Ian Abel

PAH! HOLD MY BEER... Seen in Costco here on Wednesday when Jemma and the Mrs were shopping; POETS, actually taking the day off, that's about as early as it can get 😁 Wednesday was beastly here, 39c with a 114c heat index. Yesterday, somewhat better and nothing to report from either day except the image above. Today, were originally going to a memorial service but the Mrs not feeling up to it. Later we're off to our travelling companions Condo to sample the in-house restaurant. The weekend supposedly "quiet" with nothing significant planned, we ALL now that'll change 🤪 First thing, 21c and sunny, high of 32c expected no precipitation in sight for 5+ days. Weekend weather much the same though expected to be slightly cooler. Onward.

Definately "inconvenient" to be one of Putins "friends" and failing!! 🤣🤣

Ditto! Our old house (the one we're now renting out) which was built in 1927, was a stucco exterior with lath and plaster interior construction. The mesh used on both interior and exterior walls was a remarkable RF shield, I suspect even BETTER than the mesh housing that contained some NATO systems I worked on 😃 The new house (circa 1957) isn't a lot better since it has metal siding AND the interior walls are remarkably NOT sheetrock, but also plaster. Since I have a hard-wired internet to my office for all the devices running through an 8-port switch, I simply added a decent duty Wi-Fi router to the mix so I could make the never ending business calls in the office when COVID hit. Works very well, and the Mrs and I both have Wi-Fi calling switched on permanently so we can actually get and receive calls anywhere in the house! Lots of visiting friends are surprised by the lack of signal inside, until it's explained to them. Must be nice for some to have sheetrock walls as the only separation between you and the great outdoors. 🤣🤣🤣 HUMP day - <phew> it sucks to be here at present. Yesterday we ONLY hit 99f(37c) with a heat index of 114f(45) and that had me remaining firmly INSIDE all day, thank you. Today, expected to reach 100f(38c)+ and the heat index destined to be similar/same as yesterday. Stepping out for the newspaper was more than adequate to remind me to stay inside in the a/c today. Supposed to ease some tomorrow and the days ahead. Tally ho.

Varies, mostly depends on having a decent lease in the first place - then it's pretty straight forward, if they stay beyond their term they can be evicted, unless it's been assessed as "affordable housing" (owner can apply, but THEN there are limits as to having someone leave, essentially the lease has no real "end"). Far as damage etc., you hold a security deposit, usually 1-month rent, and that's applied to any damage/cleaning costs, balance returned to renter. Overrun, you then have to take them to small claims court if they don't freely pay up whatever you request. On advice from many friends in the business (real-estate/property management) it's STILL worth holding it and continuing to rent, retaining as an asset, BUT, we will be getting a property manager in future to limit our day-to-day involvement.

Moaning all! Well, yesterday we notified the renter the lease wouldn't be renewed, and surprisingly have heard NOTHING so far in response. Given some recent "activity" we were expecting to hear some sort of rant etc. So far so good. Nothing else to report from yesterday, other than a short (one mile plus) walk with the Mrs around lunch time before the weather became oppressive. Today, Mrs and Jemma off to Costco for who knows what. At least a Tuesday afternoon should be quieter than much of the week. Weather heading in the sh!tty direction, was 21c first thing and sunny, NOW, 34c already at Noon with a RealFeel of 44c, expected HIGH of 39c RealFeel may reach 66c!! Staying INSIDE, carry on.

Agree to the result, in much/most of the US and certainly here in Minnesota, the defendant is required to be present for sentencing except in non-capital cases if the defendant has voluntarily absented himself after the trial has begun. I feel that should be a requirement especially for the convicted to hear victim impact statements. Morning... Weekend was mostly "quiet". Friday passed with no surprises or activity to speak of. Saturday, I was all set to continue work on my new computer setup when we heard from Trevor/Meagan, their washing machine on the fritz again, and they came over to do laundry. Spent a couple of hours chatting so put the kybosh on my PC activities! No sooner had they departed than Brendan flew in to pick up Whitney and we had another hour or so chatting. Always great to see all/any of them but does hamper progress on planned project time - oh well. Sunday I was recruited to be the discretionary "Ken" to go see the Barbie movie with the Mrs niece, her partner and two teenage girls! Very entertaining movie and worth going to see especially for those with a fragile male ego 😃 Other than that, nothing else of note. Today will be fraught with some wariness as I get to send a notice to our rental house tenant that we'll NOT be renewing the lease at the end of October. Most likely will NOT be well received, but we've had a few hiccups this summer and as she's been there 4 years we're done... Weekend weather was acceptable, and today 17c first thing, overcast and light breeze, high of 33 expected. Can't say the same for the next couple of days as at least ONE is expected to hit 100F/38C (sounds much more impressive in Fahrenheit!!) and will be a record for August here. Only one of 7 ever in August since records started supposedly. Off now for a short walk with the Mrs and the weather is so pleasant. Carry on.

Has some potential to be considered for the Darwin Awards, if they manage to do it "correctly" I guess!! 🤪😮

POETS...sure... Yesterday was quiet and I avoided "outside" given the air quality situation. Today, likely to be similar. The air quality is referenced to be pretty unacceptable until late evening, so remaining inside is preferred. I think we do have a requirement to procure some comestibles though, so that'll e an outing. This weekend has nothing specific planned, YET! I'm sure that'll change as the day progresses, already been informed "WE" are giving Whitney a bath later. 🤪 Aside from the lousy air quality, which is supposed to improve markedly late evening, a cool 13c first thing and sunny. High forecast 30c no precip in sight. Tomorrow the high is expected to be 36c - pah. Tally ho.

BIN day, got them out late last evening, all serviced already. Yesterday was enjoyable, fun and informative at the Charles Schulz exhibit. The various explanations as to when and how many of the characters came into being was quite surprising. Several being names of friends, many of whom were quite happy with the relative notoriety it seems. Great dinner afterwards at a local and long serving watering hole. Had steak (it's a steak house) for the first time in ages, and it didn't disappoint. Fine evening. 17c partly sunny and very windy first thing. 24c the high. Currently expected to have unhealthy air quality from the Canadian wild fires for 48 hours starting around noon - yay 😝 Carry on.

Having perused the article, and especially noting the video was from FAUX News, it should be considered rather more overblown that suggested. Simply, in my experience it's NOT "that bad". Many locations that have the "swivel screen that options for a tip" are not just take-out but also dine in etc., so the single pay point doesn't mean everyone is expected to tip. The last sentence, referencing "...finding a solution...", can also simply be addressed by paying wait-staff/servers a living wage - WHO'D HAVE GUESSED!!! I happily tip where applicable, on the PRE-TAX amount, as I'm well aware of the pittance many establishments pay folks. It's somewhat self-serving though, since the pay is often low as a result of the expected TIPS making up a serious portion of the individuals wage.

HUMP day. Yesterday quiet, only really punctuated with Jemma and Brendan dropping off Whitney. Nice but brief visit with them, they're both off on trips very early today. Brendan mumbled his is "lots of boring places, back Saturday", and Jemma is off on a six day trip to Paris, Atlanta, London. Today, something different. We're going to the Minnesota History Musuem to see the "Art of Charles Shultz Exhibit" with or travelling companions/best friends. The Peanuts cartoon creator was a St. Paul native and well respected locally as a result. After that, an early dinner at one of St. Pauls iconic restaurants. Weather first thing, 16c and sunny, 32c the expected high and some rain showers predicted for later in the day. Onward.

Happy birthday @andyram Chewsday. Yesterday quiet and uneventful. Today will be much the same. Mrs off for a Dr appt., me working. Whitney joins u later as Jemma off again into the wild blue yonder. 12c and sunny first thing,27c the forecast high with sun all day, no precipitation forecast. Tally ho.

Actually, crews AND the airline are actively complaining. Delta have already abandoned one London hotel (part, of course, of some ubiquitous chain!) due to these issues. Given the airlines pre-book and pay for these rooms "no matter what", seems very short sighted for anyone to p!ss on their own doorstep as it were, by NOT having the rooms available as agreed to - then again, enter the almighty shareholders, profit over customer service. Moaning all <sigh> Weekend busy but enjoyable Friday evening impromptu drinks with next door neighbor lady, ran rather late <hic> Saturday some pre-birthday shopping for Trevor then off to an afternoon wedding. Good to catch up with quite a few people who we've not seen in a while. Sunday, rest up first thing after two late nights, then off to Trevors' for a birthday afternoon/dinner. Most enjoyable. Weather varied over the weekend, not too hot and some rain. Today, raining overnight and first thing, but it's still much needed even though not a downpour. 14c first thing, light rain expected most of the day and a high of only 17c. Onward...

POETS, yes please... Nothing much yesterday, only real highlight - if you can call it that - Jema stopped by and picked up Whitney. Jemma less than happy camper as for the SECOND time on a trip to London, the hotel managed to NOT have the crew rooms ready on their arrival and the crew had to wait two hours in the lobby for their rooms! Today, first thing (9am), "man" here to look at our main picture window as it needs replacing. Good connection as he's the son-in-law of good neighbor Bob two doors down. Neighbor across the street also in need of similar replacement, so two-birds-with-one-stone job for them. Couple of weeks to get the glass in, then the replacement. Later a lunchtime shop with the Mrs for a birthday present for Trevor. His birthday is tomorrow and we are celebrating on Sunday. Tomorrow we're off to a wedding for a friend of Jemmas' who we've known for a long time, since school days. The Mrs and her friends mum have been friends even though the girls have lost touch some with very different work circumstances. Smart casual attire requested and COVID tests as several of the family members are immuno-compromised. Other than that, not much expected to happen this weekend. 1/2 inch of rain overnight, welcomed, but was forecast to be rather more. 17c first thing, 32c the expected high and a whopping 99% chance of heavy rain later, we'll see!

Same thing happened on my couple of sojourns to Bermuda, while living in New York in the late '70's. Not sure the sprayed "product" would be in any way deemed suitable for human consumption today! BIN day - yay! BINs out early and already "serviced'. Only two this week as the recycle is every other week. Yesterday, nothing to report - very quiet and generally slow day. Today, Jemma will possibly be picking up Whitney, provided they get into JFK on time (currently showing slightly early), and she can then get a connection/seat home. Other than that, another quiet day all round. Weather a very pleasant 18c and sunny at BIN time, expected to reach 24c later and a good chance of some showers late PM. Carry on.

Thoughts go out to Mrs Baz hope the news is good, happy anniversary to @Dave Hunt and his Mrs, and congratulations to @Gwiwer and the Mrs on a new Kernow home. Not much to report from yesterday, work continues at a slow pace. The ONGOING fight with the new PC build continues, as MANY of the sites I visit/applications I use require login verification AND manage to determine I have a new PC "somehow", so continuing to spend time shuffling for credentials before logging in again <sigh> 12c and sunny first thing, 24c the forecast high. Maybe one or two light showers later but only a slight chance, a decent rainfall would be welcome. Tally ho.

If I had to re-install ALL the applications I have it'd take much more time and too much energy... I don't think I'd survive it 😀

I've returned... finally! <yawn> 😝 Took until late last Friday to get my new PC build returned to me. Even though it was built around my existing hard drive(s), it seems some applications have an adverse reaction to seeing a new/different motherboard/CPU presented to them - !@$!@$!@$@!$#$ Didn't have a lot of time over the weekend to sort it with a lot going on, so took yesterday off to sort the mess out. Microsnot seems to be averse to using LEGAL activation keys for almost EVERYTHING, often with remarkable annoying multiple attempts/multi-factor verification of who you THINK you are! I had to actually BUY a new key as they couldn't get the system to start with my existing VALID one, THEN, Microsoft Office played the same game, admittedly with an OLD version (which I'd never replaced). Since I'd purchased a 3 PC license for the new 2021 Office Pro when the Mrs got her new laptop, I spent too much time - WHY does it take so blasted long to simply install carp!! - uninstalling Office 2010 and installing the new one. I think I've FINALLY got everything up and running, but I'm sure something that was/is little use will rear its ugly head at some point and demand activation - turdy curses. Anyhow, back now, and hopefully not having to worry about THIS PC for some extended time. Weather today a pleasant break from most of the past two weeks which was mostly hot, muggy and miserable, 18c first thing, expecting 29c for the high, sunny with a light breeze. Carry on.

Monday... very short week, this week, as we are taking three days to vacation in the Mason City, Iowa, area with our travelling companions. Past weekend was a quiet Friday, followed by an EXCELLENT visit to the grand opening of our friends sons new restaurant location. They were super busy, with great reviews from all, glad their dream is coming true. Jemma came with us as she was home, then we repaired to our place and Trevor and Meagan joined us for an evening. Sunday, Jemma came over early to drop off Whitney, she's headed to Atlanta for three days, 6-month currency training on the simulator. Mason City is home of the last Frank Lloyd Wright designed working hotel (two night stay booked), tour of the "Prairie School" setting that he had there, including various homes and a museum, also sight of some of the filming of an OLD musical "The Music Man" (76 trombones fame), with apparently a museum as well as various filming locations. On the way down we're headed to Austin, Minnesota, as three of the four of us have some incomprehensible desire to visit there. Apparently has had rave reviews, which makes it scary IMHO 🤯 Will make for a nice getaway anyway, and the weather looks like it will be favourable with temps in the 26-29c range. Today, need to get the car valeted to prepare for our trip, and Brendan gets home and will pick up Whitney. Weather over the weekend was hot and UNHEALTHY air quality until late yesterday. Today, 12c sunny and good air quality first thing, 22 the forecast high (LOVE THAT!!), and air quality expected to be good for a few days. Carry on.

Over here, that usually means either a Derringer or .38 Special 🤯🤯🤯

POETS, and that's happening. Yesterday, nothing in the way of news or other excitement I'm afraid. Just another day. Weekend hasn't much in store, and potentially LESS than would be possible, since we're scheduled for the ENTIRE WEEKEND to be unhealthy air quality, thanks to our northern neighbor's forest fires. Even so, we're planning to go to the Grand Opening of the second location of our friends' sons restaurant. Good food and who can pass up a 50% off opening special!! Returning here after that for a family get together - I'm informed 🙂 Had a few thunderstorms overnight and picked up 3/4 inch of rain. Good we got "something" but really doesn't make much of a dent in the drought conditions. Today, 17c and sunny first thing, expect 30c for the high with the AQI rising faster than the temperature looks like - ugh!! Will be a batten down the hatches and crank the a/c probably. Later.

Sadly it WAS Ticketmaster #$!@$@$@$!%$ 😡

Dave, see my post from today, they added another concert date yesterday, went on sale today and I score tickets - FINALLY 👍

BIN day, those already serviced. Seems quieter than usual BIN truck-wise, I'm sure it'll pick up sooner or later. Better FIRST THING news today - the Eagles added a second night performance, and I managed to score tickets, though not without several attempts due to poor refresh rates of their booking system. Who in their RIGHT MIND allows only 13 seconds to complete a several step screen for what will certainly be a heavily accessed system. Took me three attempts after selecting a couple of tickets, to be fast enough to complete the next screen! Oh well, did manage in the end - result, YAY! Nothing much to report from yesterday, another slow uneventful passage through time. BIN time weather 18c and sunny, starting to cloud over and a high of 30c expected. Tally ho.

HUMP day... and I already have a serious case of the hump 😒 Yesterday uneventful, nothing to note/report. This morning, connected to that evil monster TicketMaster to attempt to obtain tickets for the Eagles concert here in November. Calm the disparaging comments, we have been trying to see all the past master/singers/groups we like, as most are listing as their LAST tour/event. Suffice to say, even though I got in the queue as early as SUPPOSEDLY HUMANLY POSSIBLE AND as a PREFERRED customer, I was already 2,000+ in line - WHAT!?!?!?! HOW THE HELL!! No matter. My number finally came up and only seats remaining STARTED at $390 a piece and headed UPWARD from that to an eye-watering $1,900. Not in our preferred budgetary range, I'm afraid. Anything north of $200 and we've decided to give it a pass. Disappointed, but there you go 😬 Oh well, on with work, the Mrs off to lunch and walkies around the lakes with a friend. 14c partly sunny first thing, headed for 25c, very VERY slight chance of a shower later. Carry on.