Another Batman

Clocking in at nearly 3 hours, I waited until the latest Batman movie came to home viewing to see it. Perhaps it did not have the same moody atmosphere as viewing it in a huge theatre setting but knowing I could pause it and go potty really helped. This character has seen several different actors. directors and stories come to life on the big (and small) screen. The latest one was pretty gritty and well written. I know there was quite a bit of pushback when the actor was selected and I can see why but he did a really good job, in my most humble of opinions. Down the line, in a few years, we may see yet another twist to this character with new actors, a new director who wants to put their own seasoning into the sauce. I get it. Will I watch the next one whenever it gets made? Maybe. If it’s another three hour one, I will definitely wait to see if at home – my bladder will thank me for it.

Rounding it to even

Watching tv and I press the volume up for audio clarity, noticing that the volume percentage went from 20 to 25, let’s say. That is when I round it up by going one more tap until it goes to 26. Same thing when I adjust the gas at the pump, and it ends in an odd number – I will press the trigger until the amount ends in an even number. I’m not maniacal about it. If I am paying for food, I do not insist onto the cashier that they round up or down and I don’t do it in many other cases but there are instances where it simply is possible to make just enough of a tweak where it evens out.

DNF or the unfinished

Do you have anything (a book, a movie or show) which you simply did not finish for X or Y reason? Was it due to the story being so bad that your interest just gave out? Were the characters or pacing so hideous that continuing it was absolute torment, so you put it aside for now or perhaps forever?

I’ve been there. There are several books which I have gotten halfway or even less than that through which I closed the pages on and just stopped. Shows or movies which lost me, and I will never complete. The curious to get to the ending is just not worth my time or effort. It’s a bit sad since someone made an effort to put that out there but that does not mean it’s good. Quite a few of the self-published novels I’ve picked up were not put out by well-known companies for a reason. Many movies and shows are created and really are garbage. Sometimes there’s a market for it but oftentimes, it is what it is and when it comes to me, I cannot complete the task of putting through the effort.

Throwing up really sucks

Something happened the other day which made me regurgitate. I was having a bad day and something was just… off but I wanted to eat some of the frozen Jamaican patties I had for lunch. Cooked them up in the microwave, sat down to eat and went through the first one without issues. Just as I was digging into the second one, I felt a very odd sensation in the bottom of my stomach. I took some deep breaths, sat there for a quiet minute and thought I had ridden it out when that very disturbing sensation happened. From deep within me, I knew that what was in my stomach wanted out. Out. Now. I was able to calmly walk to the bathroom, stand there for a minute as my body did its thing. Up, up came everything I had just taken down. When your body pushes you towards an expulsion, it’s best to let it happen. I do not know what caused that but the last time something like this happened, my gallbladder was acting up and caused it so I now am wondering. Several months after two events of regurgitation, I wound up having gall bladder surgery so I know it’s not that. Let’s see what happens next now.

Those childhood songs and vinyl

Being a teenager during the 80s, I had a good batch of vinyl records which I sadly gave away when we moved from PR to FL. When I was able to scramble some money together and started buying CDs one of the first was Bon Jovi’s third CD which I played a lot. Yes, those songs took me through times, I tell you. The other day I was sitting in my car and one of those older songs came onto the 80s radio station and it brought me back to high school. Talk about taking a memory stroll. Remembering the anxiety, fun and happiness of that time. Who knew that being an adult would be more anxiety, fun and happiness tenfold but I’ve had much better relationships and music which will continue in my life to give me the memories for the future.

Do you also store some stuff inside your oven?

I have a good-sized kitchen with plenty of drawers, a lazy Susan and shelves to hold lots of things like bottles of future eggnogs, all manners of pots and pans yet I also store some items inside of my oven. These include the two large dinner plates which I use daily, the ceramic coffee drip which has become my latest form of getting the daily caffeine, the two sized wooden blocks which I (sadly rarely use), the two 1/4 sized aluminum baking sheets which get a lot of action from my cooking, the huge and heavy Lodge cast iron pan and last but not least the two spring-form pans I use when making cheesecakes which I use once or twice a year. It’s a bit of a hassle whenever I go to use the oven because I need to relocate these items to the top of the stove if it’s not in use or onto a section of the countertop. As soon as the cooking and cleaning is done, back into the oven go the menagerie of kitchenware.

The new fur baby

My parents received a 7-week-old Boston Terrier puppy which has been named Bella. This is now the third pup they have had – Nanook lived 14 years with us, Cookie lived 5 and then was rehomed and now this little girl. To say that Mami is over the moon, is putting it lightly. She is super happy to be caring for such a feisty little pup and now since Pop is at home, retired, they are sharing the responsibility which is helpful.

Bella is about six pounds of sharp puppy teeth, tons of energy and long naps to recharge once that energy is worn down. She loves to lick chins and attacks Pop’s socks with a vengeance (she needs to be trained not to do this). Am happy for my parents because this fur baby will be a good add-on to our small family.

A man without fear of crying

My parents have been my foundation in life, have always been there for my siblings and me and gave us three the best childhood we could have with what life gave us. We never struggled financially, had a nice childhood and knew without doubts that they loved us without limits. My Father has always been the gentle soul who sat down with us to do homework (even when I cried during math sometimes) and who taught us to ride our bikes, play a bit of baseball with or taught us the wonders of sci-fi. One of the greatest gifts he also gave us was showing how a grown man can be emotionally caring and show it by not worrying about crying in front of us in moments that were heartfelt. Yes, during really difficult moments like death but also when a rush of happiness happens as well. I have known men who were afraid to show tears or express certain emotions because they were told it showed them as being “soft”, but as humans we have the beauty of being able to express feelings to the world. A man who can shed a tear, in my opinion, is one who is stronger in his sense of person.

Do you buy the extended warranty?

When you ask most folks whether they purchase an extended warranty on an item, a fair majority of them will answer no. Oftentimes, they do seem like a bit of a scam but isn’t health insurance kind of similar too? You pay quite a bit monthly and only get such a small percentage of coverage in return. Right now, I am going to be using the, one of few, warranties that I purchased. Am not sure how much the $12 for three years will benefit me once I place my claim, but we shall see if it gets me a repaired lawn equipment in return.

New alarm system in the house

When I purchased my home nineteen years ago, it had an older, hardwired ADT system installed. When the doors are opened, it would trigger a bell chime and for quite some time it also functioned pretty well. I did not have an ADT account so it would not call the police or fire department if activated but it would let me know if, heaven forbid, someone came into the house while I was not here.

Since the event I recently had where I blew out the garage power, that system keeps showing as if something is shorted out so it is not triggering an alarm anymore. I went online, did research and purchased the Simplisafe system. Set it up and now I have my home truly set up in case, heaven forbid, someone tries to break in.