Now that I finished it...

... I should have taken a picture. 

And not in the 1999 Filter type of way. 

I had a bit of a rough morning with the gym, some emails, and the gym again. By the time I got to have something of substance (for lunch), it's well past 1pm and I knew if I started making something any later, I wouldn't be hungry for supper. 

So a random spinach salad I made and if I left out a few ingredients, I would have been 100% vegan friendly. 

What did I do?

At this point I have to say I eyeballed everything, so my measurements aren't exact.

In a Dollar Tree six inch glass bowl (yea, I am not afraid to say I bought bowls from the dollar store. I buy a lot of stuff there):

• Roughly a cup and a half of the "Fresh Attitude" brand of baby spinach
• Roughly half a cup of diced "Hatfield" brand "Hardwood Smoked" ham steak (I cut it up myself)
• About a third of a cup of "Cabot" brand "Mac and Cheese" shredded cheese
• A tiny fork prong of "Spice World" brand minced garlic
• About a third of a cup of the "La Choy" brand "Chow Mein" style noodles
• About a third of a cup of some type of salad topper crunch things. This had craisins, edamame and cashews. There was something else in it but I don't remember the name of it.
• A drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• A drizzle of Balsamic Vinaigrette
• A drizzle of Fig Vinaigrette

Seems like an over abundance, but it was rather tasty when you got in to it. I was rather satisfied with it and I know I didn't go overboard with it. My measurements feel rough, but I wasn't going for exact. I was trying to get some fiber and substance in my body without going crazy and snacking on a lot of junk for half an hour. I'd rather keep drinking water with lemon to mask the "gahlick breath" I now have, rather than feel lousy later for overeating. 

Yes, I said "gahlick breath". Every time I use garlic or say the word, I have to say it like like a true Masshole: drop the "r" and add some letters. Plus, it's an inside joke to Tay because we worked with some guys who would razz him about his eating habits. So Tay, if you're reading this, I thought of you for lunch. Call me; we need to talk. 

On another subject, one I keep harping on since "it's season": I got added to a semi weekly email blast newsletter from the State Senator's office. I originally signed my name in support of saving public media and that campaign then gave me the joy of spam various forms of emails from local legislature. One of the more "positive" things from this week's "Notes from Senator Rick Scott" is the "hurricane season is here" and "hurricane preparedness information". 

As much as I hate bringing politics into my blog, I'm doing it. *shakes head in disgrace*

I snipped parts of the email to put in my blog, as there were other bits in it, referencing things he is working on. 

So the snippets are as followed (with the text links):

Hurricane Season Is Here, Get Prepared Today!

Dear Fellow Floridian, Hurricane Season is HERE. Now is the time for every Florida family to make sure you are prepared for whatever this Hurricane Season may bring.  Floridians know better than anybody that hurricanes and severe weather can strike anytime and anywhere. That's why it's important for you to have a plan to keep you and your family safe in case of an emergency.  Throughout my time as Governor and as your United States Senator, I have seen the destruction left behind by devastating hurricanes like Michael, Irma, Hermine, Matthew, Ian, Fiona, Idalia, and most recently, Debby, Helene, and Milton. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Floridians are resilient. Our state and local communities always come together in times of need to work incredibly hard to rebuild and recover. Florida is resilient because we prepare. I cannot stress this enough: preparedness saves lives. We can always rebuild a home, but we can’t rebuild a life. Make a plan TODAY!  Visit my website: https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/hurricane-preparedness or ready.gov for more on how to make a plan and get prepared. See a video of Senator Scott and Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore's 2025 Hurricane Season PSA HERE or below.

The other screen cap is much longer. It has the suggestions for before, during and after a hurricane.

Hurricane Preparedness As Floridians, we know that preparedness saves lives. As the 2025 hurricane season begins on June 1st, the time for Florida families and businesses to make a plan is TODAY. Now is a great opportunity for your family to stock your disaster supply kits with vital supplies like a first aid kit, a radio, flashlights, batteries and other necessities. Your kit should also include 7 days' worth of food and water, prescription medications, and any important documents.

You can find resources and information on creating a personalized emergency plan HERE. Here are a few tips to help you prepare your family and business for this upcoming season:

Before a Storm Prepare an evacuation plan & make sure everyone in your home knows the plan. Stock up on emergency supplies, including: Water – You will need water for drinking, cooking and sanitation purposes. Pack a minimum of 1 gallon daily per person for 7 days. Food – You will need enough food for a minimum of 7 days: Non-perishable packaged or canned food and juices Manual can opener Foods for individuals with dietary restrictions (i.e., infants, elderly, etc.) Snack foods Cooking tools Paper plates and plastic utensils Fuel  Flashlight and Extra Batteries Pillows, Blankets and/or Sleeping Bags Clothing – Include a complete change of clothes suitable for your area's climate. Be sure to include sturdy shoes to protect you from debris or other sharp objects you may encounter outdoors post-storm First Aid Kit, Prescription Medication and Other Medicines Radio – Battery operated and NOAA weather radio Toiletries Cleaning Supplies – Include garbage bags, moisture wipes and other items you may need to sanitize your home or surrounding post-disaster Special Items – Assess all family members' needs. Consider other items needed for infants, elderly and individuals with access and functional needs (i.e., medical items, baby bottles, etc.) Cash – Banks and ATMs may not be open or available for extended periods following a disaster Toys, Books and Games Important Documents – Consider storing all critical documents in a waterproof container, as well as saving them electronically. These items can include, but are not limited to, insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc. Tools Pet Care Items Proper identification/ immunization records Ample supply of food and water Carrier or cage Medications Muzzle and leash Photo of you and your pet(s) – in the event that you are separated from your pet, having an updated photo with your pet will help validate pet ownership If you have been told to evacuate, EVACUATE. Don’t stay behind. We can rebuild a home, but we can’t rebuild a life. —

During a Storm Follow instructions from local law enforcement and emergency management officials. Stay away from windows and seek shelter. —

After a Storm If you were advised to evacuate, do not return home until it is safe to do so. Be mindful of debris and down power lines. Do not drive or walk around outside if you do not have to. —

Hurricane Preparedness Resources Websites FEMA: Visit FEMA for up-to-date information, support, services, and to apply for disaster assistance following a storm. SBA: Visit SBA to learn about low-interest disaster loans to help businesses and homeowners recover from a major disaster FloridaDisaster.org: Visit FloridaDisaster.org for resources and information on creating a personalized emergency plan for your family. HUD: Visit HUD to learn about housing assistance available to homeowners and renters National Hurricane Center: Visit NHC for the latest updates on tropical weather threats. —

Helpful Accounts on X @FLSERT @NHC_Atlantic @MyFDOT @GasBuddy Local Law Enforcement Local Emergency Operations Centers

I'm sure by the end of this season, some of the government websites Senator Scott listed, won't exist, given the state of affairs right now. But it's all good information and we have to remain updated and vigilant regardless of political climate and circumstance. Weather destruction won't change even though agencies do.

All of the items / essentials that Senator Scott mentioned, can be found at local grocery stores (Publix, Aldi, Winn Dixie for example), warehouses (BJs, Costco, Sam's Club for example), hardware stores (Ace, Lowe's, Home Depot for example) or any other mass merchandiser (Walmart, Target for example). If you're really crunched, you can use their websites. If you don't care and want to do one stop shopping online, Amazon can have a decent array of stuff  but they won't have everything. This would be when you would have to venture out and get anything that the AtoZ place doesn't have. Meaning, things like cash, medication (unless you're using Amazon Pharmacy), or any other type of specialty items. 

Florida weather is not one to mess with. These hurricanes are not the ones where you tape a big old X from corner to corner on your window and call it a day. Trust me - that old wives tale only works up north. LOL. 

I know there are Massholes nodding their heads and smiling at me as they read that. IYKYK. If you're going to cheapen out down here, the basic thing is to get plywood over the windows. That covers you better than the masking tape. No, duct tape doesn't help either, even though that's the one thing that fixes everything.

If I could say the one "myth" we brought down here with us for summer storm crazy, it would be the "fill your bathtub up with water and don't touch it until you have to" story. You're going to need that water to do the every day things we take for granted. This would be when and if you lose power (electricity), you lose the ability to flush a toilet (because the pumps aren't working) or you just do a quick spot wipe around places on your body (but don't dip your now dirty cloth into that clean water. Take out some water and put it in the sink. Use that as your dirty water). 

We're actively saving an old case of bottled water to use for toilet shenanigans, honestly. But the tub will still be filled for everything else. 

What else? Next week is July. Where did the month go? I feel like it was just my birthday and that was last month. Nothing really else to note. My neighbor is running his big ass pickup truck right now and it's noisy as ever. He "promised" he was going  to get it checked out, but that was almost a year ago. It sounds like it is in desperate need of a tune up. The sad thing is, we can hear it across the house when he's running the thing. I'm partially deaf and we use a soundbar on our TV.

Oh, speaking of deaf: I started listening to The Osbournes Podcast at the gym this morning and nearly fell off the treadmill while listening to the introductory episode. I know I said I had a day from crazy, but this podcast made me laugh so hard, the gym bros in the room must have thought I was off my rocker. The first episodes are from 2018, so the family dynamic hasn't changed much since they were on MTV. They go round and round with each other, just having a conversation. Memories, life, etc. Buyer beware: they aren't censored. So their swearing is in full force. This isn't for little kids ears. 

Also not censored: I started reading George Carlin's "me m oir" (you'll see why I spelled it out if you read it) Last Words. According to Amazon's synopsis:

"For the last 14 years of his life, the brilliant, caustic, and hilarious George Carlin worked on his autobiography—now, written with bestselling author Tony Hendra and posthumously published, Carlin has proven that even after death, he is still one of the funniest men who ever lived.

One of the undisputed heavyweight champions of American comedy, with nineteen appearances on the Johnny Carson show, thirteen HBO specials, five Grammys, and a critical Supreme Court battle over censorship under his belt, George Carlin saw it all throughout his extraordinary fifty-year career, and made fun of most of it. Last Words is the story of the man behind some of the most seminal comedy of the last half century, blending his signature acerbic humor with never-before-told stories from his own life, including encounters with a Who’s Who of 1970s celebrity—from Lenny Bruce to Hugh Hefner—and the origins of some of his most famous standup routines. Carlin’s early conflicts, his long struggle with substance abuse, his turbulent relationships with his family, and his triumphs over catastrophic setbacks all fueled the unique comedic worldview he brought to the stage. From the heights of stardom to the low points few knew about, Last Words is told with the same razor-sharp wit and unblinking honesty that made Carlin one of the best-loved comedians in American history."

I'm only three chapters in, but the first two are devoted to his parents. His father has chapter one and his mother has chapter two. It's actually insightful of how he came into this world and how his family struggled early on in the 20th Century. I am familiar with some of Mr. Carlin's work, but I didn't realize he was born to a pair of Irish parents, who were in their 40s at the time of his birth, in 1938. Graphic warning: in the first chapter, he writes about his father in detail. There are descriptions of adult behavior (sex, drugs, drinking, abuse) and when his mother went to go have an abortion. On the chapter about his mother, there is a page on how the "Seven Words" monologue came about and how his local church laughed it off and accepted it. His choice of phrasing, or the use of the English language came out of love and respect by his mother. She is from a higher class than his father, and wanted George to be able to articulate in a manner not like his alcohol fueled papa and with fists. 

I told my friend Shawn about the book last night. I hope he has opportunity to pick it up somehow. He may enjoy it.

That's about it for now because I keep squirreling. Best to end it while I can. 

Stay safe, cool, hydrated and be wary of that heat dome circulating the country!

Cheers;

See also:

* The Filter reference is the song "Take A Picture" from their "Title Of Record" album (track 6)

Housekeeping (aka Referral stuff):

* This weekend only (June 27-29, 2025): Teeccino is doing a flash referral sale. Anyone who clicks on my referral link, gets $10 off of a $40 or more order (instead of $5) and I also get $10 in store credit. 

* Plant People offers a $15 discount for both of us when if you use my referral link.

* Barker Wellness Co offers a $5 coupon for both of us via my referral link

* HIT! Balm offers a $5 coupon for both of us via my referral link. As reminder, you must be 21+ for this site

* Native offers us both 20% off an order via my referral link

* OM Mushrooms offers us both 20% an order via my referral link

* Pacha Soap offers $6 off your first order of $20+ via my referral link and I receive $5 in points.

I have a good combination of points for all of the above sites. Poke around, try something new. You might surprise yourself. 

When you have two of the same "OSM"'s in one day...

... someone is telling you to stay indoors and go back to bed. 

"OSM", for those unaware, means "Oh Shit Moment". I learned this in one of the Sookie Stackhouse books. 

This morning, when I was leaving the gym, I happened to look over at the bushes, that are literally 5 feet from the gym door, and I see a three foot black racer snake heading into the mulch area. I side stepped left, hustled to my car and didn't think anything of it. 

I'm so used to seeing teeny tiny racer snakes around, so when the bigger ones come out, it's like "uh oh...". They're not harmful, just annoyingly scary to see. We once got a little baby in our house unexpectedly and it took forever to catch it because these suckers are fast. I once saw one at the front door, hanging out between the door and the bricks and I almost stepped on it had I not seen movement under my feet. I'm so glad I didn't let it in the house as this was one of the larger ones. 

But this morning, I didn't think much of it when I left the clubhouse parking lot until this evening when I went to go look outside. The "backyard" has been loaded lately with bunnies, so little, you could just cup them in your hands and love on them. They're so effing cute. So I wanted to see if they were having dinner in the grass and unfortunately, no one was around.

Yet, what is one thing I see?

A snake. 

Again. 

I went to my room and grabbed my Canon T7i (with the stock lens) and took some photos. I did a really poor job at sharpening and doing basic editing in Photoshop, mainly because I was fighting a window screen, window pane, full zoom as well as wanting to be able to capture the reptile against the mulch before it decided to leave. 

Which, I think in the last picture, he starts to go away, so I miss part of his head. He "went that way" (points left) against the house, so probably to finish whatever adventure he's on, only with whatever neighbors he wants to give a fright to.

I had sent a photo to my friends Cat and Shawn and Cat says "aww it's little", even though I explained this is the bigger version I've seen with this kind, she likes these types of things. Shawn had said "Oh wow" and when I told him it was the second time today, he said "they're invading lol". I had said that "I don't know if they're invasive [as] the ones we normally see are much smaller".

When I worked for the hotels, we used to see these quite frequently out by the sand, and I don't recall seeing them at the community I worked for. Even though I once four wheeled a large iguana (the plop plops) by sheer accident. 

If this is a sign of something to come, I think it's time to get out of dodge while the getting is good. I don't want to be around to see what is going to pop off. This definitely has me thinking now, given the heat dome up north and the constant humidity down here... "something wicked this way comes" and it won't be fun...

Cheers;

Today's word of the day is...

"Rain". ⛈☔

As per usual, the afternoon storm came in like clockwork. The skies turned black, the thunder roared and very little lightning struck, oddly enough. Although we had slight electricity flickering. I was able to get some photos before the clouds opened up and the small floodgates opened.

All photos were taken with a (now several year old and listed as "Refurbished" on Amazon) Canon EOS Rebel T7i camera on "landscape" mode. I alternated between the stock lens and the 75-300mm lens. I edited the photos in Photoshop while the community board meeting was going on. 

I know some of the photos are a little light in places (blown out) and some need more editing, but WYSIWYG as I didn't white balance like I should have. I wanted to get the photos taken and not get drenched. As it is, I made it in the house in mere minutes before it looked like a hurricane was running down the street. Rain was going all sorts of sideways and the wind was blowing something fierce. 

To think the chaos lasted all of 20 minutes.

Once things calmed down and it looked like nothing happened, there were still slow rumblings in the distance. My mother had gone outside for a minute and said that the opposite end of the block had the same dark clouds as what I had seen and taken pictures of, so it was like the area was reversed in getting the storm. Threat was shifting away; it was going to be someone else's problem. 

Even a couple hours later, as I write this, the sky is blue and calm. It's after 8 at night and the sun has yet to fully go to bed. It is still 85°out, so there will probably be more spotting rain overnight. At that point, I'll be asleep myself and not care. 

I've taken way too long to write this post as it is. I keep getting squirreled. The board meeting was on, now the television. There is something going on in the political field that I don't want to comment on here, so I'm not going to talk about it. The couch isn't the most comfortable spot to edit photos and write about it. Honestly, my back and butt are hurting from this. Therefore, I'm going to leave it here and call it a night. 

If you're reading this, "Eddie", happy 63rd birthday. 

Keep hydrated everyone; we're in for a scorcher across the board this week.

Cheers;

Become a new fan (of a fan)?

The power of YouTube, when an influencer does a 15 minute video of "the newest finds at Aldi for this month!" and you go to the store to check out some of the items.

We ended up with the $7.99 "Ambiano 5 Inch Rechargeable Fan". 

It comes in either white or black, and we chose white.

The fan comes with instructions and a USB-C cable (but not a brick).

As you can see by the pictures above, the fan can be moved in various ways to fill the space with air. 

It's pretty silent and has three speeds: low, medium and high. There's a timer mode for one, two or four hours. The instructions do say that each of different speeds will also drain the battery a certain percentage. Meaning, on any given speed, you have between 4 and 12 hours if you're not using the timer specifically. 

Quite honestly, after seeing the video, we intended on purchasing it because we want to have it in our hurricane kit, should we lose power during a storm (if we get a storm. Not that we want a hurricane to come here and do anything problematic, but in the event we have an issue and lose power, at least we can stay cool for a couple hours). Lesson learned during Ian when it was still so hot in October. We tried to stay as low as we could. Still warm air is not your friend. Therefore, if we get something before September this year, it'll be brutal. It has been hitting triple digits over the past few weeks. All we need is to lose electricity during a normal day and we'll be swimming in our own sweat. We don't need a storm to add to that. 

Regardless of circumstance, I think it'll be a good thing to keep around. When we brought it home, I tested it out. It comes pre-charged, so that's pretty cool (literally and figuratively). Whatever speed you have it on, it does give off enough of an oomph, that you can sit comfortably on the couch or wherever you want, and face it towards you or the ceiling. You'll definitely get some nice air and not regret it. Due to this being a five inch machine, it's not going to cool your entire home, but it'll send a breeze in the direction you put it in. I wouldn't put it in a corner and expect it across the room, but if you put it on a coffee table near you and let it go, you'll not be so hot.

I tried to search for it on Amazon to see what the AtoZ store would sell it for. Like the Crofton Cold Brew System, the Ambiano doesn't exist. Amazon has other fans for sale, and they range in price from $7.99 and go up past $15. I noticed the site has fans that are on a flexible tripod base. 

I have seen Joby tripods for cameras if you want to go outdoors with your photoshoot and put the camera on a tree or fence or whatever. 

So the fan on one of these tripods is actually kind of interesting. Aldi sells their brand of the flexible tripod base as well, but I didn't notice the price. 

I think this is probably one of the better additions to our kit. We do have an array of "essentials", but we learned the hard way what 10 days of warmth can do to you when you are "trapped" in your house. At least we can now run this for an hour at a time and cool off. We wouldn't leave it running all day or night, especially since we wouldn't be able to charge it, so we would have to be careful on using it.

No, I'm not turning my car on and wasting gas to be able to recharge it.

The only way I think we could not worry, would be if one of the neighbors had a generator and allowed us to plug in some of our backup stuff (battery chargers for the phones, etc). Do a trade - either pay them for the gas in the generator, share our food /  disposables, whatever we can do, in order to use their generator juice. Much like when the neighbors banded together in 2022 - we shared everything and nothing was expected in return. Because you take care of each other. So maybe it could be the same if we end up losing power during another storm.

Again, we don't want any problems, so hurricanes stay away. Even category ones need not apply. We have enough problems during normal rains with flooding, we don't need strong winds. 

Nope.

Hopefully we won't have to rely on this device, but it might be nice to just take it out of the box during the summer (or year) just to have it going anyway. Why let it sit and collect dust? It might be useful to put it in the kitchen for when my mother wants to make hamburgers (or other meat) on the stovetop grill pan and we then need to get the smoke out of the house because she seared the moomoos too much. As it is, I have a "Nantucket Breeze" fan in my room and we have to unplug that in order to use it in the kitchen as a fumigating service. This smaller one might be easier to handle as well as able to move around better. 

Worth a shot.

Until we figure out another use, like we'd write in our yearbooks, "Keep Kool Kid because Keepin Kool Kounts"

Yeah, we weren't the brightest bulbs in the batch...

Cheers;