What I'm Reading This Week #14

Annnnd we're revving into Friday.

source

I must start with a teary goodbye to Val Kilmer.  No lie, three days before he passed I got the song "How Silly Can You Get" from the movie Top Secret in my head out of nowhere.  I hadn't seen a reference, heard anything about him and definitely hadn't heard that song in 20+ years.  I said to the Mr "I wonder how Val is doing?" then I soon got my answer.  I remember seeing Top Secret at the drive in with Mom when it came out.  When Real Genius came out on HBO, it was one of the few movies my Dad and I bonded over, is in my top five movies of all time and is the Mr and I's love language after I make him king of the winter carnival.  

source

Anyone who followed Val's career and personal life over the decades knows he got a little out of the box and didn't settle for norms which also included his approach to his throat cancer.  He lived authentically himself which is something we all hope to say when our end arrives.  I'm listening to the Top Gun anthem bawling my friggin eyes out.  It's not completely unexpected but that doesn't make it hurt any less.  

Fly high Iceman.

source

Yet another whirlwind week at the homestead.  Monday I drove to the vein doc's office and demanded somebody friggin' do something about this billing BS since 3 emails, 3 phone calls and 1 portal message over 3 1/2 weeks are getting me nowhere.  Obviously she didn't do much at first but stammer and try to say my deductible wasn't met yet.  I don't think so sistah girl, I didn't get it done UNTIL the deductible was met!  She worked on it for 30 minutes with me hovering over her as three other customers got to listen for their potential surprises.  So friggin' irritating and do you think she called me back when she said she would?  Nope.  Guess I'll be making another trip Monday and I'll do it every Monday and Wednesday as long as I need to to get the point across that I'm not going away.  

The Mr got the second skim coat on the garage walls while I stupidly volunteered to pull out the staples from the stairs.  4322 staples later, I found some delightful 29 year old construction man doodles on the stairs.  

Blurred but if you squint you can probably still see it. I suspect the same thing the partner of the person who drew it had to do pre-coitus and try not to laugh.

Is it a prerequisite that all construction workers draw penises (peni?) on every surface or they're docked money from their paycheck?  Uncircumsized to boot.  It was the size of the house he drew next to it.  I wish I could ask what his motivation was.  Was our house about to be destroyed by a giant phallus?  

Speaking of the stairs, whilst removing the carpet, a new urgent project presented itself.  The unpainted part of the stringers now exposed with the carpet gone.  Since we don't get to choose the padding because of the thickness of the wool carpet, it is not likely going to cover either stringer that was painted around.  That bumped that task to the top of Tuesday's list because it seemed things were going to move fast on that front.  We got word after I painted it wouldn't be until the 18th but I'm glad it's done.  That also meant now would be the better time to wood fill the baseboards that have been hanging out for a year as well as paint them so they'd have two weeks to be somewhat cured.  I'm fine with doing touch up paint but I don't want to potentially drop paint on a larger job on brand new carpet.  The only problem is after pulling all of those staples and then being bent over to paint the stringer, I definitely pulled my back...again.  I just healed from the week before.  😑  You can imagine the heating pad and I have been besties this week as well.  The Mr was sanding the few coats of joint compound he filled the garage insulation holes with and then primed so that portion of that project is done.  The garage looked like the set of the movie Blow.  It's all over everything so I hope he plans on leaf blowing everything.

Thursday was the bathroom counter/sink install which was the latest window we've ever gotten on a project.  3:30-6:30 pm but our guys got here at 6:45 and left at 8pm.  Still have to install the faucet ourselves and have to wait for the silicone to set.  I have no idea how we're going to get rid of the old countertop because our bulk pickup doesn't take that kind of stuff so the best we can hope for is sitting it out front for free hoping someone wants a free Corian countertop with vessel sink for their bathroom.  We've usually had good luck doing that but you never know.  The Mr thinks it could fit in the trashcan but I think he's smoking something.  I wonder if the habitat for humanity restore would take it?  (Nope...sink only.)  Fingers crossed someone takes it for a flip or a downstairs bathroom.  I still haven't healed from the last time we had to break up something to put in the trashcan.  Seriously, I'm 6 weeks out from the gash I probably should've gotten stitches for and it looks a week old.   Not in a hurry to repeat the performance. 

Let's get to da links!

8 Simple Ways to Fit Stretching Into Your Day  (I definitely need to focus on this.)

This Butter Swap Could Help You Live Longer, According to a Harvard-Led Study  (Why can't they find a plant that tastes like butter?)

5 Things You Can Do to Make Your Microbiome Healthier  (I think mine may be dead.)

Fat Doesn’t Deserve Its Bad Rap  (Interesting article)

What are vibration plates and do they actually have benefits? How to use them the right way  (This is actually one of the reasons to get the insulation out of the basement because it was sitting on mine and I've really needed it.  We literally travel with a small one as it does wonders after long driving or walking days)

If You Were Called 'Mature For Your Age' As A Kid, You Need To Read This  (I'd be rich if I had a quarter for every time I was told that as a kid)

This Low-Maintenance Annual Grows Quickly From Seeds. (Yes it does and the Mr is getting nervous about the amount we have sprouted in the basement right now.  Whoops!)

The 6 Biggest Crafting Trends in 2025, According to Michaels  (One day I would like to be able to have time for such things!  I have some watercolors and a crochet sloth waiting on me)

Chewing gum can shed hundreds of microplastics into your mouth  (Oy.  We can't have anything nice.)

What Your Car’s Air Recirculation Button Does—And Why You Should Be Using It  (See Mr, not only do I not want to suck in other people's smoke and crud but it saves us money!)

I'll be honest, I don't want to do anything more this weekend than either road trip or grab the camping chairs and find a park near water and just stare for a few hours.  It has been three weeks of doing something every single day on one thing or another whether wood filling, filling/sanding, repotting seedlings which takes way longer than you think it does and my brain is mush.  Not sure what we'll end up doing but my brain desperately needs to disconnect.

What's shaking for you this weekend?

====================
Get posts sent straight to your inbox on Follow It. Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info. All posts copyright Success Along the Weigh. All rights reserved.