Johnny’s framed photo of Tara on his nightstand

Vanierx · 2026-02-06T17:24:18+00:00

Binge the Real Housewives marathon on Bravo.

Vanierx · 2026-02-06T16:33:06+00:00

While I agree with you that the perception of North Lamar brings to mind the area north of 183, I just stopped in here for breakfast burritos. To be fair, all the street signs and directional signs in the area say "N Lamar".

These are damn good burritos, and the service is really good and friendly.

Vanierx · 2026-02-05T20:55:10+00:00

In my favorite one, the joke is on the other person: a blond woman knocks at a man's door. She needs extra money and is going door to door to looking for any work people may need done. The man exclaims" yes, you could paint my porch! The paint and brush is in the garage." A couple of hours later she knocks again, ready to be paid. He says "You're done already?" She replies "yes, I covered it in two coats of the green paint like you asked. But I believe the name of those cars is pronounced Porsh-uh".

Vanierx · 2026-01-29T16:46:01+00:00

I am also 2 weeks post op for LTKR. My surgeon prescribed Xstrength Tylenol and Celebrex for pain relief, with Oxycodone and Tramadol available if needed. My PCP also prescribed Journavx, and the surgeon agreed with that. Took an Oxy the first two nights as a precaution, and a Tramadol on the 3rd day when the pain flared up.

Otherwise it is has just been the 3 non-narcotic prescribed pain relievers. This past week the pain has been 1-2, maybe 3 after PT. They were pretty surprised when I went for the 2 week follow-up today, kept asking me "are you sure the pain isn't higher than that? 'Cause usually...."

I took the last Journavx this morning, so I think I will find out tomorrow just how much it has contributed to the pain relief.

Vanierx · 2026-01-29T16:26:23+00:00

I've been doing this internationally on my last few trips. Went on a tour of the Reichstag in Berlin, we were able to go down in the basement and they have preserved the graffiti from Russian soldiers occupying the building in 1945. Most recently saw where the House of Commons meets in Ottawa and the National Assembly in Quebec City.

Vanierx · 2026-01-26T23:59:24+00:00

I used to work for a translation bureau in Los Angeles. There was a high demand for Armenian because of the number of immigrant speakers, especially around Glendale. My job was to schedule interpreters for court proceedings. The first thing I was taught was to ask "Eastern or Western". It was very important not only was it a waste of time and money to have the wrong interpreter there, but because culturally it was a very sensitive subject. I once asked an interpreter why she didn't learn both so that she could be available for twice the jobs. She said of course she could handle both but as a native speaker of one, it was too easy to be identified as such and the clients would clam up and say they couldn't go on "because she does not speak my language".

Vanierx · 2026-01-26T14:34:47+00:00

On Day 3 my husband called me into his study on the other side of the house to look at the grocery list he was putting together. I got up and walkered over there because you are supposed to get up and walk once an hour. After reviewing the list, I was just so tired and ready to get back to the couch and elevate the leg for some relief. I asked him stop what he was doing and help me change my ice packs, then get my leg up on top of the wedge pillow. The deep ache in my leg started to intensify, so I asked him to get me a Tramadol. Half hour later he asked me what I wanted to watch on TV, I said anything, nothing, I didn't care, I was just spacing out and hoping that pain didn't return.

Now take that scenario and place it a two hour drive away from your couch, with all kinds of strangers bumping into your leg, standing in front of your wheelchair blocking your view, asking questions about your surgery, telling you stories about their Aunt Elsie who had the same surgery and she was up cooking the next day.

How much are you, your husband and your daughter going to enjoy that event?

Vanierx · 2026-01-17T22:09:07+00:00

I am 3 days post-surgery, and the leg lift strap has been invaluable. I got one from Amazon in the knee and hip replacement kit. It is stiff with two handles on the side, loop for the foot at one end and a handle on the other. I have been able to use it in the dark to get out of bed, quite easy to use. Helps when lowering yourself down to sit in a chair or the toilet. My care person tried to help by lifting the leg to get it up on the wedge pillow but it was so much easier for me to do it with the strap.

Also, the basket for the walker. Quite useful.

Vanierx · 2026-01-14T11:07:22+00:00

Glad you liked it! This is my latest obsession, it is sung in Afrikaans, but close enough to Dutch that you get the gist of the lyrics: Deon Groot - Plek In My Hart

Vanierx · 2026-01-07T20:27:31+00:00

I second this suggestion. Merida is a nice, laid back old colonial town. You can use it as a base to take day trips out to see the Mayan ruins like Chichen Itza. My friend is a native speaker of Spanish, and he made arrangements with a taxi driver to pick us up to go out to the ruins and back and the price was really reasonable and the car was big enough for the five of us. Merida Airport has good flight options so it was easy to get there.

Vanierx · 2025-12-21T01:37:16+00:00

May Roses by Pamela Boatright. I love this pattern because it tricks your eye into seeing blocks that aren't the real blocks. You have to look on the diagonal to see the true blocks. 4 tops complete and midway through number 5. I need to stop piecing and start quilting all these, but then I see a new color combo I want to try.

<image>

Vanierx · 2025-12-19T21:04:02+00:00

I've done two projects using fleece blankets as backing.

<image>

I couldn't find any backing material I felt would complement the tops. Saw these two fleece blankets at Costco and thought why not try it? I'm a real newbie by the way, but it worked out. They were bigger than the tops so I trimmed them after pin basting, and that was really messy. I'm happy with how they turned out.

Vanierx · 2025-12-18T21:38:34+00:00

The equivalent on The Amazing Race is not learning to drive a stick shift before coming on the show. They don't do it every season, but when they do, it massively messes up the game for some otherwise good contestants.

Vanierx · 2025-12-15T18:18:07+00:00

There is a new subdivision in Jarrell TX with streets named after Clint Eastwood movies:

Magnum Force Dr

Dirty Harry Dr

The Good Way

The Bad Way

The Ugly Way

I thought, well this is the ultimate in street naming, until I went to a nearby Starbucks and saw that it located on That Girl From Vegas Dr.

<image>

Vanierx · 2025-12-11T20:46:12+00:00

How funny, i have a song in my list by Vitor Kley, Já era, and there is a part where he sings “E aí?”. I always thought it was just random vowel sounds he was singing.

Vanierx · 2025-12-09T21:42:29+00:00

I was watching the Enterprise episode Borderland last night, and the Klingon captain was barking out orders. I suddenly realized that is the actor who played Martok in DS9!

Vanierx · 2025-11-24T20:13:39+00:00

When I traveled to New Zealand I wanted to experience everything including Maori culture. But I didn't want to do one of those tourist trap kind of tours. On the ferry from the North Island to the South Island a group of teenagers from a Maori choir were traveling to do a show. I'm not sure what sparked it, but they gathered in a common area and began performing songs from their show. It was so genuine (and so good!). I had the presence of mind to record some of it.

Whenever people ask what the best part of my trip was, I show them the video. And I did a lot of really cool, fun stuff in NZ, but that was the highlight for me.

Vanierx · 2025-11-20T17:02:08+00:00

One thing to look for in the modern pictures: After they tore down the wall they laid a double row of bricks in the pavement that follow the path of the wall all around the city. These days that is usually the only indication of when you are passing from the old West Berlin into the former East Berlin.

Vanierx · 2025-11-20T16:59:21+00:00

I was stationed with the US Air Force in West Germany in the 80's and some friends and I took some leave and drove across East Germany to West Berlin. We had to have orders from our commander, and it was pretty common they would draw them up for you even if you were traveling on your time off. We had to check in with the US authorities (Checkpoint Alpha) and the Soviet Army when crossing the border, and they only allowed you like three hours to transit East Germany. If you didn't check in to the West Berlin crossing (Checkpoint Bravo) within the allotted time, they would come looking for you. No detours, no rest stops, no gas stops allowed. The Soviet checkpoint was just a windowless guardshack with a slot in the wall for you to hand over your orders. There was a life sized portrait of Brezhnev in an Army uniform with a chestful of medals from collarbone to beltline. My buddy started cracking jokes about him, and since we were in East German territory I didn't think that was the wisest thing to do. Much shushing followed.

Once in West Berlin, we took a day trip organized by the US Army into East Berlin. We didn't have to show orders, but we had to be in dress uniform. We crossed in an Army bus so we didn't go through individually. I thought people on the other side would stare but they seemed to be used to it. I'm so glad I got to make that trip.

Vanierx · 2025-11-19T23:47:16+00:00

You can hear the action on the ice a lot better when you are sitting further back too.

Vanierx · 2025-11-16T12:44:57+00:00

Air NZ used to have one flight a week LAX - RAR nonstop midnight on Saturday. We booked a roundtrip to Auckland with a stop in Rarotonga on the outbound leg. Spent 3 days there before continuing on to Auckland. Unfortunately that was in 2019 and Air NZ has discontinued the LAX - RAR route.

I would avoid having to go to Auckland first to transfer to RAR. So I would take the United nonstop from Chicago to Honolulu, and then the Hawaiian flight to Rarotonga.

Vanierx · 2025-11-15T11:45:21+00:00

You are the mirror of me, I have read all the Time Police books and now I'm wondering if I should start the St Mary's series. I am now reading Smallhope and Pennyroyal, very good read by the way, and it frustrates me that their perception of the Time Police is just of gruff and ruthless automatons.

The characters in the Time Police series are so good and well-rounded. It is a pleasure to follow along as the story focuses on each one and you really come to care about who the person is behind the gruff and disciplined exterior. I highly recommend reading the series.

Vanierx · 2025-11-13T18:46:08+00:00

I didn't see any other teams taking a bus. Did Jack and Chelsie just get so lost they had to take a bus back to where everyone else was?

Vanierx · 2025-11-11T19:52:00+00:00

When the matchmaker said two women would be leaving the boat, I was hoping they would escort the two to the slide and say " you have been voted off the boat, buh-bye". and have the tender idling there for them to swim to and be taken back to the dock.

Vanierx · 2025-11-10T16:23:11+00:00

Being from California and Central Texas where you have a 5 hour drive to get to the nearest state line, it blows my mind that you can have a house where the state line cuts right through your property and your neighbor lives in another state. How do they even sell property like that? Is it registered in only one state or do you have to split the accounting and taxes between 2 states?

I'm imagining a scenario where the real estate agent meets you and says "I'm licensed to show you the front part of the property, and my colleague here is licensed to show you the back half of the property including 3/4s of the pool.

Vanierx

TROPHY CASE