Bfth's Boring Blog

  Yes...this is a follow up to:   https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2020/08/frigidaire-doesnt-care.html And let me preface this again by saying  it's hot again in NJ and even though this is not a problem that is going to affect the course of world events, I am frustrated and tired to say the least. When we last left off, Frigidaire was going to send us a gift card for the cost of purchase (minus sales tax...even though we didn't get a working product that should be taxed).  We DID get said gift card this week.  And this is where we were dumb...no...change that....this is where my husband turned into an optimist. He went back to Amazon.  He found ANOTHER Frigidaire (NOT the same model).  Why?  Because reviews say the unit is relatively quiet.  I WANT quiet.  I've lived through too many noisy units in my lifetime.  He orders the unit.  And we wait... UPS pulled up at our house around 3 this afternoon with a nice big box....

  Dear John, Today would have been your 48th birthday and as your (older) sister, I wanted to write something profound or at least good to honor you.  But I'm finding that it's not working, so instead I'm writing you this "letter" because it just seemed like the thing to do. Maybe it's the noise from next door.  Mom and Dad don't live there anymore.  (If you'd been around you would have gotten caught up in the clean out.  I wouldn't have let you NOT be involved.  Maybe you are "lucky" that you weren't around because it was...well to put it mildly...a mess!)  It's not the same house and I think that's a good thing.  All of the noise from the construction which has been going on for what seems like forever (but really hasn't been THAT long) drives me to distraction, sometimes.  But if I say that's why I can't write it's just as BS excuse because I've written lots of stuff over the past several months.  So... ...

 Summer disappeared here in NJ this week.  Starting on Sunday it felt like fall.  I was visiting my parents over the weekend and Sunday I was wishing I'd brought some warmer clothes!  Who knew?  (Maybe I should have listened to Lonnie:   https://www.nexttv.com/blog/wcbs-premieres-lonnie-quinn-action-figure-promo ) When I got home that afternoon I actually took a warm shower and put on sweats!  Sweats on a Sunday afternoon in August?  I actually wore sweatpants on my Monday morning walk too! All of this is going to change as temps start rising again next week.  While the fan has been off in the office and there's been no need for A/C in the bedroom at night, that's not going to last.  So I hope that gift card from Frigidaire shows up soon.  ( https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2020/08/frigidaire-doesnt-care.html )  We are not out of summer yet and I have a sneaking suspicion that when we go get fall weather (for real) tha...

  I don't want to be, but I am.  I try not to, but I do.  I'm human and I have flaws just like we all do.  So I try not to judge, but sometimes I do. Now I don't judge on race or sex or religion or things like that.  I am guilty of judging people on two very specific things: How I see them treat other people How selfishly they act To be honest, sometimes (many times) those two things are tied together. An example of both might be the person who walks into a business where it very clearly says that face coverings are required and not wearing a face covering.  In my mind they are treating everyone in the establishment poorly and doing so for their own selfish reasons.  (Yes, I am very much aware that they are people who can't wear face coverings for health reasons.  But they are in the minority and I'd guess that if a person had a health issue prevented them from wearing a mask, they wouldn't be out at let's say Walmart in the middle of a busy day t...

  We all know that if you have any kind of air conditioning unit (although I'm specifically talking about window units) that if it's going to break it's going to be during the hottest part of the summer (or year).  It's not going to be that one last warm day of fall or that freaky day in the spring...it's going to be during the heat because that's just how it goes.   Which is what happened (again) to us:   https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-virus-diary-delivery-saga.html .  Yes, we did eventually get it (on a Friday).  My husband installed it.  And it worked; kind of.  Believe it or not you can get an A/C unit with Wi-Fi!  Which is what my husband wanted.  Per the  Frigidaire's  website:  Cool your room anywhere, anytime from your smart device using Wi-Fi and the Frigidaire® app. At your convenience remotely turn the unit on or off, change temperatures, control modes, create custom schedules,...

Note:  Here's hoping that Marvel (who own "Spragg") and the estates of Rogers and Hammerstein (the tune got stuck in my head) don't sue me over this, but...Sing along with me. Spragg the hill You wish me ill Every morning you greet me Tall and wide Green and white I think you want to eat me You've blossoms like snow that bloom and grow will bloom and grow forever? Spragg the Hill living hill I fear your evil existence The story behind Spragg is this... Approximately one month ago, my new  neighbor had a pile of dirty delivered to his backyard.  Or maybe (as my memory is not perfect), it was just that the neighbor reallocated the mound that was originally behind the garage.  Either way, this mound of dirt resides behind his garage, but not directly behind; more towards the back part and side that faces my property.  So that I have a good view of: This was Spragg back in the day when he was a young mount of dirt.  Thanks to sun and rain and wind, Spragg has f...

  It's NOT Friday the 13th; it's THURSDAY the 13th which might be scarier because I've got some random things rolling around in my head and I'm just going to let them blurt out in bullet points for you to read and learn how crazy my brain is. (I was also inspired by the artwork in the photos above.  The artist has been doing some wonderful work on his front lawn, giving the community something new to look at just about every single week since the spring.  For more on his work:   http://www.youarelovedmurals.com/ ) I went grocery shopping today, not my usual day (Friday) because I'm heading to my parents’ house early tomorrow (and leaving the boys behind).  I THOUGHT Thursday early morning was for seniors only (and felt a little guilty about taking advantage of it), but there were LESS people than on Friday and it wasn't all seniors.  As always there were places where there were holes on the shelves.  It's obvious ...

Disclaimer:  I'd like to preface this post by saying what I am about to write is what I feel right now.  It's my frustration and sadness.  With that said, I also realize that in the scope of things in the world (pandemic, racism/casteism, etc.) this is NOTHING.  Although there is nothing I can really do about any of this, I need to get this out of my head and onto (not) paper.  So here we go... Music has always been a big part of my life. (If you follow this blog you know that...that's how my top 10 albums became so much more and actually 3 posts:   https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/10-albums-part-1-early-years.html  ,  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/10-albums-part-2-teen-years-and-little.html   and  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/06/10-albums-part-3-adult-years.html  )  My husband is a huge music fan too.  (He still says I married him because he had The Partridge Family albums that...

Unless you are going to stand by the principles.  Unless you truly believe in what the flag is SUPPOSED to stand for; unless you are willing to be true and stand up for what it is supposed to represent. "On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed an act establishing an official flag for the new nation. The resolution stated: 'Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.'  Today the flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with six white. The stripes represent the original 13 Colonies and the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well; red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice."  (Taken directly from the PBS site on the History of the American Flag:   http://www.pbs.org...

So it's Saturday morning and I'm spending time trying to transfer photos over from one folder on my computer to another. Everything I try to do is working out wrong. And I'm trying not to lose my sh*t. I've spent over an hour doing this. Instead of moving from one folder to another, things copy. So I delete the copies. And I start all over again. And I'm trying not to lose my sh*t.  This is all that I can back-up my photos. I've got thousands of them. (Yes, I'm that mom!) I bought a special drive just to transfer them over. So that we could have a back-up plan and that I wouldn't lose any photos that are precious to me. My husband said he'd help me. And he is helping me. But he's annoyed. I'm annoyed. And I'm trying not to lose my sh*t. So I retreat into the bathroom and the sink is a mess. There are cups on the vanity.  Used cup, or so I assume. Soap scum and left over toothpaste seems to be everywhere (it always is). I clean it up...

 Before I even start what may turn out to be a long rant, please know that I realize that my "problem" is just a blip when it comes to the massive troubles of the world.  What I am about to write comes from frustration and thankfully not from a place of panic and last resort because the current situation IS frustrating, but NOT life threatening.  As a matter of fact, it may seem ridiculous and silly...and that's ok. With the preamble out of the way, I give you the delivery saga! As many of you can attest, we've had a hot summer this year.  It didn't hit hard right away, but it did hit with a long heat wave.  Even when that wave officially broke, it was still oppressively hot and HUMID.  As a result, the three a/c units that I have in my house have been used A LOT.  (My recent PSEG bill attests to that.  I knew when I saw it I would have a cow and I did.  However, as much as I hate a high electric and gas bill, I AM grateful that I have the mo...

Today is my son's 15th birthday.  I was expecting this day to be unusual.  But not because of the pandemic.  I was expecting this day to be unusual because he was supposed to be out of the country, touring the Galapagos Island and part of Ecuador.    When we signed him up for this trip (educational, but not exactly through the school), I told one of the chaperones (a teacher, tutor and friend) how it was going to be strange not to be with my son on his birthday.  She said she would make arrangements so that it would still be a special day.  She would do something special. She would make sure I got a photo (or photos).  So I expected this day to be unexpected. I did not expect this version of unusual.  Who would have? My son is 15 today.  And he is at home.  We are not on vacation (as we often are on his birthday).  There is no party.  There are no special plans.  He wants to go out to dinner (alone), but as the remnan...

Filling in at church where in a sanctuary that could hold two hundred or more.  Six dedicated masked people (Sexton, Organist, Layreader, 3 tech people and me) live stream a service.    The scripture lesson:   When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.   As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.  They all ate and were satisfied, a...