World of mine Wednesday’s Ws

What’s top of my mind: Blogday, 8 February marks twenty years of blogging, can you imagine? The Board of Directors Here at Spo-reflections (the dears!) is planning for the occasion a boisterous bacchanal with real bacchants, but what should I do for the Spo-fans and Droppers-by? I want the post to be more than a ‘my goodness where did the time go?’ entry. Come ye Muses (or someone like them) and give me some ideas, no rubbish.

Where I’ve been: Costco on a Saturday morning. Last weekend while driving to the Quick Quack car wash I realized Costco was on the way. I was out fresh out of kimchi so I thought to stop to get some. I figured it was 10AM so the place couldn’t be too bad. I was able to get in and out without ructions and mercifully there was no shooting. All the same, sooner I’d eat rats at Tewkesbury than linger too long at a Costco on a weekend. There are lots of carts bumping into each other as people diverted by the foodstuffs aren’t looking where they are going. There are many in motor carts, which seem to take up the entire aisle – and they give no warning they are coming up behind you but sort plow into you like an old-fashioned train with a cow catcher on the front to push you aside, but in their case the cows are ones driving.

Where I’m going: Nowhere for now. Which is quite all right. Next week we go to Lost Vegas and at the end of the month we go to Puerto Rico. More on these anon.

What I’m watching: The whereabouts of my work laptop. I drove to the MESA office the other day, only to realize I didn’t bring the new office laptop. Oh the horror. I am not used to schlepping it around with me. I had no choice but to head out back into rush hour traffic, meanwhile calling The Boss to explain the bungle and get her advice; should I drive to the PHX office or go home, fetch the laptop, and back to MESA? She opted the latter. It was a frazzled long day getting through rush hour traffic twice. I won’t make this mistake again.

What I’m reading: “Lords and ladies” Patience above! I am presently reading a couple of books (and few more on audiobooks) so I don’t need another, yet I started rereading a Terry Pratchett ‘Discworld’ book. What can I say? They are fun reads, and isn’t that what reading is about? It resembles someone sneaking out of a fancy dinner full of good for you food and go to the kitchen to eat the Lay’s.

What I’m listening to: Mozart KV 118. One of my Bucket List notions is to hear all of Mozart’s works. I am at #118. Up until now Herr Mozart wrote short bit things (after all, he was only ten years old for some of them). #118 is La Betulia libeta, an oratorio I reckon, about Judith in The Bible (it ends badly) The piece is 1.5 hours long. If I am to get to #626 (Requiem) I better get cracking.

What is your favorite piece by Mozart?

What I’m eating: Chili and (nasty) chips. Last week I made chili. This one had a lot of spices but wasn’t very ‘hot’ and it also didn’t have much tomato to it. Both attributes were a disappointment for me but Someone liked it a lot; he ate it with relish. The recipe called for a 1/3 cup of ground tortilla chips to give the chili some bulk and corn flavor, which it did. Rather than using a spoon, we ate the chili like salsa, dipping chips into it. I made heaps; we are still eating it.

Does your chili taste better with age? Mine usually do.

Who needs a good slap: The Paris Hotel in Lost Vegas. This month I attend a medical conference in Sin City; we will stay at The Paris Hotel. I booked the room using my work email address. I don’t get much spam via my work email, The Overlords see to that, but I am now getting frequent emails from the hotel, inviting me to upgrade and check out this place and restaurant etc. Oh the pain. I hope this nonsense ends with the conference, but I suspect not. I am going to be inundated with emails from Lost Vegas until I tell them to cease and desist.

On my 1-5 scale, I give The Paris Hotel 1 slap.

Who gets a fist-bump: Travel Penguin. For no reason other than doing random acts of kindness, Travel Penguin (the dear!) sent us a card. Written by hand it says:

Great the rising sun with the hopes of a new day, fill your day with kindness and good works.

What I’m planning: Junk removal. We regularly get business cards stuck in the front door or ads hanging like ‘do not disturb’ signs from the handle. I came home the other day to see junk piled up in the garage and I wondered when will we get around to getting rid of it, when lo! there on the door was an ad for junk men (or someone like them) to take away our rubbish. I see this as a sign from the Gods of Clean Cupboards to give them a call and get a quote and take away a much as they can carry. Part of me thinks not to tell Someone just to see if he notices.

What’s making me smile: Trap bar deadlifts. At the gym there is a device like an oblong hexagon with handles and two knobs on the outside. You put weights on either end, step inside, crouch down, and pick it all up. This is quite good for the legs and buttocks but be careful: do it properly or you will pull your back. I am finally getting the hang of it and the amount I am lifting is slowly increasing. It makes me feel quite butch. My thighs don’t seem to be growing, worse luck, but my backside is becoming firm as two unripe cantaloupes.