Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 5: Calmly through the day

[MissConductUS]

I've started a new one. Please join us and share the boring and mundane things happening in your world. It will be calming for all.

@sueelleker

Sodding; got any carrier bags you can use temporarily?

Yes, we’ll manage short term. It’s just annoying. I’m also out of custard powder and washing powder, both useful.

It must be said that although the carrier bag ban thing is obviously very good, it is a bit of a pain when it comes to acquiring free bin liners.

My skip is full already (no thanks to me). I have organised for it to be picked up tomorrow.

Hello :) A slow morning here sorting out the Christmas presents I have already bought into piles so I can see what is left to get. I am very much ahead of my usual last minute schedule and am enjoying the more relaxed pace of preparation. Although, truth be told, the bargain threads have wreaked havoc on my nervous system and I am here to recuperate.

Had a lovely chat with the postman.

Also, a food shop arrived with no missing or substituted items?

At work - WFH - zero plus points.

Cat that comes every day for it's treats got her treat - one of those yogurt cat treats and a stick treat broken up.

Got a few Christmas presents over past few days - a few in Lisa Angel sale - £1 for gorgeous bar necklaces and £2 I think for unicorn ring holders - will be good to sort those into presents.

Nail art kit and book coming today will go over to DBro's goddaughter's house and meet DM there so she can give her her presents - goddaughter returned to her DF's house after living with her DM - traumatic.

Had a nice sound for lunch. Been swimming. It is a pretty Autumn day here, quite warm as well. Might go a walk later in the park.

soup

I left the beagle home alone today. He has separation anxiety and hates being left but today he was as good as gold. I need to leave him for half an hour twice a week from now on. This is a huge deal for us so I am quietly feeling very proud!

I had a steak pie with sweet potato fries for lunch and now I'm drinking a can of raspberry Pepsi max.

Beagle is quite young?

My housemate startled me as we said we'd have a drink for good news which we haven't done before, and I said I'm away x-y dates but we can do it on z date.

He looked really distraught and said thank god I'd told him because he's got daughters and he worries. I didn't know he felt fatherly towards me!

Found out today that Jays are beautifully coloured birds.

Got my corvids mixed up somewhat - I got it in my head that they were all black or very dark-coloured for some reason.

My radio's gone a bit fuzzy-sounding and it's rather annoying.

Beagle is quite young?

Beagle is nearly three! He's always hated being left but with lockdown and me starting a new job he's not been left at all since February - he normally goes to his grandparents and prior to that he was at daycare.

If I can leave him for half an hour a few times a week it will make my life a lot easier, so it was an amazing feeling to know he was okay today.

I accidentally hit my dog on the head with an ice cube this morning! Still feeling a bit guilty.

Having a coffee. Had my flu vaccine. Got a sticker.

Raspberry Pepsi Max? Oh my goodness, that's far too revelatory and surprising for this thread. Is it better or worse than one would expect? Synthetic raspberry flavour is often not that close to how real raspberries taste.

I am reading a very dull slide deck. I think cleanillness is a typo for cleanliness. But who knows?

I think the leaves here are at or very near peak color.

We had a nice Zoom call with DS and my MIL last night. DS had bad news. A screw came out of the back of his laptop and now the case is partly open and the screen part won't fully close as the hinge is out of alignment. It does still work though. He's going to locate a computer repair shop locally. DH, who works in IT, thinks it should be easily fixed. But it is four years old, so we are thinking of getting him a new one for Christmas, or sooner if for some reason it can't be fixed. Back in March and April you couldn't get a new laptop for love or money as everyone was buying them for WFH. The supply seems better now, but still not like the good old days.

I mentioned on the old thread that his internship next spring will be remote and he could probably do it from home or stay at uni. He's decided to come home for it, which is fabulous. We'll save about $4,000 in room and board charges, which will be partly offset by a large increase in the grocery shop. DD is pleased by this as she gets along well with him and even more importantly, DS took DH's old Subaru to uni. Now it's coming back in December and they can resume sharing it, which means that she won't have to depend on mum and dad for rides everywhere.

The election here is two weeks away. I'm going to post my ballot today and try to ignore the media chaos until then.

I'm going to ask DH for this baking kit for Christmas. If it's nice I'll probably do the monthly subscription.

Chocolate Lovers Bundle: S'mores Brownies + Hazelnut Cupcakes

I cooked a recipe yesterday that I learnt from my ex years ago. My DH fucking loved it and had 2 portions. I just smiled and didn't tell him how I learnt to cook this dish.

The cat is acting weird and is constantly trying to find higher places to sit down and stare at me. I suspect she is afraid of the terror reign of DS who likes to grap her (he's nearly 16 months old). They have gotten into an epic fight today when the cat was napping on the couch and DS started bothering her. Cat was clearly pissed off when she left the couch and went to her sulking spot on the table in the hall way to blow off steam. Came back later to demand treats which I gave her.

I had a very toxic upset stomach earlier, but it seems to be much better now.

@FawnDrench

My radio's gone a bit fuzzy-sounding and it's rather annoying.

I had a radio that did that when the batteries were getting weak. I've since replaced it with this Sangean radio, which is sounds fabulous and is brilliant at pulling in weak signals. It even has preset buttons along the top. You could put it on your Christmas list.

Sangean PR-D19BK FM Stereo/AM Digital Tuning Portable Radio with Protective Bumper (Gray/Black)

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar

Raspberry Pepsi Max? Oh my goodness, that's far too revelatory and surprising for this thread. Is it better or worse than one would expect? Synthetic raspberry flavour is often not that close to how real raspberries taste.

It's surprisingly nice! You can't get it many places though - I have to order from Morrisons as none of our local shops sell it.

I am wondering if I want to get rid of the living room carpet and have bare floorboards. But what if I don’t like it? Then I’ve wasted the carpet.

Hmm - what sort of condition are the floorboards?

I've just fed the cats and the dog, and am settling down with a cup of tea and a jammy wagon wheel.

In the most middle class of problems, I'm trapped in a car park.

Obviously for peak twattery I drive a 4x4 and it is the Waitrose car park. People have parked either side of me which does not afford me the space to swing out as there's a barrier behind.

Annoyingly they are parked beautifully in their own spaces so I have no cause to be pissed off with them, just myself for parking in a space that was obviously a teensy bit tight when there were no cars around.

Obviously for peak twattery I drive a 4x4 and it is the Waitrose car park.

I admire your bravery for admitting this on MN.

I drive a Forester, but here it's considered a normal vehicle, not a crime against society.

@MissConductUS

Obviously for peak twattery I drive a 4x4 and it is the Waitrose car park.

I admire your bravery for admitting this on MN.

I drive a Forester, but here it's considered a normal vehicle, not a crime against society.

In fairness, I do live in a rural area and do actually need a 4 wheel drive in bad weather. It's very much a utility vehicle rather than a Chelsea tractor, which is small consolation when I'm still trapped