what did you do today? (2008-2015) (closed)

[Nords]

Took spouse to the airport yesterday to depart on her three-week girlfriend's vacation. (She swears she's coming back.) I'm not yet at liberty to disclose her itinerary but that's not as relevant as the purpose for the trip. This is a big step for her because she finds it difficult to give herself permission to travel for personal reasons. After 25 years of traveling for official Navy business or volunteer organizations or college searches or family reunions, this is the first time she's traveling... because she wants to. She finds it difficult to imagine what it'd be like to travel just for fun & shopping, but by the time she returns she should have this empty-nester luxury down pat. Did I already mention that she swears she's coming back?

During the next three weeks I'm supposed to be the CDO and senior supervisory watch stationed for:
- teaching a teenager to drive a stick shift (the second attempt; this time she swears she's going to learn how to do it),
- the senior prom (no drama or angst here!),
- coping with the unsympathetic authoritarian oblivious math teacher (no drama or angst here either),
- studying for the AP exams in physics, English literature, and probability/statistics,
- preps for the "Project Grad" senior party.

I spent the rest of the morning shopping for water heater anode rods. Turns out they're harder to find than I expected, and they were at our local Inter-Island Solar Supply. (It's not just for photovoltaics anymore.) OK, OK, I also bought her Mother's Day gift-- believe it or not, new hubcaps for her 13-year-old car. Yes that's what she wants. Of course there may be an additional gift or two that she didn't know she wanted.

Today I'm looking forward to helping a friend clear their jammed disposal. The electric motor tries to turn the blades but it just hums, and the drain line is clogged nearly solid. These people are not what you would call the most maintenance-aware tenants so this exploratory surgery may be impressive even by submarine-force standards. Big buckets, pipe-cleaning brushes, Ford wrenches, C4, HAZMAT packaging... should be lotsa fun.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI Funny thing is...the men teared up and had difficulty speaking...this was something I did not expect.

Maybe there's another woman at the PD who'd be willing to wear your avatar's leather boots?

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

I'm a little rusty on my bike riding so wish me luck in not killing myself.

Hope you got a nice new helmet to go with it. A guy around here died recently riding his bike (slowly) to the laundromat.

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Maybe there's another woman at the PD who'd be willing to wear your avatar's leather boots?

Hmmm, I suppose it's possible...but somehow I doubt it. However I don't think they'll miss my boots...they'll miss my smile and laughter. Yeah...that's it.

Went to my ENT for a follow-up. I have 50% hearing loss in my right ear. Since nothing can be done about the loss, my only option is a hearing aid. I'm not ready for that right now. Besides, it may be beneficial to me to have selective hearing. If someone gets upset, I can just say..."I have hearing loss, don't ya know.."

[CuppaJoe]

I posted on a 200-page thread!! That's what I did today, yeah!!

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI Besides, it may be beneficial to me to have selective hearing. If someone gets upset, I can just say..."I have hearing loss, don't ya know.."

FIL had that most of his life, and we used to crack up when he also ignored MIL if she gently nudged him, followed up by a thump on the arm and the words "Is your elbow deaf as well?"

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI I have 50% hearing loss in my right ear.

Reminds me of a recent event which DW and I now use as an ice-breaker if we start to get frosty with each other over some misunderstanding.

DW said something to me and I handed her the Diet Pepsi I was drinking. She looked puzzled and asked me what I thought she'd said. "Can I have a sip?" I answered. She looked a little more puzzled and stated that her actual question was "Do I look alright?"

This incident has explained a lot of recent "misunderstandings" we've had. The humor of it all has actually helped our marriage if you can believe it. So, by all means, bbbamI, milk this hearing loss for all it's worth! As the sergeant used to say "Some day, it may save your life".

[happy2bretired]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl Hope you got a nice new helmet to go with it. A guy around here died recently riding his bike (slowly) to the laundromat.

Yeah, I bought a helmet and look like a doofus. But, maybe a safe doofus. I rode very slowly yesterday for a very short distance and man...was I pooped when I got home. I'm very unsteady - it's been a long time since I rode a bike. I bought one of those little mirror things that clip over my glasses so I can see what's behind me but it didn't work to well.

I have a question. When I first start out with my automatic gears, I seem to peddle to fast or something on level ground or going downhill. My feet don't really power the bike. I feel like I'm powering the bike when I go up an incline but not so much when I'm on level ground. (am I making any sense?)

Anyway, can bike shops calibrate gears or something?

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan FIL had that most of his life, and we used to crack up when he also ignored MIL if she gently nudged him, followed up by a thump on the arm and the words "Is your elbow deaf as well?"

....looks like I'm headed for a bruised elbow....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koolau Reminds me of a recent event which DW and I now use as an ice-breaker if we start to get frosty with each other over some misunderstanding. DW said something to me and I handed her the Diet Pepsi I was drinking. She looked puzzled and asked me what I thought she'd said. "Can I have a sip?" I answered. She looked a little more puzzled and stated that her actual question was "Do I look alright?" This incident has explained a lot of recent "misunderstandings" we've had. The humor of it all has actually helped our marriage if you can believe it. So, by all means, bbbamI, milk this hearing loss for all it's worth! As the sergeant used to say "Some day, it may save your life".

I know exactly what you mean...

Eh, hearing is not all there is to communication. I can sense when DH is looking at me while he's kicked back in his recliner. I'll glance at him and say "What?" He won't say a word...just move his feet. Depending on the way he moves his feet, I know he wants something to drink/eat....or he's sleepy and ready to go to bed.

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by happy2bretired Yeah, I bought a helmet and look like a doofus. But, maybe a safe doofus. I rode very slowly yesterday for a very short distance and man...was I pooped when I got home. I'm very unsteady - it's been a long time since I rode a bike. I bought one of those little mirror things that clip over my glasses so I can see what's behind me but it didn't work to well. I have a question. When I first start out with my automatic gears, I seem to peddle to fast or something on level ground or going downhill. My feet don't really power the bike. I feel like I'm powering the bike when I go up an incline but not so much when I'm on level ground. (am I making any sense?) Anyway, can bike shops calibrate gears or something?

Take care with that mirror - I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner - many years ago I was following a friend who had just bought a mirror and I couldn't believe my eyes when he cycled into the back of a parked car.

I've never tried an automatic transmission on a bike so can't comment there, so I would go to a bike shop to ask about that. (With manual gears you can be in the situation on the level where it feels you have little resistance, such as when you have a stiff breeze behind you, but you can always shift up to a higher gear to give you more resistance.)

[Martha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by happy2bretired Yeah, I bought a helmet and look like a doofus. But, maybe a safe doofus. I rode very slowly yesterday for a very short distance and man...was I pooped when I got home. I'm very unsteady - it's been a long time since I rode a bike. I bought one of those little mirror things that clip over my glasses so I can see what's behind me but it didn't work to well. I have a question. When I first start out with my automatic gears, I seem to peddle to fast or something on level ground or going downhill. My feet don't really power the bike. I feel like I'm powering the bike when I go up an incline but not so much when I'm on level ground. (am I making any sense?) Anyway, can bike shops calibrate gears or something?

I think the idea is that it is more efficient to spin really fast, rather than push at it.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI Depending on the way he moves his feet, I know he wants something to drink/eat....or he's sleepy and ready to go to bed.

That's amazing!

Or as we say about Hula, every little movement has a meaning.

Maybe you should submit the foot movements to the folks who came up with signing for the hearing impaired. Imagine if you will a hearing impaired person who is also without the use of the upper limbs.

It could happen!

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Took spouse to the airport yesterday to depart on her three-week girlfriend's vacation. (She swears she's coming back.) I'm not yet at liberty to disclose her itinerary but that's not as relevant as the purpose for the trip. This is a big step for her because she finds it difficult to give herself permission to travel for personal reasons. After 25 years of traveling for official Navy business or volunteer organizations or college searches or family reunions, this is the first time she's traveling... because she wants to. She finds it difficult to imagine what it'd be like to travel just for fun & shopping, but by the time she returns she should have this empty-nester luxury down pat. Did I already mention that she swears she's coming back?

You go girl!
I've had varying reactions to my solo adventure trips. By and large, most people (who know me well) think it's great for me to go off and have a ball go exporing beaches for "good" shells and visit historic sites and nature areas. Others have quizzed me about dh2b's absence on these trips, as if something is wrong. What a funny world we live in.
Now...the BIG question...does Mr Nords cook or is it TV dinners for 3 weeks?

[Nodak]

Spent the day helping a friend restore a John Deere model B tractor.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 Now...the BIG question...does Mr Nords cook or is it TV dinners for 3 weeks?

Oh please.

We run an equal-opportunity family. Spouse and I both attended USNA together, we've both had "real" jobs with 60-hour workweeks and watchbills, and we started our marriage on an equal division of domestic duties. We swore we weren't going to grow up to be like our parents.

Neither one of us particularly enjoys cooking but we set a good parenting example. Spouse cooks dinners Mon/Wed/Sat, I cook Tue/Thu/Sun, and we enjoy Costco pizza on Fridays. We also dine out once or twice a month. Everyone's on their own for breakfasts & lunches.

Last night the kid & I were at an affair with heavy pupus (ono!) so I didn't cook. Tonight she's working late and her boss is taking her out to dinner so I won't have to cook. I'm afraid I might have to actually cook something making baked chicken legs for Thursday dinner. I'm fluent with a wide variety of easily-quickly prepared dishes made from either chicken, turkey, pork, fish, tofu, hot dogs, pasta or an occasional Costco frozen lasagna. If our kid doesn't enthusiastically gobble it up then she's welcome to make the next day's dinner.

Our kid claims to be tired of Costco pizza so she's agitating for a different pizza place on Friday. In exchange she'll probably let me cajole her to cook a meal or two on her own over the next few week. But otherwise she swears that she's not going to grow up to be like her parents...

[Moemg]

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Originally Posted by freebird5825 You go girl! have quizzed me about dh2b's absence on these trips, as if something is wrong. What a funny world we live in. Now...the BIG question...does Mr Nords cook or is it TV dinners for 3 weeks?

My So & I have always enjoyed separate travel . He loves to go on trips with his boys and I love to visit my daughter by myself . We both come back from the time apart refreshed and I usually return with a bunch of new clothes .

[Moemg]

Today I went to a laundromat . I have not been in one for many years. I had a large comforter I was washing and it was too big for my machine so I packed up detergent ,quarters and a book and off I went . It was soo boring . I forgot how boring laundromats where . You just sit there forever and feed quarters into the machines .The funny thing is there was a sign on the door that they would do any size comforter for $10 which I ignored since I was on a mission and how much could it cost to wash and dry one comforter . Half way into the mission I was wishing I had paid the $10 as I fed endless quarters into the dryer .

[Koolau]

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Originally Posted by Moemg I forgot how boring laundromats where . You just sit there forever and feed quarters into the machines .

I agree, but many moons ago, I did the laundry at a laundromat near a big university. In those days it was kind of interesting to see coeds folding their skimpy leopard or hearts and flowers, etc underwear. Guess I've outgrown that stage as we have our own w/d combo and have had for many years. Still, thinking about the good ol' days can be sort of fun.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koolau In those days it was kind of interesting to see coeds folding their skimpy leopard or hearts and flowers, etc underwear.

I don't think they were there to do laundry...

[citrine]

Worked on a couple of clients.
Paid $280 to find out that my cat has gas which caused the diarrhea.
Spent some time catching up with a couple of girlfriends.

[Walt34]

Went for a 100-mile motorcycle ride, starting with breakfast at a good family-run restaurant in Keedysville, MD, then on to Cunningham Falls park in MD via all the back roads. Rode around there for a while, then wandered back home, getting somewhat lost on the way. Almost gave up and turned on the GPS but finally found my way.

When to the third installment of the four-week class with DW on digital photography. I finally found out what a histogram is.