Coronavirus Quarantine a/k/a What I Did on My Quarantine Vacation Thread

I use this site:

https://postimages.org/



Budaball Ham? That can't be a typo. It's from Hannaford's weekly flyer. Someone must have been bored in the typesetting department.

 

My Grandpa, my Mom's Dad, has been dead for almost 40 years and my cousin and I still talk about him to this day. There are so many Grandpa stories I could write a book. He was a Barber, and my Mom and her siblings in comparison to a lot of other poor Italians in their Manhattan neighborhood, were not rich by any stretch; but they were very well provided for all things considered. They had clothes, shoes, and food; unlike my Dad's family who were piss-poor and really struggled.

My Grandpa got to America by stowing away on a ship when he 13 - alone - and he would always tear up telling the story of when he saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. His name is engraved on the wall on Ellis Island, as is my Daddy's, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'll tell that story later.

Anyway, my Grandpa had an intense distrust of the banks. His brother was an upholsterer, and about a year before the Stock Market Crash of 1929 he took all of his money out of the various banks where he was splitting up his cash. It wasn't a ton of money, understand, but more than his peers and he was nervous about keeping it all in one place.

His upholsterer brother, Augie (everyone learned a trade or was apprenticed to a family member who was already in a trade), cut open every mattress in the house and expertly sewed up all of my Grandpa's money inside. The stock market crashed, and my grandfather surreptitiously continued to feed and clothe his family. He also slept with one eye open and a with butcher knife under his pillow.

That apt. was on 1st Avenue and 11th Street, and it's still there. My Mom was born in that apartment and delivered by a mid-wife and every time we would take a trip to NYC we had to go to Veniero's, which was close by. She would always point up at the window of the second floor store front and say, "I was born there!"

Years later, my Grandpa was one of the first people on his block to buy a house in Flushing, Queens (172nd St.). He opened a Barber Shop around the corner, across the street from Bohacks and up the street from Flushing Cemetery. Although he sold it aeons ago, it's not only still standing, it's still in operation, the original Barber Shop swirl light outside still going. My Grandma used to run wine in the underground through the tunnels of NYC during Prohibition. Yet another reason why they were the A set of grandparents.

Another thing my Grandpa did was buy a truckload of War Bonds during World War II. After he died, my Grandma cashed them in and split the proceeds equally between my Mom and her three other siblings. I went to college and got a BFA on those War Bonds and never paid a dime in school loans. It was a great SUNY, and we were in a bind because I didn't qualify for financial assistance but paying out of pocket would have been brutal. Thanks, Grandpa!

 

OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod, I'm in love Be prepared for a lot of baying. For a small dog, Beagles talk a lot of shit, lol. A friend of mine has two Basset Hounds. They're both rescues. The younger one, she got him when he just under a year from the local shelter where she was volunteering, 100% pure bred there's no doubt. Someone threw him out on the highway.

You have to be very assertive with Bassets because they can be very alpha and turn aggressive with the wrong owner, much like Bloodhounds. Aggressive towards you, aggressive towards other dogs, aggressive towards other people. Most of the reason why they wind up in shelters or rescues is because people don't understand the breed and don't know how to handle them. Plus, they never shut the fck up, which is probably why someone threw him out on the highway. Scumbags.

Anyway, like I said, he was a little under a year old, and that dog NEVER shut the fuck up. And I do mean never. As in never ever. He would even bay in his sleep. He's 6 now, and even when he's engaged or you're playing with him, still with the baying, but not nearly as bad. My friend would call me up and say, "I AM LOSING MY MIND . . . !"

Good luck with your pup. I love the way puppies smell. It's one of my favorite smells in the world next to Lily of the Valley, haha. Even puppy breath when they give you kisses is glorious. Dog breath, not so much. :/

Here's my psycho, Henry.



I call it 'Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer'. Any horror movie fan worth their salt will get the reference.

 

More Henry:







He's a great dog, but he's a handful. He's extremely smart, but also very headstrong and bossy. I tell him all the time I'm gonna kick his ass. It's a good thing that I'm an experienced dog owner because he would have ran all over me every way possible. He still tries.

On the plus side, he's great in the car which is a brand new experience for me. Every single dog I've ever owned has been a major asshole in a vehicle. He also lets me do anything to him. Deep clean his ears, cut his nails, vaccinate him, brush his teeth, etc.

Speaking of which, one thing that you should do with your puppy is always stick your hands in their food and in their mouths when they're young. Cuts food aggression at the source (aldo do this with bones and treats!), and also let your dog get used to having your hands in their mouths in case you ever have to medicate them or examine their gums.

Also, socialize that puppy to hell and back with other people and other dogs. It will save you a shitload of potential trouble later. Henry was 6 months old when I got him. He was seized from a drug house in Kentucky and after I had him about three months he started developing aggression issues. In truth, I think they were already there and the shelter did me a little dirty hoping he would stick somewhere. It's a challenge sometimes. More pictures, please. What did you name it? I don't know if it's he or a she. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot myself, how socially insensitive of me. Is it cisgender?

 

Well, she obviously learned from the Master of Hoarding and the owner of Pan Am himself: Howard Hughes. Speaking of which, ever see 'Melvin and Howard' with Jason Robards and Paul Le Mat? Great movie.

EDIT a day later: I'm like George Washington, I cannot tell a lie! Howard Hughes owned TWA. I knew it all along but I did it for the sake of the narrative. I also did it for the sake of somebody's namesake. My head can rest comfortably on the pillow now.

 

Yay!

 

I finally got through to unemployment the other day. Yay. Wheee.

 

It's raining out. Is this how that shithole Twitter works?

 

Are they part of the gay alliance? @Dierking