What did you do today? 2017 version

[iloveyoga]

Yesterday - had a fun retiree day. I had lunch with my Mom and Dad and two of my brothers. Then out to dinner with DH and some friends for bar-b-q. Today is back to healthy eating day. I just took some frozen homemade soup out to thaw. I am also working on taxes and I have some paid work from home to do. All good here. Oh, we have some cold weather and snow coming, so have to plan for that too!

 

[ls99]

Completed online tax prep, paid them $12,- to electronically file PA return, the Fed efile was free. Just received email notice that both were accepted.

Thus the annual headache is eliminated. Moving on with life.

 

[Walt34]

Yesterday was a gym day and I did the "set up" in the radio transmitter for the two R/C airplanes I bought. It was far too windy to try flying them and today is not only windy but cold. So downstairs to the unfinished part of the basement they went to await more favorable weather. For some unfathomable reason DW gets grouchy when I leave them in the dining room.

Computer radios are great. You can store the set up data for many airplanes and save the data unlike the older radios that could only be used for one model at a time.

 

[iloveyoga]

Today has been a lazy day. We did get out for lunch at our local Mexican restaurant. Two walks in the neighborhood and now just chilling. It might snow so everyone is all a twitter her in Iowa.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Today the paperwork for the auto loan came in the middle of reading through this dry programming textbook. I think that as much as I enjoy computers, I'm happier working on hardware and playing with software. At least when it comes to this particular programming language.

Luckily I have just enough Sarsaparilla whiskey left to get me through the last dozen pages.

The good news is the dealership also called, saying the factory has a set build date before the end of this month. Originally they were expecting 90+ days. Instead I'll be picking it up before April.

I updated the spreadsheet for the most likely monthly car payment for the next 60 months. At 1.99%, I'm thinking I'm going to be happier investing any difference rather than paying it off early. It'll put me right at the 15% recommended car payment/insurance vs income limit.

Even so, I'll still be able to put away 20% for a rainy day.

 

[travelover]

We had a massive windstorm in Michigan and power is still widely out. I was in Harbor Freight and there was a guy behind me in line buying a 6000 watt inverter because all the generators were sold out. I asked him what he was going to do with it and he said he was going to connect it to his car battery and run an electric heater to heat his house.

The store was out of electricity, too, and all the sales were by hand on a pad of paper, cash only. I didn't ask why they didn't use one of their own generators to power the store cash registers.

 

[W2R]

A few weeks ago I had a gateway put into the side fence, between Frank's back yard and mine. It's so nice for going back and forth.

While I was paying my handyman for that, I pointed out to him that the ornate columns/pillars on my front porch, that hold up the roof, were looking a little rotted and raggedy at the bottom and had him look at them.

He determined that they were old and actually in pretty bad shape, so bad that installing brand new ones would actually cost less than fixing the old ones. He put them in yesterday and painted them, did a great job, and they look really nice. So, I now live in the Dream Home with the super snazzy looking ornate pillars out front.

 

[Fedup]

I played 2 hours bridge with my husband at the senior center. Since the class is over, only 8 people showed up and two ladies who were sitting at our table were slightly senile. One lady kept asking what's bidding after 4 weeks of classes and after I repeatedly told her how to play a few hands. I think I was ok with it, made a few jokes about the game, but my husband was slightly annoyed. He is very competitive and would like those who came to play to be a bit more coherent than that lady. Plus he was her partner and he didn't win for many hands. I was winning, haha.
Finally he suggested to switch to play whist, similar to bridge except no bidding was necessary. And he did win after that. That made him feel a bit better.
Then after bridge we went to an Irish pub for fish and chip but the pub was closed so we went to Whole Foods for lunch. We did some food shopping there while we we there.
Then to Home Depot for woods to build my fruit container for my jujube trees. I've discovered after I purchased these fruit trees online that they are technically a pest. Can't plan them down in the garden. They will take over the garden like a fig plant.
So that's what we are working this afternoon. Building one large container for these two fruit trees.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Not a good day.

The undergraduate class I teach has a mandatory attendance requirement. I caught some students signing in for students who were absent. This breaches the academic honesty requirements of the university.

I know I should report it but I'm inclined to just tell them not to do it again.

That's a tough choice, though at some point kids have to learn real life can have bad consequences for trying to cheat a system.

They will take over the garden like a fig plant.
So that's what we are working this afternoon. Building one large container for these two fruit trees.

I love figs, but I thought they grew into giant trees like dates. I think I'm going to have to find out how well they grow down here!

 

[Fedup]

I love figs, but I thought they grew into giant trees like dates. I think I'm going to have to find out how well they grow down here!

The root system is invasive, you should some some googling for pictures. I have one dwarf and one medium size.

 

[MRG]

Groceries and a stop at the meat market. Nice Cod and one more Tastycake! The butterscotch crumpets were awesome last week.

Went down to the Riverwalk, sunny almost 60°F. Few folks fishing and a bunch at the springs. On our way back we came across a mature couple pushing a stroller. I thought that was a little unusual and took a closer look. Pretty sure it there won't be an Amber Alert for the cat!

 

[exnavynuke]

Not a good day.

The undergraduate class I teach has a mandatory attendance requirement. I caught some students signing in for students who were absent. This breaches the academic honesty requirements of the university.

I know I should report it but I'm inclined to just tell them not to do it again.

"Academic" integrity just means don't cheat on tests... it's not an "attendance integrity" requirement really..

 

[street]

It snowed and was cold so just stayed indoors. Read on the internet and took one short walk.

 

[Meadbh]

Not a good day.

The undergraduate class I teach has a mandatory attendance requirement. I caught some students signing in for students who were absent. This breaches the academic honesty requirements of the university.

I know I should report it but I'm inclined to just tell them not to do it again.

There is educational research (which I am too lazy to look up right now) which shows that academic achievement and learning is poorly correlated with attendance at lectures. Hence, your students may be making an evidence-based decision. They are, of course, breaking the rules, but the rules are arbitrary and not evidence-based. Therefore, if I were in your situation, I would meet with the students and give them a warning. I would explain that sometimes we have to suck it up and do things we don't want to do, because we are not in charge. This is an important life lesson before entering the workforce. If they subsequently persist in breaking the rules, I would report them.

 

[RobbieB]

Cut steel angle and bar and welded them up with the plasma torch. Bent some more bar and then screwed up the second piece so had another run to the hardware store. Tomorrow, more bending and cutting, some drilling and lots of welding and my custom DIY firewood bin can be painted.

 

[aja8888]

Finally got the time to finish our federal tax return and e-file the return tonight. Said a silent prayer before I hit the send button. This is the last year I will have to file Schedule C and deal with business deductions.

 

[brewer12345]

Got up early and the whole family plus dogs went to the in-laws in Co Springs for a brew day and kids playing with cousins. We split a 10 gallon batch of peated Scottish ale and went out to dinner with another relative in the area. Back home late and snoozing in front of the fire.

 

[traineeinvestor]

They are, of course, breaking the rules, but the rules are arbitrary and not evidence-based. Therefore, if I were in your situation, I would meet with the students and give them a warning. I would explain that sometimes we have to suck it up and do things we don't want to do, because we are not in charge. This is an important life lesson before entering the workforce. If they subsequently persist in breaking the rules, I would report them.

That's where I came out as well, although turning up even when you don't want to is one of the unpleasant facts of life that we all have to get used to.

I have also made the point that 20% of their final grade is based on contribution to classroom discussions and it's pretty difficult to contribute without being present.

 

[iloveyoga]

I like writing these posts about doing nothing (for me). This morning I got up on my own time, had coffee, read the e-paper, and made corn muffins for breakfast. Now it is shower time and then time for yoga at our downtown Y.

 

[Gumby]

That's where I came out as well, although turning up even when you don't want to is one of the unpleasant facts of life that we all have to get used to.

I have also made the point that 20% of their final grade is based on contribution to classroom discussions and it's pretty difficult to contribute without being present.

There are actually two different issues. The first is the issue of a student cutting class. The rule may be arbitrary and not tied to academic performance, but it is the rule. But if they are willing to face the consequences, I see no problem with them skipping class. The second and more important ethical issue is that they are lying about their actions and that their friends are also lying to to cover them. I see that as more serious because it corrodes the trust necessary for the system to function.

 

[kcowan]

A few weeks ago I had a gateway put into the side fence, between Frank's back yard and mine. It's so nice for going back and forth.

I would have thought an arch over the gateway with a heart would have completed it nicely!

 

[Marita40]

I had an inauspicious start to my early Saturday morning when I spilled an entire cup of hot black coffee on the table I was attempting to set it on. Went all over the floor, a stack of books, etc. etc. Just so thankful it missed the beautiful pure white couch by about 1/2"!!
Had that leftover piece of luscious carrot cake that had been calling to me and that I was determined not to eat by way of a stress-reliever, along with a new cup of coffee.
Hope the rest of the day goes better, but man that cold carrot cake made a great breakfast!

 

[RetiredGypsy]

...and made corn muffins for breakfast.

I've been wondering what to do with this cornmeal besides cornbread. I mixed it in with regular flour to make some really tasty pancakes, and I've been trying to find some masa harina to mix with it to make sweet corn cake, but I didn't even consider muffins. A warm corn muffin and coffee to start the day sounds wonderful.

My day's starting out on the recumbent bike, going through one more movie in my dwindled collection of blu-rays to see what I actually want to keep or not. This morning it was Avatar. Not really to my liking as far as the characters and story goes, but the tech and world wrapped around it is really interesting, and incredible to look at. I'll probably keep it just for a handful of scenes.

I'm off to a couple more dealerships today, to weigh the comfort of an upscale SUV comparable to the CR-V against the utility of a cheaper vehicle that I won't mind nearly as much getting a little beat up after putting tools and gardening things and oil and all manner of dirty, sharp, easily spilled things in the back.

 

[sengsational]

Computer radios are great. You can store the set up data for many airplanes and save the data unlike the older radios that could only be used for one model at a time.

Yeah, and you have more flexibility beyond just a linear function where 1 unit of stick motion was 1 unit of control surface motion. But sadly, the place where I used to fly (originally a tiny air strip, later housed a fair grounds for decades) got sold and developed, so no flying there. But I can fly my multi-rotors anywhere!

 

[W2R]

I would have thought an arch over the gateway with a heart would have completed it nicely!

I'll suggest it! It's really very nice to have the gateway there and we love having it.