Scrubbed to within an inch of its life. Drip pans have also been scrubbed and the burners have been carefully degreased. Holy Toledo.
Next, the sink.
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I do not miss cleaning that type of stove, my current glass cooktop might not boil a pot of water quite as fast but it’s so much easier to clean.
Downside is you just have to get over the fact that it’s going to get scratched, if you use it a lot it will eventually become a mess of scratches.
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If you use it once, you have to go at it with a belt sander and some special goo that’s $7 per bottle. At least with a metal stove, you can wipe it and call it clean, and your pots don’t dance around or get suctioned on.
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My glass cooktop is fourteen years old. Yes it’s beat up, but it still works great. I even went straight for the Cardinal Sin of using cast iron skillets. When I look at that range, I see our family’s story in every scratch and splatter.
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The special cleaners for ceramic cooktops are all ripoffs, just use a razor blade paint scraper and some non-abrasive cleaner and you can get even the most burnt on stuff off. I’ve never added scratches by cleaning, but using big heavy pots and pans there’s no way to avoid them. I also use the cooktop space for extra counter space, use the forman grill and my electric griddle on there, prep stuff for the oven on it, so it gets extra chances for scratches.
I guess if you really need your cooktop to look brand new all the time a ceramic one is not something to get.
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I found a full pack of menthol cigarettes in a coat I haven’t worn in a dog’s age.
No, I don’t know where the dog’s meat is, but I have a glass of mentholated product. One of these days I’ll find my Zippo yet again buried somewhere in the car.
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Well, I didn’t visit the IT cage to verify my credentials for Yubikey access offsite to the company VPN for the third week in a row.
However, I finally had the good idea to make photocopies, or careful indices, of key “shots” in pool to practice, primarily from 99 Critical Shots, Banking w The Beard, and several from Robt. Byrne’s books.
Just because it’s not very handy to be flipping through books at a table: a directed regimen.
When I can make all the shots I like using these (many) examples, without using a scuffer on the house cue, then I can consider buying a little Sneaky Pete, with a small case, and joining BCA league play, or at least some real games for real cash money. Don’t care about league play, Smokey, but being able to take down most people at random is enough for me.
I’ve faced the facts, but I have a plan, and those usually work.
Pencil, paper, a table, and a cuestick, baby.
And a plan.
I love it when a plan comes together.
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Wow. I really put in the effort!
I think it took a good three minutes to break out the beard trimmer and give it a once over. Well, even with a slim guard over the blade, it required multiple passes.
Even though I didn’t have the lumberjack beard, and it was pretty well trimmed, I’m just not a beard guy.
Yes, I’ve had many over the decades, but I think I’m going to stick with the very short beard for a while. Don’t know why, but just seems like something to do.
Not quite “scumbag stubble” at this length, but it is rather closely trimmed. And with my trusty safety razor equipped with Astra platinum double-edged blades, looks fine. Ain’t no neckbeard up in here.
All right, fine! I’m trying to inflame the desires of a younger woman at work! No, I’d never do anything to make her uncomfortable, but even though we get along and we each respect one another, I’m trying to ratchet up a little bit of sexy on my part, as far as grooming and all that.
And succeeding, if I do say so myself!
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Overcame my fear of in person interaction with other human beings and signed my kids up for swimming lessons. I guess I can’t really show that, but I did it, dang it.
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Hey! I met a girl today!
And I’d seen her before but this time I asked her name and we talked for a few minutes!
Wow!
Her name is…was…Candy?..no…ummmmm…Charlene?..no…
Well it’s none of your business, but she seems cool.
So, I should probably wear a jimmy hat and just be chill, right?
(Relax, it’s a joke. Actually, it is true that I met “officially” a woman I’ve seen around a bunch, whose name is Nicole, and had a fun brief conversation, for the first time, and, yes, I initiated, but I don’t particularly want to get some gonorrhea, even though she’s good company, so it’s just good clean fun).
/* edit: scratch that. I don’t want to be in a relationship right now, even a casual one, but I always enjoy good, light conversation with a tiny bit of flirtation. */
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That’s pretty good.
This one gal at work who me and some others in my little “clique” have been pretty mercilessly making fun of, regrettably sometimes within her earshot, was working a role today where I and she had to cooperate pretty closely.
I was dreading coming in today because I was not proud of my rrrrrr…idiculousness in times past.
But at the end of the shift, I made sure to say I appreciated her taking control of monitoring the drivelane zones and that it’s nice to have someone who knows what they’re doing.
She was very appreciative of that, and said so, so I think we’re good.
Not that I apologize often (almost never, really!), but this was a good chance to make amends, and I call that a good, unambiguous success.
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Our new roof is done. Of course, I didn’t build it. But I did co-sign the paper saying most of our remaining life’s blood would pay for it. (Eventually.) AND I remembered to return the sample board of shingling materials to the roofing company. 
The toughest part was having to board El Sid at the cat hotel for four days so he wouldn’t go mad from all the noise and commotion. Thankfully, he’s back now. Without a cat, 
“This house just ain’t no home…”
Up next: GUTTERS! (And after that, if we’re not all dead or living in a tent: FOUNDATIONS!)
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Four days of bang, bang, bang, bang, bang … bang. (I would have gone with the cat.)
Fun times!
If you have overhanging trees, I cannot recommend gutter screens often enough. We hemmed and hawed about it for years before we finally did it. (and we have ash trees with those tiny leaves that get everywhere)
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We don’t, but we want the screens anyway. 
Many street trees here are poplars. They also have very small leaves, plus this is a windy slope so they travel all right…
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We just had ours finished yesterday and we must have gotten lucky as we only had o endure two days of pounding (which wasn’t as bad as anticipated).
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Nice.
I just found out, as one of our very proud HOA associates was apparently good and proud to demonstrate for multiple hours this morning, that dogs nor people enjoy the sound of plywood being sawed.
Why is that nice? I found out the “clicker” trainer my shtik drek of a downstairsrnik uses on her pet disposable illegal “support” animal is cued to five quick “clicks” from a training device to mean “no!”
What’s even better? I happen to have a clicker. Carry it in my coat pocket, actually. Why? No reason, really. Pair of dice, a tuning fork A=440, a dog trainer. I also wear a watch and put on my Mary, crucifix, and Ignatius medallions, pencils, paper, and carry my wallet and keys.
What’s even better? I happen to be a big fan of Messiaen’s music, particularly the discipline by which M. M. transposed bird song into that realm which we mere humans can comprehend, although dimly.
Even better? A large murder of crows enjoy this nice grove of alnus rubra outside my window. And they seem amenable to clicker training.
Therefore, I win.
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I made this:
It’s what you do when you have a basement mini lathe, and a knurling tool…
What is it for you ask?
Well, it’s to hold this:
He comes with an acrylic rod and he’s pretty heavy, so safer to use metal when moving him around.
Also the metal rod will be used when I get around to building a display case for him.
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I decided to land firmly on Tullamore D.E.W. as my neat whiskey of choice as of late last week at this dive bar. Bushmills Original is not doing it for me, they don’t have Black Bush, and while they do have Paddy’s, they don’t have much else. Nor any interesting Scotches at any price, but I’ll still drink Johnnie Black there if I feel like a … drinkable, unchallenging … pour.
Been about a year since I had a bottle of Tully, but the color and the softer but present … don’t say it … “notes” make it the Irish whiskey of choice there, at any price. I’m certainly not going to drink Jameson, and they don’t have anything else. If they had some of the Jameson Cask Mates, I’d consider one of those, but, no.
I also bought a new brake light for my ride. (it’s just the driver’s side one on the body of the car, while the adjacent one mounted on the trunk is fine, so it’s not as though it isn’t visible while braking, from either rear vantage, but that would be a very…Manos thing to get pulled over for. I don’t think anyone would notice, including the popo, but I’d rather have it good).
And I started applying a new layer of black Gorilla tape to the rear passenger body panel…it’ll take a while, but the first attempt lasted about four years, through all kinds of weather.
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Oh, I found out a fun thing to do when in a holding cell by yourself.
Yes, take advantage of the metal clad walls and the natural reverberations to start tapping things out on your feet.
Just like one has always done: be elaborate, but precise, but at any second be prepared to come back on the “one” and simplify. It’s indeed much like a one man band.
I know everyone’s (probably) done that while jamming out to some heavy post-bop stuff, being very conscious of how to push and pull around that very center of the groove (“The Drum Thing” with Elvin is a great example).
But there’s nothing like doing it live and in stereo. True fact! You can actually watch your feet as you “play” in the metal surfaces.
Another true fact! They don’t allow steel-toed shoes in lock-up/detention, so you get to do it au naturel.
Highly recommended.
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My avocado plant, raised for 4-5 years from a pit, got too big for the kitchen window. This was the only place in the house which was both cat-proof AND got lots of morning sun. So last week, MR_Potroast and I drove it out to a plant-loving pal’s house where it would have more room.
Even though we scheduled the drop-off, I had the bad luck to arrive when my friend was in the middle of a break-up. 
But I hope things are better now and that giving T.L.C. to the plant will make them both feel a bit better.
Now I can get another pit and start another plant, so the cycle can begin anew!! 
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