Trudy's Surprise (Slot Machine)! [Split 4 ever]

[Blue]

Day 12, 2 matches, 19k

I know the feeling, P. I seem to be getting my tallies wrong more often than I'd like to admit... My 12 days off has turned into two so far. The first day, I went into job #1 (good thing I did, too), and am working both weekend days on job #2, filling in for a sick co-worker. Thankfully, it isn't covid, but it is not a fun illness, either. Thankfully, it is not long term devastating. Maybe I'll rest tomorrow....? I had planned on liesurly yard work yesterday, but that didn't happen. Now the upcoming week is compressed if I really want to do everything originally planned. Ah well. At least yesterday was more lucrative than expected.

[Siniri]

18.5k

You can't be off if you don't do the math.

I know the feeling, Blue. December was crazy, and I'm working more hours this week than I usually do! I'm pet-sitting for three different families between yesterday and the fifth. I'm pet-sitting for 2 of them six of those days, and all 3 for two days! Last night I was asked to take a client to the ER and wait in my car, so that was from 10:15pm-5:45am. Plus 34 hours scheduled of "regular" work in the next 4 days, plus lots of volunteering for the election next Tuesday. (I have to finish making 300 PPE kits for the food bank by tomorrow, and I've only made 60 so far... Plus I'm currently in a textbanking...)

I need to learn to say no, but when it's an ER visit or getting to play with fluffy animals (and getting paid for it), how can you?

Edit: See important Neopets security warning here.

[Blue]

Day 13, 2 matches, 19k

Good point on the math, Siniri. But, I feel a little guilty (i.e. like a slacker) when I do not do the tally.

This week's plans continue to derail. The yardwork that I put off this weekend to work at job #2 (yesterday was definitely not lucrative) will not be done today. Torrential rain, high winds, lightning and thunder last night. Completely unsettled the dog. After a short lull this morning, the rain is again pounding down outside. Not likely to be doing anything outside today, and work in the garage is unlikely, too. It will be (California) cold and also damp out there. Today shall be a "putter about" day.

[Pickles]

Day 20: match 2, 19k

0: 13 (192,875)
2: 6 (68,000)
3: 1 (19,500)
4: 0
Gift boxes: 1
BLB: Day 9
Total: 280,375

High on record: 463,750
Low on record: 451,375

Finally got to the computer today. We had drywall guys here today, after getting quotes and talking to 4 different companies.

They arrived during the time frame they told us they would, worked consistently UNTIL THE JOB WAS DONE (everything that they told us they would do today), then cleaned up and headed home. This turned out to be at about 6:15pm (they got here around 9am). They are leaps and bounds above the insulation guys in terms of work ethic. They didn't have people standing around not working (if a certain team wasn't needed for sanding or texturing, they were not here just hanging around doing nothing). My middle child even commented (where they could hear) that "I like these guys better than the last ones." She was not wrong. They are much better workers. I guess it's a good lesson for our kids to have learned - not everyone has good work ethics. At any rate, tomorrow, the walls that were repaired will be painted (by the same people), and then the final phase will happen once the special order supplies get in. This will mean, however, that the majority of our house will be able to go back to normal after the paint dries, and I am super excited about that.

[Siniri]

Matched 3, 19.5k

I feel like I've gotten more match-3's this round than I have in probably the previous 5 rounds combined.

Glad you're getting the house back together finally, Pickles! And forced days off for puttering are good, Blue - it's sometimes the only way to force yourself to take a break!

My room rearrangement is slowly making progress. I snagged a large bathroom mirror for my gym/library. Now I just have to figure out how/where to mount it (on something I can move, preferably - but I also have to be able to move the piece out of the room in the end, which is tricky because of the angle of the doorway to the hallway. It's 40" by 66". My engineer-dad is on the case. The easiest solution is to mount it on the back of some kind of cabinet/bookshelf (maybe also mounted on wheels), which would also give me some storage on the back. I need storage for my weight plates, too, so ideally it could do double duty. (And maybe mask storage on the top, for my reusable non-washable ones, though that's easy enough - just a few hooks or clips.)

[Blue]

Finally Catching up...
Day 1 - No Matches - 1.5k
Day 2 - 2 Matches - 3k
Day 3 - No Matches - 4.5k and a Jetsam Mini Fan
Day 4 – No Matches - 5.5k
Day 5 - 2 Matches - 7k
Day 6 - No Matches - 9k
Day 7 - No Matches - 10.5k
Day 8 - No Matches... BLB 21,250 and a Gift Box
Day 9 - No Matches - 16k
Day 10 - 2 Matches - 19k and a Maraquan Frisbee
Day 11 - No Matches - 18.5k and a Gift Box.
Day 12 - 2 Matches - 19k
Day 13 - 2 Matches - 19k
Day 14 - 2 Matches - 19k

Matched 0: 8 (77,750)
Matched 2: 6 (86,000)
Matched 3: 0 (0)
Matched 4: 0 (0)

Total: 163,750

Low on record: 451,375
High on record: 464,750

Pickles, Very glad to hear that you found some quality contractors who are doing what they said they would, and are actually cleaning up after themselves! Nothing worse than a bad contractor. Not much better than an an amazing contractor. Funny how that works. I keep thinking I should call the guy that replaced my balcony a few years back to do the water damaged siding on the house. Might even be cheap enough to replace that small wood section with Stucco to match the majority of the house.

Nice snag on the mirror, Siniri. Without seeing it, mounting it to the back of a bookshelf on wheels sounds perfect to me. Beautifully mobile and easy to get out. Be mindful of the weight of the glass added to the back of the case, though. A solid counterbalance on the bottom shelf might be needed to keep it from tipping backwards. I am sure your Engineering staff will make sure all is safe and secure, though

Today is another "putter about" day. It rained heavy all day yesterday and late into the night. Then more lighter rain overnight and into the morning. The ground is super soggy, so no plans to work outside. Still too damp and chilly* for garage work. Seems like a good time to drink too much coffee and do "little" stuff inside. Maybe read a book or something


*Chilly = California "cold" of 40°F this morning. Currently a "chilly" 53°F

[Siniri]

19k today.

Blue, those aren't CA definitions; those are normal definitions! We've been having lows around 30 and highs in the mid- to high- 50's. I went on a nice hike around the lake today (and got paid for it). I know you guys need the rain, or I'd wish for you to have sunny weather soon. Maybe a brief respite would be okay?

[Pickles]

Day 21: match 3, 19.5k

0: 13 (192,875)
2: 6 (68,000)
3: 1 (39,000)
4: 0
Gift boxes: 1
BLB: Day 9
Total: 299,875

High on record: 463,750
Low on record: 451,375

I'm exhausted.

They did indeed finish today, and cleaned up. While they did a good job cleaning up after themselves, we had some things we had to get done after they left before things can get started moving back to their correct locations (eg, carpet cleaning to make sure anything residual from either job is up before we move furniture back against the walls). At least the kids' rooms and the computer room have been done, so tomorrow, we can get those back in order (and then eventually carpet clean the middles where everything is currently sitting, because we're due for it anyway). This will probably be a multi-day process, but when we're done, our house will be clean and back in order (until phase 3), and I know it'll make everyone feel better.

We've been having normal weather here. We were actually quite pleased that today and yesterday topped out at 71, as the windows/doors have been open all day long while work is being done for fresh air flow (and thus the paint fumes were essentially non-existent at the end). After getting down to the low 30's the other day, it's kinda weird, but...that's FL for you.

The mirror sounds intriguing, as well as the mounting project. It'll be fun to figure out!

Blue, I would SO give for a "putter about" day right now. I'm still kinda in shock that they got done in time, and now I feel overwhelmed with the amount of cleaning and work there is to put the house back together!

[Blue]

Day 15 - 2 Matches - 19k

Matched 0: 8 (77,750)
Matched 2: 7 (105,000)
Matched 3: 0 (0)
Matched 4: 0 (0)

Total: 182,750

Low on record: 451,375
High on record: 464,750

Glad to hear the contractors are done, and they cleaned up after themselves! Hooray for being "done"... at least with the major stuff. Then again, carpet cleaning is a bit of a chore. I have the Hoover carpet cleaner. Inexpensive and works great. A bit time consuming, though. Also need to make sure to get out as much cleaning solution as possible.

Normal definitions? I grew up in Colorado and went to school in Indiana. 40F is not cold. I used to scoff at friends in California when they said it was so very cold (when it was 40F) because it was below 32F where I was, and had been for at least a month. Cold is below zero. It got up to a balmy 60F or something here yesterday. Today will be warmer - up to 66F. I was wearing shorts when I had to go out to Costco yesterday to pick up some needed items. I did also have on a thin fleece pullover, though I will admit that the rain was much needed, and the lightning and thunder was fun for me... the dog would very much disagree.

[Pickles]

Day 22: match 2, 19k

0: 13 (192,875)
2: 7 (87,000)
3: 1 (39,000)
4: 0
Gift boxes: 1
BLB: Day 9
Total: 318,875

High on record: 463,750
Low on record: 451,375

Carpet cleaning is crazy. We do a slow pass with the cleaning solution, then a shorter pass with a vinegar/water solution to pull out the cleaner. Still, takes forever to dry. A friend came over this afternoon and helped me move furniture back in the four rooms that were cleaned last night...so now we can clean the middles, where all the furniture was. We got one more room cleaned today, so it'll be ready to move back to normal tomorrow. Hopefully, tomorrow, we'll be able to get the other rooms done, so we can put THEM back to normal on Friday. We'll see how it goes. I had a lot of stuff to get done otherwise today, so that made things a bit crazier.

[Siniri]

Blue, just because you lived in a place with extreme weather does not mean that your definition = normal. The majority of earth's population lives in a climate in which 40 degrees F is objectively cold. And without adequate shelter, human bodies struggle to survive at that temperature. So double

I'm glad I have no carpets in my house! Though I'm sure they'd keep the floor warmer.

18.5k. Day 23... Guess I should do that math soon, eh?

(It'll probably never happen...)

[Pickles]

Day 23: match 2, 19k + gift box + Seaside Sundress

0: 13 (192,875)
2: 8 (106,000)
3: 2 (39,000)
4: 0
Gift boxes: 1
BLB: Day 9
Total: 337,875

High on record: 463,750
Low on record: 451,375

Carpet cleaning of the other rooms is mostly done. May tackle cleaning the sections that were covered before moving furniture back to where it goes this afternoon. We'll see. Would be nice to have most of the house carpet cleaned, since it hasn't happened since the beginning of Mr. P's furlough, which is well more than 6 months ago now. Curtains are getting washed/hang-dried, and ironed for the first time since we moved in, too. (Well, most of them. The ones for the rooms that will have work done in them in a few weeks again are not being cleaned at this point.) It's like spring cleaning...except in December. :p

...it's currently 81 here. Our "mini winters" are over for now.

[Blue]

Day 16 - 0 Matches - 18.5k

Matched 0: 8 (96,250)
Matched 2: 7 (105,000)
Matched 3: 0 (0)
Matched 4: 0 (0)

Total: 201,250

Low on record: 451,375
High on record: 464,750

[Siniri]

18.5k

I should do the math now.

I won't.

Pickles, there are a number of countries that have cleaning before the new year's as a tradition. It makes more sense to me than the wild, crazy parties Americans allegedly have (I don't really know anyone who goes to things like that, so maybe it's just a movie thing?

I didn't have a notification today, but I was able to type in the search bar and find Trudy's page. That's going to make it even harder to remember to spin every day. I guess the 100k NP will finally be truly earned?

[Blue]

Day 17 - 2 Matches - 19k and a Jetsam Mini Fan

Matched 0: 9 (96,250)
Matched 2: 8 (124,000)
Matched 3: 0 (0)
Matched 4: 0 (0)

Total: 220,250

Low on record: 451,375
High on record: 464,750

ETA: I cannot get today's Trudy notification to go away. It is on all of the non-beta pages, and I have already spun for the day.

ETA2: Correction. I got it to go away only by "X-ing" out the alert on the beta page (bell dropdown info, clicking on "Alerts")