COLD DARK ROOM

[Kristoff]

Hi, and again...lol.

Library and bookshop owners claim that it is not feasible any more.

In the small university town in US Midwest where I went to school, they had an amazing old bookstore, Acorn Books or something, in a very central location. You literally had to squeeze between piles of books to walk inside. I spent quite a bit of my student allowance there. But the rent became too high for the owner and he moved the shop to a more remote location. One would need a car to go there, and I didn’t have one. I still miss that shop when I think about it.

 

[Kristoff]

Unfortunately, I have not found them. Such a business ( a bookshop/library ) does not make the money it used to. Plus, don't forget: rental of the place, employees, power bill, tax.... Know what I mean?

I could order books from abroad, yes. But to be honest to you, I cannot afford that, as, once one reads a book, puts it on the shelf till further notice. I.E: I don't think many people would read the same book twice. Right?

Ummm.... They don’t?

 

[Kristoff]

I wish. The plane landed early but immigration at JFK was sooooooooooooo slow. Just got to our hotel at 2pm local time

Husband recently had a super fast experience at JFK immigration, scanning his passport, showing it to the official, and getting out of there in record time. He may have arrived at a less busy time, of course. And when we arrived last summer, the scanner recognized only daughter’s passport. [emoji849] So we had to move to another line and waited forever...

 

[Kristoff]

Yes, it has knocked me out you can say.
But I have another bad new: This evening I had the VET here at home to euthanize my little baby "Monty". He is a cat and I have raised him with my own hands 13 years ago. But now he was too sick. I had to let him go. It was peaceful, calm and easy for him but I am devasteted. I am very, very sad. He was always special to me because he still behaves like a cat baby when he was adult. Now he is lying next to me on the sofa and tomorrow I must burry him. I am sad but glad it is over. He isn`t suffering any longer. Now I am the one who suffers because he is dead.

So sorry to hear, Sabine! You’ve told us about Monty being your special baby. He had the best life with you. Remember that every time you feel sad. [emoji173]️ A huge hug from me [emoji173]️[emoji304]

 

[Kristoff]

Well, nutz! You mean bookstores are being phased out? I have a whole room full of books that I'm boxing up and going to take to a used book store (so I can have that room for my incubators and indoor enclosures). I don't want any money for them, but if they're going out of business, maybe the boxes will have to go to the dump. Shucks!

We came to Denmark with only a couple of books for daughter. (The rest are packed up in in-laws’ storage in Turkey. About 20 big boxes.) We didn’t buy a bookcase, trying to minimize our furniture, and now, a year later, our windowsills are full of books. Husband is an academic. Besides, you just don’t walk by a Neil Gaiman or an Anne Rice for 5 kroner (under a dollar) and not buy it. I’m trying to make space for them as we speak!

Daughter’s windowsill, with some of her books:

 

[Kristoff]

Well ya know, we have to keep out and sift through all those foreigners massing at the borders.

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Kristoff]

Mostly murder mysteries.

Just the stuff for school kids! [emoji48][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Kristoff]

He's the spitting image of your Monty, with the exception of his big, fat tom-cat cheeks.

View attachment 256597 View attachment 256598

He would have been a gorgeous house cat! Naughty tom.

 

[Kristoff]

The Leprechaun's Back?
Again?

Oopsie...

 

[Kristoff]

Me too!
Hope you're well, Lena, I must pop in in the morning some time and try and catch you.

Whenever you aren’t gone to bed yet...
[emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️
How’s the weather in Fes? Is it starting to affect Tidgy?

 

[Kristoff]

Haven't tried it yet.
I shall do so when i'm feeling very brave.

Or dead..?
(Just kidding. Not anytime soon, please!) [emoji173]️

 

[Kristoff]

"might be"?
"Getting sick".
Bit vague.
Hope she's okay.

Yep. And dog ate her homework.

 

[Kristoff]

Lurk lurk!
Lurking's cool.
Just lurk in a corner and come out occasionally to pinch a coffee (or something stronger))
Welcome to the Cold Dark Room.
Today is murder a Leprechaun One-Legged Pirate Substitute Day.

But he did promise us new shoes!
Fancy some fairy shoes, Adam? For your ladies, of course.

 

[Kristoff]

Is Ed about much these days?
Or Dan?
And what a shame Noel didn't return for the Christmas fun, she loved the TORTOISE.

Ed’s a bit busy adjusting to his new life of retirement with a part-time job as the cherry on top. He does delight us with his occasional visits.

We haven’t heard from @DE42 in a while.

I also miss @AZtortMom. Her TORTOISE present for me lights up every afternoon on my window. (Because it already gets dark in the afternoon [emoji849])

 

[Kristoff]

Wifey cooked up one of our favorite (Korean) dishes tonight.

From Wiki -

Bibimbap - from Korean bibimbap [pi.bim.p͈ap̚]), sometimes romanized as bi bim bap or bi bim bop, is a Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed rice". Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste), soy sauce, or doenjang (a fermented soybean paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The hot dish is stirred together thoroughly just before eating.

Here’s a pix, but we don’t eat/add any meat

From the top, home made pickled red saurkraut, cucumber in rice vinegar, sauteed mushrooms in garlic-gingerxsoy sauce and honey, pickled carrots, and sauteed spinach with garlic topped with sesame seeds. In the center a fried egg, and it all sits atop a bed of jasmine rice.

View attachment 256618

Was that inspired by Linda’s picture of the Empire State Building? I love Little Korea. Some fantastic restaurants there.

 

[Kristoff]

Or, as I have come to lovingly think of the CDR...


It's a bit like Alice in Wonderland falls down a gopher tortoise burrow and lands in the Twilight Zone...or the TARDIS. I haven't figured out which, but I've a strong suspicion that a committee (cat-mittee) of felines is responsible for navigation.

Merely cats? More likely, meerkats...

Love your description! [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Kristoff]

I'm glad to hear it.

Until several years ago, I completely underestimated how much of a difference a spay or neuter would make to a feral cat's personality. Then, only after she had two litters of kittens, I finally managed to catch Loki in a carrier I'd put on the porch, and I quickly shut the carrier door with her inside. Then I literally jumped up and down for joy at having caught her.

The next morning I took her into the spay and neuter clinic. I had a really hard time trying to describe what she looked like. "Kind of a mottled grey...?"

They were the ones who told me, "Oh, that's a dilute tortoiseshell... A Pastel Tortie."

And now you know that my username has absolutely nothing to do with color (colour) preference!

The story behind the username. Brilliant!

 

[Kristoff]

Nighty night. Will have to get used to it being only Lena and myself up this early for a while. [emoji3]

My mornings are sacred. Coffee + the CDR. Life can wait.

 

[Kristoff]

Good Morning all
On the way to work we saw this. Which means that some poor person is not having a good Friday at all.

Happy Friday All. View attachment 256652View attachment 256653

Oh dear. Drive safely, Carol.

 

[CarolM]

No, eggnog is a must. And I like my sip of port in the evenings. Let the pirate stay.

See, the leprechaun promised to make us all new shoes — he said he’s made tons of dainty ones for some fairies... I fell into temptation

No no no. You need Elves for that job and all they need is some milk and cookies and a place to sleep during the day.