What did you do today? - 2020 version

[Music Lover]

We went bar hopping in Nashville last night. I spoke with the lead singer of one of the bands we saw between sets and we ended up talking about gear...he has the same bass as me. He called me up to the stage the next set and I played a couple songs with the band.

So now I can say I played in Nashville...

 

[Walt34]

Painted over the patches for the old vertical blind holders for the basement sliding glass door, installed the new curtain rod holders for the new blinds (the old vertical blinds that worked fine for 17 years would NEVER do, according to DW) and sometime later today will put up the new curtains.

 

[Ronstar]

Tested out my new micro spikes on an icy hike at Starved Rock State Park. Then went to the chiropractor. Now whipping up fish (for DW) and pork chops (for me) in the sous vide.

 

[W2R]

We took F's Murano to the repair shop a few blocks away to let them replace his headlight, which burned out. Normally he would have done it himself, but didn't feel up to it to this time because he's a bit under the weather.

Living next door to one another is so convenient at times like this; I was able to follow him over, bring him back home, and take him back when it was done, without all this taking more than a few minutes away from our day. And, he didn't have to walk over there in the (relatively) cold weather, while sick.

 

[Walt34]

Tested out my new micro spikes on an icy hike at Starved Rock State Park. Then went to the chiropractor.

It sure sounds like there's a story missing in between those two sentences....

 

[Gumby]

We went to see the movie "1917". It was really impressively done, and I can see why it is in the running for Best Picture.

 

[Ronstar]

It sure sounds like there's a story missing in between those two sentences....

Ha! On paper it does look like there's a missing story. But the Chiro appt was for a pre-existing condition - a back twinge. Microspikes didn't cause any problems - yet.

This kind of behavior could cause some problems.

 

[travelover]

Replaced my PagePlus smartphone today as they said the old one would soon be obsolete. I'd ordered a new one from them but called to have it activated. After a half hour of dinking around they declared that it must have a bad SIM card, so I headed off to a local phone shop to buy a new one. The guy at the counter looked at my phone and pointed out that it was now working. Evidently it takes a while between when they (PagePlus) push the magic button and when Verizon actually recognizes the phone.

Hopefully I'm good for another couple of years before they yank the rug out from under me again.

 

[Out of Steam]

Put up several pegboards in the garage to hang tools above the workbench. Then filled about half the space.

 

[Music Lover]

Worked out this afternoon. Hotel/resort gyms are notoriously lacking if you want free weights. Usually you only get dumbbells (if you're lucky) and the heaviest ones are just "warm up weight". So I had to make do with a light workout.

We're heading out tonight for a couple hours of bar hopping but will be taking it easy and coming back early as we have a long drive tomorrow (1300 kms) as we head home.

 

[Pellice]

Took the one-day AARP senior driving refresher course. I was seriously disappointed with the content, which boiled down to 3 sentences: 1) We slow down as we get older; 2) Leave lots of space between vehicles; and 3) Make sure your car is set up properly (10" from steering wheel, e.g.)

The booklet, although only 3 years old, was out of date as regards new auto technology and offered no insights how to combine it with our previous practices. The instructor didn't even know what I was talking about when I asked him how to hold my hands when the "lane keeping " feature is engaged and the car is doing some self-steering. The brief films shown all featured older drivers making the above 3 points.

Oh, well, I'll get the insurance discount, but I expected more from this course.

 

[Souschef]

My wife is scheduled for an ablation on Monday. It was first scheduled for Monday, changed to Tuesday then back to Monday
The problem was they had not sent her the form to have her blood work done, and this is Friday. The lab closes at 3 PM, and we were very concerned. DW called the cardiologist's office and they said they would have the paperwork waiting at the desk. I drove down and picked up the paperwork, and it said she had to preregister at the hospital. Fortunately, it was across the street, and I took care of it.
At 4 PM the mail arrived, with instructions for the wrong date. Another letter arrived, dated a week ago,with some other lab requests. We are only 10 miles from the office, so why did it take a week for the letter to get here?

 

[Gumby]

We went to see "Ford v. Ferrari" this morning, then out to our favorite Mexican place for lunch. The young wife really liked it, which is really a compliment for a movie about car racing.

 

[steelyman]

I returned from Greensboro today after having spent a few days around a highlight of a concert by Emmylou Harris. Excellent show and as a bonus she offered a masterclass on the afternoon of the concert. Here’s an article about that extra event:

https://www.greensboro.com/z-no-dig...cle_79d33832-cae7-53fb-8c19-2400d8445d07.html

[ADDED] She’ll be returning to receive a well-deserved honorary doctorate. [emoji4]

... and the dog rescue mentioned is named Bonaparte’s Retreat (in honor of her pooch)

 

[aja8888]

Our HOA dues ($195/month) allow for all homes in the community to be repainted every 7 years. Ours was done today with a handful of painters wielding brushes, small rollers, and an airless sprayer. Two days prior, the house was power washed and caulked where necessary.

What's not brick is Hardiplank. Next year, our 6' wood fencing gets replaced as it's on a similar schedule.

It's nice to watch rather than do this kind of work, which I have done a few times in the past.

 

[Walt34]

I'm about halfway through doing the taxes in TurboTax, but of course waiting for a few 1099's to appear from the perennial stragglers.

And I set a new record for the number (for me) of separate naps taken in one day: three! While I realize that is still amateur level, I'll be trying to improve.

 

[Venturer]

After about 4 weeks of looking at and test driving new vehicles, my DW now has a brand new Highlander in the garage. We looked at Nissan Murano & Pathfinder,Toyota Rav4 & Highlander,Kia Telluride & Sorento,Hundia Palisisade. In the end we both agreed the Highlander Hybrid was it. I've read some about the hybrids and hope it turns out to be as great as our last Toyoto,only time will tell.

 

[Ronstar]

My raspberry Pi weather app went kaput. Turns out that Weather.com no longer supports/provides data through an api. I found a suitable replacement app on GitHub that I can tweak. App needs the newest os. Trouble is that my os is out of date. App crashed during the install on the old os. So I took the pi apart, formatted the sd card and am in the process of installing on the new os. Then reinstall the app.

And I'll fit a hike in as well.

 

[travelover]

After about 4 weeks of looking at and test driving new vehicles, my DW now has a brand new Highlander in the garage. ..........

The HyHi has been around for a long time and gets great reviews from Consumer Reports as well as from owners on Toyota forums. I think you'll like it. My only complaint is visibility - between all the wide roof pillars, headrests, mirrors and tiny actual rear window I have a tough time assuring myself all is clear.

 

[Just_Steve]

Last night me and DW went to see Billy Joel in concert at Madison Square Garden, Bon Jovi sang a couple of songs with Joel. Great concert and we stayed in the Hotel Pennsylvania for the night, just got home. Good times.

Video from last night. (not mine)

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Slow here.
We have been in Mexico (Guadalajara area) for January.

For the first two weeks, we slept at least 10 hours a night. It is 5000 ft here and we live at 250 ft ASL.

The weather has been as good as advertised. It snowed 2 ft at home, we heard.

Took the Tequila Express to the Herradura distillery last week. Great fun. Then took an eating tour of Tlaquepaque given by a native food scientist. Have been vegging at Lake Chapala mostly, checking out Mexican cuisine, giving reviews.

Friday night, went to a Robbie Burns Birthday celebration in Ajijic. We have been to many in many places (Canada and Azerbaijan). A popular event in many expat locations.

Tomorrow, leaving Lakeside for Guadalajara to shop the fabric stores.

Then, back to the Pacific North Wet.

 

[ls99]

Got back from a few days in Cincinnati attending classes of Argentine Tango.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Seven fabric stores in Guadalajara today. [emoji26]. Now enjoying a large, cold cervesa. May hit the pool later.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Got into Guadalajara at the Holiday Inn Express by the airport late yesterday.

Went straight to the Chili's across the parking lot. Had the best hamburger I have had in a Long time.

 

[Walt34]

Did the bulk of the income taxes in TurboTax, still waiting for the state of WV to finish one form. I try to come as close as I can to "breaking even" on refunds vs. payments and we came pretty close. Owe federal $224 and a state refund of $107. Close enough.

Oh, and the federal return is on a 1040-SR, the "U.S. Tax Return for Seniors". I guess that's a good thing since it gets us an additional, albeit small, deduction. DW is not yet 65.