Patricia Abbott (pattinase): Monday, Monday

Monday, June 17, 2024

Monday, Monday

Tell me what's new?

19 comments:

Jerry House said...: "What's new?" New York is new and I hope you are having a wonderful time there!

It's been an interesting week here on the Florida Panhandle...Ben, the bearded dragon, is getting along famously. Even though all bearded dragons like alike and all have the exact same stoic expression, I swear that Ben is cuter than all the others...It looks like Mark may be getting a job offer from a large zoo in Albuquerque. They keep coming back asking for more information; last week he gave permission of a background check and this week they wanted a TB test, a physical is coming up. So they're very interested, at the very least. fingers crossed...Erin has narrowed down the number of veterinary schools she is applying to to seven -- six in the US and as a wild card choice, the University of Scotland. Of she gets accepted to Scotland, I told her she can wear Kitty's kilt (Kitty was a member of Clan MacDonald), which should count for something over there -- unless the administration are all from Clan Campbell (if you don't know, don't ask; suffice it say that the Scots can really hold a grudge)...Erin also settles a small kerfluffle at her work. A co-worker with a bity more seniority kept trying to turf a lot of her work onto Erin. Ever-diplomatic Erin managed to solve the affair without blood-letting...Caylee and two friends from work had their application for a house rental approved; they'll be moving at the beginning of the month...Amy's puppy Macaroni appears to have been cured of her eye infection and her negative reaction to the eye medication has abated.

Both Christina and I have ordered new glasses. (I was told that with my current glasses, I would never pass a driver's license test.) They'll be coming in soon and I may actually be able to see! Current eyesight is so bad I have a hard time spotting dolphins at the beach; when the girls spot some I can't tell if the dolphins are actually there or if the girls are just yanking my chain...Late Thursday afternoon, we went to Navarre Beach and had the best beach weather in a very long time. Yesterday morning we set out for Pensacola Beach in clear skies. By the time we got to the beach ten miles away, it was cloudy and started to sprinkle. Within half an hour, the skies opened up and people began leaving in droves, but it seems to me that if you are going to the beach, you might expect to get wet.

Friday, Flag Day, was Kitty's father's birthday. He would have been 104. Every year in his honor we go out and celebrate with ice cream -- one of his favorite things to do. Our regular place to go, a small pharmacy with a wonderful ice cream counter closed this past year, so Jessie found us a new place in Pensacola -- Fannie Lou's. It has the best homemade ice cream I have ever tasted. A lot of unusual flavors, too, including their very popular Pelican Poo. (Their Grafitti Bridge ice cream, named after local bridge whose hand-painted grafitti changes constantly. also changes constantly -- you never know what the flavor is from day to day.) One of their specials is called the Flight Deck -- six small serving ice cream cones (you pick the flavors) with a race against time before they melt. My flavors were Pelican Poo, Coconut and Caramel Pie, Coffee, Strawberry, Chocolate, and Peaches 'n' Cream. (I sometimes scroll through Bill Crider's old posts and, several months ago, came through one where he was enjoying some hand-made peach ice cream. Since then I have had a major hankering for Peach ice cream, but none of the local stores carry it. Grrr. Fanny Lou's ice cream made me realize all to well what I had been missing. Yummy!).

[More to come]; 6:19 AM
Jerry House said...: What else?

We've been having a shark problem on the Emerald Coast recently. One county closed its beaches after three people were seriously injured during two separate bull shark attacks within four miles. Last week Erin and Trey photographed a group of at least five smaller sharks off a nearby pier. Also last week, Christina, Jessie, Erin, and Amy were in the water when a school of nearby fish began breaking the water; usually when that happens it means that some hungry dolphins are nearby and are scaring the fish. Because of recent shark sightings, it's best not to take chances, so all four exited the water quickly.

Still having problems with AT&T. We lost internet and streaming for a day yesterday. When it came back, each television channel demanded I input their own specific code. Since my handy-dandy notebook of various computer codes went walkabout a month ago, I hade to wait until yesterday for Jessie to figure out what all the codes were -- consider that a Father's Day gift. Also, since Walt signed us up for high-speed internet, that meant that AT&T was gifting us with new phones. Alas, that meant that we no longer had unlimited data -- something that does not bother me because I use my phone solely for texting and for ignoring phone calls, but Christina and Walt now have to be careful. Mark's new phone did not come in because they did not have the right color in stock. (Really? Mark does not care, AT&T, I promise you.) And my phone did not come in because...AT&T. Actually, they have been trying to hook up my new phone for several weeks, but...AT&T. I'm told I'll probably end up with two phones for a while, my old one with my old number and a new one with a new number, just until they can figure out how to transfer my old number to the new phone. I'm still waiting.

Television this week included the first half of GODZILLA MINUS ONE, whi8ch is what happens when you finally get TV late on Sunday.

It was a great readinf week: John Connolly's latest Charlie Parker novel INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS, Craig Johnson's latest Longmire novel, FIRSRT FROST, Stephen King's latest collection, YOU LIKE IT DARKER, and lawrence Block's RESUME SPEED AND OTHER STORIES (the title novella had also been published separately in 2016). Also, Judith Merril's SF collection, THE BEST OF JUDITH MERRIL, and two graphic novels from Stephen Graham Jones, EARTHDIVERS: KILL COLUMBUS and EARTHDIVERS: ICE AGE. Coming up, the twelve novellas that comprise Dean Koontz's NAMELESS, SEASON ONE and NAMELESS, SEASON TWO, as well as a volume of "club stories" from Larry Niven, THE DRACO TAVERN.

I expect later this week to hear of your name in lights on Broadway and you being given the title Toast of the Town. Enjoy New York, but stay safe.

there's a skeezy-looking diner on the main drag in Elberta, Alabama, called the Road Kill Cafe. Every time we pass it, it sparks our interest, although it always seems to be closed. come to find out it's only open from 10 to 12:30 weekday mornings. So later this morning, with loins girded, Christina, Mark, Erin, Amy, and I will headed there on a noble mission to test the waters and taste the cuisine. If we don't make it back, you'll know what happened.; 6:56 AM
Margot Kinberg said...: I hope you're having a wonderful trip, Patti!; 7:14 AM
Jeff Meyerson said...: We watched the Tony Awards last night (on a one hour recorded delay), and all I can say is, get off my lawn! Nothing appealed to me (well, STEREOPHONIC, maybe), I hated the HELL'S KITCHEN thing that had the audience in raptures, and generally, I felt like an old curmudgeon whose time has past. I was very happy, however, to see Kara Young win for PURLIE VICTORIOUS. She was hilarious and wonderful, and stole every scene from Leslie Odom, Jr.

It was a basically quiet week (the way I like it), though a heat wave is coming tomorrow, they say. Jackie is so glad she doesn't have to go into school - this month marks TWENTY years of retirement, believe it or not.

OUTER RANGE is one of those shows where they feel free to rewrite things whenever they want, bringing back characters from the dead (or the brink of death), or rewriting their stories.. In general, I don;t like that. But I've enjoyed some of the episodes, like the one of Joy in 1884, more than the modern "feud" story. Still watching (a couple of episodes a week) THE SYMPATHIZER (also varying in interest) and A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW.

We started series two of BLUE LIGHT (Britbox), the cop show set in Belfast in the '90s. This is set a year after the first series. Also started the second, much shorter (first series was 11 episodes, second is 5), series of the Israeli COMMANDMENTS. We're on teh last (series 5), 3 episode series of SCOTT & BAILEY. We've both gotten tired of NORTHERN EXPOSURE and have dropped it, at least for now.

There was an Irish-Belgian(-Canadian) show called HIDDEN ASSETS we watched (two series; the first was better). Now we've gone back and are watching what was the original series, ACCEPTABLE RISK, set in Dublin and Montreal. (The cop from the other series - Angeline Ball of THE COMMITMENTS - is in this one too, but there is no Belgian connection.) A woman (played by Elaine Cassidy of NO OFFENCE) gets a call that her husband was murdered in Montreal. Was this connected to the "accidental" death of her first husband a few years earlier? And what is the connection to the pharmaceutical company they both worked for?

On TNT we're watching the second series of THE LAZARUS PROJECT, a time travel/time loop series.

Books. I read the new Stephen King collection of stories, YOU LIKE IT DARKER, and enjoyed it for the most part. I can't say the Carson McCullers collection thrills me, though I like some of the New York-set stories. Enjoying a first mystery set in far northwestern Washington State, Nolan Chase's A LONELY PLACE FOR DYING.

Hope you had a good tripa nd enjoyed the shows you saw.; 8:00 AM
Jeff Meyerson said...: If it wasn't clear above, HIDDEN ASSETS was spun off from ACCEPTABLE RISK.

Jerry, that ice cream sounds great! Years ago (1982, I think), we visited a (now late) friend in northern Kentucky, and he took us one day to meet his parents. Said parents had made homemade peach ice cream, and we felt like we were in Mayberry with Andy and Barney and Aunt Bee.; 8:07 AM
George said...: Patrick and Katie made this Father's Day weekend special by traveling to Ohio to join us. They are about to leave for the Cleveland Airport to return to NYC and Boston.

Diane and I are packing up for the trip back to Western NY. The temps are climbing into the 90s.

Hope you're enjoying NYC!; 8:36 AM
Gerard Saylor said...: I spent most of Father's Day on the couch reading the new Charlie Huston novel, watching TV, internet futzing, and sleeping. I did not leave the house until the evening when I put out the garbage. The dog was not happy about not getting a walk.

One Thursday I attended the student and family orientation at UW-Madison. Glad I was able to make time for it. This is something we missed with Boy #1 because of pandemic restrictions.

Now listening the radio and Zadie Smith is being interviewed. Her first book came out 24 years ago and I've not yet read any of her work.; 9:12 AM
Anonymous said...: I liked Sterophonic more than Merrily although I liked the scenes with the three stars. The subplot- not so much. Enemy was good although Strong read his lines too
differently than Imperioli. Megan took me to a primiere of Fancy Dance with Lily Gladstone who was there to talk after along with the Director and others. It will be on Apple.; 11:46 AM
Todd Mason said...: I suspect you might like Smith if you give her work a try, Gerard.

I'm managing to get some larger and smaller tasks done, but being not quite blocked about getting any reviews done.

Other than to note I liked the US season premiere of D. I. RAY on PBS last night (despite its excessively abrupt ending), was less impressed with the premiere of HOTEL COCAINE on MGM+ (watchable but not telling us much, if anything, new in this kind of narrative), Danny Pino and Michael Chiklis among the players. Was kept from seeing much of the US season openers of PROFESSOR T and GRANTCHESTER by those large and small tasks, but will record the repeats.(PBS and premium cable among the few not offering game shows almost exclusively among new summer fare on "regular tv"--am enjoying a rerun through PERSON OF INTEREST on Amazon Freevee.)

Avoid sharks bearing peach ice cream, Jerry! Hope most of the good things continue, even if it takes some of the younger gens away for a while.

Glad I'm no longer the lone voice of NORTHERN EXPOSURE skepsis here, now, Jeff. The "sensible, arrogant people are shown how foolish they are by the colorful hicks" dynamic has never worked for me, whether GREEN ACRES, BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, NEWHART nor NE.

Glad your Ohio sojourn has perked up, George!

Further wishes for a good trip for you, Patti, and everyone spare a good thought for Tracy, who has imminent cataract surgery...been there, at a youngish age...opthalmology appt overdue, for that matter.

TM
fill-in list:
https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2024/06/short-story-wednesday-links-to-reviews.html; 12:14 PM
Todd Mason said...: Glad you're having a good Broadway time of it, Patti! I shall look forward to seeing FANCY DANCE somehow, eventually.; 12:17 PM
TracyK said...: The last week was busy for us. Glen had his annual visit to the retina specialist (all is well), and another day he had to go to Urgent Care towards the end of the day to get one of his ears unblocked. Plus shopping, picking up cat food and medications, etc.

As Todd mentioned above, I have cataract surgery on one eye tomorrow, and I am anxious about that. Thanks for the good wishes, Todd. Assuming all goes well I will have surgery on the second eye the following Tuesday.

For Father's Day weekend we watched RUSH HOUR and GROSSE POINTE BLANK. I was surprised to see that they were both released around the same time, RUSH HOUR in 1998 and GROSSE POINTE BLANK in 1997. We also watched episodes from COLUMBO and BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES. I am still enjoying NORTHERN EXPOSURE; we are in season 4. The episodes are getting more and more like fantasy, but still fun. Glen has liked a lot of the music in NORTHERN EXPOSURE and has purchased at least two CDs based on songs feature in the show. We finished Season 1 of HARRY WILD and the latest season of BEYOND PARADISE.

I finished reading TALES FROM THE CAFE by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and enjoyed it, but not as much as the first in the series. I also read REDHEAD BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD by Anne Tyler. It was only the second book by Tyler that I have read, and it has been years since the first one. I liked it a lot, especially at under 200 pages, but will have to read some of her earlier ones for comparison.

Now I am reading FAMILY BUSINESS by S.J. Rozan. The Lydia Chin / Bill Smith series is one of my favorite series and this is a good one. Only about 50 pages more to finish it.

Glen is continuing to read AT HOME: A SHORT HISTORY OF PRIVATE LIFE by Bill Bryson and still finding very interesting tidbits in the book and enjoying the read.; 3:18 PM
Jeff Meyerson said...: Tracy, good luck on the cataract surgery, but don't worry. Jackie had both of her eyes done and there was no problem with either. They were fast and painless.; 3:33 PM
Jerry House said...: UPDATE: Just returned from the Road Kill Cafe and am more than pleasantly surprised. Good Southern cooking buffet style (we didn't realize it would be a buffet) serving smother pork chops with gravy, fried chicken, green beans with bacon, mashed potatoes, a very mild Mexican rice dish, sweet corn, greens, black-eyed peas, and a salad bar to die for. Plus cake and soft ice cream (yummy, but it melted too fast). Soft drinks and sweet tea. About fifteen bucks a head. The menu changes daily; they post the day's menu on Facebook each morning. When you pay, you grab a token from a bag; if the token is marked you get a discount. People over 90 eat free -- there were two chomping away in one corner. Considering it's only open two and a half hours a day, the place was packed; it's evidently the morning meeting place in Elberta. The clientele is friendly, the staff even more so. The restaurant is also a big supporter of youth sports teams. One of my best dining experiences in years. If you ever drive by dinky, little Elberta, Alabama, between 10 and 12:30, be sure to stop by. You won't regret it.

Let me echo Todd and Jeff and wish you the very best with your cataract surgery, Tracy. (I've been told to expect the same procure on both eyes sometime over the next three to five years, but they'll have to catch me first.); 4:42 PM
TracyK said...: Jeff and Jerry, thanks for the good wishes and the assurances. I hope my surgery will go as well as Jackie's did.

Jerry, Elberta sounds interesting and the Road Kill Cafe would be a great place to eat. Pork chops and fried chicken are not my favorite, but I bet they have other menus I would like. Sweet corn, greens, and black-eyed peas sound wonderful. I have never been to that part of Alabama. Even though my aunt and uncle both lived in Pensacola, and I visited there decades ago, I had no idea that Pensacola was so close to Alabama. Mostly I have spent time in Panama City, and my brother has lived there off and on.; 6:33 PM
Anonymous said...: Thinking of Tracy. More soon. We were in Urgent Care. My friend has Covid!; 9:40 PM
Gerard Saylor said...: Best of luck on the surgery. I had not know cataract surgery involved inserting an artificial lens.

I've never been to Alabama but the restaurant sounds interesting. They must be packed to make a living off of such a short serving time.
This has me thinking of all the states I have never been to and I tally that at 12. Many of the ones I do count are interstate travel.; 11:15 AM
Todd Mason said...: Yikes, Patti! I hope her case isn't too onerous, and that your prep protects you. Vacations seem not to be kind to this social group of late. Best of luck, indeed, to everyone, including Tracy.

Yup, Gerard, I have the "cheaper" sort of artificial lenses in both eyes. I've been to every state (but only two Canadian provinces), though only driving through a small slew of them, mostly the western/mountain states, from when my parents and I moved from Alaska to Massachusetts, with a summer in Oklahoma City (my father was at the FAA training center in Lawton) along the way (we drove with a pickup and camper...the provinces were Yukon [technically not a province] and BC).; 2:15 PM
Jeff Meyerson said...: Anouk Aimee, star of A MAN AND A WOMAN, died this week at 92.; 7:38 AM
Todd Mason said...: Sad to lose her and Sutherland in quick succession.

https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2024/06/short-story-wednesday-links-to-reviews_21.html; 10:49 PM