Showing posts with label meetup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meetup. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

day 6 of i miss my car: taking it out on the yard

I was scheduled for luncheon at Funky Brunch with a new meetup group, but that was made null and void by the jerk in the behemoth pick-up truck.

Damn.

As I could not vent my anger at that faceless, cowardly, bully driving that vehicle, I turned to the trees in my back yard.

Those always need pruning, and I have found that hard physical labor is great for loss adjustment, as well as misplaced rage.

I think this image from a former student pretty well captured my mood on this sixth day of no wheels.

Ian Z had drawn it to demonstrate his understanding of the difference between precision and accuracy, in response to a Lab Final Exam question.

As shown, the "intended target" for the gun is the bullseye, so his aim cannot be said to be "accurate"; however, as all three bullets made a tight pattern in the chest of the rude neighbor who never cleans up after a pooping dog, his aim certainly was "precise".

He definitely made me laugh with that one!

I laughed again when I found it in a stack of old comment sheets this morning.

(smile!

Sometime soon, I'll commit those comments to this sandy beach, but not right now.

The weather has cooled considerably this week, even going to the 60's at night.

I've spent most of this 'evening at home' in the back yard.

That scrub oak by the bird bath?

Branches sawed off all the way around, dropping it to half its height.

That scrub oak to the left of the shed door?

Its 2-inch diameter trunk was set upon by my hand saw until the top toppled.

Those horrid overgrown red-tip trees along the back?

Limbs sliced and torn until the wood of the popsicle fence could be seen.

Then, I hauled most of that hot mess to the front yard and stacked it by the curb.

There it shall wait until next Wednesday, when the city hauls it off.

Good.

Meanwhile, I can look at those four piles and feel a sense of accomplishment.

That's good, too.

Sunday, September 10, 2023

hotdog + french fries + taco + ice cream

That sounds like just one meal, but it wasn't!
Those items were from three different meals of the four meals I've had with other people in the last five outings.
That's right, I've been out with others five times in the last four days!
And of those four meals, I've only paid for three of them.
Pretty good, eh?
(smile!)
 
The first meal was the slunch I had at Bowties Thursday, when I was there for trivia night with Savannah Locals.
Yes, french fries can be a meal, especially with lots of ketchup.
If a baked potato can be considered a meal, then why not fries topped with plenty of the tomato-based sauce?
We have all known since 1981 that ketchup is a vegetable, ever since Ronald Reagan declared it to be so.
Case closed!
(smile!)
The second meal was an actual dinner that can't be contested.
After all, it was eaten Friday at Jalapenos of Sandfly!
I opted for Combo Number Five, with the song "Mambo No. 5" running at full volume on my mental jukebox - LOL!
I stood - yes, STOOD, not sat - between my brothers.
As I told them, I was running an experiment to see if standing, instead of sitting on those high chairs, would prevent me from waking up with sciatica pain on Saturday morning.
The results?
No sciatica pain - hooray!!!
As I told them, sitting in those very high chairs at the high-top table was the only thing different I've been doing; I've never had the problem of sciatica before these dinners with them on Fridays.
Now, I know I won't have it again!
I'm so glad I listen to my body.
(smile!

Okay, on to the third meal, which was a slunch between trips to Greece and to India.
Hahahaha! Doubleheader at the cinema, y'all!
The first movie was with a meetup group, Boomers In Motion, as represented by Jackie and Virginia.
We saw the new Nia Vardalos flick, which truly was a travel ad for Greece - just gorgeous!
Then they came with me to Jason's Deli, where I can get double reward points on weekends - nice!
I had Shelley's Deli Chick, a sandwich I've been meaning to try, and it was so full of different textures!
Crispy, flaky croissant, moist chicken salad with grapes and almonds and pineapple, meaty slab of tomato topping it all off...
and good company, too!
Perfect!
(smile!)
That brings me to today, doesn't it?
The first of my two events with others was at Asbury Memorial Church, where we were celebrating the first Sunday of the church year.
"Celebrate" is certainly the right term!
Leopold's was there with its ice cream stand, and I made sure I was the very first in line.
You know, to make sure the scoop didn't get tainted with strawberry 'poison', right?
Yes, that's my story!
My ice cream was pistachio and it was divine and well worth the lactase pills I had to eat with it!
I also ate a delicious hotdog and drank cold lemonade, as well as enjoying good conversation with Linda Combs and Steve Johnson while I did so.
That was all so very nice!
(smile!)
Then, on I went to my fifth outing, the second of the day, again with the Savannah Locals meetup.
Does this place look familiar?
It should - I was at The Wyld for the pierogi fundraiser!
I meant to order something, but just never did.
I guess I was enjoying the conversations too much to miss something funny from Maura or Denise, or Erica's story of her daughter at UGA, or the other Denise talking of a recent band, or Rochelle making the next plans for the group... definitely fun!
Now, to call Michael for his 35th birthday, and maybe even have another social occasion this evening!

Thursday, September 7, 2023

trying something new with locals

Last night had not worked out, but that's okay.
As a scientist, I know that you don't give up just because of one bad experiment.
You examine the variables and see what changes are needed, then try again.
Last night, I learned that my definition of "board games" was not up to date.
That's okay.
There was nothing wrong with the people in the meetup, nor with the venue.
I was there under a misinterpretation of a phrase. 
 

Tonight, I convened with Savannah Locals, finding out that the title of the meetup played fast and loose with the definition of "locals".
No problem!
We were at Bowtie Barbeque Co. en masse for their weekly trivia game, playing with a team of five and going by our meetup name: "Savannah Locals".
Most excellent!
Rochelle, the group organizer, turned out to be a Navy veteran like me - cool beans!
Denise and Maury both like to travel and seem to be about my age - very nice!
Craig, the lone male and and a father of five, hailing from Cincinnati, may have been in his late forties or early fifties, like Rochelle - alrighty then!
These were clearly people I had something in common with and we were there to play a game I know how to play - hooray!
Even better: I knew some of the answers when they didn't!
"The name of a tribe in the Pacific Northwest, as well as the call sign of a plane, as well as the name of a 1997 movie?"
Air Force One!!!
"A game whose name is Swahili for "to build"?'
Jenga!!!
"A bone in the body that sounds like the word for something funny?"
Humerus!!!
Then there was that one question, a bonus question at the end, that only one of us knew.
"Give the first names of the 9 characters in most "Saved By The Bell" episodes."
Yikes!
While four of us only knew Screech, Craig knew six more.
With his help, we went from 4th place before the final bonus to 3rd place at the end, netting us a $10 gift card for next time.
Oh, and bragging rights, too!
Yes, this was fun!
Will I be going to their future events?
You bet I will!
(smile!)

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

trying something new with gamers

Hey, I saw the words "board games" and thought they were speaking to me!
Turns out I may be a generation off from that crowd.
Still, I did sally forth to Morningstar Games this evening, so...
big points to me for trying!
There were eight who had signed up for the Savannah Gaming Hub meetup.
Five were there, including me.
I knew Celeste, as she is also with CASH.
She's also the reason I can say "a" generation, as I know she's 45.
So, that's one generation off from me.
(smile!)
 
The other three were probably late 20's to mid-30's.
Surprisingly, only one gamer was a guy!
His name was Pearce and he'd bought several games for the group to play.
I brought "The Big Bang Theory Trivia" and he was the only one who didn't scoff.
Guess they don't do that sort of board game.
In fact, the first game we played wasn't even a "board game" at all!
Called "Cartography", or something similar, it was all about drawing on a grid, with strategic placement of rivers, marshes, forests, orchards, crops, fishing villages, and towns, in accordance with images on cards of several types in the deck.
When Pearce passed out the maps, he actually asked if I wanted to play.
I think I scored points with him simply by saying "yes".
As for the two younger women there, they were impressed that I used a pen to draw - everyone else used a pencil with a good eraser!
And when the "monster" cards came out and we had to draw those on another player's card, they liked how the ink really stood out.
(smile!)
Monsters had little mask faces, rivers and marshes had squiggly lines, towns and villages epitomized the term "tiny houses", forests and orchards had three little circles, and crops had diagonal furrows.
Very simplistic drawings that even I could do!
What I couldn't do was properly tally my score.
That's okay, as this was my first time..
Should I ever play this again, I'll know better.
Not that I think I'll rush out and buy it, but I will add this: it's a fast-paced game, as there is a time limit for each of the four rounds, so no sitting and agonizing over placement!
(smile!)
I abstained from the next game, partly because it was for only four players, partly because it was another strategy game, though this time with cards and dice.
Lots of dice, in sets of five, representing the different monsters that would be doing battle.
Trolls and witches and ghosts, oh my!
It reminded me of "Dungeons and Dragons", but without the role-playing.
I watched them play for about an hour, then excused myself and went home.
 
I had a Texas Roadhouse grilled pork chop waiting for me, and more salad, too!
Yes, yes, the restaurant was having its Family Chicken Dinners and Family Pork chop Dinners on special again, so I'd bought one of each!
Those will keep my food budget nicely augmented, as each package was less than $30 for four 8-oz grilled pieces of meat, eight dinner rolls, plus salad, corn, and mashed potatoes for four.
That's less than $8 per serving, which puts it right in line with the church's Wednesday Night Suppers.
What a great deal!
I knew the salad wouldn't last long, so I've been sure to turn that into four BIG salads, topped with 4 ounces of either chicken or pork, for lunch and dinner yesterday and then lunch and dinner today.
The rolls have been the bread to give me a pork chop sandwich and a chicken sandwich yesterday, plus a chicken sandwich for breakfast today.
And some of the bread was eaten just because it was so good!
(smile!)
I froze quite a bit of the food, too, to keep it from spoiling and to spread out the feasting.
I figure the corn can be added to a rice dish or a soup.
The mashed potatoes can be turned into soup, along with some of the corn.
And maybe I'll even have mashed potatoes pancakes some morning!
Who knows how many meals I won't have to cook from scratch?
So far, it's been five...
hallelujah!
(smile!)

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

vroom, vroom, with boo, too!

Here Barbara is on Monday!
 
She's trailing the line of folks hoping for ice cream.
 
Sadly, that was an unsuccessful jaunt into Starland.
 
The place had already closed for the day.
 
That's all to the good, though.
 
I'd made sure to have a good luncheon at Ukiyo!
It's a Japanese tapas joint, and the gyoza was plentiful enough to have shared.
Maybe next time I'm there with the meetup CASH.
We had seven: me, Boo, Celeste, MacKay, Vicki, and the Wheelers (Tim and Jessica).
 
That's exactly the number of gyoza I had!
 
I drove this time, to give Barbara a break.
 
Plus, these "dinners" are at 5PM, so for us two they are more like luncheons.
 
That's all well for me!
 
Then, on Tuesday, she and I were together again.
Her turn to drive, especially as this was to be a very late night out!
We went to the 9:20PM screening of a new Bollywood at the Royal of Pooler.
 
"Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani" was utterly delightful!'
I wasn't familiar with Ranveer Singh, but he's on my radar now!
And Alia Bhatt was her usual fabulous self!
Such a fun and modern love story, with the couple opting to live with each other's families for three months, to hopefully find a way for his stuck in the past relatives to get along with her liberated and educated people.
Along the way, they find they have more in common and that bias is everywhere.
Truly excellent... but I was exhausted by the time we got back to Savannah.
 
In between these two outings, I had managed to catch my 2K at the Victory Planet.
 
When I came out, guess who was hobnobbing with my little blue Saturn?
 
Another sailor's car!
 
And it was blue, too!
 
Then again, it's owner has something to do with the Blue Angels, that incredible bunch of flyguys.
 
I thought about waiting for his return... but, nah.
Nice to just know he was there!
(smile!)
 
My third encounter with Barbara was tonight.
Had she known about the Early Access viewing tonight of "Gran Turismo"?
She had not, so we met up at the cinema to watch them go vroom, vroom!!!
 
My, oh, my, what a wonderful movie!
I faintly remember hearing about Jann Mardenborough, but that would have been over a decade ago for someone who doesn't follow racing.
he would have been 24 then, and already racing for five years...
having been only 19 when he transitioned from a video game SIM driver to a real one.
Wow.
Even cooler, he served as the advisor and stunt double in this movie!
Wow.
I look forward to seeing it again when it officially comes to the cinema at month's end.
Plus, it'll be great to see David Harbour a few more times.
Oh, yes, he's guaranteed to make sweet dreams!
(smile!)
 
What a way to close out this A*List, though!
All action movies on this dance card, too, and all were new to me.
That's a nice change of pace... pun intended!
 
"Meg 2: The Trench" was very funny, with 56-year-old Jason Statham showing off not only his moves, but his love of laughs.
I'm glad the previews of this made it clear that it would not be a horror film!
In fact, there's no horror, or gore, in it at all.
Sure, there are a few tense moments, but that left an opening for the woman down the row from me to tell the ones on the screen, "Don't go in there!"
That was funny, too!

Then there's the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem", unexpectedly animated, seen in the Big D, with me the only one laughing!
LOL!
That's because I was the only one there at 2PM on a Monday!
(smile!)
What I liked best?
All the kid characters - the four turtles and the girl reporter - are voiced by kids.
Not by adults that sound like kids... nope.
That really added an extra level of authenticity to the movie for me.
(smile!)
I don't know if I'll be seeing it again, but possibly.
AMC has been bringing in lots of true horror films of late - and, yes, I include the one about the atomic bomb in that category - and little else.
We'll see what my schedule permits.
It's opera season, and I've volunteered to be an usher at several shows!
Woohoo!!!
(smile!)

Monday, July 24, 2023

dinner with train conductors!

I kid you not!
This was my second outing with Coastal Atheists & Secular Humanists, aka CASH.
Like the first, it was in my neck of the woods, so of course I went!
Besides, it's been a while since I was at Kayak Kafe Midtown.
So, why meet there?
It met the three requirements for this meetup.
First, outdoor seating must be available.
I don't know if that one came about because of the pandemic, but it works for me!
Second, vegetarian options must be available.
That's a long-standing rule, but I like that for summer fare, too.
Third, alcoholic beverages must be available.
Again, this is a long-time favorite with them, so why not?
Just, none for me, thanks.
(smile!)

So, who was there this time?
We had eight gathered around together!
I'll start with Barbara, mi amiga, then work counter-clockwise for CASH.
She's beside Celeste, our noble leader (that's an inside joke, y'all!).
The man in the red shirt and the woman in the black one are Tim and Joyce Wheeler.
Rounding the corner that's Jenny Thomas, crouched down and being funny, behind Ben, one of the two train conductors.
Then there's me, leaning back to get into the shot.
And where's the eighth member of our bunch?
Look at the reflection of the photographer, Jason Thomas, between the Wheelers.
Nice, right, that our second train conductor worked himself into the photo?
Just marvelous, I say!
I rather like this group and so does Boo.
Just marvelous!
And did the viewing of the train movie make it into the conversation?
Of course it did!
Plus talk of cats and dogs and religions and God! 
Now, then, maybe I can convince Cedric, or Bonnie and Don, to come next week...
(smile!)

Monday, July 17, 2023

two meetups in one day!

Actually, that's not entirely true, though I did have two outings today.
(smile!)
The first was with my nephew, Noah, with us off to see another Big D summer adventure flick before he has to go back to Missouri.
This time, it was "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning", with me catching up on the few minutes of footage missed for a pee break the first time around.
In fact, I was able to take two pee breaks this time, because I knew when to go.
(smile!)
But you know what the teenager had to say?
"I've seen three movies this summer and every one of them had a cliffhanger at the end.
I don't like this trend at all."
I can't say that I blame him.
Cliffhangers are fine for TV shows, but not for movies, when it may be a year or more before "the rest of the story" comes to light.
For those who remember, I borrowed that phrase from Paul Harvey.
I always liked his radio show.
(smile!)
 
I'm so glad Noah had the chance to hear a real jazz concert while he was in town!
I had passed along the information about Spyro Gyra being at the Lucas Theatre this month.
And here's a photo snapped by his proud mom of her saxophone player getting to meet, and get the autograph of, Jay Beckenstein, who has played sax for the group since he and Jeremy Wall formed the group in 1974.
Pretty cool!!!
I had been introduced to their music back in late 1980 by a guy I was dating, Russ LeBarre.
He's the one I was with in New York City in February of 1981, when we went to the top of the World Trade Towers, watched trading at the New York Stock Exchange, and saw the play "Lunch Hour" on Broadway - what a rush to see Gilda Radner and Sam Waterston up on the stage!!!
After that, we had gone to Gray Rocks Inn, a now-gone ski chalet that was near Montreal, Quebec.
It was the second time I'd ever been skiing and the teacher was so patient with me!
Still, by the end of the few days we were there, I was even getting on the T-bar and riding up to the slope above the kiddie one.
What an adventure that had been!
Last November, I finally used the 41-year-old bar of soap from that trip to Canada.
I'd kept it in the drawer with my panties, to lend its gentle scent to them.
Even so, I've been trying to eliminate things that will hold no meaning to others, so I finally used it.
It lathered up just fine, too!
(smile!)
That movie today with Noah has closed out my A*List for the week as well.
I've already spoken of the one this afternoon, plus the Saturday family fun, both of which I'd gladly recommend.
So that just leaves the one seen Friday.
You'd think with a name like "Joy Ride" that it would be funny, right?
Ah, but you would be so wrong.
It was a movie desperately in search of genre, resulting in it being little more than a series of bad skits linked clumsily together.
Ack.

Let's see, what am I missing... oh, yes, the dinner tonight!
It's my first with Coastal Atheists and Secular Humanists, aka CASH, a group that Cedric and Bonnie Blue once belonged to (and may still).
The Sandfly location of Your Pie had been chosen, mostly because of its outdoor seating area and vegetarian options.
That was all fine with me!
Pizza for dinner? With limoncello sorbet for dessert?
Yes, yes, YES!!!
Celeste, the group leader, was the only one signed up to attend and she turned out to be a little older than I'd expected, but probably only in her mid-40's.
Later, Vicky - an Air Force veteran, now in her 50's and retired - and Esther - a younger woman, perhaps late 20's - both joined us from Effingham County.
What a nice range of ages!
I think I'll invite Sandy to join in the next time I go.
These dinners are weekly, though not on the same week day each time.
Who knows?
Perhaps I may run into Bonnie and Don at one in the future!
(smile!)

Now, I'm going for a fourth Tom Cruise movie, "Mission Impossible" from 1996, this one also courtesy of Comcast and gifted to my growing library with them.
The first had been "Rocketman", about Elton John, with Taron Egerton doing a simply fabulous job in this "jukebox musical" autobiography!
So, this action flick that started the MI movie franchise 27 years ago, is the second movie Reward they've given me this summer.
I'm looking forward to seeing if I remember any of it from way back then.
(smile!)

Last night, I indulged at last with the $1 Weekend Movie.
I chose another "MI" film -"Monsters, Inc."!
Hahahaha!
It's  nice 3-day rental, too, like the Disney/Pixar one last weekend.
I do so love this sweet tale of friendship!
I do so love the story of Sully and Boo!
I do so love the thought of laughter generating more energy than fear does!
And I do so love that I get to enjoy it with my breakfast for the next two days!!!
Plus, here's something it has in common with the "M.I." movie seen with Noah: both have bad guys that can disappear right before your eyes!
Magic!!!
(smile!)

Sunday, July 9, 2023

reclaiming stolen focus

Believe it or not, there's a meetup for that!
I attended its third meeting this afternoon.
It's called Coastal Social Media Detox and we met at... a book store.
Shades of Philo Cafe!
The purpose of the group is to get folks into face-to-face conversations and off things with screens, like cell phones or tablets or other computers.
In particular, the young man in charge of the meetup, Michael L., has read a book, "Stolen Focus", that has sparked this one-man drive to find alternatives to social media outlets - facebook, linkedIn, instagram, et alia.
I took the pre-meeting homework assignment seriously.
He had asked that attendees consider three questions.
 
1. "For what purposes do you currently need social media platforms?"
I wrote: Staying in touch with far-flung friends and family, in particular for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and such; seeing photos of grand-nieces and grand-nephews."

2. "For what reasons do you wish that you would use social media platforms with less frequency?"
I wrote: fb is the only one still used, and that's 1 or 2 times a week, generally.

3. "What are some alternative options?"
I wrote: Old-fashioned cards and letters in the mail! Also calling, texting, meeting in person for lunches or dinners or movies.
 
Today, with my replies in hand, I met with Michael and Andrew at Barnes & Noble at Oglethorpe Mall. 
Michael served as conversation guide, making sure we other two each had a turn.
I was the oldest one and I've had more experience at keeping my focus w=from getting stolen... except, perhaps, from playing mahjong. We all admitted the addictive qualities of such online games, and their solitary nature, enhancing solitude. Even those games played online with faceless others lends a false sense of community.
I do wonder if Michael is gathering data for a special project, such as a master's thesis or some other school effort.
He applauded my idea of "love in the mail", so that made me happy to be there.
Both he and Andrew are young enough that computers and cell phones would have been everywhere by the time they were in elementary school; it's what they've known all their lives, and now they're ready to make a change.
I'll be interested to see what direction the group takes in the future.
I know the leader is trying to spark more attendance and has had flyers made; he liked my idea of posting them at the Little Libraries around this area.
It certainly gave me food for thought, so I call that successful.
(smile!)


Afterward, I'd gone walking around in the coolness there, checking out the stores.
There were a few that I didn't find, but there were plenty of new ones, too.
This one, for example, was near a fountain, and I almost laughed out loud!
If not for the group of folks entering the jewelry store, I would have, but I had been concerned that they might misunderstand my glee.
Perhaps the reason the store's name tickled my funny bone was this:
the two men at the meeting and myself had used that very phrase when parting!
Okay, here's what to do: sound out the name, speaking it aloud.
I'll wait...
*
*
*
isn't it a hoot?!!!
When I shared it with Josie, she got a chuckle out of it.
She told me that when she was in Ghana, quite a few of the stores there would have humorous names like that!
How about that?!!
(smile!)

It really livened me up, so I decided to look for new shoes.
Shopping is not something I like to do, and shopping for shoes is especially loathsome.
I looked in several windows but didn't like the prices, so I moved onward, heading back to the exit that would lead to my car.
Right there was Shoe Show, with a big sale going on... so I looked.
I spotted this pair on a table up front, but those were the only shoes of that style.
I must have spent thirty minutes looking around, trying shoes on, putting them back.
Then I returned to the pair of Skechers that had first caught my eye.
Were they my size?
Wonder of wonders, they were.
But were they on sale?
Surprisingly, they were!
They'd been marked down from $48 to $25, most likely because they were the last of that style in inventory.
And were they comfortable?
Incredibly, they didn't adversely impinge on my toes or heels...
hooray!
Right place, right time!
(smile!)