The Cantina Staring Back At You From The Abyss

Religion0 said:

Weird thing about Danish stores, they have put some Halloween candy and decorations out, but they've got as much or more Christmas stuff out at the same time. It's kind of strange to pass some spooky candy and pumpkins and then there's the advent calendars and the Santa marshmallows.

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Yay for finding a place!

Yeah, there's a warehouse store in my area that had the Christmas stuff out like a week before the Halloween stuff. And now all the candy is on the same isle, which is indeed weird.

greendragon said:

I'm getting ready to re-release Legacy of Hunger with it's pretty new cover.

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Very nice new cover!

Friendly Frog said:

I just got a message I'm getting a lot more back from my taxes than I anticipated. Sure, I'll only get it back right before New Year, which is as long as they're legally allowed to hang on to it. But hey, I know it's coming.

And I almost cried and felt silly about it but then I realised how actually starved of good news I have been lately. Probably ain't the only one. Hugs to all.

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Not silly at all. Earlier this year we got a letter saying something along the lines that the government had messed up our 2017 taxes and we were going to get the refund now that we'd missed out on then. My parents were giggling and dancing in the car. We got weird looks at stoplights.




Morning, Cantina. Saturday night into Sunday I didn't sleep very well for physical reasons, but have since caught up on my sleep and feel a lot better.

The vet's office is totally booked, so da beagle hasn't been seen yet. We have to call every morning to see if there are cancelations. Thankfully, cleaning his ear every night seems to be helping a lot in managing the itch in the meanwhile.

Tomorrow we're getting the well pump replaced. It's as old as the house, which is 23 years old, and has been showing signs of wear. Namely, we noticed the water has been cloudy and yellowish lately despite our filter, so we had the system inspected and the guy said this is a typical sign that the pump needs replacing, and it's right around the age that they tend to start breaking down. We figured we'd go on and get it taken care of rather than wait until it breaks entirely and we don't have water. The guy said we don't have very good water pressure, either, so when we get the new pump that should be better, too, among other things that the fancy new systems take care of that the ones from the 90's didn't.

TBH, I wouldn't be surprised if they replace the thing and find that the dude who built the house originally used the cheapest one possible or something like that. Over the years, it's come to light that he cut corners in several ways that my parent didn't know about back then. (I was only 5 when we moved here, so I was blissfully unaware of such things. ) Like setting the front steps on cardboard instead of concrete, and setting the back steps on literally nothing but dirt, both of which weren't discovered until we had them replaced years later. Amazing how "little details" like that affect how sturdy your steps feel when you go down them...

The first house we bought had obviously been built by someone who knew what they were doing and then renovated by someone who.... didn't. Drywall installed backwards, etc. And it was a very 1970s decor. Olive/mustard colored appliances, terrazo floors, carpet in the KITCHEN that was printed to look like boards (complete with nails). Yes, the kitchen.

Morning Cantina. The well pump and holding tank were successfully replaced yesterday morning. Didn't even take that long. Only about an hour and a half-ish, which was good since dad was going through his usual anxiety when we have to get any kind of work done that they're going to be here all day or will mess something up. Nothing was messed up, they did a very good job. The only issue is a natural and unavoidable one in that pulling out one pump and putting in another stirs up the water. We have A LOT of iron and sediment in our water so the water currently looks like apple juice and will continue to look that way until it settles. The guy put some chlorine tabs in to shock the system and kill any bacteria, so it smells a bit like a swimming pool when you run the water. Yes, we are using bottled water just to rinse our mouths after brushing right now.

He also took a water sample to test because nowadays there are fancy filters that you can put in the well itself but of course you have to know what needs filtering out. It would be super cool to ultimately end up with water that doesn't make our clothes dingy or *gasp* might even be drinkable.


Well, I better get focused and get editing. I've been doing pretty well staying ahead this month and would like to continue doing so.

E.F.B. brown-colored water sounds terrible. Do you always have to use a filter?

Today started off spectacularly. The puppy was barking hysterically at something in the yard with his tail between his legs. I went out to shoo him back in and tripped on the back step, hit my head against the side of the house twisted, did a sort of split, and banged my knee on the concrete. I sat splayed out for a few seconds, the slipper on one foot, off the other. The puppy stared at me, went quiet, but did not come to my aid. I struggled to get up and he ran back in the house and immediately laid down on his bed and pretended to sleep.

I should probably call out of work today. I feel sort of shaken up.

But, more on the pup. One ear, his right, is erect like a German Shepherd's, but the other is folded over like a Border Collie's. He's still growing so I wonder if the left one will pop up so he'll be symmetrical. Going to have to start feeding him more! He loves bananas. I will peel a banana for him and he will eat it bit by bit.

Ouch, Cobalt Jade, both for the tumble and the unhelpful dog. One ear up, one ear folded, reminds me a little of Dog in Good Omens. He's not accidentally a hell-hound is he? Might explain a few things...

Cleaning today, and in between working out how to paint dragons on my new tea-box. Maybe I should have used a primer because the vermillion red is coming out like dried blood on the wooden top and that's not quite the look I was going for, despite it being nearly Halloween. Maybe I can repair the look if I do two layers...

Cobalt Jade said:

E.F.B. brown-colored water sounds terrible. Do you always have to use a filter?

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Yup. Tis the nature of being on well water. We actually didn't have a filter of any kind for at least the first decade and a half that we lived here. Had to take any whites or brights we dared buy to wash at the laundromat or they'd just turn brown. Things with color would get dingy pretty fast, too, but we didn't enjoy using the laundromat to we still washed what we could at home. In the past couple years we finally got a water softener system under the house that has helped a lot in getting the iron out, but like I said above, the filter we hope to get once we get the results of the water test back is one that will go into the well itself and do even more to clean the brown out.


Ouch, sorry about your fall! I've fallen over animals myself, and it's not fun.

Happy Monday, Cantina. The cold water is almost clear again, but the warm water is still pretty brown. We may need to get someone to drain the water heater tank to get all the gunk out of it before it will be clear again. Sigh. Also, no vet appointment for da beagle yet. They really are backed up, but at least we're managing his itch for the time being.

ION: Duolingo is weird sometimes. I'm learning Spanish for no particular reason except personal growth and Spanish was the one language I had any basis in (from elementary school classes). So, recently I saw that Duo had a couple bonus skills, "Idioms" and "flirting" you could use your gems to get (it was that or use them on silly costumes for Duo the bird) so I was like, sure whatever. I did the flirting one first thinking maybe now I'd understand Spanish love songs. . Nope! All that one does is teach you cheesy lines ("When God invented beauty he was inspired by you!") and how to ask if someone has a SO. And there was this one line that went, "I don't need to read your terms of service to accept you!" What??? All I can say is, that's 15 minutes of my life I'll never get back. Now I'm hesitant to bother with the Idioms one.

Hiya EFB, watch a Youtube video and drain your water heater; all you need is a waterhose. Literally. You switch off the water feed, attach the hose, open the drain valve, drain into sink or outside, close valve, turn on the water again, and detach hose. Then you grouse about having to clean up the water you spilled in the floor because you forgot to pull the hose outta the sink so the water gravity feeds into the floor.

Happens exactly that way every time...

Oooo I like that a lot! Like the title too.

Niniva said:

Hiya EFB, watch a Youtube video and drain your water heater; all you need is a waterhose. Literally. You switch off the water feed, attach the hose, open the drain valve, drain into sink or outside, close valve, turn on the water again, and detach hose. Then you grouse about having to clean up the water you spilled in the floor because you forgot to pull the hose outta the sink so the water gravity feeds into the floor.

Happens exactly that way every time...

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I told my mom about this and she said she understands the concept, but says the problem is that there doesn't appear to be a valve to open? *shrug* I hate going in the basement, so I don't know. I will look up those videos though in case she just isn't looking in the right place or something.

We did at least get the water test results back (looooots of iron and some manganese in there, and it's hard water), so that's a step toward getting a filter. The main road block right now is that they're expensive, which is why we haven't gotten one before now.

zanzjan said:

Hey, pssst, sorry I've been away a lot. Stressful times and w/ my kids home I've essentially got three simultaneous full-time jobs.

But you know what I also have? A NEW COVER!

<---lookie over there

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Niiiiiiice!



Zeta is currently raining on us. Weatherman was like, "Oh, it won't start until noon and will stop at four." Well, it's been raining since nine. At least it's just rain though, and not wind. I'll edit for a bit today and then my room seriously needs dusting.

Ooo, sweet, Zanz!

Congrats, Zanz! Awesome new cover!

I've moved into the new place, been here for a few days now, slowly settling in. Minty too, she was at first kinda restless, wondering when we were going home and she still seems to have had it a bit rough whenever I've been out, going by the noise she makes when I come back.
Writing is not going. Hoping some wheels will start turning soon, should probably read more often, too.

MaeZe said:

I can't see the bathroom but they sell very inexpensive shower hoses that fit over the faucet to make a sprayer. If you had one of those and two plastic tubs (one for wash, one for rinse) you'd have an improvised kitchen sink.

I lived in an outbuilding once that had no bathroom or kitchen. It was a little cabin in the back of a house. I shared the kitchen and bath in the house. But I didn't want to go in the house at night after everyone had gone to bed. So I peed in a large wide-mouthed jar and poured it out off the little back deck. I loved my little cabin.

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There's already a shower head a lot like that, with a button on it to activate it and everything. I'm definitely considering going bathless because the very concept is bothering me so much. Kind of getting around on the idea of doing my dishes on the bathroom floor, though.

Sounds very old fashioned and romantic.

greendragon said:

The first house we bought had obviously been built by someone who knew what they were doing and then renovated by someone who.... didn't. Drywall installed backwards, etc. And it was a very 1970s decor. Olive/mustard colored appliances, terrazo floors, carpet in the KITCHEN that was printed to look like boards (complete with nails). Yes, the kitchen.

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Who the hell would even make that carpet, much less buy it?

E.F.B. said:

We did at least get the water test results back (looooots of iron and some manganese in there, and it's hard water), so that's a step toward getting a filter. The main road block right now is that they're expensive, which is why we haven't gotten one before now.

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Yuck. That sounds yucky. And also like living with it is an expense onto itself. Like, the lifetime of your clothes and appliances must be way down, and since it's so yucky you probably prefer not to drink it, and it can't be very good for your skin and hair, either. I know the water here, which is just calcium and magnesium, is pretty hard on all of that. Babies sometimes get rashes from the water.

Hi folks! I hope everybody is doing well on this gorgeous Halloween night.

I uploaded a video last night. Tonight I'm just exhausted after running a bunch of errands and whatnot so I'm not sure I'll get done what I'd like to but I am hoping to at least get a cake in the oven. It's bee requested of me to make a pumpkin dump cake and I love requests.

Today is my birthday. I don't say that fishing for well wishes as much as I say it as a way to acknowledge for myself that I'm looking to get back to some good habits, like writing, and to get back to doing what I used to do.

Tonight I'm going to sit down and write out some intentions. Even if I write badly, I will still write. I don't have a project for NaNo but there are some short stories I'd like to dive into.

You all have been wonderfully supportive and I appreciate that. I'm going to admit that 2020 has been a struggle. Maybe I was more vulnerable than I'd care to admit but it has had a severe impact on me. I feel terrible about not getting words written but you all have shown me how to be nice to myself about it. So thank you for that!

May the Halloween spirits invite the ice cream faeries into your home to stock your freezer tonight!

Happy birthday, Ted! I hope you had a good one.

Heh, multiquoting does not seem to work today. Maybe it ate too much candy yesterday... Let's try it some other way.

Zanzjan, awesome cover!

EFB, that's a serious weird Spanish flirting course.

Rel, I hope you and Minty feel at home very quickly.

Ted, happy birthday! I hope you have an awesome day.


They've published the lists of the lockdown restrictions today and it looks like they'll be a lot more livable than the spring lockdown. At least some mistakes won't be made this time. Although I have to say, with the lockdown starting Monday, it has been really difficult not running out and getting supplies and such before the padlock descends for six weeks. But even with the lighter lockdown it's going to be hard.

But I found the one thing that is possitive about the whole second lockdown:We get to escape having to endure that one particular extended-family member on my dad's birthday next month. We don't do much family gatherings with that side of the family, in fact we try to avoid them as much as possible, but my dad's birthday is one day in the year we really can't. She's... not malicious, really... but, guys, she is such. A. Soulsucking. Joykill.

It's like... a sour black hole that sucks up all the light, from where no fun ever escapes. I don't even think she does it on purpose, or knows that she does it, but she can destroy anyone's good mood in mere minutes with just a few seemingly innocent comments. Such negativity is almost an artform and I don't want to know where she has honed that horrible skill to such perfection but yeah... suffice to say we all are thrilled we get to escape her presence at least another year.

JJ Litke said:

Happy birthday, Ted! I hope you had a good one.

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Thank you JJ and FF! I appreciate it.

You know, it was a good time. I ate too many sweets so I woke up with my legs and feet swollen and I feel like somebody beat me up. Between the sugar and the weather I'm paying a hefty price. But that's ok.

Today I gave away most of the cake I baked last night to my neighbor. I love baking for him and he loves it that cake. He's not a foodie so it's not like he gets excited or anything. I offered to make him an ice cream cake for his birthday and he didn't really say much. Some people, when I offer ice cream stuff, get very excited at the thought.

I'm pushing to get more content uploaded this week. Tonight I begin shooting for my next video. It's important to me that I get more video uploaded because lately I've seen posts on various social media of people asking about certain flavors that I've made before and I want to be able to say, "here's my video on how it's done."

Today starts NaNo and I don't have a project to work on but I'm wanting to get some short stories submitted once again. If I can get it together today I'll start work on something.

FF: I've heard about the 4 weeks of lockdown you guys are having to endure. I hope this gets you through the worst. Over here I think people are just sick and tired of it all and have stopped caring. I fear we're in for a rough next couple of months.

Thanks Ted. I hope you'll soon feel better.

I think pretty much everybody is sick and tired and/or past caring in a lot of places. The coming gloomy season is not really helping. We'll have to find joy where we can.

Well..I was trying to post and accidentally hit something and lost all of it. Sigh.

Long post short:

Happy belated birthday to Ted!

Hope the new adjustment to the new home goes quickly and smoothly, Rel.

*sets out bucket of hugs for all the things*

We've finally reached the point yesterday of digging the coats, hats, and scarves out of the closet, only to be back in jackets and sweaters today. Make up you're mind, weather. In related news,the cold probably killed the sweet potato vine, which means it's almost time to dig them up! *hoards all the sweet potatoes*

Editing goes well.

Dad's FINALLY got an appointment with his ophthalmologist tomorrow for the first time in months. This is a doctor he absolutely has to see in person because he has inflammation of his retina due to his diabetes and sometimes needs shots to help with it, but he won't go in by himself because obviously shots in the eye are scary and he needs mom's moral support, but they wouldn't let anyone but the patient in, thus why this has been put off for months and he's been losing his eyesight in one eye. But mom finally figured out how to get them to let her in too, so dad'll finally get back on treatment.

Time to sleep now. Night, Cantina.

EFB - Mergh, stubborn parents are the worst... fingers crossed the eye thing goes okay.

Thursday, and been a bit, but not much has happened. Weather's turned autumnal. Still deciding if I'm going to bother making ornaments this year seeing as how we're probably not going to see family for holidays; just not worth the risk.

Work continues to be worklike. We're losing someone off our shift; can't blame them for finding a job with better hours and a much less hellish commute (for them), but I really wish it was me leaving, not them. Even the manager hopes for power outages these days because we're just up against such impossible numbers, so why not just shut 'er down...

As for Other Things in the nation... I'm a big believer in jinxing so I won't say a word...

Dad's eye appointment did go well. He's apparently been managing his blood sugar well enough that his inflammation hadn't gotten any worse. The reason his sight in that eye has declined this year is because his cataract is getting worse. But he'll probably put off getting that taken care of until he's blind in that eye because he's got anxiety issues around surgery in any form.

Long story short, his twin brother was born with a deformed/deaf left ear, went through a bunch of childhood surgery to open it up and reshape it only for the docs to discover there weren't even ear structures in that side of his head, and they'd done all that for nothing. (This was back in the 50's.) Uncle was traumatized by so many surgeries at a young age, and it's possible the repeated exposure to anesthesia may have done damage too. He's since spent the majority of his life with schizophrenia. Dad's fixated on the anesthesia part of that his whole life and is afraid it will cause negative effects in him too even though the medical field has had 60+ years to get better at such things since then, we live in a place that has always had better doctors than his childhood home and certainly better than the ones back when he was a kid. And, y'know, I'm not even saying I don't understand his anxiety in this case. I do. But the options are get it done, or be blind in one eye for the rest of his life, so it is a choice he'll have to make eventually.



In better news, I made borscht. If you haven't heard of it, you should Google because it's very good. I got my recipe last year amongst some pre-order goodies for a book set in Russia (because it's a traditional Russian dish) and fell in love. Even better, neither of my parents like it as much as me, so when I make it, it's mine, all mine! The recipe makes quite a lot, so I literally have enough borscht to eat it once a day for daaaaaays. *is happy*

Traipsing through on a Sunday afternoon... don't mind me.

Yesterday was a good day (for national Reasons) and a not-good day.

Good because... well. *gestures at news* I'm not delusional enough to think that's the end of all problems, but it's a welcome change nonetheless.

Not-good because, for a while, Mom had noticed a leak of some sort in the basement, coming from under the upstairs bathroom. And yesterday was the day that we finally tracked down the worst of it to the pipe under the toilet. So we spent yesterday (and the day before) cleaning out sewage sludge and a few decades' worth of literal junk to get back to the pipes, and today we had the plumber out. The pipe under the toilet is basically disintegrating with age - not the thick black ones going to the septic tank, but the one just under the toilet. It's going to be an all-day deal on Thursday. On the plus side, I'll be out of the house for at least part of it due to work. But Mom's stuck here the whole time - Dad is not mentally up to overseeing and dealing with repair people anymore - and the sibling... is the sibling. (She was already quite vocal the other day, complaining that a major plumbing emergency was infringing on her ability to enjoy the day. Because we deliberately made the pipes disintegrate just this week to interfere with her life, you understand...)

Cost has not been mentioned, but it's kind of moot: it needs happening, as one toilet between four adults is not long-term tenable, especially when one of those adults has intestinal issues that have him camping out in the bathroom for extended stretches of time.

Sooo... yeah. Gonna be a Week.

Hi all, it's been a while. If you'd told me six months ago that come November I'd be in lockdown again, stress eating Halloween candy and obsessively checking the news I wouldn't have been exactly surprised. But I definitely wouldn't have been happy about it. On the plus side had roast duck tonight, all the extra time at home has its upsides.

E.F.B. said:

In better news, I made borscht. If you haven't heard of it, you should Google because it's very good. I got my recipe last year amongst some pre-order goodies for a book set in Russia (because it's a traditional Russian dish) and fell in love. Even better, neither of my parents like it as much as me, so when I make it, it's mine, all mine! The recipe makes quite a lot, so I literally have enough borscht to eat it once a day for daaaaaays. *is happy*

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Now I'm tempted to try making borscht.

One of my new neighbors has a Japanese maple in front of their home in an otherwise paved front yard, and it honestly looked magical just recently, because there was this carpet of phenomenally red leaves scattered artfully on the ground, and the tree barely looked like it had dropped any, still standing there looking like a firework mid explosion. For some reason, before asking Google to identify it, I thought the whole aesthetic looked very Japanese.
Oh, and there's a forest literally just across the street from me that's an official off-leash area, so that's awesome. Looking forward to traipsing through it in spring.

Brightdreamer said:

(She was already quite vocal the other day, complaining that a major plumbing emergency was infringing on her ability to enjoy the day. Because we deliberately made the pipes disintegrate just this week to interfere with her life, you understand...)

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How insidious of you.

Cost has not been mentioned, but it's kind of moot: it needs happening, as one toilet between four adults is not long-term tenable, especially when one of those adults has intestinal issues that have him camping out in the bathroom for extended stretches of time.

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One visit to my sister's new home in England, many years back, had my brother, mother, stepdad, three step-siblings and one cousin visit a married couple with their baby in a home with two toilets, one of them on the second floor (third if you're american, I believe). Good thing we only stayed the weekend.

My daily excercises are finally paying off a little. I can actually put both my hands flat on the ground while standing. Which is something I could do... actually never before. I'm pleased.

E.F.B. said:

We've finally reached the point yesterday of digging the coats, hats, and scarves out of the closet, only to be back in jackets and sweaters today. Make up you're mind, weather. In related news,the cold probably killed the sweet potato vine, which means it's almost time to dig them up! *hoards all the sweet potatoes*

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Yeah, the weather did that here too. Here we are scrambling to get the tender plants protected, and it dips to 0° Celsius one night, then goes 'nah' and now it won't go below 10 for another projected ten days.

Not that I mind this current scenario too much. The tender plants would have needed that protection soon anyway, no surprise frost nights are going to be a bother right now and I can do a few more things in the garden before it goes really wintery.

Dad's FINALLY got an appointment with his ophthalmologist tomorrow for the first time in months. This is a doctor he absolutely has to see in person because he has inflammation of his retina due to his diabetes and sometimes needs shots to help with it, but he won't go in by himself because obviously shots in the eye are scary and he needs mom's moral support, but they wouldn't let anyone but the patient in, thus why this has been put off for months and he's been losing his eyesight in one eye. But mom finally figured out how to get them to let her in too, so dad'll finally get back on treatment.

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I'm a little side-eyeing that opthalmologist here, because it should hardly be so exceptional that a patient needs somebody else there and it shouldn't have fallen solely to your mother to figure this one out. But I'm glad she did and your dad's appointment went well.

Brightdreamer said:

Not-good because, for a while, Mom had noticed a leak of some sort in the basement, coming from under the upstairs bathroom.

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Gaah, one thing I hate more than water leaks is sanitary water leaks. May the repairs go smoothely.