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RTDNTOTO 🐻 Random Thoughts Deserving No Thread Of Their Own 21 (2026)

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I took last Friday off and visited Congaree National Park with my youngest daughter. Some say it is one of the worst national park in the country. I enjoyed it. We did a 7 mile hike and saw an abundance of birds and other wildlife. I'd visit it again. Here is some pictures....


Lots of swampy areas.
sc swamp.jpg




Some deer.
sc deer.jpg



a Pileated woodpecker.

woodpecker.jpg



And an American river otter for Dandy.

otter.jpg


We also meandered down to Sullivan's Island through the northern portion of the low country. We opted not to partake in the Great American Coonhunt in Orangeburg.
 
Big Owl said:
I took last Friday off and visited Congaree National Park with my youngest daughter. Some say it is one of the worst national park in the country. I enjoyed it. We did a 7 mile hike and saw an abundance of birds and other wildlife. I'd visit it again. Here is some pictures....


Lots of swampy areas.
View attachment 66017



Some deer.
View attachment 66018


a Pileated woodpecker.

View attachment 66019


And an American river otter for Dandy.

View attachment 66020

We also meandered down to Sullivan's Island through the northern portion of the low country. We opted not to partake in the Great American Coonhunt in Orangeburg.
Click to expand...
I like Congaree as well. It has the biggest stand of old growth forest in the country. One of these years I'm going to get lucky in the lottery and win tickets to see the synchronous fireflies that are there. I REALLY want to see that.
 
I worked from home on the 24th and was off the 25th through the 1st, worked from home on the 2nd this is my first day back in office in two weeks. My favorite security guard told me this morning that he was starting to think that I forgot that I work here :cool:

My day started much earlier than I wanted it to when my daughter called me at 5:15am to let me know she was headed to the emergency vet with her cat Houdini as she'd taken a turn overnight. She had already made the decision to send Houdini across the rainbow bridge later this week after dealing with kidney disease for the past year. She stopped eating last week and has gotten so thin and generally not doing well. I went up to Newark with my youngest yesterday to say our goodbyes, you could tell she wasn't feeling good so I set her up with a heating pad to lay on and gave her some good skritches and took a few photos. The girls are heartbroken to say the very least.

Houdini came to us in 2018 via the Cat Distribution System. She was outside when I took the trash out one night and when I opened the door to go back inside she ran in the house, decided it was a fine place to stay, and the rest was history. She was a street cat and while not a lovey dovey cat she was always full of personality, always up to some mischief, and took her neighborhood watch job from her perch seriously.
 
Well turns out 2026 is very similar to 2025... who could have guessed!
 
SlaveToTheGrind said:
Sitting in my car eating lunch and the Bud van pulls in a few stalls away. Guy gets out, puts on a weight vest and does 30 or so pushups. Takes off vest and then goes into the grocery store. Bizarre.

View attachment 66009
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I love it! I bet he does a set at each stop he makes!

Years ago I worked a swing shift in a military command center so I basically just sat there from 4:00 pm to midnight or midnight to 8:00 am monitoring message traffic waiting for "something to happen" and watching a lot of TV. I would do a set of 10 or 20 or whatever push-ups during each commercial break during my shift. It adds up and it gets the blood moving and it forced me to get up out of my chair and move around.
 
michaelskis said:
January at the gym was in full swing this morning. I got there before the big rush, but at one point it was a little ridiculous with the number of people thinking they will keep their New Years Resolution of New Year, New You. It wasn't just the number but the total lack of gym etiquette and understanding on how to do particular things. One guy was on a bench press station and would do a set of 15, stop, and start reading a book. His rest periods were 10 minutes while people were lined up waiting to get on that bench.
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We don't really get an influx of new members at my club each January so our busiest time of the year is always from early December through the first week of January... basically when college kids are home or young adults are back visiting their parents and they're all using their family memberships. The last two weeks of December are particularly busy since all the local schools are out and the club has "Winter Camps" and parents who might normally drop their kids off at the camp and then go to work, like they do for the summer camps, stick around and work out since they are likely off of work as well.

I went to the club to lift and take a spin class this morning. Generally, a maximum of 25 people can sign up for spin and I waited until the last minute to sign up today and thought to myself, "Oh, it's the first Monday of January. I probably waited too long and it's going to be full." but there ended up only being 12 people on the list before me and I think the class ended up with about 16 total, but no new faces (though, Monday's class is an hour and the rest of the late morning classes are only 30 minutes so maybe they'll get some more butts in saddles those days). I think I only noticed one or two unfamiliar faces on the gym floor as well this morning... the pre-10:00 am crowd is definitely always a lot of regulars. I do imagine the late afternoon/early evening are a lot busier in January than the rest of the year but I'm rarely ever there that time of day to find out.
 
Super-Random Alert: Also, more info than you want, but for whatever reason, it's in my head today....

When I was 13 my grandfather died at the beginning of June. My father (who was a teacher) worked at a nearby building as a maintenance guy in the summers. So every morning for the first part of the summer I'd go with my dad to my Grandpa's house on Layton Ave in SLC - my parents didn't want it to look empty, and I took care of dragging the sprinkler hose around and mowing and such.

A few things stand out from that summer:

First, I started reading Sherlock Holmes there. He had a copy of the complete works. To this day, I can see the rainy, cramped living room in shadow around me in the afternoon while I read The Hound of the Baskervilles. I was hooked.

Second, I was bored and I drew a naked lady. I'm a fair artist. I remember drawing the picture, and being mortified! Also, totally worried that somebody would find it and know that I was a PERVERT and destined for HELL! So I did what any panicked 13 year old boy would do: I went to the back fence his property shared with the railroad tracks and a field with an old, old house, lit the paper on fire, and shoved it through the fence. Naturally, the cheat-grass caught on fire immediately. Luckily for me, I was a master with that sprinkler hose, and I doused the flames. Probably burned a good 10-foot square patch though. I had to pile lie upon lie to explain the fire. In retrospect, I should have just told him I drew a dirty picture. He probably guessed it anyway.

End of confessions of 13 year-old ursus. Carry on.
 
ursus said:
Super-Random Alert: Also, more info than you want, but for whatever reason, it's in my head today....

When I was 13 my grandfather died at the beginning of June. My father (who was a teacher) worked at a nearby building as a maintenance guy in the summers. So every morning for the first part of the summer I'd go with my dad to my Grandpa's house on Layton Ave in SLC - my parents didn't want it to look empty, and I took care of dragging the sprinkler hose around and mowing and such.

A few things stand out from that summer:

First, I started reading Sherlock Holmes there. He had a copy of the complete works. To this day, I can see the rainy, cramped living room in shadow around me in the afternoon while I read The Hound of the Baskervilles. I was hooked.

Second, I was bored and I drew a naked lady. I'm a fair artist. I remember drawing the picture, and being mortified! Also, totally worried that somebody would find it and know that I was a PERVERT and destined for HELL! So I did what any panicked 13 year old boy would do: I went to the back fence his property shared with the railroad tracks and a field with an old, old house, lit the paper on fire, and shoved it through the fence. Naturally, the cheat-grass caught on fire immediately. Luckily for me, I was a master with that sprinkler hose, and I doused the flames. Probably burned a good 10-foot square patch though. I had to pile lie upon lie to explain the fire. In retrospect, I should have just told him I drew a dirty picture. He probably guessed it anyway.

End of confessions of 13 year-old ursus. Carry on.
Click to expand...
Forgive Tv Land GIF by #Impastor
 
If you don't have any Christmas decorations/ornaments, there is nothing to put out or away.
 
JNA said:
If you don't have any Christmas decorations/ornaments, there is nothing to put out or away.
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We always decorate on December 9th (my daughter's birthday, so it's a tradition) and we take that shit DOWN on the 26th. No exceptions! :)
 
I got up early with my oldest son, my youngest woke up too. I actually sat at the table, had a proper breakfast and coffee, and tried to plan out my work day. I am using a weekly planner I got uscked into buy 6 years ago, but never took.

I have been straight busy all morning at work, with little done on my list from this morning.

Still, I plod on.

Also, not feeling the new year energy I usually get. Had some anxiety over the weekend on the pending divorce... some loneliness, and general mental malaise... but getting back into the work week routine is key.
 
Does anyone remember when you could take a point 360 picture on Google Street View with your phone and it would upload to google street view as a blue dot. They stopped doing that in 2023.

Does anyone know a workaround that allows me to just use my phone?
 
JNA said:
If you don't have any Christmas decorations/ornaments, there is nothing to put out or away.
Click to expand...
We had to get a storge unit to put all of the Christmas decorations away. We have since brought addition items to the unit so all is not lost but most is Christmas decorations. Being in a home with cold storage under the porch and only remaining square footage for one bedroom and open storage in an area the size of a bedroom in the basement, we do not have much space for all the totes. Our tote count went up by 6(?) this year. My wife is on a Shiny-BriteTM ornament crusade. I have aided and abetted her in that endeavor. Next on the list is tracking down the "Glo in the Dark" ornaments.
 
michaelskis said:
Does anyone remember when you could take a point 360 picture on Google Street View with your phone and it would upload to google street view as a blue dot. They stopped doing that in 2023.

Does anyone know a workaround that allows me to just use my phone?
Click to expand...
click on an address - in the description box (left hand side) scroll to suggesst an edit, click on on the arrow on the first line,
Add helpful photos like storefronts, notices, or signs
Posting publicly across Google
then click on add photos
 
JNA said:
click on an address - in the description box (left hand side) scroll to suggesst an edit, click on on the arrow on the first line,
Add helpful photos like storefronts, notices, or signs
Posting publicly across Google
then click on add photos
Click to expand...

I was thinking more of the 360 photos.. for example something like this:
www.google.com

Google Maps

Explore a place through a 360° photo.
www.google.com www.google.com

It is a full sphere photo of a point that is accessible using google street view. I checked with google and they want me to buy a camera that records video with a GPS tracker and all that stuff...
 
SlaveToTheGrind said:
Picked up a new apple variety in the store a few days ago. Opal is a variety I never heard of before but very good. I was always a Red Delicious eater but I think Opal has supplanted the RD.
applerankings.com

Opal Apple Review - Apple Rankings by The Appleist Brian Frange

Review of the hideous-loooking, yet deliciously juicy Opal Apple, a barometer for shallowness from the Czech Republic.
applerankings.com applerankings.com
Click to expand...
The Opal apple looks like a jaundiced, freckled, unwiped anus. In fact, this may be the ugliest apple of the modern era. That being said, if you’re going to be an ass, you might as well be a good ass. And like a good ass, the Opal apple is exceptionally sweet and juicy.
Click to expand...
If that review doesn't make you want to run out and try one, I don't know what will.
 
SlaveToTheGrind said:
Not one, but two trampolines. Also, cables going back to the outbuilding? Why?
View attachment 66035
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It also appears that they have two separate play structures with slides on each. It's not a backyard but as much as it's a strategic reserve of recreational redundancies. When these kids enter the workforce they won’t argue with coworkers over shared office resources; they’ll just ask their parents to buy them their own copier, coffee maker, and conference room.
 
I have an old friend in Montreal (not a planner) who has been punk since 1977, and is going to be 65 this summer and eligible for the Canada Pension Plan (their version of social security). I am trying to convince him to have a big intergenerational DIY music show bash to mark the occasion.
 
ursus said:
Super-Random Alert: Also, more info than you want, but for whatever reason, it's in my head today....

When I was 13 my grandfather died at the beginning of June. My father (who was a teacher) worked at a nearby building as a maintenance guy in the summers. So every morning for the first part of the summer I'd go with my dad to my Grandpa's house on Layton Ave in SLC - my parents didn't want it to look empty, and I took care of dragging the sprinkler hose around and mowing and such.

A few things stand out from that summer:

First, I started reading Sherlock Holmes there. He had a copy of the complete works. To this day, I can see the rainy, cramped living room in shadow around me in the afternoon while I read The Hound of the Baskervilles. I was hooked.

Second, I was bored and I drew a naked lady. I'm a fair artist. I remember drawing the picture, and being mortified! Also, totally worried that somebody would find it and know that I was a PERVERT and destined for HELL! So I did what any panicked 13 year old boy would do: I went to the back fence his property shared with the railroad tracks and a field with an old, old house, lit the paper on fire, and shoved it through the fence. Naturally, the cheat-grass caught on fire immediately. Luckily for me, I was a master with that sprinkler hose, and I doused the flames. Probably burned a good 10-foot square patch though. I had to pile lie upon lie to explain the fire. In retrospect, I should have just told him I drew a dirty picture. He probably guessed it anyway.

End of confessions of 13 year-old ursus. Carry on.
Click to expand...

I have such a great image in my head from this post - a charmed summer
 
SlaveToTheGrind said:
Picked up a new apple variety in the store a few days ago. Opal is a variety I never heard of before but very good. I was always a Red Delicious eater but I think Opal has supplanted the RD.
applerankings.com

Opal Apple Review - Apple Rankings by The Appleist Brian Frange

Review of the hideous-loooking, yet deliciously juicy Opal Apple, a barometer for shallowness from the Czech Republic.
applerankings.com applerankings.com
Click to expand...

Red Delicious apples have never been that delicious to me, despite their name. Opal apples are very good, but have limited availability during the year. Honeycrisp and Fuji are my go-to apples.

SlaveToTheGrind said:
Not one, but two trampolines. Also, cables going back to the outbuilding? Why?
View attachment 66035
Click to expand...

I would bet the lines are string lights. This seems like a house that would have them.
 
The Terminator said:
I have an old friend in Montreal (not a planner) who has been punk since 1977, and is going to be 65 this summer and eligible for the Canada Pension Plan (their version of social security). I am trying to convince him to have a big intergenerational DIY music show bash to mark the occasion.
Click to expand...
He will need more than 2 trampolines!
 
I learned over the weekend you can order DoorDash from Dave and Buster's. That seems to me to be missing the point. (That place is more about experience, not the "meh" food.)
 
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