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Old 04-22-2012, 08:43 PM   #10201
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Tom, I like your avatar! You were a handsome young man at 23. And Freebird, yours is absolutely lovely. BbbamI, I remember that great photo + pancake.

Thanks, all. Maybe we can indeed start a trend. It's fun to see ourselves as young adults with so much ahead of us.
It's a darn good thing that 17 year old Freebird never ran across 23 year old Tom, eh?

Ok, folks, dig out those old pics, use your cell or digital camera or scanner and let's see those fresh young faces ready to conquer the world.

CONGA CONGA CONGA...
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Old 04-22-2012, 10:17 PM   #10202
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Tonight I attended an outdoor presentation of Rocky Horror Picture Show at Demen Landing Park in St. Pete, FL by American Stage with my sister (visiting from Seattle) and my neighbor. What a blast!

Although we had all seen the movie many times, the play was full of energy and very well done. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, it's worth seeing (mid-May, Wed-Sun).
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Old 04-23-2012, 12:44 AM   #10203
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Tonight I attended an outdoor presentation of Rocky Horror Picture Show at Demen Landing Park in St. Pete, FL by American Stage with my sister (visiting from Seattle) and my neighbor. What a blast!

Although we had all seen the movie many times, the play was full of energy and very well done. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, it's worth seeing (mid-May, Wed-Sun).
You're bringing back many Rocky Horror memories, though some are a little bit risque, so instead I'll recount the time we went to see it at a local movie theater in Newcastle-Under-Lyme in the UK. It was near the end of that particular run, and a matinee, so there was only my g/f and I, one or two other small groups, and a Mum and Dad with their 2 kids. The family had no idea what the movie was all about, and were getting quite upset by our active participation (the call-and-response, throwing rice at the screen etc.) The father stood up and told us that if we continued making noise and spoiling his family's enjoyment of the movie, he would have to call the manager. Needless to say, we continued.

He was furious, and called the manager into the auditorium. The poor fellow was trying hard to keep a straight face as this outraged gentleman told him that we were shouting and throwing things at the screen. We didn't hear the conversation, but the family ended up leaving.

There was another story involving my hitchhiking a ride into town wearing fishnets, but I'll just say that sometimes I find it hard to believe some of the stuff I did when I was in Uni.
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Old 04-23-2012, 11:32 AM   #10204
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The tenants called about a dead ceiling fan.

It had a fire in the controller electronics-- a resistor exploded and the circuits burned until it ran out of air. I already had a spare-parts carcass (bad bearing) to cannibalize. Both fans are over 20 years old and no longer cost-effective to have repaired by the fan shop. Unfortunately I couldn't get the controller end off either fan (I probably needed Casablanca's equivalent of a rotor puller) and upon further inspection the electrical fire had also roasted the wiring harness with no slack left to splice.

So we looked around our house at all the ceiling fans that we haven't used since our roof was insulated. We pulled one out of the study and put an old light fixture over the hole. Today I'm going back down to the rental to put in the ceiling fan.

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Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36 View Post
Just returned from Naval Station Great Lakes. Went up there Thursday with DW, DD and SIL to see grandson #1 graduate navy bootcamp. Graduation was Friday. He's on cloud nine and can't wait to get going in the navy world. He left Saturday morning for his new duty station, Naval Station Pensacola. We just had the greatest time and the ceremony was outstanding. There were something like 500 sailors graduating. Each was permitted to have four guests and the grandstands were packed. A lot of guests wore their military uniforms, like my SIL in his Marine dress blues. We are so proud of our grandson and wish him the best. He has already called from Pensacola and is so excited. GO NAVY!
(Hope you see this Nords, and thanks for your encouraging words).
Glad he made it!

What's his next step? What rating training does he get?
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Old 04-23-2012, 12:42 PM   #10205
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Did some one say amnesty?

So what did I do today? Armed myself and guarded the homestead.

I don't like to post this kinda stuff, cause it makes my tanned neck redder.

And now the but, yesterday Border Patrol caught 10 mexican hikers, and today another 11, and some just scurried like bunnies and are still hiding in the sagebrush. This is not in another place, these were caught within a half a mile of the Grasshopper Casa.
What are these people thinking? It is around 100 degrees in SE Arizona and the low desert. Yea I know desperate people, make desperate situations.

Just keeping my powder dry.
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Old 04-23-2012, 12:52 PM   #10206
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I love the color scheme of your kitchen ls99! As far as that pepper goes...I don't have a clue....it sure looks perfect tho.

----------------------

I didn't have much planned for today...but then I noticed how dusty the baseboards were in the hall. So I got down on my fanny and cleaned them. Then I figured the other baseboards were dusty as well, but before I cleaned the ones in two of the bedrooms, I needed to vacuum them first. After vacuuming those two rooms, I remembered the closet floors in our bedroom needed to be vacuumed. When I noticed how heavy the clothes hamper was when I moved stuff out of the closet, I separated the clothes on the bed and put a load in the washer. Then I recalled I had dry towels and napkins in the dryer, so I folded them.



Back to the baseboards...
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Old 04-23-2012, 02:36 PM   #10207
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I love the color scheme of your kitchen ls99! As far as that pepper goes...I don't have a clue....it sure looks perfect tho.

----------------------


Back to the baseboards...
THanks.

DW is the architect, designer and all around decorator. AKA as the one who has good taste.

Cabinets were in the house at time of purchase. The countertop and backsplash were last summer's renovations.

PS the pepper was a perfect specimen and tasted good too.
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Old 04-23-2012, 02:38 PM   #10208
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Ceiling fan repairs complete.

That took only 45 minutes and no drama. All the right tools on hand, all the right parts in the bag. It's nice to win one once in a while, but I can't help leaving with the thought "That was too easy..."

I'm glad we had the ceiling fan available and that we could handle the handyman basics. I can only imagine what it would've cost to hire a handyman or electrician to do it for us-- $150 & up?

I think I'll take the rest of the day off!
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Old 04-23-2012, 04:12 PM   #10209
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Called the plumber AGAIN. It is the third time in a week that the pilot light has gone out on my hot water heater (and not being even slightly handy or inclined to get down and peer under it to relight and probably blow my head off, I called him each time). Since the pilot light had not gone out even once in the previous 4+ years since it was installed, I think it is broken somehow. Last time the plumber mentioned that it is still under warrantee (sp?), so maybe that will help. He'll be out here in the morning. I'd really like hot water two days in a row, for a change.

Then opened my door to find that the Parish was tearing up my neighbor's sidewalk, driveway, and street, and trucks and equipment were all over the place, completely blocking my driveway and the street. No problem for today, since it's not my turn to drive. I asked them if they were going to tear up my driveway etc too, and they said they didn't know yet. Apparently it is a water problem, not sewer. Much to my surprise, by the afternoon all the trucks, backhoe, etc had vanished, concrete had been poured, and all seems to be done. Not bad for one day... They really got down to business! I hope that is the end of it.

Workout at the gym, shared lunch with F., ran errands together.... I was born to be retired.
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Old 04-23-2012, 04:57 PM   #10210
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Just returned from Naval Station Great Lakes. Went up there Thursday with DW, DD and SIL to see grandson #1 graduate navy bootcamp. Graduation was Friday. He's on cloud nine and can't wait to get going in the navy world. He left Saturday morning for his new duty station, Naval Station Pensacola. We just had the greatest time and the ceremony was outstanding. There were something like 500 sailors graduating. Each was permitted to have four guests and the grandstands were packed. A lot of guests wore their military uniforms, like my SIL in his Marine dress blues. We are so proud of our grandson and wish him the best. He has already called from Pensacola and is so excited. GO NAVY!

(Hope you see this Nords, and thanks for your encouraging words).
That's great news, Johnnie. I'm glad things worked out for your grandson. It's good to hear that he is excited about his new duty station. A positive attitude and hard work will carry him far in the Navy.
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Old 04-23-2012, 05:01 PM   #10211
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13.1 mile run this morning (half marathon distance). Great sunny day for it. 40 degrees when I started, and 54 by the time I finished (I take these training runs slowly). Now I can coast for a couple of weeks until the actual race.
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Mystery Trip
Old 04-23-2012, 07:22 PM   #10212
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Mystery Trip

I took Lena on another mystery trip (she didn't know where we were going until we got there).

We drove inland and got away from the cold, foggy weather to an 85 degree day in Willow Creek.

We went on a 20 mile ride, which was a little grueling because it was hot, hilly, and 2,000 feet above sea level.







We stayed at a very fancy cabin (Coho Cottages). The place was immaculate and well-designed.










We considered staying another night, but our own "cabin" is pretty nice, too.
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Old 04-23-2012, 08:24 PM   #10213
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Spent an hour on the phone with our college daughter as she's getting ready for finals week.

Her study plan so far has been "bang your head against the brick wall harder, faster, and longer". This will serve her well in the Navy's submarine force, not so well on her mechanical statics analysis final exam.

"Draw a free-body diagram"
"Write down the steps of your problem-solving approach"
"Write down all the formulas you'd use"
"Pretend you're having an interview conversation with the prof, and write down everything you'd talk about as you were working on the problem"
... "and give them every excuse to hand out partial credit!"

In at least one of her classes to date, her strategy has been to do well enough on the final exam that the prof feels ethically comfortable kicking her out with a "C" under the condition that she never darken his doorway again...

Another lesson she's learned is that engineers (with morning classes) should never never ever room with a performing arts major. Having to go to bed "early" to get up for NROTC 6 AM workouts is incompatible with a roommate who returns from the evening recital too jazzed up to settle down until at least 2 AM.

Our daughter's other final-exam study advice came from her mother, who says we were taught at USNA that "They can make it harder, but they can't make it longer". At least I think they were talking about final exams.
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Old 04-23-2012, 08:27 PM   #10214
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At least I think they were talking about final exams.
<rimshot!>
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Old 04-23-2012, 09:15 PM   #10215
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Had a USAA dispatched tow truck take my 2002 Volvo to the dealer to have the alternator replaced (overcharging). Went crazy suddenly on Friday while shopping. EXPENSIVE! I guess I can't complain since it lasted 155,000 miles. We were relatively close to home when the "electrical system needs service" message appeared, the battery light went on and the car started running rough.

I knew I was getting close on the rear brake pads (it's been at least 4 years). The service guy said I was at minimum and recommended replacement. At least there was a special going on. Yeah right! Rotors still in good shape.

There was also something in the front suspension that needed attention "soon" but it's not the struts/shocks as they were replaced in the last 2 years. I need to call back tomorrow. Also need to change air filter.

I hope to get another 100k miles out of her.
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Old 04-24-2012, 06:16 PM   #10216
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Red Sox are playing tonight, so Mr B and I will stay in to watch the game. He needs something different and relaxing to do besides studying. Next week is finals, and then he is a free man for the summer.

Yesterday, I managed a road trip up to Lake Ontario to a semi-retired friend's camp on the beach. I have been keeping a very wary eye on the storm wreaking havoc on the western end of NY and PA. I was going to stay 2 nights, but heavy wind gusts and an intense squall line coming across the lake today gave me very good reasons to get back home a day earlier. I outran the weather and got home safely. My friend texted me to let me know that I escaped being stuck in an intense wind and rain storm by 20 minutes.

I collected some more small driftwood pieces. I am going to make a 3D driftwood tree scultpure using tiny wooden dowels or wooden skewer sections to connect the driftwood pieces. I plan to decorate it with zebra mussel shells to simulate leaves and maybe some dried black beans to simulate fruit. This will be fun.
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Old 04-24-2012, 10:36 PM   #10217
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I'm sitting here watching the desktop PC (running Vista) chew through the Win7 upgrade. Four out of five steps, and the last step is about 95%. It seems to be hanging there, but I've been fooled several times already watching this upgrade.

While I've been watching the PC, I've been going through my Dad's file drawers. I think I just found a life insurance policy that was sold to my Dad in 2010. I could be wrong, but I'll read the paperwork again tomorrow and start making calls.

If indeed it's a life insurance policy, it's a single-premium one. I'm not very happy about this-- he was in early stage Alzheimer's back then but had not been officially diagnosed. The insurance agent was the same office who'd sold his Medicare supplemental insurance back in the 1990s, and I'm sure they "kept in touch". Dad was very good back then at fooling people with his social conversations, so I don't even know if I can hassle the insurance company about improper sales.

I also found a short document from June 2009. Dad's doctor had referred him to a neuropsychologist who diagnosed symptoms of possible dementia. I can't see any indication that Dad ever went back to either doctor, but by Sep 09 he'd announced to us that his "slipping memory" made it too hard for him to use his computer any longer. That started the whole debate about POAs and living independently.

I'd seen some of Dad's files that showed issues as early as 2008, and I guess it was pretty clear to his doctor by mid-2009.

It would've been nice to have a note from the doctor to one of us kids, but I guess Dad either promised to take care of it or the doctor decided it was a HIPAA issue.
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Old 04-24-2012, 10:58 PM   #10218
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We went to see a film yesterday. One of the local cinemas has a balcony reserved seating section with full bar and grill until the film begins, and we thought we would check it out. My thinking - at least people there won't be flashing their cell phones all during the movie to check their facebook page updates.

I was wrong...
Common all over the world.

It could be worse. When I first arrived in Hong Kong they used to allow smoking in cinemas. Yuck!
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Old 04-25-2012, 12:22 AM   #10219
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Living in a city allows me to do quite a lot of things in one day. Breakfast with DH at home, went to the bank to change currencies as going for a trip to Bali next week (got USD and some Indo money), went to my insurance company to review my policy and also made a pemium payment (could do it electronically but just wanted to revew something too), lunch at a small Japanese restaurant, went to the movies to watch Hunger Games (thoroughly enjoyed it), did a bit of window shopping and ended up buying a hairband and groceries, got home and had a great work out in the gym and catch an old episode of Burn Notice while on threadmill, cooked dinner and TV sessions. Finally, hit the sack. I think I'll like to stay in the city for much more years to come.
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Old 04-25-2012, 06:38 AM   #10220
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Yesterday was windy/blustery jeckyl and hyde day - the sun would shine for a while and then before you knew it it would get cloudy and dark. It was also a bit chilly so I mostly did inside chores. DW and I went to see "The Lucky One" in the evening (Tuesday nights are midweek specials at the local theater - only $4 each).

We thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was so nice to see a movie that relied on a good story and had minimal stunts and special effects. I wish they would make more movies like that.
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