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

[bbbamI]

This post is not about what I did today, it's about what went on the past few days as I have been out of town...

...trying to put make-up on at 8:30 in the a.m., consigning a guitar, a dog falling asleep on my chest, tacos, laughing, gossiping, hugs, shed some tears, a diamond ring, a wad of cash, finding treasures, frying chicken, a .357 Magnum, pecans, cleaning out a shed, seeing a friend I haven't seen in 30 years, going thru photos, a thunderstorm, listening to trains, talking about the past and hoping for a pleasant future.

I'm tired.

[grasshopper]

The Portal Rodeo St Pats Day parade is available for viewing. I am there doing my best Vana White arm wave in the fire truck.

St. Patrick's Day Parade - 2012 | Portal, AZ - Rodeo, NM

There is a photo of some of the young folks in the town, and an insert photo of the same kids in the same wagon in an earlier date.

Things never change here!

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski How pray tell does one swallow two dimes and a penny?

That's the part I made up.

[Nords]

Our college daughter has announced that, in the best interest of her dorm mates and Rice University's limited berthing space, it has become necessary for her to live off-campus next year. As in 1 May, just six weeks away.

At about the same time she made that announcement, I read the student newspaper article concerning two young men of her dorm whose vehicle had run out of gas that evening. They obtained more gas in a plastic container but for some reason had some gas left over when they returned to the college. Seeking a convenient hazmat disposal location, they poured a couple gallons into what they thought was a sewer drain but what was actually the dorm's ventilation intake plenum. (Clearly these guys are not engineering majors.) So the entire dorm had to evacuate at 1 AM Saturday morning.

Anyway this seems like a good opportunity for our daughter to figure out all the apartment-lifestyle tricks before she's an ensign. Of course one of those tricks is having sufficient rent money (and roommates) to avoid having to live next door to a meth lab. She's found a place and she's put in an application and it seems as if things will work out OK. Pricing seems not too far out of line with what Rice has been charging for room & board, although Rice also includes free student midwatch pranks with fire alarms and other dorm infrastructure. So maybe the apartment is really a bargain.

Now I'm composing an e-mail tentatively titled "Dad's guide to buying a good used car for less than $5000".

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI ... a .357 Magnum, pecans,

Y'know, I've heard that most people use a nutcracker for this task... or are you implying that the pecans are somehow substituting as ammunition?

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Our college daughter has announced that, in the best interest of her dorm mates and Rice University's limited berthing space, it has become necessary for her to live off-campus next year. As in 1 May, just six weeks away. At about the same time she made that announcement, I read the student newspaper article concerning two young men of her dorm whose vehicle had run out of gas that evening. They obtained more gas in a plastic container but for some reason had some gas left over when they returned to the college. Seeking a convenient hazmat disposal location, they poured a couple gallons into what they thought was a sewer drain but what was actually the dorm's ventilation intake plenum. (Clearly these guys are not engineering majors.) So the entire dorm had to evacuate at 1 AM Saturday morning. Anyway this seems like a good opportunity for our daughter to figure out all the apartment-lifestyle tricks before she's an ensign. Of course one of those tricks is having sufficient rent money (and roommates) to avoid having to live next door to a meth lab. She's found a place and she's put in an application and it seems as if things will work out OK. Pricing seems not too far out of line with what Rice has been charging for room & board, although Rice also includes free student midwatch pranks with fire alarms and other dorm infrastructure. So maybe the apartment is really a bargain. Now I'm composing an e-mail tentatively titled "Dad's guide to buying a good used car for less than $5000". Y'know, I've heard that most people use a nutcracker for this task... or are you implying that the pecans are somehow substituting as ammunition?

Living off campus is a real change for a dorm bound student. Getting to and from class, meal prep, getting utility service, just to name a few. You probably have experience in this, but just in case, signing a lease or a utility account when there are student roommates often ends badly.

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Y'know, I've heard that most people use a nutcracker for this task... or are you implying that the pecans are somehow substituting as ammunition?

Nah...we just use our teef. .....but hey, pecans as ammo.....hmmmm.

At 79, my daddy has decided to hand down some of his prized possessions now instead of putting them in his will. He's able to see the joy in the faces of the recipients.

Recently, he gave me his .357 Magnum. I added my favorite teddy bear as to 'soften the blow' of the photo... It's a beautiful gun, and I will be taking it to a firing range soon.

[freebird5825]

Remind me not to PO Mr Teddy.

Things are back to normal ear-wise. 2 more days of Amoxicillin and I can have a beer (or two or...) again.

This week has been a potpourri of minor indoor house chores. I got outside on a sunny day and used my powerwasher to clean the front PT wood steps. Next step is staining it, squeezing that task in between the rainy days.

I have all of my seeds planted in small containers indoors. I have figured out that between the wintered over geraniums and seeds, I'm saving at least $40 on the flowers and approx $20 on growing my own seeds. I am amazed at how expensive nursery seedlings have become.

Mr B is still plugging away at his college courses.

I'm getting more involved in the private club where I do my weekly volunteering. One of the officers asked me to serve on the kitchen committee to help address overall cleanliness issues and tasking. I will be putting together a matrix of duties and personnel currently assigned to those duties.
The funny thing is the employees (3 young men and the adult cook) and volunteers (waitresses, cashier, bussing, kitchen prep) all pitch in together and cover each other when it gets crazy. I want to be sure not to upset that apple cart.
I invited several of the Board members to simply come in the kitchen and dining areas on a Friday night and see for themselves how well we all w*rk together when push comes to shove. Or even better, put on an apron and pitch in.

[M Paquette]

I replaced the internal hard disk drive in my 2007 iMac. The old drive had almost 5 years of service, running constantly as the machine is both a constantly used desktop system during the day, as well as a media server and digital video recorder. (Most media content is in external drives. The internal drive has the operating system, applications, and swap space.)

Working on this things innards reminded me a lot of rebuilding carburators. I pretty much used the same approach, with a clean bench, and lots of double sided tape to lay out the screws and other bits in the order and pattern removed. The job took about an hour and a half, but if I did it again would be under an hour. For what it's worth, this online take-apart guide was really handy: http://octomac.com/tech/iMacHD/iMacHDUpgrade.html

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI At 79, my daddy has decided to hand down some of his prized possessions now instead of putting them in his will. He's able to see the joy in the faces of the recipients. Recently, he gave me his .357 Magnum. I added my favorite teddy bear as to 'soften the blow' of the photo... It's a beautiful gun, and I will be taking it to a firing range soon.

So when you say You are packing you are not referring to a suitcase !

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB Living off campus is a real change for a dorm bound student. Getting to and from class, meal prep, getting utility service, just to name a few. You probably have experience in this, but just in case, signing a lease or a utility account when there are student roommates often ends badly.

Yeah, I'm going to start a separate thread on the subject.

She used to be the girl who volunteered to rent a ZipCar for the day's errands and let her roomies ride for free. (She figured she was going to rent one anyway, whether her friends came along or not.) She turned that behavior around in a hurry and now breaks even on the "favor".

We use these teachable situations as examples of what it means to be a naval officer.

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 Remind me not to PO Mr Teddy. Things are back to normal ear-wise. 2 more days of Amoxicillin and I can have a beer (or two or...) again.

Ahhh...no worries. Teddy for the most part is very laid-back.

Glad you're feeling better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg So when you say You are packing you are not referring to a suitcase !

Yep....my secret is slippin' out. Ooooo, and my gun has a gorgeous custom made leather holster. Matching gun and holster is essential don't ya know....

[Khan]

Went to the Farmers' Market today (started a month earlier than usual because of especially warm weather).
Only crop was spinach, should be some asparagus next week.
Local TV news guy was there, asked to do an interview, I ended up on local TV for my 15 seconds of fame.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan Went to the Farmers' Market today (started a month earlier than usual because of especially warm weather). Only crop was spinach, should be some asparagus next week. Local TV news guy was there, asked to do an interview, I ended up on local TV for my 15 seconds of fame.

Woo-hoo! That's great. What did they ask you about? Did you get to see the footage?

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Woo-hoo! That's great. What did they ask you about? Did you get to see the footage?

Fairborn Farmer's Market opens early

Crap, I'm old.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan Fairborn Farmer's Market opens early Crap, I'm old.

You looked and sounded lovely, and not old at all. You look great in pink, by the way, and you sound articulate and intelligent (of course). Thanks for the link.

[Nords]

I spent the day with a drywall virtuoso.

Landlord wannabes beware: if your rental has an attic, it's only a matter of time until the tenants go there. (Whether you approve or not.) And then it's only a matter of time until someone puts their size-15 feet through the ceiling.

The first time was over a bedroom closet, so it didn't seem worth fixing right then. The second hole (a kneecap through a bedroom wall) was hidden behind furniture. When the third hole happened in the garage, though, it was time to do something about it.

Luckily the drywall guy is good. He trimmed out the big holes, fitted in some framing, screwed in the new drywall, then added adhesive mesh tape and three coats of 20-minute joint compound. After lunch he sprayed on the orange peel texture, and tomorrow I'll paint.

$450, all paid for by the tenants. All I had to do was survey the damage, find the drywall guy, arrange the date/time, and spend six hours not surfing supervising. "Easy money"!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI Yep....my secret is slippin' out. Ooooo, and my gun has a gorgeous custom made leather holster. Matching gun and holster is essential don't ya know....

Well, I imagine it'd be tough to match that caliber in a garter...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan Fairborn Farmer's Market opens early Crap, I'm old.

Eh, it's a good clip.

It's even better that "Farmer's market opens a month early!!!" is where the local news teams have to get their excitement.

[freebird5825]

Damn, I'm tired today. A crew of 9 w*rked on the kitchen for over 8 hours yesterday. We have an electric powerwasher, so I grabbed it and started cleaning EVERYTHING. Another guy ran the floor squeegee and we switched off duties. Sunglasses are now needed for the gleaming kitchen equipment and floor.

It's official...One of the officers formally twisted my arm asked me to serve on the kitchen committee to help address overall cleanliness issues and tasking. Pending Board approval, I will be putting together a matrix of critical versus optional duties and personnel currently assigned to those duties. I will be mentoring the 3 young men (ages 20, 19 and just 18) who do the dishes and whatever else is necessary to run the kitchen and stay strictly compliant with Health Codes. I already can see some areas where they could be more time/effort efficient and not feel so overwhelmed during rush times.
I already w*rk with these guys and we get along great. I can envision special projects on days when dinner is not being served, and of course a followup pizza party for them .
I am a firm believer in the "Carrot" not the "Stick". Effort gets rewards. Sometimes more than a paycheck is needed for extra motivation. Treating them to pizza is such small thing for me to do, but I know they will enjoy it.
I was told that one of them has a not-so-happy home environment, so I have enlisted Mr B to be a low-key but positive male role model for him. Simple things like shake his hand and say hello when he sees him, ask him about school, see if the young man has things to get off his chest, etc etc. Mr B is happy to do that.

I'm having FUN!!!!!!

[Huston55]

DW and I went to a blues concert staring Mac Arnold & Plate Full O' Blues at The Square Room in downtown Knoxville. Mac is the sole remaining member of the Muddy Waters band. And, it was walking distance from home. Backbone and gristle baby; doesn't get much better.

[Nords]

Our taekwondo dojang hosted the Hawaii state championships today. Winners of their brackets are eligible for the national tournament. In Dallas. In late June/early July. Presumably in some air-conditioned building. I don't want to have to learn the details.

Last night we had a USAT two-hour seminar on judging & refereeing-- Korean vocabulary, standard hand signals, points, warnings, penalties, and other procedures. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Then we loaded the rental truck with tables, chairs, medals, computer/electronic equipment, 400 square meters of rubberized floor mats, and all the food/water required to support a tournament. This morning we filled the basketball court of the local high school gym with four rings and all the peripheral gear.

Then it was just 4-5 hours of judging & refereeing (with short breaks). I enjoy working with the younger kids who are in their first or second tournaments. A few of the teenagers are almost too fast to follow the action.

I didn't compete this year, and I'm glad I didn't. The guy who I would've sparred is an Army sergeant in his late 30s, a three-time member of the All-Army TKD team, a 6'4" beanpole with a 40-inch inseam. (The kind of guy who has his "Airborne" parachute-jumping qualification patches sewn onto the sleeve of his dobok.) The trick to that kind of opponent is to get inside their reach before you get your head kicked off, and then to stay inside where they can't protect their long torso area very well. Extra bonus points if you bulldoze them out of the ring with your fists, where they have to take the penalty for going outside the lines. I don't mind sparring matches like that, but I really mind the part afterward when the adrenaline wears off and you realize how bruised up you are.

So I spent the day dancing in circles around the floor mats, keeping the competition clean and making sure the points ended up on the scoreboard. It didn't seem like much work over the last 24 hours but once again I'm eating 800 mg of ibuprofen with dinner and feeling too exhausted to do much other than tax returns read posts.

[TromboneAl]

We went for a walk and saw a whale spyhopping about five body lengths from the shore. This is the closest one I've seen.

Here's a photo of one that Lena took four years ago:

WhaleSpyhopping2.jpg