Monday and A Rough Start

NOTE to squeamish readers: you might want to avoid this one if dental work weirds you out.

So there I was ... two weeks ago with a molar broke in two, and the filling fell out. That turned into  a toothache turned an abscess, which engendered a script for an antibiotic. Now, six days later, out the little bugger came. 

Which required the assistance of a drill, and removal by the numbers: first piece, second piece, and so on.

The process didn't take a long time, which is a very good thing.

But now I'm on 800 mg of Ibuprofen and Vicodin for the next few days (if it goes that long). I'm fortunate to have a fairly high pain threshold. 

sigh ...

The weather continues its strange ups-and-downs. It was warm two weeks ago, with highs in the 40s which melted a great deal of the snow. Then last week it got cold, but still no snow. Yesterday the low was 14°, rising to a blistering high of 15° with a half-inch of snow. Oh, and a heavy fog for the second time in the last few days.

This morning it's 18, and AccuHunch insists that we might get a bit of the white stuff. Time will tell. 

So the day will be a quiet one. That's a good thing.

Another Monday Morning

... and the furlough continues. To explain, I work at a small hospital which treats active duty/veterans/first responders for PTSD, substance abuse and/or detox. When the patient population falls below a certain level, the hospital has to reduce staffing levels. We're below that benchmark at present, so a number of staffers get cut loose until the population (referred to as "the bed count") goes back up.

I need to mow the grass in the front yard, but will have to wait another hour or so. Three reasons:
a) it's only 0700, and the neighbors wouldn't care for a lawnmower at this hour,
b) the sun hasn't risen above the mountains yet, so the front yard - on the north side of the house and wooded - is still in the gloom, and
c) it's only 46 degrees.

Tomorrow is Alaska's primary election, so there will be a trip to the polls. Neither face masks nor the antisocial distancing shall disturb that procedure. Most of the folks 'round here are thoroughly disgusted with the artificial drawing-out of the precautions, mostly unnecessary, and more-than-ready to get back to the old normal.

So here I sit at the ol' PC, perusing a few favorite blogs, and composing this. Not that it's much of a post, but it's all I've got at present.

All y'all have a wonderful day, and don't let circumstances wear you down.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:4 KJV

More Snow? Yep.

Mother Nature is going out of her way to make up for the last three almost-snowless winters. We got another 9" over night, making a total of 17" for the weekend. That puts us well ahead of average for the winter.

I tried really hard to justify staying home this morning, but couldn't quite convince myself. As it turns out, the drive into town wasn't bad, primarily because it's a holiday and many aren't working.

That was okay with me.

Meanwhile, it's only 16°, and AccuHunch guesses we'll have falling temps today. They're calling for -7 overnight, so maybe they'll get lucky and call this one correctly.

But since I'm at work, I probably ought to do something about that, first. I mean, as long as I'm here, and all ...

:^)

Sub-zero

"Subzero" in this case refers to:

 

a. the morning temps on my drive in,

b. the forecast for the next 10 days, with lows forecast near -20, and

c. my interest in some overpaid performer expounding his or her political opinions.

 

It might be of interest to said performer(s) that we haven't voted for them, they're not running for anything, and NO ONE CARES.

 

Of course, they're all so irrevocably convinced of their own superiority and self-righteousness that they won't care if a dissenting opinion is offered.

 

So this is me, officially ignoring their bloated sense of self-worth and their ignorant, emotion-based thought process, and getting on with my life.

 

* * * * *

 

I note that the Alaska Dispatch News (the Anchorage area's larger newspaper, in a field of two) begins charging $10/month for it's on-line edition. Given its hard-left slant, and consistently liberal-to-Progressive shift, we won't miss it.

 

I also noted, in their editor's notes about it, that they're raising prices to continue subsidizing the same number of employees. No cutbacks being considered at all, it seems.

 

I'm sure we'll see how well that works out for them. Meanwhile there are other, more reliable sources of news.

 

* * * * *

 

That's about all I have for now. Y'all have a wonderful and blessed day out there. Thanks for stopping by.

Monday Morning Blues

It's really tough going back to work after an extended weekend, especially now that we have a home which is such a sanctuary.

A friend of a friend on the Book O' Face used this earlier, and I promptly stole it because it's so appropriate:

Monday Again

Didn't We Just Do a Monday, Last Week?

Then why oh why do we need to do another one? Oh, well.

The white stuff, which was quite welcome after a warm non-winter, is melting already. It's 33 or 34 degrees in most spots around Anchorage, so the snow is slushy already. AccuHunch guesses we'll get into the low 40s today, and in the mid-40s for the rest of the week. The snow will be gone by Wednesday night, at this rate.

The phones were dead when I got to work at 0600; seems the UPS died. But the IT guy came in at a fast trot some 15 minutes ago, and they're back on-line again.

Darn it. :)

This week, we'll find out the value of the appraisal on our new house, and also what the sellers' response to the repair list was. We haven't heard anything about the process since completing the home inspection two weeks ago, and are getting anxious to be moving forward.

Meanwhile, packing continues at a slow-but-steady pace. We won't have to buy much of anything for the new place, and already have everything needed to set up housekeeping there. There are always a few things which are worn out, et cetera, but it's a remarkably short list. I'm okay with that.

That's about all I have for now; more later, I suspect. Thanks for stopping by, friends.

Monday Morning

Not feelin' it today. Rough night, rough morning.

We now return you to your regular program, already in progress.

Some Mornings ...

... you should just stay in bed.

It's -4°, last time I looked, and there was a two-day buildup of heavy frost on the trucks this morning. Thank God for block heaters! My SUV required some scraping, but only minimal.

My wife's new vehicle doesn't have a block heater yet, but I suspect that will be addressed soon. Her windows were solidly covered, and I cleared her windshield (more or less) while waiting on my back window defroster to have an effect. I'm certain that she'll grow tired of repeating scraping, long before this winter draws to a close in March or April. Or May. Depends on the year, don'tcha know.

AccuHunch opines that we'll have rising temps and a few inches of new snow by Thursday. That's okay, now. This arctic front will have had several days to freeze the road surfaces before the snow arrives, so it won't be overly slick by then.

On a side note, we installed some of the new-fangled "studless" winter tires on her crossover, and - so far - they grab the ice like the tires are clamped to the road. She's quite pleased, and so am I.

* * * * *

I installed a check reader on my work PC this morning, and it will be interesting to see how it works. The idea is two-fold: it will limit the number of trips to the bank each month, and (apparently) the-powers-that-be assume I have several acres of unused real estate on my desk.

But the wires, cables, power supplies, and phone lines are now appropriately redistributed and arranged, and a VP of something-or-other from the bank is supposed to call, tomorrow, to walk me through a "how to use it" session over the phone.

Old dogs, new tricks ... sigh ...

Another Slice of Alaskan Life

I'd like mornings better if they didn't come so early in the day ... sigh.

It's cloudy and cooler this morning, and the weatherman's head said we'll get more rain this afternoon and tonight. That's welcome news; conditions are still quite dry, although the wildfire danger has dropped from "extreme" to "moderate".

* * * * *

I mentioned on Saturday that my wife & Younger Daughter participated in a 5-mile run to benefit breast cancer research. They both finished, and it's the first time my wife has ever done such a thing.

Forgive me while I brag on her for a moment: she has lost a total of 140 pounds over the last two and half years. I can't tell you how proud of her I am.

* * * * *

Speaking of running, there was another event yesterday which I didn't hear about until this morning: a 5k "mud run". Nearly 7,000 participants went for it:

 
 
 
All photos from the linked story.

* * * * *

And, with the onset of summer in Alaska, military officials have issued their annual warning to beware of ... well, let's put it in their words:

Just because the military fires ammunition, cannonballs and bombs doesn't mean they always explode.

[snip] In June 2013, someone called authorities after having second thoughts about a purchase at a Wasilla estate sale -- two white rusted mortar rounds, said 1st Lt. Steve Latulipe with the ordnance company. The Kodiak Daily Mirror reported in 2010 a 600-pound bomb was on display outside of Jim's Diamond Bar in Kodiak for years with "U da bomb" inscribed on its casing.

Yep. Happens frequently, and you thought bears were the only danger up here. :)

Monday, Monday

Ah yes, another Monday morning. They keep coming 'round, which certainly beats the alternative.
Let's see what's happening in the news, shall we?

The Richardson Highway to Valdez is still closed.

The Unalaska Police Blotter isn't bragging (indirectly) about the inebriation level of its miscreants these days, but Wasilla seems to be nudging its way into the spotlight.

The annual Yukon Quest sled dog race kicked off in Fairbanks yesterday. Slide show o' photos can be found here. Here's a teaser:

Meanwhile, one of the operating rooms, normally kept at 64 degrees, is registering 80.7° this morning. The surgeon and nurses, wrapped in impermeable gowns while standing under those surgery lights, can't function at that temp. Fortunately, there's another room available.

The software isn't giving any indication of what's wrong, so I'm awaiting arrival of a technician. I suspect an actuator has malfunctioned, and the damper in that duct isn't open.

I've done the monthly elevator inspections, balanced the rest of the building, opened the mail & done financial data entry for rent checks & invoices received ... what else?

Time for a cup of coffee, I'm thinking.  Y'all have a wonderful day, and thank you so much for stopping by.

It's One of THOSE Days

Monday Morning Smiles

 

h/t Dana

This Morning, In a Nutshell

Nailed it.

Monday Again?

Try as I might, there's just nothing there ... or here, rather. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

The nuthin' ... I gots it.

Monday ... Again?

Mondays keep coming around whether we want them to or not. Dang it.  But it sure beats the alternative.

* * * * *

There was a story on the morning TV news about it being a bad year for aviation deaths in Alaska (I phrased that badly, but it's early & I'm not quite awake). I was getting ready for work & only listened with one ear, so I've just searched that station's website but found no mention of the story.

The 10 people killed a week ago in the Soldotna crash probably pushed us above average for fatalities; that's not a place we want to be.

* * * * *

In the words of Paul Harvey, here is a strange:

From KUCB: The mysterious bomb found last week on an Alaska Peninsula beach was an aluminum Russian firebomb that was never live or somehow was emptied of its  incendiary content, says Army Spc. Vincent Wallace, who helped recover the bomb and destroyed it with explosives.

Wallace quickly determined that the bomb was made out of aluminum -- a metal commonly used in fire or smoke bombs. But this bomb was engraved with Russian, and that's not so common.

Fire bombs are meant to be dropped from aircraft, to clear a path on the ground or destroy targets. They're usually filled with incendiary material, such as napalm. But in this case ... Wallace says the incendiary material inside might have leaked out over the last 70 years. It may have been manufactured to be empty for a reason -- perhaps to be used for training during World War II.

Read more: Russian firebomb washes up near Chignik

* * * * *

That's about all I've got this a.m. Thanks for stopping by. :)

Post #3,333: Sprinkly Morn

Okay, maybe "sprinkly" isn't a word, but it was sprinkling a bit of rain as I drove to work this morning. That's the first rain we've seen in about four weeks. Fire danger remains in the "very high" category.

* * * * *
Over the weekend, the Alaska State Troopers held their 53rd annual international law enforcement shooting competition with the Canadian Royal Mounted Police. The Mounties won, breaking a three-year string by the Troopers.

Take that, mountain!

Photos here.

* * * * *

Every year, a couple of people disregard all the warnings about walking on the tidal mudflats along the Anchorage coast, or down the Turnagain Arm south of town. Unfortunately, this year is no different. One guy made it out as the tide came in; another is missing.

* * * * *
There's a regular feature in the Sunday paper which I read for my own amusement. The writer, a left-leaning reporter (but I repeat myself) still retains a sense of humor & does a good job of puncturing stuffed shirts on both sides of the aisle. There are some things you might enjoy in this week's installment.

For example:

SNIT FIT . . . Speaking of Senate races and the Huffington Post, the site is reporting that a group of Wall Street Democrats canceled a fundraiser for Mark Begich -- at the request of NYC Mayor Bloomberg -- because of his pro-gun vote. 

OMG. Mark likes guns and Wall Street is mad at him. That's really going to hurt him with Alaska voters. Sure it will.

Follow the link for the rest.

* * * * *
That's about it for now. Have a great day, friends!

Monday Morning

For whatever reason, I managed to arrived about 15 minutes early at my office today, which turned out to be a good thing.

In my first hour, I opened offices for two tenants who'd forgotten (or lost) their keys. One of them came in at 5:15, and was waiting for me when I arrived at 6:30.

Conducted routine fire tests on both elevators, checked the HVAC system, and reset temps throughout the building, as needed.

Did financial data entry for rent checks and some bills from the weekend's mail; made copies as appropriate and faxed them to the bookkeeper.

One of my tenants moved out on Friday night (her lease was up, and she decided to retire), so I went through the suite and checked the condition of the premises. Threw away a small bit of trash which they'd missed, and gathered all the keys.

Then at 7:30, I sat down to check e-mail.


I need more coffee.

Rather Than Face Another Monday

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually ... from a non-linear,  non-subjective viewpoint ... it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff."*

* Doctor Who, "Blink"

I Wouldn't Mind Mondays

if they came later in the week.

1. Monday shouldn't start off with the news that your 115,000 sq.ft. facility has no heat.
2. Monday shouldn't involve malfunctioning elevators that stop with a bang & a vertical hop that scares people.
3. Mondays shouldn't involve dealing with out-of-state regional managers who want to know how soon we could install a wheel-chair accessible curb cut ... in a sidewalk with no handicap spaces, and no area set aside for wheelchairs to progress between parking spaces ... in Alaska. In January. When it's -12 outside. (Nobody is pouring concrete this week. Just sayin'.)

We also got a new alarm clock yesterday. Found out this morning just how loud it is ... and so did the neighbors. Heh.

All things considered, I should have slept in.