Bless J.'s heart - one of his projects the past couple weeks has been going through all our vinyl albums (we have 100's. Lots. Tons.) to get them inventoried and then take them to Rasputin records. He phoned Rasputin and the guy said basically 'keep your expectations in check'.
Now we know why.
J. decided to take just 50 on the first trip. The guy refused 33 of them. Kept 17 he wanted to research. Researched and came back - gave 10 of them back - and bought 7. So from 50 down to 7 - and we made.....wait for it.....$1.50. Yes, that's a decimal between the 1 and the 5.
So now we have 100's of remaining albums we are just going to donate somewhere. The hospice donation in Jackson takes pretty much everything - and I'd be willing to drive up there and then go get a great chicken dinner at the casino and come home. Trying not to play - I haven't played there in many months - just to get rid of all the albums. Maybe twist hubby's arm to ride with me so two of us can unload all the albums and then we can go have a nice dinner together.
I think we will also call our local library to see if they would accept them.
If we had a new house to decorate, I'd be tempted to use them as a wall covering - like on Trading Spaces when Hildy used compact discs to cover a wall.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Friday, September 16, 2016
Day Off!
I'm taking the remaining Fridays this month off - using vacation to comply with the allowed carryover policy. It's nice to sleep in a bit and to not feel rushed. Enjoying the blue jays and listening to the street sweeper. Back and forth. Weaving as close as he can to the curb whilst avoiding all the parked cars.
No real plans today though we might meander over to new homes near us (and in our school district!! Yay! to future increased enrollment!). There's only one single story model in the entire three community development but oh well - worth looking.
Though my heart is still set on Reno.
H.'s driving suspension was apparently lifted officially the day of the meeting with the DMV but I guess they just don't confirm any way other than 'in writing' - so it took close to a week to receive the official notice. H. is back on the road now and J. is super glad to not be schlepping H. back and forth though he (J.) did get a lot of reading done which he enjoys.
Yesterday was the 27th anniversary of our proposal - hard to imagine it's been that long.
J. just headed out to pick up Starbucks - thankful it's just down the street and loving the mobile app.
B. is on maneuvers again but got to fly there (vs. a bus) on a huge Army transport plane. Though his unit is heading 'home' and they are on a bus back. But still - at least it's a one way long bus trip vs. both ways. The latest rumor is Iraq in December - so possibly home for a week in November but then restricted to base for the 30 days prior to deploying. Christmas without him home will be hard - really hard. But hoping for Thanksgiving timing which would be lovely - and we will do a mini-Christmas then, possibly?
I had dinner with a dear friend on Wednesday evening in Danville - all things considered, the drive was fairly easy. The new 'Express Lane' is open and it was only $1.30 all the way to 680 North which I thought was a pretty good deal. I told J. I think I'd like a FasTrack gadget for the car so that IF you are going somewhere and decide the toll lane is a better option, you can make the move! And the rare times we head over to the city will also be easier with FasTrack - automatic and you just pay the bill monthly.
My friend just celebrated her 75th birthday - we spent the evening reminiscing about the college where we both worked for a while and about her grandkids and kids and my kids. We ate pizza, drank beer and she brought me a box of the most delicious chocolate chip cookies - and then, bless her heart, she told me they are a mix and it's a King Arthur Flour Company mix....I've already tried to order it and it's completely sold out! They were so good, I hid the cookie tin under a pile of laundry in a laundry basket lest H. find them and immediately devour them. She could have told me it was a secret family recipe and I would have totally believed her - but she fessed up and I'm glad she did 'cuz they are fantastically delicious and I can't wait to make them!.
It was a really nice evening and I'm glad I'm going to commit to making time to schlep over the hill to see people I miss seeing.
Work is crazy busy - when is it not? I always say that as if it will magically ever be not crazy busy? It's always chaotically busy and already this year, little things just seem so irritating. Sometimes I want to email people and say 're-read the email. Read it carefully. Think about what you are reading and then apply it. If after doing that, you STILL don't get it, then call me'. One little thing took one person SIX emails to get....and it was as if she simply just was guessing at what to do vs. reading what the email SAID to do. Geez, people. I know everyone is really busy and it is craziness everywhere but when we take up extra time unraveling things that a little simple 'stop, read, think, do' would manage, it's so challenging. For everyone.
I'm going to turn on the TV and see what's recorded to watch - and then settle in for a leisurely Friday. I think a nap will occur since I can stay up way past my bed time tonight.
No real plans today though we might meander over to new homes near us (and in our school district!! Yay! to future increased enrollment!). There's only one single story model in the entire three community development but oh well - worth looking.
Though my heart is still set on Reno.
H.'s driving suspension was apparently lifted officially the day of the meeting with the DMV but I guess they just don't confirm any way other than 'in writing' - so it took close to a week to receive the official notice. H. is back on the road now and J. is super glad to not be schlepping H. back and forth though he (J.) did get a lot of reading done which he enjoys.
Yesterday was the 27th anniversary of our proposal - hard to imagine it's been that long.
J. just headed out to pick up Starbucks - thankful it's just down the street and loving the mobile app.
B. is on maneuvers again but got to fly there (vs. a bus) on a huge Army transport plane. Though his unit is heading 'home' and they are on a bus back. But still - at least it's a one way long bus trip vs. both ways. The latest rumor is Iraq in December - so possibly home for a week in November but then restricted to base for the 30 days prior to deploying. Christmas without him home will be hard - really hard. But hoping for Thanksgiving timing which would be lovely - and we will do a mini-Christmas then, possibly?
I had dinner with a dear friend on Wednesday evening in Danville - all things considered, the drive was fairly easy. The new 'Express Lane' is open and it was only $1.30 all the way to 680 North which I thought was a pretty good deal. I told J. I think I'd like a FasTrack gadget for the car so that IF you are going somewhere and decide the toll lane is a better option, you can make the move! And the rare times we head over to the city will also be easier with FasTrack - automatic and you just pay the bill monthly.
My friend just celebrated her 75th birthday - we spent the evening reminiscing about the college where we both worked for a while and about her grandkids and kids and my kids. We ate pizza, drank beer and she brought me a box of the most delicious chocolate chip cookies - and then, bless her heart, she told me they are a mix and it's a King Arthur Flour Company mix....I've already tried to order it and it's completely sold out! They were so good, I hid the cookie tin under a pile of laundry in a laundry basket lest H. find them and immediately devour them. She could have told me it was a secret family recipe and I would have totally believed her - but she fessed up and I'm glad she did 'cuz they are fantastically delicious and I can't wait to make them!.
It was a really nice evening and I'm glad I'm going to commit to making time to schlep over the hill to see people I miss seeing.
Work is crazy busy - when is it not? I always say that as if it will magically ever be not crazy busy? It's always chaotically busy and already this year, little things just seem so irritating. Sometimes I want to email people and say 're-read the email. Read it carefully. Think about what you are reading and then apply it. If after doing that, you STILL don't get it, then call me'. One little thing took one person SIX emails to get....and it was as if she simply just was guessing at what to do vs. reading what the email SAID to do. Geez, people. I know everyone is really busy and it is craziness everywhere but when we take up extra time unraveling things that a little simple 'stop, read, think, do' would manage, it's so challenging. For everyone.
I'm going to turn on the TV and see what's recorded to watch - and then settle in for a leisurely Friday. I think a nap will occur since I can stay up way past my bed time tonight.
Friday, September 09, 2016
What's the Haps
J. trekked with H. to Modesto yesterday morning for the DMV face-to-face. H. was late getting up and sadly, J. made him three pieces of cinnamon toast which he didn't have time to eat. I was sort of irritated about the wasted food -
It was delicious.
Rare for me to eat breakfast before I get to work - J. usually scrambles some egg whites for me and I eat them when I get to my office. Three pieces of toast and a small glass of OJ - just what I needed to start a(nother) incredibly busy day.
Now it's end of day Friday and today was super busy, too...but another cycle of year-end madness is officially done - pending board approval on Tuesday.
There are tons of blue jays enjoying the seed and I saw two robins earlier this evening as well. I love creating a place for them to fill their stomachs and the jays look so much better than they did a week ago - their feathers are fuller and their getting round bellies back after a summer of very dry, hot weather.
H.'s DMV interview went OK and we await a letter - hopefully tomorrow but most likely Monday. In the mean time, he's getting to/from school with the help of friends and his dad, who frankly is one of the most patient, giving guys on the planet. Thank goodness for J.'s Kindle - he's fine sitting in a Starbucks or wherever, connect to WiFi and surf the web or watch videos. We sure hope he won't have to spend basically full days in Antioch & Brentwood next week but it's working out so far.
I have concerns about H. lately - he's spending time with someone who I haven't met yet and am a little on guard about. She picked him up last night to head to school and I said 'well, I'd like to come out and meet her finally [J's met her already - she and her husband invited H. and J. (and me but I declined) to a BBQ over Labor Day] and he seemed reluctant. He said 'just in a hurry so it would be better if you met her another time'. Guess that's reasonable but his reaction felt more 'concerned' than just that. I'm not sure what this woman is doing spending time with kids in their early 20's - she's married with kids and in her 30's, I think. It's just strange to me. H. and a bunch of his friends spend time over there a lot and lately, H. is there more than any other 'friend'. I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm a mom. Can't help it.
I'm not working this weekend and I'm off every Friday from now until the end of the month! I'm grateful for a work-free weekend though I started a list here by my computer of things that need doing. Sometimes just writing the things down as I think of them is the best way to get my mind to shut off a bit...if I've written it down, I don't need to worry I'm going to forget.
My fingernails are back in a growth cycle. I just tried to paint them dark blue - I love the idea of dark polishes but they are a PITA to apply and even harder to make look good. So I removed the polish and now there's various shades of blue on, under and/or around my nails.
I reached out to a dear friend this week and have decided that I am going to make time every month for at least one or two dinners out with friends. I've been contemplating a lot of friendships lately - 'cuz honestly, it often feels like we don't make the effort. And I include me in that as well. We all think 'I'm too busy' or 'they're too busy' or 'well, I haven't heard from them in ages so they obviously don't care about spending time with me' or [insert a myriad of things I can think of when I'm in that mode]. And the truth is my friends are real friends. People that have been in my life for decades and we don't need to be in touch often to reconfirm that. These are the truest, dearest, people on earth and in my life - so we just have to start making it happen. I have one dinner this coming week with someone I haven't seen in over a year and another dinner the week after with another someone I haven't seen in over a year.
And another new friend (work - I've known here a couple years now) and I had lunch last week and we talked through our 'friendship' styles. When I'm having a hard time and need a friend, I reach out. When she's having a hard time, she retreats and shuts down. We have completely opposite 'support/need' reactions and it can lead to hurt feelings or mis-understandings. So when she called me around noon today and said 'How's your day going? I'm heading to Starbucks, want to come'? and I replied 'I just got back from Starbucks and a doctor's appointment'. She said 'I'm having a really hard day' and I said 'then I'm going to Starbucks with you'. She's usually in shut down mode when she's had a hard day - so I applaud her reaching out and I dropped everything to go with her. It was a nice break. We are great supports to each other and that really helps - 'cuz there's lots of stuff I don't write about and it's nice to have someone who knows what's going on.
J.'s back is bothering him and he's never had any back issue that wasn't a kidney stone. He's trying to convince me that it's muscular and 'I used to have this a lot when I was younger'...I met him when he was 40 so I never knew him in his late 20's/early 30's when these back flares were apparently 'common'. So he's a little groany and moving slowly and I will do my best to do things this weekend so he won't have to.
That's going to be a long weekend of taking the dog out - she's back to her constantly starving, frequently peeing mode and she's whiny and sort of a pain. But she's the cutest dog ever and is so earnest in her cuteness, she's impossible to resist. We'll spend a lot of time outside tomorrow - yard work, sweeping, etc. -
I can't wait for two sleep-in days...especially the moment when I wake up close to when my alarm would be going off and I realize I get to go back to sleep!!
It was delicious.
Rare for me to eat breakfast before I get to work - J. usually scrambles some egg whites for me and I eat them when I get to my office. Three pieces of toast and a small glass of OJ - just what I needed to start a(nother) incredibly busy day.
Now it's end of day Friday and today was super busy, too...but another cycle of year-end madness is officially done - pending board approval on Tuesday.
There are tons of blue jays enjoying the seed and I saw two robins earlier this evening as well. I love creating a place for them to fill their stomachs and the jays look so much better than they did a week ago - their feathers are fuller and their getting round bellies back after a summer of very dry, hot weather.
H.'s DMV interview went OK and we await a letter - hopefully tomorrow but most likely Monday. In the mean time, he's getting to/from school with the help of friends and his dad, who frankly is one of the most patient, giving guys on the planet. Thank goodness for J.'s Kindle - he's fine sitting in a Starbucks or wherever, connect to WiFi and surf the web or watch videos. We sure hope he won't have to spend basically full days in Antioch & Brentwood next week but it's working out so far.
I have concerns about H. lately - he's spending time with someone who I haven't met yet and am a little on guard about. She picked him up last night to head to school and I said 'well, I'd like to come out and meet her finally [J's met her already - she and her husband invited H. and J. (and me but I declined) to a BBQ over Labor Day] and he seemed reluctant. He said 'just in a hurry so it would be better if you met her another time'. Guess that's reasonable but his reaction felt more 'concerned' than just that. I'm not sure what this woman is doing spending time with kids in their early 20's - she's married with kids and in her 30's, I think. It's just strange to me. H. and a bunch of his friends spend time over there a lot and lately, H. is there more than any other 'friend'. I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm a mom. Can't help it.
I'm not working this weekend and I'm off every Friday from now until the end of the month! I'm grateful for a work-free weekend though I started a list here by my computer of things that need doing. Sometimes just writing the things down as I think of them is the best way to get my mind to shut off a bit...if I've written it down, I don't need to worry I'm going to forget.
My fingernails are back in a growth cycle. I just tried to paint them dark blue - I love the idea of dark polishes but they are a PITA to apply and even harder to make look good. So I removed the polish and now there's various shades of blue on, under and/or around my nails.
I reached out to a dear friend this week and have decided that I am going to make time every month for at least one or two dinners out with friends. I've been contemplating a lot of friendships lately - 'cuz honestly, it often feels like we don't make the effort. And I include me in that as well. We all think 'I'm too busy' or 'they're too busy' or 'well, I haven't heard from them in ages so they obviously don't care about spending time with me' or [insert a myriad of things I can think of when I'm in that mode]. And the truth is my friends are real friends. People that have been in my life for decades and we don't need to be in touch often to reconfirm that. These are the truest, dearest, people on earth and in my life - so we just have to start making it happen. I have one dinner this coming week with someone I haven't seen in over a year and another dinner the week after with another someone I haven't seen in over a year.
And another new friend (work - I've known here a couple years now) and I had lunch last week and we talked through our 'friendship' styles. When I'm having a hard time and need a friend, I reach out. When she's having a hard time, she retreats and shuts down. We have completely opposite 'support/need' reactions and it can lead to hurt feelings or mis-understandings. So when she called me around noon today and said 'How's your day going? I'm heading to Starbucks, want to come'? and I replied 'I just got back from Starbucks and a doctor's appointment'. She said 'I'm having a really hard day' and I said 'then I'm going to Starbucks with you'. She's usually in shut down mode when she's had a hard day - so I applaud her reaching out and I dropped everything to go with her. It was a nice break. We are great supports to each other and that really helps - 'cuz there's lots of stuff I don't write about and it's nice to have someone who knows what's going on.
J.'s back is bothering him and he's never had any back issue that wasn't a kidney stone. He's trying to convince me that it's muscular and 'I used to have this a lot when I was younger'...I met him when he was 40 so I never knew him in his late 20's/early 30's when these back flares were apparently 'common'. So he's a little groany and moving slowly and I will do my best to do things this weekend so he won't have to.
That's going to be a long weekend of taking the dog out - she's back to her constantly starving, frequently peeing mode and she's whiny and sort of a pain. But she's the cutest dog ever and is so earnest in her cuteness, she's impossible to resist. We'll spend a lot of time outside tomorrow - yard work, sweeping, etc. -
I can't wait for two sleep-in days...especially the moment when I wake up close to when my alarm would be going off and I realize I get to go back to sleep!!
Sunday, September 04, 2016
Labor Free Day Prior to Labor Day
I should be working...I went in a bit yesterday and realized just how much I have to do...but my stomach is giving me fits today so I'm sticking close to home. I think I am super-duper sensitive to any spice and Thai food on Friday combined with things I snacked on yesterday with the extra addition of chili dogs for dinner last night have me under the weather. It's no big deal here at home but the thought of sitting in my office and likely needing to frequent the restroom (which is outside and down three buildings) is more than my psyche can handle.
It means I will treat tomorrow as a normal workday - getting up and heading out to work as soon as I can. I should be able to get everything done tomorrow and if not? It will be a week of very long days. And that's OK.
Harry Potter marathon on today so I'm a happy camper.
News....let's see. H. got a letter from the DMV yesterday confirming that his license is suspended at 5PM tomorrow - though he (and J.) both insist he's been 'in touch' with them about their request for a face-to-face interview and it's been a 'scheduling thing', they clearly see it differently and have officially rendered him unable to drive effective tomorrow evening. J. is convinced it can all be resolved over the phone on Tuesday - and while I hope it can be (because he has a class on Tuesday night to get to not to mention the rest of the week) - I'm not all that optimistic about it. Which leaves J. to add 'chauffeur' to his list of retirement activities. H.'s classes are split between the campus in Antioch and the campus in Brentwood - no buses or shuttles between. So if this isn't resolved timely, J. will be spending a lot of time sitting in a car waiting for H.. Fingers crossed some of the logistics can be managed via friends he has that also attend both campuses and many of the same classes.
It's absolutely gorgeous weather this weekend - not too warm and down right awesome! Cooling down a bit - which is great - and while it's windy in the evenings, it's really nice during the day.
J. is heading out to OSH to get a bag or two of soil - our Japanese maple that's in a big 'pot' in the yard needs some soil added ASAP - and then I will also had a tree fertilizing spike to give it some nutrients. I think we need to figure out how to repot it - but not sure when/if we will make that happen.
I'm taking off three more Fridays this month and then plan to take off a week (or two) sometime in October. We've been in touch with B. who says he's going to have some leave days in October - so we've offered to fly him here if he wants. So we'll see. I'd love to have some time off when he's home though I then quickly think 'why?' 'cuz he won't be hanging around here much if he is home. He's usually out and about much of the time - which is great since he's still got many friends here he loves to hang out with. He is still hearing rumors that it might be Iraq in January for his unit so we sort of stay in 'pins and needles' mode until he knows for certain. Maybe he will be able to make it home for Christmas? Fingers crossed.
Our latest thing is trying to get as much in the trash as we can every week. Last week, we got rid of a broken plastic storage bin (and it's matching lid so we wouldn't torture ourselves trying to figure out what bin belongs with the lid sometime in the future); a broken patio plant pot and a patio chair that was beyond repair. J. had to take the chair apart and cram it in the trash bin - the other items went in the recycle bin - and just like that! Three huge things gone off the patio. Today, J. threw out an old rolling garden stool that was cracked - and moving that led to sweeping up around where it was and getting rid of a rock hard bag of gypsum. Every time we're tossing things in the 'regular' weekly pickup trash, we're saving a future dumpster charge AND gradually getting rid of things we don't need.
J. has also been working on the garage - unearthing more treasures from his parents. He is trying to get a reel projector to run so he can watch some of the old movies - then try to decide what we could try to get transferred to DVD (Costco!) to save. It's expensive but it's hard letting those films go. J. said he's not interested in all the family vacation films but some of the family shots would be nice. He's also found old photo albums and is having fun looking at pics.
Next on his project list is to take all our old albums to Rasputin to see about selling them. We haven't listened to them in ages. They are taking up a ton of space and are on an old 'credenza' type table I got from my sister and her (then) husband when I moved into my first apartment - 36 years ago! Time to let the old stuff GO!
A single story model by our same builder is on sale as a pre-foreclosure. It needs a ton of TLC but J. is going to go give it a look. It's priced at the rock bottom price and is going to be a great investment for someone - probably not us but maybe? This house is just plain too big for us and no amount of culling is going to change that. It's just huge for three people.
J. is back - the open house is already over so we'll have to see what happens in the next week or two and watch for another one. If it doesn't sell pretty quickly, that's a clear sign it's a 'no' for us. We are fine with doing new floors, new landscaping, etc. - but if the inside has been trashed, we're not redoing the entire interior.
And we'd really rather be in Reno. Someday.
It means I will treat tomorrow as a normal workday - getting up and heading out to work as soon as I can. I should be able to get everything done tomorrow and if not? It will be a week of very long days. And that's OK.
Harry Potter marathon on today so I'm a happy camper.
News....let's see. H. got a letter from the DMV yesterday confirming that his license is suspended at 5PM tomorrow - though he (and J.) both insist he's been 'in touch' with them about their request for a face-to-face interview and it's been a 'scheduling thing', they clearly see it differently and have officially rendered him unable to drive effective tomorrow evening. J. is convinced it can all be resolved over the phone on Tuesday - and while I hope it can be (because he has a class on Tuesday night to get to not to mention the rest of the week) - I'm not all that optimistic about it. Which leaves J. to add 'chauffeur' to his list of retirement activities. H.'s classes are split between the campus in Antioch and the campus in Brentwood - no buses or shuttles between. So if this isn't resolved timely, J. will be spending a lot of time sitting in a car waiting for H.. Fingers crossed some of the logistics can be managed via friends he has that also attend both campuses and many of the same classes.
It's absolutely gorgeous weather this weekend - not too warm and down right awesome! Cooling down a bit - which is great - and while it's windy in the evenings, it's really nice during the day.
J. is heading out to OSH to get a bag or two of soil - our Japanese maple that's in a big 'pot' in the yard needs some soil added ASAP - and then I will also had a tree fertilizing spike to give it some nutrients. I think we need to figure out how to repot it - but not sure when/if we will make that happen.
I'm taking off three more Fridays this month and then plan to take off a week (or two) sometime in October. We've been in touch with B. who says he's going to have some leave days in October - so we've offered to fly him here if he wants. So we'll see. I'd love to have some time off when he's home though I then quickly think 'why?' 'cuz he won't be hanging around here much if he is home. He's usually out and about much of the time - which is great since he's still got many friends here he loves to hang out with. He is still hearing rumors that it might be Iraq in January for his unit so we sort of stay in 'pins and needles' mode until he knows for certain. Maybe he will be able to make it home for Christmas? Fingers crossed.
Our latest thing is trying to get as much in the trash as we can every week. Last week, we got rid of a broken plastic storage bin (and it's matching lid so we wouldn't torture ourselves trying to figure out what bin belongs with the lid sometime in the future); a broken patio plant pot and a patio chair that was beyond repair. J. had to take the chair apart and cram it in the trash bin - the other items went in the recycle bin - and just like that! Three huge things gone off the patio. Today, J. threw out an old rolling garden stool that was cracked - and moving that led to sweeping up around where it was and getting rid of a rock hard bag of gypsum. Every time we're tossing things in the 'regular' weekly pickup trash, we're saving a future dumpster charge AND gradually getting rid of things we don't need.
J. has also been working on the garage - unearthing more treasures from his parents. He is trying to get a reel projector to run so he can watch some of the old movies - then try to decide what we could try to get transferred to DVD (Costco!) to save. It's expensive but it's hard letting those films go. J. said he's not interested in all the family vacation films but some of the family shots would be nice. He's also found old photo albums and is having fun looking at pics.
Next on his project list is to take all our old albums to Rasputin to see about selling them. We haven't listened to them in ages. They are taking up a ton of space and are on an old 'credenza' type table I got from my sister and her (then) husband when I moved into my first apartment - 36 years ago! Time to let the old stuff GO!
A single story model by our same builder is on sale as a pre-foreclosure. It needs a ton of TLC but J. is going to go give it a look. It's priced at the rock bottom price and is going to be a great investment for someone - probably not us but maybe? This house is just plain too big for us and no amount of culling is going to change that. It's just huge for three people.
J. is back - the open house is already over so we'll have to see what happens in the next week or two and watch for another one. If it doesn't sell pretty quickly, that's a clear sign it's a 'no' for us. We are fine with doing new floors, new landscaping, etc. - but if the inside has been trashed, we're not redoing the entire interior.
And we'd really rather be in Reno. Someday.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Apparently Weekly
I guess weekends are the best time for me to work on summarizing life. Good intentions during the week are trumped by the need for some down time and sleep.
A couple months ago, I filled a plant 'tray' with some stale bread crumbled up. A few weeks ago, I added some bird seed to the tray. Today, I've been enjoying watching two blue jay mamas gorge themselves on the seed. They both look bedraggled and skinny so I'm happy to assist them by providing a steady food source. J. also filled up our bird water dispenser and I've been looking on Pinterest and other sites for ideas to make a water tray for them. Heading into colder weather will likely bring rain so water won't be as scarce as it has been - well, I mean we're sure hoping for a hugely wet winter - but now, it's still hot (or at least warm) and with watering restrictions, lawns and planters are dry and not yielding much. I think that's why the birds aren't looking good - incredibly dry conditions limit their food and water options. Poor things.
I woke up at 6:30AM this morning and got up and started culling out my closet. It's now 3:20PM and I've carried that forward and worked steadily most of the day on the office and also gathering - have a big box of 'stuff' ready for the charity pickup too. I need to head back upstairs soon to continue the culling - I'm getting the box of pants out from under the bed that are a size I have decided I will never wear again - and clear my bed so I can get in it early tonight. I feel tired and probably should have tried to sleep another couple hours this morning but it felt good to get going - and I'm motivated and want to keep on the path I started down this morning.
J. got 15 pairs of shoes out of the entry way closet. It's become the shoe graveyard because H. takes off his shoes when he comes in the house and eventually, we just stash them in the front closet. There's quite a selection there and yesterday, I read an article online about a young man who's making a small fortune tracking down rare shoes and re-selling them. I'm tempted to track him down and send him a picture of the shoes to see if he's interested. H. will appreciate the cash and I'll appreciate having many fewer pairs of shoes in a closet that should hold coats, umbrellas and rain boots.
We don't actually own rain boots but I've always thought they were a good idea.
I worked in the office a few hours yesterday and should have gone in today but I figure it's a 3 day weekend next weekend so if I am unable to get things wrapped up during this week, I still have time. I'm in pretty decent shape, actually - though working on depreciation is always a dreaded task and with all the construction projects we've done this past year, it's a nightmare. I'm plowing through but..it's a snow plow at times. I'm supposed to be off this coming Friday for a four-day weekend but I think I will move that vacation day to later in the month - I'm using up the hours I need to comply with the carryover policy but I would rather work through Friday in exchange for hopefully having off at least one full day next weekend.
I really, truly hope I can get things done by end of day Friday but that might be a bit optimistic. Lots of meetings this week -
Yesterday morning, I happened to check my personal email (not something I do very often) and had a notice from Amazon that my account may have been compromised. After messaging B., I realized HE was the compromiser - tried to use his XBox to check something on my Amazon Prime account and him logging in from Tennessee created the fraud alert. I give Amazon credit to know that someone was accessing my account from somewhere I'm not - and I had a hint it was B. when I went to reset the password and the phone number in the 'send text' was his cell phone. Grrr. But it's all fixed now.
We may try selling a couple things on the Let It Go app. Worth a try. A friend had a garage sale and made a whopping $10 - after hours of work to get things ready and more hours to put things away. It's just not worth all the work - so we might try the latest sell it app and see how it goes.
Guess I will wrap up and keep going on the path to continued culling.
A couple months ago, I filled a plant 'tray' with some stale bread crumbled up. A few weeks ago, I added some bird seed to the tray. Today, I've been enjoying watching two blue jay mamas gorge themselves on the seed. They both look bedraggled and skinny so I'm happy to assist them by providing a steady food source. J. also filled up our bird water dispenser and I've been looking on Pinterest and other sites for ideas to make a water tray for them. Heading into colder weather will likely bring rain so water won't be as scarce as it has been - well, I mean we're sure hoping for a hugely wet winter - but now, it's still hot (or at least warm) and with watering restrictions, lawns and planters are dry and not yielding much. I think that's why the birds aren't looking good - incredibly dry conditions limit their food and water options. Poor things.
I woke up at 6:30AM this morning and got up and started culling out my closet. It's now 3:20PM and I've carried that forward and worked steadily most of the day on the office and also gathering - have a big box of 'stuff' ready for the charity pickup too. I need to head back upstairs soon to continue the culling - I'm getting the box of pants out from under the bed that are a size I have decided I will never wear again - and clear my bed so I can get in it early tonight. I feel tired and probably should have tried to sleep another couple hours this morning but it felt good to get going - and I'm motivated and want to keep on the path I started down this morning.
J. got 15 pairs of shoes out of the entry way closet. It's become the shoe graveyard because H. takes off his shoes when he comes in the house and eventually, we just stash them in the front closet. There's quite a selection there and yesterday, I read an article online about a young man who's making a small fortune tracking down rare shoes and re-selling them. I'm tempted to track him down and send him a picture of the shoes to see if he's interested. H. will appreciate the cash and I'll appreciate having many fewer pairs of shoes in a closet that should hold coats, umbrellas and rain boots.
We don't actually own rain boots but I've always thought they were a good idea.
I worked in the office a few hours yesterday and should have gone in today but I figure it's a 3 day weekend next weekend so if I am unable to get things wrapped up during this week, I still have time. I'm in pretty decent shape, actually - though working on depreciation is always a dreaded task and with all the construction projects we've done this past year, it's a nightmare. I'm plowing through but..it's a snow plow at times. I'm supposed to be off this coming Friday for a four-day weekend but I think I will move that vacation day to later in the month - I'm using up the hours I need to comply with the carryover policy but I would rather work through Friday in exchange for hopefully having off at least one full day next weekend.
I really, truly hope I can get things done by end of day Friday but that might be a bit optimistic. Lots of meetings this week -
Yesterday morning, I happened to check my personal email (not something I do very often) and had a notice from Amazon that my account may have been compromised. After messaging B., I realized HE was the compromiser - tried to use his XBox to check something on my Amazon Prime account and him logging in from Tennessee created the fraud alert. I give Amazon credit to know that someone was accessing my account from somewhere I'm not - and I had a hint it was B. when I went to reset the password and the phone number in the 'send text' was his cell phone. Grrr. But it's all fixed now.
We may try selling a couple things on the Let It Go app. Worth a try. A friend had a garage sale and made a whopping $10 - after hours of work to get things ready and more hours to put things away. It's just not worth all the work - so we might try the latest sell it app and see how it goes.
Guess I will wrap up and keep going on the path to continued culling.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Rare
Rare are the days when I come home ready for a beverage that might make me forget the day but today was one of those days. It's Friday (yay!) and that in itself is cause for celebration, right? But really, this day sucked. From start to finish, it was awful. You know I rarely say that so...I'll leave the details to your imagination.
Years from now, when I'm re-reading my life, I'm going to ask myself 'what in the world was so bad about that day?'. There will be no answer - which is true today, too. No answer. It was chaotically busy with so many little things - all the big things had to wait and the big things can't wait. So I'm working tomorrow. Yay me (not)!
I am so far 'behind' in my life's tales - where to start.
Hello again - it's now Monday. I'm leaving that Friday missive above to remind myself: the best way to get over a horrendous day like last Friday? Have a splendid day like today. Mondays are categorically a no fun day pretty much every work week - but thanks to the time I spent in the office on Saturday, I had my lists ready of 'what's next' and made good, steady progress all day. Things that were troublesome on Friday cleared up today - some with a little intervention and effort on my part and others just the way things seem less consequential one day than they did in the moment of the horrendous day.
And the major difference between the two days? ME! Friday was a series of hard things that got me on a track of frustration and angst and on those rare days when I can't snap myself out of it, it's just easier to give in and just 'have a bad day'. But today? Little things that were irritating Friday were just easily resolved and I just kept on going as soon as the little things were done.
I have four more great days planned for this week and with no meetings (so far) on my calendar, it's looking like a great week. If I keep on the path I was on today, I should be able to get much of my year-end stuff done and actually take a weekend off. And in September, I'm off four Fridays - using up vacation to comply with having no more than 80 hours of prior year vacation on the books at the end of September.
Somehow, the TV is on The Andy Williams show - and it makes me miss my mom. She loved Andy.
I went to Thunder Valley yesterday and what's even more miraculous about the difference between my peace of mind Friday vs. today is that I lost hugely. The slots were just total crap - I drove home in a huge amount of traffic; the freeway connector between Hwy. 99 and I-5 south was closed so the horrible drive was even MORE horrible and told my hubby in a phone call 'I need a hobby that doesn't result in feelings of self-loathing'. Time to take up needlepoint. Or tatting. I have a cousin who does amazing tatting projects and I'd really like to learn. I just might!
There's been some HUGE drama at work (which may have also contributed to the dis-ease of late last week) and it amazes me how incredibly stupid people can be. And how watching the drama play out again on Facebook (well, I'm not watching - this person is so far from a 'friend', I have nothing to do with them on Facebook, but I have other friends who ARE so I hear all about it) is just watching someone make an ass of them self over and over.
We had ribs for dinner and I have the most horrendous heart burn ever. I've taken meds and nothing's helping. It might be a long night. I'd better get going on trying to get some sleep.
Years from now, when I'm re-reading my life, I'm going to ask myself 'what in the world was so bad about that day?'. There will be no answer - which is true today, too. No answer. It was chaotically busy with so many little things - all the big things had to wait and the big things can't wait. So I'm working tomorrow. Yay me (not)!
I am so far 'behind' in my life's tales - where to start.
Hello again - it's now Monday. I'm leaving that Friday missive above to remind myself: the best way to get over a horrendous day like last Friday? Have a splendid day like today. Mondays are categorically a no fun day pretty much every work week - but thanks to the time I spent in the office on Saturday, I had my lists ready of 'what's next' and made good, steady progress all day. Things that were troublesome on Friday cleared up today - some with a little intervention and effort on my part and others just the way things seem less consequential one day than they did in the moment of the horrendous day.
And the major difference between the two days? ME! Friday was a series of hard things that got me on a track of frustration and angst and on those rare days when I can't snap myself out of it, it's just easier to give in and just 'have a bad day'. But today? Little things that were irritating Friday were just easily resolved and I just kept on going as soon as the little things were done.
I have four more great days planned for this week and with no meetings (so far) on my calendar, it's looking like a great week. If I keep on the path I was on today, I should be able to get much of my year-end stuff done and actually take a weekend off. And in September, I'm off four Fridays - using up vacation to comply with having no more than 80 hours of prior year vacation on the books at the end of September.
Somehow, the TV is on The Andy Williams show - and it makes me miss my mom. She loved Andy.
I went to Thunder Valley yesterday and what's even more miraculous about the difference between my peace of mind Friday vs. today is that I lost hugely. The slots were just total crap - I drove home in a huge amount of traffic; the freeway connector between Hwy. 99 and I-5 south was closed so the horrible drive was even MORE horrible and told my hubby in a phone call 'I need a hobby that doesn't result in feelings of self-loathing'. Time to take up needlepoint. Or tatting. I have a cousin who does amazing tatting projects and I'd really like to learn. I just might!
There's been some HUGE drama at work (which may have also contributed to the dis-ease of late last week) and it amazes me how incredibly stupid people can be. And how watching the drama play out again on Facebook (well, I'm not watching - this person is so far from a 'friend', I have nothing to do with them on Facebook, but I have other friends who ARE so I hear all about it) is just watching someone make an ass of them self over and over.
We had ribs for dinner and I have the most horrendous heart burn ever. I've taken meds and nothing's helping. It might be a long night. I'd better get going on trying to get some sleep.
Sunday, August 07, 2016
Darn It!
I spent yesterday nursing a very painful back issue - whiny, pissy and by the end of the day, convinced I had something horrible. In so much pain, I just felt nauseous most of the day. I went to bed with trepidation and not much hope - but managed to rearrange my pillows and slept semi-OK, especially compared to Friday night which was not great sleep all night.
I woke this morning and gave a few minutes thought to heading to Thunder Valley - the Thunderstrike jackpot was > $120,000 and I should have gone - but I decided 'I'll wait and see where it ends up this week'.
And of course, someone won it around noon today - and I think 'damn, that could have been me'. Oh well. It will be available the next time I venture up there and I'll have some time to continue to build back up our fun money account.
J. and H. drove to Fairfield today to get a new car for H. - a 2012 Ford Focus - 56K miles, one owner, no accidents. It's got a slight 'bif' on the front fender but they will come pick up the car and give H. a loaner while they have that fixed in the next week or so. The car is in excellent condition and H. likes it - and combined with the $1,000 deductible he had to pitch in from his savings, we were only short $652 above insurance - so not bad considering.
I did have a moment earlier this week when I realized that I will be driving the oldest car (mine is a 2009) and even though it's low mileage (just turned to 80K), it still irritates me that I'm driving the oldest car. We considered using the insurance money to make a down payment on a new car for me but I really don't want two car payments...so we'll wait until we pay off J.'s Camry. It sticks in my craw a bit but oh well. It is what it is.
I spent the day doing little piddly things - finally ran the silverware tray through the dishwasher and cleaned out the silverware drawer. Also soaked and washed my hairbrushes and combs. Kept Chloe calm while the neighbors had an outdoor BBQ - she barks like a maniac whilst outside doing her business.
Tomorrow is the annual Welcome Back Breakfast and Tuesday is the first student day of the 2016-17 school year. A friend at work got all testy last week - 'why are people pre-dating things August? Look at this, they dated it August 4th!' and another co-worker replied 'that was yesterday'. Yikes - August did get here really fast.
I'm entering year-end madness which never trails budget madness by too much. It's going to be an incredibly busy fall and I'm trying to psych up for it. Not doing great at that (yet) but trying.
J.'s favorite golf course announced they are closing - they can't afford the water to keep the course playable. It's so, so sad - he hasn't been playing there long but really loves it and it's sad to see a business failing. Personally, I think it was more than just the water - they've been offering rounds for $18 and that's a clear sign they are trying to drum up business. J. said 'I'd buy a membership if it would help them stay open'. Maybe someone will purchase the course to keep it going - hope so 'cuz it's a really nice course and not to far away - as golf courses go.
Gilmore Girls marathon and J. has been uber patient - it's either Law & Order or GG and the L&O's are starting to be episodes I've seen a gazillion times. Even I say 'no, not again' to L&O lately and that's a sure sign they are overdoing the reruns of the same episodes. So GG is a nice change AND it's a fun prep for the new episodes coming up in November! So excited about the show getting to tell 'the rest of the story' that fans never got when the show ended so abruptly.
Happy Monday to all -
I woke this morning and gave a few minutes thought to heading to Thunder Valley - the Thunderstrike jackpot was > $120,000 and I should have gone - but I decided 'I'll wait and see where it ends up this week'.
And of course, someone won it around noon today - and I think 'damn, that could have been me'. Oh well. It will be available the next time I venture up there and I'll have some time to continue to build back up our fun money account.
J. and H. drove to Fairfield today to get a new car for H. - a 2012 Ford Focus - 56K miles, one owner, no accidents. It's got a slight 'bif' on the front fender but they will come pick up the car and give H. a loaner while they have that fixed in the next week or so. The car is in excellent condition and H. likes it - and combined with the $1,000 deductible he had to pitch in from his savings, we were only short $652 above insurance - so not bad considering.
I did have a moment earlier this week when I realized that I will be driving the oldest car (mine is a 2009) and even though it's low mileage (just turned to 80K), it still irritates me that I'm driving the oldest car. We considered using the insurance money to make a down payment on a new car for me but I really don't want two car payments...so we'll wait until we pay off J.'s Camry. It sticks in my craw a bit but oh well. It is what it is.
I spent the day doing little piddly things - finally ran the silverware tray through the dishwasher and cleaned out the silverware drawer. Also soaked and washed my hairbrushes and combs. Kept Chloe calm while the neighbors had an outdoor BBQ - she barks like a maniac whilst outside doing her business.
Tomorrow is the annual Welcome Back Breakfast and Tuesday is the first student day of the 2016-17 school year. A friend at work got all testy last week - 'why are people pre-dating things August? Look at this, they dated it August 4th!' and another co-worker replied 'that was yesterday'. Yikes - August did get here really fast.
I'm entering year-end madness which never trails budget madness by too much. It's going to be an incredibly busy fall and I'm trying to psych up for it. Not doing great at that (yet) but trying.
J.'s favorite golf course announced they are closing - they can't afford the water to keep the course playable. It's so, so sad - he hasn't been playing there long but really loves it and it's sad to see a business failing. Personally, I think it was more than just the water - they've been offering rounds for $18 and that's a clear sign they are trying to drum up business. J. said 'I'd buy a membership if it would help them stay open'. Maybe someone will purchase the course to keep it going - hope so 'cuz it's a really nice course and not to far away - as golf courses go.
Gilmore Girls marathon and J. has been uber patient - it's either Law & Order or GG and the L&O's are starting to be episodes I've seen a gazillion times. Even I say 'no, not again' to L&O lately and that's a sure sign they are overdoing the reruns of the same episodes. So GG is a nice change AND it's a fun prep for the new episodes coming up in November! So excited about the show getting to tell 'the rest of the story' that fans never got when the show ended so abruptly.
Happy Monday to all -
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Tales of Helpers
Our cleaning lady D. is here today - she wears earbuds and chats on the phone while she works. She is the third cleaning 'person(s)...
