Messages between Fauxpaws and beckysdad
Yeah, I think if you're headed to the track to watch and bet on televised races you've crossed the line into either addiction or no life whatsoever. I currently have three different cities working. The sections of land are different sizes and I've yet to learn much about how the cities interact with each other. I know they can trade water, power and garbage services. At some point they will take on a different character but I don't know enough to guide that with a strategy now. Hmmm...our conversation is starting to sound like a planning commission meeting which probably bores you to tears. We need to find another topic...care to speculate on the existence of acne among the grizzly population in Yellowstone?
Yes, it does. But such is life. Sounds like you've got your city (cities?) going really well! No doubt the subway will take off in a hurry. The ponies? Nah. Our racing season here only lasts from January to April. You can still go to the track, watch video of tracks around the country and bet if you want, or play electronic casino games, but there's not much thrill in that for us.
Sigh...seems everything comes with a budget. Doesn't that suck? Well, the good news is I figured out how to put in the subway system the people were demanding. The bad news is the supposed demand hasn't yet translated into much ridership. i guess I'm set up well for the future and we're definitely cash flow positive right now so we're good. It doesn't look like you'll get much break from the heat but the humidity might be a bit better if my reports are right. Let's hope so. Have you got any plans to see the ponies any time soon?
Aw, so you have a budget to worry about too? Sheesh! Blending our weather sounds like a great idea to me! I'd gladly share some of this humidity with ya, too!
Oh yes...you place all the bus stops. Fortunately you don;t have to bother figuring out routes and such. You just place them in your high density, poorer neighborhoods and then also in your typical destinations like convenient places in commercial zones and around your employment centers(factories and office buildings). The tricky balance is not building out your infrastructure too soon and going bankrupt and yet not having to tear down too much stuff to put in avenues, highways and things like that. At some point I'm going to have to transition to a subway system and start tearing down lower density zones and putting up high-rises. I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes along the way. I've put in my first little airport and already had to upgrade it to accommodate more flights. I'm not sure how much longer it will be until I have to turn that into a regional municipal airport. Has it cooled off? Once again we should blend our weather as it was cool here today...never broke 70. Average us out and we'd both have had great weather.
I'm really lucky Chuck's so good at fixing things. I can't imagine how much money we've saved over the years. A highway and bus system seem like good ideas. Do you put up bus stops and all that, or does it not get that specific?
Believe me, I know about repairs and upgrades. My house is older than I am. We could both use some repairs and upgrades. I'll bet those ceiling fans are popular when it gets hot. I did get my traffic problems resolved...at least for the moment it appears. A highway and a bus system seemed to do the trick. I've slipped over to the parcel next door and established another city. It's a smaller chunk of land but it's sure benefiting from the mistakes I made next door. Things are running much more smoothly.
Chuck likes to "tinker". He's always fixing something or replacing something or upgrading something around here. And when your house was built in 1970, there's alot of that to do. He put a dimmer switch in the dining room this morning, now he's downstairs working on one of the ceiling fans. The fan's been making noise, so he's probably getting WD40 all over everything. He reads alot, too. His tastes vary somewhat from mine, but it's nice when one of us finds a good book that the other will like. In fact, he's the one who first picked up The Dragon Tattoo book. How's the city building going? Did you get your traffic problems solved?
Skeeters, crowds, heat...pass. That's right...I forgot that you had put the vampires aside for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm glad you stuck in out past those first fifty pages. How does Chuck spend his days when they're so hot?
Aw, that was so sweet of your dad. I'm sure he would have done that without a second thought, too. Naturally his discomfort was much more important than seeing the rest of the play. I'm still reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but it's moving along at a good clip. Great book! There's so much more in it than they could ever show in the movie. I suspected that but am glad seeing the movie first didn't blow the whole story for me. I might have to read the next two books of his before I get back to my vampires. Yep, broil and steam. Now I know how lobsters feel. Little Rock is holding it's annual River Fest festival this weekend and, while I'd like to go, I don't think I'd last too long. too much heats, too many skeets!
Dad even suggested at one point that Mom and I go back in and watch the second half and he'd just hang out in the lobby to wait for us...yeah, like that might happen.Are you still doing the vampire series? How many more books do you have to go there? I'm about 70% of the way through Condi's book and am not yet sure what's up after that. I have a list waiting at the library site of titles that I want to read so I'll peruse that but I'll still be at this one for a bit. I haven't been devoting enough time to reading. I've had cities to build. I trashed the first region I started as the traffic problems were too hairy and I didn't plan well enough. It doesn't bother me...that's how I learn. So it seems like they're going to try to broil AND steam you back there today. I hope you're able to find a cool refuge.
It sounds like a most pleasant afternoon. That's a shame your dad's leg was giving him so much trouble. It's bad enough to be home and hurting, but even worse when you're out somewhere and not wanting to interrupt everyone's good time, even if you know they'll understand. Congrats on your Animal FP! Perfect caption!! It did get down to 70 this morning and sleeping was good. Unfortunately the humidity is up in the 90's, which doesn't bode well for the rest of the day. Needless to say I've already got the sprinkler going. I'm glad I've got a good book to read!
At least you'll be able to sleep if it gets close to 70 by the time Elf drags you off to bed. We had a pleasant afternoon. The folks got to read my fan mail while we hung out on the patio snorting apple wood smoke. The ribs turned out very well so it was a simple and tasty meal. The show was pretty good though we bailed at intermission. It was clear that Dad's leg was really bothering him and it didn't take much prodding when I suggested that we just take off. Sigh...I really hope this surgery gives him some relief. I'm glad your sister waded in for another game. Maybe she won't set you up for another triple word score and you'll have to grind it out to the end. We can't have you getting too cocky.
Oops - forgot to add that yes, we've got another game going. The lead has been switching back and forth. I have plenty of time to strike! =)
Oh that's right - Ribs and a Show night with your folks! I'd think Guys and Dolls would be a fun show and I just know the ribs will be deelish! We should get down to around 70 overnight which will make for another tolerable morning. I'll try to make the best of it! Have a fun evening!
I hope it cools off for you this evening. I have the folks here for dinner and a show. We'll be going to see Guys and Dolls tonight. The ribs have been cooking for 4 1/2 hours so far and they're about to head to the grill for that final carmelization...yum! Did sis start a new game yet?
You're so right about cats being easier to add. That's why I switched to cats when I was starting out on my own. Having two cats back then seemed to work the best. They slept most of the day while I was at work, but when they were up they could entertain each other. It was mostly just a matter of leaving more food out and cleaning the box more often. Made it a little easier when the first one passed away, too. I still had a little furball to hug on. I'm sure glad I got my outdoor stuff done early cause it's pretty toasty out there! I think this time the humidity is here to stay.
I'd imagine that adding cats is easier than adding dogs. I doubt a second cat adds much more to the labor and managing equation. A second dog would make a huge difference. Even adding a single dog to a cat household changes daily routines substantially. Both your 2 legger and 4 legger are darn good ones. I'd be afraid to mess with the chemistry.
Oh yeah, an animal one would be great to see. I agree about the vicarious fix, tho if I had my way I'd have at least one or two more 4-legged critters around. But like you, I'm happy with Elf. And a two-legger.
It just all rings so true...the craziness and frustrations and in the end the love in spite of it all. I'm content to live vicariously both with kids and extra critters at this point. I'll get my fix through youtube and visits but stick with my largely manageable and terribly loveable little girl. I know you were kidding about adding kids. It occurs to me that a similar song could be done about having a pack of animals in the house...could be pretty funny.
Ok, so I read Syl's message and then watched the video, then scared Elf away from laughing so hard!! TOO funny! And no, I've never heard that song before - it's great! Makes ya wanna have some kids, doesn't it? Nawt!!
'Nuts', eh? Yeah I suspect that's about right. I haven't EDd any comments between you and Syl this morning so I don't know if she shared her evening chaos with you. As I read her note I smiled broadly at the description because it's all so familiar. It also reminded me of a song from the 70s. I'm sure you heard this one but it was fun to listen to again this morning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQlvyhTfaos
In all honesty, I don't think I could get a fair trial in wilderness court, even with evidence. Especially if the perpetrator was given a jury of his peers. The whole thing would be 'nuts'. hah!
In the scheme of things it wasn't all that big a deal but it was frustrating to have to make a second trip to get the wood. If I'd been having a bad day that sure would have added to it but it worked out fine. Security cams would probably be darned entertaining as well as enlightening. Are they admissible in wilderness court? I don't think you could hand down much of a sentence, ya softie. "Since this is only your lebenty fifth offense I'm going to let you off with a warning."
Yeah, distance does have it's drawbacks. She always has to take an ice chest with her when she has to get frozen foods, especially ice cream. Sounds like your quest for apple wood chucks was the trip from hell! All that and the store is closed. Sheesh! I'm not entirely sure it was a squirrel who knocked the feeder down, but it was definitely something bigger than a chippy to get it swinging hard enough to come off of the S hook it's on. Unless some crazy raccoon or possum stayed up past sunrise. And even at that, they'd go for the woodpecker food first, I would think. Who knows. I guess I need security cameras!
I sure like the notion of no traffic but being a goodly distance from stores would kinda stink. I had to pick up more apple wood chunks for my smoker today since I'm doing ribs for the folks tomorrow. They were doing some road work next to the shopping center and it has totally screwed up the traffic lights. I pulled into the turn lane and the lights cycled three times for everyone else but I never got a green light to turn. I finally headed up to the next intersection and popped a u-turn and came back. As if that weren't frustrating enough, I parked the car and started heading towards the store only to learn that it had closed. After I got through with the kids at school I drove to their other store in the neighboring city and got what I needed. I was surprised to learn that they closed last July. I guess it's been a while since I had to buy wood. That just means I'm not smoking often enough. Ah, those pesky squirrels...are you sure they're the culprits? Maybe they're just misunderstood and it's just some rebellious chippies that are framing the poor little squirrels. Those squirrels certainly have a PR problem.
I think she'll probably start a new game soon. It could be that she's just busy today. Living out in the boonies like she does, it takes her alot longer to get just the normal things done, like grocery shopping, unless it's a quick stop at the little local store in the town near her. The drive is longer, but then again, there's very little traffic, and being Texas the speed limits are almost always 60 mph on those back roads. yeee haw! Isn't that great that all the kids wrote you thank-you letters!! That must have really made your day. And lots of Becky fans, too! No surprise there, natch. Ya know, I can't remember for sure if that bike was a Schwinn, but I'd bet it was. I spent many, many hours on that old bike. Didn't do any playing outside - the heat and humidity have returned. I got out early and did some spot watering. And the hummingbird feeder had been knocked down by some critter or other (I'm thinking squirrel!), so I had to get that refilled and hung back up. Fortunately it wasn't broken. Yesterday the birdbath (and that most definitely was a squirrel) and this morning the feeder. <grrr>
Oh, oh...she can't quit. She has to play more. Maybe she just needs a short break. Well, I have one more day with the kids next Thursday. I had a nice treat today as the kids had all written thank you letters to me. I was able to reflect on challenges and victories with each one as I read their notes. The best ones are from the kids that have really struggled. I guess I get to spend more time with them but I expect they don't usually get the attention they need. My time with them has more impact and they really appreciate it. I thought it was cute how many of them mentioned the videos of Becky they got to see on days we decided to reward them. They were all very sweet but I'm sure glad I wasn't responsible for working with them on grammar and spelling. Shame on me... You have fond memories of your blue bike...was it a Schwinn? It seems like so many of them were. I had a red one. Have you been playing outside? Has the ivy finally surrendered?
What a great woman and an example for all of us. I really like the fact that she's made arrangements for Jeannie's continued care and happiness. But then, Jeannie is her closest companion and probably her best friend. That right there speaks volumes about her. Your histy sure brought back memories of my blue bike and stealing all the jokers out of my parents' decks of cards! Yep, the latest game is all but over. We're just plugging in the last few letters and I've got 100 points on her. She hasn't chatted with me on there in the last few days, so I'm thinking she might have had enough. We'll see.
It should come as no surprise that we met because of our dogs. We met on the trails near the dog park I used to frequent. I run into lots of dog owners there and conversations just happen when our dogs meet. She's so outgoing and bubbly that the conversation just flowed. We ran into each other more and more in the coming weeks, usually on the trails but sometimes while I was in the dog park and she was rolling past. One day she asked me if I could watch Jeannie in the dog park while she rolled the trails alone. Of course I said yes. As great a service dog as Jeannie is, she's still a dog. I guess when they did the trails sometimes Jeannie liked to swing wide through the brush. She always responded to commands but it was easier for LeeAnn to be able to spend fifteen minutes rolling through on her own and not have to keep Jeannie in the game. We did that a few more times and then she asked me how I felt about taking Jeannie for an afternoon so she could just be a dog. I was thrilled and that just became a routine for us. She worked for years full time as a speech therapist in one of the local school districts. Even now she still tutors. She's wrung so much life out of that flawed body it's tough for folks that know her to complain about difficult circumstances. She's overcome so much. Thanks for the congrats on the histy FP. That's my first in the histy category. Those pics don't speak to me in the same way the goggies do but that one was kinda fun. Was that play against your sister as pivotal as you thought? Is that game over?
