Well, friends, what’s happening this weekend?
Normally I go to Costco on weekends, but the weekend before Thanksgiving is probably a horrible time to do that. I might go to Aldi instead. Except I’m trying to guess which would be worse because at least with Costco you can’t have like 2700 small things in a cart so lines go faster.
I need to clean my kitchen which will help my mental state. It’s very cluttered now and I’m grumpy when I see it. I started working on it between meetings today, but didn’t get that far because it was one of those “start task 1 and then need to do task 2 to complete task 1 and oh fuck I need to do task 3 so I can complete task 2” situations.
Aside from that, probably watch some TV/Netflix and read a book or two.
Brighter, how did you get a picture of me up there?? 😁
My kitchen is also a disaster zone and I need to do something about it this weekend, especially clearing off the table for the food orgy next Thursday. Other than that, reading, watching Star Trek: Voyager, and hassling my children are really the only things on my agenda.
I tried to go to Aldi this morning and when I pulled up I quickly noped out of there because the line was wrapped around the building. I don’t know why it was so packed, but apparently it has been very busy for the last few days. I’m guessing a combination of Thanksgiving shopping and panic buying.
My weekend will be spent watching Netflix, doing a puzzle, and cracking open one of the dozen books I bought recently. If I was smart I would get an early start on studying for the licensing exam I’m going to have to take next year, but I’m also lazy and just don’t want to deal with that yet.
Oh, I also need to give Cosmo a bath. I just gave him a bath two weeks ago so I don’t know why he’s so smelly already. It’s not like he actually spends much time outside.
I hope Cosmo isn’t your significant other.
Haha, no. Cosmo is my dog, but thank you for the laugh.
Aldi has started doing Instacart here I think. Some friends love it because of the line issue. Dunno if that’s an option where you’re at.
Aldi has been on Instacart in my area for quite a while and I use it often, but for some reason certain items aren’t available through Instacart. Mostly the vegan and seasonal stuff.
“I’m guessing a combination of Thanksgiving shopping and panic buying.”
YES IT IS!!!💖💖💖
Apologies for the grocery-store essay ahead, feel free to TL/DR if you want!💗
I’ve been hearing from SO many customers at the grocery store, that they’ve been hearing from family in other states, that their store shelves are pretty bare again–which is then inducing mild/moderate anxiety in *my* customers, because so many products are “missing” from the shelves at our store!**
They visibly relax, when I tell them that we’ve got MULTIPLE pallets of goods that still need to hit the floor, AND an excessively-full grocery backstock,*** but that OUR problem is simply a matter of “not enough staff who can get this schiz to the floor!😉”
The biggest problems, (exacerbated by that staffing issue!!!) are;
That 1. We’re just THAT MUCH of a high-volume store, and things “churn & burn” QUICKLY here.
2. Thanksgiving–(especially THIS year!) means that LOTS of folks are doing extra shopping for the holiday meal(s), and when you factor in the fact that most of the schools are online, parents are buying a LOT more of those “easy cooking” things that their kids like & can perhaps cook for themselves at home with minimal supervision–so it comes in and then FLIES right back out.
And 3. Covid means more folks are either; at home cooking more because of WFH, some are needing to quarantine, OR many additional folks are stocking themselves up with two+ weeks’ worth of food–which they wouldn’t normally do, except they want it on-hand in case they DO need to quarantine for any reason.
And lastly/ 4. There are OTHER folks who’re working less, so they have more “at home” time in their lives right now.
And from what I’m seeing/hearing when I check in with my customers to ask if they need help finding anything, they appear to be buying more to cook from home, because homemade foods can be SO much cheaper than restaurant food.
SERIOUSLY, this seems to be why Ramen, rices, Mac & Cheese, canned soups, noodle shapes like Lasagna & elbows, and mid-price pasta can be SO tough for folks to find right now(!)–there ARE plenty of them out there.
We get in SOOOOOOO much Ramen now, and pastas, sauces, Mac & Cheese, etc., in CRAZY high quantities!!!
BUT folks are buying that stuff heavily, because it’s winter/comfort-food season right now, and those particular items STRETCH those food budgets out over many meals, when cooked once!💖
Getting to know & understand this stuff It’s honestly one of the reasons I LOVE working in the grocery store!😉😁🤗
The psychology of grocery stores & food buying is just fascinating!
I get to help folks. I put them at ease & lessen their stress levels by explaining some of the *whys* of the local supply chains to them.
Seriously, SEEING them visibly relax when I tell them, “We’re ORDERING it, and we’ve GOT 14 PALLETS’ worth of goods in back, but only 3 people ON the Grocery crew tonight!” is just cool!
They just kind of nod at you, and go, “OH!, Ok.” The effect is immediate and it’s just so fun to see them process that info.😉💖
Especially since at the school, we’re going to “fully distanced” learning, so I can’t meet my own personal needs to expend my excess ADHD energy by focusing on meeting my kiddos’ needs…
having that outlet at the Grocery Store, and setting adults’ mind at ease really helps me, with meeting my own mental health needs,**** too!😉
**the one I just transferred to, as of last Sunday!
It’s one of the *tiniest* stores in my chain, square-footage wise, but ALSO one of the highest-volume stores, sales-wise, because it’s in the heart of Minneapolis.
We are literally one of the ONLY stores within 3-5 miles, that’s open all night anymore–because since COVID, Wal-marts are only open until 10, and Target has ALWAYS closed at 10–so there are ALWAYS customers.
Fwiw, I’ve been a shopper here, since I first moved to Mpls, because this was my “close grocery store.”
It’s had different names over the last two decades, but it’s ALWAYS been a crazily high-volume store sales-wise, because it’s one of the few stores that carries EVERYTHING grocery & dry-goods wise, and at a *mostly* reasonable price. That’s why, back in my 20’s, and even NOW, I typically do my grocery shopping there between 10pm & 2am–it’s the only time that I’m awake, when the aisles AREN’T pretty crowded with shoppers!😉😂💖
And because we have so many vegetarians & vegans around here, the produce and vegetarian options at this store have ALWAYS been top-notch!😉
***Think; EXPIRED GOODS in the backstock(😳🤯😱), because it hasn’t been worked in THAT long–and crap intermingled THROUGHOUT the backstock, because there AREN’T spaces in that product’s NORMAL area to put it away properly–levels of excessive backstock!😟😬😖
All I DID yesterday, since our truck was HOURS behind schedule on it’s delivery, was to work stock from the grocery backroom. I brought up 4 carts of goods from mainly *two* aisles, and got everything from those 4 carts either ON the shelves, *or* condensed down to “two carts, PLUS extra room on both carts”😉
****PLUS, there are allllll the added benefits of the fact that I’m walking for a few miles a night, climbing a step ladder if I need to put goods on the top couple shelves/level and face goods as I’m putting things out, AND I’m lifting small items REPEATEDLY during my shift–so basically getting paid to do a full, sweat-inducing workout, every time I go in to work😉😁💖
About a decade ago I worked as a stocker at Target for a couple of years (we had a fancy team name but we came in at 4am and stocked the store, 2am during holiday season) and it was actually a very gratifying job in the sense that putting things away and seeing things that people need are available is very enjoyable.
And yeah, even pre-pandemic this time of year food FLEW off the shelves due to holiday shoppers. One year I spent almost an entire shift going to and from the deep freezer to bring out frozen turkeys (because OF COURSE the freezer was the opposite side of the store from where we had them out for sale)!
It really IS fun, isn’t it?😉
And imo, it’s sooooooo much better than going to a gym–i get a MUCH longer workout than I’d EVER put in, going to a regular gym, AND I get paid for my workouts, rather than paying other people for something I loathe😉😂
(I LOVED team sports in high school–but what i loved was the TEAM part of it… working out *for myself* just feels like a draaaaaagggg. And I’d SO much rather just read than “exercise” for the sake of exercising.)
When the lockdown first began, I started getting into the habit of waking up early and going to the store as soon as it opened, because all the fucking panic buyers made it impossible to do otherwise. Now, I keep doing it because I’ve gotten used to it. My hope is that the store will be not too crazy tomorrow morning.
This is the weekend when I do the annual conditioning and cleaning of my winter coat. I got it from an Overland store and it cost an embarrassing amount of money (I had to save for over a year to buy it), but they provide a lifetime warranty (which I’ve already had occasion to use), and it is so comfortable that I can’t imagine wearing anything else in the winter. I will usually put on a long movie while I clean and condition it, because it typically takes a couple of hours at minimum.
Thanksgiving will be just the two of us, because we are responsible human beings. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to skip the Thanksgiving feast!
…a good coat is a marvelous thing
…I find it helps to think of how much the thing cost if you divide the price by the number of years you get to wear it…that way your feel like it was more of a bargain the longer it lasts
…but maybe that’s just me?
That’s where the lifetime warranty came in for me. I plan to wear this thing until I croak–which, hopefully, will be a long time from now.
I miss Costco, but the closest one is almost 200 miles away. The best stores I have available to me are Rural King, and in a pinch Tractor Supply. The good news is that Rural King carries camo lingerie, so I got that going for me. I did buy a really nice new knife too, but now I won’t use it because it’s too nice. Things have really changed for me. I used to go shopping on State Street or Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and now I go to Tractor Supply.
I forget…angora goats?
Close. Merino sheep.
…when I first read that I kind of assumed kitchen knife…but now I’m wondering if you meant the outdoor sort & I’m all curious
…living in a city I don’t have much call for such things but I grew up spending my weekends in the country & between camping & spending time with some relatives who lived in a water mill & always had a bunch of outdoor work saved up for when we visited I did develop an appreciation for a well-made knife of the non-kitchen variety…the only problem being when I did get around to buying one of my own (must have been around twenty years ago now) I belatedly realised I’d probably never have an excuse to buy another now because it’ll most likely outlast me…so my curiosity is probably a little vicarious?
Outdoor, folding knife for farm work. My first really nice pocket knife.
…ah…I suppose I was talking about the fixed blade sort with a sheath…have certainly been through a fair few of the folding sort over the years…for something that’s in some ways so simple a really decent example is a peculiarly satisfying thing
…& although in many ways the two are nothing alike I’d have to say my experience is a bit like the way I’ve found headphones to go…sometimes what appears like an extravagance before you fork out the cash can seem like an absolute bargain when you come to use them & remember what it was like before you did?
Laundry and cleaning tomorrow. Sunday I need to make the filling for my apple pies. I make mini ones in muffin tins. Then I can make them on Tuesday so I can deliver some to a couple of friends Wednesday when I pick up my turkey. I hope to spend the rest of Sunday reading and watching Netflix.
Picking up your turkey? Did you order it from a local farm?
Lol, no. I get a small smoked turkey breast from Heavenly Ham. I quit cooking a bird years ago to focus on the sides.
The sides are where it’s at. I don’t get too bonkers with the turkey. It’s a pretty simple approach with stuffing the bird with a traditional bread stuffing and then coating the inside of a paper shopping bag with butter, putting the bird in the bag, poking a meat thermometer through the bag, stapling the bag closed and sticking it in the oven. An old girlfriend taught me how to do this and in over 20 years it’s come out perfectly every time. Too bad the relationship didn’t:)
I never heard that method before!
It’s simplicity itself and is a very forgiving method. The turkey is always moist because the bag holds it all in, and the skin comes out beautifully thanks to all the butter on the bag. Give it a whirl next year.
Hannibal, tell me more about these mini apple pies.
Do you think one could switch apples for persimmons?
I don’t know, I never cooked with or baked persimmons. I use boiled apple cider in my filling, and do a streusel topping.
I’ve only eaten persimmon a couple of times. Once in a cake, and once in a sort of custard pie. How do you usually use them?
I just slice them with a knife and eat them raw. They’re pretty crisp like an apple.
I think it would be worth a try.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/268441/fuyu-persimmon-pie/
Cleaning, cooking ahead for the weekend, a heart healthy walk each day, starting on addressing holiday cards, paying attention to DeadSplinter. I am excited that we will get our tree on Wednesday, carry the ornaments upstairs Thursday, and decorate on Friday. We, too, will see no one over the holiday. But my work gives us off from Wednesday through Sunday, so it is enough time to truly decompress.
I admire people who are disciplined about sending out holiday cards. We both suck at it. I think we sent out cards once a year or so ago, and I’m not entirely convinced that we’ll make it two years in a row.
Have you had to completely rewrite the menu for Thanksgiving?
…my folks have always done the card thing…& it’s a whole production…but I find almost none of the people my age that I know do the sending cards thing…always been a little curious about when it stopped being one of those things you “must” remember to do…or if I just mostly know lazy people?
…don’t think it’s the latter because they seem pretty not-lazy about a bunch of other stuff…but the curiosity about the christmas card thing persists, all the same
I just started up again a few years ago. Mostly because I felt guilty about not having sent a card to those from whom we recieved a card. And then there are some elderly folks we know whose day is brightened by receiving a card. Finally, my coworkers are spread across the country and a few are in Europe. I send them each a card, a MOMA pop up card, very fun. Because I want to do something from me, as opposed to a business thing, to acknowledge them? So in total, fewer than 50 cards.
50 cards? Good Lord.
I am spending time, in general,looking for recipes that are quite healthy. Because there will just be the two of us we abandoned traditional foods and have two nice lobster tails in the freezer. I will serve them with a salad of greens and leeks and and some local whole grained bread broiled with an herbed topping.
Traditional Thanksgiving Lobster. Sounds like a great idea.
I have to translate the updated text of a couple of school IEPs into Spanish, and a transcript from a Colombian medical school into English. There’s no deadline attached to the IEPs, although presumably they want them done before the Thanksgiving break. The transcript is due by Sunday, though, so I’ll have to haul ass on that.
Of course, I have to admit that I’m getting a good chuckle over the fact that the abbreviated name of the medical school is FUCS – and that the domain name for its website includes the “word” fucsalud.
🤣
So that is fucking hilarious.
I almost said fucing hilarious, but that C phonetically reads like an S to me with the I right after and I didn’t like it.
*Cries in retail work schedule*
What’s weekend, Precious? I get excited when I can ask for a Saturday off so I get two days in a row without having to deal with customers. I would probably go crazy if I had Wednesday through Sunday off for a holiday.
God how I fucking hated working in jobs where I had to deal with customers. You have my deepest sympathy.
…I probably ought to save it for the brain drain but in case I forget
…have you ever heard of a show called “black books”?
…it’s basically about two guys who run a bookshop that are played by comedians…one is a well-meaning sort but the owner/boss plays a wildly misanthropic character who pretty much can’t stand customers…it’s pretty funny & you might enjoy it
I love Black Books. Dylan Moran is hilariously abrasive. Honestly, I’m pretty sure that Other-Husband would be like him if he had less social conditioning! I can’t remember the other guys name… Bill something. I’m too lazy to look it up right now.
…bill bailey…he’s pretty great…& quite handy with the musical instruments
Bill Bailey, who also served as team captain on Nevermind the Buzzcocks.
I am definitely putting this on my watchlist.
Is your workplace still expecting high volume for Black Friday? I suspect people will be even stupider than usual this week.
Luxury European car dealership, so 🤷🏻♂️
Oh, hell. I used to sell Lincolns, so I have some indication of the type of entitled shitbags you have to deal with. Are you in the sales or service side?
Sales-adjacent. I teach people how to use all the tech on their new vehicles for Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, and Porsche. So, no sales. Thank Jeebus. And most people are super excited to meet with me.
But yes, it’s still customer service. And you aren’t wrong about the typical customer. Most are pleasant enough. But I often know “my place” during the whole process.
The gig does have some perks though. I basically can drive almost anything I want whenever. I borrow our Audi E-Tron service loaner as often as possible as its truly sublime to drive. Like a comfy rocket-powered sofa. Quiet. Easy to drive. Great stereo with CarPlay. If I had the money and only needed to commute a short distance, I’d rock one without hesitation.
Also Porsche. I adore Porsches. The Taycan is mind blowing.
I feel your pain.
Eh. I stumbled into this gig and am surprisingly good at it. 🤷🏻♂️
But yes. Customers are too often horrid.
Despite being in my mid 30s, I already have some arthritis with my hands and one of the things that is really painful is writing. Last year I ordered a stamp with my name and return address on it and it made the whole process so much easier on my hand!
Also, the stamp looks pretty.
I won’t rant I won’t rant I won’t rant I won’t rant
Online school this weekend because the teachers just blab all day and then list 20 assignments for the kids to do in the evenings for which IT gurus are required and they are impossible to keep up with even if I didn’t work full time and even though I don’t have an actual full time child or even one of my own – wait – is this still a sentence or was it ever a sentence did you know that apparently a bachelor for 15 years is supposed to have construction paper and know how to make shadow puppets prior to writing a little play with three of the fucking things AND doing all of that and then recording a video of the play is supposed to take ten minutes so you can get to the other 19 assignments? it’s true! I HAD A DREAM THAT ACUTE TRIANGLES WERE COMING TO CHECK THE VISCOSITY OF MY BLOOD BEFORE IT BOILED OVER FROM THE COOKING PROJECT AND SO I CAN GET TO THAT MARKETING PROJECT!
I won’t rant I won’t rant I won’t rant I won’t rant
Protip, if kids visit your house on the regular:
Get a 16-quart sterilite/plastic tub,
put in:
One 8-pack of Crayola washable markers
One 16+ package of Crayola crayons
some Elmer’s Dissappearing Purple Glue Sticks** that you keep in a sealed zip lock inside the tub
A ream of cheap printer paper
A package of construction paper (you can usually get these at a dollar store!
Scissors (dollar store scissors are FINE😉)
A roll of Scotch tape
Masking or clear packing tape–one roll of either
A package of popsicle sticks from the dollar store
A black sharpie
That’ll get you through almost ANY kid-related task, AND if you throw in a coloring book or two, you can also keep kids of a certain age entertained for HOURS, with just that stuff and some imagination 😉
(**the Avery brand ones are good, too–other brands are trash and don’t work right, or dry out too fast)
I am starting serious Christmas decorating tomorrow because it takes awhile (I am insane). Making a brisket, experiencing daily panic attack, crafting, raking all the leaves, watching Mad Men, pretending I have the attention span to read, playing Animal Crossing, snacking, texting, figuring out gifts, wishing I got half of what I planned to done.
The upside to living in a really small house is that there isn’t any room for a shitload of Christmas decorations, much less a tree.
It wasn’t easy, but I managed two trees in a studio apartment in Manhattan.
I leave my tree up year round. We roll it to the big picture window and plug in the timer at the appropriate time – maybe tomorrow even. Then, roll it back to the corner in the foyer after the new year. I know it’s the epitome of lazy – but I’m totally fine with that.
Plans are finishing the book I’m reading, finishing my Golden Girls puzzle while listening to podcasts (currently super into You’re Wrong About’s Princess Diana series), and sleeping. So much sleeping.
I need to catch up on the Princess Diana episodes!
They’re really good. I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time this weekend finishing the series.
How’s the Princess Diana podcast?
It’s sad, but also fascinating. Listening to it I end up thinking a lot about Harry and Meghan and being glad they got out and hoping they’re happier for it.
Today I crossed off the list 2 chores- bathing the stinky doggo and doing laundry. This weekend I really ought to mow the lawn but wahhhh I hate lawn work! I also hope to get my Christmas tree up. I’ve already put out the rest of the indoor decorations & knickknacks earlier this week. After I get the lawn presentable and the tree up, then I can focus on getting the outdoor lights up. But that’s probably going to be next week
I did most of my household need to do stuff last week so this week I can be as lazy as I want to be.
Also not working OT (as I usually do) because I want a damn weekend away from work.
This week, I was put into a production room working on a very powerful anti-depressant for two days. The drug is not a favorite (for most workers) because it messes with your head. You end up sleeping for hours and have “Beetlejuice” style restless dreams. If you wear the protective gear you can avoid most of side affects, but if you work enough times in the room then it will find a way to get you. It got me last night. I slept for 10 hours and had a very intense dream… I got promoted (that’s when I knew I was fucked up) to manager and got to fire everyone who put me in that production room. So it didn’t turn out that terrible.
The Taragon Chicken from Wed turned out well.
Before (with all the ingredients)
After
I made one boo boo. I over reduced the cream sauce. Still not a bad go on the first try. Tastes better than it looks. The potatoes were from a microwave kit (for single guys who are too lazy to make actual herbed potatoes because they wanted to make Tarragon Chicken.)
That’s wild that even with protection gear you’re affected by the drug. I’m glad it wasn’t any worse than a deep, dreamy sleep. The tarragon chicken looks great.
It’s actually worse without protective gear. We had people who slept for 24+ hours after exposure.
The problem is that you eventually have to take the gear off and that’s when you get hit with the dust. We’re dealing with the concentrated active ingredient unlike patients who only consume the diluted drug.
The worst that stuff ever hit me was 16 miserable hours of sleep where I could barely stay awake. It was because I made the really stupid mistake of taking off the respirator I was using while cleaning the equipment.
I am proud that partially through my efforts that got the protective gear for this material upgraded to limit worker exposure.
You should be. You protected yourself and your coworkers. Kudos to you!
Yum, I love seeing your FYCE results.
Oh manchu, I laughed my ass off when you said you knew you were dreaming because you were promoted. Too fucking funny.
My daunting weekend plans are to clear out my garage to make space for the kids to play when it’s raining and I don’t feel like getting wet. By clear out, I mean tetris everything into a corner and drape a sheet over it.
For funzies I’ll be watching objectively terrible movies on purpose and playing Borderlands 3.
I’ve been putting off cleaning out the garage. It needs done but it’s a loathsome chore.
@HammerZeitgeist
What platform do you play BL3 on?
welp…as rona shut down all the restaurants over here the retailers opened to the public (normally you need a business owner card to get in)
sooo… my big plan for the weekend is to go raid a retailer..get some new cutlery…probably an industrial sized jar of pickled gherkins…and some giant potatos
i neeed baked potatos!
but yeah…other than that…i need to fix a lightswitch…it came off the wall again and the live wire is stuck in place by the power of sugestion at mo…its maybe not exactly safe
and thats pretty much me weekend plans
My weekend plans are:
During the week my work consists of acting as the Personal Assistant to the live-in Global Corporate Executive. He spends endless hours on the phone with peers all over the world but his company wants everything written down and documented (there are probably reasons for this; his industry is pretty tightly regulated and no doubt will become even mores under Biden.) He prepares draft summaries and then I translate them into intelligible English.
But he has so much PTO that he took all next week off, which means I have all next week off. He’ll be reaching a breaking point sooner rather than later (Emperor Cuomo is on the verge of shutting the gyms again, for example) so when he is at his weakest I’m going to fire up “The Crown” for a rewatch and make him watch it with me. I’ve seen Seasons 1–3 probably 3 or 4 times but Season 4 only once so far. I may press my luck and say, “You really need to start from the beginning to understand everything.” This is absolutely not true for Season 4. The two big additions are Margaret Thatcher and Diana, we haven’t met them before Season 4, and besides, how much backgrounding does anyone need to put them into context?
So I only started the crown at season 4; is it worth it to go back?
Oh yes. You learn a lot about Prince Philip, for example. Season 1 has tons of flashbacks, to Elizabeth’s life as a girl. Her father, King George VI, is played by the excellent Jared Harris, whom you might remember as Lane Pryce from “Mad Men.” There are also some very moving scenes involving Edward VIII (the one who abdicated, throwing the crown to George VI) and apparently he was not a very likable or sympathetic man in real life.
y’all are very ambitious, hope you get it all done!
As for me, I am going to pick up the second sleeve of the sweater I’ve been knitting since March 2018, and work on convincing myself that leaves are mulch, and there is no reason to rake them. I also like to play this game where I find substitutions for stuff I need to get at the store, eliminating the need to go to the store. Anyone want the recipe for diy coffee creamer?
I agree with the leaves are mulch argument. Especially because I missed our collection day and don’t want to bag them up. 😁 I’m interested in your diy creamer.
It’s so easy!I hope you like it.
4 cups powdered milk (I use whole powdered milk from bakers authority)
1 cup confectionery sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon good cocoa
sift the dry ingredients together and add:
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil, whisk until thoroughly combined.
That’s it, store at room temp. It’s really good and I’ve been a die-hard 1/2 and 1/2 user forever. Lately it seems like 1/2 and 1/2 spoils really quickly so I got fed up and switched.
Thanks, that sounds good!
Uh yeah, leaves are totally mulch. It’s just known.
I’m a day late, so I’ve already swapped out the regular tires for snow tires on my wife’s car (why does this never get easier?), and I finished a gutter downspout project — for winter, I have to remove two rain barrels and put downspout extensions in their place. Since this is the first winter where we’ve had gutters, I had to buy downspout tubing, then cut it, then attach it to both the existing downspout and the house as well. Time-consuming but not difficult.
Sunday I will be cleaning said gutters. Should be fun.