Inside The Perimeter

“Do Better” should be the motto I repeat for my remaining years.

I had one thing on my “Want To Do” list for Vancouver, and because I didn’t do better it didn’t happen. The one thing was to visit the Art Deco Marine Building, to admire architecture and design from another era. Visiting the building was put off until Saturday. On Saturday morning when I asked Google Maps how long it would take to walk to the Marine Building from the hotel, I learned that the building is closed on the weekends.

As you read this I am probably either waiting to board my tiny can back home, or am enduring the five-hour flight back to Atlanta. My Lyft ride from the hotel to the airport cost me $42 Canadian, before tip. What the living fuck!?!? I’m ready to stop spending money for a while because this trip got really expensive.

Wordle: five, my starter was PUNCH

Though it sometimes makes my shopping experience infuriating, I never click on a “Sponsored” result from an Amazon search in the app when shopping for something. I don’t want to reward anyone who has paid to have their product higher in the search results, it’s like giving a dog a treat for shitting on the carpet.

Vancouver is lovely, but really expensive… Tonight I am going to a preseason NHL game between Vancouver and Edmonton, which is further interesting since Tamara is an Edmontonian.

Wordle: four, my starter was ENTRY

I hate to say it but I may have to experiment with avoiding spicy foods for a while. It seems that recently my body is not processing them very well, and I’ll leave it to your imagination as to what sort malady this has presented.

In other news: I saw, and thanked, Peter Buck (from REM, Minus 5, Baseball Project) at the Atlanta airport yesterday. If not for this chance encounter I wouldn’t be mentioning that I’m currently not in our country. 🙂

Wordle: four, my starter was REIGN

It’s a new month so of course the blog is responding at a sloth’s pace. #frustrating

I spent a good amount of time yesterday harvesting and either preserving or composting. A had a lot of huge okra pods, and unfortunately am not ready to find alternative ways of using them so they were composted. Surprisingly I picked a dozen small ones to eat for lunch, and about a third of them were extremely woody so they also hit the compost bin.

Wordle: three, my starter was SPADE

As another of 2025’s months bites the dust, I registered for BRAG Spring Tune Up 2026.

Wordle: four, my starter was STEAL

While I had a fun day Saturday during another East Atlanta Strut, I’m feeling a little bummed that it has come and gone.

I may have acquired my bar bike! My friend Chip was getting rid of a bicycle, and I claimed it. It needs a good cleaning, and perhaps a tune up, but the price was right.

Wordle: three, my starter was STAKE

Happy birthday to ITP-Reader Debbie.
Happy Friday to the rest of you.

New blower motor is to be installed today; appointment window is 10:00-14:00.

Wordle: four, my starter was STRIP

Unfortunately my AC didn’t come on yesterday afternoon, so when I returned home from Betsy’s it was 78°F indoors with no way to cool it down. My AC unit is also supposed to reduce humidity, and that function didn’t seem to be working either. And with an early Fall warm, humid night, sleep was a little difficult, and only made possible by a ceiling fan.

A technician is coming out this morning, hopefully this won’t cost me much more than the $89 service call.

Wordle: five, my starter was SCREW

My Tuesday night riding season is over for the year. I bailed on the ride last night because my bicycle wasn’t ready to be ridden, and more importantly, darkness occurs before the end of the ride. I will have to start getting myself out for solo day rides now, one of the benefits of being unemployed.

On the weekend I saw a flyer for a Gen X Singles Night at one of my local record shops. Given that I am on the upper limit of Gen X, I considered going, even with the $25 entry. Then I realized how unlikely it would be to find someone with whom I’d have mutual attraction at such an event. I’ve had 45 years to meet a mate and failed, so I think it’s time for me to give up and accept that it just won’t happen for me.

Wordle: three, my starter was FRAUD (unfortunately LOSER and ALONE have already been Wordle solutions)

I think Atlanta’s shitty traffic is ruining my sense of adventure for the city, well, that and the eternity that they are taking to finish the goddamn BeltLine. I’d rather stay at home than fight my way to go somewhere.

After whining about my plans changing, they changed again! I had the opportunity to make a casserole for an Autumnal Solstice potluck at Red’s Farm, but in the end I decided not to go. I did make the casserole, however…

A layer of tater tots, a layer of cooked ground turkey (because beef is too expensive for me) (seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder), a layer of caramelized onions (the red onions I bought at Lidl), pour over a sauce made of flour, milk, heavy cream, and cream cheese, a layer of shredded cheddar cheese, topped with a layer of crushed Ritz (I used Town House) crackers and shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325°F for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for fifteen minutes. Eat! It was a little weird, but really tasty.

Wordle: two, my starter was CRASH