(Note, the post prior to this one was written last week)
Terrific weekend after a slug of days that were taxing, but moved fairly quick. Friday night I met Ben down at the PL and had a few brews. Parents dropped in for a bit and Ben and I ultimately took control of the juke. I recall shots AND an egg. What more could you ask for on a blustery Friday night.
Did the only decent thing by sleeping in on Saturday, then heading out for breakfast at Jay's for the "UNI-que Domewich". You want a good croissant, look no further. From there, the Rod. Where else but on a Saturday afternoon? I renewed my card and went wild in the compact periodicals section. So much juicy information not available anywhere else, tilled under by that assuming internet. Found some real gems to take home.
From there, groceries- I did my part to keep the economy rolling. Each time I go to HyVee I like to try something new. Over new year's with cocktail fever, I bought a jar of Tomolives. Imagine crossing a miniature tomato with an olive and pickling it (like an olive). Pretty good. This time, it was nacho cheese with jalapenos in a metal can from the originators of the concession stand nacho. That, and a glass 16oz bottle of Coke. We made the mistake of using the self-checkout, which we normally avoid if we're buying any sort of "adult" beverage. This time it was the fat stack of coupons cut earlier in the day. I was warned the machine liked to freeze up, which was sage advice because I couldn't find a barcode or ID number to save my life and wasn't going to risk it.
We made it home and celebrated by enduring a recent acquisition of The Right Stuff before passing out like old folks.
Sunday I had intended to visit the lodge, but the heat wave of 11F wasn't winning me over and the clock was ticking. Instead, Cara ran errands while I took care of ironing and the dishes and LOTS of reading (periodicals are a 24hr checkout). I saddled up the laundry and we spent the late afternoon at the parents taking care of wash while I fired up the old clamshell, scanner and remote burner and committed a number of 50 y.o. articles to the impermanence of the bit. With a new yo-yo powersupply on that iBook (courtesy of the Lincoln School sale) I was reminded how much I like that machine when it's not powering down or sparking. It's so natural to carry it may find its way back into daily use this summer and the responsiveness of OS9 is surprising (you know what I’m talking about).
I had intended to pull out the soap box and do some grand standing but that'll have to wait for next time when I'm not immersed in reality.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sprightly Prose
It's unfortunate there wasn't more time in the break that I could have gotten around to part 2 of my last entry- I didn't intend to just up and leave ends loose. Also unfortunate is how, without some vacation, my mindset has reverted back to desk-jockey mode. At least I’m able to still identify the distinction.
What had been batted around as a legit Omaha escape ended up a 24 hr to-and-fro given the other events of the week and my desire to truly lose myself in a string of nameless days around town. Since I booked a room for Saturday night, Cara tagged along and kept herself occupied while I was at the shindig that evening. Had a grand time over appliances and was none too happy to leave Mariott's plush king-size bed the next AM.
Monday was a real drag and it's this getting up at 5:30 business that's the real sin. Forces my hand at 9PM, which unravels to 10 after getting home at 6. The rest of the week has been noticeably better in the "life sucks" department. Little Caesar's and a bond flick last night…one in which we had seen not that long ago, but had left such a weak impression on the gray matter that you could have fooled me; "From Russia with Love". A new flotilla of LD's are on their way which I should have ordered _before_ the break. Well...live and learn (then forget and do it all over again).
More to come....
Thursday, December 31, 2009
265 75 R16
It's not very often you find yourself scrambling eggs, watching MacGyver on Hulu and drinking wine at noon in the kitchen...all while noticing the neighbor's TV set being placed into a red Ford Aerostar. On a Thursday. But such is a life "on break". And pushing out the lines that form the letters, this has really been a lazy one. Last year at this time days flew-by. I was trenching in along the tracks in rubber boots, making use of the AM and shivering in the cold after an 8 or 10 hour stint. Day after day. Working on cedar above the gangway. Finishing out the closet. Prepping the upstairs for carpet. And other things I swear could have taken place last year...or was it the year before? ...Now there's a recurring theme.
But this year's xmas-new year's break has been anything but. Made it to the lodge once so far and spent the afternoon working on getting the LV-wiring up to snuff; felt good to get something done and fight my way out as the sun set and the cold came down. Christmas was good, but this is possibly the most remote I've felt compared to my personal barometer of yuletide engagement. On the upside, Alex visiting definitely improved things. A trip to the PL-turned Cypress for Schlitz, pool and debauchery. My first visit to the much-talked-about Spicoli's, topped off with an evening of bowling with Blake and his lady-friend H. A drop-in on Ben S. after a pitcher of draft-Busch light at everyone's favorite foundry-hangout, BJ's. Complete with 80's picks on the jukebox at Narey's 19th Hole. Cara and I even worked in a nice evening of martinis with Cam and Alex on his last night in town. A real good time, all around, and now we've got New Year's and weekend trip planned as well.
Of course, throw a few wrenches into the mix, like today's temperature of 10 degrees keeping me apartment-bound instead of walking open fields. Or Cara, cracking open her oil pan on an ice ridge and dumping 5 qts of black diesel oil down the drive. Some quick work and we had an overnight replacement part, german gasket sealant, and a little R&R in an 80 year old garage with an equally old electric heater I grabbed along with my tools to get her up and running. This was to be a short-lived victory, however, as her window clips failed the next morning, leaving her to place the (now free) passenger door glass pane in the seat next to her and enjoy Hwy 20 in full Iowa-winter goodness on her way home from work yesterday. The world is a strange place though. I waited an hour and a half for tires while she was at work and now, after a month's wait, still can't get use to taking corners without sliding across the powder pinball-style. Small improvements do a solid concept make.
So that's been a rough recap of the last few days. Today has been much like Monday; it wouldn't take Matlock to convince me I've pissed away the day. Something tells me, though, that these days will pay dividends down the line. It really has been a long time since I've had a moment where I thought "I'm bored", or "what can I muster to pass the time". Thought. And writing. Ideas may be pent up and waiting to be put to paper, but I haven't much inspiration for pencil lifting as of late. But thinking is something else. I mean, consider the day-ins and day-outs. I get up at the behest of the alarm, shower, dress, clean the percolator while making a cold lunch, drive half an hour to work in the dark, put in 10 hours and return to slump in my chair to check email, websites, and then dinner over TV. Maybe ironing, bill paying and then get ready to do it again.
Boo frickin' Hoo. That's the price of trading one's assets to make an earning. But it sure doesn't give much time to gear down to boredom stage and reconstruct one's mental surroundings. Move a dresser and discover a window. Beat the dust out of the old rugs. Then again, maybe that's just me. Takes a couple days to get there.
Course it's tough when there's arch websites to troll through and Family Ties on CBS.com to ignore in the background.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Jason and the Arggggonauts….
Just a little check in on this experiment I call "my job". The drive is further, the hours both longer and inflexible, and the "cultural level", for lack of a better term, will drag you down like a skewered otter, but the political BS is remote, gray hair seems to be slowing, and my exhaustion at the end of the day is from constant motion and solving other peoples' problems rather than desk-jockeying in a sea-of-sameness.
That said, the cold and dark when I leave after work has done little to fire up any enthusiasm for lodge activities. Plus the snow. I slept like a gunny sack of wet sand this past weekend, after staying out with Cara till 1 or so Friday night at the parents for a 500 party, then doing my best to try to work in the Panther Saturday night after braving the mall. My enthusiasm was lacking though, and I was home at a reasonable hour to promptly head for bed. Sunday was a touch better, and the night was capped with a redbox viewing of Public Enemies and dinner.
And so started the Holiday week that is unfortunately not going to deliver on being an easy slide. It was a long Monday with an equally long drive home, immediately topped with a trip to Walgreens with Cara to print our xmas cards in some pretty slushy conditions. The photo machine, however, had the image resizing ability of a cobbled-up Xerox Parc, and while we could crop to our heart's content, shrinking our pic to fit on photo paper was not an option. Knowing under that façade there was probably a copy of MS paint that could do the job without having to drive home and fire up photoshop didn't help matters. The icing on the cake was tearing Cara's weatherstripping off her car by performing the act of opening the passenger side door. After dealing with German eff-ups in design and materials for 11 hours straight that day, I was none too pleased to see her and her VW get hosed by the same 'better-than-thou' mentality. Happens every winter; this time it yanked the rivets out, too.
It was a little over two years ago I decided that instead of taking a "lifer" path with my career I'd opt to gain some experience in other areas to help round out where life may eventually lead. Areas, some might think, are far enough off the corporate path to be beneath them. I don't think many realize I went out of my way to get here (which is fine with me b/c it's like being a stranger in your own town); occasional condolences prove that out. Sure, it may not be something someone wants to do forever, but getting in a different environment and out of my comfort zone will end up being a good thing in the long run, and helps shape where I want to bounce to next before my (self-set) clock strikes 12.
I have some high hopes for this xmas weekend, what with Alex and Blake back in town and some genuine time to sleep in (or at least not have to greet the day at 5AM). Let's hope things pan out!
That said, the cold and dark when I leave after work has done little to fire up any enthusiasm for lodge activities. Plus the snow. I slept like a gunny sack of wet sand this past weekend, after staying out with Cara till 1 or so Friday night at the parents for a 500 party, then doing my best to try to work in the Panther Saturday night after braving the mall. My enthusiasm was lacking though, and I was home at a reasonable hour to promptly head for bed. Sunday was a touch better, and the night was capped with a redbox viewing of Public Enemies and dinner.
And so started the Holiday week that is unfortunately not going to deliver on being an easy slide. It was a long Monday with an equally long drive home, immediately topped with a trip to Walgreens with Cara to print our xmas cards in some pretty slushy conditions. The photo machine, however, had the image resizing ability of a cobbled-up Xerox Parc, and while we could crop to our heart's content, shrinking our pic to fit on photo paper was not an option. Knowing under that façade there was probably a copy of MS paint that could do the job without having to drive home and fire up photoshop didn't help matters. The icing on the cake was tearing Cara's weatherstripping off her car by performing the act of opening the passenger side door. After dealing with German eff-ups in design and materials for 11 hours straight that day, I was none too pleased to see her and her VW get hosed by the same 'better-than-thou' mentality. Happens every winter; this time it yanked the rivets out, too.
It was a little over two years ago I decided that instead of taking a "lifer" path with my career I'd opt to gain some experience in other areas to help round out where life may eventually lead. Areas, some might think, are far enough off the corporate path to be beneath them. I don't think many realize I went out of my way to get here (which is fine with me b/c it's like being a stranger in your own town); occasional condolences prove that out. Sure, it may not be something someone wants to do forever, but getting in a different environment and out of my comfort zone will end up being a good thing in the long run, and helps shape where I want to bounce to next before my (self-set) clock strikes 12.
I have some high hopes for this xmas weekend, what with Alex and Blake back in town and some genuine time to sleep in (or at least not have to greet the day at 5AM). Let's hope things pan out!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Give 'em the Old One-Two!
Now this time I can't complain. Friday rolled around and the sun and temps had driven most in the office to use vacation. By the afternoon it seemed like I was 10% of the staff on hand. I cashed in a few built-up hours and got out around 1. Stopped by the apt for sundries, then the parents for a turntable and all the LPs I could lay my hands on, plus a card table, CD's and whatever else was on my list. By this time it was after 4 and I headed for Fareway; busy place. As much as I like shopping HyVee for their variety, Fareway seems even friendlier without making a show of it. Simple aislesand markers. Low ceilings. Everyone in uniform. And very reasonable prices. The checkouts are a bit odd, however, and it's always a little awkward when they wheel your cart out to your car….of course if they did that at Menards….hmmm..
Friday night was a blast, though. I rushed out to the lodge, now after 5:30, and set to getting the refrig running, groceries put away, blazer unloaded, kitchen/dining area tidied and upstairs, getting the turntable set up with the amp (and getting the cart aligned) and trying things out. Back downstairs, I threw together a yellow cake and quickly changed before Cara and Cam showed. Dinner at The Goat- the cuban was excellent and the potato a winner but it seems we always get stuck in the same booth- not that the sports-bar side is much better. However if you like heavy coughing, we were in the right spot.
Jason and Holly joined us for cards, drinks and quad with Ben making an appearance and we made a rather late (for us, anyway) night of it. For a long day I was still humming along but I didn't complain at the prospect of a good night's sleep.
Saturday I putzed away at my weekend list, getting in deeper and deeper sorting out what's where. In between outside jobs (painting the flag pole smoke gray), I got things organized under the main work bench, sorted and boxed up electrical misc- plates, devices, Despard items, EMT related items, and so forth. Then went for the plumbing. Came up short on a few things so got a list going to tackle the odd jobs and by this time I had a decent pile of unused things to return (stuff like roof flashing and PVC fittings). By the time Cara returned from shopping I was back at the copper washing machine supply lines. Got things pretty well done while catching some bad TV downstairs. Did some reading out on the deck as the sun set.
The next day I tried my hand at french toast stuffed with cheddar cheese with a side of maple sausage and OJ. Not too bad but I need to pick up a skillet proper. I finished up the copper hot water supply and with Cara's help we transported it into position along the back wall. From there, some torching and the critical parts were in. With a makeshift washer hose I got things pressurized and checked for leaks. Found one connection that would seep just a touch- drained the works, blew out the line and re-flowed; all okay. Caught "A Day in October" while I worked.
With sun shining we headed out for returns and to complete the short list. First to the parents for some materials downstairs, then to Jo-Ann where Cara picked up some "on sale" yarn while I continued leafing through a shoebox of recent receipts pulling out anything HomeDepot. We stopped at Menards with a cart full of miscellaneous dating back to '07. With the "you find it" terminal (not it's actual name) we came up with receipts for quite a bit and kept the friendly girl at the return register busy. Even with monopolizing her for half an hour it was still smiles and small talk. Got what we needed in the store, spotted Ben and his copper pipe, and got out for Home Depot.
You'd think coming in with defacto receipts for roof flashing would be all that's necessary for a refund. Roof flashing from this summer even. Not so. In fact, all you can get after 90 days is store credit. Receipt or no. Served up with attitude, of course. We looked at tool chests (good luck finding anyone to point us in the right direction) and were pretty much appalled at the variety (your choice of 2!) and the steep prices. Now after dark we headed back to the Lodge. I got the Westinghouse running with a load of bleach to clean things out and then got busy getting a dryer operational. Next was installing towel hooks in the bathroom through the holes I drilled earlier in the day through the tile. This meant grinding the concealed screw heads down to virtually nothing so they'd fit the ill-conceived IKEA "hook" design. Also, melting the plastic anchor flanges pressed into the tiles so the hooks would sit flush, which they now do.
Completion of Sunday night? Pizza, Twin-Fin, and some light electrical work yielding an interior island light. About time I put that electricity to good use!
Friday night was a blast, though. I rushed out to the lodge, now after 5:30, and set to getting the refrig running, groceries put away, blazer unloaded, kitchen/dining area tidied and upstairs, getting the turntable set up with the amp (and getting the cart aligned) and trying things out. Back downstairs, I threw together a yellow cake and quickly changed before Cara and Cam showed. Dinner at The Goat- the cuban was excellent and the potato a winner but it seems we always get stuck in the same booth- not that the sports-bar side is much better. However if you like heavy coughing, we were in the right spot.
Jason and Holly joined us for cards, drinks and quad with Ben making an appearance and we made a rather late (for us, anyway) night of it. For a long day I was still humming along but I didn't complain at the prospect of a good night's sleep.
Saturday I putzed away at my weekend list, getting in deeper and deeper sorting out what's where. In between outside jobs (painting the flag pole smoke gray), I got things organized under the main work bench, sorted and boxed up electrical misc- plates, devices, Despard items, EMT related items, and so forth. Then went for the plumbing. Came up short on a few things so got a list going to tackle the odd jobs and by this time I had a decent pile of unused things to return (stuff like roof flashing and PVC fittings). By the time Cara returned from shopping I was back at the copper washing machine supply lines. Got things pretty well done while catching some bad TV downstairs. Did some reading out on the deck as the sun set.
The next day I tried my hand at french toast stuffed with cheddar cheese with a side of maple sausage and OJ. Not too bad but I need to pick up a skillet proper. I finished up the copper hot water supply and with Cara's help we transported it into position along the back wall. From there, some torching and the critical parts were in. With a makeshift washer hose I got things pressurized and checked for leaks. Found one connection that would seep just a touch- drained the works, blew out the line and re-flowed; all okay. Caught "A Day in October" while I worked.
With sun shining we headed out for returns and to complete the short list. First to the parents for some materials downstairs, then to Jo-Ann where Cara picked up some "on sale" yarn while I continued leafing through a shoebox of recent receipts pulling out anything HomeDepot. We stopped at Menards with a cart full of miscellaneous dating back to '07. With the "you find it" terminal (not it's actual name) we came up with receipts for quite a bit and kept the friendly girl at the return register busy. Even with monopolizing her for half an hour it was still smiles and small talk. Got what we needed in the store, spotted Ben and his copper pipe, and got out for Home Depot.
You'd think coming in with defacto receipts for roof flashing would be all that's necessary for a refund. Roof flashing from this summer even. Not so. In fact, all you can get after 90 days is store credit. Receipt or no. Served up with attitude, of course. We looked at tool chests (good luck finding anyone to point us in the right direction) and were pretty much appalled at the variety (your choice of 2!) and the steep prices. Now after dark we headed back to the Lodge. I got the Westinghouse running with a load of bleach to clean things out and then got busy getting a dryer operational. Next was installing towel hooks in the bathroom through the holes I drilled earlier in the day through the tile. This meant grinding the concealed screw heads down to virtually nothing so they'd fit the ill-conceived IKEA "hook" design. Also, melting the plastic anchor flanges pressed into the tiles so the hooks would sit flush, which they now do.
Completion of Sunday night? Pizza, Twin-Fin, and some light electrical work yielding an interior island light. About time I put that electricity to good use!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Red Skelton's Comedy of Errors
To coin in oft-used phrase, "it started off innocently enough"…. I had just sat down with a brew when Cam walked in to the PL. The Dodgers (LA or Brooklyn, we're still working on it) were gearing up to play New York on the sets over the bar. That also meant no jukebox action. After an hour or so of chatting we ordered up a second round and worked our way over to the pool table to discover the pool light wasn’t just off, it was inop. My tinkering and Mel's glaring didn't seem to be working and the lack of music was definitely a problem. So, after enjoying an egg, we made our way to The Cypress to discover open tables and cold Schlitz. I had finally cornered Cam 3 to 2 and went up for more quarters only to be greeted by the friendly bartender opening two more bottles of the good stuff and coming my direction. Crap. In retrospect we can see why he thought we were thirsty as we later studied the change machine on the nearby wall, but that didn't change the fact we each still had full beers on the table. Hmm. By the end of a rather craptastic game we were Schlitzed out, but with a score to settle, we headed back for the PL even though the juke was playing some good stuff downtown.
Herein lies the rub. It started when a middle aged guy was having trouble loading the juke while we were gearing up for pool. I made the mistake of striking up conversation. This turned into a looong conversation with the three of us as he regaled us with unbelievable stories about 'nam? Libya? and his other shenanigans while on tour. Doing my best to pretend it was a Friday night I stuck it out through the game (both pool and the series) with Cam aka "gramps" besting me with his fancy bridge-skills. Our friend took off, leaving us 5 free picks on the juke which of course, we put to good use.
Today, November 5th, can go down in the books as the first morning of the year leaving a heavy frost on not only the cars but roof-tops everywhere (time to dig out the scraper). Let's hope this winter doesn't get too crazy.
Herein lies the rub. It started when a middle aged guy was having trouble loading the juke while we were gearing up for pool. I made the mistake of striking up conversation. This turned into a looong conversation with the three of us as he regaled us with unbelievable stories about 'nam? Libya? and his other shenanigans while on tour. Doing my best to pretend it was a Friday night I stuck it out through the game (both pool and the series) with Cam aka "gramps" besting me with his fancy bridge-skills. Our friend took off, leaving us 5 free picks on the juke which of course, we put to good use.
Today, November 5th, can go down in the books as the first morning of the year leaving a heavy frost on not only the cars but roof-tops everywhere (time to dig out the scraper). Let's hope this winter doesn't get too crazy.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Hey! No Statistical Voyeurism!
A bit of a forced weekend it was. Got some things done but mostly I feel like I'm drifting as of late. The realization about the lodge project being more than just the time it took to build, but the time it took to design, the scrimping and saving, the hunt for the land, the build of expectation…everything leading up to groundbreaking, well, there's a lot of personal commitment there extending back beyond the horizon of construction time that's sort of hitting me right now. It's not that I'm not excited for the next stage, it's just that I feel exhausted and I know I shouldn't. There's still things left to do and little energy to do them. And that gets back to a more fundamental problem, err, discussion, about paychecks and jobs and the other little things that take over your life even after you leave the office. Regardless, November is a helluva time to come to terms and simultaneously light the rockets. If I had it my way I'd be looking to curl up in a warm cave for a few months and wait it out.
I buttoned up my 15 month project at work on Friday, had an interview for the next round in the AM, gave a bang-up presentation mid-morning and got rid of A LOT of files I had been dragging around the last couple moves. By the PM the office was pretty quiet and I was in good spirits. I was also looking forward to some pool action at the PL before packing up and heading to the Lodge for the night but it wasn't in the cards. I had gone a little nuts at Target so we ended up with a cornicopia of dinner choices but the buffalo chicken wings turned out to be too hot for Cara. I finally got the Sansui quad unit connected and wire run to all four speakers. Config'd the LD player for CD operation and fired up a song of two from the H&O box set before calling it a night. Yeah, pretty much blown away by the sound.
Saturday and the weather was improving. We took the long way to Waverly, which involved randomly turning down winding gravel roads. At one point I found myself standing in a ditch trying to lure curious horses up to the barb-wire. Found some books at T&T, stopped at the CV humane society to see the pups, did a drive-by past the giant billboard poles from the backside, and explored an abandoned house. That evening, Hamms, pipe, books, music, gun oil.
We slept terribly. Could explain my Sunday malaise. While Cara ran errands I hung out at the ranch. Tore down the WP dryer that had been taking up floor space (gotta keep cleaning house), planted a pine in the side yard, and while I had the shovel out I cut down a high spot of fill near the septic tank. Inside I cut and glued up the bulk of what will be the drain system for the washer area but I still need to pressure test and drag out my copper supply systems from the parents. Upstairs, I reassembled the cage and back of the Emerson and called it quits. Still no HV to light the screen; I need a repair cart and tools out there to get some of this stuff up and running.
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