When I lived in Milford Massachusetts, I paid a rental agency to find me an apartment that would allow cats. I had three cats, and I was only going to rent a place that would allow me to have them.
Well, sure as shit, I found a place, and moved in.
It was really nice. A three story triplex right off of the main road in downtown. It was walking distance from Ted’s Diner.
Here’s another view.
It’s a fine place for a cup of coffee in a fine REAL coffee cup.
About one month later, the landlord told me that I had to get rid of the cats.
He told me that he had lied, but the apartment was so nice, and the rent was so reasonable that the two other tenants had gladly given away their cats, and he expected me to do so as well.
He gave me one month.
Find a home for the cats, or drop them off at a shelter.
Do you all know what I did?
Guess.
I said “no thanks” and moved out as soon as I found another apartment.
It was in another town though, and I had to root up and leave, but there was no way that I was going to discard my beloved kitties over a place.
The nerve of that guy!
He lied because…
…he thought that I would give away my cats for a place to live.
Sheech! What would youse guys do?
Today…
He lost his job over this
Has anyone walked into a bar and then found it was filled with a biker gang? What happened?
Yeah.
So, this went down during a road trip across the USA a few years back. My buddy and I had rented a Ford Mustang, and we had driven a lot of miles by that point. We where somewhere in Texas – though don’t ask me to pinpoint the exact spot.
Anyway, we were both starving, so we decided to hit up the first joint we stumbled upon. We rolled up to this bar with bikes lined up outside, and I couldn’t help but think, “Well, shit, this might be our last meal.” But, we went in anyway.
We ordered our food, and before we knew it, we had the attention of this rowdy biker dude who seemed a few beers deep. Instead of trying to kill us, the guy just wanted to know if we were locals. I told him that we were just passing through on a road trip.
His response?
“Alright, then lemme show you how we deal with strangers here!”
Next thing we knew, he’s shouting for the bartender to bring us some beers, and his crew’s joining in on the fun. I stuck to soft drinks, but my buddy scored big time with the free beer.
Definitely one of the funniest memories!
US TROOPS ARE 100% GOING TO UKRAINE, NUCLEAR STRIKE ON NK, RUSSIAN ROCKET ON US COAST
Shorpy
Beef in Mushroom Gravy
Yield: 6 servings
Steaks With Mushroom Gravy
The ultimate dinner! Ribeye is the steak of choice for this recipe, but you can also use New York strip (or Porterhouse), Sirloin or Rump. A good cut of beef, even though expensive, is the best steak to cook with and enjoy eating. They stay tender and juicy, and are not chewy like cheaper cuts more suitable for slow cooking.
I have a confession (to add to the other 5 million on my blog). I was never ever a fan of steak and gravy until I met my husband. Why? I prefer juicy, red, medium-rare steaks…and for me, a perfectly juicy steak does’t need ANYTHING on it. Well, besides a good Chimichurri, of course.
However, my husband on the other hand cannot stand juicy med-rare steaks. I know, I know…the travesty. So, because he loves his pieces of well-done dry/cardboard on a plate, I was forced to make him gravy with every steak dinner. (A travesty, I tell you.) That is until I tried it myself with JUICY medium-rare ribeye steaks of course!
Since then, I changed my mind. Steaks are CRAZY GOOD swimming in a gravy sauce! Especially this Onion Mushroom Gravy with a kick of Worcestershire sauce!
If you’re somewhat of a steak snob like me, this Ribeye Steaks With Mushroom Gravy will absolutely change your mind.
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless round steak
- 1 to 2 envelopes dry onion soup mix
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
- 1/2 cup water
- Mashed potatoes (optional)
Instructions
- Cut steak into six serving-size pieces; place in a slow cooker.
- Combine soup mix, soup and water; pour over beef.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until meat is tender.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, if desired.
Medical professionals, have you ever treated a patient and immediately recognized a previous doctor’s errors?
I wish I could say that I haven’t, but I can’t.
Example?
I had a lovely young woman, that I knew from previous visits. She had had five previous surgeries, for TMJ, by the same surgeon.
Her jaw was still bothering her. This same surgeon was recommending another surgery.
I thought that this was outrageous. If he had any expertise, this would have been unnecessary.
I begged her to get another opinion.
She refused. She really trusted this guy.
Fast forward a month.
Patient comes in to see me. One whole side of her face is drooping. She does not look the least bit distressed by this.
“Hi, uh, how are you?”
“Good”
“You are?”
“Oh, this… (gesturing toward her face) it’s Bell’s Palsy. It will go away”.
“Uh…who told you that?”
“I woke up from my TMJ surgery like this. The surgeon said this is from a virus and it will go away.”
Quick exam.
I call ENT.
“I have a woman here with a likely through and through cut through the facial nerve.”
“When?”
“Four weeks. Surgeon told her it’s Bell’s palsy.”
“Christ! Send her over right away!”
So, now I get to go in and tell this beautiful young woman that the ENT will try to reattach the nerve but most likely she will look like a gargoyle for the rest of her life. Her idiot surgeon had cut through the nerve and then tried to convince her that she had a virus.
This poor girl sobbed into my lap for a great long while. When she regained her composure, I gently sent her off to the ENT.
I’m sure she got a gazillion dollars in a law suit, but so what. Her face was destroyed.
I could tell you other stories. Many other stories.
I’ll just stop here and wish you…
Peace
What’s the most unreasonable request you’ve received from your boss?
On Wednesday before Thanksgiving: “Make sure the production workers come in Friday, Saturday and Sunday. When the production goal is met, tell them all they are fired.” I asked where he would be. “We have a three day yacht race event on San Francisco Bay. We’ll be sailing against Ted Turner. So you have to fire the workers but be sure they don’t know until the quota is reached.”
So while he would be out drinking champagne and sailing on yachts, I would do the dirty work.
On the Saturday, halfway through the push to get a whole month’s production done in three days, I got talking to a small man who I didn’t know, but he seemed to know a lot about me. He said something seemed to be on my mind. He was observing everything in the production process in great detail. He asked me about the VP and Supply Manager not being there. Sunday, the guy was back with more questions. He pressed me on what was wrong (other than spending all of Thanksgiving weekend working for no pay). I eventually told him I thought it was a shitty deal to make the people work all through a holiday weekend and then summarily fire everyone. He told me: “Don’t do it. It doesn’t matter what [the VP] told you to do. Just don’t fire anyone. Everything will be clear on Monday.”
Monday came, and the VP and Supply Manager had both been to work and gone. Fired. The VP of Finance was also fired. The several production workers were not fired. The new VP, of course, was the guy with all the questions. He told me there was only one person in manufacturing or finance who gave him simple, straight answers. Also, what was the point of firing a handful of $10 hourly people when he could fire three $100,000+ salaried people who weren’t doing their jobs? That made sense, of course.
Star Trek II Wrath of Khan – Reliant Vs Enterprise; First Clash 1080p
French Home Affairs Minister Gerard Darmanin has accused Azerbaijan of colluding with pro-independence forces in New Caledonia – the French overseas territory in the southwest Pacific about 1,200 km east of Australia.
“This is not a fantasy. This is reality. Unfortunately, some independence leaders have made a deal with Azerbaijan, this is indisputable,” Darmanin said in an interview with France-2 on Thursday.
Is there any truth in the claim? What’s the backstory? Here’s what we know.
🔻 Baku rejected Paris’s allegations, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada urging Darmanin to “focus on his country’s failed overseas policies” which caused the wave of violent protests in New Caledonia, “instead of blaming Azerbaijan” for its troubles.
🔻Darmanin’s assertions followed the memorandum of cooperation between the Azerbaijani Parliament and New Caledonia’s Congress, which was signed last month, envisioned as a treatise for developing a framework for parliamentary cooperation.
🔻 The agreement sparked accusations by Paris that Baku was stoking separatism in the French overseas territory. Azerbaijan dismissed the claims, and recalled France’s own controversial policies in the Caucasus.
🔻“It’s known that the French Parliament, at the initiative of the ruling party of France, adopted decisions and resolutions which recognised the separatist regime, challenged and harmed the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and enabled the activity of a ‘friendship group’ with the former so-called separatist regime,” Baku said in an April 30 statement, referring to the Karabakh conflict.
🔻 New Caledonia has been rocked by violent clashes starting May 13 over the constitutional reform proposals to change voting law. Protests have claimed four lives, with France deploying the military and imposing a state of emergency until the end of May.
What truths in life do I have to learn by myself?
- Nothing can stand the test of time. Eventually, everything must finally, and sadly, come to an abrupt end.
- Do you want to know the latest drug? It’s called social media.
- Everyone must finally discover the ultimate horror of having sex.
- Never pin your hopes on empty promises. Empty promises are things that did not exist in the first place.
- What really matters is not believing in yourself. It is trusting yourself.
- Most people feed themselves from their necks down, but what really contributes to our growth is feeding ourselves from the neck up.
- Have you ever considered why we’ve been watching TV for decades and not yet experienced any change? Because TV was not designed to bring change. It was designed to make us illiterate.
- Most people think that change is something that jumps out of the pages of a textbook into the mind. Change is actually something that the mind conceives from within.
- You are one of 3 things — you will never change, or you will watch others change, or you will become the change.
- Death was never the greatest tragedy. The greatest tragedy is to live in this life and never show up.
- The majority of people fall in love through the eyes the first time. That means you should be very careful who you let your eyes come into contact with.
- The best way to judge a woman’s loyalty is when her man has nothing. The best way to judge a man’s loyalty is when he has everything.
- Fortunes do not necessarily change men as much as it unmasks them.
- Bullying is for people who have no confidence in themselves. The reason they do it is to try and shake off their own demons.
- To fall in love is awfully simple, but to fall out of love is simply awful.
- Retirement is when the living is easy and the payments are hard.
- Best friends are like diamonds; precious and rare. Bad friends are like tree leaves; they’re found everywhere.
- A stranger stabs you in the front; A friend stabs you in the back; A boyfriend stabs you in the heart, but best friends only poke each other with straws.
- The daily grind of hard work gets a person polished but also emaciated and painfully tired.
- Kissing is the merging of two lips, two souls and two spirits that makes them one.
- Siblings are the only enemy you can’t live without.
- Denial is the way we know best how to handle that which we don’t comprehend.
- Sometimes those who don’t socialize much aren’t actually anti-social; they just have no tolerance for drama and fake people.
- Love is like a tornado; it sweeps you off your feet and sometimes takes half your house.
- Sometimes we tend to be in despair when the person we love leaves us, but the truth is, it’s not our loss, but theirs, for they left the only person who wouldn’t give up on them.
- You will never know true happiness until you have truly loved, and you will never understand what pain really is until you have lost it.
- Sometimes you have to stand alone to prove that you can still stand.
- Why do people say “no offense” just before they’re about to offend you?
- The secret of discovery is not in looking for new lands, but in looking at existing land with new eyes.
- Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.
What is the quickest you’ve ever sold your home?
30 Seconds.
My wife got a new job across the country. She received and accepted the job offer in December and started the new job the following August. (She is an academic, so the long lead time was not unusual). In May, we had started to look for a house in our new city and were getting ready to list the old house. This was in 2021, the housing market was screaming hot, mortgages were at rock bottom, so we were optimistic that this would go smoothly.
Two years previously a neighbor who had lived in his house since the 1950’s passed away and the house was purchased by a friend of the family, renovated, became a rental. One Saturday as we were leaving for breakfast I saw the new owner across the street and rolled down my window to ask if he knew anyone looking for investment property in the area and told him we were going to sell our house.
He asked how much we wanted and I did some quick calculations in my head about what we would clear after repairs and real estate commissions and gave him a number, as is. He said “you got it”, we shook on it and a few days later he brought over a single page, handwritten document. We both signed it and that became our contract. He also offered us $100,000 at the time so that we could put it down on a new home.
When we found our new home, the realtor asked for a copy of our contract to include with our offer, to prove that we were serious. I emailed a scan of the contract and she told me that she needed the whole contract. I told her that was all that we had and she laughed and said “OK, but are you sure the house will close?” It did, and we got the new house. Later the realtor told me that in all of her years in real estate she had never seen a sale of a home go through with a single page contract and that this was the weirdest sale she had ever seen.
I rented the house back at the cost of their mortgage payment until October so that I could wrap up some other business.
We cleared what we would have if we had listed with a realtor, and the buyer got a really good deal on the home which he repaired, renovated and turned into a rental.
I don’t know that I would ever do this again though, probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The WORLD CAN’T Compete with China’s Infrastructure 🇨🇳 Chongqing is the FUTURE!
For so long, China has been painted in a negative light in the West and as such our first impressions of Chongqing is not what we expected. The truth is that Chongqing, China is miles ahead of the rest of the world and the infrastructure is beyond impressive which makes it impossible for others to compete against China. In this video, we take you around Chongqing, China and show you just how futuristic this cyber punk city is.
What’s the most unreasonable request you’ve received from your boss?
“Jane has just told me that she’s pregnant. I need you to fire her immediately before she puts it in writing.”
Jane had been employed by the company for about three years and whilst her performance didn’t set the world alight, she certainly wasn’t terrible – there was absolutely no justification to dismiss her.
I challenged the VP who made the request and said that even if there was a justification, now that he knows she is pregnant we need to follow very careful processes. He said that as Jane hadn’t put it in writing he didn’t actually know about it, I corrected that view and told him that I now knew as he had told me and was not going to perjure myself when, not if, we got taken to court for unfair dismissal.
In the end I put a halt to the conversation and said that it isn’t going to happen and that I think we need to stop talking about it. I spoke to the Chief People Officer (my bosses boss) and told her what I had been asked to do – I was asked to put the details in writing and the VP was suspended and dismissed within a few days. Apparently there had been some issues with him before I joined the business but I mean what kind of person terminates someone who is pregnant unless there is a really good reason to do it.
What is the most amazing thing you overheard because people didn’t think you understood their language?
Years ago, in Hong Kong, I was involved in negotiating a significant regional contract with a French company. As we walked to the meeting, I told my Australian boss that I spoke enough French to handle the meeting, if necessary. He suggested it would be better to stick to English, as he knew no French, and was sure the French side spoke reasonable English.
The potential client spoke excellent English. They set out what they wanted, then paused to allow us time to work out a response. As my boss and I calculated what we would want to charge, they discussed amongst themselves – in French – what they were prepared to pay, what was really important to them, what was optional, and what they would pay extra for.
We ended up charging very close to their walk-away number, with a number of items charged separately.
A while later, towards the end of the project, I was congratulated on how well it was going, and (ruefully) our negotiating skills… I was VERY careful not to give any hint that a notoriously monolingual Brit could understand one word of French…despite having been near-fluent at the time…
Russia+China directly challenge the US and its Plantation. Vow to Step Up Fight to Counter US.
Great video.
Baked Pork Chops and Noodles
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
Spaghetti: Spaghetti is the pasta of choice for this dish. Its long, thin strands are perfect for twirling and they do an excellent job of soaking up the creamy sauce.
Boneless Pork Chops: These are the star of the dish. Their lean yet tender meat cooks quickly and absorbs the flavors of the sauce well. When shopping for pork chops, look for ones that are pinkish-red in color with some marbling.
Salt & Pepper: These are essential for seasoning the pork chops. They enhance the natural flavors of the meat and the sauce. I recommend using fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for the best taste.
Olive Oil: This is used for searing the pork chops. I prefer searing the pork chops in oil because it has a higher smoke point than butter.
Butter: Butter is used in sautéing the onions and garlic, as well as adding a rich, creamy flavor to the sauce.
Garlic: This adds a robust, aromatic flavor to the sauce. Fresh garlic cloves are the best as they are more flavorful and aromatic than pre-minced cloves or powdered garlic.
Yellow Onion: Yellow onions are a great choice for this dish because of their sweet and mild flavor. They add a depth of flavor to the sauce and pair well with the other ingredients.
All-Purpose Flour: This is used to thicken the sauce, giving it a velvety texture that coats the pasta well.
Heavy Cream or Half and Half: These are used to give the sauce its creamy consistency. Both work well, but heavy cream will make a richer sauce while half and half will be slightly lighter.
Chicken Broth: This adds a savory depth of flavor to the sauce. Look for a low-sodium version so you can control the saltiness of your dish.
Parmesan Cheese: This cheese brings a nutty, salty, umami flavor to the dish. Always opt for freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the best taste and texture. Pre-grated cheeses are coated in an anti-caking agent that can make the texture of the sauce gritty.
Basil and Oregano: These dried herbs add an Italian flair to the dish. They provide a fragrant, earthy flavor that compliments the creamy sauce and pork chops well.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: These are optional, but they add a nice kick of heat to the dish. Adjust the amount to suit your family’s spice tolerance.
Parsley: Fresh parsley is used as a garnish. It adds a pop of color and a fresh, bright flavor to the finished dish.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces spaghetti
- 4 boneless pork chops (about 1-inch thick)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (divided)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese*
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- Chopped fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt and ground black pepper.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned pork chops and sear for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until a golden-brown crust forms and the internal temperature reads 145F on an instant read meat thermometer. Transfer the pork chops to a plate, then tent with aluminum foil to keep warm and set aside.
- In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. Once melted, add chopped onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and softened. Add the minced garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds, or until aromatic. Add the flour to the onions and mix, creating a roux.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream while whisking constantly. Add the dried basil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), and the remaining salt and ground black pepper. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and well combined.
- Increase the heat to bring it to just barely a boil, then turn the heat back down to medium and let the sauce simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce, stirring until it’s fully melted and incorporated.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce and toss gently to coat the pasta evenly. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin it out to your desired consistency.
- To serve, divide the creamy spaghetti among plates, and place a pork chop on top of each portion. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and, if desired, additional Parmesan cheese.
Notes
*I recommend using freshly grated parmesan cheese. Pre-grated cheeses are coated in an anti-caking agent that can make the texture of the sauce gritty.
Fun Comix
THIS is why you don’t judge a book by its cover…
What did you do when you were suddenly fired from a job?
It was Sunday afternoon and the phone rang, landline, 1988. It was my boss. He told me to not come in tomorrow as I was fired. I was 21 & still living at home. My mom was so HAPPY! She did not like my boss, thought he was creepy (Chiropractor). I called my friend/coworker D. She was fired Friday, my day off. So I knew it was coming.
Long story short, we entered patient files in the Apple, 1988, NEW to us. He went to bill and it was “messed up” because of us. We also knew of his fraudulent billing practices. We had also obtained 3 patients billing records and appointments (book) that showed he’d bill for an actual appointment/procedure when it was a missed appointment. One of the patients was my stepdad.
What did I do? I called D. We went to the Labor Board to get OT he NEVER paid us. When then went to Workers Comp and the Insurance Board and turned over the records we had. I went to a Temp Agency. I had a job w/in a few days at a bank as a loan secretary. I met SJ, my future husband. We married 1990. Still married.
He got black balled by all the insurance companies. Either the patients had to endorse the check to him or deposit it & write him one or sign off on the billing for the check to go directly to him. I didn’t mention, February 1989, I received a check from the State for over $1K for O/T payment. They garnished his income tax return.
NO WAY we’re landing on the moon in 2026
No fucking way will that happen.
It’s actually getting a lot more psycho here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IyqiYJJmXo
In the latest Prepper vid, it’s revealed that Oil is in the negative, even though we still have to pay the same old price (rather than be paid to refuel). And from the looks of it, the schizophrenic sickos in charge over here are going to use Gerrymandering once again to ensure that Kamala Harris wins over Trump if all else fails.
The desperation is becoming palpable over here. For all these big moves to happen in short time shows that they really do not know what they are doing and are losing their patience; something they are usually not known to do. Couple this with big attacks and false flags from Israel against Lebanon and Yemen, as well as R’s troops crushing through Ukranian defense lines to take strategic cities despite the West’s claims that Peace should be negotiated (they should have done that when Zelensky was still deemed a legit leader,) and it’s clear that things are ratcheting up big time.
Medium bads are definitely apparent.