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

[braumeister]

DW did a 7K race this morning while I hung around the start/finish area in my lederhosen. This is Oktoberfest weekend in the city, and I have often been told I look "extremely German." Must be true, because I had at least half a dozen people come up and ask to take my picture. Either that or they wanted something to laugh about later.

The only reason I didn't run was because I did a half marathon last weekend and wasn't quite ready.

If you're ever near Cincinnati (or Zinzinnati as they like to say) around this time of year, by all means try to visit our Oktoberfest celebration downtown. It's the biggest one in the world outside of the original in Munich, Germany, and really a lot of fun.

[Lisa99]

Just drove home from College Station back to Dallas. got to watch the Aggies beat South Carolina 70 - 14.

[grasshopper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister DW did a 7K race this morning while I hung around the start/finish area in my lederhosen. This is Oktoberfest weekend in the city, and I have often been told I look "extremely German." Must be true, because I had at least half a dozen people come up and ask to take my picture. Either that or they wanted something to laugh about later. The only reason I didn't run was because I did a half marathon last weekend and wasn't quite ready. If you're ever near Cincinnati (or Zinzinnati as they like to say) around this time of year, by all means try to visit our Oktoberfest celebration downtown. It's the biggest one in the world outside of the original in Munich, Germany, and really a lot of fun.

Useless without pictures.

[Nords]

We're nearing the end of our college daughter's Families Weekend. We had dinner last night with one of her roommates and her father. She's getting a degree in "Viola Performance" with a minor in anthropology.

It was a glimpse into an amazing life. She's in one of the country's top ten music schools, so she has the chops. She's been playing for over eight years and she practices viola 6-8 hours/day. (Her "exams" are even more scary.) She's started writing/scoring music as well as performing at festivals and for orchestra auditions. She has thick calluses on her left hand, a twist in her right index finger (from holding the bow) and a possibly permanent "hickey" (pressure mark) under the left side of her jaw. When she graduates, she'll play for one of the world's top orchestras. Last summer she participated in an Aspen music festival. During her liberty time she practiced on street corners with a donation bucket at her feet, and got paid over $50/hour to let the audience listen to her practicing. The "gig money" she collects over the next couple years is going to pay her way to pursue her graduate studies with a European viola expert... in Europe.

She's incredibly intense (in a good way), focused, and dedicated. She has no illusions about the financial aspect of her pursuit, but she's hardwired for it. She can't even imagine having a "real" job with a business. This is her avocation.

Meanwhile our daughter's focused on her Tuesday fluid mechanics exam. She'll spend some of the day on exercising and on hosting us at her servery for lunch or dinner, but our quality family time mostly consists of hanging out during her study breaks. We also have plenty of leftover Goode's BBQ from yesterday's pregame party, so we won't need to leave the apartment for quite a while.

For you Navy veterans, I'm also pleased to be able to help her with her maneuvering board problem set. Apparently it's one of the few traditional naval techniques that hasn't been totally outmoded (yet) by an iPhone app. One of the reasons she's pushing for the submarine force is so that she won't have to do mo boards anymore. I've been showing her "Dad's quick & dirty" mo board guesstimates to go with her parallel ruler and dividers... after she gives the rudder order first, of course.

[antmary]

On Friday I was waiting for my bother at the hospital...he had a minor procedure. I noticed all these people rushing outside with glee. So, being the curious type, I rushed out too. There, right overhead was the huge jumbo jet with the Endeavor piggybacked. I clearly got the sensation that they were showing off. It isn't every day that i accidentally witness history!

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by antmary On Friday I was waiting for my bother at the hospital...he had a minor procedure. I noticed all these people rushing outside with glee. So, being the curious type, I rushed out too. There, right overhead was the huge jumbo jet with the Endeavor piggybacked. I clearly got the sensation that they were showing off. It isn't every day that i accidentally witness history!

We watched on Tv the Enterprise being piggybacked into New York & on our recent visit to new York we saw the actual Enterprise . I was shocked at how big it was & amazed that it could be carried on top of an airplane . I highly recommend the Intrepid museum .

[FIREd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by antmary On Friday I was waiting for my bother at the hospital...he had a minor procedure. I noticed all these people rushing outside with glee. So, being the curious type, I rushed out too. There, right overhead was the huge jumbo jet with the Endeavor piggybacked. I clearly got the sensation that they were showing off. It isn't every day that i accidentally witness history!

That's what happen when you don't watch the news. I had no idea this was going on right outside my window!

[Moemg]

My stay at independent /assisted living is coming to a close . My Mom was transferred today to the nursing unit of her retirement home . She needs physical therapy for at least another month . The things I have learned are to make sure to pick an Independent living apartment that has access to all the health stages ( Assisted living ,nursing care & even hospice ) . This way they are pretty much promised a bed for whatever stage is needed . The other thing to check out is how many pull cords there are for help . My Mom's had only one so she continued to wear her emergency button which came in handy a few times . My Mom's apartment is a one bedroom with a tiny kitchen & a large bathroom & tons of storage . She had the option of how many meals to take . Another thing to look for is the ability to have extra care in your apartment if needed . We think she will need this for awhile when she returns to her apartment . The other good thing about picking a place with all the options is her friends are close so she can continue social activities while she heals .Today as I got my Mom settled in her Nursing room where she will be for at least a month I decided to make sure I have plenty of money for a one bedroom Nursing room because to be with a stranger for a month would be my idea of hell . Luckily my Mom likes the company .

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg Today as I got my Mom settled in her Nursing room where she will be for at least a month I decided to make sure I have plenty of money for a one bedroom Nursing room because to be with a stranger for a month would be my idea of hell . Luckily my Mom likes the company .

We looked at a private room for my Dad, but it seems to be a money-losing deal for the care facility. (Dad's on a waiting list for it.) His care facility charges $214/day for a semi-private room but only $230/day for a private one.

You know a cruise ship would charge a lot more for a single person using a two-bed room. Unless that "private" room is a converted closet, it would seem that the facility only saves a few private rooms for residents with whom nobody else can live.

[freebird5825]

Just got back from a 3 day trip to Nashua, NH. Mr B's Mom was thrilled we could be there in spite of his study w*rkload and an upcoming test. Mr B's colorful language regarding the driving habits of both MA (on I-495) and NH (on Rt 3) folks had me laughing my head off.

We 3 went out to dinner at a traditional New England seafood restaurant with his brother, bro's GF and bro's daughter. We decided we would burn some of that cashback credit card reward money and treated everyone to dinner and dessert. What the hell...sometimes ya gotta throw some money around.
On the way back from the ladies' room, I saw a self-serve lottery machine. Just for fun, I blew $10 on 2 Massachusettes scratchoff lottery tickets and gave them to his Mom as an early birthday present. She had a ball doing the scratchoffs.
All eyes were fixed on the tickets as we joked about wouldn't it be something for her to hit the "big one' at the age of 84 and 363 days old.
No such luck.
BUT...her smiles and laughter while scratching off those tickets were well worth the $10.

On the drive home today, traffic was light for the most part. The fall colors in the Berkshire Mts along the Mass Turnpike (highest point on the Pike at elev 1724 feet) were fabulous.
I was driving, so no pics. Sorry Mr B saw them through his closed eyelids.

I love getting away, but it sure is nice to be home again.

[Nords]

I'll be darned. I can still help a midshipman solve mo board problems.

Old dogs. Old tricks.

Families Weekend is over. Our daughter has a monster fluid mechanics exam tomorrow (I'm not much help with that) while spouse and I are flying back home.

[JakeBrake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords We looked at a private room for my Dad, but it seems to be a money-losing deal for the care facility. (Dad's on a waiting list for it.) His care facility charges $214/day for a semi-private room but only $230/day for a private one. You know a cruise ship would charge a lot more for a single person using a two-bed room. Unless that "private" room is a converted closet, it would seem that the facility only saves a few private rooms for residents with whom nobody else can live.

When my mother was in a nursing home suffering with advanced dementia, her roommate proved to be a godsend. At that time my mother did not have the mental wherewithal to press the button if she needed assistance. Her roommate was a disabled nurse on Medicaid whose mind was sharp. Her problems were physical.

So, roomie kept an eye on my mother until she died and made sure the DCW's (direct care workers) and nurses did what they were supposed to do. You just can't be there all the time. Especially, when we are taking about a couple of years.

The roommate is still in the nursing home and we visit her from time to time. I know all the medical people on this board are rolling in money and would never end up in a nursing home on Medicaid.

[M Paquette]

Happy Fun Plumbing Day

We have one of those instant hot water gadgets plumbed into the kitchen sink. It's handy for brewing a quick cuppa, or filling a small pot for boiling. The only tiny little gotcha is that the little heater tanks have a service life of maybe five to seven years with our soft water, and they tend to signal that they have reached the end of their service life by leaking rusty water into the cabinetry.

We detected the characteristic end of life behavior a few days ago.

A detailed examination of the under-sink realm revealed that the hot water gadget wasn't the only plumbing that had reached its expiration date. The cheap shutoff valves with the attached spiral flex tubing showed signs of pinhole leaks in the tubing. The faucet wasn't in great shape, either, with water flowing outside where it should be inside. Clearly this sink was due for a refit.

I ordered a new hot water gadget from the great river of the Internet, and picked up a faucet on the last Costco run. (The buffet lunch was excellent, from the little sausages to the key lime pie. But I digress...) A fan was placed to air out the damp cabinet while i waited for the UPS truck to bring the gadget.

All the needed parts were here this morning, along with the Bucket-O-Plumbing, a five gallon bucket full of odds and ends that inevitably are dug through at least once on each plumbing task. Today was clearly The Day.

With the Bucket in hand, and my shiny red toolbox, I set up base camp in the kitchen. The contents of the under-sink realm were transferred to a big basket, except for a few odds and ends that had done poorly in the recent dampness (cardboard box of dishwasher soap? Down check!) which got tossed. The drain lines were detached, with the whole assembly of PVC set aside for later reinstall. The garbage disposal dropped out easily, after judicious application of WD-40. I shut the water stops, and with a few applications of a tubing cutter, all the old waterlines were out. A little more WD-40 and the old faucet and hot water dispenser were out.

Two new shutoff valves, with proper compression fittings instead of that spiral flex tubing had to be installed, so while DW went out to lunch, I shut off the house water. The old valves were pulled, pipes cleaned up, and the new valves were installed. They were shut, and the house water was restored. No leaks!

I fitted in the new faucets, and mounted the new hot water tank, resorting to the Bucket for proper parts to mount the tank. Two sheet metal screws into wallboard got a big thumbs down from me. With the tank hung, the water and vent lines snapped right in. The new supply lines went onto the new valves, and I had everything all connected and tidy in maybe an hour. I opened the valves, and checked for leaks. None!

I reinstalled the garbage disposal and the drain line assembly, and got that all snugged down. After one more check for leaks, I flushed all the lines, filled and flushed the little hot water tank, and plugged it in.

Fifteen minutes later, I had funny tasting hot water. (The tank needs to be flushed a couple of times after it gets hot.)

So, I think I had a successful day. No leaks so far, anyway.

I'm relaxing and reading "Rapture of the Nerds" now, in which the protagonist has a rather different day than mine, starting with jury duty and becoming rapidly weirder from there.

[Moscyn]

Went for a hike with a friend for 1.5 hours. The first part was fairly strenous as it involved a lot of uphills. Thereafter, a cup of cuppuchino and pastry in Starbucks. Followed by pilates session in the evening. I was dead beat tired and slept at 9 pm.

[Moemg]

I finally returned from my recent adventures( Cruise through New England & Canada and then an unexpected side trip to Pa. to take care of my Mother ). I really observed first hand how a fall can really disorient older people . My Mom was always mentally fine but this fall has made her super anxious and paranoid .Every morning I would have to hunt down different items (depends , polident , chap stick , rosary beads, chocolate milk shake , new pajamas, sneakers ,etc.,etc. and every evening I would get calls where did I hide something or accusing me of deleting her cell phone contents . The funniest thing is when she was being transferred from the rehab unit to the Nursing Unit she wanted her purse because she was sure they were all looking for tips .A lot of us have incredible longevity in our families but except rarely it's not a pretty sight after 92. Sorry if this post is a downer but thanks for letting me vent.

[Moscyn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg I finally returned from my recent adventures( Cruise through New England & Canada and then an unexpected side trip to Pa. to take care of my Mother ). I really observed first hand how a fall can really disorient older people . My Mom was always mentally fine but this fall has made her super anxious and paranoid .Every morning I would have to hunt down different items (depends , polident , chap stick , rosary beads, chocolate milk shake , new pajamas, sneakers ,etc.,etc. and every evening I would get calls where did I hide something or accusing me of deleting her cell phone contents . The funniest thing is when she was being transferred from the rehab unit to the Nursing Unit she wanted her purse because she was sure they were all looking for tips .A lot of us have incredible longevity in our families but except rarely it's not a pretty sight after 92. Sorry if this post is a downer but thanks for letting me vent.

Moemg, sorry to hear about your mom's fall. Hope things are better now. Hope you enjoyed your cruise.

[ls99]

Installed new light fixture in DW's bathroom. Shortly thereafter she wanted to know if installing a new mirror would present problems. Nah, easy as falling off a log.....

See next week what it is and what is involved in mounting. This will not be a framed thingie with a string in the back. As usual whatever she picks requires advance mechanical/electrical skills and always a few modifications.

Gotta love it, if she walks into a store and sees something she likes, it will be the most complicated and expensive item. Has not failed yet.

[Nords]

I had a great time surfing yesterday, and then spent the rest of the day catching up on all my chores that have been neglected during my three-week Mainland trip. It's probably going to take another week. Or three. Big surf forecast for this weekend.

The first item on the list is moving the blog to Bluehost. I put up a post on that yesterday, and somewhere during the next 72 hours it should happen. I sought professional help so that I could spend more time surfing didn't make any dumb mistakes. You should either be able to read the blog post, or not be able to read it because the files are being moved. If you can't access the blog then keep checking back to see when it's up-- that's when you'll know the move is complete. Or I'll post about it here.

Then I'm going to take back the blog reins to install its new Genesis theme and crank up the advertising revenue. Google AdSense terms of use do not allow bloggers to claim that they're going to give their money to charity because the claims are too difficult to verify. Well, we're giving the blog revenue to military charities. Not just "net profits" or "a portion of", but ALL of the revenue-- currently split between Wounded Warrior Project and Fisher House, over $1600 to date. If you want verification then contact me for a copy of the tax return.

Quote:

Originally Posted by M Paquette Happy Fun Plumbing Day We have one of those instant hot water gadgets plumbed into the kitchen sink. It's handy for brewing a quick cuppa, or filling a small pot for boiling. The only tiny little gotcha is that the little heater tanks have a service life of maybe five to seven years with our soft water, and they tend to signal that they have reached the end of their service life by leaking rusty water into the cabinetry. We detected the characteristic end of life behavior a few days ago. A detailed examination of the under-sink realm revealed that the hot water gadget wasn't the only plumbing that had reached its expiration date. The cheap shutoff valves with the attached spiral flex tubing showed signs of pinhole leaks in the tubing. The faucet wasn't in great shape, either, with water flowing outside where it should be inside. Clearly this sink was due for a refit. I ordered a new hot water gadget from the great river of the Internet, and picked up a faucet on the last Costco run. (The buffet lunch was excellent, from the little sausages to the key lime pie. But I digress...) A fan was placed to air out the damp cabinet while i waited for the UPS truck to bring the gadget. All the needed parts were here this morning, along with the Bucket-O-Plumbing, a five gallon bucket full of odds and ends that inevitably are dug through at least once on each plumbing task. Today was clearly The Day. With the Bucket in hand, and my shiny red toolbox, I set up base camp in the kitchen. The contents of the under-sink realm were transferred to a big basket, except for a few odds and ends that had done poorly in the recent dampness (cardboard box of dishwasher soap? Down check!) which got tossed. The drain lines were detached, with the whole assembly of PVC set aside for later reinstall. The garbage disposal dropped out easily, after judicious application of WD-40. I shut the water stops, and with a few applications of a tubing cutter, all the old waterlines were out. A little more WD-40 and the old faucet and hot water dispenser were out. Two new shutoff valves, with proper compression fittings instead of that spiral flex tubing had to be installed, so while DW went out to lunch, I shut off the house water. The old valves were pulled, pipes cleaned up, and the new valves were installed. They were shut, and the house water was restored. No leaks! I fitted in the new faucets, and mounted the new hot water tank, resorting to the Bucket for proper parts to mount the tank. Two sheet metal screws into wallboard got a big thumbs down from me. With the tank hung, the water and vent lines snapped right in. The new supply lines went onto the new valves, and I had everything all connected and tidy in maybe an hour. I opened the valves, and checked for leaks. None! I reinstalled the garbage disposal and the drain line assembly, and got that all snugged down. After one more check for leaks, I flushed all the lines, filled and flushed the little hot water tank, and plugged it in. Fifteen minutes later, I had funny tasting hot water. (The tank needs to be flushed a couple of times after it gets hot.) So, I think I had a successful day. No leaks so far, anyway. I'm relaxing and reading "Rapture of the Nerds" now, in which the protagonist has a rather different day than mine, starting with jury duty and becoming rapidly weirder from there.

Yes, but have you filed an incident report with Naval Reactors, including your determination of "material deficiency" as the root cause? Or are we going to be reading about this all over again in just five-to-seven years, not having learned and applied the applicable lessons?

Maybe we could screw on little threaded watertight caps over all the valves that were likely to leak hot pressurized coolant water. Then we could put little vents on the caps so that we could check them periodically to measure how much they're leaking. Hypothetically speaking. I wonder if that's ever been tried before.

If you were in the Navy then you'd be a Machinist's Mate. Oh wait. I mean an electronics technical expert who's not afraid to grow a little scar tissue on his knuckles...

[Finance Dave]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister DW did a 7K race this morning while I hung around the start/finish area in my lederhosen. This is Oktoberfest weekend in the city, and I have often been told I look "extremely German." Must be true, because I had at least half a dozen people come up and ask to take my picture. Either that or they wanted something to laugh about later. The only reason I didn't run was because I did a half marathon last weekend and wasn't quite ready. If you're ever near Cincinnati (or Zinzinnati as they like to say) around this time of year, by all means try to visit our Oktoberfest celebration downtown. It's the biggest one in the world outside of the original in Munich, Germany, and really a lot of fun.

I grew up in Cincy and did attend for years...until I moved. When I FIRE in about 2 more years...we will definitely make the 2+ hour trip to go again. I know the city well enough to get around on buses etc.....as I know parking is tricky for that as well as Riverfest.

[M Paquette]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Yes, but have you filed an incident report with Naval Reactors, including your determination of "material deficiency" as the root cause? Or are we going to be reading about this all over again in just five-to-seven years, not having learned and applied the applicable lessons?

"Recently, in a Corbett-class home, inadequate periodic inspection and maintenance of a low pressure auxiliary water delivery system led to a loss of containment..."

Quote:

Originally Posted by "Nords"Maybe we could screw on little threaded watertight caps over all the valves that were likely to leak hot pressurized [- coolant[/-] water. Then we could put little vents on the caps so that we could check them periodically to measure how much they're leaking. Hypothetically speaking. I wonder if that's ever been tried before. If you were in the Navy then you'd be a Machinist's Mate. Oh wait. I mean an electronics technical expert who's not afraid to grow a little scar tissue on his knuckles...

If I wanter to really do it up right, I would have done all repairs while wearing bright orange gloves, a white bunny suit, and respirator. DW would probably be annoyed if I installed 150# air manifolds in the house, though. Especially if I made her qualify on air compressor operations...

Excuse me, I have to go check the refrigerator compressor for sound shorts...

http://www.trolinger.com/david/simulate.html