The Coffee House-Come & Chat With Us!(May 2020)

[Amy SF]

I’m now planning to order some peanut butter and strawberry preserves so I can make myself some PB&J sammiches.

 

[Urban Gardener]

@NYC Gardener The shipment started from UPS and then was handed off to the USPS. I have no control over that.

My problem is I have no patience and can get all worked up over nothing. The pasta sauce arrived today, along with the napkins I also ordered from Target which were sent separately. Unfortunately not everything I order is shipped together, especially so during this pandemic time.

Maybe I over-reacted! I just get annoyed about stuff like that.

 

[silva]

I’m now planning to order some peanut butter and strawberry preserves so I can make myself some PB&J sammiches.

Ok, that's good, but the food situation at your place! . They truly need to stop passing the blame and find whose dropping the ball! It sounds from many of your posts that they do in fact have veggie burgers, marinara, and there's no reason they shouldn't be giving a vegetarian, who signed up as a vegetarian, the proper meals! I'd go as far as whoever is in charge of those facilities.
Since so many of the restaurant trips have been canceled can't they let you order out instead?
I feel so badly for you!

 

[silva]

I had a feeling it was the same one when you said Whirlpool and I think I remember from previous posts. It’s a really nice, basic refrigerator if it wasn’t for the small freezer. But maybe it’s not a big deal for everyone.

It’s tough when you have several large purchases to make and have to choose which is more important. If it wasn’t for selling our other house and having some equity, I would not be buying the way I have been. We were lucky to get a good price for the old house and moving to a less expensive area is a plus too. So we were left with a chunk of money for repairs and some upgrades. We just had the plumber here yesterday to install the new water heater, toilet and bathtub fixtures.

Still, the spending budget is finite and even with all that we are doing, some things will inevitably get left off the list. It’s a question of prioritizing. I just need to make sure we have some left for furniture. We did not have a lot of furniture to begin with and I only need some basics, like a couch, chair and a dresser or two...hopefully an area rug or two. I already purchased a dining room set from Bob’s...very inexpensive as far as dining room furniture goes, but it’s surprisingly nice and sturdy.

Interesting. I looked up the stats for the 22 Whirlpool and the freezer is 6. somethijng. My fridge is a 20 cu ft and has a 6. freezer. I remember looking at the bottom freezer ones and they did seem smallish- maybe because of the basket design.
I absolutely have a problem with food shopping, esp now, buying too much to 'have on hand'. That's fine for dried beans, jars and cans, but I need to do real meal planning. It isn't as if I don't live right by all the stores I go to, except Trader Joes.

I keep procrastinating and need to really finish something! Seems like everytime I start I need to look something up online

 

[Val]

Hey everyone! Work wasn't too bad today. I was in the cash office and had to hurry hurry as I was needed to do another job. Thankfully everything went smoothly and I got done in time to get my 15 minute break. Then for the next 2 hours I was stationed at the door to count people coming in and going out to make sure we stayed under our 107 persons limit. It went well; there was only one time we actually hit the limit and would have had to make people wait outside. Luckily people were checking out and there wasn't a line so no one had to wait. It was a novel experience! I did some shopping when I got off because there is a huge clearance event and there are tons of clothes on sale. I got a pair of pants, a Lucky Brand top that matches them ( I only buy Lucky Brand on clearance as it is a WAY overpriced "trendy" brand, but I like it a lot), a pair of wintery pj's that are soooo soft, a bra, and a pair of white slip on Skechers sneakers. I have been wanting some white sneakers for a while. I am buying stuff now while I have some of that stimulus money left!
I have had my lunch and I am ready for a nap now!

Why 107 persons? Why not 106 or 108? Some sophisticated minds must have calculated this... Sorry, couldn't help... The only question is: is there some staff at the entrance, counting those who come in and out? If so, they must be making errors at the end of the day...

 

[Freesia]

Why 107 persons? Why not 106 or 108? Some sophisticated minds must have calculated this... Sorry, couldn't help... The only question is: is there some staff at the entrance, counting those who come in and out? If so, they must be making errors at the end of the day...

they did this at the supermarket here. they have someone at both nd talk through walkie talkies or their phones ... could get confusing tho...

 

[PTree15]

I would really love and appreciate a vegan donut as long as they don’t try to make it healthy with low sugar and whole wheat flour.

I was a huge fan of donuts...glazed, vanilla and chocolate iced ones, jelly, Boston cream, powdered, crumb, Old fashioned, apple cider...I can’t believe I haven’t had one in 15 years. I purchased vegan donuts from vegan essentials years ago and it was pretty bad, due to it trying to be z healthier version. Vegan food doesn’t always have to be “healthy”. Sometimes I want it to be as close to junk food as possible.

I tried making them once but they were pretty boring...baked not fried. They were more like donut shaped cakes.

The best vegan doughnuts I've ever had were at The Holy Donut in Portland, Maine. Not the least bit healthy! They make all their doughnuts (vegan and non-vegan) with potatoes. I had this lemon-ginger one that was out of this world. I find the vegan doughnuts a bit lighter and fluffier, which I prefer. I never ate a lot of doughnuts in my pre-vegan days, except maybe Boston cream.

 

[Chryssie]

Why 107 persons? Why not 106 or 108? Some sophisticated minds must have calculated this... Sorry, couldn't help... The only question is: is there some staff at the entrance, counting those who come in and out? If so, they must be making errors at the end of the day...

I believe that there are actual building code regulations for capacity of a building and once that number is known the percentage whether it is 25% or 50%, can be calculated.
There is now always someone scheduled to be the "counter" and we all wear walkies to let management know the numbers. When it gets to the limit, we have to stand in the doorway and stop them coming in until someone else leaves. It is quite the process! We are using the number paddles that are used to count the number of clothing items when one goes in the fitting room since those are closed now. The little paddles are on a ring binder and can be flipped to count.

 

[Urban Gardener]

The best vegan doughnuts I've ever had were at The Holy Donut in Portland, Maine. Not the least bit healthy! They make all their doughnuts (vegan and non-vegan) with potatoes. I had this lemon-ginger one that was out of this world. I find the vegan doughnuts a bit lighter and fluffier, which I prefer. I never ate a lot of doughnuts in my pre-vegan days, except maybe Boston cream.

I grew up on donuts. We got a box of Dunkin Donuts at least once a week.

 

[PTree15]

I grew up on donuts. We got a box of Dunkin Donuts at least once a week.

We had the a couple of times of month, but I just didn't care for them. They always felt really heavy in my stomach. I have the same issue with pancakes I like vegan ones because they aren't as dense.

 

[Chryssie]

I am looking on Amazon for a new steam mop as my Shark died. I am disappointed in the brand now when I thought it was supposed to be a "top of the line" brand. Mine only lasted a couple years and that is not acceptable as it was not the cheapest model. I am looking at Bissel because they have a pet foundation. Most of the less expensive models are sold out.

 

[Amy SF]

I just realized that with the PB&J sandwiches I’ve come full circle after 23 years. I ate a LOT of those when I first went veg.

 

[Chryssie]

Morning/afternoon y'all! It is partly cloudy and very warm this morning. It will be another typical summer day. I plan on doing laundry and reading on my book today. I need to go to the Walmart market for a few things also. I am working tomorrow on the holiday which is great because it is holiday pay! Back to the 7 AM shift so I will have to start getting up very early again.

 

[Raven]

I just unpacked my groceries and am doing a load of laundry. The delivery guy was an hour and a quarter early and I had just got out of the bath and got dressed which was lucky!

I made myself a vegan grilled cheese sandwich in my cast iron skillet pan.

 

[Chryssie]

The day is nearly over and I have read quite a bit on the book I am reading. Reading all day makes me sleepy! I got the laundry done early and went to Walmart. It stayed cloudy all day and looks like it might rain so I am going to skip watering tonight. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow.

 

[Urban Gardener]

I'm resting after a long day of work and dog walking. So very tired. I need to find someone who can walk him for me at times like these. He'll probably need one more walk before we go to bed.

 

[shyvas]

We had the a couple of times of month, but I just didn't care for them. They always felt really heavy in my stomach. I have the same issue with pancakes I like vegan ones because they aren't as dense.

That's how I remember them ; very stodgy. Doughnuts have to be my favourite sweet treat but they must be light and freshly fried.

 

[Val]

Hello everyone! I hope you've had a wonderful weekend and a good week start. It's a warm sunny day here again. Yesterday was the same, and i had my walk late in the evening. I hadn't put on my coat, but put it in the sack and took with me,- i never put it on. It feels more like summer,- moreover, "White nights" have come to our latitudes. I came home at 11.20 p.m., but it wasn't dark. Then i did my evening routine (shower, laundry, food prepping, eating, cleaning the mess, etc.), and while i was doing it, the dawn began. When i went to bed at 3a.m., it was light, like in the afternoon. The birds are singing whole night through, which is cool, but they don't let me sleep. Local drunkards got activated too: they gather in groups, sit on wooden logs in the shrubs at the river and drink vodka together,- they also traipse around at night and yell at each other. Big companies of youth are gathering too (absolutely no self-isolation and social distancing).
Elijah is here again, proceeding with the repairs in our coridor. He behaves better today, but still in a grumpy manner. He and i fought terribly on Saturday. I'm not sure it can be fixed soon, though he behaves quietly. I fed him, and he didn't show off. Anyway, i got to know that people don't change. He had offended me badly, and now i'm thinking about it, though i don't want to. I don't know what he's thinking about (he probably thinks that it's my fault), but i'm acting cold and it's ok (for now).
About the good news: that girl Sabina (Alya's daughter) has passed her exam on Beethoven's 5th symphony and got the "4" mark, so i'll do a little banana dance. [4 is a good mark, because "5" means "excellent", "4" - "good", "3" - "not good, but you passed", "2" - "bad, you didn't pass", "1" is a very rare thing, but it means "you didn't pass, and you'll be kicked out", haha]. Unghshu feels proud that i made her dive so deep into all that music theory. But now she has one more music-related exam to pass! The task includes a whole bunch of music that should be analysed (but mostly the rhythm, the beat, the accents, maybe the structure of phrases... stuff like that). Anyway, i'm trying to teach Alya by giving her all proper Youtube links, sheet music and explaining her everything i can. I doubt she'll make it in time though. She also has to tell Sabina the same. (Sabina has been busy, because she and her husband have moved from the South of Germany, where her MIL and FIL live, back to the North, to their own home).
Mom, Liza and David are at the country now. Elijah comes here (to town) 1 time in 2 days and proceeds with the repairs. I can't say that i'm struggling here or that i'm lacking something. I can go for walks, i still have a good food supply, i can wash myself, do laundry, etc. whenever i want. Yesterday, i even was sleeping from 5p.m. to 8p.m.,- that's why i went outside so late.
In general, i feel pretty safe outside. People are freaking out, so they are either sitting at home in the evening, or they're running quickly, trying not to approach strangers. (Lol, i'm a scary stranger: i make a terrifying impression walking around with my seat-cane which makes loud clanking sounds).
Yesterday, i was seduced by the weather, and after walking along the river bank, i headed to the small park between another river arm and Rauma st., which is another "dead end" now. I haven't been there for a long time. Today, if i have enough time, i'll try another route. It will be a long loop too. It'll depend on how many humanoids there will be around. The only minus, is that now, i have to rely on my legs only. If previously, before the pandemic, i could walk to the very remote districts (like Bonny-clabber, Cucumber, Mosquito, Telmann's districts) and then take a cab home..., now i can't take a cab, for obvious reasons, and even can't take a bus. So, trying not to cross both bridges. I haven't seen the right bank of Izhora for a very long time, and i miss it. I hope that when Elijah finishes the repairs, and when/if my legs feel better, i'll take a long hike (Machinery plant av. - Defence bridge - Anisimova st. in Cucumber district - Proletarian bridge - park alley at Rauma st. - and my big diagonal route from Rauma st. to my st.). The only thing i'm afraid of is that the bridges' pavements are too narrow, and impacting humanoids (to some extent) is inevitable.
Unghshu's walk after the sunset and in the [white] night. Part 1.

 

[Val]

Unghshu's walk after the sunset and in the [white] night. Part 2.

 

[Val]

Unghshu's walk after the sunset and in the [white] night. Part 3.








Secondary school on Rauma St. and a creepy blue elephant on a playground.


Unghshu's walk on Sunday.








Blueprint of a sound wave.