Random 5 for May 31, 2026 – Cognitive testing, shipping, scams, projects, dining out

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My peony currently blooming.

Was that a test? – A few weeks ago, I visited a continuous care facility with a friend. We did a tour, ate lunch, received a bag of information and left. There was a pen in the bag. This past week I tried to use it. I couldn’t get it to work. It’s not a cheap pen, but nothing I tried worked. I wondered if it was a cognitive test. If you couldn’t figure it out, they wouldn’t accept you. Very clever! The beloved husband couldn’t figure it out either, so we are a matched pair (or the pen doesn’t work!).

That was fast! – Last Sunday I went on a shopping binge. It was all stuff I needed, nothing fun. Two items gave a 3-to-4-day ship time, and one projected a week. They all came within days. We are with fast shipping. I remember the days when we ordered on paper, mailed it in and waited patiently for the box to appear. Sometimes I forgot exactly what I ordered. We have Jeff Bezos to thank for that. I remember when Amazon started Prime with overnight shipping. It was cool. Now it’s expected from all retailers.

A new scam – I’m fascinated with the techniques people are using to trick me. This week I received a slew of messages that my password (for a company I don’t use or never heard of) was changed. Looking at the URL, I could see it was a person, not a company and the same person for all. Unfortunately for him, I’m not that dotty…yet!

Here we go again – We are “refreshing” our bathroom. (I use that word rather than “redo” to imply that it’s not costly, but everything is costly these days.) It’s just a vanity and exhaust fan change with some trim work. I will wallpaper the upper walls myself. We are in queue with our contractor who is having surgery on July 7. Tuesday is the day to start. It shouldn’t take long – no plumbing changes and minor electrical. He should be able to finish it well before his surgery after which he will not be working for four months. Fingers crossed all goes well.

Dining – Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a few lunches out. Most were disappointing. I like good food and a clean place. Décor and creativity are lower on the list as is quantity (I don’t eat much these days!). Yesterday I was gifted with a lovely lunch. It was at an ordinary chain that serves consistent good breakfasts. I was in my happy place. Today we are going to my favorite pizza place. Nirvana!

So how was your week?

25 thoughts on “Random 5 for May 31, 2026 – Cognitive testing, shipping, scams, projects, dining out”

  2. I am cracking up at the pen test. Aren’t the free pens and goodie bag the real reason behind touring places?

    Why did I gasp when I read about the bathroom re-do? I think we both know why. You can’t speak of these things until the contractor has left the development. I’m hoping for the best.

    Prime has same day delivery. Are they waiting around the corner?

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    • Same day delivery seems extravagant. I once ordered birdseed from Walmart (not my favorite store but they had a significantly better price). I got delivery in hours. It came from the store near me. Since then they have upped the minimum for delivery so I pick it up at Tractor Supply.

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  3. Actually, the pen was a test . . . to see if you’d scribble notes during lunch with its “invisible ink” without being cognizant enough to recognize that the pen did NOT work! 😀

    Good luck with the redo AND with getting good food, at home & away!

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  4. We aren’t PRIME customers with Amazon BUT shipping is always FAST. I like that. So you’re “refreshing” a bathroom…..is it just me but do your contractors frequently have an operation scheduled in the middle or around the time they have a project of yours to do??? Tee Hee Anyway, good luck – you’re doing the hard stuff (wallpaper!!) so plumbing stuff ought to be a cinch for your contractor. We are going to get a major re-do of our shower in the master bathroom…..we have a jacuzzi tub and a worn out shower – the tub was what we thought would be “cool” to have when the house was built (I think we’ve used it about ten times since 1990) and the shower was tile lined and nice but now it’s just plain SAD. I want a little pop-down seat (standing gets tiring and/or slippery) and it needs re-tiling (I don’t want tile this time – something that’s EASY to clean please!). We can share bathroom re-do stories !!!!!!!

    Hugs, Pam

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  7. Nothing like a lovely lunch away from home. I’m with you-good food and decent service trumps any ‘experience’ from decor. Nobody needs lipstick on a pig.

    Good luck with the redo. I found a new-to-me program yesterday on the Magnolia Channel. Joanna Gaines did what was euphemistically called Mini Reni. While I enjoyed watching, it was far from mini-it was more along the lines of an entire gut job (transforming a former bedroom next to the kitchen into butler’s pantry-complete with the addition of adding a sink and double oven and microwave and turning a non functioning brick fireplace into a wood burning stove). While I get that the Gaines do a lot of entertaining, I always thought a butler’s pantry was more along the lines of having a space for storage, and keeping prep mess out of sight. Ahhh, the world of celebraties.

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  8. Amazon now delivers in less than 24 hours here. I don’t usually need anything quite that fast – especially if they’re going to deliver between 4 am – 7 am and get the dogs barking in the wee hours of the morning. I feel sorry for the delivery folks who have to find homes in the dark – not always easy.

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