IT'S TOO CUSTOM

Spent $128 at the hardware grocery store Lowe's. They refused to cut a sheet of wood for me saying it's "too custom." I got supplies for a few projects. Fixing my bed frame, strengthening my (not) Ikea bookshelf, fixing a storage box lid, and a craft project - making a drawer missing from a desk. My grandfather made the toy box when I was 5 and the lid broke practically in the 1st year of having it. And the missing desk drawer fell apart like over 40 years ago for some reason. During COVID I measured another intact drawer to see what it would need to make one. Now I just need to get the wood cut.

 

Dr. Demento Retired

I discovered Dr. D from records I bought while in Columbus in the mid 80s & then after coming back home found his show on late night radio on Sundays. I would get cassette tapes & record them... followed him from one radio station to another... & then suddenly he was off the air locally & then off the air period. Westwood One & On The Radio Broadcasting syndicated the show but for some reason refused to offer a list of stations carrying Dr. D. Like they didn't want anyone to listen & it was up to the fanbase to report in. Eventually he went online when he really deserved a satellite radio channel. Musical comedy & spoken word comedy along with offbeat unreleased tapes, rare 78s... His record collection is so massive, when he finally moved the floor in the rooms he had it in were discovered to be sagging! Dr. D is a rare one. Whatever happened to the movie someone was making about him?

Accomplished

I accomplished 3 things digitally yesterday:

1. Searching for liner notes on the Terrorvision Rockafire Explosion release, I ran across a listing of the vinyl edition on eBay by none other than Creative Engineering himself, Aaron Fechter! It was $700 & he sold 8 of them before it was Sold Out (which included a 2 hour tour package) - and in the gallery of images with the listing was clear images of the liner notes booklet, covers included! I grabbed them with plans to print a CD sized booklet which should have been included anyway!! I didn't really need character photos or a gatefold poster.

2. Managed to download 2 different PDFs of the October 2025 Previews order catalog... One was 20 mb & the other was much larger. Previous 2 files were almost 250mb.

3. Got Google's AI search assistant to produce a recipe for lentils in the crockpot which is much like the recipe I used months ago when I got all those bags & then somehow lost it! I don't know how it got lost when I made it over & over for like 3 months!!

DIY Laser Pointer

Tired of buying cheaply made laser pointers off eBay which go bad faster than old milk, I decided to buy the parts & improve on them.

1. AAA battery boxes with good electrical connections instead of using metallized paint to conduct current.

2. Separately connected laser diode bought in pack of 10 made for a 3V power source.

3. Only thing reused from last broken pointer was the push button switch.

Now I need a sturdy casing for this. If the diode goes bad, I have 9 more to replace it with. And yes, Poofball has missed his red dot.

I was declared CLEAR.

Had an interesting visit (announced) by Akron Pest Control. Got to me around 11:30. 3 guys show up armed with flashlights. Start looking, asking about if I'd seen any mice. Had me get off the gray chair & soon it dawns on me they're not here to replace bug traps or preventative spray. They're checking for other bugs. Bedbugs. I've been clear of them for at least 3 or 4 years now. I explain to them how that happened & maybe I should have gotten a new mattress when I moved up here.

They check the red chair & it's clean. I never thought to check the gray chair... Guy flips it over & there's signs they got under the one cushion but it's all dead. And my reaction is at first "oh shit" then "oh I didn't think to check there."

MEANWHILE, as 2 guys are distracting me, the 1 guy who went to check the bedroom proceeds to rip nearly all my bed stuff off my mattress without warning or saying he was going to. I WOULD HAVE LIKED A WARNING! Because even if they were doing their job, coming back into my bedroom & seeing a naked bed was alarming & irritating (having to put things back was irritating).

I think same guy checked out my closet... 😀 one guy had to comment about the maid outfit.

But in the end, I was proclaimed Clear of bugs. It helps I found the UV LED bug catcher on Saturday & managed to finally deal with those annoying sink flies. They confirmed with me I knew how to recognize signs of those bugs & oh yes, I certainly knew... 😰

And with the relevation of the chair cushion, I made sure to unscrew & remove it, vacuum what that 1 guy found, spray down with bed bug killer & 91% alcohol, & reglue the bottom paper back on. Chair cleaned. It's a good thing I had done all that other cleaning for stuff, like under 1 bookcase a few months ago.

Maybe now I can ask for reinstating of my laundry room privileges. 

Creamy Shicken & mushrooms with rice (not a recipe)

Today's feast from the crockpot was inspired by last week's Foosebook Memory of Creamy Chicken & Mushrooms with rice. Though with changes & maybe not the same recipe.

I bought mushrooms a couple weeks ago for this & a pack of shicken only to swap it for a pack I already have here since June & starting to look freezer burned. Which was cool since it was 2 breasts at 1.22 pounds.

Anecdotes for this recipe: I had to make my own Cream of Mushroom Condensed soup to hopefully keep the sodium down (although the main overall recipe had something...). And my milk was the mixed up nonfat dry. But it still thickened in the pot!

The other bit was needing a pouch of dry onion soup mix - which in the past I use for Lazy Onion Bread. It was only after opening the Aldi product box which I noticed it's been here so long, tiny bugs tried their best to infiltrate inside the sealed box & THEN when they did tried to eat through the paper for the pouch! This whole operation ultimately failed & signs of devastated civilizations were left in its wake.

Everything mixed up & put in the crock & on high for 4.5 hours. I plan to add 1/2 cup of rice 1 hour before done & check to see if the chicken will shred as the recipe says. Though I used to make this for mom & bake it instead. No shredding.

I regret shopping

Thursday ended up being a day of regrets. Only those regrets came on Friday as my right hip & lower back had a severe pinch where standing up & walking was painful if my front sagged too much. Saturday morning with some acetaminophen & the chance decision to lift my right leg up off the bed (with some help) & sleep last night with hard metal items behind my back contributed to something popping back in place with residual soreness.

My goal Thursday was shopping for stuff. Groceries & other items.

- Blue dye because I splashed bleach on my blue Hawaiian shirt & as it turns out the dye in my shirt is extremely vulnerable to bleach meaning white splotches. There was no blue dye so I opted for a fabric paint pen which the blue is too bright. I need some black or a darker blue dye.

- LED light strip for under the cabinets in the corner. I opted instead for an LED light bar which looks like a Fluorescent light but much smaller.

After getting it fixed in place with easy remove adhesive strips & running it for 1 night, I find it's way too bright. So either I cover part of it up, add a timer to turn it off at midnight, or resume shutting my door at bed time. It even has the capability to daisy chain more LED bars to it.

- My project to reshell my M Network Atari 2600 cartridges progresses with the acquisition of DIY Sticker Decal printer sheets. Some fans online have made their own label designs as if they had been in Atari shells & I like the artwork. Thankfully it's gettable in decently high resolution so it will print well. But I need to get some of the games from my tubs to test if they will reshell or how to make it work.

The only thing I did not find was a Bug Catching UV plug in light as I had seen online. Walmart was supposed to have it & apparently an adhesive catcher refill kit for it. I need it for the sink flies I keep having.

Also did not find pumpkin seeds. Like where are they? Did not buy milk as I have the free packets of dry milk people don't want & I've got 6 gallons worth. I just need to sanitize a jug, add 12 cups of water, refrigerate overnight, & then add 3 4-cup pouches of dry & shake well. The single cup packets I use in making bread!

Also returned to see more free food rejects - picked up a can of tomato sauce (not salt free) & bags of dried lentils & garbanzo beans.

Though when I got back, there was some schmuck in my parking place. I should have waited because he left soon after I was sat on the bench & I was in pain but pissed off I had to move my van but weighed down with leaving my shopping trolley at the mercy of possibly getting stolen. So instead of wasting energy & losing my stuff, I went inside in pain.

Spent Friday in pain. Hopefully today is healing.

Inspection 2025

THE RESULTS:

She dinged me on the tiny gnats. Blamed it on my red cart (which didn't look clean), the cat food bowls (which they're not attracted to), & my trash... which she gave me until she left the floor to get it out of the building... I was not exactly prepared to do so & in hindsight I really should have removed it yesterday or earlier today. But with her fueling my adrenalin, managed for the 1st time in a couple years to take that bag down & around the side to put it in the dumpster.

She's telling me how my fly catching strip wasn't "good enough" & how they could "spread to other units" but later I'm thinking these ain't those bugs & how do we know these didn't come from someone else? You know?

So anywho, I grab the bag, tie it, & get downstairs. Won't fit in the trash thing by the street, so around the side I go... while needing a few sitting rests. Get back in, check my mail & food discards & back up. And I greet her at the elevator. She's likely pleased I got out & did what she asked & I'm worn out & couldn't respond when she says "Good seeing you again." Silence is golden in my case.

She didn't pick over the floors - & she better not as I wiped them over 3 times. She didn't see the cat pan bag I hadn't taken out yet - it was hidden in plain sight & thanks to Tidy Cat, wasn't odiferous. I had the mop I'd been using in the bucket with water & clothes soap in the tub because otherwise it would be stinking it up... It really needs bleached. And something I bought last week was used to hide some stuff where it wouldn't be seen.

No remark about the blind or the moved tubs. But man did she home in on the flies. The red cart got a clear & wipedown. Found mold growing under the cutting board. Bleaching the dickens out of that. It's bamboo.

I missed the empty cat food can & drip of melted cheese on the inside of the oven window & she also missed them. She looked in the fridge, oven, & I think 1 cabinet door. Did not look in any closets (dammit).

I need some red paint for the cart to repair what has now come off it. Probably a little thing of Rustoleum will do.

Had my crock pot going & ran the bread machine. She arrived by 1:14 p.m. & was done with the floor at 1:44. I held off using the toilet because of her. And she has maintained the tradition of not being my favorite person.

Veggetarian Beans Touch Meat

Went shopping for things yesterday & I'm sorry. My hips & lower back are not happy. Everything went mostly as planned though after I got back, I remembered things I forgot like breakfast sausage patties. I should have enough until next month as I eat only 1 on Sunday when I make my special breakfast.

My main goal was to get everything I couldn't on Monday & had to recuperate for 2 days to feel up to it. I also intended to turn 3 cans of Veggetarian Beans into Non-Veggetarian Chili with adding 1 pound of bulk roll sausage browned with 1 chopped onion & then broken up in the crank chopper so it's distributed evenly throughout the mixture. Sausage grease left in the pot because Fat is Flavor!

After that, those 3 cans of beans + 1 more of Chili Beans, 100+ grams of sliced mushrooms, reduced sodium Old Bay Seasoning, 1 can no salt diced tomatoes, 1 small can tomato paste (which needed using), & perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 cup Siracha Sauce!! Mom would always use Chili Powder but in my recent years it has never really done anything. Maybe it adds a different flavor note? Siracha certainly adds the heat I'm hoping for. Sadly, I didn't get 3 green peppers... Chopped green pepper is the only thing missing - AND THEY HAD HUGE PEPPERS!! When these huge peppers aren't being sold by the pound, you get a decent value for the price!!

Got it nicely heated through, the mixture coalesced & became a form which I consider Chili & some tastes proved it was Darn Good. Maybe the slight sweetness (yuck) in the Veggetarian beans softened the burn or evened it out. I just wanted these cans to kiss meat & grease. Anywho, 4 nights of supper for this.

Rent day

So Yesterday was August 4th. And as such, it was Rent day.

Before I started off, I called West Side Animal Hospital about Poofball's coughing & sneezing & general respiratory problems & asked if I could get amoxicillin like they gave him last time for his respiratory problems 4 years ago. Had to leave a message & they returned the call just as I was leaving out the door at 11:30 to tell me yes, the doctor approved my request!

Soooo I get downstairs & check mail. The other county got its tax bill in with perfect timing. Get to my vehicle and.... Clicking. Ugh. Another starter? Call AAA. Guy gets here rather quickly & tests battery. 9 volts. Not holding a charge. Sets his starter pack on my battery & after a few minutes has me start it up & it complies. Sees my alternator is doing fine. Doesn't have another battery to sell me for $224 but recommends Orielly's or Autozone. So I go to Autozone. $183 dollars on my credit card later & I have a new Duralast battery. I don't like the brand because the Kia had one & during the winter it had to be removed & kept warm. Old battery was 5 years old, a Duralast Gold. I asked if that was a long time & the Autozone lady said it was typical.

Get to West Side & pick up the amoxicillin. $89. I took extra $$$ today. And there it went.

Got to credit union, Didney Drug Fart. Deposit my refills, do whatever shopping I can because it's DDF. Pickup refills. Cost = 0. Because Xarelto ran out. They really need to make it LARGER & MORE OBVIOUS on the sticky labels when it runs out. Actually, these things shouldn't ever run out! Like what the hell? So I confuse the 2, call the refill line, ask for more Entresto, realize my mistake, call back to cancel that & what I need is the Xarelto instead.

I see the store removed the pop vending machine from outside because it competed with the over priced beverage bottles inside. $2.59 for a SINGLE 20 OUNCE BOTTLE OF POP? Get bent.

Return back over 2 hours later than planned. My pain relief has long worn off. Fill out the last of the 3 envelopes being mailed today. Actually meet the new building manager for once & got officialness on my money order receipt (her initals & a stamp!).

Yesterday the USPS completely failed to deliver my order of cat tooth brush kits & failed again today. Claimed they had front door issues which was bullshit because my phone was on & it was not called. And they did not try again today. But I did get another item I was not expecting for another project I've had tinkering in my mind.

Hopefully Poofball will be feeling better soon, I'll have my groceries settled, & cleaning done & ready for Beckton on the 14th. I need a skeleton!!