Saturday coffee and weather, 29 August

[ibike2havefun]

Good morning everyone

If you're feeling in the mood for a cup of tasty Cubano roast coffee, have I got great news for you! There's a pot of exactly that, ready and waiting for you right here in my kitchen.

It's 64°F and clear in Rockville according to the Windows weather app, but the outside temperature sensor on my thermostat reports an even 70°F. Whatever the case, sunny skies and a high of 84 with lower humidity than yesterday make a promising picture.

It's Play Music on the Porch Day in the U.S. (and perhaps elsewhere- I don't know whether it's a worldwide phenomenon or limited to the U.S. or North America) so the ukulele group is scheduled to gather on the sidewalk in front of the music store that supports us for a couple hours of strumming, from 11 to 1. C'mon by and give a listen if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Stay safe and well everyone and tell your dear ones you love them. Do it today, NOW, for tomorrow may be too late.

 

[Obo]

Thanks Keith for the coffee and porch invite. I'll have to pass today as I'll expand on later.

14 under sporadic clouds and a bright moon for the ride into work this morning. It'll be 26 and sunny for the ride home late this afternoon. It'll then be a quick pack and head off to deliver Thing2's birth certificate to her. We should arrive at a nearby hotel late this evening, just in time to check in and crash before it becomes Sunday. Sunday morning we'll do a quick drop, hug and go; heading back homeward to be home by the evening. That's the expanded reason on why I won't be able to make it Keith. (Did I mentioned I used to play the uke back in my younger days too?) Maybe next time?

That's all from Obo work world at this moment. Hope everyone has a super day.

Obo.

 

[STooRay]

Thx Keith, music on the porch, what a great tradition!
Never heard of it over here, maybe the new king (Haakon VIII) can make it his first decree?

17˚c/63f, calm, overcast and showers.

Working on the car between said showers…the garage is filled with firewood and my beloved ST.
Managed to replace the two broken studs, and replaced the pads while I was at it.

Have a good one!
Stu

From our roadtrip, free spa in Rosendal…

 

[ST1100Y]

Fueled by coffee...
Supervised by absolutely no one...



G'Day...

16°/28°C, a tad soggy in the morning, only a few, tiny clouds in sight...

Yeah, I'm back
Returned from Sweden (only slightly cooler there) last night, covered 3838km...
(some 'imperialistic' nitpicker will surely object on those numbers again... so what... )
ze GF on her NT did well, all arrived back home safe and sound...



And FWIW:
I'm unemployed and broke...
Just the last time we "spoke" and sipped our brew here, Aug 14th, on a Friday and right before my vacation,
the boss-man stormed in and tried to quickly manipulate/extort me into a "mutual dissolvent of employment"...
I refused... I'm 61, you can as well just fire me...
(which makes me instantly legitimate for unemployment once the employment officially ends by Oct 15th,
whilst on a "mutual" I'd have one month with no pay...)
mind also that I haven't been properly paid in this joint since June and that I'll likely have to sue them for all
my pending salary plus the vacation pay...
So there is that... and that I'm gonna have lots of spare time at hand now...

have a relaxing Saturday

 

[steve3b3]

Good morning and thanks for the cubano coffee, Keith.

It's sunny and 58 in MA this morning, rising to 77 with more sun expected.

Yesterday's possible showers didn't pan out, and we had a decent track day. One driver did hit a wall and damaged his car pretty badly. It's all fun and games, until you set the airbags off...

Today, I'll be at the track again, but not until this afternoon. I think they'll actually race, today. We'll be there until 10:00pm, and probably use the electronic flagging system.
Brenda says she's not waiting until 10:00pm for dinner, so I'll take some leftovers.

@ST1100Y Martin , too bad about the job loss, but it sounds like you made the best of a bad situation. I hope you didn't dwell on it during your trip.

Have a great day, and stay safe ,
Steve

 

[sah48]

Good morning all, thanks for the coffee Keith!

49F here under a clear and sunny sky. "They" say the high should be about 75F. We will see. If things run true to form, there will be scattered clouds later with a high closer to 80F.

While waiting for the concrete apron for the garage to cure, last night I started thinking (dangerous I know). For the new garage I celebrated and bought a new truck. It is larger than the old one. So, fortified by a light whiskey I grabbed my tape measure and went forth into the dark of the driveway. According to some rough measurements, the door opening is exactly 9 feet wide (274.3 cm) and my truck, with mirrors in the driving position, is 8 feet 8 inches (264.2 cm) wide. I think entries and exits will be done quite cautiously for the near future!!!

Oh well, more moving loam and gravel around today, hiding the construction disruption. Perhaps a half hour or so on the lawn mower attempting to calm the jungle of my lawn as well. I need to get the outside chores done in the next couple of days as "they" are telling us it will rain starting Tuesday and continue through the weekend.

Be safe, be careful and watch out for narrow openings!

Scott

 

[Obo]

@ST1100Y I'll say it's a mixed blessing. Change is hard, but given your hassles of late, the lack of payment for service and the assassination attempt, it should be worth it in the big picture. So, are you stuck still going into the hellish prison until your exit date of Oct 15th?

Glad you two had a decent trip to Sweden.

 

[ChucksKLRST]

Fueled by coffee...
Supervised by absolutely no one...



G'Day...

16°/28°C, a tad soggy in the morning, only a few, tiny clouds in sight...

Yeah, I'm back
Returned from Sweden (only slightly cooler there) last night, covered 3838km...
(some 'imperialistic' nitpicker will surely object on those numbers again... so what... )
ze GF on her NT did well, all arrived back home safe and sound...



And FWIW:
I'm unemployed and broke...
Just the last time we "spoke" and sipped our brew here, Aug 14th, on a Friday and right before my vacation,
the boss-man stormed in and tried to quickly manipulate/extort me into a "mutual dissolvent of employment"...
I refused... I'm 61, you can as well just fire me...
(which makes me instantly legitimate for unemployment once the employment officially ends by Oct 15th,
whilst on a "mutual" I'd have one month with no pay...)
mind also that I haven't been properly paid in this joint since June and that I'll likely have to sue them for all
my pending salary plus the vacation pay...
So there is that... and that I'm gonna have lots of spare time at hand now...

have a relaxing Saturday

Glad you are back with no issues. About the end of your employment.... one door closes another will open. Did not realize that it was that easy to fire some one in Austria or Germany. I followed your trip over on your Facebook page with interest. Need more narrative of your pictures.

 

[Peppermint]

Good (late) morning, all, and thanks for the coffee, Keith!

We also have annual "porch music" events here, usually in late May/early June. The biggest one is the Montreal Porchfest, which takes place in the borough of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (which we simply shorten to "NDG"), and several other boroughs also host their own porchfest or "balconfête" if it's in French. It really is a lovely tradition to kick off summer; it's great fun and the music is wonderful.

We have a really beautiful day here, with bountiful sunshine and lovely temps ranging from the current 18°C/64°F to 23°C/73°F.

@ST1100Y: I'm sorry to hear about the job loss. Much as that sucks, it was sounding like the job sucked worse. Glad you had a good trip, though!

Right, must go empty the dishwasher and then do battle with a spectacularly annoying fruit fly.
Which puts me in mind of a thought for the day: "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

And on that note, everyone have a great day, stay safe and go safely.

Patty

 

[Chris09]

thanks for the start and it sounds like a great tradition and a lot of fun to move around and start playing something anywhere you find yourself
I think everyone owes it to themselves to pick up an instrument and get started if they haven't already
Martin sorry to hear you have come home to deal with all of that; I thought that kind of garbage only happened in Canada
It remembered me my departure from Federal Heating in Edmonton about 1982()
A brief employment situation I entered into with a couple of guys in suits who bought a long established heating company and started ripping people off; going into people's homes that the previous company did for twenty years and telling them they needed a new high limit or gas valve some pensioner who's husband died telling my "trainer " to please fix it- real tin man stuff
Routinely Id have to go toin and speak with Allan B M about the (honest) hours they shorted me, get credited the following cheque, but have even more of those hours deducted
You couldn't think straight in those conditions and I was nobody's cousin or nephew you couldn't buy a job in Edmonton between Christmas and February so where was I... oh yeah, talking about myself
So I drive thier worn out '71 dodge van loaded with everything to install a furnace in a small two story house built in 1922 with a couple of wood stoves or something (not even a gravity furnace) pulled out
First, flat tire. No jack, no spare.
Get to the job, cut all my holes run all the ductwork through the floor and out to the second floor perimeter down to the basement furnace all the ductwork everything - four twelve hour days
Just as expected, docked 12 hrs
So I eventually find myself on the phone with Prum N of Employment Standards
Three years later the issue is resolved and I get a judgement in my favor
I go on to learn that in the year before my case, Employment Standards in Alberta succeeded in obtaining favorable judgements in no more than three of the about thirty five hundred cases filed
Well it looks like the rain is slowing down
Wish everyone a good weekend and a safe ride if you're able

 

[Sadlsor]

Morning all, been up for a while, but not like our ukulele virtuoso up for a while.
Thanks for the coffee, Keith. There's lots of room on our porch and our deck, if y'all want to enjoy a little southern hospitality and humidity while you pick and strum.
But first... let me refill this sad, empty mug with a convenient handle on it.
I'm back, that's better.
Guess I should cut the back yard today. Fortunately, the dry (as in no rain) last few days have curtailed its explosive growth noticeably, but it hasn't been cut since the last time I cut the front.
So the GSA has sat for a week, first time since last year, while I enjoyed my "new" Honda all week.
Did I tell you it's a cool little bike?
Now I remember why I bought it.
One morning earlier this week I found my coffee mug in the sink, and I know I didn't leave it there.
Worse, there were tiny little bubbles floating in the water.
Dang it, Roz thought she was doing something nice.
After studiously rinsing it repeatedly, I feared the combination of removing the accumulated black flavoring and adding soap, would have a negative effect on the taste of my next cup.
Whether real or imagined, my prophetic dread was materially realized, and there was a disturbing and undeniable, faint but clearly noticeable taste of dishwasher liquid.
After another pot, it was undetectable.
I'll have strong words with her about that.
When I get up the nerve... meanwhile, I'll keep the cup hidden.

showers…the garage is filled with firewood and my beloved ST.

I would consider adding a cat, or six. Sounds like an invitation for a spring rewiring job and air filter replacement, if adequate preventive measures are not put in place.

mind also that I haven't been properly paid in this joint since June and that I'll likely have to sue them for all
my pending salary plus the vacation pay...

Sounds like you really haven't actually lost much in this scenario, except the opportunity to commute to an office, and the apparently accompanying unresolve-able frustration.
Wonder if any others were not being paid? Seems unlikely, or most would have left by now.
But I'll confess, I know little of employment law in your land.
Best of luck with your landing, and lawsuit for back pay.

According to some rough measurements, the door opening is exactly 9 feet wide (274.3 cm) and my truck, with mirrors in the driving position, is 8 feet 8 inches (264.2 cm) wide

If that's the case, it sounds like there is no room for motorcycles.
Garages around here give priority to bikes, not to cars or trucks.
I need to scoot, and do something or find reasons for procrastinating.
August will end soon, and I'm kinda sad about it.
Because that means winter and unpleasant riding temps are not far behind.

 

[Obo]

According to some rough measurements, the door opening is exactly 9 feet wide (274.3 cm) and my truck, with mirrors in the driving position, is 8 feet 8 inches (264.2 cm) wide. I think entries and exits will be done quite cautiously for the near future!!!

You just need to grab a chainsaw and cut two little mirror sided notches, one on each side.

 

[SupraSabre]

Morning Keith & All from mostly sunny, Southern Utah!

Currently it is 82F, heading for 86F, with more "possible" thunderstorms, until further notice. It seems a "High" has found a new home, around "Four Corners" and is just bouncing around the states and pulling up the moisture from the Gulf & Southwestern area of the ocean. Hopefully it will be gone in the next week! So it doesn't interfere with WeSTOC 30's rides! Although, so far, it's still looking like good Mid 80F's weather.

We did get an unannounced thunderstorm, yesterday. It dropped 0.12" in just ten minutes. And the winds have been blowing all morning, from the SSW @ 15 to 19mph. And later, they will get stronger from the SW @ 22 to 31 mph.

Martin, sorry about the job, but it sounds like things haven't been going well there for awhile! And Only YOU can watch out for yourself, as I found out when I got laid off back in Feb 21!

So I went through the WeSTOC 30 stuff and found I was short, so I got online and picked up a few more things for it.

We'll have to see what today brings!

Chris made us some French Toast, washed it down with OJ & Hot Lemon/Honey Tea. Pepsi(s), of course, for later.

Anyone , have a great day on the roads!

 

[jdmccright]

Martin, a job that you aren't getting paid for isn't a job...its a charity. And you're not there to volunteer. Bills don't get paid with gratitude. So, good on you to get out on your terms, though I don't think I'd give them any more of my time until I was paid up...October? I don't know your labor laws there, so I presume you got the most of it from that c-s of a boss.

In other news, g'dafternoon from SoMD! The wife is finished with horse show season now, and her horse went out on a high of sorts as she'll be retiring to the pastures after 9 years of show work. Had to pull out of one event, and didn't place in another, but got 9th out of 14 for her final event. Not bad considering the caliber of riders there.

Still need to iron a shirt for tonight's casino work and make a rum cake for a barn party tomorrow...thats the only reason they invite me. So, I'll depart y'alls fine company. Take care y'all!

 

[St-Gerard]

Good afternoon Y'all, another messed up morning for me, woke up at 5 am,hit the bathroom then tried to go back to sleep, wasn't happening so got up opened airport gate, made breakfast and then went back to bed, this time feel asleep till about 11 am. Did something to my right wrist to make it hurt so will avoid working it for the next couple of days. So no bike rides today,wah! Sunny now but Windy 13 mph temps are 67 F which is the high for today.
Martin, here's to you finding an excellent job,(does that actually exist?) . Anyway, have a wonderful weekend G