Happy birthday Franny! It's not as easy to celebrate as it used to be, but I gotta recognize your day. :)
(Sorry about the poor picture. It's from the Mizz's zero point naught megapixel camera. D's always sleeping in the room with the good pics.)
Showing posts with label Franny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Franny. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2009
Happy Birfday F!
Happy birthday Franny! It's not as easy to celebrate as it used to be, but I gotta recognize your day. :)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentine's Day! Whether you celebrate the Christian Saint, the cheesy romance, the massacre, or something else, everybody has an opinion. Enjoy it however you want.Franny and I both used to hate the day. Actually, hate is too strong a word. Apathy is closer. (I may have mentioned this before, but...) However, 10 years ago today, we took it back from the monsters in the greeting card industry. You see, ten Valentine's Days ago, Franny agreed to marry me. Since we still like each other after all this time, we still like the day. We don't go overboard, but we do make sure to take the excuse to eat too much chocolate. (Of course, other things, like rain or Tuesday, are good excuses too.)
My proposal was simple, but effective. I found several conversation hearts that said "MARRY ME" and decorated a cupcake with them. (It was one of the sad, mass-produced cupcakes from the grocery store bakery with too much sickly-sweet icing that Franny for some reason, LOVES.) I was nervous as hell, and my overtired bride-to-be almost ate the snack without looking at the messages, but I slowed her down and the job got done.
For fun this year, I got another bag and dug out all the "MARRY ME" ones again. Apparently morals have changed in 10 years, as there was a grand total of one. However, there were several saying "FAX ME". Perhaps, in 10 more years, they'll add "TEXT ME", you know, to keep up with the times. There was also one that said "30 GIRL". Can anyone tell me what that's supposed to mean?
Thursday, January 8, 2009
So I get this phone call from Franny...
"Is this the child abuse hotline?"
"Um. Yeah. Don't do it."
"Do you want to hear the offense first?"
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas 2008!
Merry Christmas, everybody! I wish I could be with the rest of my family today, but I'm still very thankful for what I've got right here with me...
Monday, October 13, 2008
Stupid music in my head
On the road again,
Wish I wasn't on the road again,
Rather be back home with my kids and my best friend,
Wish I wasn't on the road again.
Yeah, I'm on the road working again. It's the first time since D Money was born, so it's an experiment for all of us. I know it's necessary, at least for now, but I still feel like I'm ditching the fam'. I did the best I could for Franny. My folks will be there part of the time, and her folks part of the time, but she'll still have a couple days by herself with two little tyrants demanding the world. Good luck, F. I wish I was there to help you.
I'm back in Montana this time. I've made this trip a few times, but the last was February. It occurred to me maybe half way here that I took off without a map and without looking up any directions. Apparently I've been here enough to find it familiar. I must have been right since I didn't get lost.
The trip to Missoula took about nine hours, and at least it was decent weather. I was worried about 4th of July Pass in Idaho, since I've found poor road conditions there in the past, but all was clear yesterday, so it was pretty smooth. Today I continued on to Bozeman over the Continental Divide. 6,380 feet up if you're interested. The weather wasn't so hot although it certainly could have been worse. It sleeted part of time and I'm sure the pass is pretty icy at night. There's melting snow all day and 20's at night, so I'm sure it gets slick. I guess it's supposed to get more wintery later this week. It is Montana, I suppose.
I did find that the last hour or two in the dark last night was a lot less fun. I knew I had been driving too long when I realized the I was emphatically (and loudly) singing that I am indeed a redneck woman. I was half right anyway. Actually, although I don't even know any Tanya Tucker songs (much less all the words), and I'm hardly the girl next door in my neck of the woods, the song wasn't entirely wrong. I would rather drink beer all night than swig that sweet champagne. I definitely ain't no high class broad. My Christmas lights weren't on the front poor all year, but they did make it to March or April. And most importantly, I can certainly buy that same damn thing on a Wal*Mart shelf half price. Hell Yeah.
It looks like I should drive less and sleep more. Sounds like a plan. Good night.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
My calves are still sore
This weekend, we took the family out for the Providence Bridge Pedal. This is an annual event, in which the city closes half of each bridge for exclusive bike traffic, including the two interstate bridges. This does not amuse drivers, who are stuck with detours and delays all morning. Too bad. Actually, due to the fact that one of our kids only has a plastic tricycle and the other one barely has feet, we chose to do the Bridge Stride instead, which only covers two bridges. I'm not sure how many walkers there were, but there were 18,000 total walkers and bikers. The Mizz rode in the backpack (hence my sore calves), and D rode in the stroller and slept, the lazy bum. Here is a picture of us setting out.
And here we are heading up an off-ramp onto I-405. This felt wrong in more ways than the sign can convey. For an added dose of wrong, marvel at the optical illusion created by the confluence of the dark pad on the backpack, my cargo pockets, and the Mizz's shoes, making my backside look positively enormous. Perhaps I should walk on the freeway a little more often.
Here is a view from the top of the Freemont Bridge. This was pretty cool, since you usually see it at 55 mph, when you are not up there for long and you really ought to be watching the road anyway.
And finally, I don't understand all the fuss about closing Starbucks stores. We can get lattes in the middle of a frickin interstate highway down here. High speed drive-through is the wave of the future.
And here we are heading up an off-ramp onto I-405. This felt wrong in more ways than the sign can convey. For an added dose of wrong, marvel at the optical illusion created by the confluence of the dark pad on the backpack, my cargo pockets, and the Mizz's shoes, making my backside look positively enormous. Perhaps I should walk on the freeway a little more often.
Here is a view from the top of the Freemont Bridge. This was pretty cool, since you usually see it at 55 mph, when you are not up there for long and you really ought to be watching the road anyway.
And finally, I don't understand all the fuss about closing Starbucks stores. We can get lattes in the middle of a frickin interstate highway down here. High speed drive-through is the wave of the future.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Happy 4th of July!
I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted anything. I told myself that if I didn't have time to keep current on the stack of bills on my desk, I certainly didn't have time to blog. I don't think I actually got behind on the bills and stuff, but it was all I could do to get everything paid on time, including occasional online payments the day things were due. But I finally got ahead of the critical things and I have a few minutes. Ever since Baby D's arrival, most waking moments have either involved working or taking care of one or both kids. I've been able to watch movies and more TV than I've watched in a year, but only while holding an irritated or sleeping baby. Doing anything involving hands or a brain hasn't been much of an option. But we're getting better at it, so maybe this blog won't die after all.
In the time since I've last posted, I've missed (blog-wise anyway) a bunch of stuff. There were several birthdays, including Franny's and the Mizz's and the actual births of two new nieces. Baby D has started to smile and laugh at me all the time. My boss got back from a 6 week vacation beyond phone-reach. Both the Mizz and D have done numerous funny and/or impressive things. There was Mother's Day, during which my mother was visiting, and Father's Day, during which my father was visiting. The Democrats finally chose which history-making presidential candidate they are going to field. And gobs of other stuff that's escaping my mind at the moment.
Anyway, while the rest of the country is outside blowing their fingers off, I have a little time to myself. The Mizz and I left Franny and D at a 4th of July cookout so the Mizz could get to bed. the Mizz had a big day today (Thomas) and a little nap in the car on the way home, so he wasn't up to partying all night. So it's just me and the internet and a bunch of explosions outside my window. Happy 4th.
In the time since I've last posted, I've missed (blog-wise anyway) a bunch of stuff. There were several birthdays, including Franny's and the Mizz's and the actual births of two new nieces. Baby D has started to smile and laugh at me all the time. My boss got back from a 6 week vacation beyond phone-reach. Both the Mizz and D have done numerous funny and/or impressive things. There was Mother's Day, during which my mother was visiting, and Father's Day, during which my father was visiting. The Democrats finally chose which history-making presidential candidate they are going to field. And gobs of other stuff that's escaping my mind at the moment.
Anyway, while the rest of the country is outside blowing their fingers off, I have a little time to myself. The Mizz and I left Franny and D at a 4th of July cookout so the Mizz could get to bed. the Mizz had a big day today (Thomas) and a little nap in the car on the way home, so he wasn't up to partying all night. So it's just me and the internet and a bunch of explosions outside my window. Happy 4th.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Little Brother Notes
That's right. For the estimated one of you that hasn't already seen it on Franny's blog, the Mizz is getting a brother this May. Of course the ultrasound tech wouldn't say for certain, but it seemed obvious to all of us.
This is a little weird -- not bad at all, just weird. Both Franny and I were thinking of a girl, as was just about everybody else, for whatever reason. I guess it just made sense to think that a girl would balance things out, so that's what it must be. Rationally, of course, this doesn't mean anything, but we just never really thought about it any other way. My sister even checked the Chinese birth chart or whatever, and decided that we were having a girl and she's expecting a boy. According to her, "It's always right, with everyone I know anyway." Wrong on both counts. It's nice to know that the discount, made-in-China, lead-painted, melamine-filled astrology and old wives tales are just as bunk as ours.
On the one hand poor Franny is going to be surrounded by testosterone. Good luck with that. On the other hand, we don't really have to buy much this time around. A bit of new furniture, but that's about it. For those of you feeling the need to get us something, I think this kid will need and Xbox, a flat screen high-def TV, and a new laptop. Other than that, he's pretty well covered.
We've been having issues with names. I think part of the reason for imagining a girl was that we already had a girl name picked out, left over from the Mizz. Now we have to come up with something else, so we're back at the same place we were last time. We've had some of the same arguments and issues as last time too. Franny has a few names that she likes that I can't consider because they make me think of particular people that I don't want to name my kid after for one reason or another. Sometimes, I didn't like they guy or maybe it's a friend or whatever. She even wanted to name him the same name as the husband of one of her friends. She even said she'd be willing to stop being friends with them, she likes the name so much. That's not going to work for me though. She gave me a lot of grief for that, but some other friends agreed with me, so I think I won that battle. What concession will I have to give now, I have no idea. However, I suggested a name the other day that she wouldn't stand for. "I've never met a ______ that I liked." It was actually a little ruder than tha, but I think she now at least partly understands my logic, if not my particular name vetoes. (However, as I mentioned before, the naming rights could certainly be bought for the right price. Franny can't afford them, so she's stuck trying to find names we can agree on. I'm sure some of you probably have deep pockets though. The more outlandish options may cost more, but I'm sure there's a price. Heck, if the bid's high enough, and it would have to be high, he could be George W. Bin Laden, if that's what you want.)
The other issue we've got lately is nesting. Both of us this time, but in different ways. She wants to buy new furniture, paint the whole house, build an addition, and dig out a basement, and throw everything away. I'm more into reorganizing the Titanic's deck chairs. As you can imagine, this causes some friction. I think we're starting to meet in the middle and have made some progress on realistic ideas for how to deal with another person in the house. The Mizz wasn't such a big deal, since we had an extra room that I think we both knew was eventually going to be a nursery. However, this one will require some rearranging of things. It's gotten somewhat easier however, since we now know what we're in for.
That's pretty much where we stand with the new addition right now. Franny's getting bigger, but then, she's supposed to be doing that. I'm getting bigger too, but without such a good excuse. I've got to do something about that. (From what I hear, I'm suffering from OBD, or Oregon Butt Disease. That's what happens when it rains all the time and you're stuck inside in a place that's famous for drinking beer. It's nice to know it's a syndrome, so I don't have to feel any personal responsibility for it.)
This is a little weird -- not bad at all, just weird. Both Franny and I were thinking of a girl, as was just about everybody else, for whatever reason. I guess it just made sense to think that a girl would balance things out, so that's what it must be. Rationally, of course, this doesn't mean anything, but we just never really thought about it any other way. My sister even checked the Chinese birth chart or whatever, and decided that we were having a girl and she's expecting a boy. According to her, "It's always right, with everyone I know anyway." Wrong on both counts. It's nice to know that the discount, made-in-China, lead-painted, melamine-filled astrology and old wives tales are just as bunk as ours.
On the one hand poor Franny is going to be surrounded by testosterone. Good luck with that. On the other hand, we don't really have to buy much this time around. A bit of new furniture, but that's about it. For those of you feeling the need to get us something, I think this kid will need and Xbox, a flat screen high-def TV, and a new laptop. Other than that, he's pretty well covered.
We've been having issues with names. I think part of the reason for imagining a girl was that we already had a girl name picked out, left over from the Mizz. Now we have to come up with something else, so we're back at the same place we were last time. We've had some of the same arguments and issues as last time too. Franny has a few names that she likes that I can't consider because they make me think of particular people that I don't want to name my kid after for one reason or another. Sometimes, I didn't like they guy or maybe it's a friend or whatever. She even wanted to name him the same name as the husband of one of her friends. She even said she'd be willing to stop being friends with them, she likes the name so much. That's not going to work for me though. She gave me a lot of grief for that, but some other friends agreed with me, so I think I won that battle. What concession will I have to give now, I have no idea. However, I suggested a name the other day that she wouldn't stand for. "I've never met a ______ that I liked." It was actually a little ruder than tha, but I think she now at least partly understands my logic, if not my particular name vetoes. (However, as I mentioned before, the naming rights could certainly be bought for the right price. Franny can't afford them, so she's stuck trying to find names we can agree on. I'm sure some of you probably have deep pockets though. The more outlandish options may cost more, but I'm sure there's a price. Heck, if the bid's high enough, and it would have to be high, he could be George W. Bin Laden, if that's what you want.)
The other issue we've got lately is nesting. Both of us this time, but in different ways. She wants to buy new furniture, paint the whole house, build an addition, and dig out a basement, and throw everything away. I'm more into reorganizing the Titanic's deck chairs. As you can imagine, this causes some friction. I think we're starting to meet in the middle and have made some progress on realistic ideas for how to deal with another person in the house. The Mizz wasn't such a big deal, since we had an extra room that I think we both knew was eventually going to be a nursery. However, this one will require some rearranging of things. It's gotten somewhat easier however, since we now know what we're in for.
That's pretty much where we stand with the new addition right now. Franny's getting bigger, but then, she's supposed to be doing that. I'm getting bigger too, but without such a good excuse. I've got to do something about that. (From what I hear, I'm suffering from OBD, or Oregon Butt Disease. That's what happens when it rains all the time and you're stuck inside in a place that's famous for drinking beer. It's nice to know it's a syndrome, so I don't have to feel any personal responsibility for it.)
Friday, November 2, 2007
Extend your Battery Life
Franny forwarded me a link regarding tips to extend battery life for the devices in your life. Some of the tips are not necessarily helpful for all battery types, but they probably won't hurt.
The biggest issue with batteries (of all types) is temperature cycling. Everybody knows that keeping batteries in the freezer until you use them keeps them good longer, right? Yes and no. The cold of the freezer doesn't really do anything good or bad. What is good about the freezer is that it is a constant temperature. Anyplace that stays more or less at a consistent temperature is a fine storage place. This means that although carrying your laptop in your car with you is fine, leaving it there in the hot sun or overnight in the cold will not do it any favors. (Plus it'll probably get stolen, but at least the thief will have a dead battery. Ha. Who's laughing now?)
Laptops are especially prone to heating problems, mainly since some people seem to want to use them on their laps. The vents are usually located on the bottom and can easily be blocked, potentially causing the computer to overheat. The vents usually don't do anything for the batteries; they are meant to cool the processor, which cranks out quite a bit of heat. However, the batteries are also typically on the bottom and get warm during use. (Anybody remember Toshiba's exploding laptop batteries?) If they are set on a lap or pillow or whatever, they will not properly cool and will likely have some of their life sucked away each time this is done.
I hope this is helpful for someone, and thanks, Franny, for passing it on.
The biggest issue with batteries (of all types) is temperature cycling. Everybody knows that keeping batteries in the freezer until you use them keeps them good longer, right? Yes and no. The cold of the freezer doesn't really do anything good or bad. What is good about the freezer is that it is a constant temperature. Anyplace that stays more or less at a consistent temperature is a fine storage place. This means that although carrying your laptop in your car with you is fine, leaving it there in the hot sun or overnight in the cold will not do it any favors. (Plus it'll probably get stolen, but at least the thief will have a dead battery. Ha. Who's laughing now?)
Laptops are especially prone to heating problems, mainly since some people seem to want to use them on their laps. The vents are usually located on the bottom and can easily be blocked, potentially causing the computer to overheat. The vents usually don't do anything for the batteries; they are meant to cool the processor, which cranks out quite a bit of heat. However, the batteries are also typically on the bottom and get warm during use. (Anybody remember Toshiba's exploding laptop batteries?) If they are set on a lap or pillow or whatever, they will not properly cool and will likely have some of their life sucked away each time this is done.
I hope this is helpful for someone, and thanks, Franny, for passing it on.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Welcome Home Mama
Franny got back last night. I was happy to see her, but it was late, she was jet lagged, and I pretty much got, "Hi Dave. I'm happy to see you, but I'm going to bed now. I'll talk to you in the morning?" No big deal. I was still happy to have her home.
The Mizz took her return in stride. This morning, when I came downstairs after my shower, he was playing with Franny and looked up at me long enough to smile and say, "Bye bye Daddy," before returning to his toys. I was fine when I was the only option, I guess, but Mama's back now, so see ya later.
The Mizz and I survived our four days just fine. I figured we would. I'm very happy to have Franny back though, not the least for the adult conversation. The Mizz is fun and cute and all, but not exactly intellectually stimulating. I can only build so many Lego towers, make so many Play-Doh snakes, and force feed so many toddlers before I have to challenge my brain at least a little bit now and then.
Plus I like having Franny around. Chicago (Si-ca-do according to Mizz) is too far away.
The Mizz took her return in stride. This morning, when I came downstairs after my shower, he was playing with Franny and looked up at me long enough to smile and say, "Bye bye Daddy," before returning to his toys. I was fine when I was the only option, I guess, but Mama's back now, so see ya later.
The Mizz and I survived our four days just fine. I figured we would. I'm very happy to have Franny back though, not the least for the adult conversation. The Mizz is fun and cute and all, but not exactly intellectually stimulating. I can only build so many Lego towers, make so many Play-Doh snakes, and force feed so many toddlers before I have to challenge my brain at least a little bit now and then.
Plus I like having Franny around. Chicago (Si-ca-do according to Mizz) is too far away.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Guys Weekend
Well, the Mizz and I are on our own this weekend. Franny left this morning to visit a friend in Chicago, so it's just us guys for the next couple days. It's new for me, since I've never been totally in charge of him for even a whole day. The Mizz seems to be taking it pretty much in stride, although "Mama ona twip" seems like a vague concept to him. He still tells me that "Mama takin a shower" or "Mama ina bafwoom" from time to time. This whole thing is new for Franny, as it's her first night away from him ever. I'm sure she'll miss him, but I'm also sure she'll enjoy the respite. Due to work, I've been away from the two of them far too regularly, but it's an experiment for her.
I wasn't sure how I'd do, but I think I'll be alright. I've had him solo lots of times at various points of the day; it's just a matter of stringing them together for four days straight. And actually, it isn't that much different than a normal work day for me. For the most part, I'm pretty much committed by work or the Mizz from the time he wakes up until he's in bed for the evening, just now I'll remove the "work or" part of that phrase. I still get about the same evening time for personal stuff plus and hour or two during nap time. And like it or not, my nights on the road have more than prepared me for quiet evenings alone. So, although I'd prefer to have Franny here, both for the company and the assistance, I think I'll survive, and I know she deserves the break. Have fun in the Midwest Babe.
I wasn't sure how I'd do, but I think I'll be alright. I've had him solo lots of times at various points of the day; it's just a matter of stringing them together for four days straight. And actually, it isn't that much different than a normal work day for me. For the most part, I'm pretty much committed by work or the Mizz from the time he wakes up until he's in bed for the evening, just now I'll remove the "work or" part of that phrase. I still get about the same evening time for personal stuff plus and hour or two during nap time. And like it or not, my nights on the road have more than prepared me for quiet evenings alone. So, although I'd prefer to have Franny here, both for the company and the assistance, I think I'll survive, and I know she deserves the break. Have fun in the Midwest Babe.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Oxygen is Good
Well, I did make it home, and this was waiting for me. I'm not sure what the Mizz was doing with that first "E" there. Franny "helped" at bit, with the scribbles, I'm assuming.
I had to see this by myself though, since we got back at 10:30 Friday night. I wouldn't have done such a long day myself (Pocatello, ID to Portland, OR; almost 700 miles), but there were two of us and we were well fueled on Starbucks, so we decided that it was worth getting home to our own beds, even if it was late. The decent mattress was worth it, but I was wrecked Saturday. The Mizz still gets up early. Apparently I'd have to be gone a lot longer than two weeks for that to change. Franny and I both were in no mood to make the 5+ hour trip up to my folks' place just to turn around and do it again the next day, so we'll have to catch them again later. We're hoping to make a slightly longer weekend out of it and make the drive more worth it. Hopefully in about 3 or 4 weeks when we can open up a weekend.
I've been playing catchup since I got back, and I'm still tired; thus the dearth of blogging. I enjoy rambling to the world, but you know I'm tight on time and energy when I forgo the opportunity to spout my opinions about things. I think I'm about done with the critical stuff though, so tonight's a normal sleep night, if I still remember what that is, and maybe I can get back to blogging insignificant drivel.
Oh, and we had an earthquake Sunday night. It wasn't huge, and if I was asleep, I certainly would have missed it. But it was sort of amusing to see my lamp shaking just a little and try to figure out what was happening. At first I wasn't sure I actually saw anything, but then I realized I was feeling something too. It felt like when our washing machine is on the spin cycle. The machine is on the second floor, and although this is great for use, you can slightly notice a shaking when the spin is on, maybe like a large truck speeding by your house. Anyway it felt like that, but the machine was not on. I had a slight suspicion of earthquake, but it's been so long since I felt one (about 25 years or so), that I had no way of knowing. Anyway, I caught the news Monday morning and found that, indeed, there had been a 3.6 quake about 40 miles away and 14 miles underground. No reports of damage, but it interested a science geek.
The oxygen reference has to do with the lesson I learn every time I travel to Idaho or Montana. At four or five thousand feet, I feel insanely out of shape. At first, I always blame it on lack of sleep or crappy food or whatever. However, after a few days of getting winded after one flight of stairs, I usually remember the altitude and cut myself some slack. The first, and worst, example of this was a couple years ago in Burley, Idaho (motto: Nothing to do but drop out of high school and get pregnant early.). I went out for a run, and although I wasn't in the best shape (as if I am now...), I felt absolutely pathetic running for maybe a half mile before I had to stop and gasp for breath. I felt like a complete schmuck walking back to the hotel, although being Burley, there was nobody around and therefore no reason to feel too much embarrassment. I didn't think until the next day to check and find that Burley is at 4150 feet. Anyway, it took me a few days again this time, and it felt great to take the Mizz out in the backpack when I got back and realize that I could, in fact, handle some physical exertion, at least at the 200 feet or so where I live.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Happy Anniversary to Us!
That's right. Franny and I are at 8 wonderful years so far. Unfortunately, someone scheduled our anniversary for a Wednesday this year. I'm still happy to see it though. Here's looking at a whole bunch more of them.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tagged? Are you kidding me?
So I got tagged by this "8 Facts About Me" meme. From what I can tell, a "meme" is a trendy new cultural thing that everybody who's anybody is supposed to know about and, I guess, feel good about themselves because they know about it. The particular meme seems to just be a blogging version of a chain letter. I've seen it bouncing around and I guess it was inevitable that it got to me eventually, despite the fact that I am hardly trendy and am effectively a dead end on the blogworld street map. Anyway, I'll give my best effort to play along and not be a total stick in the mud.
First, the Rules:
1) Post these rules before you give your facts
2) List 8 random facts about yourself
3) At the end of your post, choose (tag) people and list their names, linking to them
4) Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged
Whatever. I've never been a stickler for rules on things that don't matter, especially those that come uninvited via the internet. We'll see how I do.
Some facts:
1) I hate the word "meme". It just drips of elitist internet speak. (Or 1337, if you're that into it.) I'm aware that the word was coined before the internet, but it seems to be everywhere now, since the internet allows a complete explosion of new trendy things you're supposed to keep track of. Google "meme" and you get 322,000,000 hits. It's right up there with "blogosphere" as a word that I wish will go away, but I know will only get stronger. This is probably why I am unlikely to ever be trendy.
2) I used to drive a bus for the University of Virginia. It was a pretty cool student job, as far as student jobs go. We had fairly flexible scheduling options and decent pay, and we didn't have to wear aprons and slop mashed potatoes. We did have uniforms, but they consisted of either a crappy blue shirt or a slightly less crappy blue jacket (I still have mine.) which, as we wore them, made us quite possibly the least professional looking bus drivers you've ever seen. Maybe they've gotten better, but I wouldn't count on it. When your main customers are either irritated nurses or drunken students, it's hard to get worked up about your appearance. The best thing about it all is that it's where I met my wife. I admit I didn't recall her right away the first time I saw her. She was one of a group of new trainees that I met all at once. I'm pretty sure she remembers me though. I was the longhair in a red bandanna rolling around in a wheelchair. I wasn't damaged at the time; I was just showing the newbies how the work the lift on the bus. Romantic, huh?
3) I was a pretty good bus driver too. Each year, most bus companies host a competition among their drivers called a Roadeo. (See the brown box near the bottom of the linked page.) You drive bus around a cone-filled obstacle course, check out a rigged bus for problems, and take a written knowledge test. The top four finishers go to the state Roadeo and the winner from that goes to a national competition. I went to the state Roadeo 3 times, having won ours twice. I came in 3rd once at the state level. I may have come in 2nd once as well, but I could be remembering wrong. This, despite the fact that we kind of made a joke of our competition. The last obstacle on the course was the "controlled stop". You are just coming out of the "diminishing clearance" obstacle, in which you floor it and go through a set of traffic barrels that start with one foot of clearance on each side of the bus and end with one inch. Some people tried to do this right, but many just tore through the barrels on one side, with the logic that if you aren't really going to try anyway, at least you only lose half the points. What we really liked was taking this now-speeding bus, and doing the "controlled stop". This consisted of a cone straight ahead of you. You are supposed to stop within 6 inches of it with one constant controlled braking application. You can't see the cone by the time you are that close, so, to do this right, you need some skill. We, however, preferred to call it the "panic stop." Our method consisted of keeping the speed up until the last minute and slamming on the brake to skid to a stop. Yes, you can skid a bus. It's quite a rush and can't be good for the vehicle. Some people occasionally got close to the cone, but most proved that it's a good thing nobody sat in front of it. We fished a lot of cones and barrels out from under buses. Anyway, the point is that, despite that level of training, I still managed to do well at the state Roadeo. Yay for me. (This is probably more pathetic than Al Bundy continuing to subsist on the glory of one high school football game, isn't it?)
4) Speaking of driving, I drove a race car in college for a short time. It was a Legends car, which is a small race car meant to be a relatively cheap way for people to get into real car racing. The UVA Mechanical Engineering Department bought one, along with several other ACC schools, and we competed against them several times. The program was just getting started as I was leaving, so there wasn't much to it at the time. Several professors were working on getting a motorsports curriculum started, which is now up and running and I think it involves two cars and quite a few students. I didn't actually compete in the car much. I wasn't a bad driver, but others were much better, although, unlike several of them, I never crashed it.
5) I've lived in 6 states and one foreign country. As well as I can remember, I've visited 38 states and 5 countries, staying at least one night in 28 and 3, respectively.
6) I was a pole vaulter in high school. By the time I graduated, I held the school record at 12' 6". Those of you who know anything about pole vaulting probably already realize that, although it's over twice my height, that's not a very impressive number. I only did it for a year and a half, and there hadn't been any pole vaulters for a few years. The track coach got us started, but he didn't know what he was talking about, and we only got to about 8' 6" that first season. I and one other guy that had some skills went to a pole vaulting camp that summer and came back to coach ourselves the next year. By the time I left I had that record I mentioned, but nobody outside the school was impressed (and most people in the school were unaware). The other guy was two years behind me and got to something like 14' the next year. He ended up getting a scholarship somewhere to continue, maybe even with real coaching. (I also tried high jumping for one season, and actually jumped 5' 10", which is over my head. Nobody was impressed though, because in the spring when the basketball players came back to track and field, they were hurdling our bar. Real high jumpers are up over 7 feet in high school.)
7) I'm a pretty good cook if I have a recipe, or at least some general guidance. However, if left to my own devices to come up with something, I look at the kitchen like it's Chinese market and I have no idea what's in the various packages. This works out well with Franny. She has no trouble breezing into the kitchen and grabbing random stuff out of the fridge and coming up with something good. However, it's almost comical to give her a recipe and see what actually comes out. I've seen 7-layer dip with only 6 layers. We make a good team though. She's an artist with no tolerance for details and I'm a computer who won't do anything until told, although I will do it well once pointed in the right direction.
8) I never would have guessed it, but I actually enjoy yard work now that I own a yard. All I remember of growing up was being forced (coerced/bribed/whatever) to mow the lawn. I was also cheap labor for Dad's planting and digging and building projects. Apparently I learned something from all that though. Now that I have a yard, I find myself interested perennials vs. annuals, ground cover, fill-in plants, flowers, trees, bushes, mulch, compost, and gardening gadgets. Who knew?
9) I do enjoy home projects as well. I learned a ton of this kind of stuff growing up. Dad and I always did pretty much any home improvement project ourselves. We rarely had anyone else come in. We did have an electrician tie our electrical additions into our breaker box, but we had done the rest of the wiring already. We also had a plumber install some copper piping. Other than that, we did pretty much everything else. Carpentry, electrical, drywall, painting, furniture building, concrete, hardware installation, repairs, whatever. I won't claim to be an expert at any of that, but I find that I'm not afraid to try most projects and I'm willing to find out how to do most anything. This is a source of continual amusement for Franny. "You don't know how to do that!" Sometime I do and sometimes I don't, but I'll try anyway. I haven't done anything too bad yet, although I occasionally do pull off some bonehead mistake that takes a bit of time to fix. Anyway, I usually get to impress my wife with my house skills. It's all about picking your audience.
10) I was in Navy ROTC for a year. I didn't get booted or anything, but I did feel like I didn't belong. Most of the other guys (and gals) were WAY too into marching in straight lines and keeping their hair buzzcut. I kind of figured that if the Navy ever decided they needed me enough to draft me, I'd be back, but until then, we were both fine without each other. I did however enjoy being on our pistol team. I never knew I had it in me, but I was pretty good with a .22 target pistol. This came back to me later when somebody pointed out that I had a very weird stance at an arcade shooting game but that it was kind of scary how good I was. It's been a while though, so I'm not sure it's still there.
Oops. Too many facts. I kind of got on a roll there. Too bad. Now you have some facts about me, along with a good deal of rambling. Congratulations if you made it this far. I'm not sure I know any bloggers who haven't already been tagged, so I'm just tagging everyone willy-nilly. If you feel tagged, put a link in the comments and I'll add you on here. In fact, I think I like the chain letter thing via a blog better than the e-mail way anyway. I can amuse myself with this silliness without foisting it on anyone else.
First, the Rules:
1) Post these rules before you give your facts
2) List 8 random facts about yourself
3) At the end of your post, choose (tag) people and list their names, linking to them
4) Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged
Whatever. I've never been a stickler for rules on things that don't matter, especially those that come uninvited via the internet. We'll see how I do.
Some facts:
1) I hate the word "meme". It just drips of elitist internet speak. (Or 1337, if you're that into it.) I'm aware that the word was coined before the internet, but it seems to be everywhere now, since the internet allows a complete explosion of new trendy things you're supposed to keep track of. Google "meme" and you get 322,000,000 hits. It's right up there with "blogosphere" as a word that I wish will go away, but I know will only get stronger. This is probably why I am unlikely to ever be trendy.
2) I used to drive a bus for the University of Virginia. It was a pretty cool student job, as far as student jobs go. We had fairly flexible scheduling options and decent pay, and we didn't have to wear aprons and slop mashed potatoes. We did have uniforms, but they consisted of either a crappy blue shirt or a slightly less crappy blue jacket (I still have mine.) which, as we wore them, made us quite possibly the least professional looking bus drivers you've ever seen. Maybe they've gotten better, but I wouldn't count on it. When your main customers are either irritated nurses or drunken students, it's hard to get worked up about your appearance. The best thing about it all is that it's where I met my wife. I admit I didn't recall her right away the first time I saw her. She was one of a group of new trainees that I met all at once. I'm pretty sure she remembers me though. I was the longhair in a red bandanna rolling around in a wheelchair. I wasn't damaged at the time; I was just showing the newbies how the work the lift on the bus. Romantic, huh?
3) I was a pretty good bus driver too. Each year, most bus companies host a competition among their drivers called a Roadeo. (See the brown box near the bottom of the linked page.) You drive bus around a cone-filled obstacle course, check out a rigged bus for problems, and take a written knowledge test. The top four finishers go to the state Roadeo and the winner from that goes to a national competition. I went to the state Roadeo 3 times, having won ours twice. I came in 3rd once at the state level. I may have come in 2nd once as well, but I could be remembering wrong. This, despite the fact that we kind of made a joke of our competition. The last obstacle on the course was the "controlled stop". You are just coming out of the "diminishing clearance" obstacle, in which you floor it and go through a set of traffic barrels that start with one foot of clearance on each side of the bus and end with one inch. Some people tried to do this right, but many just tore through the barrels on one side, with the logic that if you aren't really going to try anyway, at least you only lose half the points. What we really liked was taking this now-speeding bus, and doing the "controlled stop". This consisted of a cone straight ahead of you. You are supposed to stop within 6 inches of it with one constant controlled braking application. You can't see the cone by the time you are that close, so, to do this right, you need some skill. We, however, preferred to call it the "panic stop." Our method consisted of keeping the speed up until the last minute and slamming on the brake to skid to a stop. Yes, you can skid a bus. It's quite a rush and can't be good for the vehicle. Some people occasionally got close to the cone, but most proved that it's a good thing nobody sat in front of it. We fished a lot of cones and barrels out from under buses. Anyway, the point is that, despite that level of training, I still managed to do well at the state Roadeo. Yay for me. (This is probably more pathetic than Al Bundy continuing to subsist on the glory of one high school football game, isn't it?)
4) Speaking of driving, I drove a race car in college for a short time. It was a Legends car, which is a small race car meant to be a relatively cheap way for people to get into real car racing. The UVA Mechanical Engineering Department bought one, along with several other ACC schools, and we competed against them several times. The program was just getting started as I was leaving, so there wasn't much to it at the time. Several professors were working on getting a motorsports curriculum started, which is now up and running and I think it involves two cars and quite a few students. I didn't actually compete in the car much. I wasn't a bad driver, but others were much better, although, unlike several of them, I never crashed it.
5) I've lived in 6 states and one foreign country. As well as I can remember, I've visited 38 states and 5 countries, staying at least one night in 28 and 3, respectively.
6) I was a pole vaulter in high school. By the time I graduated, I held the school record at 12' 6". Those of you who know anything about pole vaulting probably already realize that, although it's over twice my height, that's not a very impressive number. I only did it for a year and a half, and there hadn't been any pole vaulters for a few years. The track coach got us started, but he didn't know what he was talking about, and we only got to about 8' 6" that first season. I and one other guy that had some skills went to a pole vaulting camp that summer and came back to coach ourselves the next year. By the time I left I had that record I mentioned, but nobody outside the school was impressed (and most people in the school were unaware). The other guy was two years behind me and got to something like 14' the next year. He ended up getting a scholarship somewhere to continue, maybe even with real coaching. (I also tried high jumping for one season, and actually jumped 5' 10", which is over my head. Nobody was impressed though, because in the spring when the basketball players came back to track and field, they were hurdling our bar. Real high jumpers are up over 7 feet in high school.)
7) I'm a pretty good cook if I have a recipe, or at least some general guidance. However, if left to my own devices to come up with something, I look at the kitchen like it's Chinese market and I have no idea what's in the various packages. This works out well with Franny. She has no trouble breezing into the kitchen and grabbing random stuff out of the fridge and coming up with something good. However, it's almost comical to give her a recipe and see what actually comes out. I've seen 7-layer dip with only 6 layers. We make a good team though. She's an artist with no tolerance for details and I'm a computer who won't do anything until told, although I will do it well once pointed in the right direction.
8) I never would have guessed it, but I actually enjoy yard work now that I own a yard. All I remember of growing up was being forced (coerced/bribed/whatever) to mow the lawn. I was also cheap labor for Dad's planting and digging and building projects. Apparently I learned something from all that though. Now that I have a yard, I find myself interested perennials vs. annuals, ground cover, fill-in plants, flowers, trees, bushes, mulch, compost, and gardening gadgets. Who knew?
9) I do enjoy home projects as well. I learned a ton of this kind of stuff growing up. Dad and I always did pretty much any home improvement project ourselves. We rarely had anyone else come in. We did have an electrician tie our electrical additions into our breaker box, but we had done the rest of the wiring already. We also had a plumber install some copper piping. Other than that, we did pretty much everything else. Carpentry, electrical, drywall, painting, furniture building, concrete, hardware installation, repairs, whatever. I won't claim to be an expert at any of that, but I find that I'm not afraid to try most projects and I'm willing to find out how to do most anything. This is a source of continual amusement for Franny. "You don't know how to do that!" Sometime I do and sometimes I don't, but I'll try anyway. I haven't done anything too bad yet, although I occasionally do pull off some bonehead mistake that takes a bit of time to fix. Anyway, I usually get to impress my wife with my house skills. It's all about picking your audience.
10) I was in Navy ROTC for a year. I didn't get booted or anything, but I did feel like I didn't belong. Most of the other guys (and gals) were WAY too into marching in straight lines and keeping their hair buzzcut. I kind of figured that if the Navy ever decided they needed me enough to draft me, I'd be back, but until then, we were both fine without each other. I did however enjoy being on our pistol team. I never knew I had it in me, but I was pretty good with a .22 target pistol. This came back to me later when somebody pointed out that I had a very weird stance at an arcade shooting game but that it was kind of scary how good I was. It's been a while though, so I'm not sure it's still there.
Oops. Too many facts. I kind of got on a roll there. Too bad. Now you have some facts about me, along with a good deal of rambling. Congratulations if you made it this far. I'm not sure I know any bloggers who haven't already been tagged, so I'm just tagging everyone willy-nilly. If you feel tagged, put a link in the comments and I'll add you on here. In fact, I think I like the chain letter thing via a blog better than the e-mail way anyway. I can amuse myself with this silliness without foisting it on anyone else.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
What was I thinking?
Although I don't recall opening any beers today, I was clearly drunk, as I somehow let Franny convince me to go to IKEA. Going to a store isn't typically news, but this one just opened a couple weeks ago after much waiting by the community and is still under the Port of Portland's traffic management plan designed for a ridiculously large number of incoming shoppers. I mentioned this to Franny and noted that it was a weekend to boot, but she countered that it was late on Sunday and it was dinner time. For some unknown reason, this logic worked.
We parked on an auxiliary grass lot because of the sign reading, "IKEA LOT FULL, DO NOT ENTER!" It's a good thing everybody was home eating dinner, or we might have had to park on the interstate. The store was exactly as crowded as you might imagine.
We went there looking for an enclosed cabinet of some sort to hide the Mizz's multitude of plastic junk taking over our living room. We found a nice set of shelves to which we attached the optional doors, which for some reason, more than double the cost of the unit.
That part was fine, but I had to do it while trying to ignore the stroller, which was hollering, "Are you done yet?" meaning he was done, and, "I wanna go home," meaning, I assume, that he wanted to go home. If that didn't get my attention, he also occasionally screamed and then pointed out that he was, in fact, "too loud." With my other ear, I also got to hear, "What do you think about this in the kitchen?" and "I've been wanting one of these," in all cases referring to things that we did not walk into the store intending to buy. I'm pretty sure IKEA's marketing and design team had Franny specifically in mind. It worked beautifully. (Full disclosure: they do have to fine stuff, and in a less crowded and less Mizz-intensive atmosphere, I might have shared her wonder.)
However, it's now over and we have a nice little cabinet hiding some of the ever-present kid-related clutter. Franny and I and the Mizz are all happy with the outcome, and the Mizz thinks I can build anything. "Daddy make a cab-i-net." Between putting together furniture and changing light bulbs, that kid thinks I'm Superman and can do anything.
Just out of curiosity, at what age will he make the jump to thinking I'm an imbecile who can't be trusted to work his own VCR and who is an embarrassment to have as a blood relative?
That story was probably far longer than necessary. Sorry about that.
We parked on an auxiliary grass lot because of the sign reading, "IKEA LOT FULL, DO NOT ENTER!" It's a good thing everybody was home eating dinner, or we might have had to park on the interstate. The store was exactly as crowded as you might imagine.
We went there looking for an enclosed cabinet of some sort to hide the Mizz's multitude of plastic junk taking over our living room. We found a nice set of shelves to which we attached the optional doors, which for some reason, more than double the cost of the unit.
That part was fine, but I had to do it while trying to ignore the stroller, which was hollering, "Are you done yet?" meaning he was done, and, "I wanna go home," meaning, I assume, that he wanted to go home. If that didn't get my attention, he also occasionally screamed and then pointed out that he was, in fact, "too loud." With my other ear, I also got to hear, "What do you think about this in the kitchen?" and "I've been wanting one of these," in all cases referring to things that we did not walk into the store intending to buy. I'm pretty sure IKEA's marketing and design team had Franny specifically in mind. It worked beautifully. (Full disclosure: they do have to fine stuff, and in a less crowded and less Mizz-intensive atmosphere, I might have shared her wonder.)
However, it's now over and we have a nice little cabinet hiding some of the ever-present kid-related clutter. Franny and I and the Mizz are all happy with the outcome, and the Mizz thinks I can build anything. "Daddy make a cab-i-net." Between putting together furniture and changing light bulbs, that kid thinks I'm Superman and can do anything.
Just out of curiosity, at what age will he make the jump to thinking I'm an imbecile who can't be trusted to work his own VCR and who is an embarrassment to have as a blood relative?
That story was probably far longer than necessary. Sorry about that.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
I got new toys!
Well, I guess the Mizz got new toys, but they're kinda for me. This pic shows the new track that Franny got today mixed in with his birthday set. He has yet to successfully make a workable track and usually goes the other direction with his Godzilla vs. Tokyo routine. He tries to help by picking up a large section of track and handing it to me. Then I hear, "Uh, oh... Dada fix it." His mother tries to help, but from what I gather, she doesn't get along with the track either, so I'm expected to put my master mechanical skills to work and make something fun. Mizz seems happy with whatever I come up with, but Franny complains that "That looks too much like the other one" or, "I like the figure eights better." Not a builder, but an excellent critic. Anyway, I was even boring myself with my creations, so Franny was nice enough to pick up a set of track at IKEA today. (She apparently thought IKEA rocked, and was proud that she got out of there for only like $30.) The new track should certainly expand the possibilities for a while. I especially like the double-decker thing I came up with, although, to be honest, it doesn't work as good as it looks, but I don't care. You're just jealous you didn't think of it.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Happy Birthday Franny!
I just realized, I'm up late enough for it to be Franny's birthday. She is now officially 29 again. Anyway, I think that's the annual birthday she's decided to have.
Happy Birthday, Babe. Love you.
(That's an old picture, but I still like it.)
Happy Birthday, Babe. Love you.
(That's an old picture, but I still like it.)
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggghhhh!
So this pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel sticking out of his pants. The bartender asks, "Hey pirate, what's with the steering wheel?" The pirate answers, "Argh! It's drivin' me nuts."
(Mad props to Sam, who told this joke so well at dinner that Franny lost a mouthful of corn on the cob. Also, apologies to Tutu, 'cuz you're not supposed to tell this kind of joke to your mother.)
(Mad props to Sam, who told this joke so well at dinner that Franny lost a mouthful of corn on the cob. Also, apologies to Tutu, 'cuz you're not supposed to tell this kind of joke to your mother.)
Thursday, May 31, 2007
It's been a busy week
I haven't posted much of substance lately, as I haven't felt like I had two consecutive minutes to do it with. Probably not true, but we've been busy lately.
Last week we painted two walls. One bright blue monstrosity in the Mizz's bathroom. He was very excited, since "blue" is one of his stronger words. Franny was excited too, since it meant she could get rid of the Hawaii shower curtain and replace it with the fish one and then get out all the other new decorative and functional fish stuff that Target forced on her. I personally liked the old shower curtain better, but it definitely doesn't go with the blue.
The other wall was in the living room and was a far more extensive project. Not the painting specifically, but the picking of the color. And the wall. We'd been tossing color ideas around for a while, but we finally settled on a tan/taupe/sand/dirt color that seemed to go well with the trim and with the black tree sculpture over the fireplace. So, while I was gone in Bend, I got a call, "Guess what the Mizz and I just did. There's paint on the wall." When I got home, I found that this meant two swaths of paint beside one of the posters we have. It wasn't a very representative idea of what it would really look like, so the poster came down and it widened into a three foot square. Needless to say, after much wrangling, we decided that it really wasn't the color we were after. Or the right wall. So there's now a patch of not-quite-the-right white that will eventually have to be dealt with. But in the end, we decided on a sage color and a whole different and much larger wall. I spent three nights painting and edging and 2nd coating and such, but in the end, it came out great.
I got to remember again that I hate edging. It's not that I'm terrible at it. I usually end up with a better job than lots of others I've seen. The problem is that I am a perfectionist about stuff like that, and I don't have the skill to do it as well as I think it should be done. This is mainly only a problem while I am doing it; after the fact it usually seems fine. But it makes for a very irritating experience.
I also found that I'm very impressed with Sherwin-Williams paints. Their Duration line of paint (top of the line) was on sale, and now I know that I will probably buy it again even if I have to pay full price. It went on very smoothly with almost no splattering, was very easy to clean up, and has a much better than normal container with a handle and pour-spout. They also did a great job of matching the color we had chosen from the Home Depot paint chips.
I also clipped the Mizz's hair one evening. I say clipped since cut would imply a thorough job. Mostly, I cut off the curls/rat tail from the back and over his ears, although I though the latter was going to get me divorced. I left a little more over the ears to placate the wife, but I had to get some of it off so he didn't look like a Kewpie Doll. Between the Mizz's distress and the Mama's distress, I did the most complete job I could in two minutes with maybe 8 or 10 cuts. I think he came out okay though.
Saturday, I finished the garden digging that I started a couple weeks ago. We also planted a bunch of flowers and a couple tomato plants. So far the only thing coming out of the garden has been sprouts from the squash seeds in the composter. A couple years ago, we tossed in a few decorative gourds that we no longer wanted. From what I hear, everybody knows you don't put squash seeds in the composter. That wasn't true then, but it sure is now. Small composters rarely get hot enough to destroy those tough little suckers. Anyway, those are the only real sprouts that seem to be doing very well. I'm ripping them out and hoping the other tiny little things I'm seeing are flowers and not weeds.
Also on Saturday, we invited some friends over for a Memorial Day weekend cookout/potluck. Unlike my usual burger and dog thing, I made Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Skewers from a recipe Franny found. I followed the preparation/marinating directions, but I grilled instead of baked. And since we cooked after everyone was there, we skipped the dipping sauce part. By all accounts, they were excellent. Franny also found some cool flat skewers. They are thin strips of bamboo maybe 1/4" wide with one pointed end. I'm not sure whether it made much difference for the chicken since that sticks pretty quickly, but it was awesome for grilling the vegetable slices. No more rolling around and only cooking one side. Everything turns just like you want. Good find, Franny.
Sunday, Franny and I got to go out. Without the Mizz. We left him with a sitter to go to a friend's sushi party. Lucky for me, there was stir-fry beef too. It was actually a surprise birthday party for her too, and we took a couple cakes that I made. Nothing fancy, just from the box, although I did mix Bailey's into the frosting on one of them. Mmmm. I wasn't impressed with my rushed decorating, but nobody else seemed to mind. The only reason I got to make the cakes was that Gina is the baker and her boyfriend was having trouble finding any of her friends that knew how to make a cake. Since I can follow directions, that apparently makes me the most capable. Kinda sad.
Monday was much more relaxed, what with all the Mango-tinis at the party. We did make it out to visit some friend and the other little Mizz. I don't get to see my Mizz interacting with other kids all that often, and it's fun to see them play together even if neither one of them quite understands what the other is trying to do all the time. It was especially cute watching our Mizz push the other one around in a wagon. Each of them seemed pretty happy with his part of the deal.
Back to work has actually seemed like kind of a break, although with a bit of driving. For the last three days, I've been travelling up and down the Columbia Gorge working at an aluminum plant, a couple wastewater plants, a water plant, a brewery (smelled great), and a couple other labs. It's been a beautiful couple days for that trip. The aluminum plant is actually kind of interesting, as it's the only one left in the Northwest that's doing much. They are actually only melting down scrap aluminum and recycling it, but at least that's something. There used to be something like 20 aluminum plants in the Northwest mainly due to the cheap hydropower we used to have. However with the power crunch a few years ago (thanks again, Enron), the days of cheap electricity are gone, and so too the aluminum industry in this country. We can no longer compete with developing countries with little or no environmental and labor regulations.
Sorry. Not trying to start a rant there. Not in the mood today. You see, I got an unplanned massage this evening. Franny had one scheduled, but ended up with plans that were going to end too late. So, rather than deal with a cancellation, I took advantage of it. After driving 600 miles in the last three days, it was welcome, and now I feel great. Thanks again, Franny.
Last week we painted two walls. One bright blue monstrosity in the Mizz's bathroom. He was very excited, since "blue" is one of his stronger words. Franny was excited too, since it meant she could get rid of the Hawaii shower curtain and replace it with the fish one and then get out all the other new decorative and functional fish stuff that Target forced on her. I personally liked the old shower curtain better, but it definitely doesn't go with the blue.
The other wall was in the living room and was a far more extensive project. Not the painting specifically, but the picking of the color. And the wall. We'd been tossing color ideas around for a while, but we finally settled on a tan/taupe/sand/dirt color that seemed to go well with the trim and with the black tree sculpture over the fireplace. So, while I was gone in Bend, I got a call, "Guess what the Mizz and I just did. There's paint on the wall." When I got home, I found that this meant two swaths of paint beside one of the posters we have. It wasn't a very representative idea of what it would really look like, so the poster came down and it widened into a three foot square. Needless to say, after much wrangling, we decided that it really wasn't the color we were after. Or the right wall. So there's now a patch of not-quite-the-right white that will eventually have to be dealt with. But in the end, we decided on a sage color and a whole different and much larger wall. I spent three nights painting and edging and 2nd coating and such, but in the end, it came out great.
I got to remember again that I hate edging. It's not that I'm terrible at it. I usually end up with a better job than lots of others I've seen. The problem is that I am a perfectionist about stuff like that, and I don't have the skill to do it as well as I think it should be done. This is mainly only a problem while I am doing it; after the fact it usually seems fine. But it makes for a very irritating experience.
I also found that I'm very impressed with Sherwin-Williams paints. Their Duration line of paint (top of the line) was on sale, and now I know that I will probably buy it again even if I have to pay full price. It went on very smoothly with almost no splattering, was very easy to clean up, and has a much better than normal container with a handle and pour-spout. They also did a great job of matching the color we had chosen from the Home Depot paint chips.
I also clipped the Mizz's hair one evening. I say clipped since cut would imply a thorough job. Mostly, I cut off the curls/rat tail from the back and over his ears, although I though the latter was going to get me divorced. I left a little more over the ears to placate the wife, but I had to get some of it off so he didn't look like a Kewpie Doll. Between the Mizz's distress and the Mama's distress, I did the most complete job I could in two minutes with maybe 8 or 10 cuts. I think he came out okay though.
Saturday, I finished the garden digging that I started a couple weeks ago. We also planted a bunch of flowers and a couple tomato plants. So far the only thing coming out of the garden has been sprouts from the squash seeds in the composter. A couple years ago, we tossed in a few decorative gourds that we no longer wanted. From what I hear, everybody knows you don't put squash seeds in the composter. That wasn't true then, but it sure is now. Small composters rarely get hot enough to destroy those tough little suckers. Anyway, those are the only real sprouts that seem to be doing very well. I'm ripping them out and hoping the other tiny little things I'm seeing are flowers and not weeds.
Also on Saturday, we invited some friends over for a Memorial Day weekend cookout/potluck. Unlike my usual burger and dog thing, I made Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Skewers from a recipe Franny found. I followed the preparation/marinating directions, but I grilled instead of baked. And since we cooked after everyone was there, we skipped the dipping sauce part. By all accounts, they were excellent. Franny also found some cool flat skewers. They are thin strips of bamboo maybe 1/4" wide with one pointed end. I'm not sure whether it made much difference for the chicken since that sticks pretty quickly, but it was awesome for grilling the vegetable slices. No more rolling around and only cooking one side. Everything turns just like you want. Good find, Franny.
Sunday, Franny and I got to go out. Without the Mizz. We left him with a sitter to go to a friend's sushi party. Lucky for me, there was stir-fry beef too. It was actually a surprise birthday party for her too, and we took a couple cakes that I made. Nothing fancy, just from the box, although I did mix Bailey's into the frosting on one of them. Mmmm. I wasn't impressed with my rushed decorating, but nobody else seemed to mind. The only reason I got to make the cakes was that Gina is the baker and her boyfriend was having trouble finding any of her friends that knew how to make a cake. Since I can follow directions, that apparently makes me the most capable. Kinda sad.
Monday was much more relaxed, what with all the Mango-tinis at the party. We did make it out to visit some friend and the other little Mizz. I don't get to see my Mizz interacting with other kids all that often, and it's fun to see them play together even if neither one of them quite understands what the other is trying to do all the time. It was especially cute watching our Mizz push the other one around in a wagon. Each of them seemed pretty happy with his part of the deal.
Back to work has actually seemed like kind of a break, although with a bit of driving. For the last three days, I've been travelling up and down the Columbia Gorge working at an aluminum plant, a couple wastewater plants, a water plant, a brewery (smelled great), and a couple other labs. It's been a beautiful couple days for that trip. The aluminum plant is actually kind of interesting, as it's the only one left in the Northwest that's doing much. They are actually only melting down scrap aluminum and recycling it, but at least that's something. There used to be something like 20 aluminum plants in the Northwest mainly due to the cheap hydropower we used to have. However with the power crunch a few years ago (thanks again, Enron), the days of cheap electricity are gone, and so too the aluminum industry in this country. We can no longer compete with developing countries with little or no environmental and labor regulations.
Sorry. Not trying to start a rant there. Not in the mood today. You see, I got an unplanned massage this evening. Franny had one scheduled, but ended up with plans that were going to end too late. So, rather than deal with a cancellation, I took advantage of it. After driving 600 miles in the last three days, it was welcome, and now I feel great. Thanks again, Franny.
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