The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[Duleigh]

The cross country trip continues. I’m on Train #91 the Silver Meteor heading south through Virginia. I should be home in14 hours

 

[NotWise]

I'm surprised the ewaste doesn't take the TV for free. There was an article in a recycling magazine (well, emailed pdf) about how much gold ewaste recyclers recover per week. It's not insignificant.

They like older tech as the plating is thicker.

The problem as I understand it is that there's very little inside the big TV box. What they can recover doesn't offset the cost of getting rid of the rest of it. I've been in mine. I think the whole thing contained two memory cards and a receiver that's little more than a chip. I don't think the screen itself contains anything easily recovered.

There was a TV dongle among the stuff I got rid of today -- the entire receiver electronics in a package that fits in the palm of your hand. And that was old. They're probably smaller now.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

The cross country trip continues. I’m on Train #91 the Silver Meteor heading south through Virginia. I should be home in14 hours

And, I dare say, living every minute!

 

[MrPixel]

The cross country trip continues. I’m on Train #91 the Silver Meteor heading south through Virginia. I should be home in14 hours

You doing sleeper or coach, D?

I think there's just enough time for Steve to gather Cyan, Emily, and the girls and get them down to the platform to wave "hello" as you pass.

 

[NotWise]

I've been listening to Mozart piano pieces for a couple hours. The music gives me the odd impression of floating in a constantly changing cloud of sound. It's the gift of genius, I think.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Oz has the prettiest birds.

And as a bonus, this little guy won't try and kill you.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

And as a bonus, this little guy won't try and kill you.

Well, that’s delightful! There had, I just knew, had to be one.

 

[colddiesel]

Happy Wrensday everyone! (Not my pic, but by a local photographer).

View attachment 2401507

A Suberb Fairy Wren The Splendid Fairy Wren is much brighter.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

The teapot is hot if anyone wants a cuppa. I haven't heard any update on H_P. Is he doing okay?

 

[Rustyoznail]

I heard from him a couple of weeks ago. He's slowly recovering. I'm sending him a couple of bottles of Aussie tawny port to help his recovery.

 

[NotWise]

Got rid of the TV this morning. They didn't charge me a thing, despite what it says on their web site. Maybe it was because the customer service guy coveted my truck.

 

[NotWise]

Maybe it's old news to you, but welcome to Friday, anyway. The weekend is almost upon us. Here that means the start of the Balloon Fiesta.

My plans for the weekend are to do some canning and go into full autumn mode: button up the swamp cooler, empty the fountain, dig up the gladiolas, store the amaryllis, rip out the melon vines.

I have a story I might work on. It's a tribute to TxRad in some ways, with a freckled, red-haired FMC who doesn't look like she just stepped out of a photo shoot.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Good morning, Litsters. I'm not firing on all cylinders today. I need a fresh cup-a-coffee! Irish cream not boost!

 

[MrPixel]

G'morning, Millie. Or should I say, g'afternoon. I'll need to make another pot for ya', I just drained the last of it. Should only be a couple of minutes.

Today's agenda is mowing the front lawn after lunch out at our favorite-but-not-favorite Mexican place. Food's mediocre, but the atmosphere is small-town comfortable and the margaritas are strong.

 

[MetaBob]

Good morning, Litsters. I'm not firing on all cylinders today. I need a fresh cup-a-coffee! Irish cream not boost!

Speaking of, I just made a different kind of Irish Breakfast Tea. Usually I just brew the stuff from Trader Joe's that is among my daily staples, but this time, after leaving some unconsumed Irish whiskey in the glass before crashing last night, I thought "Well, doesn't this make so much sense?"

 

[MillieDynamite]

Sure does.

Speaking of, I just made a different kind of Irish Breakfast Tea. Usually I just brew the stuff from Trader Joe's that is among my daily staples, but this time, after leaving some unconsumed Irish whiskey in the glass before crashing last night, I thought "Well, doesn't this make so much sense?"

Yeah, it was the crack of noon or after, when I posted that.

G'morning, Millie. Or should I say, g'afternoon. I'll need to make another pot for ya', I just drained the last of it. Should only be a couple of minutes.

Today's agenda is mowing the front lawn after lunch out at our favorite-but-not-favorite Mexican place. Food's mediocre, but the atmosphere is small-town comfortable and the margaritas are strong.

 

[Duleigh]

YOU LUCKY PEOPLE! I'm back!

Here's Train #8 The Empire Builder that brought me from Minot ND to Chicago Il. I then took #30 The Capitol Limited from Chicago to Washington DC. (If Charles Carroll could see what happened to his beloved B&O railroad ) then #91 the Silver Meteor from DC to my home QTH. The Empire Express was as fantastic as usual. I rode in the lower section where us disabled folks hang out, and we had a grand ol' time.

The Capitol Limited sucked. The train personnel (if you could find them) were rude and the most unhelpful people I've ever met. The car steward said, "If you need anything from the cafe car, page me, I'll get it for you." We didn't see him again until we got to DC and he showed up to collect a tip from each of us.(We all asked, where were you when we needed you?)

Train 91 was a pain in the ass. The car we were in shook and rattled like it was off the tracks from DC to Savannah GA. It was like trying to nap in a paint shaker. It stopped outside of Savannah GA for 2 hours and when the train started moving, the car rode as smooth as silk. Why didn't they fix it BEFORE we left Washington?

Travel Tip: The long distance trains are still the good ones. Try the French toast in the dining car for breakfast, it's the best on earth. However, if you smoke, don't go. I saw two people put off in the middle of nowhere (one in Minnesota one in Pennsylvania) for smoking on the train.

 

[MrPixel]

Train 91 was a pain in the ass. The car we were in shook and rattled like it was off the tracks from DC to Savannah GA. It was like trying to nap in a paint shaker. It stopped outside of Savannah GA for 2 hours and when the train started moving, the car rode as smooth as silk. Why didn't they fix it BEFORE we left Washington?

Crap. That's why we had to miss you at the platform. Cyan, Emily, Debbie and Ellie were all excited to wave their special "hello!" for you!

Travel Tip: The long distance trains are still the good ones. Try the French toast in the dining car for breakfast, it's the best on earth. However, if you smoke, don't go. I saw two people put off in the middle of nowhere (one in Minnesota one in Pennsylvania) for smoking on the train.

Oh, yeah. Had one of those on the Empire Builder the last time we went West. He was really obnoxious; we were in the last car and he insisted on opening the rear door. "The middle of nowhere" is for real, they have no compunction about stopping at the next town where there are police.

 

[MetaBob]

I walked to Costco yesterday. For the first time; who walks to Costco? But that's where my life is now. I got the stuff I needed, that I could carry. This was after I'd already walked to and from the nearest grocery store, where I bought a roll of toilet paper, because I needed one, because I just closed on a new home, and have not yet been able to move most of my possessions from several states away.

There was no toilet paper at Costco. Folks, there's a run on toilet paper, just like during C**id, except this time there's no pandemic. Instead, people are scared because workers at our East Coast ports just went on strike. I asked the checkout guy. He said that when their supplier arrived earlier that day, the toilet paper sold out in 40 minutes. "Panic at the Costco," I (and another customer in line) said to him.

I knew their name but not their music, which on recent examination is pretty damn good.

I could say more, and I probably will, later. It might get political, because ... why wouldn't it(?), but for now ... just stock up on toilet paper and other essentials if you can. Be happy. Don't be deceived. "Don't let the light go out."

 

[MrPixel]

Oh, nuts. We were at Costco yesterday - our quarterly trip, it's a long drive - declaring "we don't need any paper products" after checking the teetering stacks in the garage. We'll be okay, the stack of TP is down to two unopened 24-packs. That'll be good for 10-11 months.

We had a bad habit of "do we need [X]?" when at the store when we had no sense of where things stood at home. Because of that, we had accumulated a two-year supply of Charmin long before CoVID hit. During the worst, I was afraid to leave the garage door open for fear of passers-by noticing the stacks of virtual gold.

Problem we have at the moment is four - count 'em - four unopened bottles of dishwasher detergent. Usual conversation at the store, including, "Did you look under the sink, all the way in the back on the right side?" "I didn't see anything."

And there you have it.

 

[NotWise]

The dock workers have a settlement, but I don't know if they're back to work yet. They weren't out for long.

Just had a stroke and a heart attack for dinner -- a half-pound smashburger on a toasted kaiser roll with cheese, bacon, green chile and sliced tomato. No avocado. The avocados didn't look good.

It was great, but it's a good thing I don't do that often.

The freckle-faced red head is named Celeste. She wears bluejeans.

 

[MetaBob]

Just had a stroke and a heart attack for dinner -- a half-pound smashburger on a toasted kaiser roll with cheese, bacon, green chile and sliced tomato. No avocado. The avocados didn't look good.

The freckle-faced red head is named Celeste. She wears bluejeans.

Serious? That sounds outstanding, I mean, except for the (potential) stroke and heart attack. Blessings unto you, and may you recover and thrive.
Celeste would totally get my business except for ... and probable distance.

 

[NotWise]

Serious? That sounds outstanding, I mean, except for the stroke and the heart attack. Blessings unto you, and may you recover and thrive.
Celeste would totally get my business except for ... and probable distance.

Serious, but it might take weeks to untangle the backlog.

 

[Duleigh]

We'll be okay, the stack of TP is down to two unopened 24-packs. That'll be good for 10-11 months.

I'm starting to wonder if people were looking for an excuse to stockpile TP. The Great TP Shortage of 2020 was driven by a homebound nation, a dire shortage of truck drivers, and a shortage of people to stock the stores. But Paper Products are home grown. If the dock worker strike went on too long we'd have all the TP we'd ever want to eat... and that's about all we'd have to eat. I live in the middle of thousands of acres of fast growing Loblolly Pine all dedicated to making your bathroom routine a soft experience. If you're going to stock pile something, stockpile canned soup or maybe MREs

 

[Rustyoznail]

I'm starting to wonder if people were looking for an excuse to stockpile TP. The Great TP Shortage of 2020 was driven by a homebound nation, a dire shortage of truck drivers, and a shortage of people to stock the stores. But Paper Products are home grown. If the dock worker strike went on too long we'd have all the TP we'd ever want to eat... and that's about all we'd have to eat. I live in the middle of thousands of acres of fast growing Loblolly Pine all dedicated to making your bathroom routine a soft experience. If you're going to stock pile something, stockpile canned soup or maybe MREs

Same here. Different pines, but a TP factory a roll or two's throw from here. I could never understand why people stockpiled tons of the stuff.