Odds & Ends, Leftovers, & Podcasts galore…

I have been meaning to capture these postcard sentiments.

From Susan:

Boston

Dear John,

Just a note to thank you for your efforts in meeting us for dinner and, most important, actually getting us back to the hotel. 🙂

Today we got mother on one of those “conference bicycles” under the pretext of taking a picture and then we all started pedaling (much to her dismay) so getting her into the swan boats tomorrow should be a piece of cake! 🙂 We enjoyed your visit — you are a breath of fresh air.

XOX Susan

John Martin
~~~~~
~~~~~

And from Irene:

Boston

My precious,

The only thing that topped Andrea’s performance last night was yours the night before.

Thanks for providing me a night of,… hmmm — what was I thinking? You’re the bomb — Sleep with me anytime.

Irene

John Martin
~~~~~
~~~~~


I forgot to mention in Friday’s entry, that after Hibernian’s, Ben, Dale, Joe, and I stopped over at Helios for coffee. We got there at about 8:30, I guess.

Shortly after we arrived, this band started setting up, and at about 8:45, this woman leaned over us at our table and asked, “Were you guys going to stay for the music?”

We were caught off guard, because we certainly hadn’t gone there for the music — didn’t even know they were going to have music there that night.

After stammering, since we weren’t sure, and looking at each other, the lady said, “Well, it’s just that if you are, I’ll have to have $7.00 from each of you.”

What in the hell are these people thinking? We were flabbergasted, and within seconds, steam started coming out of Joe’s ears.

Needless to say, we got our asses out of there before 9:00. We’d gone out the back door, and Joe was still so angry, that he said, “I’m going out the front door to say something to that lady.”

He said to her, “I’m just wondering, is it posted somewhere that this entertainment was going to go on tonight?”

“It’s on their (Helios’) website.”

Joe snapped, “Well, I didn’t look at their website before I came down here tonight.”

She said, “I’m sorry, I’m just with the band.”

And then said as he walked away from her, “Well, I feel like we’re being railroaded out of here tonight.”


I totally forgot about a 1:00 meeting I had scheduled today with Myra, the STC Newsletter Advisor. We rescheduled for Wednesday at 3:30.


I went to the Harris Teeter on Buck Jones Road, and bought a lot of fresh vegetables, so had an expensive grocery bill.

At home, I:

  • diced a red pepper,
  • diced a green pepper,
  • diced an onion,
  • chopped a cucumber,
  • chopped some sliced mushrooms,
  • sliced pineapple tidbits,
  • chopped carrots,
  • chopped celery,
  • diced some tomatoes,
  • removed part of the stems of some broccolini,
  • and peeled, cubed, and steamed a butternut squash.

I walked the 30-minute Kaplan > Gorman > Octavia > Merrie > Mervin > Kaplan loop today. I listened to these Slate Explainer podcasts while walking:

Can a New Magazine Survive?
Can Tom Cruise Rent Tokyo?
What’s the deal with “cat ladies”?
How Do You Kill a Whale?
Why is HGH so Hard to Detect?
How to Succeed as a Ghostwriter
How Hard is Hard Labor?
Can I Interest You in a Light-Water Reactor?
Is Celebrity Body-Part Insurance Just a Publicity Stunt?
Why Do Pollen Counts Fluctuate?
Why Can’t I Use My Third Arm?
Can I Get Compensation from the FBI?
What’s a Mock Dog-Fight?


“How Hard is Hard Labor” was very interesting.


I went to Helios at around 8:00, and was disappointed to find both the front and back door propped open. The humidity level is at 82% outside.

I devised today’s blog entry, had an Iced Latte Caramella, and listened to the following ABC News Money Minute podcasts:

Summer Rates Rise at Hotels
Plenty of Dough for the CEOs
Long Distance Dialing for Less
Homes: If You Build It, Will They Come?
Gas Up and Go for Summer
Finding a Perfect Gift for Dad
Trade Deficit Increases Again
Credit Card Use Skyrocketing
Not So Golden Years Ahead
Pay in Cash, Save in Gas
A Peek at How the Rich Really Live
Silver Lining in Lackluster Jobs Report
How Do You Measure Worker Productivity?
No End in Sight for Fed Rate Hikes
Save On Summer Travel
Holiday Travelers are Hitting the Road
Out of the Closet in the Office
Fido Can Be a Drain on Your Wallet
Lifestyles of the Rich and Royal

At about 9:15, Helios’ router went south, and someone went up to ask about it. They gave their standard response, “Oh, that’s upstairs, and we don’t have access to it from down here.”

I listened to a few more podcasts, and OMG, I absolutely loved this one, particularly for its sardonic delivery: Is George W. Bush Dumb: The Misunderestimated Man.

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