2023-05-18

The other day I discovered that one of the products I use is silently undergoing shrinkflation. I use wipes that have come in packs of 72/pack, but when I went to purchase them this week I discovered that there are now 60/pack, for the same price. Target still has boxes containing four packs of 72/pack, so I bought two boxes in order to stock up since it’s not like they will expire any time soon. When this stockpile is consumed I will reevaluate whether or not to change brands.

For awhile I got to listen to two frogs “talk” to one another last night. It’s one of my favorite things since I converted my backyard to WLF. Another of my favorite things should start happening soon, the emergence of lightning bugs. I can’t wait.

I solved today’s Wordle in four attempts; my starter today was MUSIC

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65 Responses to 2023-05-18

  1. steve says:

    Wordle in 3.

    While I’ve seen a few lightning bugs, the early wave is gone and the normal Summer wave hasn’t appeared quite yet. There are several different species we have in these parts and you can tell them apart by the frequency of their flashing. Fun facts!

    40 minutes on the trainer, 2×5 of 90 seconds at 110% of FTP with 30 seconds recovery. I’ll do that again. Short, but still get your money’s worth.

    Leftover schnitzel and new potatoes in the air fryer. I’ll try again on the potatoes- not quite crispy as I expected.

    -FP

  2. For as unfashionable as I am I can’t explain why I am so irked by the woman who wears sneakers and 70s style tube socks while also wearing a pink blazer as she reports from the studio for the Giro on Eurosport/GCN.

    • steve says:

      Some call that “style”. If it’s who I’m thinking of (I haven’t seen her this year), her fashion choices remind me of Paris hookers.

      • She was wearing them yesterday on the Eurosport/GCN pre/post stage show.

        I just saw Geraint Thomas’s incident from yesterday. Yikes, that could have been much worse.

        • steve says:

          Yeah, Tao certainly got the worst of that with the fractured hip.

          And, big surprise, it’s raining AGAIN! At least it’s not too cold. That mountaintop finish the other day must have been brutally painful- rain and cold. Tour of Hypothermia!

  3. David says:

    Wordle in 3 starting with OUGHT. Mini in 48.

    I shared my new favorite song yesterday with a couple of ITP readers:

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsMBXhAL9tY/?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==

    Also this article made me feel seen: NY Times article about lurking online

    • I can edit comments, OH THE POWER!!!

      All that html noise hurt my eyes, so I made a hyperlink out of the url.

    • Jenka says:

      It was funny but after a while I was all, “stop yelling at me!” HAH!

      • David says:

        You’re early on in the process, Jenka. The song will make sense in due time. 🙂

      • Jenka says:

        Yeah, it’s unlikely that this will be an every day thing for me. But it would be good to keep a mindset of getting rid of things.

        • While the thought of owning roughly 365 fewer things by this time next year excites me, I will struggle to get rid something every day.

          • David says:

            I agree that it’s really hard to fathom at first. That’s why you do one thing per day. For instance, dispatching old papers is very low hanging fruit. But also tossing junk mail immediately instead of letting it accumulate counts too. Or just putting something back where it belongs. It isn’t all about reduction, it’s about freeing up your space.

            I think there’s a tipping point. On the uphill side of the tipping point it’s a total slog. Once you cross it, and realize how freeing it is to have less stuff, it gets way easier. Today I cleared out clothes that I haven’t worn in years and won’t ever wear.

            I’ve felt suffocated by possessions for more than a decade. I’ll be able to keep getting rid of at least one thing a day for a good while. Part of what’s driving my possessions is do I want to move item x when it’s time to change locations down the road? Mostly it’s a hell no. My future self is going to be so appreciative of my current self.

            An unexpected benefit of my purging is it is freeing up space in my brain, and I am finally making headway on being able to let go of some all-consuming thoughts that I have nursed for decades. I’m just sayin’, this stuff is all connected.

            My new mantra is from that song: “make space for new energy”.

          • I have a large box in the living room into which I will place items that will be donated at some time. Once in the box, it should not be taken back out of it.

            In addition to putting one item into the box yesterday, I shredded some financial paperwork which legally (due to its age) does not have to be saved any longer.

          • David says:

            That is perfect, Paulie. You’re probably aware, but CHARM has a donation trailer that I recently discovered and is so much easier than trucking stuff to Goodwill. I have a “Goodwill” corner in my dining room where I keep accumulating piles and then trucking off. Every decision you make today, like that financial paperwork, is one less decision future Paulie will have to think about.

    • Barb says:

      David – did you write that NYT article? 😉

  4. Jenka says:

    We went to the United game last night, it was so great! We bought into a group season ticket so we have 5 games. We catch Marta at the Candler Park station. The tickets have Mercedes club access and we go early and hang out in da clerb. United won!

  5. Still waiting for items in my Amazon Wish List items to drop in price again. On another note, I am uncertain how some items from my Wish List get put into a shopping cart. I could accidentally be adding them as I scroll, but the skeptic in me wonders if Amazon randomly adds them in hopes that you will just go ahead and purchase them after they do.

  6. Barb says:

    We had a couple friends over last night, and Katie suggested Chicken Parm for dinner. I have never really made that dish, so we decided – why not! It is a little labor intensive, since Allan thought we should do it the correct way & fry the breaded chicken before baking it. It was really good, but I don’t enjoy frying anything, and way too labor intensive. I’ll leave any fried food to stuff I pay for out & about.

    My left side of my neck is still a little stiff from my bike crash Saturday, its pretty annoying.

    • Bummer about your neck.

      I love fried foods, but hate the clean up and am uncertain what should really be done with the oil afterwards. This is why I rarely fry food, and subsequently bought an air “fryer”.

      • Barb says:

        We didn’t use a ton of oil, most of it seemed to disappear (so we added a little more as we fried the pieces), so the cleanup wasn’t too bad. Used the big cast iron skillet so the oil is never a bad thing for it.
        We don’t own a deep fryer (except the huge turkey fryer that is almost never used, as that makes for an expensive turkey dinner).

    • Jenka says:

      Yeah, I’m not getting out my deep fryer for just one dish, and pan-fried chicken parm would not do it for me. I’d just bake it.

      • steve says:

        AIR FRYER FTW! I might have to experiment with my schnitzel with the air fryer.

        I’m a little suspect of Amazon. I had looked for something recently and I guess had put it in my card, then taken it out again. SOMEHOW, it made it’s way back in the next time I signed on. Hmmm….

        • Barb says:

          we have a convection oven option, so that’s just a huge air fryer. I am not allowed to buy a countertop air fryer.

          • Nor do you need one. If/When I do renovation work on the ITP Estate, *hold for laughter*, I will install a convection oven and add the air fryer to the donation box.

          • Barb says:

            Paulie renovation ITP Estate – laughing hysterically over here.

          • David says:

            OK, I did not know that. I need to do some research. I have been on the air fryer fence, but if I already have a giant one that won’t take up counter space…

        • Jenka says:

          I can only get an air fryer if I get rid of my deep fryer. Which I might do, it is SUCH a hassle to get the deep fryer out and fill it with oil. And it’s such a waste of oil if you’re only using it for one dish.

  7. If you are wondering why I am so active in the comments today it’s mostly because of the weather and the fact that I have not identified any WLF projects I’d like to accomplish today.

    • Barb says:

      its raining like hell here in Marietta, I understand.

      Be like David & go throw some old ppwk into the garbage can. Or shred something – I love shredding, it makes me happy that the ppwk from 15 years ago is no longer in the file cabinet.
      I found some old house financing ppwk (like the Roswell house)- I may shred that today

      • Overcast in EAV, no rain yet.

        I love shredding too, and as long as I am shredding non-glossy paper the shredded outcome goes into my compost bins.

        • David says:

          I hate shredding, and my ADHD means I never get it done. I mean, I could, but I’m not going to waste good adderall on shredding when I can just take that shit to CHARM and pay them 50 cents a pound to do it. I have so many other things to do when the adderall kicks in for the day.

      • David says:

        “it makes me happy that the ppwk from 15 years ago is no longer in the file cabinet.” YAY, YAY, YAY!!!! That makes me happy too! 🙂

  8. Bob says:

    Y’all are chatty this morning 🙂
    Went for a walk with my friend Ken this morning, he can’t walk his trails and can’t drive yet so took him down to the boardwalk by the river. He looked extremely happy to get back outside and exercise.
    And thanks David for the motivation, I’m attempting to de-clutter now too. One piece at a time.

    • David says:

      Thanks, Bob! That is outstanding. One piece at a time is absolutely the way. You have to start making little fractures in the ice of all of the stuff that is frozen in place. Baby steps are absolutely the way because we’re all creating new neural pathways in our brains with this and it takes time for those to take root. That’s also why so many of us feel so much resistance at first.

  9. Jenka says:

    After all that…I left the house today and forgot to throw something away.

    • David says:

      I’m gonna bet that you can find one thing in or on your desk to throw away. Or give away, or put back where it belongs. That counts too. 🙂 Or the day isn’t done. That’s also part of the one thing per day magic, if it was more than that the bar would be too high.

    • There is still time…

      • Took the easy route today, recycling two empty containers that were sitting on a shelf for use “some day”. They were empathy Talenti gelato containers, so if I ever really need one in the future I can reward myself and buy a pint at the store and eat it. 😀

        • Barb says:

          I use those Talenti containers all the time – my favorite use is home made Chicken (or Turkey) stock to freeze. 1 pint size, so I don’t have to measure!

          • That’s a good use for them. I have plenty of other containers, two more Talenti containers remain on the shelf, so I figure I could part with these two.

            I tried using them as pots, drilling holes in the bottom, but then found out that they are so rigid it is really hard to get the plant out without damaging it.

  10. I’m so conflicted about this weather. I really want, no, need to get some bike mileage in tonight, but it’s so damn humid and seems as if it’s going to rain later.

  11. Jenka says:

    I wonder what the highest number of comments is on one of Paulie’s blog posts? Do they give you that metric?

    • Today may be a record. Not sure there are metrics or analytics. I kinda feel as if I’ve had my thumb on the scale today, since I’ve done very little except reply.

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