13 Days in Ohio

For the last two weeks, I was in Ohio visiting my brother and his family. Here's what I got up to. (This is a Thursday 13.) 

DAY ONE

Flight day. 

The TSA line was non-existent. The agent checked my ID and then sent me back because somehow my birthdate was wrong in the system. (I must have entered it wrong. Oops.) 

Onboard the plane, the pilot introduced himself as Abe Frohman and his copilot as Ed Rooney. I laughed. No one else got the joke. Not my neighbor, who was on his way to Texas for the World Cup game with Egypt. 

We arrived at Dallas 15 minutes early, but we had to circle for 15 minutes due to weather. I had a two hour layover, so I had time to eat something and I had plenty of time to make my flight. 

We arrived on time. My brother picked me up from the airport, and it wasn't terribly late when we got back to his place. 

DAY TWO

The plan was to go to Berlin to explore the Amish shops and such. But I woke with a terrible migraine (with nausea), so I cancelled. (My sister-in-law had other visitors in town, so they all make the trek.) I slept until about 4 PM. 

DAY THREE

The 4th of July. 

Middle nephew is in the high school marching band, so we headed out to the town's 4th of July parade. After the band passed, we headed out, but hit crazy traffic. 

A couple hours later, my niece, her boyfriend, SIL's friend's twin 13-year-old daughters, and I all headed out to the town's street fair. 

There was grilled meat. There were party guests. And there were fireworks. A great time was had by all. 

DAY FOUR

...was a very chill day. One of SIL's friends headed home. The other (Priscilla) took her daughter to skate camp and was gone all day. I watched TV with SIL, did some crochet, and wrote a blog post for Monday. 

DAY FIVE

I got invited along with SIL and her friend Priscilla (blog alias). We started off at Historic Roscoe Village (which should become its own blog post, maybe next week). Then SIL wanted cinnamon rolls from an Amish bakery, so we headed out that way, but when we arrived, it turned out the bakery was closed. Sigh. 

We had dinner at Olde Jaol in Wooster. The fun part was that the restaurant was in the brick basement which used to be the jail. The food was good. 

DAY SIX

Priscilla, Liv (my niece), and I started off in German Village in Columbus. There was a visitor's center where we learned of the history of the area. There was a bookstore with 32 rooms of books. We visited a couple shops, and then we had lunch. 

And then we headed to Loveland Castle which I already wrote a whole post about. 

We drove right by the place first as Priscilla had entered her daughter's skate camp into her GPS, but she figured it out before we went too far beyond where we were supposed to go. And then, on the way back, we met SIL in Columbus at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. (Definitely a different vibe than Mexican restaurants in SoCal.) 

DAY SEVEN

I woke to find a text from my niece. She'd taken the day off work, and would I like to go to Yellow Springs? Yes please. 

Once we finally departed, we had much of the family in tow. Only my brother, who had to work, and middle nephew, who just didn't want to go, stayed home. 

We looked in some shops. We had lunch at the restaurant that has live music in the evenings. 

And then we headed back. We went in search of a rock garden, but didn't make it as the neighborhood it was in was kind of sketchy. 

DAY EIGHT

It was time for a day of rest. I baked chocolate chip cookies with eldest and middle nephews. (I instructed. They did the work.) And that was about it. 

DAY NINE

This was another quiet day. Sitting and watching TV (and crocheting) with the family and getting to just talk to them was nice. Since they don't live close, I don't really get to talk to them that much. And we made plans for Saturday. (This was a Friday.) 

DAY TEN

While looking at a map of the US, I noticed that Ohio borders West Virginia. And I thought it would be cool to drive to West Virginia. 

Point Pleasant, West Virginia, is famous for Mothman sightings prior to a bridge collapse in 1967. They made a movie about this. The family wanted to see the museum. I was happy to tag along. 

Niece and eldest nephew decided to go somewhere else. SIL was feeling terrible, so she stayed home to rest. So, it was just my brother, middle nephew, and the twins with me. 

The drive was very wet. The rain came down pretty hard at times. But it wasn't raining when we arrived. 

It's a cute town. The local shops all cater to the cryptid crowd. And the museum has all sorts of stuff about the Mothman sightings. Maybe not worth the long drive if you don't like the drive, but I had a great time. 

And I got to see the Ohio River. 

DAY ELEVEN

It was a lazy Sunday. This time I baked chocolate chip cookies with Liv. The TV was on. I wrote the blog post about Loveland Castle (see day six). I caught up on some blog visiting. And we didn't do a whole lot of anything else. 

DAY TWELVE

Liv stayed home sick from work, but by the afternoon she was feeling a bit better. She found a yarn shop in Columbus for me to visit. We saw a couple more shops in German Village, but then we headed back as she was tired. And I took a nap as well. 

DAY THIRTEEN

As I prepared for my departure the nephews all wished me well. One of the twins: "I hope your plane doesn't crash." Yeah, he can be a bit blunt. Spoiler: my plane did not crash. 

My layover in Nashville did not go so well, but I already wrote about that yesterday. I got home after 9 PM, and I slept well in my own bed. 

13 Short Videos (and Their Creators)

I've joined the short video social media ecosystem. I'm not proud of this. But sometimes it's nice to just look at short videos online to wile away the time. (My platform of choice: Facebook Reels. Yeah, I know.)

Today I'm sharing 13 creators (for Thursday 13) who I enjoy. I have included one video from each as well as a link to their YouTube channel. Let me know in the comments of anyone I should find or if you watch these creators as well. 

1. Ozzy Man Reviews @ozzymanreviews 

He takes videos of animals and adds voices, as if the animals are talking. It's something we've seen before, but it's still funny. This is two rams, one who is angry and wanting to fight. 

2. Smosh Pit @smoshpit

When these pop up on my feed they suck me in. He reads posts from Reddit (usually AITA, but this one is a petty revenge), and two others sit on the couch and react. They discuss. It's way more fascinating than it should be. (And there's way more to it than what I usually see, if you follow the link.) 

3. Rangsk Puzzles @Rangsk

He does the various New York Times online puzzles. Daily. I like watching his Wordle solves after I've done them. 

4. TerryAndKaniyia @TerryJ46

These two kids (well, twenty-somethings) listen to music that they have not heard before (but you most definitely have) and react. In this video, they're hearing Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain". They seem to enjoy most of what they listen to, and it's just fun watching them hear it for the first time.

5. Taylor Black @taylormakesvideos 

She has some interesting takes on things. This video is where she's reading the comments section of a question someone posted online. Some of these are pretty funny. 

6. Refashioned Hippie @refashionedhippie

This creator has a few different things she does. She finds ridiculous clothing pieces made by famous design houses that are crazy expensive, but you wouldn't want it anyway. And here's a bad design short. Oh, this is very much NSFW. You've been warned. 

7. Gabe @gabectomy

He works in a phone store (which he does not name). And he tells stories of bad customer interactions. It reminds me of my days working retail. Yes, customers are this bad. 

8. Sums of Anarchy @SumsofAnarchy

She does shorts on math. There's a lot of different ways to calculate things that I find interesting. This short is on where the word square came from (for you math-phobics). 

9. Kameron Johnson @Kameronisfunny

He talks a lot about his family, mainly his daughter who must be a teenager. In this short he lists various punishments he can come up with in case she misbehaves. Like chaperoning prom and showing off his dance moves. Of which he has no good ones. 

10. Sidneyraz @sidneyraz 

"Here's something I wish I knew before I was in my thirties," is how he starts all his life hack videos. Well, I'm in my fifties, and I didn't know some of these. I definitely didn't know this about three fingers on my laptop trackpad. 

11. JasonKPargin @JasonKPargin 

He finds interesting things to say about all sorts of things. This is about how people tend to move counterclockwise. You'll find this fascinating. 

12. Steve Hofstetter @stevehofstetter

He's a stand up comedian (who in this bit is talking about why he shouldn't be). Yeah, funny. Funny is good. 

13. John Kotrides @genxjono

And for us Gen Xers, he talks a lot about our '80s childhoods and such. When did we get old? 

Fourth Annual Meme Collection 13

So, yeah, it's now become a thing.

In 2023 during the summer, I was bored and looking for topics for Thursday 13, and I thought to mine my phone for the various memes I had saved. When summer 2024 came around I realized I had 13 more memes to share. I did it again last year. So, now it's an annual event. 

(Now that I know it's an annual event, I'll be more careful to collect some more. I came up a little short, so the last couple are posters I found in classrooms that I snapped pictures of. Kinda meme-y. I hope you don't mind.) 

1. I think I saw this on Bluesky, and now I can't find the creator to credit. I showed this to the art students in August as I thought it was something they should see. 

2. Same creator as #1. Very good education-type explanation. 

3. Also found on Bluesky. You can find the whole comic here. 

4. Vintage cartoon.

5.

6.

7. I looked at this. And I looked at this. And then I remembered that that white thing is called a buoy. And then I couldn't stop laughing for five minutes. 

8. I love to watch the tracking of everything I order online. I feel this meme so hard. 

9.

10.

11.

12. Found in a 12th grade government class. 

13. Found in a forensic science class. 

13 Busiest US Airports

I am getting on a plane today (or I'm on a plane or I'm getting off a plane, depending on when you read this). I am going to visit my brother and his family in Ohio for several days. (They have internet and I am taking my computer with me. I'll be around the blogosphere, although I may not be checking in daily.) So, in honor of my travel day, I thought it would be fun to find the top 13 U.S. airports. Yes, this is a Thursday 13. 

I got my data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, ranked by passenger enplanements for the year 2025. (I used the spreadsheet which was the third sheet tab at the bottom of the chart.) 

1. Atlanta, GA (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International)
2. Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (Dallas/Fort Worth International)
3. Chicago, IL (Chicago O'Hare International)
4. Denver, CO (Denver International)
5. Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles International)
6. New York, NY (John F. Kennedy International)
7. Orlando, FL (Orlando International)
8. Las Vegas, NV (McCarran International)
9. Miami, FL (Miami International)
10. San Francisco, CA (San Francisco International)
11. Charlotte, NC (Charlotte Douglas International)
12. Seattle, WA (Seattle/Tacoma International)
13. Phoenix, AZ (Phoenix Sky Harbor International)

None of the airports I'll be in are on this list. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I do know that when I went through Denver last year, things did not go so well. 

13 Useful Gadgets

I've been trying to write this Thursday 13 for something like three years. I finally have thirteen things to list. 

I've acquired a few things that until I got them I didn't know they existed. And they definitely solve a problem I had. Some you've probably seen and/or heard about. But there are some I'm sure will be new to you. Let me know in the comments of other gadgets that you have that you've found useful. I'm sure there will be others I want to acquire. 

1. GripStic (where to find)

I was at the Orange County Fair more than fifteen years ago. We were in the building where the various vendors sold stuff. And the guy slipped one of these on a bag just as I was walking past. I stopped. What the...? 

These are way better than any clips you might use. It seals any bag up very simply and securely. I have used these continuously since I got my first bag and even went back and got more a couple years later. These are the best. 

2. Bowl holder

I first saw these at a craft fair. I'm sure they have mass produced ones, but I've only ever gotten them from independent sellers. They can go in the microwave with the bowl while it's heated, and then when you take it out, you don't burn your hands. It's also great to hold a hot bowl (of soup or something) when you're not sitting at a table. 

3. Seat belt clip (where to buy)

As someone who's rather well-endowed in the chest department, I used to have issues with my seat belt. It never stayed positioned across me in a comfortable manner. It always rode up and choked me. And then I was introduced to this thing, and it is the best. It clips on the lap part of the belt, and the chest strap hooks on it, keeping that from straying up to my neck. I no longer have to adjust my seat belt for my entire drive. Game changer. 

Sadly, I only found these on Amazon. And they have all sorts of different types. My link is to one example (as the one I bought I can't find). If you find it at another retailer, let me know so I can buy from them next time.

4. Shower step (where to buy)

We got a new shower for my bathroom. (It was a process which I detailed in another Thursday 13.) And while it's very nice in some ways, there was one glaring problem. With no bathtub component, I had no place to balance my leg when I would shave in the shower. There had to be a solution for that. 

Once I started looking, I found this. And it's perfect. Just what I need in a shower with no way to balance my foot. 

5. Cell phone kickstand (where to buy)

When I got my current phone, I discovered MagSafe cases and wireless charging. One thing I had had before was one of those things for the back of the case to help me grip the phone. When I went to purchase a new one for the new phone, I found one that magnetically attaches, and I'm never going back. It helps me grip the phone. It props it up when I've set it down (making my knit pyramid redundant, sigh). And it comes off easily when I charge my phone. I've had this two years, and it still works great. Expensive (for what it is) but worth the price. 

When I went to find the link for this, I discovered that they've upgraded it with a finger strap, and now I need a new one...

6. Phone charging clock (where to buy)

Speaking of my phone... When I got my first iPhone, I had the best bedside clock. It was a docking station. It charged my phone and it played music from my phone through a speaker. It worked via an app, and I loved this thing. But, the iPhone charging connection changed, the apps were upgraded, and the clock became obsolete. 

I'd been looking for a replacement for a decade. 

Clock: check. Charging: check (via wireless). Speaker: check (via Bluetooth). And no app to go out of date. Perfect. 

7. Bed caddy (where to buy)

This attaches to the side of my bed. I keep my ereader in it. It's big enough for physical books, remote controls, or anything else you might want to keep handy. It's brilliant, and I love mine. 

I got mine via Zulily back before it went defunct (but it's back now), but when I searched it online, I found that Target had one, Walmart had one, and there were instructions on how to make your own. I linked to Amazon, but those are not the only options. 

8. Shower speaker (where to buy)

Waterproof. Connects to my phone via Bluetooth. Just what I need to listen to music in the shower.

9. Neck light (where to buy)

I know, most people get these to read by. I use mine to knit (or crochet) with. It's great in the summer (rather than a big task light that heats me up). I didn't buy mine off Amazon or a online yarn retailer, but I've linked to the latter. You can search these up as many retailers have them.

10. Door stopper (where to buy)

This is one I use at work. Nowadays we don't unlock the classroom doors. Mostly a safety thing. (The doors don't lock from the inside.) But what do you do if you want the door closed, but you want kiddos to be able to get in without knocking? I use this. (The doors are self-closing.) I mean, most teachers have something that works, like a magnet or a blocker, but not all do. It's helpful for the days I need it.

11. Desk ring light with phone holder (where to buy)

When I started making videos (for my YouTube channel), I got this phone holder/light that clipped on the side of a table. It worked, but I needed something better. So, I got one of these.

I haven't used it yet, but the light is much brighter, so it should make my next videos that much nicer. 

12. Microwave egg poacher (where to buy)

Did you know you can make hard-boiled eggs in the microwave? I happened upon a gadget that did that a couple years ago, and I'm never going back. (Alas, the first one I used kept failing at the vent hole. The second one I used exploded one day with a force so hard it blew the microwave door open.) This is the third version that I've bought, and so far, this one works pretty well. Will it fail, too? I hope not. This is way easier than boiling the eggs in water. 

13. Meat chopper (where to buy)

When I was in elementary school, my father worked in fast food. The way they mashed up the ground beef for the burritos was by using a potato masher. (That's how he taught us to brown ground beef.) But now there's a better tool. 

Do you have any gadgets that you don't know how you ever did without? 

13 Phone Apps

What apps do you have on your phone? 

Most of us have the usual things, like texting and calls. We know about food delivery and ride shares. We scroll social media. But I have run across some apps that were news to me, so they might be news to you as well. Some are more specialized (getting up to 13 apps presented a challenge), and some are ones you'll need as soon as you know about them. And yes, this is a Thursday 13.

1. Roku remote (Android link / Apple link)

The other day I was searching for something on my TV. When I went to the search bar ready to use the arrow keys to slowly spell out the title on the screen, my Roku TV offered to connect to my phone so I could pull up a keyboard and type in what I was searching. So much easier. 

I'm sure the other streaming platforms have something similar. This app is just for the remote (not for the platform which you can totally stream on your phone as well). I did not know this thing existed until prompted, but now it's one of my many apps. 

2. SkyView Lite (Android link / Apple link)

Looking up at the night sky and wondering what that bright object is? There's an app for that. 

Open the app, and point it towards the sky. This app names the constellations and identifies the planets. Way cool. (I could not find this name in Android, but I'm sure they have something similar.)

3. IMDb (Android link / Apple link)

For years I have whined about this. You're watching a TV show and that actor just looks so familiar. Where do you know them from? There has to be an app... 

Well, this is not perfect, but it's close. Type in the actor's name. It lists their filmography. There's also so much more information about movies and TV that you can find, but the only thing I use this app for is to look up actors that I just can't place. 

4. Yuka (Android link / Apple link)

An instructional aide introduced this one to me. Scan the barcode of whatever food you're choosing. It gives you a rundown of what's in it (and how healthy it is). Ingredients. Calories. Healthier alternatives. (Full disclosure: I can't recall which app the IA showed me as when I went to look for it, I found several versions of the same idea. But this was news to me, so I thought it might be news to you, too.) 

5. Fetch (Android link / Apple link)

Scan receipts. Earn points. Use your collected points to convert into gift cards. (I got a $50 Amazon gift card a bit ago. I'm waiting until my point total is high enough for another good gift card. Soon.) 

If you're interested in trying it, you can use my referral code: 6VMWJH. (I get points and you get points for using the code. And then we become "friends" on the app.) 

6. Strava (Android link / Apple link)

When I go for a walk, I "record" it using this app. It tells me how long I've been walking and for how far. Then I get a nifty map of where I've been (although, the map can be glitchy). I have not signed up for the subscription, which has more features, as the free version has everything I need. But if you're serious about tracking your walking (or running or biking), this is a good app to do that with. 

7. WeWard (Android link / Apple link)

Fetch, but for walking. This app tracks your daily steps. You convert them to wards. And those wards convert to gift cards and/or shopping discounts. This is another one I have a referral code for: ValidTiger9242. (If you're going to sign up, this gives you and me a few wards to start with.) 

8. LastQuake (Android link / Apple link)

I live in southern California. Of course I have an earthquake app. (Although, they changed this one so that it's functionality isn't as good as it once was. It's time for me to make a switch.) 

It happens frequently enough. I feel something. Was that an earthquake? Time to open the app. Usually, it was. And the app tells me the severity and the epicenter. And then I move on with my day. 

9. My Q (Android link / Apple link)

Okay, this one is pretty specialized. A little over a year ago our garage door opener broke. They replaced it with a "smart" garage door opener. It has a camera. (We don't pay to store the video, so it doesn't "record", but if we want to check the camera, we can see what's going on in real time.) It has alerts (that you can turn off if you don't want to be notified every time the garage door opens or closes). And, this is the cool thing, you can open and close the garage door via your phone. 

I usually use the remote. I don't often check on the empty garage. But, if you've ever gone, "Did I remember to close the garage," well, this solves that problem. And, when my remote's battery dies, I have a backup. 

10. Sub Alert (Android link / Apple link)

Speaking of specialized...

Have you wondered how substitute teachers get their gigs? The school districts contract with a company that posts the jobs, pushing alerts to the subs who can then pick them up. But competition is fierce. So, this second party app (that does cost money) exists. Do the jobs pop up quicker? All I know is that I see this app more than the official one, and it's kept me in work (during the school year). I'll keep it.

11. Medisafe (Android link / Apple link)

I have run out of apps I have that you might not know about. But, that's what the internet is for. I found this one that reminds you to take your medication. This is something I will probably need in not too many years from now.

12. Soundscape (Android link / Apple link)

This contains a library of calming sounds. Nature sounds. For relaxation, sleep, focus, or meditation. 

13. Daylio Journal (Android link / Apple link)

Mood diary and happiness tracker. It's a bullet journal for your phone.

What apps do you have on your phone that I might not have heard of? 

Success (the Class) 13

If I commented on your blog last week, I apologize. I wasn't entirely mentally there. It was a long, hard week in the eighth grade success class. I don't have a lot of good stories, but I have a lot of little things that happened. Which makes this the perfect time for a Thursday 13. 

ONE

The assignment was to make a Mission Map. They had instructions. They had resources online. Ms. T had discussed it the week before. (She said this in the lesson plans, and I believe her.) But they had no clue what to do. More likely, they weren't listening when Ms. T was instructing, and they weren't bothering to read through all the materials to figure it out. 

TWO

Ms. T said they were to leave their phones in a phone box that all the teachers at that school have for just that purpose. They've been doing this all year. But with me? They "got their phone taken away". They "didn't have a phone". Yet, I saw many of them had a phone in their pockets.

I got irritated with this, so I took pictures of the mostly empty phone box each period. And I emailed them to the teacher. Petty, but I don't care. 

THREE

Beginning of seventh period, Monday. I warned students should be in their assigned seats. They said they were. I knew they were not as one of the kiddos I knew, and he was not in the seat indicated with his name on the seating chart. When I called him out on it, four other students suddenly knew where they were supposed to sit, too. (Names were noted.) 

FOUR

The fire alarm went off. Seventh period. As this is not the school where this happens frequently, the kiddos all ran out the door. We barely got down the stairs when an assistant principal shooed us back to class. False alarm. 

FIVE

Allergy season? Colds? Or an excuse... In sixth period they managed to go through a box of tissue as several boys kept getting up to go "blow their nose" outside. In groups. Every couple minutes. (I made a blanket rule that only one person could blow their nose at a time, that's how crazy that got.) 

SIX

Sixth period, Tuesday. Blake asked to use the restroom. (After refusing to sit in his assigned seat and giving me a false name.) He was on the escort list, so I called for security to escort him. He left before they arrived. And then he returned with popcorn. Sigh. (And acted clueless when I told him he was supposed to wait for an escort.)

SEVEN

Third period, Wednesday. Fire alarm went off. I figured it was another false alarm, but no. We evacuated. (Someone *ahem* didn't grab the evacuation stuff: roll sheet, sign, backpack, because she assumed it was a false alarm.) And that was a very long walk for someone who was already feeling the week. At least most of them made it back to the classroom before me. (That's good.) The three that took their time... Well, that's what detailed notes to the teacher are for.

EIGHT

Seventh period. A girl got a hold of one boy's paper, and was very loud about how she could not read it. They passed around the paper. Passed it to me. (Yeah, the writing was bad, but most of their writing is bad. It wasn't out of the ordinary bad.) Announced to the class that the boy had bad writing. And that he really needed to work on it. 

NINE

On Thursday and Friday they had guest speakers. Apparently, the state of California has a fund for students to use as a scholarship fund, and the speakers were walking them through claiming the accounts. 

Sixth period was embarrassing. You'd think they'd know how to behave for a guest, but no. Getting up for no reason. Not listening. Talking over the speakers. Yeah, it didn't go well. 

TEN

There were two kiddos who were tasked with making sure the Chromebooks were all plugged in at the end of the day. Odd day monitor did an excellent job. Even day monitor... Sigh. And I like this kid. Had him in the art class. He'll mature eventually, but right now he's giving in to his baser impulses. (Although, he had the best reaction to how much money he had in his CalKIDS account: "I've never seen that much money before in my life". It was about $1500.) 

ELEVEN

Joaquin, one of my problem kiddos in period one (see yesterday), asked for his work during first period Friday. I assumed he was not eligible for the CalKIDS scholarship, so I was going to send him out of class so as to not disturb the others with the presentation. One of the presenters: "He's eligible". Then why was he ignoring...? Free money for college...? Did he do what he needed to do to claim the money? Nope.

TWELVE

Third period, a student disappeared. Not to restroom (as I was keeping an eye on them). I stepped outside to see, but he was not there blowing his nose. He returned a bit later. Where was he? Oh, he had just gone to take something to his history teacher without asking permission. (I think the history teacher was next door, but still!)

THIRTEEN

If this was a Thursday 20 I could make it work. It was a hard week. I emailed all of this (plus what I couldn't include) to Ms. T. I received a reply. I don't think the kiddos are going to enjoy the consequences. 

Within the first day I learned that the kiddos were being bribed. For a good note they were going to get a pizza party. Most of the kiddos knew that they were not getting a pizza party. (Some tried to get me to "write a good note". I explained that I write an accurate note. It's good if they choose to be good.) 

Ms. T has a note on her board: Be Good Humans. Hopefully they will be. Just not with a sub last week.

Humble Bundle 13

A couple months ago, I found out about a sale of all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels in a digital format. Which is something I had wanted for a while. I jumped at that. 

Ever since, I've been getting the emails from the company, Humble Bundle. Mostly they bundle up video games, but they do digital books and comics, too. You get a bunch of media at a great price, and they donate the proceeds to charity. 

Since it is spring break (so I'm on the summer schedule), this is a Thursday 13. Since this is April, well, Humble starts with H... Here are 13 bundles you can get right now from Humble Bundle:

1. The Collected Peanuts: 43 books of Peanuts comics. Pay at least $25. Sale ends April 15th.
2. Valiant Classic Omnibuses: 7 comic omnibuses for at least $18. Sale ends April 27th.
3. Guitars and More for Dummies: 18 books for at least $25. Sale ends April 21st.
4. The Dark Worlds of James Herbert: 17 books, for at least $18. Sale ends April 13th.
5. The Best of Ellen Datlow's Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror Anthologies: 29 books for at least $18. Sale ends April 28th.
6. Linux the Good Stuff: 17 books for at least $60. Sale ends April 19th.
7. Strategic Minds Collection: 7 battle games for at least $18. Sale ends April 22nd.
8. Avatar 20th Anniversary Physical RPG Bundle: 6 physical items for at least $49. Sale ends April 24th.
9. Humble Heroines: 6 female-fronted games for at least $18. Sale ends April 15th.
10. Spring 2026 15 for 15: 15 games for at least $15. Sale ends April 15th.
11. Dungeon Master's Adventures, 3D Printable Miniatures & Scenery: 91 item software bundle for at least $25. Sale ends April 20th.
12. The 2026 Certification Bundle: 45 item curriculum bundle for at least $25. Sale ends April 12th.
13. Realer than Reality Scanned Material Bundle: 22 items for at least $30. Sale ends April 20th.

Sometimes they have good stuff, sometimes not. Check out the website and sign up for the emails. You might be surprised at what they have on offer.

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Not Quite a Two-Day Install 13

I finally (FINALLY!) have a completed shower. This whole process started in October. And so, to commemorate this long bathroom nightmare, I'll take you through all the snags in 13 steps (for Thursday 13). 

ONE

I didn't particularly want a new shower, as I was afraid the whole thing would go sideways, but it wasn't up to me. Landlady noticed that the old shower had developed some holes. She had been talking about replacing it for a couple years, and then one day she got a company to come out and look, and she signed the contract. This was late September. 

TWO

It was to be a two-day install. Day one they tore out the old shower. (This was October 30th.)

THREE

Day two was Halloween. Because of the way these condos are configured, to turn off the water to the place required access to the neighbor's garage. You know, the neighbors that flooded our place. Twice. They were apparently not home, even after being called repeatedly for two days. (They were home.) 

So, to get the water turned off, we had to turn off the water to the whole condo complex (it's an ongoing problem). Which required 24 hours notice. As Halloween was a Friday, the earliest they could complete the shower would be the following Monday. 

(There are two bathrooms in the place, but the other one is an en suite attached to landlady's bedroom. This will become more important later.) 

FOUR

When I returned home from work on that Monday, I learned the awful news. The shower was almost finished. All that was left was to attach the doors and a couple finishing touches. But...

An hour away from finishing, they got a knock on the door. The city inspector, who just happened to be in the complex for other reasons, noticed the work truck and had a question: Did the company have the required work permits for the construction? No, they did not. 

FIVE

They had to stop work immediately, get the permits, and then they could finish the shower. In the meantime, we could put up a shower curtain to use the almost fully finished shower in our bathroom. (For the record, I hate shower curtains.) 

They would have to prove that the room had no asbestos. (The complex was build in the early '70s. They definitely used asbestos.) Then they would have to tear out the shower so the inspectors could confirm they were building the shower up to code. Then they could reinstall the shower. 

SIX

Although landlady's convinced that the inspector was just in the area was a lie. She thinks that upstairs neighbors turned us in. (Upstairs neighbors have since moved out.)

SEVEN

After much back and forth with the company, the first hoop to jump through was an asbestos inspection. Failed. So, they had to do asbestos mitigation. Thursday, December 18th. I went to work and returned home to:

No bathroom access AT ALL. Which was kinda a big issue as December 19th was a work day for me, and the only other bathroom in the house is an en suite. I generally get ready quietly so as to not wake landlady when I leave for work in the morning. Having to traipse through her bedroom to get to a bathroom is not quiet. 

Oh, and the bathroom and my bedroom share a wall. In the bathroom was one of those heater/dehumidifier machines. They are loud. I did not get much sleep that night. 

EIGHT

The next day, Friday, December 19th, they came and tested the bathroom again for asbestos. If it tested negative, the worst was over. But, of course, we'd get no test results until the next working day, Monday. Which meant for the whole weekend, no bathroom access and the hum of the machine through the wall to my bedroom. They couldn't legally remove anything until they had the negative test. 

NINE

Landlady wasn't having that, though, and she tore everything open and removed the machine. Whew.

Unfortunately, when they did the mitigation stuff, they threw out the shower curtain. Landlady got another from Dollar Tree. Which did the job, but...

Okay, so I hate shower curtains because they float towards me the entire time I'm showering. And so that's what I'd been dealing with. The old curtain was nice and thick, so not as big a problem. But the Dollar Tree one was flimsy, so it attacked me with more gusto. (Eventually I figured out a way to tape the thing down.)

TEN

Monday, we got the results back: negative. Whew. But, that was December 22nd. Ain't nothing happening Christmas week. Or before the new year. 

ELEVEN

Although, we got a call the next week. (Monday or Tuesday, my memory's hazy on this.) Could they stop by with one of the inspectors who needed to sign off before they could install the shower? Of course. 

The guy arrived, parked by our open garage, but there was no sign of him. When he finally appeared, he said the plumbing inspector had gotten to the complex gate, and he went to meet with him. Turned out that he was okay with just seeing photos of the install. 

TWELVE

Monday, January 12th was the day. They had to tear out what they had done so the inspector could approve their work. 

They arrived at 8 AM. Tore out half the shower. The inspector was scheduled for noon-2 PM. He showed up pretty close to noon. Approved. Then they had to reinstall all that they had torn out. 

The guy asked if they could stay late (after their usual 4-ish finish time), and so when he left just before 8 PM, the shower was done. Double whew. Finally. 

THIRTEEN

Ignore the hole in the wall behind the toilet. They had to rip that out when they did the asbestos mitigation. They patched that hole on Friday.