A hodgepodge

I was playing a little BBO today and checking in on the Astros every once in a while to see how badly they were getting beaten (They're in Chicago, playing against the Cubs.) when - lo and behold, they won! Can you believe it? I can't! Hmmph!! I wonder who was pitching, how the runs scored, who 'saved' the game and all that other good stuff?

Checking throughout the league, I thought I'd take a gander to see if anyone else was even close to us in winning percentage (.182) ... (Thought sure the Washington Nationals might be. Remember how they held up the bottom of the whole league last year? Not this year!) ... and caught a glimpse of the foundering Baltimore Orioles, who are now 1-10 and have lost their last eight in a row. My goodness, but that would be disheartening!


What did you do on the 15th ... work on your taxes like mad, or did you file a last-second extension like I did? I do this to myself almost every year, it seems. Now, I have no problem whatsoever remembering that date, but no doubt for a different reason than you. It's my daughter's birthday.

This year she turned 49. I told her she ought to circulate that fact often for several weeks or perhaps even a few months so everyone remembers it for a good long while. Maybe even years! Does anyone remember Jack Benny's advice on how to avoid turning 40? Same kind of thing. I don't know, DD, try it. See if it works. LOL


Speaking of last minute shenanigans, I did the same thing in February. I mean, I knew I had to renew my car registration and get it inspected before March came along, but I sat here in the house 'doing my thing' - procrastinaire extraordinaire, that's me! The very last weekend of February came along and I still hadn't gotten the job done.

The 28th was on a Sunday, I believe, and I nervously drove on up to Randall's, hoping against hope that they still had some registration renewals left. Sure enough, they did! (I don't really deserve such good luck.) On the way back home, registration in hand, I only half-heartedly looked for a place that might be open to do an inspection on a Sunday and sure enuf - there wasn't one.

Monday came along. March 1st. I was afraid to leave the house. I was now illegal. On Tuesday, I tentatively backed the car out of the garage and then went forward onto the street, thinking every second that I was going to see a police car and would be pulled over to get my well-earned ticket.

No police car. I got out onto Wilcrest and headed north. I "knew" of a garage at the corner of Wilcrest and Bellaire that did inspections, just three traffic lights away. I made it! Unfortunately, they no longer do inspections. Oh, unhappy day. What to do? What to do?

They recommended a place a little further west on Bellaire. Maybe two or three lights. A Shell station. I thought, "I'll never make it!" However, I had no choice, so drove on. Long story short, I made it. Had to wait in line behind other fellow procrastinators. We all thanked our lucky stars for our good fortune and afterwards blithely went on our merry ways, new stickers prominently displayed, heads held high and smug smiles held firmly in place.


It was while I was waiting at the Shell station that I had the opportunity to watch a fellow replace a goodly percentage of their overhead fluorescent light bulbs, the ones that illuminate the area around the gas pumps. That was interesting! (I find the oddest things fascinating these days!) I visited with him extensively and learned a lot about his job. What do they do in inclement weather? (Not all jobs are under a roof!) The answer was, unless it was a hurricane-type of event with enormous winds or with accompanying lightning strikes, they got wet. Rrvit! I wouldn't have liked that very much.


Last night, I watched a PBS hour-long special on the last leg of the Appalachian Trail - going from Georgia to Maine. Some parts of it included the portion that Chuck and Ellen worked on last year, and so it was of double interest to me.

Right now, Chuck is just finishing up his latest volunteer effort ... this one in Arkansas' Ozark Mountains. He'll be reporting shortly on that trip. He's dedicated much of his blog to his outdoor adventures and is almost always a fascinating read. I highly recommend it.


Guess what? I'm hungry! In my travels Thursday, I happened to pass by a Kentucky Fried Chicken place and thought, "Boy, it's been a while since I had some of their fried chicken!" It sounded pretty darn good to me, so I ordered two pcs. of crispy dark meat (a leg and a thigh) with mashed potatoes and cole slaw. It was delicious!

I reheated what I didn't finish yesterday and am about to head out of the house to get some more, except this time I think I'll choose corn on the cob (if they still have some) instead of coleslaw - just as soon as I hit "Publish Post". Can almost taste it already ... yummy!