The "what's On Your Mind?" Thread -2018

[tallyollyopia]

We've been wanting vertical blinds, too. John's suggested just cutting them short enough to work. We're gonna replace our blinds when we move cuz the cats have totally trashed them but there's no point in doing it now and letting them destroy them again.
I'm sick. Sore throat, 3 day headache, nausea, vomiting, and 101 degree fever. Went to the doctor this morning. Negative for flu and strep so it's just done random virus. I'm hoping the breastfeeding provides Aedan with enough protection to keep him from getting sick. So far, so good. John took off work to help with the baby cuz I'm in no condition to do it alone today. I could if I had to, but I'm glad I don't have to. Hopefully I'm at least somewhat better by tomorrow. Just staying in bed and only waking up to feed little man. John's getting me the Zofran prescription, chicken soup (hopefully I can hold it down), crackers, sprite, and jello mix. My mom and grandma always made me jello water when I was sick. Just dissolve some jello mix in hot water and drink. Seems to stay down better than plain water and provides hydration and a little protein.

Hope you feel better soon!

I'm so sorry you're sick.

So question for you all. They always say that a dog's nose should be wet and cold. What about a cat's nose? Is it supposed to be dry and warm? Or cold and wet? Or does it matter?

Shadow's nose was always dry and warm. Montressor's nose has always been cold and wet, which is frequently demonstrated as he loves to stick his nose in your nostril or your ear canal and sniff when you are trying to sleep. Just now Midway was acting lovings deprived and while I was bent over petting him, he stuck his nose on my nose and it was warm and dry.

I don't know about most cats, but my cats' noses seem to be mostly dry and warm unless they've just finished drinking. If Montressor's nose has always been cold and wet, you might try the water dish and make sure it's full.

The spay went well. Toad and Lacey are both home and recovering well. They are now both officially adopted!

GRRRR!!!!

I was just bragging the other day about how nice the weather was here in texas. Shoulda kept my big yap shut.

Now I am snowed/iced in at a podunk truck stop in the middle of nowhere. Even my steps to exit my truck are so iced over I am afraid to try to climb down to go eat in the restaurant. At least I plan ahead for these things and have plenty of soup and chili and crackers.

'Tis the life of a trucker. At least I was smart enough to shut down early and get a safe parking spot. I am watching other trucks sliding around the lot trying to get parking. AND I HAVE MY WI-FI SO I CAN CRUSE INTERNET FORUMS AND COMPLAIN ABOUT IT!!! YAAAYYYY!!!

There's a lot to be said for being prepared! Back when I drove a car that broke down randomly I kept an entire "stranded" kit in the car including change of clothes (in case I got soaked or dirty trying to fix whatever problem had me stranded at the time), snack bag with non-perishable food items (like chips, crackers, and nothing that melts or spoils), blanket (that I could just throw over the ground or trunk for a little padding when I sat, or cover up with if rescue was taking that long), and, of course, a few books (no more than ten--mostly).

My son drives a big rig too and was snowed in in the panhandle of Idaho (he drives 7 states west of the Rockies.) He already had chains on so he was not sliding. He stopped at a Walmart parking lot with about 30 other trucks, it was so bad they could not even see the building! His rig has all the comforts of home so he is all set although he had to get out to let his dog do his business, the dog did NOT want to take a walk, just wanted to get back in and then cuddled under the blankets.

Can't blame the dog for that!

Randomly on my mind...morbid perhaps.
Those who have died, human and animal...people who have died years ago, people who have died days ago that we took for granted and pets that have died decades ago and those who have died recenty enough their passing still stings.
I know that life = death and that all good things must come to an end and all that stuff but I seriously wonder why 90% of those I call/called friends are dead, either long time ago or recent. It's insane.
It's not that I don't believe in a kind of afterlife reunion, but it's just so weird seeing people and pets I love and care about dying unexpectedly from random things, ages 1-100.
Carry on =/

Stop watching the news. It's just depressing.

I saw this on FB.

I was watching cat tricks a few nights ago on you tube. These cats were doing really cool, graceful stuff while our youngest gallumphed into the room at top speed, heaved herself into an Amazon box and froze, front end in and rear end out. She attempted a few times to get her rear end into the box but failed miserably, and as these graceful cats did their tricks and showed off their speed, ours was heaving herself into a box with no success.
I laughed so hard I cried.
Eventually she heaved her uncoordinated rear into the box, then promptly shot out of the box like a bottle rocket as if in pursuit of a wild elk that only her eyes could see.
Boxes = best cat toys!! =D

Oh, yeah!

 

[tallyollyopia]

Last night on the way to work, I drove past a dead cat in the middle of the road. From the headlights it looked like it was an orange tabby, and we have two (Ra and Spot).

Ra.jpg

• tallyollyopia
• Nov 16, 2016

cute spot.jpg

• tallyollyopia
• Feb 12, 2016

Spot and Ra.jpg

• tallyollyopia
• Apr 11, 2016

(Ra and Spot, respectively).

Well, I sent a frantic call to AWM, who got RB to go and check--and not one of my cats! I felt guilty for feeling happy, because a cat still died , but I felt happy that it wasn't one of mine! (I thought it was too far from the house to be one of mine, but then I remembered what happened to Slipper, and where I found her--which probably contributed to my initial sense of panic.)

 

[artiemom]

I saw this on FB.

Ha!

 

[arouetta]

I don't know about most cats, but my cats' noses seem to be mostly dry and warm unless they've just finished drinking. If Montressor's nose has always been cold and wet, you might try the water dish and make sure it's full.

Water dishes are always full and the cats use the same water bowls. Montressor's nose has been cold and wet for 17 years, and his desire to stick his nose on someone's body parts has been around equally long.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

Is it just me or does anyone else not trust their fur babies to anyone... even family members... For example, let's say you're going on a trip. Are you more likely to take them with you if you could or would you leave them in the care of a family member or petsitter?

 

[Katie M]

My boss is out of town for a conference, and he just called my supervisor to let her know that a disgruntled ex-customer is there spreading lies about the workshop. One of the more disgusting ones is that my supervisor and I dress a certain way specifically for the men.

What is WRONG with people?!

 

[Margret]

Hi, guys.

On Tuesday night I slipped on a step and landed on my right hand, completely shattering the wrist. I didn't even try to get on-site yesterday, but today I've finally figured out how to get the laptop onto my lap without further injury to the wrist. And what do I find? 64 notifications! I'm not even going to try to catch up.

Margret

 

[artiemom]

Margret jasmine

 

[arouetta]

Hi, guys.

On Tuesday night I slipped on a step and landed on my right hand, completely shattering the wrist. I didn't even try to get on-site yesterday, but today I've finally figured out how to get the laptop onto my lap without further injury to the wrist. And what do I find? 64 notifications! I'm not even going to try to catch up.

Margret

Try changing the mouse to a left handed configuration. It only takes a couple of hours before it feels completely natural and like you've been using a left handed mouse all your life.

 

[Lari]

Try changing the mouse to a left handed configuration. It only takes a couple of hours before it feels completely natural and like you've been using a left handed mouse all your life.

I have been using a mouse left handed almost my whole life (I'm right handed, but my dad was a leftie and a computer programmer, so that's how I learned) and it's very uncomfortable opposite way. Though I guess anyone could get used to it if they had too. I'm not sure about "natural" though.

 

[arouetta]

When I developed brachial neuritis in my right arm, well that's some serious pain, and any use of it at all made it go from a 10 on the pain scale to something unimaginable. One of the things I did in desperation was a left handed mouse configuration. It was less than 4 hours before I was playing Diablo style layout computer games. (Hey, had to do something other than feel pain.) When the pain stopped, it actually took a couple of hours of use before I felt comfortable with a right handed mouse configuration, the brain took the switch to left very easily. When I had to wear the sling for two weeks last year, I swapped to left handed configuration and it felt easy and normal after an hour, and two weeks later I still needed an hour of adjustment to switch back to right hand.

Edit: I think what feels unnatural is if you use the mouse with the opposite hand without swapping the layout. The fingers know first finger does X while middle finger does Y, and it felt all wrong when I had to use a shared computer and reverse my finger usage. Swap the layout so the first finger double clicks and the middle finger drags and it feels right.

 

[Mother Dragon]

Ugh. Why are venetian blinds designed with the slats horizontal? The only blinds I've found that are vertical are designed for doors. Which means they are too wide for a window and they cost a fortune. Maybe I should start a business providing cat-friendly inexpensive vertical venetian blinds small enough to fit standard windows.

Yep, my blinds have gotten bad enough they need replacing again. Thanks Midway.

We got reasonably priced vertical blinds at Lowe's. They even cut them to fit, both in length and width. They work great. We have them over both our patio door and our bedroom window. The cats simply move them aside and they go right back into place. We all love them.

 

[Mother Dragon]

The spay went well. Toad and Lacey are both home and recovering well. They are now both officially adopted!

Yippee! An official forever home! That bears celebrating with a can of tuna for all!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Are there baby sock stealing gremlins? Cuz I think we have an infestation.

Sock elves. They live in dryers and steal JUST ONE of a pair of socks. On the up side, they occasionally leave something that you have never seen before. The most astounding thing I ever found in my dryer was a pair of size 68 men's Jockey shorts. I didn't even know they MADE them that large! My boys were 9 and 10 at that time, and I swear they could have used them as a pup-tent. I didn't know anyone near that size! Well...not well enough to have their personals show up in my laundry!

I'm not even going to try to catch up.

Don't. I was gone three days getting ready for this dratted inspection, and I'm settling for reading the end of the last page I posted on, and the newest one. Sorry, guys, but I have a LOT of catching up to do!

SPRITE UPDATE! She came out of the oxygen chamber and is making friends all over the place. No one can quite believe that she was born to a feral mama. She is also bonding with a kitten who was dumped there, and her future mama is willing to take both of them when the time comes. Her MRI is scheduled for tomorrow, so we will know a final outcome by next week, hopefully Monday or Tuesday!

 

[Mother Dragon]

GRRRR!!!!

I was just bragging the other day about how nice the weather was here in texas. Shoulda kept my big yap shut.

Now I am snowed/iced in at a podunk truck stop in the middle of nowhere. Even my steps to exit my truck are so iced over I am afraid to try to climb down to go eat in the restaurant. At least I plan ahead for these things and have plenty of soup and chili and crackers.

'Tis the life of a trucker. At least I was smart enough to shut down early and get a safe parking spot. I am watching other trucks sliding around the lot trying to get parking. AND I HAVE MY WI-FI SO I CAN CRUSE INTERNET FORUMS AND COMPLAIN ABOUT IT!!! YAAAYYYY!!!

You must be in North Texas. I saw that Amarillo was 25 least night while Brownsville was 75. We're I'm the 50s around Houston, and rainy. That beats your weather hands down! Do stay safe!

 

[Katie M]

I woke up to discover that Selene had managed to dig my earbuds out of my purse and had been batting them around on the floor for who knows how long.

The kind I like doesn't seem to be manufactured anymore, so I buy from a dwindling supply on Amazon.

 

[Margret]

Well, I'm not trying to catch up on all my notifications, but I did have to catch up on this thread, anyway.

I have no idea what he thought he'd get out of it, but here's what happened. I was in the middle of cleaning coffee pots when these two people came in, one male and one female. They go to the beer doors, the man points at the door, and says something in gibberish. The woman "translates" and says, "He wants to know if you have the sixteen ounce cans of Michelob Ultra." We did, I showed them where the cans were, met them at the counter after they got snacks. He babbled more nonsense at me and gestured to the cigarette wall behind me. (I have a lot of customers in the store who don't speak English, nor not enough English to ask for what they want, so I have a protocol for times like this.) I start on the nearest side of the wall and say, "Tell me when I'm getting close." The woman loses her patience, screams out the name of the cigarettes, I ring everything up (and they both produced ID without prompting), and just before they left the man said, "I must say, this is rather the best customer service experience I've had this side of the pond." They left me standing there, staring at the door, thinking, "What just happened?"

Sounds like a weirdo who's devised his own idea of a sociology experiment.

Yeah, anger should be properly channeled. I used to buy dozens of glass pieces at yard sales for insanely cheap amounts just so I could smash them later to relieve stress.

I save dead light bulbs for the same purpose. For it to be really satisfying you need a big metal trash barrel to smash them into. It catches the shards, which simplifies clean-up, and amplifies the noise most gratifyingly.

We are losing baby socks at a ridiculous rate - and not just in the laundry. Yesterday I took his socks off and got him changed and then one was gone. I searched everywhere and we hadn't even moved! Are there baby sock stealing gremlins? Cuz I think we have an infestation.

Nonconservation of Parity and Quantum Mechanical Tunneling of Macroparticles

I love Colton's. I wish we'd gone there instead. We didn't because my former brother in law works there now and I never liked him - especially since he confessed to molesting his own niece when she was 9 years old.

Difficult.

I think my response to the drunk guys "but we prayed together" might have been "but I'm an atheist".

I'm nastier than you are; I think I'd say "But I was praying that you would leave me alone, and God didn't answer my prayer."

Randomly on my mind...morbid perhaps.
Those who have died, human and animal...people who have died years ago, people who have died days ago that we took for granted and pets that have died decades ago and those who have died recenty enough their passing still stings.
I know that life = death and that all good things must come to an end and all that stuff but I seriously wonder why 90% of those I call/called friends are dead, either long time ago or recent. It's insane.
It's not that I don't believe in a kind of afterlife reunion, but it's just so weird seeing people and pets I love and care about dying unexpectedly from random things, ages 1-100.
Carry on =/

This is a survivors' problem, and the older you become the worse it gets. In fact, it's the worst part of growing old.

Try changing the mouse to a left handed configuration. It only takes a couple of hours before it feels completely natural and like you've been using a left handed mouse all your life.

I think what feels unnatural is if you use the mouse with the opposite hand without swapping the layout. The fingers know first finger does X while middle finger does Y, and it felt all wrong when I had to use a shared computer and reverse my finger usage. Swap the layout so the first finger double clicks and the middle finger drags and it feels right.

Thanks for the excellent suggestion, which I should have thought of myself. Unfortunately, when I did that it lasted for about one minute and then reverted back to the norm. I'll have to try it again and then see whether an immediate computer restart makes the change more permanent. The thing that's even more annoying, though, is having to revert to hunt-and-peck typing.

SPRITE UPDATE! She came out of the oxygen chamber and is making friends all over the place. No one can quite believe that she was born to a feral mama. She is also bonding with a kitten who was dumped there, and her future mama is willing to take both of them when the time comes. Her MRI is scheduled for tomorrow, so we will know a final outcome by next week, hopefully Monday or Tuesday!

For Sprite:

Growl! When I tried to link to this animated gif I got nothing. When I tried to upload it, ditto, presumably because it was too big. And when I told it to insert the thumbnail it lost the animation!

And for the person who is the reason Sprite is so friendly (that would be you, Mamanyt1953 ):

Margret

 

[raina21]

I have been working on one of the new paint-by-numbers sets I recently bought. I zoned out while painting and I just now looked at the clock and its 5:05am where did the last 7 hours go? Lol.

 

[raina21]

Sirius and Remus are doing pretty well. Though I think Remus may have conjunctivitis again ugh (one eye is red around the edges and squinty). It seems I may need to take them to the vet again soon. I have heard them sneezing a bit (and a few coughs here and there, not very often- and both of them are eating well) so I am hoping this is all just part of a herpes flare up or something. But of course I will pay whatever I need to to get them healthy.

Some recent pictures of the little cuties :

 

[arouetta]

Did you use Control Panel to swap the mouse buttons? That's how I did it. Control Panel -> Mouse -> Buttons -> Switch Primary and Secondary Buttons. It's been a couple of years, but I think Windows 7 may have called it Setup for Left Handed Configuration instead of Switch. Still the same way to get to it. Typing "Control Panel" in the Cortana Search on the Windows Tool Bar brings it up. I still hate that they removed it from right clicking the Start icon.

Okay, so collective group think needed. I heard the reason we have vaccines for things like measles and tetanus but not for strep throat is supposed to be that viruses are just a bit of RNA and the immune system can latch onto that and retain a permanent search and destroy memory, while bacteria are independent living beings and there's no way to have a permanent imprint of a separate living being. Looking through the weird stuff in my shot record, how can there possibly be a plague vaccine? I looked it up, plague actually does refer to bubonic plague, there is a vaccine for it. So....how does it work?