Of Moose And Men
The Best Laid Plans Of Both Often Go Astray

Had a good coaching call this afternoon with the mobility program folks (yes, one free week back in January turned into a twelve week program, has turned into a twelve month program now – I’m really enjoying it). The prompt for us to talk was about how (if at all) we track our workouts/physical well being. A lot of folks shared that they would use something until it got too much, then give it all up entirely, or for a short period, then resume the same ramping up of intensity regarding the pressure they felt from the tracking. I told them it reminded me of a conversation I had back when cell phones were still relatively new. Was out with friends and when one of them kept stopping in the middle of whatever we were doing to take calls, answer texts, another of my friends looked at him and said, “Remember that it’s your tool, not the other way around.”

That stuck with me (obviously), and I think it’s a useful framing to think about whatever device someone might be using to track activities (garmin, apple watch, etc.). It’s definitely an attitude I make sure people know I have with regard to my work cell phone – that thing is for my convenience; it’s not an electronic leash whereby anyone can reach me at any time.

Got chosen as the president of my HOA. Oh joy. It was something of a game of hot potato, with the three (of three total) board members trying to be nice and defer to each other, but effectively passing the baton around and around before I said yes.

The pressing issues of the day are parking, lighting, and rats. The Facey-B group for the HOA has the torches and pitchforks out for a business in the boundaries of the HOA that has some (if the photos are to be believed) pretty serious rat problems at their foundation. No indication that they’re inside, but the business isn’t doing anything to control them outside, either. City Code Enforcement has been out to inspect and warn the owner to get on it. The owner, however, claims to be an attorney and is threatening slander and libel lawsuits. Which is why we’re going to let the city go at it. In the meantime, the HOA itself does not control the Facey-B group, thankfully, so there’s no there there for a suit. D-R-A-M-A.

Thankfully our newish management company is much more on top of these things than the last one, so the manager has things well in hand with addressing what we can address (calling the city, having the HOA pest people out to handle our stuff).

(thinking about this entry caused me to discover I hadn’t posted the catching up entry)

Let no one tell you that mayonnaise is difficult to make. It is not. Most sources online will tell you to go through this complicated drill, getting the eggs to room temperature, drizzling oil slowly into a food processor, and watching nervously in hopes that the emulsion will take. Pure poppycock.

All you need is a quart sized mason jar and an immersion blender. Toss in one and a quarter cups of a neutral oil (canola, vegetable or “light tasting” olive oil), one large egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and blend the stuff right in the mason jar. Easy peasy. If it doesn’t come together, something is wrong with your ratios (i.e., you put too much oil in) or something is wrong with one of the ingredients. I know this because I had two batches not come together this afternoon because the oil was off. Switched oils (with fresh other ingredients, naturally), and voila, came together like a champ. Hardest part is getting the immersion blender blade assembly out of the jar and scooping the mayo off of it and into the jar.

When last I posted I was getting ready to head to Texas to visit my family back in early March.

Got to the airport (BWI – Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International airport), got parked, got through TSA without a hitch. Then apparently sometime between sitting down and boarding it began to snow. So they had to de-ice the plane. Then it began snowing harder, which meant they needed to re-de-ice the plane using a different, stronger de-icing treatment. Sat on the plane while they did all that, then finally got in the air. Flight itself was fine, but as we were approaching it became clear there was no way in hell we were going to make our connection. United rebooked us to a later flight while we were still trying to get off the first one, because our original flight finalized boarding while we were still deplaning.

Then somehow we wandered through two terminals at the Houston airport that were … rough. The first looked like the basement of an old municipal buildings: concrete, cinderblock walls, scuffed up earth tones, etc. Caught a shuttle from that one one to the other, which looked slightly better, but still in desperate need of a refresh. Caught some lunch from a no-name sports bar, and halfway through the meal we got told we were being moved to yet a third terminal. Thankfully it was an easy rail ride to that one, which was okay, but still nothing to write home about. In the air for one of the smoothest rides I’ve had on a small plane, and down to McAllen.

Visited, enjoyed seeing people. Took the three nieces to lunch one day with just them and us so we could talk to them without their parents or mine. Parents were okay. Did get my Dad set up with the hearing aid function on the air pods I’d gotten him for Xmas, which definitely helped his level of involvement, since he could finally hear people. On the other hand, he’s also managed to alienate all three of his granddaughters by being a jerk to live with (my brother, his wife, and their three girls all live in a 5 bedroom house with my parents). *sigh* What a mess. But, overall, a nice visit over the long weekend.

The Sunday before we were scheduled to leave it got up to 102F/38.6C (!!!!!). A bit warm, especially since it was snowing when we left Maryland. We were supposed to fly out Monday, then the weather people got themselves all up in a lather over spring thunderstorms and tornado warnings, and air travel turned into a disaster. They got so worked up that schools back in Maryland were closing at 2 or 3 in the afternoon to get everyone home, which meant that workplaces had to do the same. Before we even got to the airport Monday morning we’d gotten an alert that our flight was delayed from 9:30 to 10:50. At the airport it was further delayed to noon, then quickly cancelled altogether. Apparently things were backing up in Houston, with nothing being able to go further east, so they started limiting what could come in. We rebooked as soon as we got the cancellation, but couldn’t get out until Wednesday. Two extra days with the family.

With the rebooked flights we gave ourselves a lot of extra time in Houston to make sure we could make the connection. Early, early morning flight, which went off without a hitch, including the TSA process. We were a bit worried because it was the beginning of all the news reports about hours long delays at the major airports. McAllen is so small we sailed right through. When we arrived in Houston this time, though, we were convinced we’d been punked the last time – the C and D terminals have been renovated, very nicely, with good food choices, plenty of clean bathrooms, etc. Was a totally different experience than the first trip through. Was also glad we gave ourselves more time between flights – didn’t feel as rushed/stressed about making the next batch, even if it meant more time in the terminal.

London was lovely. Didn’t quite sleep on the plane. Rested with my eyes closed (under a mask, with ear plugs in), but didn’t really sleep. Not for lack of trying. Got in easily. Took a very expensive taxi ride to the hotel (we would not have been in a position to figure out the tube right then, though we used it a lot aside from that), got settled, then took off to wander the city. So much walking, which I loved. I miss that from living in SW DC.

Saw most of the main touristy stuff with the husband before he had to do his work stuff. On the days when I was solo I had a massive headache (migraine?), but managed to hit a couple of museums on my own. Did not realize that folks dine there at later hours than we tend to in the states. Several times I was the first person in a restaurant before it filled up completely, because I hit them too early.

When we left, it had snowed just a day or two before, though it melted before noon. We still had large piles of snow left from the previous big snow storm. London was a delightful early spring (mid-50s-F/low teens-C), with daffodils and cherry blossoms going everywhere, and very lush grass. Then we came back to late spring temperatures (it got up to 86F/30C here today). And now we’re leaving tomorrow for what we consider summer weather in deep southern Texas, aka North Mexico, where it’s going to get up to 97F/36C on Sunday. Cultural and weather whiplash, for sure.

Worked for one day yesterday, catching up on email and what not, and now I’m off until next Friday. Unfortunately the time off when we’re back will be spent getting the shelving in our owner’s suite closet fixed because one of them collapsed after we got back from London. Ah well.

I think work is not quite prepared for me to be gone for much of the next month, but gone I shall be. The husband has a work thing in London week after next and I am tagging along this time (unlike his New Zealand trip). I’ll have a couple of days to myself to play tourist while he’s busy with work, and we’re taking a couple of days on either side of the work stuff to play tourist together. First time in Europe for both of us, though of course I’ve lived in Asia (Taiwan), and he’s been to NZ. Looking forward to the trip, but tired of all of the prep work at this point (cat care, shopping for different chargers, etc.).

Then a few days after we get back we’re back on the road, this time down to southern Texas where my parents settled around the start of the pandemic. I haven’t been to see them since they moved, and dragged my brother and his family with them. I did get a chance to see my brother’s family before they moved, but the parents (who were already snowbirds, traveling each winter) had settled already. And of course when the pandemic hit I couldn’t fly down, or even drive down, and momentum and resentment of them moving to the middle of bloody nowhere has meant it’s been far too long since I’ve seen them all. While I’m looking forward to seeing them, I’m not looking forward to the plane trips, since the last and first legs will be on puddle jumpers to the tiny airport where they live. That and that the whole Texas trip is more expensive than flying to and staying in London (because they live in the middle of nowhere). But hey, the place was/is cheap for their cost of living, so you suck it up. Even as you resents the fact that they used to live within driving distance for a day/weekend trip.

Cultural whiplash, for certain.

Monday was most definitely a snow day, but you couldn’t tell that from the flurry of work emails. As I said to one fellow lawyer, ‘bored scientists gonna science’. ‘Twas crazy busy on a day that people really should have been more chill, no pun intended.

Rest of the week has been okay so far. The husband dug out our driveway, much like the next several neighbors down to our left. Then we watched the HOA contract crew dig out the driveway to our right that hadn’t been touched. Wish they’d make up their minds. First few years they dug out everything. Then suddenly they would only do the sidewalk and we were responsible for the 3 feet from door to sidewalk (which was still the case this year) as well as the driveways for those of us who don’t have driveways on an alley (which is most of the townhomes). Cue the rolling of the eyes. But in any case it was all clean for our housecleaner to come over today, a couple days early because she has a doctor’s appointment on her normal Friday.

Escaped the house to go get comics this afternoon, then hopped right back inside. We are braving pizza delivery this evening after being assured they were open and delivering. I tipped more than usual in recognition of the road conditions, which are okay, but not stellar.

Like most ‘Murrikans on the east coast the husband and I are now just waiting for whatever snow is supposed to appear starting around midnight tonight. The news, as it is wont to do, has hyped this thing all week. I ‘maxiflexed’ Wednesday morning and did my main grocery shopping then. That evening we did the usual comics run and popped into Whole Foods for one thing the local Giant hadn’t had, and it was packed to the gills with lots of empty shelves. I know it’s human nature, but it’s still nuts. And they didn’t even have the item I was looking for. The local small organic market down the street did have it, and wasn’t a madhouse.

Did scurry out solo for a long overdue haircut this morning, then grabbed the husband for lunch at our favorite local eatery. Picked up some pints of ice cream from their shop for later, then home to hunker down, play some video games, read, and knit. Our power shouldn’t be affected unless something catastrophic happens, because our lines are all buried (*knocking on wood*). The only time this development has had an extended outage was when some drunken idiot took out a power box out on the main drag, which has been confirmed by folks who bought here when it first opened in 2010. In the meantime devices are charging, and I’m listening to a cat snore in his heated bed here in my office. The not-so-quiet wait before the storm.

Trying to add in my fruits and veggies to my diet, because as a typical ‘Murrikan I need more of those. Which is great, aside from the gas as ye olde bodye gets used to processing more fiber.

The husband and I went to see the premier of a new musical put on at a local arts center. Ninety minutes, ten-ish musical numbers. There was a good story in there, but it needed a bit more polish yet, and perhaps more experienced actors (as opposed to the author and their local theater arts friends). All that said, I did enjoy it, and I’m glad we went.

For the good deed, that is. The young friend apparently had a cold at the end and the husband and I have it now. LOL I’m fighting it, he’s got it full blown. I’d tease the friend about it, but he’d take it way too seriously and go into a spiral right now, so I’m just teasing the husband instead.

That said, I still got in a workout this morning. Trying a one-week program from my favorite mobility site. So far so good, though getting in the steps while teleworking is a challenge. Speaking of, scuttlebutt in the office is that rather than a couple months we’re probably looking at 9-12 before we can move into the new building because of all the work that has to happen to get the IT systems up to snuff, including work outside the building to tear up the street and install better external wiring. So much for “move in ready” in the request for proposals. Not complaining, at all, just amazed at how messy this whole thing has been. All because a large agency head hated his building downtown, and his commute. Lawdy.