Who wants to play TJBM #84?

ME!
TJBM is happy that this will be a new beginning.

I am, but #83 will always be special.
TJBM wants to chat.

I really do but it’s bed time now.
TJBM wants to chat later.

I can do that too. Good rest.
TJBM is a Pepper.

Dr. Pepper that is. TJBM is ready for a new start as well.

Considering it’s almost lunchtime and I haven’t started, it’s certainly time!

TJBM Will tell us what their favorite flower is and show a picture.

Um…favorite flower…the ones that the kids pick and give to me. (Don’t feel like going through the hassle of finding a picture of my own, uploading it to photo bucket and then pasting it here.)
The best boquet I ever got was in 1993. I was in the hospital. My kids were about 5 and 7. My boyfriend brought the kids to see me on a Saturday. They had gone to some garage sales and at one of them they picked up a little ceramic teapot and they picked a bunch of flowers and presented them to me in the teapot. Pretty sure it was all their idea. I don’t think my BF had the imagination for it. I still have the teapot. I’ll post a pic of it someday.

TJBM will tell of one of their favorite presents from their kids.

My 7 yr old grandson gave me quarter yesterday, made my day. They’re always giving me little bee bop things. Of course I ooh and ahh and make a big thing of how pleased I am. TJBM loves little kids.

I do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our school did a thing called Breakfast With Santa, and I was an Elf!!!! The kids were so happy to see Santa and it was so fun to make wonderful memories with them :)

TJBM loves to make others happy

I do if it works for both of us. Otherwise not so much.

TJ BM understands there needs to be equilibrium in a relationship for it to work.

My grandkids are forever giving me clovers and “crystals” (that look like rocks) and flowers. Sometimes they’ll find something at school and hang on to it all week to give it to me. “That’s the prettiest piece of concrete I’ve ever seen Onna! Thank you!”

Yes I do understand that.

TJBM thinks that when a relationship fails, usually one person is more the blame than the other.

It’s circumstantial.
TJBM loves ducks.

Meh. There are many ma.y critters I find more interesting. If there is orange sauce involved, I’ll bite.
TJBM is a do it yourselfer.

Yup, but not doing automobile repair anymore but still doing stereo, TV wiring and WiFi connecting.

TJBM is waiting for the other shoe to drop with POTUS assigning Jerusalem as capital of Israel.

Constantly waiting for closets full of shoes to drop with that one.

TJBM is tired of waiting for shoes to drop with that one.

Ya got that right,hopefully the whole closet will fall on that knuckle head.
TJBM loves all kinds of electronic gadgets, no matter what the cost.

I do love the gadgets, but the cost turns me off.

TJBM is pretty frugal.

My spouse would certainly say that except when I choose to spend it. LOL

TJBM is not in pain anywhere!

False.

TJBM is tired.

True, and in pain, plenty to share around.
TJBM is hungry, but after eating something will treat us to a colorful story.

Give something to eat first, and a topic.
TJBM will do it.

You can have the last slice of this pizza.
Somebody finds a woman drifting on a raft. She is unconcious. No memory when she wakes.
TJBM will get busy with that story now.

She tells me she is prepared to offer me 500.00 if I can fill in the blanks of her memory. I tell her if she is prepared to offer me 500.00 I am prepared to accept it. In advance. What you need is some food and rest I tell her. I offer her some beef jerky and a bottle of water and tell her I’ll go scout a way off the island. Which unknown to her is really a peninsula. I get to town, send police and EMS to her succour, then head to the casino. Hey, seems like a fair bargain to me. What’s she want for a lousy 500 bucks? TJBM says great story!

Great… Story <clap clap>
TJBM will do the same.

Sure, clap clap. Now, Mimi, where is the story you promised?
If TJBM is mimi, she will get going with her story. If not, TJBM will urge mimi to get busy with it.

It’s STORYTIME MIMI LET’S GO

TJBM is Mimi! :)

Hi everybody, I’m Mimi! I act tough sometimes, but I’m really a sweet, great person.

TJBM will tell me something cool about Mimi, unless she decides to tell us a story…

@Mimishu1995 is amazingly wise for her age.

TJBM will tell us what they like about Mimi.

I like how smart she is and I think it’d be pretty cool to have a conversation with her. She is very bright and funny.

TJBM will continue the Mimi positivity! :)

Sure she seems to remain fairly calm even when pushed.
TJBM will say something positive about truckers and mimi, but maybe not together.

Mimi likes truckers because they bring things she likes to buy, eat, wear, whatever!
So do I!

And now a ditty about trucks…This is the song my hubby sings when he’s teasing me.

I love my truck.
It’s right outside.
Don’t get much love ,
But I sure get a ride!

TJBM will tell us a poem from their childhood.

Not into poetry. Not the true variety at any rate. Recall a number of craphouse poems not suitabable for publication. TJBM will give ua a real poem.

The Tyger
By William Blake
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears
And water’d heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Had to read this during a English Senior day in High School.

TJBM has another favorite.

I do have a favorite, but it’s way to long to post here. It’s “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe

TJBM loves Edgar Allen Poe

Ok if you guys insist: Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. They both fell down and fooled around and now Jill has a daughter. TJBM will give us more (appropriate) poems. And I do dig Poe. Great writer.

This one is just my style. If you have the time, listen. It will be fun.

Bessie’s Boil
http://mobile.alaska.org/media/audio/BessiesBoil.mp3

TJBM has read Robert Service’s poems.

Probably forced to in HS and college.

TJBM has been required to read a book in school that they would have never read on their own, and was surprised when they realized they really got in to it. But hark! What light through yonder window breaks? It is…well, it’s that girl. Juliette.

That poem is not anything like anything Shakespeare, and it’s written in language that’s easy to understand.

I read Lord of the flies and hated it then and I hated every time I had to read it again with my kids to help them through their assignment. I never saw anything useful in the book.

TJBM is a genius at…?

“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.” I just couldn’t remember the end. It’s been 40 years!

It’s true. I am a genius. But I don’t know at what.

TJBM knows what I’m a genius at.

My parents had me tested as a kid. They told me I fell into the same category. Let’s start the “I’m A Genius But I Don’t Know At What Club!” We’ll get jackets!

TJBM has tamed a feral pet.

Working on it now. My mouse Teeny knows her name, and let me hold her when getting a shower made her panic.
I’ve hand fed squirrels and once imitated a jaguar well enough to call one to me from a quarter mile away. When it got to my end of the enclusure it purred and rubbed its face on the fence.
Oh, so many!
TJBM thinks EC would have loved the angry threads about deception, because he loved a good verbal brawl. I think he would have been in the thick of it with eloquence and fire!

He reminds me of the Music Man in the musical of the same name. Even though maybe some of us don’t like his lies, we cannot deny that our lives were enriched for the stories he told, and how we all secretly envied him and his amazing life on Saint Lucia.

Edit: TJBM collects something. What is it?

Mugs.
TJBM doesn’t collect anything.

Mugs (fun coffee mugs) here too!

TJBM knows someone who fits the description of a “war horse”. (Look it up if you’re unfamiliar.)

Don’t tell me it looks like… that person I liked so much. He didn’t fight as much but while he was still healthy he fought hard in real life.
Sorry guys, I was busy fixing my computer and dealing with my feeling yesterday, so I didn’t have time to brainstorm anything. But it’s late now right?
TJBM thinks it’s late.

It is late and I need to hit the hay. TJBM thinks it’s time to let EC rest in peace. Every time I voice my opinion I get
Modded.

I agree. No need to argue further. Poor EC has heard too much noise and he needs to sleep. Shhhh…
I suggest everyone gather here and don’t go out to avoid making more noise. And also go to a sound-proof bunker to make noise if you want.
TJBM wants to know about the bunker Just PM me :)

I do and I will. TJBM is ready to bed down.

Yes. Yawning here, but I’ll check in at the bunker before I do.

TJBM sings in the shower, to the chagrin of everyone else in the house.

I don’t just sing in the shower, I scream in the shower.

TJBM will guess why

You saw something horrible?
TJBM is @SergeantQueen.

The one and only! :) and yes, there was a bouncy ball on the drain(not sure why, why nephew was over) and without my glasses it looked like a huge bug was rolling around in it.

TJBM hates bugs

Didn’t Poe write a poem or story about a bug? Once upon a midnight dreary, whilst I pondered weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume, of forgotten porn. Uh, lore. Forgotten lore. TJBM knows the bug story by Poe.

Is this the one?
TJBM knows Poe wrote a poem about a raven too.

Yes, I have a book of Poe which includes The Raven.
TJBM will rock me to sleep.

Once upon a time there was a woman who got stranded to an island. She has lost her memory and couldn’t remember who she was. She wandered around the island and found that it was deserted. She kept on going since the island was beautiful and she wanted to know who she was.

She met some animals who told her the island was about to sink and she was the only one who could save it. To do so she must enter a volcano and fix the rupture inside it. She found the solution very strange but the animals insisted that she had a superpower to endure the heat. She found the explanation absurd but agreed to help the animal anyway.

She went into the volcano. The animals were right that she could endure the heat. She went deeper into the volcano and found a demon who was making the rupture. The demon taunted her that she had no hope to fix the island because she did not have enough strength. She became angry and attempted to fight the demon, but the realized that her hands were melting because of the heat. She was overpower quickly by the demon. The demon said the animals were lying, that she were just a human being without any special power. She cried in misery and passed out.

When she woke up, she was in a total darkness. The demon had now turned into a fairy. It asked if she had remembered anything. She started to see in the darkness remains of a shipwreck. She began to remember: she was cruising a ship and it sank. The fairy said that she did not lose her memory, but tried to deny it. The island was just her imagination of a happier ending for her, and it fell apart because it was not real. It advised her to come to term with her reality and let the island die. She agreed and they both flied away. She watched as the island fell apart and headed to the light with the fairy.

There you go. Now go to sleep.

TJBM is tired.

No. I’m doing chores and running errands.

Running too fast for TJBY!

TJBM has had a full day and needs some rest, and a danish.

After a day of Christmas shopping and listening to the grandkids fight and complain about how to decorate the tree I need a trip to bumfuk Borneo on a Danish tramp steamer.The Disrict Officer in Borneo who is TJBM, just cleared her throat.

Ahem.

Patty!

What she said!

!!!!!!

?????

TJBM waits for Patty in fear.

ROFL! Yup, I is skeered, I is!

TJBM WILL NOT FORGET TBMJ AGAIN!

I’ve NEVER done that! Ok once. twice? 5 times?

TJBM has NEVER done The Thing.

Yeah, that’s what I told that police officer. He gave a ticket anyway. (Grumble, grumble)

TJBM has talked themselves out of a ticket before.

I have indeed. I will not testify against myself though…

TJBM does The Thing several times a week, or they get grumpy…

Eating, or I get Hangry!

TJBM likes their drinking water cold.

Yeah warm water sucks. TJBM wants to know what the thing is?

Nope. To each his own.

TJBM eats with gusto.

I will this morning, bet it’s 40 below out here. TJBM says cold weather is for the birds.

If I’m dressed for it, I like it fine.

TJBM isn’t a fan of chick flicks.

No even though I’ll suffer through them with my wife from time to time. But I’d rather sit in a scrap yard and watch metal rust. TJBM likes Westerns.

Yes!

TJBM likes sushi.

Love it. I can name three restaurants that serve sushi within a 45 minute drive of where I am right now.

TJBM Loves BBQ spare ribs.

Hell yeah! Sweet n spicy bbq sauce please.

TJBM has eaten real southern bbq.

I got a craving for barbque last night. That’s a major rarity for me.
I don’t know if I have or not. I wouldn’t know what to compare it to. I have a feeling last night’s ribs were not “real southern bbq.”

TJBM is looking forward to their Saturday.

Not when work comes with it :(
TJBM has an unusual schedule.

If ya talk about working an afternoon shift, and not getting to bed till after 2am than yeah I guess it’s unusual.
TJBM will spend way to much on Christmas this year.

Not this year. For some reason my sis took it upon herself to help me out this year just out of the blue. With 6 grandkids to buy for that will help tremendously. TJBM has helping hand siblings as well.

Well helping hands chilluns now.

This Christmas season has been pretty awesome so far for for TJBM.

No Christmas here :(
TJBM knows today is someone’s birthday!

I do!! It’s mine and @Rebbel’s birthday today!

TJBM will tell their favorite holiday

I like new year’s eve. When midnight strikes, everyone embraces, and wishes each other well. It’s the only time we come close to peace. Just feels like a clean slate, and a chance for hope.

TJBM is looking forward to next year. 2017 was rough…

Yeah. And wish everyone a better year ahead.
TJBM will join hands.

As a jellyfish, I only have tentacles.

TJBM will join tentacles, with us…

(Ragingloli this is your cue)

Lol

TJBM knows where their tentacle mittens went to (it is getting cold).

They’re stuck to my butt from sitting on my tentacles.

TJBM had one entity screw up their entire credit rating.

Yeah, the stinking SSA. Held back my payments for two months and I almost lost my ass. Have to watch my hours closer in ‘18. TJBM has had a similar experience.

Amazon. I paid the Christmas bill off in May. At some point after that they hit my card up $99 for Prime, which I did not request and did not authorize. They never even sent me a bill so of course that didn’t get paid. It reported as delinquent to the credit card bureau. The first I learned of it was when I got a letter just a few days ago telling me they’d dropped my credit limit from $2,700 to $100. What thee hell am I supposed to do with $100 at Christmas time?? Well, they credited it all and I now have a .79 credit, but it’s going to take at least 30 days for the credit bureau to reflect the correction so I’m screwed.

TJBM can control themselves with credit cards.

Absolutely! I learned my lesson the hard way too. You can either pay the credit card company scads of money, or you can save up your money and pay in full when you purchase the thing, and not go into debt in the first place. This has enabled us to pay off two cars and have an excellent credit rating. This also means that I have to use self control.

TJBM loves cold cereal in the morning.

I love it for dinner too.

TJBM will tell us their favorite cold cereal.

Kellogs Frosted Flakes. They’te Great! TJBM likes them too.

No. I quit eating sugary cereal decades ago. I like Cheerios and Wheat Chex.

TJBM will tell us their favorite breakfast food.

Cant go wrong with sausage and easy over eggs. OJ or coffee on the side. TJBM likes oatmeal.

Oh, I do. With half and half, real butter and brown sugar.

TJBM will tell us what kind of foods they try to avoid.

Too busy slobbering over oatmeal post above. Why do I do that to myself? TJBM will tell us what foods they avoid.

Healthy foods.
TJBM loves cheetos

They’re OK. They make my fingers all orange though.

TJBM will tell us their favorite junk food.

Big Mac and Milkey Way for desert. TJBM likes that combo as well.

I can’t even eat a whole Big Mac, much less a Milky Way bar on top of it! But I like Milky Way. I have a specific way of eating them. I have a specific way of eating Payday bars too.

TJBM has a specific way of eating some foods and snacks.

I snack in small, frequent portions. Usually like a few almonds every couple hours. In my line of work, I might have to fight people. That sucks on a full stomach. So, I try not to drink, or eat a lot, while working.

TJBM can eat whatever they like, at work.

Well I could but I don’t.

TJBM will tell us what foods they keep on hand at work.

Chips and chips :D
TJBM is comforted by chips.

Well…no. Unless I’m super duper hungry. Which I rarely am.

TJNB will tell us their favorite color and why it is their favorite color.

Red. Don’t know why it just is. TJBM will expound on their favorite color.

Uh…. Forest green. I guess I like nature?...
TJBM will let us know what they think of nature…

Pretty awesome…I witnessed a near flood once where river waters were a few feet from topping a bridge. TJBM has seen the forces of nature at work.

The annual storms always remind me that nature is watching every move.
TJBM is a force of nature.

If I don’t watch my weight, I’ll become one! Storms would have to take me into account when they staredt tearing up the place!

TJBM needs an afternoon nap!

Nope have to get ready for work.
TJBM has never worked the night shift.

I worked 2nd shift at Boeing for about a year.

TJBM hates working 2nd or 3rd shift.

It’s not as bad as working a split shift. Early in the morning and late at night. Ugh!

TJBM doesn’t like cold food.

It’s 37 degrees Celsius where I am. I love cold food

TJBM Has a special dish that they are going to prepare for the festive celebrations

Nope. I’ll let someone else do that!

TJBM will share their favorite memory of vacation.

My daughter had spent her whole life in Reno.
I wanted very much to move back to the plains. She was nine when I finally had the means.
I didn’t want her to be miserable. I wasn’t set on any particular place, so I decided we should look over some towns, and see what appealed to her. I scheduled a trip to Quincy, Illinois during November, so she could get a solid concept of midwest winters. The following summer we would take another trip and see more towns in other states.
We took a train. She loved seeing the many different styles of Christmas decorations along the way.
When we crossed the Mississippi, it was really cool. She was properly impressed. I had crossed that river many hundred times, but never before on a train. It is an experience all its own.
We made a transfer in Galesburg. We found a sweet little cafe with delicious hot cocoa, and an old timey candy shoppe.
Arriving in Quincy was not real pleasant. It was an ugly cold dark hour of the morning, and the station is not in a downtown location. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind when planning the trip to enter the phone number of tbe local cab company into my cell. I called when we were a few minutes out of town for a cab.
I had the motel paid for before leaving Reno, so there was only the matter of picking up the key.
We spent the day seeing a park, shopping a thrift store, and I took her to Maidrite for loose meat sandwiches. She loved them.
We walked the neighborhood. I was better on my crutches back then. We saw a house for rent. We peeked in windows, opened the unlocked lift doors to peer at the basement. There was a family of eight or ten baby squirrels frollicking in the back yard. We spent some time watching them.
Finally, we headed down the street. We saw a young woman clearing the snow from her driveway. Her little boy, probably two, was helping, with his plastic sand shovel.
A couple of blocks more, and my daughter suddenly threw her hands in the air, and exultantly exclaimed to the sky, “THIS… is my environment!”
We traveled cheap, but smart. It was not to visit any theme parks or national monuments. We were simply exploring a totally different atmosphere than my daughter had ever known to that point. It was special, and bonding happened.
TJBM gets a romantic feeling walking through a quiet neighborhood when leafless trees are swathed in sparkling ice.

Actually when I see leafless trees and ice I begin to wonder why I was so stupid as to venture out in sleet and ice. TJBM hates cold ass weather.

LOL
TJBM is from a very, very cold place.

Wisconsin. Yes. Last year it got to be like -20 outside

TJBM is from a very, very hot place

Well, I’m in Melbourne, Australia; so I guess so to some degree. But it’s not very very hot, it’s just a little bit hot and scheduled to get hotter

TJBM Can’t remember ever having a Christmas that didn’t involve snow

I grew up in Utah. Christmas usually involved snow, if only in the mountains. But I started skiing when I was 8.

The nostalgic JBM remembers…what?

My kids, when they were little.

TJBM prefers heat over cold.

Yeah. I hope the winter ends soon.
TJBM agrees.

I do.

TJBM is looking forward to the days getting longer after Dec 21st.

I hate the heat. It will be mild, or cold here, for the next few months. Then BAM! Summer. The misery will begin again. I am looking forward to some fishing though…

TJBM likes to fish, or at least eat ‘em….

Depends on the fish. Hubs loves to fish but mostly for nasty catfish. I refuse to waste my time on them.
4 years after we got together we went to Roaring River to fish for trout. He was utterly shocked to find I KNEW how to fish!

TJBM has surprised the heck out of a long time S/O.

I have. Sent a dozen roses to my wife on our 30th anniversary. To her work. That was damn near 7 years ago, we’ve neen married 37 years next June. TJBM wonders why people don’t stay together any more.

I do wonder that.The wife and I are going on 29 years and still strong.
TJBM likes small things.

I do. I am past the half century mark. I am poor. I am disabled. I am in pain nearly all the time.
I have chosen to ignore ageism and allow myself the luxury of toys, and other small indulgences. I have little plastic birds in various locations around my house. They were a dollar each. Certain sounds or vibrations will cause them to sing for a few seconds.
TJBM has a bird or two.

Used to. They died after a month.
TJBM has an adorable pet.

I do. My dog Wanda. She’s lucky she’s adorable, or I’d…..

TJBM has no time/patience for a pet.

Not so! My dog is the best!

TJBM will tell us of the time they last witnessed a car accident.

It was quite horrific. I didn’t get to see it while it happened, but I saw a truck, a motorcycle and lots of blood. There was also some candies scattering around. I could see that there was a child involved and it was very serious. It was the most horrible accident I had ever seen.
TJBM will give me something to write I know I’m pretty lazy. But if something interests me enough I will try to write.

@Mimishu1995 Are you familiar with the cartoon Peanuts? Here are the characters. http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Peanuts_characters

Here’s an archive of Peanuts comic strips that appeared in newspapers. https://www.peanuts.com/comics/

If you are really interested there are Peanuts movies on YouTube.

So write a film noir story using the Peanuts characters! Have fun!

TJBM breathlessly awaits the latest story from Mimi.

Psssst! Mimi! Wikipedia says this of Snoopy:

The Peanuts comic strip character Snoopy, in his imagined persona as the World Famous Author, always begins his novels with the phrase “It was a dark and stormy night.”[7] Cartoonist Charles Schulz made Snoopy use this phrase because “it was a cliché, and had been one for a very long time”.[8] A book by Schulz, titled It Was a Dark and Stormy Night, Snoopy, and credited to Snoopy as author…

And I thought Snoopy was a WW 1 flying ace. TJBM will tell us more about Snoopy.

Well I’m not familiar with Snoopy. I only know it’s a dog :D So maybe you will have to give me another thing to work on.
TJBM will think about it.

Oh my goodness. See here for the ultimate Charlie Brown dance. Snoopy was his famous dog.

TJBM loves the Charlie Brown Christmas dance, especially the music.

Oddly enough I do. It is a jazzy little musical peice for a cartoon. TJBM likes it too.

I LOVE it!

TJBM has a handful of cartoons that they really like.

Yes. Dagwood, Family Circle, and Garfield are a few, but especially Calvin and Hobbes!

Mimi, here’s a list of detective story ideas. https://thewritepractice.com/20-mystery-story-ideas/

So you take one of these ideas and put in your “noir” characters (the crooked cop, the society lady who leads a double life as an undercover agent, etc). And start writing.

TJBM will help Mimi with more plot ideas for her noir passion.

Don’t forget the private eye with the two pack a day habit. TJBM will submit more ideas.

“Noir fiction is a literary genre closely related to hardboiled genre, with a distinction that the protagonist is not a detective, but instead either a victim, a suspect, or a perpetrator. Other common characteristics include a self-destructive protagonist….” it also goes on to explain the differences between Noir fiction (or Roman noir), Mediterranean noir, American noir, Urban noir, and Existential noir. Wikipedia source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noir_fictionl if you read through this carefully, you should find a host of other ideas, @Mimishu1995. Oh! Maybe you should come up with an Asian noir!

TJBM never realized there were so many types of noir literature.

In my culture, there is a superstitious belief that your ancestors will protect you if you or your family are good enough, and give up protection if you are too bad or “run out of time”. Well, I think I will play with this idea a little.

He watched him stepping on the bus. The bus was cramped with people. Just another bus that tried to stuff as many passengers as possible for extra money. It was not a surprise at all, even though the law strictly prohibited bus owners from getting more passengers above the bus’s limit. There were always loopholes in rules after all. From the look of it, he knew that this bus driver was going to be reckless like many other bus drivers in town, running as fast as possible just to gather more passengers and more money in the shortest time. This was going to be a rough ride.

But he knew he had nothing to really fear of. Not because that person who just stepped on the bus had known what a reckless bus looked like, but because he had seen worse. He had driven at night around a mountain pass, drove at full speed on the highway, walked into a dark alley in the middle of the night, all kinds of scary shit one could think of. And he was still standing there on a bus, ready for another risk. That fool was not aware of it, but the only reason he was still breathing was because his “ancestor” was with him 24/24. And this ancestor was looking at him right now, waiting for the bus to ride away.

This ancestor was a grandfather from the fifth generation up on the family tree. He had never met his great-great-great-great-great-grandson before (not while he was alive at least). He had never thought he would meet the grandson or even imagined who he would look like. He had never developed any emotional bond to the grandson, and he knew the grandson did not even know what he looked like either. Their connection was as close as the seabed to the sky. He was only there because of… duty? The entire family of the last generation had a heart of gold and did not mess with people, so they earn enough “fortune” for themselves and this generation. And it was his duty to make sure they were alive until old age.

Except that he was just tired of his grandson. He did not care for his family, they were too mediocre. The grandson was a pain in the ass though. He did not know if all of this was intentional or not, but the grandson just had a tendency to put himself in questionable situations that made people cringe when thinking of them. The worst thing was that he was always the one who took all the damage for his grandson. God, his grandson was mocking his great grandpa’s patience, consciously or not. And his grandpa was just a ghost, not some mighty god with super magic! And because the grandson never saw the consequence of what he did, he never learned anything. And he kept putting himself in danger again and again.

Trying to protect him was just like babysitting a kid in a kindergaten. You did not know who they were. You did not even love them. They could even be an asshole to you. Yet you had to make sure to take good care of them without question.

The bus was about to move when a man ran toward it in a hurry. He suddenly sensed something strange in the man. There was a dark aura flowing out from the man. That was a very bad sign. The man had run out of his life time on Earth, and in a few minutes he would have to die. He felt a sense of pity for the man. Some people roamed around pushing their luck while others were begging for just one more day to live.

The man got on the bus and stood next to the grandson.

How ironic, he thought, a person who was about to pass away was standing next to someone who threw his luck day by day without checking twice, like a beggar standing next to a millionaire. The millionaire could spare a bit of his fortune to the beggar. But luck just did not work that way. No one had any control over it. You were either a beggar or a millionaire.

Thought started running in his mind. Why could such a young man run out of time so quickly? Did his family do something wrong? Was he a bad person? The young man did not look like a bad person at all. He knew the rule of luck was that there was no rule. Sure, you could not tell who was bad just by looking at them, but from his observation, some people were just born with too little time. He could never understand the confusing rules of karma. It just felt like karma had no rule at all.

Nevertheless, the young man was destined to die, and there was nothing anyone could do for him.

Suddenly, he had an idea. It was not a moral idea, but it fitted the situation the way he saw it. If the young man was about to die, he could at least be happy that he did not have to suffer along. A beggar could take a little joy knowing that wealth did not stay forever. Luck was nothing like wealth, but at least no one deserved to be miserable all their life.

And beside, he had to teach someone a lesson too.

After all this bus did not care for its passengers right?

With that in mind, he watched the bus disappear, and floated away.

…

A man and a woman were waiting in a hospital. They came there immediately after hearing the news about a collision of a bus and a car. So far five people had died and several people were in critical condition. That bus was going to the bus stop near their house, and of course their son was on it.

They did not know about the condition of their son, they could not even see them. They only knew that their son was being operated on.

“Well, let’s hope the ancestors are with us this time.” The man said.

TJBM read it and thinks it’s a noir I don’t even know if it is :P Beside my hands are freezing. It’s getting too cold.

No

TJBM would like to finally get some winter weather.

Got it,and you can have it .
TJBM, would like a waffle for breakfast.

Bacon and eggs actually. TJBM will have the same.

Wish. I skipped breakfast to get ready for doctor appointment. Now having leftover pizza for lunch.
TJBM has been poked today.

@Mimishu1995, Your protagonist is self destructive, but maybe not the way noir protagonists are. It sounds more like a science fiction to me (I don’t think noir literature has ghosts in it). But it’s not bad, IMO. Thumbs up!

No, but hubby was, many times. He’s in the hospital.

TJBM has read all of Shakespeare’s works.

Definitely not; but I’v read and watched a fair amount (there’s a pop up Globe Theatre in Melbourne at the moment and I’m obsessed)

TJBM Enjoys live theatre and will possibly tell us their favourite play or musical

Dont care for musicals. They cant even take a whizz without breaking in to song. TJBM feels much the same.

Yeah. Musicals suck…

TJBM sings while doing stuff…

Not really.

TJBM has (or had) a pet that’s obsessed with…?

My daughter won a free cage, ball, and everything set up for a hamster about a decade ago, so I got her a five dollar hamster for Christmas. She named it Gigi. That hamster was smart. She played a game in her little ball. She played peekaboo inside a coffee cup I put in her cage.
Her obsession was getting out. Lol, but she always told on herself. As soon as she got out she would hunt me down. Once, I was napping in my recliner. Something stirred me awake. I open my eyes, and Gigi was climbing up to my lap, where she sat, looking quite pleased with herself. I had put a small padlock on her cage door, but she’d somehow managed to pick it open! No, I SWEAR!
The worst part was her constant chewing on the bars, which was LOUD loud, and all the time. I tried slopping hot sauce on the bars, but she would lick some off, chew the bars, lick off some more, chew the bars…
TJBM cried laughing this week;
about what?

Hmmmm. Not tears of laughter, but close. A friend graciously picked me up at my house, drove me to the airport to get my girl coming in from Japan, then drove us to the hospital to visit hubby where he’s threatening to become a fixture there, and then home. I was too tired and stressed to drive safely that day. Anyway, he had us laughing soooo hard! It felt great!

TJBM will tell us about their last belly laugh.

Last night. It had been a lonnnng time since a good hearty laugh.
That little baby mouse I adopted while throwing out all the rest (dead). Tossing all those mice out dead was getting to me. I devised a way to live trap some. My daughter and I took turns “fishing”, and we each caught one of the babies. We turned mommy loose in a park.
I cleaned out a couple of plastic barrels I had, which snacks had come in.
I cut holes in the bottom and sides for drainage and ventilation. I cut dowels to provide exersize and entertainment. My daughter made a little ladder for hers. I stuck a piece of dowel through a hole in the barrel so my baby could have a perch.
Higher than that I used string to suspend the ends of a dowel to make a swing. These wood dowels are about the same diameter as the tinker toy sticks.
It took Teenie (my baby) no time at all to discover how to get up to her new amusement, the swing. Her first shot at it was funny. She quickly found herself dangling upside down.
Even funnier was watching her last night. She got the knack of the thing, and had a blast. She jerked her tiny nose out and back to make it swing. She kept it going and going, her little neck stretching out and back. She practiced jumping off while in motion, and stationary. She was like a kid at an amusement park, and just kept going for well over an hour. Jump, perch to swing, swing like crazy, hang upside down, drop, back to the swing, figure how to jump from swing to perch, rearrange the furniture, then swing again.
She couldn’t stop, she was having so much fun. I started laughing and couldn’t stop. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and still I kept laughing and laughing.
It was a good, healthy laugh. It lasted for quite a while.
This morning I woke to find one end of her swing hanging down. She had chewed through the string.
I’m going to let her pout about it for a while before I fix it.
Snow, hoping your husband is soon on the mend.
TJBM has had an unusual encounter and will share.

Hubby wasn’t feeling well enough to send him home. They put in a second stent, and he feels great.

Strange encounter! I guess! He had a motorcycle accident a few years ago, and they checked him out from head to toe then. They told him his heart was “perfect!” What baffles us is he’d been eating what he’s always eaten (fast food) and feeling lousy for years, long before his accident. How did they miss this? We certainly spent enough! We are glad they saved his life, but not happy they missed the heart problems then.

TJBM isn’t ready for Christmas yet.

Indeed, I am not.
TJBM has written with a quill.
I’m watching Sense And Sensibility just now, and writing with a quill always fascinated me.

Nope. Remember trying it once when I was a kid if you count a bird feather as being a quill. Didn’t work out to well. TJBM must get a move on with the Christmas shopping. Time’s a wasting.

No shopping here. Christmas is just another working day for me.
TJBM doesn’t even know what Christmas is.

Not fully, but that is because it is so many things.
Until very recent decades, Christmas was celebrated in areas primarily harsh during winter months.
Communities where members suffer and thrive as a result of weather changes tended to develope celebrations timed to weather changes. Farming communities have some sort of holiday to celebrate the end of harvest. Winter celebrations bring joy to a time when people are feeling shut in, bored, and the world seems dead. Various cultures have had their own winter holidays and customs. Christians fearing the possibility of their religon losing interest and dying out, attached the birth of Christ to these winter celebrations in order to keep alive thoughts of their God.
Over time merchants have latched on to all customs and holidays to profit best as they can.
This much I do know, but many customs, origins, and historic markers are a mystery to me.
It is my belief that Christmas will soon begin to devolve.
TJBM got a Cristmas present early. <Clapping hands and wriggling> What is it??!!

Not anything I’d have cared to have. Our mom passed last month and according to my sis who is a lawyer and power of attorney over the estate, I will be looking at a financial windfall early this year. But I’d rather have mom still with us. The JBM has good/bad news as well.

Oh, no. I’m so sorry.

Thanks but she passed quietly In her sleep and was almost 90 yrs old so were kinda expecting it. TJBM has lost a loved one recently.

I lost a friend, but that’s too obvious by now…
TJBM will not talk about sad things.

Yeah, come on guys!!! Christmas is in TWO DAYS we need to be festive and happy!
TJBM will share what they love most about Christmas

Just getting together with friends and family.
TJBM wants a rice crispy treat.

I plan to con grandkids out of some of their Santa candy and cant wait to see them open their presents. TJBM is getting hype as well : )

I’m watching silently while you all celebrate.
TJBM is giving something.

Giving myself a breakfast burrito on the way to my job in the AM.TJBM is giving themself a present also.

My present is a living hubby home from the hospital!

As far as celebrating, we didn’t buy a present for our daughter from Japan. We didn’t think she would get to come. We’re going to wait until after Christmas to give gifts so we can take advantage of the sales. We’ve already spent our wad.

TJBM has never considered giving gifts to each other after Christmas.

I still don’t understand the gift giving culture of Americans.
TJBM will fill me up.

Mimi, I’m not into the obsession with gift giving, either, but it IS my culture. And it really is fun to find something that you know somebody would really appreciate and use and surprise them with it. The Christmas tradition is to exchange gifts between family and friends, and the gifts are often opened in family groups. The idea is to select a gift we think the other person would like.

But it’s been blown way out of proportion, and there’s so much pressure to buy, it’s nuts. And if someone gives you a gift, and you forgot to give them one, it’s awkward.

There’s a start with the explanation. Gift giving doesn’t end with Christmas either. We do it for birthdays and other holidays too.

TJBM will help Mimi with more explanations of giving presents.

Christians exchange gifts in remembrance of the baby Jesus, and the wise men who came to see him. The wise men had special gifts for the child they believed was king.
Gift giving for special ocasions has a long and varied history.
The Jewish holiday, Purim, is celebrated by anonymously giving to persons in need.
I agree that Christmas gift giving has gotten way out of hand in the states.
These days, many see it as a contest of status to give many gifts to many people and also very expensive gifts.
Before I was born, when my parents were children, most kids only got one or two gifts and that usually involved warm socks, or mittens, or fruit.
TJBM will tell the very best gift they ever got for Christmas.

The greatest gift I ever got was magic. When I was a kid, I really believed in the whole thing. I can even remember hearing things on the roof, and thinking “that might be Santa arriving!”

All the lights, decorations, and stimulus. I used to love lying under the Christmas tree and looking up, through all the flickering lights. I remember the smell of burning pine, or oak, paired with the crackling of a fireplace. My grandmother used to read The Night Before Christmas, to a captivated audience of squirming, or yawning children. I remember lots of family members, many whom have passed, being silly or nice. I remember not being in school, for like two weeks.
There was a sense of overall good spirit, and love.

Then there was Christmas dinner, almost the same stuff as Thanksgiving dinner. I remember all the men in my family drinking beer, and talking, and watching football, or basketball. All the women gossiping, laughing, and clanking pots/pans. I remember the first time I didn’t have to sit at the “kids table” (mainly because I had grown too big, not because of age.)

It was a very different experience, as a child, who still believed that reindeer could fly…

I hate Christmas now. But I wouldn’t trade my memories of when the world was so different from now. When magic, and wonder ruled the season, and I could still be anything I wanted to when I grew up…

TJBM doesn’t feel like they ever grew up.

I skipped “up”, and went straight to “old.” Pretty memories, @MrGrimm888
TJBM has gone into a chimney.

Hell no I don’t even like elevators. TJBM is claustrophobic as well.

No, I use brick and mortar the inside of continuous feed heat treat ovens, some were only 3 foot by 3 foot inside.

TJBM seen a large open foundry making metal ingots.

Only on TV.

TJBM was young. Once.

Ah youth…TJBM was young once as well.

Ah… I’ve seen better years. Kids these days…
TJBM was young once too.

LOL you’re still a “spring chicken”, @Mimishu1995! (Pssst! Look it up!)

TJBM doesn’t have to deal with the IRS.

Not for the immediate future. TJBM is good to go with IRS.

I’m going to assume you’re talking about the Internal Revenue Service? I’m Australian, not American, I had to look it up… On that note, I’m going to hope that I, an Australian citizen in school and without a job, am pretty good to go.

TJBM Has some more comforting words than my friends to cope with the last year of school
“There’s only 8 months until it’s all over” – it stressed me out more than it calmed me down

I was there before, and now as you can see I’m still alive.
TJBM has better words of comfort.

This too shall pass. As the wise guy said
TJBM will follow up that thought.

Pancakes for everyone!

TJBM will have maple syrup on that!

Dern tootin ya luv fig newtons! TJBM will second the maple syrup!

No pancakes for me. Woke from surgery late afternoon, and real dopey. Could handle one word sentences only. Biscuits and gravy in the morning. Mmmmmmmmmmm
Gotta go. Battery dead, but not me.
TJBM will have syrup without the pancakes, because they just can’t handle the action right now.

Syrup without pancakes is like biscuits withouy gravy. TJBM will join me in congratulating PattyMelt on her successful surgery.

COnGRATULATIONS @Patty_Melt !!!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE OKAY
TJBM IS ALSO HAPPY @Patty_Melt IS OKAY!! :)))))))

^I’m happy. But I knew she’d be ok. She’s tough as nails.

TJBM knows someone else tough as nails.

Yep

TJBM hates having to assemble furniture that was by no means cheap.

It’s a pain, to be sure.

TJBM likes teaching.

I do. I love seeing lightbulbs pop above their heads. Down to teaching only my daughter occasional things now, but I love that too.
TJBM is feeling piggy today.
I decided to have eggs with my b&g, and finish off with pudding.

Not really, although jalepenp poppers are calling my name.

TJBM is excited about something!!!!

I’m excited that @Patty_Metl is still here!
TJBM is @Patty_Melt

??? How did you know?
Feeling lousy, but still breathing so far.
The surgical incisions are bigger than I was expecting. The constant, non stop pain is giving me a headache. My sore throat healed, so at least there is that. It must have been rough when they removed the oxygen after surgery, because I woke up with a very raw, painful sore throat.
TJBM will tell what is causing them headaches lately.

Sickness and stress.
TJBM is in good health.

I am in fact. TJBM is also healthy. I would hope?

I am, hopefully :)
TJBM hopes that @Patty_Melt will be ok. Please keep us updated!

I’m here. Yes about @Patty_Melt.

TJBM is wearing clothes they received on Christmas.

Earlier I was. Dressed for bed now. I’m headed to chat in about five, if anybody wants to join me.
TJBM would find it amusing to pick Kim Jong Un up by the earlobes, and watch his little feet kick.

I’d have no issues stomping a puddle in his ass…

TJBM hopes for a peaceful resolution on the Korean peninsula.

<Crickets>
Apparently jellies want some rowdy warmongering with NK. That was a very long silence.
TJBM likes to pretend they are a super hero sometimes when they are home alone.

Well, I am a superhero. Just ask my grandkids!

TJBM has had a rough week.

Not really just on another round of B day shopping. Two grand kids with birthdays right on the heels of Christmas. TJBM has a similar problem.

Yes, but we sent it with the Christmas gifts.

TJBM is past ready for spring!

I am. Not looking forward to the temperatures. But I love getting out in my canoe, and fishing. I’m currently moving into a new house, so I will try some waterways close to me. The Ashley River is closest to me now. I used to fish in the Stono River a lot. The extreme cold may have hurt some fish species, but I hope they recover.

TJBM likes fishing, or at least eating fish.

I like fishing for certain fish, and catfish is not that certain fish. So I don’t fish much around here. But yes. I like eating fish. But not catfish.

TJBM thinks catfish is nasty as hell.

I love catfish, sorry. Catching them is sad though. They whimper when you take the hook out.
TJBM has had to remove a fishook from theirself.

Yep. When I was a kid I was fishing with some other kids. One kid threw his line back to cast and nailed me just above the eye…..

TJBM was lucky they weren’t killed or maimed growing up.

I can’t even list how many times I have cheated death. That includes right now.
I got my biopsy results today.
What they feared might be cancer was scar tissue left behind by some infection. I am cancer free.
TJBM has seen pictures of their own insides.

A big conrads to Patty_Melt! No, never seen ‘em and have no desire to either. Perhaps TJBM can answer that in the affirmative,

CAT Scan 30 some odd years ago. Several X-Rays of chest too.

TJBM remembers the fluoroscope at the shoe department (causes cancer) ! ! !

I don’t. Maybe I’m just an idiot about those things :P
TJBM will make a party for @Patty_Melt!

I had my party. I ate a whole banana cream pie, and took a nap.
TJBM sometimes prefers to keep things simple.

The value of simplicity cannot be overstated. In a world where one tries to reduce the amount of things that could go wrong, having less variables is an advantage. Usually….

TJBM has a liking for complexity.

Kinda, yeah. It’s a challange but I am not one to make things more complicated than they need to be.

TJBM learned the KISS philosophy early in life.

I never heard of it until I had been an adult for many years! LOL

TJBM has footie PJ’s.

Nope. That would be dangerous for me. I have a tough time with socks. Footie PJ’s would have me break my neck.
TJBM has a gray, rainy day.

Yep! It’s rainy and cloudy here.
TJBM has a bright, sunny day

Yes. Unfortunately, it’s sunny, and kind of warm, or not cold. I am coming to the realization that I hate the weather in Charleston. It’s Africa hot for months in spring and summer, then cold off and on during the winter. So I’m miserable in the heat, and my immune system sucks when the temperature fluctuates 50 degrees every other day in the winter. It was like 20° the other night. Almost 70° yesterday. Everyone is dying of the fucking flu. I get bad sick every damn winter when it does this. Hopefully, I won’t die this year…..

TJBM has an opinion about flu vaccines.

Yes, get one you can it’s better than getting the flu. TJBM has a strong opinion about the anti vaccination crowd.

I think they are literally the dumbest group of people on this planet. Diseases that were once incredibly rare to get are coming back because these (excuse my language, I’m sorry) DUMBASSES ARE REFUSING TO VACCINATE THEIR KIDS BASED OFF FALSE SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TJBM has no strong opinion on vaccines but still gets them. (because they aren’t dumb)

I got them before I knew about the “truth”, so I’m already taken the poison by now. The point of no return eh?
TJBM is good at evaluating news.

I like to think I am. If someone says Trump did this and that, I go fact check, even though I hate Trump and I’d like to think it was true.

TJBM knows we’re an afterthought in the galaxy, thrown out on the edge of one arm, and about to fall off.

“We are a fluke of the universe, we have no right to be here”... Detereorata-National Lampoon. TJBM agrees..

Kind of. We are a by-product of a meteor collision after all.
TJBM thinks that human should learn to treat each other nicely before moving on to other matter.

I’d settle for peaceful coexistence.

TJBM has faith that humanity won’t destroy the world.

No I don’t and I don’t look to aliens to help us. TJBM agrees.

Well, the world,with the exception of America (thanks to Trump) is working on it, so I just don’t know what to think.

TJBM has a sore throat.

No just a bad case of acid reflux on top of getting the flu a few weeks back so don’t jinx me. TJBM has no ailments right now.

Have you been checked for H Pylori? It’s a bacteria that causes ulcers. Acid reflux could be a symptom of that.

I wish I had no ailments. My throat hurts, my brain hurts and my heart hurts.

TJBM keeps on keeping on when they’d rather just drop out.

0nward thru the fog keep on truckin. TJBM shares that sentiment.

Do I have any other choice?
TJBM is not wearing socks.

You peeked, bare feet right now.

TJBM has eaten Mexican fried grasshoppers.

I kinda wish eating bugs was culturally accepted here when I was little. I might have taken to it. However, as it is, the thought of eating a bug creeps me out.
TJBM has eaten something while it was still alive.

A bug while I was riding my bike as a child. Ugh!

Oops!

TJBM will never forget TJBTHEM!

Nooooooo! Don’t leave Snow!
TJBM agrees.

Hell with snow and sleet. TJBM agrees!

Snow and sleet in a place where people don’t appreciate it and know what to do with it is a waste! Take Indiana for example. Lafayette, Indiana gets snow storms, but they don’t even have snow removal equipment! What they use instead is street sweepers, you knows those big trucks with giant brushes underneath that sweep up dust and leaves? Yeah. In Lafayette the residents call them ice polishers. And they expect you to drive and walk across streets I have through they have polished the ice! For those of you who are uninformed what a street sweeper machine looks like- here you go. https://www.sweeper.com.au/asc-electra-1.html

TJBM has a better use for snow. I know I do, and I love it!

Snow ice cream. TJBM has had some.

Maple syrup on ice cream with a dill pickle.

TJBM has package coming and it is overdue.

How did you know? Was it you Ordered from?

Man, best snow removal I ever saw was town in Iowa. I was driving across the state once in heavy snow. Plows on the highway were having trouble keeping up with it. I got to one town, and the they had bulldozers pushing towards inloaders, which then piled it into waiting dumptrucks, which took it somewhere out of town. They had a real system going, and it wasn’t creating any piles.
I don’t know how many streets they were doing at a time, but it looked like they did all north south, then all east west.
It was the smoothest operation I ever saw. They didn’t block one single driveway.
TJBM loves it when a plan comes together.

Who doesn’t? I’m actually more concerned that @Patty_Melt is healthy enough to drive :D
TJBM is bored.

Nope. I’m tired.
That drive was a couple of decades ago, when I could wrestle bears and win four times out of five.
TJBM has a darn itch back there they can’t reach.

Constantly. Please scratch it right there. No over to the right a bit… now down and to the left. Yeah! You got it! Thanks!

TJBM also has itches they can’t scratch.

The moment when you are in bed and you can’t move your arm to your back :D
TJBM will scratch me.

Depends on where the itch is. @Patty_Melt I feel ya. I had 12 fights and I won all but 11 of them. TJBM will assist with scratching TJAM.

Mimi, not only will I scratch your back properly, but I’ll turn down your covers and put a mint on your pillow!

TJBM will fix Mimi a proper pancake breakfast in the morning. Tell us about it!

Bisquick! That’s all I have to say. Unless Mimi would rather have a piece of chocolate cake. Or how about a no bake cookie? It has oatmeal in it.

TJBM finds it interesting when food in one form is considered a meal, but that same food in another form is not. And TJ asked a question about exactly this, before she even saw TJAM’s comment.

Did ya’ll just quit playing?

TJAM is a rebel . . . LOL

TJBM is a rebel too.

A little bit.

TJBM is super tired all the time.

Even while I sleep.
TJBM thought this thread disappeared forever.

Me too! I’m so glad it came back to life.
TJBM will party with me.

Ok Mimi lets party down. You buy the beer and I’ll let you get the ice. TJBM will join in the festivities.

I’m back. Ok to festivities. Not to alcohol. I’m allergic.

TJBM knows what @NomoreY_A is going to bring.

He’s going to bring an Opera cake with cookies, brownies, and all the good stuff
TJBM knows what I am going to bring (hint: it’s not alcohol, I’m underage)

Live Music!
TJBM will bring something non alcoholic to drink. I will provide Mountain Dew.

Grape juice!

TJBM will bring toys.

Tops! Lots of spinning tops! And yo-yos! I like yo-yos!

Edit
TJBM is afraid to eat certain foods. Tell us.

Boiled fish. I just can’t stand its smell. I don’t know why, but the smell is awful. I know it’s just me. But boiled fish is very common in my country, so I’m pretty wary when I eat at someone’s house. I just don’t know how to explain why I can’t eat a food they serve without causing misunderstanding…
TJBM likes to play with toys.

@Mimishu1995 Wow. Is there a specific spice or species of fish they use in the boiled fish recipes? If so, maybe you could get away with saying you are allergic.

TJBM will tell us the strangest food you’ve ever eaten.

Sesame Jellyfish at a Japanese restaurant. It was ordered for me and I didn’t know what it was until I was done eating it. Very fishy !
TJBM has eaten at a unusual restaurant in the last month.

Sorry, I haven’t.
Mimi, I understand your problem completely.
I used to live in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Sunday ritual there that many, many residents have boiled cabbage. You can smell it while driving! Yech.
TJBM will not bring any boiled fish or cabbage to the party.
Instead, maybe some baked mahi mahi?

I will not. Boiled fish just sounds gross.

TJBM will bring lobster tails to be cooked on the outdoor grill.

No money for that here. Someone bring that for us please?

@snowberry This is the fish. It’s super disgusting when you boil it. The smell is all over the place, and the meat is just as horrifying as the smell. Unfortunately it seems to be a favorite Vietnamese household dish. At one point I wonder what was wrong with me because it seemed like I’m the only one that hate it.

TJBM will bring us something less disgusting.

Lasagna.
TJBM just felt their mouth water.

With extra cheese. Uh huh!

TJBM will tell us what the music will be.

Jazz, of course!!! With yours truly on the Saxophone, who wouldn’t be entertained?
TJBM will join the band!!

Um. No. Can’t sing. Can’t play an instrument.

TJBM will tell us what dessert they will be bringing to this partay.

I am torn between Dutch apple pie and triple chocolate cake.
TJBM will tell jokes to keep things rolling.
has anyone noticed where my lurve is slowly creeping?

I know where it’s going. It’s going further down 2000 milles under the sea!
TJBM knows how deep they are in that sea now.

YOU CAN’T GO 2000 MILES UNDER THE SEA! The deepest you can go is 36, 070 feet.

36,070 is about where TJBM is at in lurve.

Not quite

TJBM has a new toy that is a good way to waste time.

I just installed a new game app which is keeping me entertained. Does that count?
TJBM is a master thumb twiddler.

Um, probably not. Sounds fun, though!

TJBM collects stuff. Tell us all about it!

I have a bazillion scarves. Crinkle scarves, silk scarves, chiffon scarves. Many designs, and all colors. I have a cheap source, and they cheer me up. Sometimes I turn seven, and drape myself with pretty scarves.
One of these days I’m likely to get so frustrated with my daughter’s behavior, I will use thirty scarves, or thereabouts, to tie her in the basement. ~
TJBM wants a thumb twiddling lesson.

No she doesn’t. :)

TJBM has a special dinner guest tonight.

Not really. Unless you call Big Nasty, our resident racoon on this site, a dinner guest. Kinda early for him to be out and about but I just saw him. TJBM likes nocturnal critters.

I do! Bats are nifty, except when they get trapped indoors, and bare their teeth and hiss, and raccoons can be excellent.
I don’t have trash bandits where I live now, but there was an orphan where I was living. I had my trash bin locked, and put all my food scraps out to the corner where my back yard met the woods. Deer took what appealed to them, the coon and his orphan opossum orphan buddy would dig out what they wanted, and by morning the scraps were all gone.
I love owls, even though I think one may have been harassing my cat one night.
Then too, I am nocturnal myself.
TJBM has something new they want to brag about.

OK. My grandson’s 3rd birthday is today!

TJBM is sick of not feeling well.

You have no idea. Spending all day in pain, for years worth of days made all the worse by knowing all the rest of my days will be lived in pain is just too much.
TJBM will reveal what order pets, kids, spouse, wildlife, or whatever get fed every morning at their house for breakfast.

Well, we only feed our dog once a day, at 6:00.
I don’t feed nobody nothing any more! Except myself. I’ll have a bowl of cereal or toast at some point in my day. Could noon, could be 4:00.

TJBM went to the doctor recently.

Yes.

TJBM used to keep bugs as pets when they were little.

I don’t know why my mom kept so many baby food and mayonnaise jars but I used several for ladybugs and grasshoppers. I found a very tiny monarch caterpillar one spring. I started it off in a mayo jar, but as it fattened up and got long, I moved it to a box with netting over it.
Our driveway was a lane of pretty good distance, so it was easy to pluck fresh milkweed leaves everyday on my way home from school. I put a small branch in for it to attach to when it came time to change.
When it came time to let it go, it wouldn’t leave. Finally it took off across the backyard, straight for the lane.
It was like, wow.

TJBM has had a dream they would like to see made into a movie.

Hmmm. Yeah. It would be a really weird movie though!

TJBM used to save up those handy dandy baby food jars.

I don’t have any access to baby food jars unless I go to the store and buy them, but there’s nothing better for keeping spices and herbs! I’ve bought several over the years just for that purpose!

Sometimes I’ve fed the baby food to the dog, sometimes it’s gone in soup I’m making. I hate to throw it away, but it IS tasteless.

TJBM will tell us what new ways they’ve found to repurpose things they’ve found.

You never had kids @snowberry? The food wasn’t tasteless. It tasted like it was supposed to.

Well, I re purposed my husband over the years so he’s a lot better now.

TJBM will tell me what their favorite baby food is / was.

Applesauce. I used to take it to school for lunch, because it was before individual servings hit the market.
The carrots is great for making carrot cake, and the applesauce makes moist delicious cookies. It also goes great with oatmeal, and some cinnamon sprinkled on.

TJBM has more ways to use baby food in recipes.

I’ve never used baby food in recipes. I have, however, tasted my baby’s food. The best was baby rice mixed with peaches. It was pretty good, I thought.

TJBM will tell me what they tried on themselves first before they did it to their baby. My daughter was prone to eye infections. Doc told me to clean her eyes regularly with baby shampoo…

I don’t have a child so…
TJBM will tell me something else for me to answer.

The Mimi below me will tell us about a kid she wonders if they will ever grow up.

There are some “kids” I wonder will ever grow up. They look grown up but they are still big kids. Those kids have no regard for others’ well-being. They like to be seen as smart/mature/whatever by acting petty or pretentious. They always think they are above everyone and they have the right to treat people like dirt. They have a taste for drama and some of them like to stir up one. This attitude is a mark of someone trying to be approved for being a grown-up, because real adults don’t need to be validated for something they have already achieved. I saw those kids in high school and even college, but that was the age when you are still developing your personality. But you are at your 20s AND YOU STILL KEEP THAT MENTALITY? That is when I wonder whether the big kids will ever grow up at all.

TJBM knows the difference between childlike and childish.

Childlike is that excitement you get on Christmas or at Disney. It’s innocence, amazement, wonder

Childish is throwing tantrums, being immature, not being rational, etc.

TJBM is childlike

I am. And, well done on your definitions, spot on!
I have been revisiting my childlike joys to help get through my pain and disabilities.
I find things on eBay which are cheap but fun, light earrings with flashing lights, or books I loved as a kid.
The search itself brings me joy, because to keep ordering, I have to keep it cheap.
I have little battery operated birds I put through my house, so I can have song even in winter.
I have numerous charm bracelets, loaded with cute little charms.

TJBM knows something which delighted them as a child, and likely will even when they are olllllld as dirt.

Using my imagination.

TJBM will tell us about something they liked as a child, but don’t like as an adult.

Mud pies! I served them up on paper plates, and decorated them with poisonous berries and pretty leaves from the bush beside the door. Mmmmm! Don’t that sound good?

TJBM will also tell us something they liked as a child but don’t like as an adult.

My mom.
TJBM has heard about California’s weed for the homeless program, and will give their opinion.

I have not heard of it.

TJBM thinks the new Jumange is da BOMB!

I don’t even know what the new Junmange is. I also don’t know what the old one might have been. :)

TJBM has friends affected by the volcano-related events in Hawaii.

you guys, it’s Jumanji. Not Jumange or Junmange

I don’t have anyone in Hawaii anymore. That is some scary stuff.
TJBM is afraid of the power of nature.

Hawaii Jake is in Hawaii….

I should be but I’m not. I do get scared in specific instances, though. Last night it was storm after storm after storm. Tornado sirens went off twice. But I was not scared. How can you be scared when you’re watching Carol Burnett??

TJBM will share their scariest weather related experience.

We hung out at home while a hurricane roared through our area. We were almost at sea level, but were not evacuated. Wow.

TJBM is still in their jammies.

Yeah, and the jerks are slamming me. I might just go back to bed pretty soon.
String of rough days.
TJBM knows the gut burn of over doing crunches.

When I was in high school we would do sit-ups with a 20 pound plate weight on our chest on an incline board set at 15 degrees. Ugh !

TJBM remembers and will tell us something silly they did in High School !

I can’t think of anything really silly. I could always do all of the exercises and PE tests with no problem….except climbing a rope. I could not then and that never changed.

TJBM enjoys connecting with old high school friends on Facebook.

I couldn’t ask for a quicker way to get depressed. Most of my classmates didn’t care I existed. A couple of them was friendly but only on a surface level. Hell they didn’t even like each other anyway. Being around them just drains my energy.

TJBM will forgive me for being too negative.

You don’t need my forgiveness; you answered a question. However, I would be careful talking negatively about high school while holding that gun. ;)

TJBM has had a boil on their body at least once. I haven’t but there is a knot/marble like thing under the skin that I just discovered. What else is this week going to bring? :)

No, but I’ve been burned by boiling water more than a few times!

TJBM is afraid of snakes.

Well, I don’t LOVE them, for sure, but I don’t think I’m crazy afraid of them. My son loves snakes.And frogs. And spiders….

TJBM usually lets the spiders live.

Only the ones at good kill vantage points of entry around my house. If they are preventing bugs for coming in, and stay clear of me, they probably get to live.
All close encounters result in their death.
I prefer my praying mantis friends for bug control in my house. They are polite. They say grace before every meal. They don’t squirt sticky string from their butts which will attract dust and be difficult to reach.

TJBM would like to have a whole batch of Coloma’s brownies today.
I would. The wretched pain has really brought me down the past few days.

I love brownies but am on a sugar fast right now. That means I’m not eating sugar (just in case).

TJBM has a love of sweets like I do.

I do, but I manage to refrain. Most of the time. My husband brought me home some Hotess Swiss Rolls. They’ve been in the freezer for 4 days.

TJBM had a very pleasant Saturday.

It was meh. The yard needs mowed bad, but rain keeps happening. Good for me, the cool breezes are great, but I have a regular thicket out there now.

TJBM will search my yard for baby bunnies tomorrow so I can mow.

Book a plane for me first!
TJBM will wish me luck. I’m going to spend a restless afternoon and night in a tiny building packed with some hundreds people.

Sounds perfectly awful! You have my condolences!
TJBM still has Christmas stuff up.

Christmas stuff up in May? Surely you jest. TJBM is looking forward to a relaxing Memorial Day weekend.

Wish that were possible.

Christmas stuff? I jest not. I have three Strings of lights up, but one is always in use. It is my nightlight. I use it as such, because it gives me enough light for the hallway, bathroom, and my bedroom. It is remote controlled, so once I make it safely to bed, I can turn it off.
TJBM has a perfect excuse,
whenever one is needed.

Actually, yes!

TJBM has lived on a farm.

No. :( But my Mom grew up on a farm, and I dated a diary farmer for 2 years in college, so I have a passing familiarity with farm life.

TJBM has a passing familiarity with farm life.

I made more hours with a nutpick! My brother and I used to sit by a bushel basket of nuts, sometimes walnuts, sometimes hickory, and see who could get out the most halves unbroken.
So many black raspberries you could spend all day pick n eat, and there they are again tomorrow.
Our tree house was built in an apricot tree. My brother favored those.
Gathering eggs is easy, if you do it right after filling the feeder.
Right after tornadoes, people would be buzzing the party lines, “Got the tops of two grain bins down by the pond. Anybody belong to them?”
TJBM has a kooky neighborhood story from their childhood.

Not sure if this counts,
but when I was younger, for whatever reason, we woke up one day and found that someone put the neighbors’ mailbox on top of ours. No idea how they just stacked them. Happened for a good week.
Another story has to do with my dog.
Somehow, he was getting out of our closed, fenced in yard. One day, my brother said that he literally climbed the fence into the neighbors’ yard. Obviously, no one believed him until my neighbor saw the dog jump up on the back of a trailer in our yard, and literally scale the fence.
It’s a good 6–7 foot fence too
True stories I swear, although not many people believe me. Especially the second one.

TJBM will share a story they swear is true, but not many believe.

I believe you.

Similar story: One morning, in 2010, Rick and I woke up to the fact that both of our dogs were gone. It had happened before, but we were always able to discover where they’d gotten out and repair it. This time, though, we could not figure it out. 3 of the 4 sides were privacy fence, and the last side, which was the garage side, is 6’ chain link.
I had just started a new job and I went in to work and mentioned that our dogs were out.
A while later my new co-worker was perusing a local online news site. There was a story of a 5 year old who had been reported missing, and was finally found in an alley “accompanied by two stray dogs.”
My coworker wondered if it was our dogs….turned out, they were.
What had happened was the kid left his house in the middle of the night because his step dad was drunk and trying to get him to shoot a gun off in the house. He left home crying and crying. He walked past our house, past the driveway, crying….and as far as I can tell Dakota flat went over that fence! A child needed help and nothing was going to stop her! I guess Dutchess followed her.
A few days later the mom walked over with the child to thank Dakota! The child said he found a mattress in the alley to sleep on, and Dakota just paced in front of the mattress all night, protecting him.
The morning came, and Dutchess struck out on her own. She ended up at a nearby elementary school greeting all the kids as they came to school. The janitor took her in and fed her pop tarts until Animal Control got there….

TJBM has had amazing pets in the past.

My most amazing one is the one I have right now. She’s very people oriented, super smart, very very easy to train, and really pretty. Everyone who meets her loves her.

TJBM will go to the new TJBM
here—> https://www.fluther.com/207837/who-wants-to-play-tjbm-85/