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

[Nords]

Another contestant in the "Who dies with the fewest toys wins" game.
At my age I'm beginning to doubt there's any future in it...

Seems to me that if someone
(1) can identify something they actually, truly want, and also
(2) can easily manage to purchase whatever-it-is, and can unquestionably afford it, then they are in the catbird seat and just tremendously lucky. And should BUY it!

I'm trying to stay out of the blast radius of this problem, but I have to admit that there are lots of choices. I think she's concerned that she'll go for a Series 3 just as our cable company changes a bunch of programming over to digital and messes with the status quo.

Our daughter's lived off-campus for over six months now with two roommates, and none of them have even felt the need to get a TV. They don't pay a cable bill or a landline phone bill.

 

[Rambler]

Just got home to Tokyo from my last overseas business trip last night. Tossed my clothes in the washer and started repacking the suitcases. Tomorrow we transfer our suitcases to a hotel, and come back for one more night in the old apt as the movers will be here early monday morning.

As we pack up our stuff/junk, it occurred to me how little of it I really want or need. Some of it we keep for the memories. Some we keep for legal reasons (like tax returns), but for most of the stuff we are taking back it is just because we are too lazy/crazy to part with it. Honestly, we did get rid of A LOT of stuff, by giving it away to people who needed it or could use it. But I still find myself doing a double take and having to ask myself "now why did I put that (insert item) in that box, when it should go to trash?"

R

 

[REWahoo]

But I still find myself doing a double take and having to ask myself "now why did I put that (insert item) in that box, when it should go to trash?"

I'm impressed - we usually didn't ask that question until we were unpacking.

 

[MichaelB]

As we pack up our stuff/junk, it occurred to me how little of it I really want or need. Some of it we keep for the memories. Some we keep for legal reasons (like tax returns), but for most of the stuff we are taking back it is just because we are too lazy/crazy to part with it. Honestly, we did get rid of A LOT of stuff, by giving it away to people who needed it or could use it. But I still find myself doing a double take and having to ask myself "now why did I put that (insert item) in that box, when it should go to trash?"

R

After moving with boxes still unopened from previous moves we concluded it was a losing battle. No matter how much stuff we get rid of we always bring along other stuff that is useless and unnecessary. For example, the other day I emptied out a box in the basement with CDs and VHS tapes. I'm not sure when it was packed but I think it was two moves ago, and we haven't had a VCR in the house for at least 10 years.

 

[Dawg52]

I hung around my Mother's house all day today waiting on a Comcast technician. Was suppose to come around 10-11am to fix a cable converter problem in her bedroom. I finally called their 1-800 customer service center located in India and they told me he was not scheduled for today, but for Friday the 21st. My original service call was placed on Dec 11th. Ten days to wait on a frigging service call? Can't get any satisfaction on the phone so I will be at the local store's doorstep Monday morning to [-]raise hell[/-] discuss my dissatisfaction with their service.

Time for a med.

 

[travelover]

I hung around my Mother's house all day today waiting on a Comcast technician. .......

Good luck with that. Our local Comcast office is in a nice neighborhood but they have bullet proof glass in the service window. I found out why when I had to deal with the b@st@rds.

 

[bbbamI]

Today, DH and I went to his cardiologist for his last test.

Since the rotten EKG noted by our PCP, the following appts have been made with the heart center...

1. Run EKG and see if it's abnormal. Yes indeed it is, now let's check your meds and medical history.

2. Stress test. First an echocardiogram was ran, then doc said, 'No stress test for you today. Your heart is weak. You need nuclear testing.'

3. Nuclear resting test imaging done along with echocardiogram.
4. Nuclear stress test imaging done with echocardiogram.

5. Conference with doc on the 27th regarding fndings.

At this point, I'm not sure if we should plan on continuing a 3% WR, 4% WR, or bet it all on 22.

My crystal ball is a bit cloudy but, I'm betting on 3%. Time will tell.

 

[Dawg52]

Good luck with that. Our local Comcast office is in a nice neighborhood but they have bullet proof glass in the service window. I found out why when I had to deal with the b@st@rds.

This office does too, but they can still hear me.

 

[Nords]

Our daughter's home from college!

Three weeks' vacation after what she describes as the toughest semester ever. Five down, three to go.

 

[Rambler]

Our daughter's home from college!

Three weeks' vacation after what she describes as the toughest semester ever. Five down, three to go.

Our daughter also left yesterday...for her hubby's home. We'll go see her the day after Christmas. For us, seven down, one to go. DS flies to SFO the same day we do, and pretty close to our arrival time from Tokyo. It will be good to see him, but I think I would prefer not to discuss the down/to go situation.

DW and I spent all day yesterday sorting stuff and prepping for the movers. Today will be another day of that, but it looks like we are going to have good weather this morning, so we'll go out together for an easy jog first.

R

 

[Walt34]

Good luck with that. Our local Comcast office is in a nice neighborhood but they have bullet proof glass in the service window. I found out why when I had to deal with the b@st@rds.

West Virginians must be well trusted by Comcast. Their local office here doesn't have any glass at the counter. But I have to admit the staff there has been decent to me on the two times I've been there so I wasn't tempted to reach across the counter and strangle anyone.

That aside, DW and I went over to FIL's house and pressure-washed the concrete front porch, yet another item crossed of the to-do list in prepping it for sale.

Then we went to a specialty shoe store for her since she's been suffering from plantar fascitis and the store was recommended by her doctor. Time will tell but I was impressed with the attention given her to get shoes that fit right. The whole thing took about an hour trying on different shoes after a brief walk on a treadmill to examine her gait. That time and attention doesn't come cheap, we walked out almost $300 lighter for two pair of shoes and some gel pads but if it cures her foot pain it's worth it.

 

[Nords]

Father-daughter dawn patrol. I enjoy the conversations in the car almost as much as the surfing.

On the way home past the high school parking lot she saw the signs for the garage sales and surf fashions, so we raced back to the house to put the longboards away. Then she dragged Mom out the door to catch up on seeing the old school grounds and to do a little retail therapy. They scored a $5 roller bag, but my spouse felt bad that she didn't bargain harder. I got a few nice quiet hours at home plus a nap.

After lunch (leftover Thai food) we all sat around in the livingroom spitting into test tubes. Last week 23andMe reduced their genotyping price from $299 to $99, so we bought three spit kits and filled 'em up. We should have the results in 2-3 weeks.

But mostly it's been talk story. More and more often, when she mentions a military topic and we parents pontificate with our wise words on how to avoid a similar problem during her career, we're told "Oh, we don't do it that way anymore, Dad." So I guess the military really is fixing all those things that used to annoy us.

 

[Gumby]

. More and more often, when she mentions a military topic and we parents pontificate with our wise words on how to avoid a similar problem during her career, we're told "Oh, we don't do it that way anymore, Dad." So I guess the military really is fixing all those things that used to annoy us.

Never fear. I'm sure there will always be a laundry list of things that continue to annoy JOs today. It will just be things that you and I never thought of.

 

[REWahoo]

After lunch (leftover Thai food) we all sat around in the livingroom spitting into test tubes.

Quality family time like that is rare these days...

 

[grasshopper]

Then we went to a specialty shoe store for her since she's been suffering from plantar fascitis and the store was recommended by her doctor. Time will tell but I was impressed with the attention given her to get shoes that fit right. The whole thing took about an hour trying on different shoes after a brief walk on a treadmill to examine her gait. That time and attention doesn't come cheap, we walked out almost $300 lighter for two pair of shoes and some gel pads but if it cures her foot pain it's worth it.

Ms G suffers from plantar fascitis, swears by these inserts. She and the dogs do 6-8 miles on our crappy, rocky, 2-track dirt [-]road[/-] path.

Comf-Orthotic® Sports Replacement Insoles - Hapad® Products

 

[Alan]

After lunch (leftover Thai food) we all sat around in the livingroom spitting into test tubes.

Quality family time like that is rare these days...

When I used to visit home from college, it was spitting into the coal fire that was the thing to do.

 

[freebird5825]

Yum! Great idea for using up a pork roast that is too big for two without ending up with a week's worth of boring leftovers! Thanks for sharing!

Reviving the pork posts...

You're welcome.
That fried rice is now in the freezer awaiting its fate as a snack for whoever gets to it first. I didn't hide it too well.
The Jager Schnitzel did not survive the 2nd day. It is history!!!!

Today was volunteer pizza cooking day for the kids' xmas party at our local Legion. Mr B and I made french bread pizza and regular pizza while Santa gave out gifts bought and wrapped by the Auxiliary.
44 kids and their parents can eat a LOT of pizza.
So can the bar patrons.
We brought home leftover pizza sauce, slices of pepperoni pizza, and sugar cookies. The cookies will be road food for our upcoming trip to NH.

I took this picture of a small pine tree outside the Legion. It is not perfect but I liked the result.

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[Brett_Cameron]

I cooked breakfast for DD31, DS9, DS16, GS8, GD6. We had pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and an assortment of juices. No leftovers. Had a good visit this weekend.

 

[MBAustin]

Yesterday, finally finished decorating the Christmas tree - I enjoyed putting a few ornaments on each day and savoring the decisions about which to use (we have too many) and where. Cooked black beans and a Mexican rice casserole for two purposes: dinner for two homeless families staying our our church this week, and dinner for a friend having difficulty recovering from surgery.

Today was up at 0 dark 30 to be ready for two services of lessons and carols - singing in a 100+ voice choir with orchestra. It is such a blessing to sing on days like this when there is so much sadness and confusion in the world around us.

Enjoyed lunch with some friends then talked with my mother and decided it was nap time. Woke up re-energized to cook dinner, wash dishes, do laundry, and finish the last gift packing to be mailed tomorrow. And catch up with all of you wonderful ER folks (I think 500 posts by the end of the year is now easily in sight!).

 

[Nords]

Our daughter downloaded a bunch of recipes, made a list, went grocery shopping, and started cooking.

She made us dinner and tomorrow's breakfast muffins. She even loaded the dishwasher.

My spouse walked into the kitchen and inquired: "Who are you and what have you done with our daughter?!?"

I guess this semester was pretty rough, and she hasn't had as much kitchen time as she wanted. But if she insists on catching up on her pent-up urges to cook, then the least I can do is support her...

 

[Moscyn]

Pretty average day. Ironing clothes while watching an episode of Wallander. Went to see the doctor to get some specialists referrals. Will have a pilate session later. Cooking dinner.

 

[grasshopper]

The winter rains started, so we have had a couple of days of Seattle's best, not the coffee, the weather. That's OK Vanguard has TurboTax up, so I started our return.

Oh yea, winter rains in the desert, kinda like, sunny days in San Francisco.

We were watching a great French movie, "The Hedgehog" on NetFlix streaming last night. All the dogs were inside, when the motion lights came on the porch. So I get up to see if a tumbleweed or owl blew by the sensor. No instead it was a beautiful Grey Fox, coming to get a drink from the doggy bowl. Now I know what has had the pups so upset at night. I thought it was a neighborhood skunk getting the dogs all worked up.

 

[travelover]

I fixed our washing machine today. It is a front loader, and we really like it, except the control module failed about 10 nanoseconds after the warranty expired. It would only half complete a cycle, then you'd get an error code and we'd have to manually select "rinse and spin". A hassle, but I refused to pop for $250 for a new module.

So, I put the part number on an on going eBay alert and one finally showed up for $60 + shipping, new, but with no box.

I also got a new cell phone and service. I had been with Virgin mobile paying $15 every 90 days, but they increased the rate to $20. This got me to looking, as the Sprint network it runs on is weak in many areas. I found Page Plus from a post here, which runs on the Verizon network and is only $10 for 4 months. They also allow you to activate a smart phone, so I picked up a Droid off eBay for $80. This Droid is amazing in that it incorporates everything from a 8 meg camera / video, to an FM radio, to a GPS, to a mobile hot spot, to an MP3 player, plus browser in one inexpensive device. I don't plan to use the 3G function much, as the data is expensive on this cheap plan, but it works great on Wifi.

 

[MBAustin]

Thanks, grasshopper, for the Vanguard TurboTax info - I'll add that to my list.

Went out shopping first thing this morning - all was calm and bright. At yoga class (at my former w*rkplace) heard that several very talented former peers were laid off last week. Morale has sunk to an all-time low (one of the reasons I left, and it's only continued to go down). Very glad I'm not there.

Wrapped and boxed up some Christmas gifts to ship (yes, I know I should have done that last week, but this way I got to re-use the box my sister shipped gifts to us in!). One more box to go tomorrow - waiting for something to arrive from Amazon which hopefully will get here before the PO closes. Took the boxes to be shipped and went to the bank to straighten out a problem with a check (only to find it had been fixed this morning after I looked at it online last night).

It's a nice warm day so I'll grill a steak for dinner. Then finish knitting a prayer shawl while I watch some TV.

 

[NW-Bound]

Just so you know, the TiVo does not have a power switch -- it stays on all the time. One problem solved.

Oh no! I would have to remember to unplug it, so that it would not suck up juice recording shows that I would not remember to watch.

I really love this thread. This and "What did you eat today?" I think are my two most favorite here. Compare to many of you, I lead a very tame existence in retirement. And most of you certainly eat a lot better!!!!!!! I am envious and will try to "work" (bad word) to try and keep up!!!!!! Great stuff!!!!
Prof12

Well, while I do try to eat better, I certainly try not to eat more.

And if you do make an effort to "keep up" in the food category (food is cheaper than other indulgences like cars, boats, planes, etc...) do not forget the drinks too. Food and drink certainly go together. I would not touch smoke though, having quit 10 years ago.