So, do Arlo and Janis still work? Yes, they do. They’ve been luckier than many over the years; they’ve had stable employment, maybe not with the same companies the entire time but in similar fields and environments. There is no doubt they’re in that winding-down phase of employment, when the management would love to get rid of them and replace them with someone younger and cheaper or, more likely today, outsource their work entirely, but they just know too damn much about how things work. Perhaps one of them will be offered the “consultant” track soon, where they’re paid half the money to clean up after a workforce making even less. Speaking of money, they like the money, of course, but they would leave for a new challenge and less remuneration in a heart beat, say helping run a fun little local-food enterprise, but the benefits are the trap, especially the insurance. See? You don’t really want to hear all this. They have modern jobs, sure, but they still are modern cartoon jobs. It’s nice work if you can get it.
240 responses to “Harpe Diem”
Every year the wrens would choose to make nests in some of my hanging baskets out on porch. I’d have to sacrifice the ferns or flowers as water chilled the eggs and then babies.
One year a wren made her nest in a lush spring wreath on front glass door. She frightened easily so we draped a sheet over inside of living room and put yellow police tape across front porch to keep her calm. She hatched the eggs.
For those looking ahead to this year’s solar eclipse in the USA, here’s a very useful interactive map. Zoom to wherever you think you might be able to watch it and click on the spot you have in mind. It will display the times and duration of the eclipse at that point.
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2017_GoogleMapFull.html
The spot I’m driving to offers a totality duration of about 2 minutes and 16 seconds. In my backyard some 250 miles away, the best we would see is just 89.344% obscuration, which means if you don’t know it’s happening and go out at the right time with the special sunglasses and look for it, you probably won’t know it’s happening… it might as well be a cloud passing overhead. 🙁
And now for terminal cuteness in a “My Little Pony” shirt:
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=44332497&nid=1017&title=have-you-seen-this-cutest-oil-change-ever
Has anyone else noticed that the History Channel has become the Pawn Shop Channel and programs of little note?
Last night, I found another network that actually has history. Right now, I am watching a well-done series about the Great War and our eventual involvement.
If you long for the History Channel of old, check out the American Heroes Channel.
Rick, best wishes for your prospects. I’ll admit my very first thoughts were in line with Mark’s, that is the loss of knowledge that goes with every retiring/dumped on their keister employee of experience.
In my head was: Wow, I sure hope he takes on an ‘apprentice’ in the time he has left.
Followed immediately by: That’s exactly what would give management the last item they need to liquidate the position.
I hope I find my balance point before it is put to me. Nope, reword that, Hope it is not put to me, before I find my solution.
Also, HIST channel has been a running joke in my circle so long I’ve forgotten when it stopped showing actual history. I had noticed the channel you mention, seems like more than a few months ago, maybe before last holiday season. I think I caught a show on Grand Central Terminal, associated with an anniversary that may have not been current. Very interesting. The production quality seemed low, but I didn’t see *any* excitable alien believers with hair 6″ tall and a fake tan that makes our president seem pale. I also note the low quality may actually be the transmission quality that DirectTV affords that corporation.
Realized I did not know where to find it in the Guide, so looked at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Heroes_Channel
Channel 287 for me, don’t know why I’ve been missing it. Halfway through that sentence, realized it’s because I filtered out SD channels over the winter when I spent too much time on the couch. Will look again, thanks.
Llee: Just noticed in the Sunday funnies. Last panel: nest is in the grill. Peace,
Jackie and Mark: Fully agree – hear, hear!
Morphy: Thanks. I hope that everything will be okay, even after I start training my replacement in a few years. It’s something that cannot and should not be avoided due to federal regulations requiring succession planning for officers. As the old line goes, time will tell.
There hasn’t been any history in so long, as there has been no gardening or cooking. Or discovery. It all changed to entertainment or what some think is entertainment, not I.
The real things move too slow with too little drama so they substitute reality. But whose? Not mine.
Just had fresh pineapple, cottage cheese, key lime Greek yogurt. Nurse Ghost is off getting fresh tea, fresh orange juice and glass bowls to eat our beef pho from.
Best convalescence in my life. Only first aid, nothing less. Maybe I can get a massage on other leg?
Llee: P.S. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act [acts?], it’s illegal to disturb the nest of most spp. of wild birds, including all wrens. There is no requirement, however, that you not drive off ‘not knowing’ one is in your grill. Don’t know how often various spp. of wrens or other dickey birds nest in grills, but if none ever produced young, natural selection MIGHT result in decreases in grill-nesting in SOME spp. Good evolutionary biologists know how to qualify such statements.
Also, His eye may be on the sparrow, but She watches wrens and others commonly die before reaching reproductive age. Being a wild critter is tough. Studying them is rewarding, and one can still get all misty-eyed, and also be reverent.
Peace,
Mark, in the Department of Long Funny Walks for a Joke, Synchronicity Division: Last night’s BBCAmerica presentation of Doctor Who, “Extremis”, featured a pack of cardinals with ill intent. Who could expect… A FOURTH INQUISITION?!? I’m telling ya, man, every door. They’re everywhere.
If the series is still airing on BBC One before release across the pond, and you already know the next episode, please no spoilers.
Good night Village. Nurse Ghost is over hooking up the ice machine for my knee. Waiting for pain meds. Decided to walk into other end of room for a loo visit before I get strapped in for night.
Pouring down liquids. I like this LQ as a rehab center. Far easier than my house.
Morphy, I bought myself something called a Roku Streaming Stick. If you have WiFi, you have access to many channels of programming. Old movies and old TV free, mostly. Pay channels for more current things. Since I had to have internet service, I didn’t see any reason not to invest in one of these as it’s less than $50 and then no further charges unless you want channels that charge. I can read news on the internet so I’m good.
Also found two more used book stores around here. One called The Frugal Bookworm and one called Gardner’s. Gardner’s is a blast, with both paperbacks and hardbacks, CD’s, DVD’s. They even have a clearance annex where most things are under $2. Who needs network tv?
Here’s the company website: https://www.roku.com/index
Mark, yeah, up until now I’ve been frugal on voice and data, to allow luxury on video. When I had started that balance, streaming two movies would kill an entire month’s permitted data so satellite it is. There is no coaxial copper or glass fiber out here. Rules and contracts are changing, though. Unlimited is being offered again, if you can trust their definition of ‘Un-‘. And who knows 5G might happen this year? Next year? Five Years?
Where did I park my AirCar?
Had outstanding data transmission for a couple of years. A network guru hobbyist set up a terrestrial microwave service point direct to an internet node. Screaming fast, cost so low I never worried about content. Lack of customer density meant it was never a viable business. When his hobby interest moved on, I was back to counting megabytes like coins.
Or just read a book. Ouch! [damn paper cut… mumble]
Left out of those considerations, because I don’t think about it while still using satellite, is the over-the-air variety currently available absolutely gratis. Local news, weather, and broadcast entertainment with a better signal than satellite has been available for years now.
It is funny on the rare occasion satellite signal is out, tune to a digital signal over the air, the picture is so much better, with less artifacts. But you can’t fast forward through the commercials, and they all have commercials. What we tolerate for such small conveniences.
Morphy, that’s why we have a mute button and opposable thumbs.
Well, yeah, but…
Actually advertising has never bothered me, at least in programming that has a rhythm written that uses the commercial breaks to break up the storyline.
The other person in the room however… [ducks]
God forbid you miss the volume button in time to hear the first word, necessitating a reverse loop which is never performed accurately. Generally, if I had picked up the remote and selected a program, I surrender all further control fairly quickly. There is just something about having your own finger on a button that immediately gives patience to how that button is used. So I give the button bearing stick to the finger that matters.
Tonight the evening clouds cleared out enough about 23:30 MDT for me to view both Saturn and Jupiter through my little telescope. Of course the picture NASA puts out are much bigger, brighter, and artificially color corrected to make them beautiful and fascinating… but there is something compelling about seeing them through your own small reflector telescope in spite of light pollution from not only the city’s lights but also your neighbors’ lights.
It’s time to explore some of the local parks where we’ve had good views of the Milky Way during campouts. One of them is just 20 miles away (a 45 minute drive during the day, longer in the dark) and at 8,000 feet.
Good morning. Gus is my favorite character.
Sorry Mary Lou.
Sweet Ghost just got me up and back in bed in one piece with orange juice, pain meds and ice. I am so glad our relationship began with a three month honeymoon leading to the surgery.
Back in bed. We have been working on a wheelbarrow technique. Ghost is cutting back on my liquid intake for night time for obvious reasons.
We walk by the floor to ceiling closet mirror and he says, “Don’t look folks, nothing to see here.” Train wreck.
There’s nothing he says he’d rather do ar 5 a.m. than watch a woman brush her hair unless it was potty.
Went to Google, Gocomics, and A-Z listing for my morning Arlo fix and noticed this:
http://www.gocomics.com/academiawaltz
No idea how long it’s been there, but it’s worth checking. Neither squirrels nor most students are really like that, but it’s good. Peace,
Good morning Villagers….
Relieved that you, Jackie, are being taken care of. I was worried that with your daughter living in Illinois, there’d be no one to assist you in every day physical therapy….Amen
I’d never seen so much chocolate as there was on the dessert table at the graduation party. I knew I should have brought more chocolate covered strawberries home. But still, it was crowded, food was good….pulled pork, beans cole slaw, salad and taters.
Got things to do today, need to run into Jasper and do a few things…make an eye doctor’s appointment for Dad is one of them. Get scrpt filled yayayayayae!! Run by CPA’s office too.
Well, the other female black cat brought her brood to the back porch…can’t catch the lil fur balls either…there’s three of them.
later…
…and that is a fact
https://i.chzbgr.com/full/9035680256/h95CB1849/
High drammer on my ‘soap.’ Mistaken delivery to Tiffany, shallow glamour girl who never has a real date. Jack & Luann were on a double date last night, and Luann is in the hospital / bowling ball Jack dropped on her foot. Stay tuned [or not; de gustibus …].
http://www.gocomics.com/luann
Peace,