Friday Files 2.17.2023

This week has been like a grown up obstacle course personally and professionally. TGIF

New exterior front and back storm doors in Philly FINALLY installed on Wednesday. If you are in Northeast Philly I highly recommend Gallagher Brothers - they know what they're doing both in measurement/styling your new doors with you and in installation. I got these factory painted which is not what I've done at the shore - I painted all of those myself. These doors have needed replacing for years - the back door could have been broken down in a second and the storm door back there was literally held together with a zip tie - but they are so fucking expensive for quality doors. We did all of them at the shore over a two year period as well and I wish they told you when you were growing up how much shit like this would cost because I swear I thought this was a small/cheap home improvement project and it is absolutely fucking not. Back to a yellow door up front - gere are shitty befores & afters  - the manufacturer has to come replace the screen part of the storm door because it's off as you can sort of see here:

but no befores of the back because they arrived and started that immediately and I refuse to ask people to stop working so I can take a before photo. I wish I had them as the exterior door was peeling on the outside, like wood curling up, and the entire frame was fucked with busted locks etc, and the screen door was circa early 1970s, handle-less at this point, and held in place with a fucking zip tie as a latch LOLOL

People who know about our key fuckery will be pleased to find that we are using keypads now which will hopefully cut down on being locked out.

New couches were delivered at the shore yesterday  as well because yes let’s schedule two anxiety-producing items back to back. They had to be hoisted over the railing and the door removed but they are in! MFD took one for the team to go and be there for this since the door had to be taken off. Big Wally's Furniture and my old friend Billy D are awesome.

Floors in two weeks, and I need to address a pipe issue in March then the big things are done for the year at the shore. After that we're about caught up in both houses for things we had planned to do pre-Covid that got pushed off due to lack of availability of supplies or folks doing the work we needed being well jammed up schedule-wise with the exception of basement ceiling in Philly and starting the process to get quotes for windows here. 

Pets of the week. Billy Hicks spent a day in my home office this week, which he rarely visits during the day.

I was in my office Wednesday and I absolutely love being in Old City. 

I was very happy to see AEB for a quick coffee when I was In the city - we haven’t seen each other since pre-Covid! Excuse the wind tunnel, it was wild on Wednesday.

My uncle and I got to see my cousin and her boyfriend Monday as they were in from Chicago

I hit the meat markdown day at the grocery store and got over $52 of meat to freeze for just over $24. Peak adult shit there.

One of the best batches of mashed potatoes I’ve ever made. 

This is an entire fucking disgrace. Fuck Joe Biden (see how easy that is to say, Go Brandon people?) for intervening in favor of corporations to divert a strike and fuck all the politicians on both sides who supported that. Sacrificing people's lives and the environment so corporations can rack up money for the rich to get richer. What a fucking joke. Another de-railment outside of Detroit yesterday too.

I try to hang in with crew neck tees and I end up cutting them all at the neck. Let me be freeeee

That's that about that for this week. Have a great weekend, it's a long one for a lot of you! Not here, ever. 

Thursday Thoughts - I think about the implication of diving in too deep

1. I had a shit day on Tuesday. Riding the Sugar Dragon straight to hell on the fumes of Super Bowl leftovers felt good in the moment and gave me a stunning headache after. 

2. It didn't help that it was still wicked cold, the beach was super flat, and dogs were still tired from our Monday long walk in the cold. What a nice treat to get an impromptu visit from Beth and G and Lulu Monday. 

3. MFD went home Tuesday night, taking Bruce, Mae, and Billy cat. I kept Ben with me and he would definitely thrive as an only dog. Which I get, after coming from a hoarder house having to fight for food and attention. The only thing he wants is another dog near him when he eats so he can be Mr. Teeth. Bruce on the other hand was very upset to be sent home.

Wednesday was warm and beautiful and made me long for spring. Someone was already out walking in bare feet. Not too long now. I don't wait long on doing that. 

4. I love treasure hunting, but the best is when you go to the beach just for a quick 15 or 20 minute walk and come across some things just lying there you have to put in your pocket. These are Wednesday's, still sandy, and Monday's unexpected glass haul. I should really paint this counter this weekend.

5. This is the new piece of furniture we wrestled with last weekend set up as a work station. I actually put another ceramic utensil holder under the monitor to put that up more too. It works for the few days a week I'll need it in the summer. I'll put a little light in there too in the back. The countertop paint mentioned above is in that brown paper bag waiting, waiting LOL

6. I love when I catch sun or light like this. In my computer monitor before shutting down for the day, me crouching like a creep to get it.

7. I fought the long arm of Wells Fargo Corporate Facilities this week and sort of won? They installed new lighting to adhere to some NJ statute. It is like living next to a fucking football stadium. They dimmed the lights and angled them down but I still need blackout shades. Who has recommendations that won't kill my wallet? These photos were all taken before they did anything.

8. Change of scenery for a few days, and that meant dinner last night with Jen & Kelly! It's been over two years. I've been friends with Jen for over 40 years and Kelly like 32? 35? It's always like no time has gone by at all. We went to Las Margaritas & it was good. 

9. Reminder via byhappyal

10. This made me LOL

TGIAF! Windows open, lunch with a coworker, niece's play tonight. Wrestling with making it back to the shore for an appointment early.

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Overkill by Men at Work - love this acoustic version the most 

TWTW - gray gray gray

Friday I hit the grocery store in the late afternoon and made salad, birders in the air fryer, and root veggie fries for dinner. Gold Rush for MFD - same as nine years ago, apparently - and reading for me. I was asleep early. Last week took it out of me. 

Saturday More shite weather, finished a book, Gold Rush including MFD confessing that he has been on a Gold Rush fam page. Who am I married to? It was wet, cold, icy. Salad, spaghetti with veggie meat sauce from the freezer, and garlic bread. I was up until 1 reading. 

Sunday No one wanted to get up, I literally made the bed with Bruce in it. At 9:30 I picked up bagels, homemade pop tarts, and macarons from Dead End Bakehouse. We took unshowered selves and the dogs to the beach in the late afternoon and nearly killed ourselves sliding down the icy ramp being pulled by dogs who did not seem to be sliding. I almost wet my pants laughing. Gus's 16th Valentine's Day, whooop! I made a roast, asparagus, and baked potatoes (tried them in the air fryer and they were great). I finished a book (Every Last Fear comes out March 2, put it on your list), started another, and wondered how TF another weekend slipped by with no projects done and seemingly no time gone by.

Presidents Day. I’m not off, I've never been off since I started working a real job in 1999, but at least I can observe it again. After a week of mostly gray with one sunny day, I'm dying to see the sun too. It doesn't look like that will happen early this week. Not into the first true winter we've had in years. 

Well, it turns out this was not the weekend I'd get my ass up off the couch and do things. Next?

President’s Day. I’m not off, I've never been off since I started working a real job in 1999, but at least I can observe it again. After a week of mostly gray with one sunny day, I'm dying to see the sun too. It doesn't look like that will happen early this week. Not into the first true winter we've had in years. 

TWTW - February dreamin'

Friday I had an acupuncturist appointment that got me home after 7. MFD had made pizza and salad and I was in bed early and slept well. Last week was another humdinger. 

Saturday out the door to visit my niece and nephew early, followed by a Target run. That combined with Whole Foods delivery via Amazon is how the grocery game was won this week. 

We took an hour and 50 minute walk in the afternoon. The 14+ year old dog only needed to be carried for less than a minute each five times. He did awesome. 

MFD's friend Albert joined us for dinner (MFD made salmon and salad, I made snickers dip). When they left to go to a meeting I finished a book and that's all she wrote. 

Close to a two hour walk = assed out dogs.

Sunday MFD was gone for the day by 9. I got the sheets changed and in the laundry, towels put away, showered, cleaned out two drawers that were accumulating crap, did some food prep, work worked for about four hours, did some reading, painted my nails (Zoya AJ and OPI Made it to the Seventh Hill!, enjoy this photo of them before I fixed them). Between work work and household management work I didn't have much time to loll around.

Weekly food prep: Breakfast is yogurt with granola and fresh blueberries. Lunches are hard boiled eggs with bell peppers and cantaloupe on the side. Snacks are baby carrots. Dinner is leftover Pioneer Woman pot roast with mashed parsnips. I also have salad stuff to eat and I am making vegan mac & cheese when I work from home on Wednesday. And of course I made Gus and Mae's million dollar food. This is the pot roast just as it was going into the oven...ain't nobody got time to hold a photo collage for Sunday dinner's photo.

This week is packed to the gills. Let's get to it. 

Happy birthday to my little girlfriend Natalia today!

TWTW - that February flow

Friday I worked from home and switched it up a little. Instead of starting work at 7, I read for a bit and painted my nails (Zoya Madeline). Then I took a break to meet Michelle for lunch at Maggie's, dropped a box off at the post office and returned library books, and picked up a few groceries. Around five I made italian wedding soup for dinner, and dip three and four of the year (dips are being saved on an instagram highlight at the top of my profile with either where I got the recipe or what it is-some of them will make their way here but that’s where they are for now), worked from about 7:30-10 in the basement, and did a zillion loads of laundry (including the couch covers) while MFD hosted a debate party upstairs. I went to bed around midnight. Flexible work schedule rocks. 

Saturday was a leisurely start. I put laundry away, did my walk, then spent much of the day finishing a book and doing some organizing. We went to Dad & Carol's for family dinner and looked through a bunch of old photos and stuff from my Grandmom & Pop, which I love doing. I took Grandmom's dictionary home with me. I started a new book and had to force myself to put it down and go to sleep at midnight, it was so good. 

Sunday I did the normal morning routine of changing/washing sheets, then set up blogs, did my walk, and did some food prep. I meant to take the best friend dogs for a walk, finish working on my basement shelves, make chicken salad, and run to the grocery store in the afternoon but I cancelled life and finished Long Bright River and I loved it. I did manage to get dinner made with MFD pitching in on the mashed potatoes so that was fine. I had to bring my book along to get dinner going though.

Sunday night I started another book and half watched the Oscars. 

Weekly food prep: Breakfast is scrambled eggs topped with broccoli. Snacks are bananas and baby carrots. Dinner is pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes and brussels and salad or chicken salad (must make tomorrow) on Dave's killer bread. Lunches are leftovers of everything. I made Gus's super high priced ground beef with organ meat because he can't process it raw, which I was planning on switching him to.

Show Us Your Books is tomorrow! See you back here for that. 

TWTW - the productive yet relaxing one

Friday I had acupuncture at the end of the day and went home to chill the F out all night. It was great. I had a super simple dinner of argula and spinach salad and cacio e pepe, had some tea, and watched Schitts Creek.

Saturday I meant to sleep in but Gus had a poop problem and the dogs knocked over my bedside water glass, lamp, and phone, so I was up and moving by 7. I put away a load of towels and two loads of clothes, did another load of towels, cleaned out the fridge, emptied the dishwasher, cleared the living room cart of all the shit that has accumulated on it over the past year, and got a visit from my mom who came bearing pastries. Saturday afternoon was Annabelle's first birthday where it was nice to catch up with a lot of people I haven't seen since Catie & Joe's wedding in April, then on to Aldi. I was supposed to go there Friday night and should have because it was insane. I lolled around on the couch and read and watched Schitts Creek, MFD had an aborted mission to a mummery gig due to a car fire on 95. I made a nice rib eye with potatoes and green beans and sat my ass on the couch. I also talked on the phone twice! To Laura both times, but still. LOL

Sunday I slept in until 8:30, packed shore towels up to go back there, changed and washed sheets, went to Produce Junction, put away the shit that gets sent to the basement to get put away but just sits there for a while, organized Christmas gifts, ordered the gifts we do for Santa's Family organized by our friends at McCarthy Real Estate, photographed and listed some things to sell on FB, did the weekly food prep, went through a year of magazines, did a hair and face mask, did some work, and painted my nails (Zoya Aubrey + OPI Meet Me on the Star Ferry). I was feeling well prepared for the week by 3 pm. I closed out the day watching CSI season one episodes - man, that was a good show - and working from 8-10. 

Weekly food prep: Breakfasts are hard boiled eggs with power breakfast muffins. Snacks are oranges and celery and PB. Lunches were going to be chicken salad over spinach but I have too many leftovers so they have to go as lunch first. Sunday dinner was caesar salad with crusty italiaan bread/hard salami/mozzarella/green olives. I also made enchilada pasta to use up some enchilada sauce I had frozen (there's enough in my freezer for it to look like I was opening a restaurant) with zucchini and bell peppers from the air fryer + black olives and a can of tomatoes with diced green chiles.

I'm feeling a little better about my life after getting some shit purged and in order this weekend