USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Clinton Baptiste]

I did kitchen chores. Sat down in the living room... shhh furry kids are napping.
Whilst I’m here on my own I’ve finally deleted everything on my FB account. Only a fake picture which I’ve always used is left, only online friends know me as this entity.
I realised early that FB was one big snooping service for anyone who wanted just to keep an eye on the business of whoever they choose.
Take for example my employer, a friend at work told me the HR manager asked him if he was friends with me on FB, so that meant they would like to see what I post on there.
Big business also has an interest in what I post.
Well if that’s the way of the world now they will have a hard job locating me for stuff.

 

[Foxfyre]

I did kitchen chores. Sat down in the living room... shhh furry kids are napping.
Whilst I’m here on my own I’ve finally deleted everything on my FB account. Only a fake picture which I’ve always used is left, only online friends know me as this entity.
I realised early that FB was one big snooping service for anyone who wanted just to keep an eye on the business of whoever they choose.
Take for example my employer, a friend at work told me the HR manager asked him if he was friends with me on FB, so that meant they would like to see what I post on there.
Big business also has an interest in what I post.
Well if that’s the way of the world now they will have a hard job locating me for stuff.

I no longer have an employer and I was my own employer at the time I created a FB account. But yes, the ability for electronic surveillance by our respective governments/law enforcement, all manner of vendors and services, employers, even nosy neighbors is definitely out there.

Just think how many times we do a cursory search on the internet and will immediately start seeing ads for whatever we were searching for. There are programs and means to prevent any sort of tracking of our on line activities, but using them also limits a lot of stuff we enjoy doing on the internet.

It's just a different world.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

I did kitchen chores. Sat down in the living room... shhh furry kids are napping.
Whilst I’m here on my own I’ve finally deleted everything on my FB account. Only a fake picture which I’ve always used is left, only online friends know me as this entity.
I realised early that FB was one big snooping service for anyone who wanted just to keep an eye on the business of whoever they choose.
Take for example my employer, a friend at work told me the HR manager asked him if he was friends with me on FB, so that meant they would like to see what I post on there.
Big business also has an interest in what I post.
Well if that’s the way of the world now they will have a hard job locating me for stuff.

I no longer have an employer and I was my own employer at the time I created a FB account. But yes, the ability for electronic surveillance by our respective governments/law enforcement, all manner of vendors and services, employers, even nosy neighbors is definitely out there.

Just think how many times we do a cursory search on the internet and will immediately start seeing ads for whatever we were searching for. There are programs and means to prevent any sort of tracking of our on line activities, but using them also limits a lot of stuff we enjoy doing on the internet.

It's just a different world.

My wife is a techie, all I use online is my iPad and my iPhone. If anything needs to be done I politely ask her to sort it out, what she doesn’t know you can write on the back of a stamp about online business.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Okay, is it me or are there no editors available? There's an ad at the bottom of my page that is hawking "Affordable Autos for Senors". Are the trying to appeal to the Hispanic market or did the just misspell "seniors"?

I'm guessing it was spellcheck failure to interpret context.

Si Senorita!

They were only pitching to "senors".

 

[boedicca]

I did kitchen chores. Sat down in the living room... shhh furry kids are napping.
Whilst I’m here on my own I’ve finally deleted everything on my FB account. Only a fake picture which I’ve always used is left, only online friends know me as this entity.
I realised early that FB was one big snooping service for anyone who wanted just to keep an eye on the business of whoever they choose.
Take for example my employer, a friend at work told me the HR manager asked him if he was friends with me on FB, so that meant they would like to see what I post on there.
Big business also has an interest in what I post.
Well if that’s the way of the world now they will have a hard job locating me for stuff.

Well done! FB is Surveillance Tech. Users are the products, not the customers

 

[gallantwarrior]

So, what did they figure out was causing your problem?

They say it was due to dehydration. I'm diabetic and after the roller coaster of prepping for a colonoscopy then Thanksgiving sinner then a weekend jam packed with activities, my body was more thirsty than I knew. Ain't that a kick in the head?

Dehydration can be dangerous. Many folks don't recognize that they need to drink more. And then, if imbibing alcohol beverages, you need to drink even more water to offset the way alcohol dehydrates your body.

I should drink more water. But I never feel thirsty.

Many people who are dehydrated don't feel thirsty until the need for water becomes critical, though the 8 glasses of water a day suggestion isn't really necessary for many. But many times I have felt crappy, tired, irritable etc. and then realize that this is due to dehydration even though I haven't felt thirsty. A couple of glasses of water and I'm fine.

One nurse recommended I pinch the skin on the back of my hand. It should snap back in place quickly. But if you're dehydrated, it just stays pinched up and then sags back in place. Enough fluid in your system would show up in how pliable that patch of skin is.

You can also press a fingernail. Pink should turn white momentarily and then become pink again pretty quickly.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Sorry folks! I've been away too long. It has been an eventful couple of weeks for me. I had a scheduled colonoscopy for the day before Thanksgiving! That meant Tuesday was prep day! Everybody's favorite! Then 7:00 am, down to the clinic for pictures, and they didn't give me one to hang on the fridge! Groggy from the anesthetic I slept Wednesday away. Then, what did I face the next day but a heaping Thanksgiving dinner!

I had adoctor appointment on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. But the day before I walked from the Great Hall here at the Luxurious Pimplebutt Estate to my bedroom. Upon getting there, I felt light headed. Then I saw the lights one would see upon getting a blow to the nose! Kness buckled, a staggering step and, in the words of Howard Cosell, DOWN GOES NOSMO! I smacked my noggin on the consol table biffing up my left eye and rendering me more senseless than usual.

Well, I told the doctor about that during my exam last Tuesday. His face blanched and immediately ordered up a regimen of high priced medical tests. He advised I go to the ER as they would be able to apply the battery of testing he wanted right away. So, as my doctor's office is actually in the hospital, I was seated in a wheelchair and dispacted to a waiting bed in the emergency room.

First, blood tests then a couple bags of saline were pumped into me. Then blood pressure testing. Laying down, blood pressure. Sitting up, blood pressure. Standing up, blood pressure. And there's your problem! It drops twenty point when I stand. EKG, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, more blood drawn and the news, we're going to keep you here tonight!

I phoned my brother to do two things for me. First, take Daisy the Mutt home with him. Second, DON'T TELL MOM! I didn't want her to wring her hands in worry for me.

At midnight (of course it would be midnight) I was wheeled down for a CAT scan on my head. They found nothing. The hospital vampires stopped by every couple hours to draw more vials of my blood. Meanwhile, I had nothing to eat since 10:00 the proceeding morning. All I really wanted were two basic human needs. Food and sleep.

I tossed and turned all night. At 9:00 the next morning, I was visited by my doctor. He added to the chemistry set I down every day and took mercy on me and I was discharged. I drove to a nearby diner and had the best breakfast and the second best cup of coffee in my life.

So I've been keeping busy. How's by yinz guys?

So, what did they figure out was causing your problem?

They say it was due to dehydration. I'm diabetic and after the roller coaster of prepping for a colonoscopy then Thanksgiving sinner then a weekend jam packed with activities, my body was more thirsty than I knew. Ain't that a kick in the head?

Dehydration can be dangerous. Many folks don't recognize that they need to drink more. And then, if imbibing alcohol beverages, you need to drink even more water to offset the way alcohol dehydrates your body.

And this is why I always drink my whiskey on the rocks.

On the rocks or with a water chaser. Good whiskey should never be polluted with mere water!

 

[boedicca]

I did kitchen chores. Sat down in the living room... shhh furry kids are napping.
Whilst I’m here on my own I’ve finally deleted everything on my FB account. Only a fake picture which I’ve always used is left, only online friends know me as this entity.
I realised early that FB was one big snooping service for anyone who wanted just to keep an eye on the business of whoever they choose.
Take for example my employer, a friend at work told me the HR manager asked him if he was friends with me on FB, so that meant they would like to see what I post on there.
Big business also has an interest in what I post.
Well if that’s the way of the world now they will have a hard job locating me for stuff.

I no longer have an employer and I was my own employer at the time I created a FB account. But yes, the ability for electronic surveillance by our respective governments/law enforcement, all manner of vendors and services, employers, even nosy neighbors is definitely out there.

Just think how many times we do a cursory search on the internet and will immediately start seeing ads for whatever we were searching for. There are programs and means to prevent any sort of tracking of our on line activities, but using them also limits a lot of stuff we enjoy doing on the internet.

It's just a different world.

Indeed. One cannot avoid the surveillance altogether, but using a more secure browser (I use Brave) and a non-GOOG search engine (i.e. DuckDuckGo) give one a bit of a fighting chance. I also moved my email to Protonmail awhile ago. General principle: avoid Google products.

 

[Ava]

So great to read your stories, Gracie and Roy. I am an art lover too with 150 works of art ( framed prints of the classics hanging in museums and private collections around the world ). They hang from floor to ceiling, literally. lol

Gracie, et al,

So great to read your stories, Gracie and Roy. I am an art lover too with 150 works of art ( framed prints of the classics hanging in museums and private collections around the world ). They hang from floor to ceiling, literally. lol

Gracie, et al:
Thought before I leave out for the day I would post a pic of the kitchen I hoped you would like. A couple of others, too. Think I will do an album here if that option is still available with this format as it was with the preceding one.

Trying one more time to get this right.

 

[Ava]

LOL...sorry guys, for the inconsistencies. Trying to transfer files from one computer to another and download it there and upload it here is a new adventure for me. lol

And GW, I like water with Chivas Regal but have had good whiskey without water and it was very sipped worthy.

May you all make a glorious day. The sun finally came out here on the coast but snow is forecast for tomorrow! Our annual, melt overnight beautiful snowfall. Happy, happy.

 

[Foxfyre]

So great to read your stories, Gracie and Roy. I am an art lover too with 150 works of art ( framed prints of the classics hanging in museums and private collections around the world ). They hang from floor to ceiling, literally. lol

Gracie, et al,

So great to read your stories, Gracie and Roy. I am an art lover too with 150 works of art ( framed prints of the classics hanging in museums and private collections around the world ). They hang from floor to ceiling, literally. lol

Gracie, et al:
Thought before I leave out for the day I would post a pic of the kitchen I hoped you would like. A couple of others, too. Think I will do an album here if that option is still available with this format as it was with the preceding one.

Trying one more time to get this right.

Really beautiful Aqua. You and Gracie really do have a flair for decorating with an unmistakable personal style.

My own style is much more utility and multi functional. We really live in our home and entertain a lot but the decor is pretty much southwestern rummage sale and almost all the stuff on the walls are artwork or photography produced or given to us by Hombre and/or friends and family. Certainly not something you would see in Better Homes and Gardens but it suits our lifestyle.

 

[Ava]

So great to read your stories, Gracie and Roy. I am an art lover too with 150 works of art ( framed prints of the classics hanging in museums and private collections around the world ). They hang from floor to ceiling, literally. lol

Gracie, et al,

So great to read your stories, Gracie and Roy. I am an art lover too with 150 works of art ( framed prints of the classics hanging in museums and private collections around the world ). They hang from floor to ceiling, literally. lol

Gracie, et al:
Thought before I leave out for the day I would post a pic of the kitchen I hoped you would like. A couple of others, too. Think I will do an album here if that option is still available with this format as it was with the preceding one.

Trying one more time to get this right.

Really beautiful Aqua. You and Gracie really do have a flair for decorating with an unmistakable personal style.

My own style is much more utility and multi functional. We really live in our home and entertain a lot but the decor is pretty much southwestern rummage sale and almost all the stuff on the walls are artwork or photography produced or given to us by Hombre and/or friends and family. Certainly not something you would see in Better Homes and Gardens but it suits our lifestyle.

You know something, Foxy, I have long felt a link to Gracie. A kind of soulmate kinship. There is a side of me that is much like what she is all about and I love that connection. I have long sensed this with her. We are creative, adventurous people and we have that little bohemian thing still going on and long may we be who we are.

As far as your home sounds, Foxy, I can visualize it and it is very homey and love and comfort are in the air there. What could be more beautiful. The bottom line is we bring to our journeys that which we find beauty and solace in and that is different for everyone. That which brings us peace and comfort is the soul of our existence as we live in our creations most of the time. We are comfortable with it and it suits our lifestyles. It is an extension of who we are. You, Foxy, have an amazing ability to make others feel loved and you cook dishes for many different people to suit their nutritional needs. That is love. That is giving and caring and all combined make your little world a very busy and prosperous one. Goodwill is also in the air here and everywhere in the USMB Coffee Shop and right where we are at home. The beauty of life with our good deeds and our animals and friends and our unselfish giving to others is really what the good life is all about. I am as comfortable in a cluttered messed up home as my own as long as I care for the person who lives in it. Love is what matters and what the heart feels when one is visiting there, not what is on the walls or the material covering the seating.

 

[beautress]

Healing .... soft seasonal sounds of comfort .... .... peace to all this lovely season.

You can put this youtube in another window and go about your business .... enjoy

​

 

[beautress]

I’ve a question to ask you ladies, I bought a painting in 1980 for my ex wife on holiday, it’s hung on the wall of my house even after we split up. My question is this; As I bought the painting for her should I give her half the money if I sell it?

Ask her if she'd like you to sell it for her or give it back. Let her remember you being a beautiful human being. It's a win-win.

 

[Ringel05]

Hi all, hanging in there. Still trying to get the bathroom done but have sorta been laid up for the last five days, knees were stiff and swollen but getting better. Actually got some stuff done today including some more work on the tub niche and putting out a couple of Christmas items.
Here's the tub niche now.

Have to build a step because the tub is so deep, been bouncing a couple of ideas around in my head and think I have decided on what I want. Now all I have to do is build it.

 

[Gracie]

Hi all, hanging in there. Still trying to get the bathroom done but have sorta been laid up for the last five days, knees were stiff and swollen but getting better. Actually got some stuff done today including some more work on the tub niche and putting out a couple of Christmas items.
Here's the tub niche now.

Have to build a step because the tub is so deep, been bouncing a couple of ideas around in my head and think I have decided on what I want. Now all I have to do is build it.

Ringel..have you tried that Arnica cream? I swear by it. But, I also wanted to try something new, so I bought something on Amazon that I will try tonight to see how it does:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GDGLJW5/?tag=ff0d01-20

It has some great reviews but I gotta find out for myself. Meanwhile...try some of that Arnica Cream on yer knees. I smear it on both of mine...front and back; on my feet..ankles, soles, arch, betwixt my toes; on my wrists and sometimes on both hips. Stuff is amazing. I just hope this hemp stuff does as well or better.

 

[Gracie]

This is the Arnica cream I get every couple of months:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7IVNDU/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[Gracie]

Meanwhile...seeing AquaAthena beautiful house and decor..got me motivated to do more in mine. I could use more artwork, but I tend to hang tapestries instead of paintings and prints. Those fold and are easy to transport..better than canvas and frames. And during an earthquake, won't konk us in the head when they fall, lol. Plus, they are beautiful and have a multitude of uses. Drape over a couch, hang on the wall, cover up with them on cold nights, etc.

And..I adore AquaAthena. Beautiful woman, beautiful soul. It just shines every time she posts.

PS...LOVE her vases and that cat statue!!! I like floor decor too.

 

[Gracie]

This is the store on Amazon that I get my tapestries:

Amazon.com: Pure Country Weavers: Home & Kitchen

 

[Gracie]

This is one of the tapestries I bought..it's like a headboard instead of having a headboard. Sorry it's cut off. My bed is a mess.

And the other pic is of my tiny "sooth" area. Candles, gemstone rocks, carved fetishes, crystals, salt lamp, incense. I like looking at it at night before I go to bed. Soothes me. The back section is a room divider with sarees hanging all over it.