Random 5 for February 11, 2024 – All sorts of news and no news

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A week of “news” – That’s in new things, not world news (which I avoid). The glasses that I exchanged came in midweek. The new ones are semi-frameless with a wire top. So much better. They weigh less than an ounce. That is a better weight than the rejected ones. My nose and ears are happy.

And the other news – I got a haircut. For many of you, it’s routine. You go to the same person who flawlessly cuts your hair the same way. That doesn’t happen to me. I go periodically and the first week is hell. My hair doesn’t like to be cut. It has a mind of its own. I wonder if other people have high expectations of a haircut. I always come out looking the same except my hair may be goofy.

Snow? Really? – Except for one week, we’ve had a mild winter. Not much snow and only one week of bitter cold. The forecasters are predicting a snowstorm on Tuesday. Gus’s surgery is on Wednesday, and he is to be there by 7:15 a.m. I’m hopeful the streets will be plowed enough to get there but it’s something else to worry about. (My worry plate is full right now. No bandwidth for bad weather.)

Now the no news – Our heat pump, which broke the week before Christmas, is still not fixed. The manufacturing engineers are not in agreement on what’s wrong with it, so nothing is getting done. This week our HVAC company went ahead and ordered a completely new unit despite instructions to the contrary from the manufacturer. They should have done this in December when the standard repairs weren’t working. We have heat and I’m thankful for that. It’s just not as good as when the heat pump functions. It’s been a cool and drafty winter indoors.

It’s all about the food – Today is the football Super Bowl. Traditionally, it’s a huge food day or an excuse to overindulge. None of our local teams are in participating. It’s a nonevent here. The local bakeries came up with some unusual cakes which say things like “Don’t care” or “Whoever vs Don’t Care, go Eagles.” (Eagles are our local Philadelphia team that lost in the playoffs.) Creativity abounds! People will eat even if they don’t have a vested interest in the outcome.

So how was your week?

 

63 thoughts on “Random 5 for February 11, 2024 – All sorts of news and no news”

  1. Our heat pump is now ten years old. I’ve opted for service four times a year, which is probably overkill. I’m just hoping to hold off on having to buy a new one. On the other hand, having a new one (should) mean you don’t have to worry about it. So I’m jealous of the new unit you’re getting. Hats off to lighter glasses! – Marty

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  3. Yeah, I’m not a Super Bowl fan either. I’m not a professional football fan, to be honest. I think it’s stupid sport and the players get paid WAY too much money for entertainment (because that’s really all it is to me). I get it….some players donate money and time to various nice charities and programs and such. Still doesn’t make their salary right, IMHO.

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  4. Just got my hair cut an hour ago… it’s short! I never know how short or not so short it’s going to be but she always cuts it the same way. It’s a pixie cut with some messy look on top. Good news that your nose and ears are happy. My fingers are crossed that the weather doesn’t mess with the surgery for Gus.
    That heat pump thing is beyond belief! Shame on them. Bless your HVAC company for ordering a new unit and yes that should have been done way back. Have you been on emergency heat the whole time?

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  6. Don’t get me started on haircuts. I can’t get over how much they cost, and every stylist I go to does a crappy job. Why am I paying $45 to $75 for crap? And they expect me to make my haircut appointments weeks in advance. I tried that and learned my hair doesn’t grow on a schedule. So, the last two times I needed a cut, I did it myself. I’m not a stylist, I can’t reach the back properly, and it still turns out better than a $50 stylist cut.
    Oops, guess I got started anyway. 🤦‍♀️
    Have a nice week, Kate.

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    • I often cut my hair myself. As I’ve gotten older, the back is harder to cut. My hair doesn’t grow on a schedule either. I tried every 8 weeks last year and the last cut was way too short.

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  7. Do you have natural curls? I’ve had one person in my whole life who really knew how to cut natural curls. It’s a little far to travel 956 miles as the crow flies (and significantly further as the car drives) to get my hair cut. And no one around here will tell me who cuts their hair. What’s up with that?

    Also, congrats with the glasses, good luck with the heat pump. Sounds like the local company is trying to stand behind the product despite the manufacturer. Good for the local group but how do you trust the manufacturer going forward?

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    • I have a natural wave. That means one week it flips one way and the next week the other. There is a knack to cutting wavy-curly hair. There is one locally who does a really good job with curly hair but she’s $$. I go to her periodically.

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  8. We-all have a lot of the same problems don’t we, at a certain age. My hairdresser moved to AZ so I’m on the hunt for a new one. I’d ask for a recommendation, but you’re a bit far! Our heater–has its own problems (it’s over 20 years old) and is threatening with a replacement. We’ll see.

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  9. I really hope the weather doesn’t interfere with this very important surgery! We will all be relieved when we hear that Gus is home and recovering nicely! I think that anything awkward about your hair is likely offset by the posh new glasses. 😉

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  10. I’m glad the new glasses are working out with no more ear hot spots and indentations on your nose. I heard the national news early this morning and they mentioned the PA snowstorm Tuesday. I thought “oh no – Gus has surgery Valentine’s Day” so fingers crossed by then.” Last time you had to take Gus to the emergency vet you had bad weather too as I recall. Shame on the HVAC guys not fixing this from heat pump issue from the get-to. SMH.

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      • Hope there are no issues Wednesday morning. I have to make an effort to wear my new/lighter glasses. Last week I was in the accounting program a good chunk of the week – the font is one point above telephone book-sized font so I didn’t want to wear them. (These days, a lot of people would not know what that phrase means!)

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        • We still get a telephone book but it’s a 6 x 9 size. I remember those big ones! Maybe we didn’t get one last year. I put it directly in recycling because I use the internet to look up numbers I don’t know.

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          • I don’t think I’ve had a White Pages or Yellow Pages in a dozen years. The last time I had one was once I went outside the next morning to find it laying on the porch soaking wet but it had an opt-out sticker on he front, so after that dried out I went online and opted out of both. No more bugging me 🙂

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  11. I hope the weather will be clear for you to get Gus to his surgery. We are supposed to get up to a foot of snow Monday into Tuesday.

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    • Yikes! We are in the 4 to 8 range with our specific area closer to 4. Even if we get more, it’s predicted to stop Tuesday afternoon so I’m hopeful! All this waiting is agony for me!

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  13. I hope you won’t have too much trouble getting Gus to and from his surgery. I’m always glad when it doesn’t snow. There are so many hills between my house and any road that might be plowed.

    I’m sorry about your heat pump. I hope that all gets worked out soon.

    When I was in high school, I was a cheerleader. It gave me something to do besides just sitting there and watching boys play games I wasn’t part of. Sitting still in the cold bleachers during a winter football game would have been much worse than jumping around. These days, I usually watch a little bit of the Super Bowl just to see what’s going on.

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    • My husband has it on but I’ll be doing other things occasionally checking in. I’m not one for watching sports played by others in cold weather. Maybe when I was younger….much, much younger!

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  14. Is it possible to drop Gus off the night before his surgery ? I usually do this, ensuring that the kitty doesn’t eat and has the limited amount to drink he is allowed. It costs for the overnight boarding, but you wouldn’t need to dread the weather.

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    • We could but the storm is on Tuesday so the driving would be worse than if we drop him off Wednesday morning. The snow should stop later Tuesday afternoon allowing the road crews to clean up.

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  16. The last time I went to a salon to get my hair cut was 2016. It was a wet cut, and cost me £26, no blow dry. I brush it all forward and trim off the frizzy bits. Works for me! Good luck with Gus’s surgery on Wednesday.

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  18. My week was a wee bit stressful, people were acting weirder than usual, maybe it was knowing we have four celebrations [Lunar NY, Super Bowl Sunday, Fat Tuesday, and Valentine’s Day] to deal with in 5 days! Or people are just plain nuts anymore. Sorry about your heat pump. That’s bother me more than it should.

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  19. We’ll keep our fingers crossed the weather doesn’t impact your vet visit (I know how that can vex a worried mom with a pet in need). Here’s hoping you enjoy Super Bowl Sunday-the dogs and I will only keep a slight eye on the game since we’ll be more inclined to watch the Puppy & Kitten Bowl. Maybe Taylor will drop by to promote pet adoptions. That ought to stir the crazies up. LOL

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  20. Hi I am just re-learning how to comment on my favorite bloggers blog posts. But I have been following all along and pressing “like.”

    Good luck to Gus first since I am suffering his malady of retention and just had a biopsy and waiting for a treatment plan too.

    Same weather here but when they opened a new Starbucks in town, along with a ChicFilet and a Dunkin Donuts I felt we had evolved into a more civilized rural area.

    I haven’t blogged since forever since my computer resists my typing and I just quit and now working one fingered in my phone

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  21. Our local weather forecasters are predicting mostly slush here. Say it hasn’t been cold enough for the ground to hang on to high levels of snow. I’m hoping they’re right! I have to take a kitten to spay surgery at 7 am Wednesday morning and would rather not battle snow. We’ll watch the superbowl today, not because we’re huge football fans, but the commercials can be fun, and it’s just something to do on a quiet Sunday evening.

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    • There is the Puppy Bowl! They are predicting 4 to 8 inches here but it will end Tuesday afternoon. By Wednesday morning everything should be cleared. That’s my hope. Actually my hope is that it misses us and it could. North of us is more likely to get the higher amounts. Just another thing to keep an eye on. Gus has lost 2 lbs. since Jan. 1. He still weighs 15 lbs so he’s not fading away and he’s eating well. He must have done a lot of free feeding noshing. Good luck with the spay.

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        • He weighed 12 lbs when we adopted him (age 3 full adult) and he looked good. He is looking much better without the thick neck but his behind is still a little large. I’d be happy to get him down to 13-14 lbs.

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  22. YAY on the new glasses – those half wire frames are my fave – especially being lightweight. Now that I’ve had my cataract surgery my “readers” that I need for up close are super lightweight. Old age is pulling my face DOWN anyway (!) so who needs glasses that add insult to injury with THAT weight. Haircuts – I have so little hair it probably doesn’t matter but it still DOES. In my case it only looks “right” for about a week max then it looks sloppy again. Maybe I need a resident hair stylist to make me presentable instead of going to the hair salon every 4-6 weeks. It’s always something isn’t it! Hope the snow is a non-issue for you Wednesday and we will be sending GOOD thoughts for Gus (and you).

    Hugs, Pam

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    • Thanks! I’m grateful I have a full head of hair but it’s finicky. Maybe it’s that I’m never satisfied. The current eyeglass style is bigger lenses. I like that because I have progressives and it gives more space.

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  23. We’re going to be watching the Super Bowl to eat Andy’s potato skins and watch conservative men freak out over Taylor Swift supporting her boyfriend. And see if any commercials are any good, of course. I used to be a huge football fan, but then came the cover ups of everything from concussion damage to domestic violence to the cost to taxpayers of new stadiums to sexual assault. And now comes the news that the Chairman & CEO of the Chiefs both endorses and fundraises for a purity culture summer sports camp that is rife with abuse of kids, pedophilia, and sexual predators (with the abuse and subsequent suicides covered up for decades). The NFL makes it hard to root for any of their teams.

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