire, that is!
Lord Zombitten 2016-08-17T13:05:03-04:00
You can't have my red Swingline!!
Lord Zombitten 2016-08-17T13:12:51-04:00
My church put together a softball team last week. I would have gone, but I had tickets for the Marilyn Manson and Slipknot concert. Anyway, I went yesterday and learned that this isn't a church league, but an actual local recreational league. Our first game is next Tuesday. I got a blood blister while it was my turn to bat (I hit probably 50 balls). I should have taken my wedding ring off, as that's what gave me the blister.
@LZ: I know it's asking too much. But there are so many things that don't get sent to me that end up coming to bite me in the ass(even though I have documentation to prove it never came to me). Our CFO(who happens to be the VP of Finance as well) didn't know anything about the manager leaving, the VP of HR(whose last day is sometime at the end of the month) knew nothing about the manager being laid off either.
`
Then there is the startup in Jacksonville, FL. Nobody has communicated ANYTHING about who the manager is, how many guys, what the address of the place is, or anything at all. Our safety team hasn't even been notified to get WCB stuff set up, any insurance, or anything.
Eric 'Trinkets' Baumgarten 2016-08-17T13:33:54-04:00
Because they are friends of the new CEO. Some have questionable purchases on their cards, but nothing comes of it. Because payroll is in Canada, and nobody seems to care about that fact. Hell, whenever the office is closed due to a holiday, we get angry phone messages from office staff saying that we are ignoring them....yet we send out a "This day is a holiday, and we shall be out of office as such. In an emergency, contact XXXXXX"
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-17T14:15:57-04:00
@GM, whem the economy picks up again, its time for a new job! Thats some shady shizzz!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-17T14:23:19-04:00
Yeah, I could never put up with a company like that. You made it sound like all payroll was that bad, but I'm thinking if you went somewhere else, you'd only feel like burning down the office once a day rather than once per hour.
I just switched over to Avenged Sevenfold, the Nightmare album.
Lord Zombitten 2016-08-17T15:35:26-04:00
I almost put in the same one just now. Excellent choice
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-17T16:03:01-04:00
The Hershey museum in Hershey, Penn. was awesome. More to the point, you can make your own chocolate bar! Time to eat that beautiful piece of heart-healthiness! Almost as great as the half pound Reese's cakes, but obviously nowhere near that perfect.
My music knows I need a pick-me-up.
`
Just switched to Disturbed, on shuffle, and Sound of Silence starts.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2016-08-17T22:48:43-04:00
That's one of two Simon and Garfunkel covers ever that lives up to the material it covers. I don't remember what the other was, but I remember it was almost as good too, but it's rare for one to even live up close to their songs.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-18T10:57:11-04:00
Morning BaKhan.
A few questions for you:
How early can I be a the airport when I arrive?
How far away/close are you from the airport?
Would arriving on Thursday be better for you or Friday?
Eric 'Trinkets' Baumgarten 2016-08-18T12:02:17-04:00
Good morning all. Super busy today, not much time to chat.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-18T12:15:14-04:00
@Geist, Good morning!
1) Whatever time works for you, I'm easy. ;)
2) I'm about 30mins away from the airport.
3) Thrusday will be better for me as I will going into full cooking mode on Friday for the party.
4) Won't lie, pretty excited, this is going to be awesome!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2016-08-18T12:17:35-04:00
@Trinkets, hope you have a good day bro!
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-18T12:35:48-04:00
Howdy Trinkets! How is your back doing?
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-18T12:39:54-04:00
I'm excited as well BaKhan! (Not that way! Get your mind out of the gutter)
Looking forward to seeing all there is in Calgary and your wife's Halloween collection. Eating things with maple syrup (they even have it in beer as well, don't they?) and eating at Grizzly's.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2016-08-18T12:40:03-04:00
@GM, You're going to hell for that one! ;) It could happen! I'm thinking of an appetizer size. Make your bacon wrapped meatloaf as thin as you can maybe 3/4" thick when wrapped (like a hamburger steak), then pin it with tooth picks and cut into cubes. Coat in beer batter, deep fry and toss in LZ's Madcow sauce... sweet Jebus!
@BaKhan: It was something that we had when I worked at the last restaurant...function of 70+ people ordered the meatloaf for EVERYONE for lunch, only like 25-30 showed up. So we couldn't let it go to waste. The chef cut the remained up, and did what I described below. Now, the meatloaf itself is normally served with a mushroom demi glace, and green beans. But we just had one of those industrial sized salad mixing bowls filled with the stuff. None of the staff went home hungry that day(nobody had to pay for it either, since it was already paid for by the function).
@GM, well at least there was some sort of an upside to that job... ;)
The best part about working on most higher end restaurants, and not a chain one, is that the kitchen staff usually get to eat anything(within reason - so no seafood) for free. And they can make whatever they want.
Bacon, meatloaf & beer TOGETHER?
You really don't want me to leave Canada when I visit, do you?
Oh dear God, why did we have to come to Philly on the worst part of a heat wave?! The 3 days we're here, forecasts to the lovely tune of 97, 98, and 98! Beautiful. It was 95 at 9pm today! And we're walking all up and down the historic district all day tomorrow. How fun!
But don't worry; it starts to cool off the day we leave, so that's pleasant. At least we won't be here for nearly a week of rain according to the forecast. At least my abnormal sweatiness fits in now.
Did I mention no air conditioning in the house we're couchsurfing in? Hell of alot of fans, though, luckily!
GM, yeah, my entire maternal extended family gets along beautifully. We were talking about how we couldn't even fathom being in one of those families where you don't even see your first cousins for decades, and when you do it's only because they're meeting the same grandparents for a random holiday. I'm so unbelievably lucky with my family. And that's not even to say my paternal side is cold and distant, it's almost as close!
If I hadn't eaten over a full week's worth of food in the last 4 days or so, I would absolutely be salivating at the food in these comments! As it is, mostly buffets and/or overly-plentiful food at least 3 times a day, I feel sick even without thinking of meatloaf. I've had so much of that that I can only have a couple servings of a good meatloaf before it starts riding on me. It goes from absolute heaven to "Oh dear God please no more meatloaf seriously I'm gonna be sick" pretty quickly if I"m not careful.
I nearly died yesterday. Heat index of 111 F, 44C, in VERY large part humidity, and we walked and walked and walked in the sun for 8 hours, but don't worry, we walked the rest of the day until 9 pm as well, just not constantly.
I drank easily over a gallon of water. I think I somehow kept myself just shy of the brink of dehydration, which is really good.
Other than that, I had a great time! Philly is actually a great place to explore, just not on a record-heat-index-setting day. And I've walked half as much in much worse conditions, but yesterday really tried me. It was 93 at 10pm yet again.
Which reminds me: Corrections: he was my 4th cousin and the fiirst night it was 95 at 10 pm. Changes everything, I'm sure.
Morning kittens
Morning kittens!
I hope everyone had a good weekend, me, well I survived! The in-laws will be gone by the time I get home at least. The worst thing for me is company on a Sunday. Thats my day to recharge and get things done around the house. So I'm pretty tired today, they take it out of me, thats for sure.
Morning kittens.
@BaKhan: It wasn't too bad. Aside from being woken up for no reason(that I could see/hear) around 4am both Sat and Sun morning. Other than that, rather relaxing for the most part. Then today, we have family photos(oh joy!) at 7 tonight.
It was sweltering this weekend. Despite this, I still ventured out and went to a sidewalk sale in Virginia. Gotta support small independent businesses. Found some interesting book finds and knitting patterns that were on sale.
Wow, sounds like you guys had some great weekends!
@GM, family photos aren't so bad, it means you've got family (that you actually want to be seen with...)! ;)
@Geist, I totally agree, if we don't support the little guys, we're looking for more "Walmarts and Costco's", and who wants that! Not me, thats for sure! I support local, when I can afford to and when I can. One of the reasons why I like Kickstarter. ;)
@BaKhan: None of my siblings or I like getting our pictures taken. We're basically doing it to get our mom to stop pestering us for one.
@GM, oh I hear that, I hate getting my picture taken, a lot! I was just meaning that, its nice to have family of your own. My mom and dad are both gone, and my sister and her family have decided to stop talking to me, so my family consists of my wife's family now, and they're cool and all, but they will never feel like my family. Does that make sense?
I don't shop at Walmart. If you see me in there, it's because I'm with someone else and I didn't feel like waiting in the car.
At least Costco pays its workers a decent wage.
@BaKhan: Yes. I've completely split from all of my family. After all of the accusations of me trying to take all of my grandmother's money, I decided to cut off all contact. As far as I'm concerned, I'm an orphan.
My big fun over the weekend was the power going out last night, which meant I got to shower and shave by candle light.
@LZ: We had our power flicker last night too! It literally just flickered, for a second, which still caused my PS4 and TV to shut off.
@Geist, I'm sorry to hear that, family can be tough. Why do people fight about money? I'm realatively certain that the reason my sister won't talk to me is jealousy. I married a doctor, so I'm stuck up I guess? Who knows, it wasn't me who stopped returning phone calls. I tried calling them 4 times last year, and they never even returned my messages. It makes me sad because I miss my neices, but I've probably been demonized to them by now anyways. Oh well, I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
@LZ, aren't power outages fun?! I remember one business trip where the power went out over night, somehow I actually woke up on time, and had to shower and shave by the light of my laptop, that was good times! ;)
@Geist and @BaKhan: I don't talk to 90% of my mom's side of the family because they were fighting over who got what out of my grandma's house before she passed. And my one aunt(who is retired) was demanding that she got the car, to help get my grandma around(she was taking my grandma out to Vancouver to take care of her), but everyone knew she wanted to just sell it.
Before my grandparents passed, I told them to do with their money as they pleased. I watched for too many years them holding that inheritance over my parents heads. I saw what that did to their relationship over time, and it wasn't pretty. I always resented the fact that they did that. When they started trying to do that to me, I gently told them I wasn't interested in playing that game. They ended up willing their money to their church, my sister and I didn't get a penny of it, and I think we're better off without that greed money. I need money to live, but I don't live for money. I like to get nice things, but I don't need them. The love of a good women is critical, and I have that. Good friends are critical, and I have that. The rest, meh!
@BaKhan: My grandma left each of her children(all 5 of them), as far as I can tell, equal shares. And as far as my mom knows, she is the only one that passed some of the on to her children. I didn't expect anything(hoped for a queen size bed, got it - meant no more double bed for a 6'4" man to sleep on), but my mom wrote us each a check. My other grandma, who is still with us, decided randomly to give each of the grandchildren a check. That was a pleasant surprise, helped me get some bills in order.
@GM, thats awesome, and as I far as I can tell, the way its supposed to be! That was really nice of your grandma to help you guys out with some money. I know that they prefer to see how you guys spend it, and the benefits it brings now, rather than after they pass. It sounds like you had / have some really special grandparents!
I even told my parents to do what they want with their money(my sister agreed with me as she was also in the room), and that I don't expect anything, at least anymore. There was one time where my bills were higher than my income(was working VERY part time - less than 15 hours a week) that I needed financial assistance from them. It was a loan, and I'm almost done paying them back for it. Interest included.
You're a good man GM, I knew there was a reason I liked you! ;)
Morning kittens,
It's with a heavy heart that I report that despite passing every test, I didn't get the prize that I was hoping for. I can only guess at why I didn't get it but I don't think I'll ever know. Shit, this sucks.
@Geist, I'm so sorry to hear that! We were rooting for you all the way. Don't give up, and don't give in, there's always the next opportunity waiting just around the corner. I know that doesn't mean much, but long distance hugs are pretty hard to accomplish. Hang in there, it may seem bleak now, but its always darkest before the dawn!
Morning kittens.
Morning kittens.
Thanks BaKhan. I was crying half the night and most of this morning. It's like a cruel joke has been played on me.
@Geist: Sorry to hear it didn't work out. Just need to keep pushing to get to where you want to be in life. Never give up, that's the first step to getting stuck in a rut.
@Gesit, I'm so sorry, I know how much this meant to you! I know what its like to go for that brass ring only to have it pulled further away as you're reaching. Long range hugs don't really work, but what about long range binge drinking? ;)
lol@BaKhan: Don't go ruining your liver for little ole me. Not before I can get to Canada anyway. ;-)
@Geist, well I'll tilt a tall one for you anyways, and many zombies will die tonight in your honour! ;) When you get up here, I'll have to regain my tollerance so I probably won't be able to keep up, but I'll try! ;) Plus, cookies. ;)
Zombies!
Do you know that Universal Studios has a brand spanking new Walking Dead attraction? It's one that you walk though and it's suppose to make you feel like you are in the tv show.
Sorry, Geist. That really sucks!
Walking Dead attraction sounds awesome.
Our passports came yesterday!
@Geist, last year we did that AMC Walking dead haunted house at Universal. Don't know if you're a fan of the show so I won't spoil it, but its based on the Terminus setting. My wife screamed her head off, my friend and I were laughing all the way! ;) It was great!
@LZ, yeah! Passports to good times and maple bacon brittle! Whoot!
Oh good. I'm not the only one who is getting a passport for the first time. Some people I told that too gave me the stank eye.
@BaKhan: I am a fan of the show but I'm currently two seasons behind. I'll have to catch up sometime this month or next month.
@Geist: I'm further behind than you. I keep meaning to start watching it...but other things catch my attention and I soon get side tracked.
@Geist, catch up, catch up! So much goodness in store for you! I can't wait till next season, I swear its only getting better/worse, depending on your point of view... ;)
I didn't get my first passport till I was 35 so, it is what it is. If I lived in the states, I could see not needing one either... ;)
I'm not sure when I got my first one, but I know it was at least 10-15 years ago. Only used it on the one trip, and it expired.
As much as I like TWD, I'm royally pissed that Penny Dreadful is not gonna be on the air anymore. That show was EVERYTHING! Action, romance, mystery, sexy. But season 1875 of some housewife or kardashian show is still going strong.
I swear, sometimes I want to smack the human race upside the head.
@Geist: Don't forget to do it with a true edged sword.
It never fails to amaze me how many uber rich people live in Calgary. I just finished a quotation for a snowmelt project that the home owners decided to add onto their project, after the foundation had already been poured. It took me over a week to design it, and it will cost them $14000 more than if it was planned originally because I had to work around the outside of their house! Crazy!
Some people have more money than they know what to do with.
@GM, I know what they should do with it... ;)
Donate it to the KCC account?
Home at last! We decided it wasn't worth stopping last night, so we just drove all the way here. More accurately, I drove most of the way here; 11 of the 17 hours total from Hershey, Penn. to home in Nebraska.
Here's the cool part: we stopped for gas at 10:30, I took back over just following a half hour nap, that's it, after getting tired from driving the first time. I drove until I got tired again, 9 1/2 hours later, not all peaceful interstate driving either. I finished off Pennsylvania, then Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and just into Iowa! The only state I didn't drive in was Nebraska! Though I just got a few miles into Iowa, and this is a funny part:
When I started to notice I was falling asleep at the wheel, I picked the first stop with a gas station I could find. It just happened to randomly be the exit my grandparents had stayed the night at, so we went and said hi to them!
So yeah, 9 1/2 hours straight through 6 or 7 really heavy rain squalls, most hitting just as I got to a 30+ mile 45mph construction zone just behind a semi. Not the most pleasant of conditions. That and an I-80 detour that disappeared halfway through so you had to find your own stressful way through Chicago to get to it at 2:30 am.
`
So yeah, half an hour of sleep since early yesterday and I drove a hell of a ways through some stressful times over 9 1/2 hours. Time for a nap! Another nap I mean. I've been napping since I stopped driving.
I hate having constant pictures taken as well. Which is lots of fun on a roadtrip/reunion with my mom...
`
My parents always made sure to have our passports just in case we ever wanted them. It's come in handy a few times, and I'm 99.ten% certain mine is in our office. I'm just not certain if I'll be able to get all the necessary time off (I could, but I don't know how many classes I'll miss) or if I'll be able to drive to wherever it has or will be decided I'll rendezvous with a carpool. At least now I know I can drive there easily! ;)
Seriously, I drove from 10:30 pm until after 8 am with only one stop to get gas. I'm sure everyone here has their own story to trump mine, but I'm actually disappointed; I wanted to make it all the way back home! I was more than 2/3 of that stretch and only had to get past Iowa! I was hoping the sun would come up and wake me up, and I maintain that if it had half an hour earlier, I could have made it most of the way through Iowa, if not all!
Home Sweet Reliable Wi-Fi!
Good to be back!
Geist, Zem, GM, LZ, BaKhan.......glad to see everyone still here.
Howdy, Trinkets! I was here during extreme heat and wifi outages while on a roadtrip. Your inevitable excuse is invalid. Welcome back! Stay awhile! How's life been treating you? Can I get you some tea or something?
Aw snap! I missed Trinkets? Dang.
How you been Trinkets?
Morning kittens!
@Zem, no shame in getting tired behind the wheel, it happens. Better that you did the responsible and smart thing by not trying to push it. People die that way bro! Glad you enjoyed it!
@Trinkets, Whoot! How's it going bro! Good to see you!
Morning kittens.
Wow! A wild Trinkets sighting!
Hey gang. Things are going good. Finally. Had some setbacks with my neck/back issues. Life got hard for a bit. Finally got myself picked back up and put together. Nothing like about 5 months of pain and suffering.
Enough about me. How's everyone else?
Getting real tired of the less than no communication at work. Heard, through word of mouth, that a manager was let go last Friday, never received official notice. Until a few minutes ago, when I sent something that said manager normally would approve to the VP of US ops. So, I now have official confirmation...the day that I need the item approve. -.-
Same here for communication. And we only have 9 employees.
@Trinkets, doing fairly well, issues, things, but meh, it is what it is. Sorry to hear that you had to go through that, glad to hear you have it under control again. I think thats the real thing with getting older, is getting used to the new you... whether you like it or not! ;)
@GM, you need to find their point of pain, to get it across to them, that you need to know these things. What are you supposed to email them daily, does this manager still work here, and still the person I report to? If at all possible, make them hurt, they won't do it again. ;)
@BaKhan: We've had three people paid TWICE after they quit(both salaried), and nobody said anything. Not even when the pay stubs, that go to the terminal and the admins then hand them out/mail them, showed up.
@GM, sounds like Office Space... you need to make that loop hole work for you man! Retire a millionaire! ;)
Yeah, GM, just take a fraction of a cent off of every transaction, just like Office Space! It worked out for him, all you have to do is find a disgruntled employee, steal his red stapler, and then the situation will work itself out!
GM, be careful, man! What you're saying is sounding awfully close to expecting people to do things like work, their jobs, not be lazy, etc. That's skating on thin ice while playing with fire, that is!
You can't have my red Swingline!!
My church put together a softball team last week. I would have gone, but I had tickets for the Marilyn Manson and Slipknot concert. Anyway, I went yesterday and learned that this isn't a church league, but an actual local recreational league. Our first game is next Tuesday. I got a blood blister while it was my turn to bat (I hit probably 50 balls). I should have taken my wedding ring off, as that's what gave me the blister.
@LZ: I know it's asking too much. But there are so many things that don't get sent to me that end up coming to bite me in the ass(even though I have documentation to prove it never came to me). Our CFO(who happens to be the VP of Finance as well) didn't know anything about the manager leaving, the VP of HR(whose last day is sometime at the end of the month) knew nothing about the manager being laid off either.
`
Then there is the startup in Jacksonville, FL. Nobody has communicated ANYTHING about who the manager is, how many guys, what the address of the place is, or anything at all. Our safety team hasn't even been notified to get WCB stuff set up, any insurance, or anything.
https://youtu.be/GyB6ffmXsZo
That's terrible! How do some of those people still have jobs?
Because they are friends of the new CEO. Some have questionable purchases on their cards, but nothing comes of it. Because payroll is in Canada, and nobody seems to care about that fact. Hell, whenever the office is closed due to a holiday, we get angry phone messages from office staff saying that we are ignoring them....yet we send out a "This day is a holiday, and we shall be out of office as such. In an emergency, contact XXXXXX"
@GM, whem the economy picks up again, its time for a new job! Thats some shady shizzz!
Yeah, I could never put up with a company like that. You made it sound like all payroll was that bad, but I'm thinking if you went somewhere else, you'd only feel like burning down the office once a day rather than once per hour.
I just got back to my desk, and the song I'm listening to had the PERFECT line...
"There is no hope for the human race". Also the title of the song, by Trivium.
Trivium is really good stuff
I just switched over to Avenged Sevenfold, the Nightmare album.
I almost put in the same one just now. Excellent choice
The Hershey museum in Hershey, Penn. was awesome. More to the point, you can make your own chocolate bar! Time to eat that beautiful piece of heart-healthiness! Almost as great as the half pound Reese's cakes, but obviously nowhere near that perfect.
My music knows I need a pick-me-up.
`
Just switched to Disturbed, on shuffle, and Sound of Silence starts.
That's one of two Simon and Garfunkel covers ever that lives up to the material it covers. I don't remember what the other was, but I remember it was almost as good too, but it's rare for one to even live up close to their songs.
Morning kittens.
Morning kittens!
Morning BaKhan.
A few questions for you:
How early can I be a the airport when I arrive?
How far away/close are you from the airport?
Would arriving on Thursday be better for you or Friday?
Good morning all. Super busy today, not much time to chat.
@Geist, Good morning!
1) Whatever time works for you, I'm easy. ;)
2) I'm about 30mins away from the airport.
3) Thrusday will be better for me as I will going into full cooking mode on Friday for the party.
4) Won't lie, pretty excited, this is going to be awesome!
@Trinkets, hope you have a good day bro!
Howdy Trinkets! How is your back doing?
I'm excited as well BaKhan! (Not that way! Get your mind out of the gutter)
Looking forward to seeing all there is in Calgary and your wife's Halloween collection. Eating things with maple syrup (they even have it in beer as well, don't they?) and eating at Grizzly's.
And meeting GM too. ;-)