|
Post by kds on Apr 9, 2024 13:09:08 GMT
I'd have done that by now but I hurt my back...while napping on the sofa. I hate to laugh, but ... Something like that was my moment of clarity: "Oh, I'm middle-aged now." Sometimes when I was in my early 40s, maybe 5-6 years ago, I was sweeping the floor. Not bending over, not lifting anything, not twisting in any strange way, just sweeping. And suddenly I'd somehow hurt my back to the point that I could barely do anything but lie flat, or stand up straight and walk, for a day or so. Aging is rotten (but beats the alternative). You guys and your lawn work, though! Granted, we had a blizzard not much more than a week ago, which makes a difference. But it'll be a while before things are sufficiently dried out to begin yard work. If I were to rake up the dead stuff now, I'd tear up the lawn completely. But we're going to be in the 60s much of this week and 70s this weekend, so it won't be long now. I'll need to get some seed, too, as there are more dead patches than I like to see. (Last year's--well, really, the past few years'--drought took a toll on things.) Saturday morning is my morning to wake up with the little monster. Usually, what I'd been doing was giving him some breakfast, then lying on the sofa to nap for an extra hour or so. Well, apparently, I cannot do that anymore. I even went to the doctor to get it checked out. That's another thing as I've gotten into my 40s. I'm no longer hesitant to visit the doctor. My lawn does need some seed and sod, but I'm going to have a guy do that. I really have no problem finding time on the weekends to mow the lawn, but when it comes to more involved stuff, I'd prefer to buy somebody to do it rather than spend hours and money to do it poorly.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2024 14:55:18 GMT
Oh, I am the same with the lawn. But I'm talking about just putting down a little extra seed in dead patches, not going to any serious lengths.
By the way, we've got a nearly clear sky today. Where was that yesterday when we had our (partial) eclipse? Oh well, I'm more excited that our slightly warmer temps and sunshine will make patio-reading more pleasant. I enjoy that more than seeing an eclipse anyway.
|
|
|
Post by kds on Apr 9, 2024 15:47:55 GMT
I was looking at the forecast, and it appears that Spring may have finally arrived here in Baltimore, with highs in the 60s and 70s for the next week.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Apr 12, 2024 14:12:38 GMT
It's a beautiful spring day here, heading into an even more beautiful spring weekend. We're looking at a sunny day and expecting temperatures around 60 later, and well into the 70s over the next three days.
I don't know how I'm going to get any work done today. I don't have any meetings, there's nothing pressing, but as always, there's plenty I could and should be doing. But I'll say it now, I'm almost certain to move with my laptop out onto the patio later. And from that point onward, I'll be distracted by the spring. Hopefully nothing urgent comes up, because I'm just not in the mood for it.
|
|
|
Post by kds on Apr 12, 2024 14:27:04 GMT
I drove to work in a driving rain this morning. It's supposed to clear out soon, and give us a dry weekend. It won't be particularly nice until Sunday though. Tomorrow is supposed to be pretty windy.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Apr 14, 2024 11:28:34 GMT
Spring? Never heard of it. We had snow two weeks ago, and yesterday hit 80 degrees. We don't get spring here very often--or at least not for very long!
|
|
|
Post by kds on Apr 15, 2024 0:26:12 GMT
Got my first mow of 2024 in the books today. And, what a day for it. It got close to 80 today, and sunny. The downside of the warmer weather is the bugs are back.
|
|
|
Post by kds on Apr 18, 2024 14:42:57 GMT
Knock on wood, I think I dodged the COVID bullet, and Saturday's looking like a 70 degree, nearly perfect weather spring day.
I'm planning on firing up the old Weber, and it could very well be the final deck on...what's left of my deck. We're getting the ball rolling on getting a new deck. And, just looking at my schedule, I probably won't have a chance to grill again until Mid May. Depending on how things go, I might have a new deck and patio by then.
Now, onto more immediate matters, is the tough decision on what beer, or beers, to get for Saturday. I've posted this before but Spring is a weird time for seasonal beers, as there really aren't any. So, I might go to the local Total Wine and see what's new.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Apr 18, 2024 15:02:39 GMT
Our little stretch of early summer weather has ended; we're back into more typical springtime for the coming week. We had a much-needed 1.5" or so of rain over the past couple days, and our temps are back in the high 40s and low 50s for the near future. Not a single 70 in the 10-day.
For spring beers, I usually think of wheat beers, saisons, and kolsches. Generally light ales or lagers, maybe slightly citrusy or floral (but I don't mean the heavily flavored ones: I'm not into that...I just mean where the aroma hints at those notes).
|
|
|
Post by kds on Apr 18, 2024 15:17:43 GMT
Our little stretch of early summer weather has ended; we're back into more typical springtime for the coming week. We had a much-needed 1.5" or so of rain over the past couple days, and our temps are back in the high 40s and low 50s for the near future. Not a single 70 in the 10-day. For spring beers, I usually think of wheat beers, saisons, and kolsches. Generally light ales or lagers, maybe slightly citrusy or floral (but I don't mean the heavily flavored ones: I'm not into that...I just mean where the aroma hints at those notes). I was actually thinking about saisons. Another one I like in the spring is an American Pale Ale. They tend to be a little hoppy, but not as overly hoppy as India Pale Ales (IPAs), with a hint of citrus. There's a brewery in Baltimore that does one I really like, and as a bonus, there's an Oriole bird on the can.
|
|
|
Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Apr 18, 2024 15:22:53 GMT
I'm going to Chicago this weekend for my bachelor trip, so of course it's going to be in the 50s, with a high of 51 on Saturday when we are going to the Cubs game. Last weekend would have been perfect, weather around 70 and the Reds were even playing the White Sox. Half the group couldn't go though (myself included) because we have finance/accounting jobs, and the tax deadline was Monday. Should be a fun weekend otherwise.
|
|
|
Post by kds on Apr 25, 2024 19:22:46 GMT
This calendar year has not been a lot of fun. Just a lot of stuff piling up. Between work crap, the tree fall in my yard, and just a whole pile of little stuff.
Last night, our washer, which we've been having issues with and I've been meaning to replace, crapped out. I'll admit, I had a bit of a....we'll call it a moment. Picture The Old Man dealing with the furnace in A Christmas Story. That was me, as I stormed off to the nearby laundromat at 8:30pm on a Wednesday.
So, I guess the first weekend in May is coming at the right time. One of my best friends is moving out of state, so as a bit of a last hurrah, he, another good friend, and I are going to Ocean City, Maryland for a long weekend. This will be my first time doing any kind of guys trip in over ten years. We've talked about it in the past, but never made hard plans. Life has a way of getting in the way. But, it's on the books, and it's really happening, barring any kind of nonsense.
Is it odd that I'm both excited and a little apprehensive? I can't wait to have some kid free days at the beach and relive the old days a bit, but I've grown somewhat accustomed to retreating into myself to decompress. And, when the guys and I have gotten together over the years, its usually for two or three hours at a time. So, this will somehow feel old and new. But, I also think I'm apprehensive because of the way things have tended to go lately, like the back of my mind is just expecting something to go awry.
But, I guess I should just relax and enjoy, because in all likelihood, I won't be doing a trip of this kind again.
|
|
|
Post by kds on May 1, 2024 13:59:27 GMT
This calendar year has not been a lot of fun. Just a lot of stuff piling up. Between work crap, the tree fall in my yard, and just a whole pile of little stuff. Last night, our washer, which we've been having issues with and I've been meaning to replace, crapped out. I'll admit, I had a bit of a....we'll call it a moment. Picture The Old Man dealing with the furnace in A Christmas Story. That was me, as I stormed off to the nearby laundromat at 8:30pm on a Wednesday. So, I guess the first weekend in May is coming at the right time. One of my best friends is moving out of state, so as a bit of a last hurrah, he, another good friend, and I are going to Ocean City, Maryland for a long weekend. This will be my first time doing any kind of guys trip in over ten years. We've talked about it in the past, but never made hard plans. Life has a way of getting in the way. But, it's on the books, and it's really happening, barring any kind of nonsense. Is it odd that I'm both excited and a little apprehensive? I can't wait to have some kid free days at the beach and relive the old days a bit, but I've grown somewhat accustomed to retreating into myself to decompress. And, when the guys and I have gotten together over the years, its usually for two or three hours at a time. So, this will somehow feel old and new. But, I also think I'm apprehensive because of the way things have tended to go lately, like the back of my mind is just expecting something to go awry. But, I guess I should just relax and enjoy, because in all likelihood, I won't be doing a trip of this kind again. I frinkin' hate being right. It's been so long since my friends and I spent any significant time together, it almost didn't feel real. Until we actually started talking real logistics a few days ago. So, help me God, I allowed myself to get excited. Welp.....last night, my friend who's moving out of State, said that he might have to move sooner due to a snafu with his living situation, so he probably won't be able to go this weekend. My other friend and I told him that if money is a concern, we'd carry him just so we can have this experience. But, he didn't commit one way or another. So, now it's about 10am, the day before we're supposed to leave, and I don't know if we're going. I'll admit, my washer going up set me into a rage a week ago. Now, after this news, I just feel defeated.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on May 1, 2024 14:21:17 GMT
It's been a few years since I did anything similar, but I have the exact same feeling about these things. When I was college or early post-college age, these kinds of trips were easy, largely because everyone was broke, everyone was single, and we were used to being more or less cramped together due to years of dorms or apartment-sharing. In other words, we had lower standards.
The last few trips I did with friends, it always seemed like people's families were issues, financial disparities made consensus hard to come by, and people really have sunk into routines based on their lives. The days of "we can share hotel rooms and crash on couches, the floors, etc., and party 24/7" are just long gone!
|
|
|
Post by kds on May 1, 2024 16:13:36 GMT
It's been a few years since I did anything similar, but I have the exact same feeling about these things. When I was college or early post-college age, these kinds of trips were easy, largely because everyone was broke, everyone was single, and we were used to being more or less cramped together due to years of dorms or apartment-sharing. In other words, we had lower standards. The last few trips I did with friends, it always seemed like people's families were issues, financial disparities made consensus hard to come by, and people really have sunk into routines based on their lives. The days of "we can share hotel rooms and crash on couches, the floors, etc., and party 24/7" are just long gone! Well, it appears that our trip is back on. My friend who's moving slept on it, and came to the realization that this is likely the last time the three of us will get to hang out, so we're going to make it work. I have to admit, I feel like a weight has lifted a bit. We've been friends nearly a quarter of a century. I'd hate it if our final memory together was a failed trip to the beach. Also, my anxiously about the trip itself is gone now, after having the trip temporarily taken away last night. But, after all that, I honestly don't think I'll feel at peace until all three of us are in the car together tomorrow night.
|
|