Friday Five!

Totally looked up Nigel Blackwell.

So excited for you and your appointment JF.  You've got this.  Make sure Mr. JF knows that's the case.  ENJOY THE WEEKEND AND DON'T STRESS.

1.  LONG WEEKEND BABY!!!!  Unfortunately I have a work thing tonight, which puts a damper on kicking off the celebrations.  But I won't be leaving late.

2.  We cancelled last week's outdoor family photos because it was going to be SIX and raining.  Having them this Sunday instead and it's supposed to be 22 and sunny!  SCORE!

3.  Last week's tire fiasco ended in FOUR new tires.  Nothing worse than buying tires to feel like a completely waste of money.  I only like it when cars run normally without issue. 

4.  CINCO DE MAYO PARTY tomorrow with the American meetup group.  The food should be out of this world and I can eat ANYTHING this year!!! (Margo, we will have gluten free stuff with us due to the hubby though).

5.  I'm currently awaiting a quote on getting a bunch of cows made for the front garden to decorate for my husband's 40th.  TACKY AMERICAN ALERT!   

So excited for you and your appointment JF.  You've got this.  Make sure Mr. JF knows that's the case.  ENJOY THE WEEKEND AND DON'T STRESS.

We have to do a bit of paperwork over the weekend, but I'm hoping to get it all done and out of the way tomorrow (the least nice day in the forecast), and then just relax as best we can on Sunday and Monday.  I know we've got this, but I will feel so much better when UKVI say we've got this.    Thanks, KF.

4.  CINCO DE MAYO PARTY tomorrow with the American meetup group.  The food should be out of this world and I can eat ANYTHING this year!!! (Margo, we will have gluten free stuff with us due to the hubby though).

5.  I'm currently awaiting a quote on getting a bunch of cows made for the front garden to decorate for my husband's 40th.  TACKY AMERICAN ALERT!   

I remembered Cinco de Mayo on Wednesday, and that was too short notice to get festive stuff sent without it turning into a ridiculous expense.  We usually have Mexican Platter on Saturday night, anyway, and a novelty sombrero and poncho set with maracas would've just been fun.  I have a mariachi playlist set up on Spotify!

Cows!  I need more details.  Why cows?  What?

Crapcrapcrap!  What am I going to do for my husband's 40th next month?!

Cows!  I need more details.  Why cows?  What?

Crapcrapcrap!  What am I going to do for my husband's 40th next month?!

Inspiration photo attached!

As we are on holiday on the actual day (I plan to get a pal to decorate the house for when we return), I think I'll just plan a nice activity.  At some point I'll figure out what, if anything, is wrapped for the day.

Good luck JF. You will be OK ️ But it's always stressful until you have the approval in hand.

1. We got our car! I'm still getting used to it, but I genuinely hope it lasts a while. Parking is my biggest issue atm so I just need to find a mostly empty lot and practice, and Sainsbury's closes at 4 on Sunday so I'll probably be going there.

2. I had a much better experience with the NHS this week. I had some lady concerns, and the referral was FAST. Much faster than I expected. But my body and mammograms don't get along and I'm still bruised from it 4 days later. No cancer, and a referral to a pain specialist because there's nothing they can do for the things causing me pretty severe pain (that laughably they told me to take paracetamol for, which doesn't touch any of my pain and easily causes liver damage.)

3. Cinco de Mayo is super exciting! I'll have GF taco stuff with me too.

4. Husband has spent the majority of the last few weeks making a calculator in python that does all sorts of things because he felt like it. Yesterday his NAS died and broke the logical partition on the raid5 array. He doesn't know when his last backup was, but that program is likely gone Back your important things up!

5. I am happy to have found a non serious show that isn't old British humor my husband likes. Marvelous Miss Maisel is hilarious and well written.

(that laughably they told me to take paracetamol for, which doesn't touch any of my pain and easily causes liver damage.)

They do that with childbirth too.  "Oh, you are in the throws of active labor?"  Take a paracetamol and have a warm bath."  WTF?!?!?

I'm glad you have your car and had a better NHS experience.  The NHS really isn't as bad as your initial appointments would suggest.   

They do that with childbirth too.  "Oh, you are in the throws of active labor?"  Take a paracetamol and have a warm bath."  WTF?!?!?

I'm glad you have your car and had a better NHS experience.  The NHS really isn't as bad as your initial appointments would suggest.   

Yeah, this doctor seemed really concerned that they'd done that to me with my history. So she's including other recommendations with her letter. I have blood work I need to get done and the original doc wrote the order for the hospital that I had no way to get to until this week, and she wrote the order as only valid on the day of my appointment with her in April. So I have to go get that updated so I can make sure my iron levels aren't too high.

Good luck JF. You will be OK ️ But it's always stressful until you have the approval in hand.
...
5. I am happy to have found a non serious show that isn't old British humor my husband likes. Marvelous Miss Maisel is hilarious and well written.

Thanks, Margo.  Yes... I keep vacillating between totally stressed and feeling sick, and being all "I know I've got this" calm and cool.  Stupid changes in circumstances since the last visa.

I really enjoyed Marvelous Miss Maisel!  I watched it over a couple of days/weeks during the Commuting Times, and was pleasantly surprised by it.  I mentioned it to my husband when a trailer came on for it before another Prime show we were watching, and he kind of shrugged and said "looks boring", so I don't even feel bad that I watched the whole thing without him. 

Thanks, Margo.  Yes... I keep vacillating between totally stressed and feeling sick, and being all "I know I've got this" calm and cool.  Stupid changes in circumstances since the last visa.

I really enjoyed Marvelous Miss Maisel!  I watched it over a couple of days/weeks during the Commuting Times, and was pleasantly surprised by it.  I mentioned it to my husband when a trailer came on for it before another Prime show we were watching, and he kind of shrugged and said "looks boring", so I don't even feel bad that I watched the whole thing without him. 

I am glad that this group exists for all the documents needed, because even with changes you still know exactly what you need. It's just a bigger stack of payslips and bank statements.

I didn't let my husband watch the trailer. I watched the first episode while he was at work and decided he might like it, so while I was doing school work I told him he had to watch it. That approach worked

Happy Friday UKY

1.) Bank holiday weekend! Whoot! Mostly I am glad to not be at work.  Our plans involve gardening and allotmenting, cleaning the chicken coop and going for a long cycle in the hills near our house. 

2.) I went out on Wednesday night and I drank far too much gorgeous Black Isle Brewery beer and wandered into my house at 12:30 at night. Yesterday was rough and today I'm still feeling the effects.  I'm not young anymore.   

3.)I need a holiday.   

4.) Oh Cinco de Mayo... Sadly, I cannot get my husband to eat tacos - It's not because tacos don't taste good, because he likes the taste, but hates "messy" food.  Taco salad, maybe?  I could, however,  definitely enjoy a margarita! I've been craving one!   

5.) Have had a frustrating, disengaging week at work. So yeah, just the usual.   

I am glad that this group exists for all the documents needed, because even with changes you still know exactly what you need. It's just a bigger stack of payslips and bank statements.

I didn't let my husband watch the trailer. I watched the first episode while he was at work and decided he might like it, so while I was doing school work I told him he had to watch it. That approach worked

I need to try that approach more.  While he was still working in Salisbury, I tried an episode of Halt and Catch Fire and decided he'd like it and told him to check it out.  He seemed really dismissive of it, even though I told him several times that if he liked it, I would stop watching so we could watch it together.  But he sounded so disinterested, so I finally stopped waiting around for him and ended up watching all four series of it.  About two weeks ago, he asked about it.  I was all, "I watched it...!  I tried to get you to check it out, but you didn't sound interested...!  I'll happily watch it again, because I think you'd really like it, though."  And now he won't bother because I've already seen it.  *sigh*

I need to just trust my instincts.  I shouldn't have watched that one without him.

4.) Oh Cinco de Mayo... Sadly, I cannot get my husband to eat tacos - It's not because tacos don't taste good, because he likes the taste, but hates "messy" food.  Taco salad, maybe?  I could, however,  definitely enjoy a margarita! I've been craving one!   

Mine is the same!  He doesn't like meat on the bone (drumsticks on the barbecue?  Too messy...  won't go near buffalo wings, etc.), and tacos are right out, because there's no way to eat them neatly.  I miss crunchy tacos.  Just a good, basic crunchy taco, with meat, lettuce, and cheese... topped with taco sauce or salsa.  *sigh*

1. Albatross has seen dog lipstick’s photo
2. I’m at Luton waiting to board my flight to Edinburgh.
3. I had a bento box for lunch AND a custard doriyaki with an iced latte from Starbucks
4. Go karting tomorrow.
5. Did I mention I’m going to Scotland?! 🤩


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1. Albatross has seen dog lipstick’s photo
2. I’m at Luton waiting to board my flight to Edinburgh.
3. I had a bento box for lunch AND a custard doriyaki with an iced latte from Starbucks
4. Go karting tomorrow.
5. Did I mention I’m going to Scotland?! 🤩


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Have fun!  Your #1 made me laugh out loud at my desk.

Have fun!  Your #1 made me laugh out loud at my desk.

Thank you!

Not to be confused with a photo of a dog’s lipstick.


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1. Albatross has seen dog lipstick’s photo

Not to be confused with a photo of a dog’s lipstick.

A very important distinction, especially if viewing photos at work.  People might think you were weird if they caught you looking at the wrong one.

Again, it's FRIDAY already???

Oh, well. Hmmm.

1) Tried making a yellow cake out of an old cookbook, but using finely ground almond flour instead of wheat flour. It's cooling in the pan now. It looks good, but I'm holding my breath as to if it'll come out of the (angelfood) pan ok or not. Used my spiffy new mixer, and it's made a world of difference from doing the mixing by hand. I'd never have been able to mix it with a whisk for five minutes straight! (My granny could have, but I'm a wimp!) [EDIT:  What I seem to have is an almond mousse. Rich beyond words, and it kinda didn't come out of the pan well. But it's really tasty! Next time less butter, and perhaps a bit of another flour. At least I know, now. I think I just gained 20 pounds from the little bowl of it I just had!]

2) SSA has acknowledged my SS application. And told me to track it on the online system that you can't use if you're outside the USA.

3) Got a bunch of laundry done, and all the socks are drying now. My kitchen looks like an old-style Chinese laundry, with stuff hanging everywhere. But there's a lovely breeze today so I'm letting it air the house out and dry my stuff at the same time. (The Daughter's sheets are in the dryer.) Now if I could just get that strange hamster funk out of the living room, without having to get rid of the hamster. (Oh, shocker. It turns out that Thor is more like Thorina! We haven't had Syrian hamsters before, and the little Winter White males would more or less grow a pair for a few weeks a year and then they'd kinda disappear, so we didn't think anything of Thor's lack of attributes.  That pet store needs to get their workers checked over, though. There's a hammie up for adoption over there right now that has some of the largest hamster nads I've ever seen, and they have "her" labeled as "Bonnie.")

4) Am looking online for an inexpensive clamshell phone to use with 02 PAYG. I am such a cheapskate - I'm not paying no 45 pounds for a cheapo plastic phone! But I'd really like a clamshell.  The two I brought over I cannot get to to work. Got unlock codes from the old carrier, but it seems to want something else. I see "sos" on the screen, so I assume that means we have emergency phoning capability, but I can't get past the "enter NCK code"....

5) Have been binge-watching Dark Shadows on Amazon Prime. There's something like 5 years' worth on there, and I'm up to episode 24.  I vaguely remember watching this in the summers when I was a kid - it was on too early for me to watch after getting off school, but in the summers I would watch it. (Got the Daughter addicted, too!)

Ah. Holiday weekend. Hmm. Perhaps a picnic at the park at some point, if the weather keeps holding. It's looked lovely out today. [And May the Forth be with you!]