scratchlings

I was working at the testing center earlier today. We had a tester call us from the parking lot, saying she didn't think she'd make it in for her test. Apparently her back had seized up, and she couldn't move. 

As she stood, inert, bracing against her car, the head of the nursing department happened by. The nursing school doesn't have a summer session, but luckily "Angie" was there for the rescue. Angie alerted security who contacted paramedics. Our tester was taken to the hospital. 

I've noticed similar on previous occassions. Once, while out running errands, an elderly woman tripped on a curb and couldn't get up. As I contemplated what to do, a woman approached, "I'm a nurse..."

Recall that I recently came upon a [collision between a car and a bicyclist] while on my way to work. Then again, "I'm a nurse..." appeared within seconds. Nurses. Seemingly everywhere when you need them. Thankfully.

I thought I'd share some testy artwork here. Most testers are allowed scratchpaper or whiteboards for scratchwork while testing. We collect it all before they leave us, and some of their "scratchwork" seems too fun to throw away, and lives on a while longer, tacked to a corkboard in the breakroom:

Hmm, what's that there above? Toaster Pastry Kitty?

I also enjoy the notes they often leave for themselves. Some recent ones I recall...

"She believes in you"

"Here we go, one team one fight"

"I can do hard things"

"Don't be dumb"

Then there was [that one guy] who'd written 

"F**k you b*tch  MotherF***ing b*tch..."

We're not sure if that was a calming affirmation or... something else.

picnic, puzzle, pudgy pet

 I'm heading into work at the testing center in a bit. Full timers Boss and Blossom will be attending a division picnic of sorts, and Boss has left Party Girl and me in charge for the day. Let the games begin.

The campus is relatively quiet these days since spring semester ended. Summer session starts next week. A few services are around like security, the library, and us in testing. Advising, maybe?

A couple of weeks ago, during finals, we ran out of space in testing and overflowed a few students to the advising area. Boss was manning the place, and I took some students over. A couple of advisors were in the area... working on a jigsaw puzzle?

Boss later said that they worked on that puzzle the whole time he was there. "I shoulda been an advisor!", he joked.

Okay, maybe not many students are meeting with advisors during finals week? But a couple stayed around just in case of drop-ins? It was a good sized puzzle. A 1000-piecer at least.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang returned from a fun getaway with a friend this week. I had been seeing to Wolfgang's cat during his adventures. Ideally, we would have the cat "board" with us, but that wouldn't work with our feisty cat Napolion.

So I'm now off the hook from cat duty. Wolfgang's cat is a big fluff. It's hard to tell if she's fat or just has SO much hair.

"Does this fur make me look fat?"

She lets me pet her, but in general, is not big on being touched. So I can't really "grope" her to see how much is chub and how much is hair. 

After she'd eat, she would lay on the floor like this, belly exposed. I've heard that's an animal's way of showing their trust in you.

Or maybe she was just baiting me.

checkup and chopping

Last week, I was feeling rather without purpose after the abrupt end of the semester. Now, one week later, I'm all, "I could get used to this!"

I do still have a couple of shifts per week in the testing center, so I'm not a total slug.

I've checked off many of the things I had back-burnered until this point. For one, I had my annual eye exam last week. Eyes haven't changed all that much, so no need for new glasses.

Eye doctor did confirm that cataracts are still stalking me. "You've got a few years", she says. I recall when she first told me I had signs of cataracts forming, and I was thinking, "B-b-but cataracts are for old people". Oh... yeah.

Meego and I went for a nice hike over the weekend. Wolfgang is out of town and Magnum had a case of what I deemed the "Oompah Loompah Virus" because, whatever it was, it made his voice all gravelly. Maybe the latest iteration of covid? So anyway, Meego and I had an enjoyable time - sort of a Meego's birthday/ Mother's day thing. 

And I've checked off two tasks from my list this week. (1) give my mountain bike some TLC and a good cleaning - not because it's dirty from riding, but because it's dirty from sitting around doing nothing - and (2) chop up an old crappy mattress. Ugh, that was a task.

We have a futon in the living room, which naturally has a futon mattress. When the old one wore out, I bought the crappy one off amazon. It was NOT as advertised and was this big thick lumpy thing that didn't work well with a futon frame. 

After dealing with it for a few months, I gave up and ordered a more suitable replacement. Meanwhile, I'd chucked the lumpy thing out to our back porch, a.k.a "catio". 

Well, the cat loved it. This full sized big cushy lump. I finally got around to unstuffing it and bagging the remains. Really, I hate sending it to the landfill, but it was truly unfit for human consumption.

As expected, the cat was a bit miffed and went all Karen on me upon inspection of the now spacious floor, insisting on speaking with the manager.

I suppose we'll get some peace offering for him, but good riddance to that lumpy POS mattress.

And I did finish "reading" an audio book while butchering the mattress. The book was Small Game. Coworker Kitty was reading it for her book club, and it sounded interesting.

It was okay. I'll give it 3.5 stars out of 5. It made the tedious mattress work go faster. Audiobooks are handy for such things.

Makes me wonder. Will there come a time where people no longer read? It seems to have already begun.

nerds, netflix

School's out. Monday was the last day of spring semester. I had a final meeting with a tutee, because nothing like a last minute cram sesh. 

So, after a whirlwind of tuting and testing - the two areas where I work - the tuting's come to an abrupt halt. Not gonna lie, I feel a bit rutterless. At least testing is still hopping. We typically get a wave of testers at semester's end. Newly pinned EMT's getting their certifications, educators getting their licenses, etc.

On Tuesday...

Magnum: No more tutoring?

Me: *SIGH*, not until summer session starts... but in the meantime... (gesturing to the whiteboard, because, yes, we have a whiteboard).

I'd put up a thought provoking math problem, to keep our brains exercised, nerd that I am. Nerd that he is, he couldn't wait to try to solve it.

Since that, there've been more brain teasers appearing on the whiteboard. Some from me, some from him. I had to get more markers, we'd expended the others.

So this is what happens when nerds collide, get hitched. This, and that offspring who liked to do experiments and once blew stuff up and melted a poop bucket - but at least it was outside the house - and that's another story.

Meanwhile, we finished the Netflix series Four Seasons since it was getting a lot of hype. 

It was... all right. It's about a group of friends, 3 married couples, who take regular vacations together. One of the husbands asks for and gets a divorce, then takes up with a much younger "girlfriend", thus changing the vacation group dynamic. It's based on the 1981 movie, which I've never seen.

It was entertaining enough. I didn't always relate to the characters as I found them too neurotic in general. But it did remind me of a couple I met years ago. 

J and A were good friends with Magnum's dad and stepmom. The four of them went on vacations together, etc. Then it turned out that husband J was having an affair on wife A with a younger woman. 

J and A got divorced, and J eventually married the other woman. I remember FIL telling us they'd received an invitation to J's wedding.

"I threw it in the trash!", he said with a chuckle.

I didn't know my FIL that well yet at the time, and I remember him moving up a few rungs on the moral ladder in my mind with that remark. 

But really, I think I may have gotten more into that other viral Netflix series - Tiger King. 

This concerns me a little. 

moms

Happy Mother's Day😊 I'm not a "Hallmark Holiday" person, so I don't like or want a big to-do on the day. BUT, I do definitely appreciate my own loving mom.

I have this photo from the ancient times that, presumably, my dad or older brother took on the spur of the moment.

Me in the coziness of Mom's lap, my brother "Guano" (appropriately attired in a batman cape), the three of us sitting way too close and engrossed in something on the black-and-white Motorola TV. Loooong before google, so there are printed materials strewn about.

Nothing scripted, no prepping. I imagine Guano having food stains on his face... So happy good moms appreciation day!

Speaking of appreciation, I showed up to meet with a tutee one day last week, and she appeared, saying, "I want to give you something". She reached into her tote bag and pulled out this lovely pot o' succulents!

Is that so sweet or what?

She found out earlier in the week that she's been awarded a transfer scholarship to the university's engineering program.

This is "the mom" I've mentioned here before - juggling strenuous coursework while raising two young daughters.

She says she wants to get her degree before she turns 40. I think she just might make it.

I brought the plants home and put them on a shelf in Magnum's work-from-home office which happens to be of the most sunshiney rooms in the house. There are shelves in there that are the home of the only houseplants we have, because anywhere else is not safe from attack from the cat.

The cat doesn't necessarily want to eat the plants, he's just a jerk.

...but I bet his mom was nice.

nature, Mexican beers, and a cult

Happy May, y'all! Spring continues to spring.

Last weekend, we got together with Meego and Wolfgang for a little hike-about in nearby Lyons, CO. Lyons is a small town - population of about 2,000. The main industries appear to be weed dispensing and catering to outdoor recreators, not necessarily mutally exclusive. Beautiful day for it.

We stopped at a favorite Mexican restaurant post-hike, where we FINALLY learned that Sundays are "men's day". I say we finally learned this because every other time we'd gone had also been on Sundays. The guys would each order a beer and get two instead of one for reasons unbeknownst to us. Turns out, it's a "men's day thing".  Who knew?

We didn't learn this until after ordering, however, so once again, we had double beers at the table.

Switching gears now... Okay, I have this friend, we'll call her Rosemary. She moved to another state about a year ago or so. We're friends on f4cebook, and she's starting to post things that clearly indicate she's joined a cult MLM.

I'm not sure which MLM she's involved with, as she's being vague - as is tradition, it seems. But signs are that she's selling (trying to sell) ridiculously expensive water filters.

Now, I've had other friends get roped in - usually other moms I know - and I just ignore their pitches, and eventually, they see the light. Confession: I myself got roped into an MLM in the early 2000's before I knew anything about them. But I soon experienced the creepy / cult-like atmosphere and got the heck out before losing money and becoming a weirdo... well, an MLM weirdo anyway.

And now, Rosemary. She's early- to mid-thirties, no kids, no college degree. A ripe target. I'm seeing these type things from her on the regular -->

...and I cringe inwardly.

So I contemplate. Should I DM her like she prompts in order to

(1) try to talk her out of it - to which she probably wouldn't listen?

(2) pretend to be interested, infiltrate the cult, and then try to talk her out of it?

or do what I'll probably do in the end,

(3) ignore it, and watch painfully from afar.

Hopefully, she'll learn sooner rather than later.