The Restoration

THE FINE FIVE:

(1) Today was the first time in over a week (eight days, to be exact) that I did serious cardio (two ours of walking the mall, in this case). Last time I did it, I strained my lower left leg. I probably could have gone back to the routine a few days ago, but chose to wait. I feel fine. It was worth the delay.

(2) Watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on HBO tonight. Not the best of the HP films, not the worst. But a fun watch nonetheless. Voldemort is a bad ass in his return.

(3) Yesterday was "condo carpet cleaning" day - much needed after seven years living here. It is a noticeable difference, and Stanley Steemer did a pretty solid job. The carpeting was dry by this morning, so that was a plus.

(4) Next up is repairing the six dining room chairs that have been part of the family (and are currently in my possession) for the past 40 years. The padding in some cases is falling apart and in need of replacement; several of the chairs sag when being used.

(5) This is the first stage of restoration; next up (and this will take a few years to pull off, because finances), in no particular order: two end tables, the dining room table, server table, and china cabinet are also in need of serious cleaning and/or repair. Like I said, it's a 40-year-old Mahogany wood dining room set, and the pieces have been moved so many times since the early 1990s (between myself, my sister, and my brother, easily at least a dozen times). Most of it was transported by moving van from my a storage area in suburban Detroit to me in south Florida around December 2003. We joke that the chinks and stains in the furniture (especially the china cabinet) add character to the items. This may be true, but I'd still like them to look relatively unscathed by amateur furniture movers like me.

CAMPAIGN 2016 NEWS OF THE DAY:

From Fusion: "Hillary Clinton is killing it with women and young voters - even more than Obama did in 2012" - "Check me if I'm wrong, Sandy, but if I kill all the women and young voters, they're gonna lock me up and throw away the key ..."

FACEPALM NEWS OF THE DAY:

From KSAT: "Woman calls courthouse arrest 'a nightmare'" - It takes a lot of brass, sometimes.

FLORIDA NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Orlando Sentinel: "Robert E. Lee mascot sign taken off Orange's Lee Middle School" - Anyone up for petitioning the school to change its name and mascot to that of Geddy Lee instead?

WEIRD NEWS OF THE DAY:

From ABC News Australia: "Mystery surrounds McDonald's 'coming soon' sign in Simpson Desert" - Yes, I wonder ... it's a mystery ... what could a McDonald's sign indicate?

SPORTS NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Sydney Morning Herald: "Shark attacks Australian surfer Mick Fanning during live competition" - Fanning attacked back. Sounds like the plot of Sharknado XVI.

VIDEO OF THE DAY:

ESPN's Stuart Scott would have turned 50 today, Here is the riveting 2014 ESPYs Jimmy V Perseverance Award speech he gave. FYI, cancer sucks.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY:

Some classic Muppet Show jams for you :)