a Friday five

• Because of Memorial Day Monday, I only worked two days this week. I normally have Wednesdays and Fridays off and there is no tutoring happening until next week. Not complaining as I got caught up on a few housekeepery things and enjoyed some nice weather time.

• In the meantime, [PEO]'s keeping me pretty busy. State convention is coming up. I'm not a delegate but got talked into helping out on one of the days since convention is nearby.

• We ended up taking our pooch Merlin to the vet as his symptoms from last week weren't really improving. Vet "gave" him (sold us) some special food that has helped and ran some tests. His bloodwork came back, and Vet says, "this could likely be from an infection or a type of cancer".

Sheesh, talk about two ends of a spectrum. For now, we're treating it as an infection and will watch and wait. Merlin seems like his old self, and hopefully that holds.

• I don't like wearing sunscreen, yet I live in a place with lots of sun and lots of cases of melanoma. As such, I often wear these moisture wicking long-sleeved tops when I'm outdoors on hot days. 

I got a couple from yamazon that include these thumbholes. 

Made for short-armed people, I suppose. Thumbholes miles away from my thumbs. Oh well, I don't usually use thumbholes anyway.

• I kind of want to see [Furiosa] in the theater. The movie  didn't do so well in the box office for opening weekend, however. We saw the last Mad Max movie, [Fury Road], in the theater. 

I went in expecting some macho testosterone shoot-em-up, but I found it surprisingly good - wonderfully artistic, with an epic soundtrack, not to mention... Tom Hardy.

smell something?

Happy Memorial Day, to honor fallen servicemen and women - not to mention the unofficial kick-off to summer - to the Americans.

On Saturday, Magnum and I took a bike ride and stopped by the university to see Cosmo the Corpse flower. We rolled right up to a small inconspicuous building, racked the bikes, and walked on in amid the anticipation of the big smelly bloom.

It was a lovely setting, this little white building in the middle of campus. I've probably bicycled passed it many times, not knowing of the treasures inside.

We were there around noonish, and while Cosmo was clearly up to something, no bloom to be seen nor smelt.  As it happened, it bloomed full out later that evening, becoming most putrid around 10:30pm

SOURCE

I got this screen grab from the livestream in case we find ourselves in need of an alibi.

The building was a smallish tropical residence for Cosmo and his roommates. There was a banana tree - I'd never seen one before - as well as a pomogranate bush? Tree? Not sure, but there were pomogranates growing from it. And lots of other cool plants certainly not native to Colorado.

This is Bruno the slider turtle, hanging out in the Koi pond, probably wondering what all the hubbub was about.

So we enjoyed the tour of the little place, geeking out a bit on all of the science going on. Among other things, there was a "proton-transfer-reaction chemical ionization mass spectrometer (PTR-MS)" set up to detect and analyze the awful smells about to emerge.

As expected, the little building was descended upon yesterday by the masses who'd been following Cosmo's progress. We rode by and the line wrapped around a corner with no end in sight. Observers were told to bring water and snacks and sunscreen as the wait would be a long one. We kept on a-ridin'.

Cosmo's bloom is already flopping away as seen in the continuing [livestream], and the plant will soon whither and go dormant in the fall. 

See ya, Cosmo. Another 8 years?

putridity weekend?

 Greetings on what is the start of a long weekend for many. I typically have Fridays off anyways, so it's a 4-dayer for me. 

My high school boyfriend's father was killed in the Vietnam war, and I remember the first time I saw his grave. The headstone is of a military standard and includes a photo. I noticed right away how much he looked like my then boyfriend, which was a bit surprising, because until then, I thought boyfriend looked a lot like his mother. And he looked so young in that photo. He was only 25 when he died, so not much older than my boyfriend was at the time. 

I recall that [last year], I was out for a run and came across the Field of Heroes flag display and travelling Vietnam Wall. I believe it's at the same location this weekend. Just a couple of reminders that Memorial Day weekend isn't about days off from work and sales at Amazon.

As it happens, I did go for a lovely spring morning run today. I didn't go by the memorial display, but I did come across these creatures:

I probably interrupted their early morning gossip and yoga as they seemed to just want to leave after I showed up.

No big getaways planned for the weekend. Just as well because our dog, Merlin, is on the fritz. Dealing with some gastrointestinal upset, if you get my drift. We're thinking maybe he got into something he shouldn't have. He's on white rice today, and hopefully on the mend.

So no getaway planned, HOWEVER, we are hoping to witness a momentous local event. The university owns a [corpse flower named Cosmo that is signalling that it is about to bloom]! If it does, it will absolutely reek of putrid rotting flesh!

Oh, the anticipation! I must go there!

I just checked the [livestream], and Cosmo has grown considerably in the last few days. It's almost NSFW. As a local redditor put it, "it looks like my dog when he's happy to see me".

We are warned that, because of their unpredictability, there is a slim chance that it may not happen. I think that makes it all the more fun.

Schrödinger's plant?

to have something to do

Welp, it happened again. I've [mentioned before] about how I strangely come across pocket sharp things while out walking around. This was the collection, with household object for scale:

On Sunday, Magnum and I were walking down our street, minding our own business when, yet again, another sharp thing jumped out at me.

I guess they don't really jump, but my eyes are somehow drawn right to them.

People speak of finding pennies, golf balls, toys, etc. while out walking around. For whatever reason, I mainly find these pocket knives. 

Here's the latest to join the collection.

I certainly don't need any more. In fact, I think I've donated most of them since, surprisingly, they've all been in good condition.

This one is sort of an outlier because of it's red plastic housing. I figured out that the notch in the blade is a bottle opener. It doesn't seem quite as robust as the others in my "collection" - like maybe it was a freebie promotional thing.

I feel I should pick them up and remove them from the wild so some child doesn't come across one and end up slashing themselves or others. But now what? Anyone have a bottle needs opening?

On Sunday, we got together with Wolfgang and Meego to celebrate Meego's birthday. I don't want a fuss on Mother's Day, but Meego was actually born on Mother's Day - speaking of fuss. So we often celebrate his birthday on the weekend nearest, which is often Mother's Day.

Considering that, plus it being CSU graduation weekend, we avoided the potentially busy places and times. We went out for oh so good Mexican food late lunch. Seriously, I'm still thinking fondly of those chicken enchiladas. Always nice to hang out and catch up with those guys, and I also talked with Chaco on the phone. So a good Not-Mother's Day.

My work has slowed since I'm tutee-less until summer semester begins in a couple of weeks. I will indulge in some errand running today since it's a full day off. 

Who knows, maybe I'll find another knife.

become young

Another nice week down. This was a nice one because it was relatively uncluttered, and we know I don't like clutter.

• I had the usual shifts at the testing center, but no tutoring as the semester officially ended on Monday. Then Thursday was a short day because we closed early for commencement. No political upheavals to affect the ceremonies. 

The only "unrest" I've been aware of at our campus was when the Student Life department installed menstrual product dispensers in all the bathrooms, including the men's rooms. Apparently some of the fellas either were offended or thought the products were funny, so engaged in some sort of retalitory vandalism. 

• Chaco called us Friday night to have us go out and look for the Northern Lights.  It was cloudy where he was, but we had clear skies. The lights were apparently visible here, but too much light pollution to see anything from our neighborhood. 

Magnum took a photo with his phone, which can apparently see better than we can, and this is the best we got from our neighborhood.

I'll have to take the word of the locals who trekked out to the boonies

• These last few weeks seemed to be cluttered with various appointments - my physical therapy sessions as well as getting all the pets examined and vaccinated. I've managed to wrap all those up for the time being. I also had my annual blood screen this week, and am glad to report that everything came back green for go. 

• I'm glad I did the physical therapy bit. I received good care and information and am running again and doing better. It really is all connected like that song we learned when were were kids... "foot bone's connected to the leg bone, leg bone's connected to the..." Throw in muscles, ligaments, tendons, and it's a busy place!

• On that note, I'm sort of thinking about taking EMT classes at the college. I have no desire to be gainfully employed as an EMT or paramedic, but it seems like it would be good knowledge to have. I know of others who have done so, or who have completed a CNA course to care for a family member.  I'll check for "employee discounts" if any and consider the time commitment.  Now that we're fully staffed again, maybe I can fit the classes in.

I thought I would get in some sketchbook action this week with the extra time available, but that time got filled up with more responsible things. 

"It took my whole life to learn to draw like a child"
                                                    ~ Picasso

I'm working on it, Pablo.

distraction

Since the semester's winding down, I've been able to indulge in more playtime/ escapism/ however to categorize it. When I'm playing with my art toys, I typically stream a movie to keep me entertained. Perhaps, more importantly, it gives me a time limit, so I don't get lost and totally neglect my adult responsibilities.

Recently, I watched the movie [Waiting], which was a silly movie I'd never seen but had heard of. It's about a staff of young restaurant workers, and pretty realistic (been there, done that) Ryan Reynolds comedy. I kept that in mind and had low expectations, so it worked out and I drew some apples.

Magnum and I have been watching the [Shogun] miniseries on Hulu. Or I should say, Magnum's been watching it. I'd taken to doodling while it's on, and I've got big gaps in my following along because it's mostly in Japanese, and I don't speak Japanese. I understand it's quite good. I'll vouch for the cinematography and costuming being well done, and I got a spider kid drawing out of it. 

Yesterday, I streamed [Border], which is Swedish, but I'd seen it before while not distracted, so I was able to follow along even though I don't speak Swedish. 

"Border" is an interesting story for lack of a better word. Have you seen it? It's realistic fantasy? If that's even a thing. It pulled me in, having me wondering where the heck it's going. Then it goes somewhere, and I was all, "What??", and it goes somewhere again to where I was all, "WHAAATT??"  Add a few more "WHAA-HAAAAATT??", and that's the movie Border.

I can't even really explain the plot, and I think it's best to watch it, not knowing a thing. I will say that I did not watch the final one third or so during this second viewing.  The subject matter becomes too disturbing for my taste at that point. I still recommend attentively watching it, though.

Anyway, I got a Bucee Beaver statue out of it.

starter pack

I was at work yesterday, and it wasn't very busy. We are in finals week right now at the college, so we're expecting lots of busy-ness in the testing center, but so far, it's been quite mild. This implies a calm before the storm, because they're all going to hit us Monday - the last day of finals. 

So we were hanging about being not too busy, and somebody jokingly suggests that Sarge go and reclaim something that had been "borrowed" from us and not returned. This was eluding to the fact that Sarge had spent some time in his younger days as a Repo Man. 

So Sarge looks to me and says he'll go get the thing if I get our little espresso machine to work and make him a coffee. Yes, there is a small espresso machine in our breakroom that nobody's figured out how to work. 

"I don't even drink those fancy coffees", I revealed, "why me?"

It's true. I've mentioned that Magnum and I take regular "coffee walks" on the weekends. We visit various coffee shops around town, but we are so boring - coupla drip coffees with cream, please. That's it. No mocha latte macchiato dolce blah blah blah. Sometimes I wonder if we're the only ones who order basic drip.

And then Sarge reminded me, "I used to be a repo man, you used to be a barista".

Omigosh, that's right. I had such a short-lived time as a barista, I'd practically forgot about it. 

Back when covid hit the US, shortly after we'd moved here, I was working at a quaint cafe inside a small local hospital. I enjoyed that job. The schedule was perfect, the team was wonderful, including the bosses. I had a list of items I prepared each shift, under no stress of the ticket machine, and my only customers were other staff in the kitchen. Plus it was a lovely bicycle commute.

Who knows how long I would've stayed on if not for a freaking global pandemic?

But then covid hit, the hospital stopped all elective surgeries, and even shut down the maternity ward. The cafe was shut down, and we provided a few to-go items for the lean staff on site. The kitchen had to be open for patients who were allowed solid food - usually 5 or less. The front counter stayed open for hospital staffers coming to quickly grab a coffee or snack and get out.

Management did what they could so that we all had at least a few hours each week. This meant that we would all become jacks of ALL trades rather than master of our specific job descriptions.

So I still prepared a few items, also delivered trays to patients, did what I could on the line, and... made and served those specialty beverages - tamping, steaming, frothing, and whatnot. There is surprisingly a lot to it, or so it seemed to cuppa-drip-with-cream me.

Daunting piece of equipment, even as I look at it  now

I ended up leaving that job because the pandemic wasn't going anywhere soon. But I suppose yes, I can say I was once a barista. 

Maybe after finals, when things quiet down, I'll figure out that little espresso machine in the breakroom. It's a kitten next to that lion of a machine at the hospital. How hard can it be? *famous last words*

In related news, I had my last tutoring session of the semester yesterday afternoon. They're on their own now. 

I tucked the math part of my brain away for a while and drew a Spider-Verse dude because...

I don't know.