I've been up for a bit but it has been dark that whole bit and just now - as it's starting to get light - I see it is raining! We haven't had any rain for so long, I'm kind of surprised I recognized it. Lovely. And this means that I can go swim any time this morning and avoid the sun.

Although, like last Sunday, I ordered up brunch for pick up at 9 am so if I work backwards from that, I've got about 40 minutes to get into my suit and get to the pool, which even when the elevator is slow, won't take up 5 minutes. So... no hurrying here.

The Mariners beat the Astros again last night with a bottom of the 9th impossible catch. It was pretty dramatic. Plus, it was the Astros and anytime they get beat by anybody, it's fine with me. The Phillies have a substitute announcer this weekend. He is a yawner so I haven't really watched their games. But, they have already clinched the Division title and Tom McCarthy will be back on Tuesday for the rest of their games.

I did not leave my apartment yesterday afternoon. It's sometimes very weird living here. Outside my door, I live in a community to which I need to contribute but also derive benefits from those contributions so it's fine. BUT, sometimes, I can close my door and spend hours here where I can live my old life. Just me and the cats and no one else. It's kind of rejuvenating. Yesterday afternoon was one of those times. And today might be mostly that, too.

Ok now I have fiddlefarted away all my loose time. Gotta go suit up.

Apparently, there was another false alarm this morning. This one came while we were playing volleyball but we didn't hear it. But, you can imagine the elbow coffee discussion. There is nothing like a bunch of 80 year olds sitting around pontificating on how things should be done. They have zero interest in or knowledge of any of the decisions or systems involved. Happily this does not even put a pause in their opinions. They know it all.

It also went on well past the hour designated so at 11:18, I left. I may not have a pressing engagement but my brain needs a break really badly.

Volleyball was pretty good. I gave my left arm most of the work and wore the sleeve on my right. I did not sleep with a brace on and my elbow felt pretty good this morning and still does although I did have a brace on now. I think I'll keep wearing something to hold those things in my arms (muscles, nerves, space signals) in place for a few days before I try a day without. I do not want to risk not being able to swim or play volleyball.

I think I might go to the grocery store today. Not for groceries, but to measure. I like light weight litter in a jug. BUT the jug I ordered from Chewy is too tall for my shelf. By less than a half inch. So I want to measure Safeway's selection and see if I can find a shorter jug and then I'll order it from Chewy and maybe while I'm there I'll get some fried chicken. I haven't had any Safeway fried chicken in a while.

The baseball games are this afternoon. Mariners at 4 and Phillies at 5.

Jan called last night cause her son was here and needed wifi - I cleared that up easily enough but was also then able to get a report. Dick came out of the surgery fine and they planned to get him onto his feet last night after Jan left. Whew.

I just got a text from my brother with a picture of their new dog, Scar, in their living room. He looks like such a cutie and he looks to be about the same size as their other dog - pint sized. He wants to change his name but he will forever be Scar to me. I can't wait to hear the details. I'm sure glad they found him.

The alarm on the other side of the complex started going off a little before 6 am this morning. My windows were not open so I could not hear it well but clearly, they were saying something. So I went out in the deck and they were saying there was an emergency and we were to stay where we were and away from windows and doors. BUT only on the other side. No announcement here but the fire doors in the hall did shut.

I'm pretty good at staying where I am at 6 am on a non volleyball day. If it had been a volleyball day, I would have been in the pool and no sweat staying there either.

Old people are not fast about much but they can hit the panic button with the speed of light. I would not want to be in management here today.

If they live on this side of the complex, on the other side of the hall, they might not have heard a thing. UNTIL 7ish when, even over here, there were two VERY loud dongs and one announcement that the first alarm was a false alarm and everything was fine. I can hear it now 'what did he say?' What alarm? What's going on? Do we need our hard hats?? What? What did you say?

Happy Friday!

And the sun is out. And my elbow is really hurting. I'm having the swim/no swim debate. I ordered a new elbow brace - one that covers the whole elbow AND has a tightening strap. I'm hoping that will help with volleyball. Also I can just let my right arm dangle and play with my left or mostly with my left.

Dick - my neighbor down the hall - is having bypass surgery this morning. Probably right this minute.

I cancelled the Root Sports stream today - it's the one needed to get Mariners games. They didn't even offer me any reason not to cancel, buggers.

I've had an issue with TV response. I push the remote button and nothing or slow or nothing. I think that's what caused my elbow issues. Repetitive Remote Stress Injury. I have been blaming the apps. But, yesterday, it dawned on me (finally) to swap out the remote, which I did. Fixed. 100%. I threw out the bad remote and several others in my bag 'o remotes. I have too much shit. At least, now, I have things together. My 4,807 USB A to C cables are all in one drawer and probably procreating. My Google TV fob along with it's remote and all the other remotes are in a bag in a box of other electrical-shit-I-do-not-use-but-might.

Baseball is not on until late this afternoon but it is Friday so Project Runway and GBBO. Project Runway has done something really weird and kind of cool this season. At the end of the show, they announce the winner of the week. And they say who are the bottom 2 or 3. BUT they wait until next week to tell you who got cut. So you scour the teasing scenes for the upcoming week to see who, if any, of those bottoms are in the next week's competition. It's really cute. BUT last week, SPOILER ALERT - ok, this is supposed to be behind a cut but I can't get it to work so just skip to the next paragraph, sorry. ( Spoiler )
Ok, I think I'm going to go swimming. I'll wear my brace and hope for the best.

I am a large woman with small boobs. Every bra and swimsuit comes with gynormous foam boobs. You could pack a lunch in these things, they are so big. The first thing I do is pull them out. While I was hunting for something in the closet this morning, I decided it was time to send the latest batch packing. But, first, of course, for posterity.

Ugh. The sun is going to fuck with my swim this morning, I'm afraid. I had thought that I'd just skip the swim when the sun is out but now I think I'll go try it and make sure it's horrible first. At least the sun is no longer coming into my living room.

The only other thing on the agenda today is the Food and Beverage meeting this afternoon. And, of course, the baseball.

The good broadcaster is gone from these next few Mariner games so they are painful to listen to. Even the radio. So mainly I watch with closed captioning and no sound. Our catcher is on fire with home runs. He hit two more last night. We have a utility guy (one who does not play every day but subs in here and there) who hit 3 home runs last night. Pretty fun stuff, actually.

The Phillies won but they were losing when I went to sleep. They are now playing for home field advantage. But, they have won their division many many times. No way are they the nail biter that the Mariners have become.

There's a very young corgi who lives downstairs from here and his owner just walked him over to the off leash area and he is having the MOST FUN POSSIBLE!! His owner is throwing the tennis ball and OMG can anyone ever have this much fun legally? His little legs are doing a masterful job. It is really great morning coffee TV.

My shot arms are fine this morning. I read in my One sentence a day book last night, that I got both shots exactly one year ago. One in each arm. Both arms were a little sore until the next day. Deja Vu only, really.

This neighborhood is clean and pretty and surrounded by hills and trees and calm and tranquil. And yesterday morning, up the road, a woman shot her husband and then tried to burn him up. As we have very little in the way of local news reporting, I would never have known about it except. Late yesterday afternoon, we got this email from the director here:

Dear Timber Ridge Residents and Staff We have been made aware of an incident that occurred in Talus (near Shangri-La Way NW) early this morning. A police investigation is underway. The scene is secure and there are no concerns for the safety of Timber Ridge residents or staff. However, you may see an increased police presence in the nearby neighborhoods and traffic may be slower than usual.

So, of course, I had to dig out the dets. Somebodies' very bad day. But, today we are back to Stepford calm and quiet.

I think I'll get into my suit and test out that damn sun.

Quite by accident yesterday, I noticed Gmail has a great new tool. Turns out they started it in July so I'm late to the party but I'm delighted to be there. Manage subscriptions gives you a list of all the stuff you subscribe to and the ability to do stuff to each one.



I cleaned up a shitload of my subscriptions. Easy peasy. Very nice.

I'm also trying out a new search - Kagi. I kept reading about it and finally decided to give it a test drive. They have a free version that I'm using now and wow. It's so fast and it's so clean and uncluttered. In addition to links and summaries, there's a 'fast answer' button that will just flat, give you the answer with links to where they got that answer. I'm only on day two. But, I'm mighty impressed.

There was a third technical thing on my list but now I forgot what it was - maybe I should use technology to keep notes on some of this stuff.

An email from Google tells me that they will be giving me more than they originally promised for my Pixel 6 phone. So my Pixel 10 now, officially, costs less than getting the screen replaced on the Pixel 8. Crazy. But, cool!

The Mariners did not play yesterday but the Phillies clinched their division in an away game that went 11 innings. I did not see the end of it. But, I have real sympathy for those actually in Philadelphia who really wanted to see the end but couldn't stay up that late. The stupid Phillies should have clinched it at home on Sunday at a reasonable hour.

Today's games are at 4:30 (Mariners) and 7 (Phillies). And it's house cleaner day. And my plan is to get my flu and COVID shots today.

The IRS swooped in last night and got their quarterly estimated payment. Then I got the USPS 'in your mail box today' email and it shows a check from the IRS! Tidy. I should also get the money from my phone trade in today which would be lovely.

No swimming this morning because aqua stretch this afternoon. I could do both but the sun is kind of out and why risk it.

Hazel dropped in last night and while she was here, Martha popped in - it's a party! John is deteriorating but I'm not sure it's fast enough for him or for her. Martha's in a battle with her floor representative. They didn't stay too long and it was fine.

Mary Roach's latest book comes out tonight at 9 pm. I'm looking forward to it.

I think, tomorrow when the house cleaner is here, I'll go get my COVID and flu shots. They do a clinic here but you have to go down and get a paper form ahead of time and fill it out and then get an appointment and then line up and then get the shot and wait 10 minutes. It's far easier to just hop in the car, get shots, get groceries and be done. And I need to remember to get gas. I'm almost down to a half a tank!

No Mariners game today and the Phillies game doesn't start til 7:15 so there won't be a lot of that one, either, for me.

Nothing much on the plate today - at least so far. Just the usual.

On Sundays we have brunch available from 9-1. You can eat it in the dining room with full table service or you can order it for pickup. Today I ordered French toast and sausage for pick up at 9. This week's menus do not hold a multitude of delights and it's going to be difficult to keep my food money daily average in line. I usually blow off brunch but today I made the effort. My plan is to time it so that I swim and then stop by the pick up window on the way home from the pool.

Two baseball games today - not at the same time. Only two more weeks of regular season baseball left.

My friend, Martha, cajoled me into knitting a couple of mini monsters with school colors. I did it, but blah. I don't care about school colors and I'm not interested in getting into that so I stopped. Then, yesterday, she said that someone had asked her why there were no blue and white dolls. She questioned and they said the colors of Jews. She thought it was weird but said she'd ask. I said ok. And then yesterday I started making one and was about 10% into it and hating every minute. I just had these visions of requests coming in for Palestinian colors and one for Ukraine and one for MAGA and so I ripped it out and sent a text to Martha that I was done with specific color requests. She understands. I make these dolls because they are fun to knit and I can give them away easily and that is THE only reason. I don't want any other reasons and I will stop when they become not fun to knit. It's simple and it needs to stay simple.

Jim reports that he's been doing tests to see if he can get to ESPN on his TV and he reports that the tests have all been 100% successful. He told everyone at elbow coffee yesterday and they all think, like me, that it's a hoot that his TV says 'Hi Susan' every time he turns it on.

Time now to hop into my suit and get into the pool so I can get out and to the pickup window at 9!

The IRS is coming to get more taxes today. It's my estimated taxes for next year that I pay every quarter. They are all set up in a special account that I keep for that purpose. I fund it after I submit my tax return and then just tell the IRS to come get the money every quarter. Unlike paying me my refunds, the IRS is quite prompt when it's paying them. I still haven't seen the refund coming for 2022. I feel like I have spent way too much time and energy and money with the IRS over the past few years. One ugly year to go - mainly due to sale of condo - and then things should get batter. She says so hopefully.

Yesterday's Adventures With Bonny where fun. While waiting for her, I was in the elbow puzzling. Dick and Jan were there and we were all chatting and finding pieces. Then Bonny and I got into the car and headed first for Costco. Where I discovered that my phone was on the table next to the puzzle. We called Dick and Jan who had already found it and put it into my apartment. I had brought my wallet which was kind of rare since I rarely take it if I'm not driving. So I had cash and cards. But it was so weird to be without my phone. So weird.

We did Costco and Costco gas and car wash (which turned out to be the first time she had ever even been inside a car wash). And QFC and then home. Bonny's fairly good company. She's 85 and she has a bum hip which she kind of thinks getting replaced but maybe not. She's been a widow for a really long time. And has two kids. A daughter with no kids and a son with grown kid(s) and at least a couple of great grandchildren - all of whom live nearby. She's not particularly fascinated by the world around her (like Myrna was) but she does not fret or stew about much and is not at all needy. She moved in here about 6 months before me.

Tonight I'm having dinner with Dick and Jan.

Baseball is ramping up. The Phillies will absolutely be in the playoff's. They are only a few games away from clinching their spot. The Mariners may not be but their week has been a thrilla. Night before last, they won in the 13th with a home run from a rookie (I think it was his second major league home run ever.) Last night they won in the 12th with a fly ball hit buy a rookie who had only bat in the major leagues 3 times before! The guy last night is the backup to the backup catcher and was only even at bat because they had an empty spot and he was the last man on the bench. Pretty wild. Right now, the Mariners are tied for the top spot in their division which would absolutely put the into the playoffs.

We have been blessed with overcast skies every morning now and I love them. So I think I'm going to get ready for the day short of dressing and then slip down to the pool first.

I bought a Samsung TV years ago that just sucked eggs. It was a fine TV but their software was so horrible, I finally got rid of it. I have long refused to go near a Samsung phone. A couple of years ago, I bought an LG TV and guess whose software is worse than Samsung???? I got rid of it, too.

Today I had a long and pretty bloody fight with another Samsung TV. I won but the scars are for life. My neighbor, Jim, wanted ESPN. He has an subscription and can get it on his computer but wants it on the TV. (This is not the Jim who does not know the word for remote, this is the Jim that lives next door to him.) He's not tech savvy but around here, he'd be near the top of the bottom of the class. He has full cable but but his girlfriend has a grandson who plays for Colgate so he wanted Colgate football. ESPN Plus.

His 'smart' Samsung TV would not install the app - click on install and get nothing. You had to go to Samsung Plus which is an app on top of the Samsung TV general app and load ESPN there. BUT you can't do it unless you log into Samsung Plus. We went through 8 stages of hell to get Jim a Samsung account and failed at every turn. For an hour. Finally, I just logged onto his TV as me. Screw it. I finally got the ESPN app loaded (and, turns out, it is the slowest app in the city) and we had to log into it, too BUT, of course, now it's Disney + and that involved a shit load of fucking hoop jumping. Until finally, magically, there it was - the Colgate game - airs tomorrow at 6.

Fucking a. He's very grateful. I'm exhausted. And I'd like to shoot every programmer who ever worked for Samsung. (Gimme a few Disney/espn coders for extra credit.)

Meanwhile on 2 different shows and once in real life in the past week, I've heard people in a TV discussion ask
'is that on Netflix or Roku?' This question cracks me up but I am totally weirded out that so many people think it's a viable query!