Diversions first, please. For anyone with a love of linguistics and twisted sense of humour, check out this nifty site! It's a world of giggles under one domain name. Can't go wrong with that, now can you?
And on to some observations I've made.
All this talk about Arizona being dry and desert-y? Load of crap. It poured down rain yesterday. There are puddles and rivulets everywhere. We had to don raingear to take the muttleys out for a walk last night. I'm constantly having to wipe their paws off when we come in from outside. Which leads me to Observation #2.
The "dirt" here is a royal pain in the butt. It's not lovely sticky clay such as we had in Oklahoma. The kind that will stick to you if you look at it cross-eyed and then dye whatever it comes into contact with that lovely orange colour.... NO! Arizona dirt is gravelly, sandy, gritty stuff that gets into EVERY nook and cranny in order to gain access to the house, but as soon as it hits tile or carpet, it sheds quite easily into neat little piles.
# 3: Alcohol is available at every grocery store. In abundance. I'm not talking an aisle or two of fine wine or cooking sherry. NO! It's row upon row of liquor, liqueur, wine, beer, spirits and any other imaginable imbibable I've left off. Stuff from Spain, Australia, Europe, South America... This is a full on liquor store, folks. I guess you gotta stay hydrated here somehow, and since (Observation #4)...you gotta have something...
You can't drink the tap water! Now granted, I'm not certain if this is "You can't drink the tap water because it will make you ill" or "You can't drink the tap water because it tastes like ass", but I'm going to take their word for it (they being my relatives here as well as some of the folks Russell lived with) and stick to bottled water. In fact, I'm off to the shops in a bit to see about purchasing a filter for the faucet. Which brings me to:
Observation #5. I am astounded, as I head out for my shopping excursion, at the number of things that we don't have. We have a house stacked high with boxes. We filled up a 25 foot truck--AFTER--sending Russell's truck and a U-Haul trailer out some months ago. And yet I have to go shopping for things like brooms, a vacuum, toilet brushes, and the like. There are other things on my list. How do we not have these things? We kept the Buddy Christ statuette, but not the brooms? I packed up a box of receipts and old bills, but neglected to grab the toilet brush? Eeesh.
Observation #6. It's nearly 10am, and if I don't get out of here REALLY soon, it's going to be unbearably hot out, so I'm going to get a move on.
ciao.
Monday, September 20, 2004
Sunday, September 19, 2004
BackTracking
So it's Sunday afternoon and I haven't written in over a week. There are perfectly good reasons for this, as you well know. We got our cable hooked up here last Wednesday evening, however, and at that point I was feeling far too overwhelmed to put any thoughts into digital form. It has only compounded since then. Shannon hasn't started shouting at me yet, though, so I figured I'd jump back on board before the tirade begins! :)
Okay, so I'm officially in Phoenix now, and I hold with my original impressions: It's hot and brown! Actually yesterday we had a "monsoon"/dust storm, so that was a bit....odd... but for the most part it has been excruciatingly sunny and dry. Delilah loves it; will lay out in the yard for hours on end, just sunbathing. Bucket, on the other hand, takes after his mummy and can't stand it for more than a few minutes at a time.
Anyway, here's the short story:
Saturday and Sunday last we spent frantically packing and finishing up with the repairs (which, incidentally cost us around $350, since I did a lot of it myself). We had movers come over Sunday morning to help out with the big stuff, and we finished up the rest of it ourselves. There was a bit of panic about whether we'd have room for everything, and in the end we sold the washer and dryer to our friend Jinger. There is a set here (albeit nasty and disfunctional), so we really didn't need them as much as we needed the space.
We signed as scheduled on Monday afternoon, and walked away with twice as much money as we'd thought we would. What a blessing that would turn out to be!! Signing the house away was so much less painful than buying it! What a relief. From now on, I can call someone else when something breaks, leaks, or otherwise stops working.
We got on the road to Phoenix at around 3pm on Monday. Russell, Delilah, and Russell's dad rode in the Big Truck, while Bucket and I took up in the Sonoma. Despite Bucket's restlessness, all was well until white smoke and stink started coming out of my a/c vents. Ack. I pulled over and discovered that as long as I didn't turn on the air, everything seemed to work fine. Funny that my air worked all summer long, and the DAY I leave for Sauna-Town, it stops. At least the car itself is still running!
After that pause in the action, we were anxious to make some good time, so off we went, Bucket and I enjoying the fresh air and noise of open windows. Thankfully the air was cool and tolerable, even though we were driving into the sunset. Our progress took another detour a bit later when the Big Truck ran out of gas. Apparently Big Truck gauges can't be trusted and ours had gone from 1/4 tank to fumes in the space of about 3 miles. Luckily, I had a gas can in the back of my truck, so off I sped to the next town to fill up for the rescue.
After those timesucks, we were mentally exhausted, but we drove and drove and drove until we hit Albuquerque. At 3am. I forgot to mention that the Big Truck had a governor on it which prevented us from going more than 65mph. In retrospect, a good thing--especially considering the mountains of Flagstaff--but at the time highly frustrating. So at 3am in Albuquerque we decided to succumb to sleep. We found a pet-friendly hotel and paid $44 for a shower and 3 hours of sleep. Moving is expensive!
We made it into Phoenix around 3pm on Tuesday, and Russell and I raced off to the leasing office to sign papers while his dad babysat the pups for us. Phoenix traffic is...a lot. There are a lot of cars here. Driving around on the 101 in the middle of the day for what?? Just to take up space and to make our trip in my now un-airconditioned truck a little *more* miserable? Ha! By the time we got to the office we were sweaty and smelly and disheveled. I'm surprised they agreed to give us the keys!
They did, though. We got home and proceeded to unload. I probably don't have to tell you how exhausted we all were at that point, but unload we did. My sisters and nephews came over to help with the big stuff (HOLY COW! It's raining again!!), and we got everything off the truck that night. whew.
After that, it's just been moving in, unpacking and getting acclimated. I haven't been out much, owing to the lack of a/c in my truck, but have had plenty to do here. Russell went in to work for a bit this morning, but we are planning to go see Sky Captain this afternoon and do some shopping.
Now that you are caught up--somewhat--I'll be able to recommence with proper blogging. Look for that in the near future. I'll also try to get some photos of the new digs for you. It's quite a nice place, and the neighbourhood seems great. Nice jogging/dog walking path that we discovered about the place, too. Now, if I could just figure out how to get to those mountains....
Okay, so I'm officially in Phoenix now, and I hold with my original impressions: It's hot and brown! Actually yesterday we had a "monsoon"/dust storm, so that was a bit....odd... but for the most part it has been excruciatingly sunny and dry. Delilah loves it; will lay out in the yard for hours on end, just sunbathing. Bucket, on the other hand, takes after his mummy and can't stand it for more than a few minutes at a time.
Anyway, here's the short story:
Saturday and Sunday last we spent frantically packing and finishing up with the repairs (which, incidentally cost us around $350, since I did a lot of it myself). We had movers come over Sunday morning to help out with the big stuff, and we finished up the rest of it ourselves. There was a bit of panic about whether we'd have room for everything, and in the end we sold the washer and dryer to our friend Jinger. There is a set here (albeit nasty and disfunctional), so we really didn't need them as much as we needed the space.
We signed as scheduled on Monday afternoon, and walked away with twice as much money as we'd thought we would. What a blessing that would turn out to be!! Signing the house away was so much less painful than buying it! What a relief. From now on, I can call someone else when something breaks, leaks, or otherwise stops working.
We got on the road to Phoenix at around 3pm on Monday. Russell, Delilah, and Russell's dad rode in the Big Truck, while Bucket and I took up in the Sonoma. Despite Bucket's restlessness, all was well until white smoke and stink started coming out of my a/c vents. Ack. I pulled over and discovered that as long as I didn't turn on the air, everything seemed to work fine. Funny that my air worked all summer long, and the DAY I leave for Sauna-Town, it stops. At least the car itself is still running!
After that pause in the action, we were anxious to make some good time, so off we went, Bucket and I enjoying the fresh air and noise of open windows. Thankfully the air was cool and tolerable, even though we were driving into the sunset. Our progress took another detour a bit later when the Big Truck ran out of gas. Apparently Big Truck gauges can't be trusted and ours had gone from 1/4 tank to fumes in the space of about 3 miles. Luckily, I had a gas can in the back of my truck, so off I sped to the next town to fill up for the rescue.
After those timesucks, we were mentally exhausted, but we drove and drove and drove until we hit Albuquerque. At 3am. I forgot to mention that the Big Truck had a governor on it which prevented us from going more than 65mph. In retrospect, a good thing--especially considering the mountains of Flagstaff--but at the time highly frustrating. So at 3am in Albuquerque we decided to succumb to sleep. We found a pet-friendly hotel and paid $44 for a shower and 3 hours of sleep. Moving is expensive!
We made it into Phoenix around 3pm on Tuesday, and Russell and I raced off to the leasing office to sign papers while his dad babysat the pups for us. Phoenix traffic is...a lot. There are a lot of cars here. Driving around on the 101 in the middle of the day for what?? Just to take up space and to make our trip in my now un-airconditioned truck a little *more* miserable? Ha! By the time we got to the office we were sweaty and smelly and disheveled. I'm surprised they agreed to give us the keys!
They did, though. We got home and proceeded to unload. I probably don't have to tell you how exhausted we all were at that point, but unload we did. My sisters and nephews came over to help with the big stuff (HOLY COW! It's raining again!!), and we got everything off the truck that night. whew.
After that, it's just been moving in, unpacking and getting acclimated. I haven't been out much, owing to the lack of a/c in my truck, but have had plenty to do here. Russell went in to work for a bit this morning, but we are planning to go see Sky Captain this afternoon and do some shopping.
Now that you are caught up--somewhat--I'll be able to recommence with proper blogging. Look for that in the near future. I'll also try to get some photos of the new digs for you. It's quite a nice place, and the neighbourhood seems great. Nice jogging/dog walking path that we discovered about the place, too. Now, if I could just figure out how to get to those mountains....
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Murphy Built This House
In the fine tradition of "If a thing can go wrong, it will"...
The plumber never showed up Thursday evening for the preliminary check.
On the way to pick up Russell on Thursday night, I blew out a tire!
When I called the plumber Friday morning to check, he said "This is the first I've heard about it." Mind you, this is the same guy that the neighbours across the street highly recommended. Perhaps they don't want us to move! Monica hooked us up with a friend of hers who managed to come out yesterday afternoon to start some stuff. He was minus a part, so is *supposed* to come out tomorrow to finish.
At my farewell luncheon I had to leave to take a phone call (I find it very rude when people take phone calls at the table!), and instead of ordering me Fajita Chicken Quesadillas as I had indicated, my co-workers ordered me Chicken Fajitas.
Russell took the truck in Friday afternoon to have the tire replaced, the oil changed, and the tires balanced, and found out that I have two truck tires and two car tires. Not only that, but one of them was the wrong size!! Mind you, he took it to the place that I've always gone for tires, so... At any rate, they sold us two tires, checked the spare and said we should just keep it in lieu of the mis-sized one, balanced 'em out, changed the oil and checked everything out, and charged Russell about $250. Not bad for all that, I think.
Next. Actually a very cool thing. Had farewell cake and ice cream, and the folks in my department got together and gave Russell and I $130! I opened up the card and exclaimed "Holy Shit" to a roomful people. Nice. But it was so cool, and given the fact that Russell was in the shop at that moment with my truck, it was very helpful!
I actually ended up working until nearly 6pm because everyone kept coming by to say goodbye. I couldn't get anything done!
Now, as I type, the sprinkler system guy is working up the ticket. That is such a long story that I don't even want to get started. Suffice it to say that we did what was required. Wonder what the damage will be? . . . $275 for 5 hours of irrigation work. Doesn't seem all that bad, but it is over half of our repair budget. Good thing I was able to do most of the rest of it myself for nearly nothing. I just found out that they are doing a walk-through tomorrow night (Something we never got to do), so now I'm all stressed that they'll see something *else* they want fixed. Or decide that we didn't do something "right". All we can do is wait and hope for the best at this point, I suppose.
Anyway. Russell is outside painting. I'm about to head to the attic to put a screen on the lint thing for the dryer. I've never looked more forward to a 15 hour road trip, but when we finally get out of here it's going to be such a relief!
so...yeah...
The plumber never showed up Thursday evening for the preliminary check.
On the way to pick up Russell on Thursday night, I blew out a tire!
When I called the plumber Friday morning to check, he said "This is the first I've heard about it." Mind you, this is the same guy that the neighbours across the street highly recommended. Perhaps they don't want us to move! Monica hooked us up with a friend of hers who managed to come out yesterday afternoon to start some stuff. He was minus a part, so is *supposed* to come out tomorrow to finish.
At my farewell luncheon I had to leave to take a phone call (I find it very rude when people take phone calls at the table!), and instead of ordering me Fajita Chicken Quesadillas as I had indicated, my co-workers ordered me Chicken Fajitas.
Russell took the truck in Friday afternoon to have the tire replaced, the oil changed, and the tires balanced, and found out that I have two truck tires and two car tires. Not only that, but one of them was the wrong size!! Mind you, he took it to the place that I've always gone for tires, so... At any rate, they sold us two tires, checked the spare and said we should just keep it in lieu of the mis-sized one, balanced 'em out, changed the oil and checked everything out, and charged Russell about $250. Not bad for all that, I think.
Next. Actually a very cool thing. Had farewell cake and ice cream, and the folks in my department got together and gave Russell and I $130! I opened up the card and exclaimed "Holy Shit" to a roomful people. Nice. But it was so cool, and given the fact that Russell was in the shop at that moment with my truck, it was very helpful!
I actually ended up working until nearly 6pm because everyone kept coming by to say goodbye. I couldn't get anything done!
Now, as I type, the sprinkler system guy is working up the ticket. That is such a long story that I don't even want to get started. Suffice it to say that we did what was required. Wonder what the damage will be? . . . $275 for 5 hours of irrigation work. Doesn't seem all that bad, but it is over half of our repair budget. Good thing I was able to do most of the rest of it myself for nearly nothing. I just found out that they are doing a walk-through tomorrow night (Something we never got to do), so now I'm all stressed that they'll see something *else* they want fixed. Or decide that we didn't do something "right". All we can do is wait and hope for the best at this point, I suppose.
Anyway. Russell is outside painting. I'm about to head to the attic to put a screen on the lint thing for the dryer. I've never looked more forward to a 15 hour road trip, but when we finally get out of here it's going to be such a relief!
so...yeah...
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Epiphany
Let me first just say that I have been trying to get the Saga of Tuesday to publish since, well, Tuesday. Not sure what's going on with the laptop--or Blogger, for that matter--but I could NOT get it to publish from home. So now you get a double whammy.
So I had a minor epiphany last night while playing WoW. I realised that it is an escape for me in more than just the respect of "I'm playing a fantasy game that allows me to not think about real life for a couple hours"... When I play I nearly always team up with other players or guildmates with a lot more experience than me. They are always leading me around and showing me things--basically holding my hand through the entire thing. And I like it! This is unusual for me in that irl ("in-real-life" for those of you not versed in WoW-ese) I'm an utter control freak. And particularly lately I've had to handle a lot of stuff by myself, from getting a Realtor (not my finest moment, by all evidences), to packing, cleaning, getting repairs done, and being a single mom to two crackerdogs. Not to mention having to train my replacement at work and tie up all the loose ends here. It's so nice to log into the game and just become someone's puppy for a while. I follow them around and they tell me what to do and it gets done and I haven't had to exert a whole lot of effort in the process. That might be what I love about the game most right now. Imagine the shock of my online gaming buddies if they met me in real life and found out what a domineering girl I am!
Anyway. Plumber coming over tonight to have a look-see at the guest faucet. Sprinkler guy coming over Saturday morning to have a look-see at the sprinklers (and gushers). Russell coming in TONIGHT to save the day! His flight comes in late--11:41pm (yawn)--so I will at least have some time to get some more stuff done before having to go pick him up. Tomorrow will be a dreadful zombie day, as I try to make it through my last day of work on probably a handful of sleep hours.
After waiting so long, it's all happening so fast. I'm excited. A little nervous. Not really looking forward to 15 hours in the truck with the pups, but the end result will be worth it!
No lattes here, but work does beckon, and away I run...
So I had a minor epiphany last night while playing WoW. I realised that it is an escape for me in more than just the respect of "I'm playing a fantasy game that allows me to not think about real life for a couple hours"... When I play I nearly always team up with other players or guildmates with a lot more experience than me. They are always leading me around and showing me things--basically holding my hand through the entire thing. And I like it! This is unusual for me in that irl ("in-real-life" for those of you not versed in WoW-ese) I'm an utter control freak. And particularly lately I've had to handle a lot of stuff by myself, from getting a Realtor (not my finest moment, by all evidences), to packing, cleaning, getting repairs done, and being a single mom to two crackerdogs. Not to mention having to train my replacement at work and tie up all the loose ends here. It's so nice to log into the game and just become someone's puppy for a while. I follow them around and they tell me what to do and it gets done and I haven't had to exert a whole lot of effort in the process. That might be what I love about the game most right now. Imagine the shock of my online gaming buddies if they met me in real life and found out what a domineering girl I am!
Anyway. Plumber coming over tonight to have a look-see at the guest faucet. Sprinkler guy coming over Saturday morning to have a look-see at the sprinklers (and gushers). Russell coming in TONIGHT to save the day! His flight comes in late--11:41pm (yawn)--so I will at least have some time to get some more stuff done before having to go pick him up. Tomorrow will be a dreadful zombie day, as I try to make it through my last day of work on probably a handful of sleep hours.
After waiting so long, it's all happening so fast. I'm excited. A little nervous. Not really looking forward to 15 hours in the truck with the pups, but the end result will be worth it!
No lattes here, but work does beckon, and away I run...
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
A Comedy of Tragedies
The day started normally enough. Up with the son (whinypooch Bucket), let the dogs out, let the dogs in, feed the dogs, bathe...let the dogs out, let the dogs in, leave for work. Muddle through work, wild with anticipation about whether we'd be approved for the house in Phoenixand wonder how the Structural Engineer found things.
Lunchtime comes and I arrive home to let the dogs out and call Monica to see if she'd heard anything. No answer, leave a message. I start to fix lunch, only to find that I have no water. No water!? What the hell? So I call and leave another message with her asking if she had any ideas why I might not have water. Then I spend the next 20 minutes on hold with the water company to see if they might know what is going on. They don't have anyone working in the area, but they'll send someone by to check things out. hmph. I let the dogs back in, give them some ice cubes to play with, and head back to work.
As I'm pulling into the parking lot at work I get a call back from Monica. Looks like the spigot on the front of the house was gushing water, so they turned the water off for me, but didn't bother to mention it to anyone. Also, it's sounding like the Engineer is going to suggest piers for the house. Of course this is about all I can take, and I explode a bitch bomb onto Monica and subsequently burst into tears. I leave an indecipherable message on Deb's (our Admin) voicemail, letting her know that I am heading back home to sort some things (and myself) out.
I get home and let the dogs out and then again let Bucket in. Momma's boy. I sit down to play a bit (escapism at it's finest) and the doorbell rings. It's the City Water guy, wanting my signature saying he can have access to my water main. I step outside the door to talk to him, and Bucket pushes the door closed behind me. That's right. I'm now locked out of my house. The water guy is really nice and backs his truck up so I can climb over the fence into the back yard. I carefully unlock the front door and go back out to talk to him about the water. I'm convinced that the people were idiots, and have him turn the water back on. Sure enough, water is pouring--not just dripping--out of the spigot. Damn. Back off it goes, and he shows me how to turn it off and on in the event that I need to, oh, take a shower, or go to the bathroom at some point. I sit at home for a while longer and get another call from Monica. The piers are a non-issue, apparently. His official report will be that the home may need them sometime in the future, but he's not recommending them at the moment. We will not have to put piers in. Huge sigh of relief and back to work I go.
A short time after I get back to work, Russell calls and listens to my sob story. He then gleefully tells me that we've been approved for the house! He was going to tease me and tell me we didn't get it (he's mean like that!), but after hearing how shitty my day had been, decided against it. This is why I love him. When he told me that the house was ours, it was as though a huge 1000 pound black cloud had been lifted from me. We won't be homeless when we move to Phoenix. The dogs will have a yard. With real grass. We have a garage, and a kitchen, and 2.5 baths! We have landlords, but we also don't have to do ANY REPAIRS! Wheeee.
To shorten the rest of the story, I went by Lowe's on the way home to pick up a thingymabob for the spigot so I can at least turn the water on until I can get it properly fixed.. Also got a box cover for the electrical thing in the attic and got that done. Talked to my dad about the dryer vent and the spigot...sounds like I can handle all of that. :) Came home, had neighbour Brad help me out with the spigot ( a quick fix until I can take it apart and get the real job done), put the box cover on, emptied the attic, fed the dogs, played WoW for about an hour until the server crashed, and here I am. Exhausted. But not homeless.
Anyway.
Lunchtime comes and I arrive home to let the dogs out and call Monica to see if she'd heard anything. No answer, leave a message. I start to fix lunch, only to find that I have no water. No water!? What the hell? So I call and leave another message with her asking if she had any ideas why I might not have water. Then I spend the next 20 minutes on hold with the water company to see if they might know what is going on. They don't have anyone working in the area, but they'll send someone by to check things out. hmph. I let the dogs back in, give them some ice cubes to play with, and head back to work.
As I'm pulling into the parking lot at work I get a call back from Monica. Looks like the spigot on the front of the house was gushing water, so they turned the water off for me, but didn't bother to mention it to anyone. Also, it's sounding like the Engineer is going to suggest piers for the house. Of course this is about all I can take, and I explode a bitch bomb onto Monica and subsequently burst into tears. I leave an indecipherable message on Deb's (our Admin) voicemail, letting her know that I am heading back home to sort some things (and myself) out.
I get home and let the dogs out and then again let Bucket in. Momma's boy. I sit down to play a bit (escapism at it's finest) and the doorbell rings. It's the City Water guy, wanting my signature saying he can have access to my water main. I step outside the door to talk to him, and Bucket pushes the door closed behind me. That's right. I'm now locked out of my house. The water guy is really nice and backs his truck up so I can climb over the fence into the back yard. I carefully unlock the front door and go back out to talk to him about the water. I'm convinced that the people were idiots, and have him turn the water back on. Sure enough, water is pouring--not just dripping--out of the spigot. Damn. Back off it goes, and he shows me how to turn it off and on in the event that I need to, oh, take a shower, or go to the bathroom at some point. I sit at home for a while longer and get another call from Monica. The piers are a non-issue, apparently. His official report will be that the home may need them sometime in the future, but he's not recommending them at the moment. We will not have to put piers in. Huge sigh of relief and back to work I go.
A short time after I get back to work, Russell calls and listens to my sob story. He then gleefully tells me that we've been approved for the house! He was going to tease me and tell me we didn't get it (he's mean like that!), but after hearing how shitty my day had been, decided against it. This is why I love him. When he told me that the house was ours, it was as though a huge 1000 pound black cloud had been lifted from me. We won't be homeless when we move to Phoenix. The dogs will have a yard. With real grass. We have a garage, and a kitchen, and 2.5 baths! We have landlords, but we also don't have to do ANY REPAIRS! Wheeee.
To shorten the rest of the story, I went by Lowe's on the way home to pick up a thingymabob for the spigot so I can at least turn the water on until I can get it properly fixed.. Also got a box cover for the electrical thing in the attic and got that done. Talked to my dad about the dryer vent and the spigot...sounds like I can handle all of that. :) Came home, had neighbour Brad help me out with the spigot ( a quick fix until I can take it apart and get the real job done), put the box cover on, emptied the attic, fed the dogs, played WoW for about an hour until the server crashed, and here I am. Exhausted. But not homeless.
Anyway.
Monday, September 06, 2004
Labour Day
Funny, isn't it, how on Labo(u)r Day we have the day off work?
I'd forgotten just how wonderful 3 day weekends are. On the first day you get stuff done. On the second day you relax (and cram a few more odd jobs in). And on the third day you say "Holy Shit! I overslept! I gotta go....oh.wait..." Big sigh of relief, and you relax some more.
Except in my case I didn't oversleep. Not an option with Bucket the Bottomless in the house. He is forever starving to death. And he reallys knows his clocks, too. Every morning he must be fed by 6:30-6:45, and every evening at the same time. He can be perfectly fine--playing with Delilah, chillin' at my feet, or dozing in the next room--but let the clock strike 6:45 without food on the floor and he becomes a whiney, cranky monster. Shoves his face in my lap, mopes around whining, gives me those "Oh-woe-is-me-my-momma-hates-me-and-won't-give-me-any-supper" looks. So, yeah. I was up at the butt crack of dawn this morning.
And it was COLD outside! I actually put on my swishy pants to sit out on the deck and read for a bit. Left them on to take the dogs for a walk. Insanity. When it came time to continue the expanding foam sealant job on the fascia boards (one of the repairs we have to do to seal the deal), however, I chucked the pants for ratty soccer shorts. Latex foam is more forgivable on 15 year old shorts than on brand new (everything's relative) swishy pants.
Anyway I'm a little sore today, but it probably has to do with stepping through the ceiling yesterday. Oh, I didn't blog specifically about that? Chalk it up to embarrassment. I was up there cleaning out the lint vent from the dryer (yet another repair on the list). There is a small section right above....something. It's not the water heater, it's the other big appliance that you keep in the garage or somewheres out of sight. Anyway. There is a small section of attic ceiling that is only drywall--no plywood decking. After the new roof went on last fall, the attic became a pit of dust and (wait--can an attic become a pit?) nails and wood bits...it all looked the same. I couldn't tell that this one little 12x12 bit was not safe to bear weight. Luckily I only had one foot on it, but I went through up to my hip. I can tell you, it was one of the scariest things I've done in a long while. Not because I was scared of being hurt, mind you. I was terrified that I'd just put a huge hole in the ceiling of the laundry room! Thankfully, the chunk of drywall broke off cleanly inside that utility closet, and there was already a huge vent hole cut out, so it's not really even noticeable. Whew. Anyway, I'm sore.
The dogs are crackers outside.
I've been trying to clean up the house a little bit because I'm sure the Structural Engineer person will need to come inside to check for cracks or other evidence of...whatever happens to stucturally unsound homes. I think that at least one of the buyers will probably be here too, so I don't want to have the house all trashy. Like somewhere in my little brain I actually think they might cancel the deal because there is a bit more dog hair on the floor than they remember? Eesh.
So tomorrow we find out A) if the house passes structural muster and B) whether we have a home to move to in Phoenix. I'm a bit nervous about all of it, honestly. Keep us in your good mojo thoughts, won't you?
I'd forgotten just how wonderful 3 day weekends are. On the first day you get stuff done. On the second day you relax (and cram a few more odd jobs in). And on the third day you say "Holy Shit! I overslept! I gotta go....oh.wait..." Big sigh of relief, and you relax some more.
Except in my case I didn't oversleep. Not an option with Bucket the Bottomless in the house. He is forever starving to death. And he reallys knows his clocks, too. Every morning he must be fed by 6:30-6:45, and every evening at the same time. He can be perfectly fine--playing with Delilah, chillin' at my feet, or dozing in the next room--but let the clock strike 6:45 without food on the floor and he becomes a whiney, cranky monster. Shoves his face in my lap, mopes around whining, gives me those "Oh-woe-is-me-my-momma-hates-me-and-won't-give-me-any-supper" looks. So, yeah. I was up at the butt crack of dawn this morning.
And it was COLD outside! I actually put on my swishy pants to sit out on the deck and read for a bit. Left them on to take the dogs for a walk. Insanity. When it came time to continue the expanding foam sealant job on the fascia boards (one of the repairs we have to do to seal the deal), however, I chucked the pants for ratty soccer shorts. Latex foam is more forgivable on 15 year old shorts than on brand new (everything's relative) swishy pants.
Anyway I'm a little sore today, but it probably has to do with stepping through the ceiling yesterday. Oh, I didn't blog specifically about that? Chalk it up to embarrassment. I was up there cleaning out the lint vent from the dryer (yet another repair on the list). There is a small section right above....something. It's not the water heater, it's the other big appliance that you keep in the garage or somewheres out of sight. Anyway. There is a small section of attic ceiling that is only drywall--no plywood decking. After the new roof went on last fall, the attic became a pit of dust and (wait--can an attic become a pit?) nails and wood bits...it all looked the same. I couldn't tell that this one little 12x12 bit was not safe to bear weight. Luckily I only had one foot on it, but I went through up to my hip. I can tell you, it was one of the scariest things I've done in a long while. Not because I was scared of being hurt, mind you. I was terrified that I'd just put a huge hole in the ceiling of the laundry room! Thankfully, the chunk of drywall broke off cleanly inside that utility closet, and there was already a huge vent hole cut out, so it's not really even noticeable. Whew. Anyway, I'm sore.
The dogs are crackers outside.
I've been trying to clean up the house a little bit because I'm sure the Structural Engineer person will need to come inside to check for cracks or other evidence of...whatever happens to stucturally unsound homes. I think that at least one of the buyers will probably be here too, so I don't want to have the house all trashy. Like somewhere in my little brain I actually think they might cancel the deal because there is a bit more dog hair on the floor than they remember? Eesh.
So tomorrow we find out A) if the house passes structural muster and B) whether we have a home to move to in Phoenix. I'm a bit nervous about all of it, honestly. Keep us in your good mojo thoughts, won't you?
Saturday, September 04, 2004
Blogger David!
If you happen to come back by, please leave your blogaddress...I forgot to write it down, and I did so enjoy your words!
Hula Dreams!
Hula Dreams!
Amusing, for a Saturday
I'm taking a break from packing, and as always happens, I have gravitated to the computer. Looked at some job stuff, then thought to check my friend Shannon's blog (which she has NOT updated in a couple days.*sniff*). No news there, so I checked my blog, which is still there. I discovered a nifty little button on my blog page the other day. If you look in the top right corner, you will see a "Next Blog" button. Click it. You may find something like this.
Actually, I found that as a link from another blog site I got linked to from the "Next Blog" button. It's so easy to get derailed on the internet. Fantastic for people like me, who are ADD junkies in denial. Or, as Russell says, I "poing" a lot.
Back to the real story: The structural engineer is due out Tuesday morning at 10:30a.m. Monica has no fear, I have a miniscule concern (it's what I do!), and there's nothing to do but wait and see. The appraisal came back at $119,000, which is nice, but I wish we'd had that information when haggling the current terms. Live and learn. Now I'm STILL waiting to find out what things on the List Of Repairs need to be taken care of. Ah well. I suppose it just leaves me more time now to pack and play.
I mowed, trimmed the hedges, watered the front lawn, did the dishes, and packed about 6 boxes so far today. Doesn't that mean that I get some play time now? I think so.
Actually, I found that as a link from another blog site I got linked to from the "Next Blog" button. It's so easy to get derailed on the internet. Fantastic for people like me, who are ADD junkies in denial. Or, as Russell says, I "poing" a lot.
Back to the real story: The structural engineer is due out Tuesday morning at 10:30a.m. Monica has no fear, I have a miniscule concern (it's what I do!), and there's nothing to do but wait and see. The appraisal came back at $119,000, which is nice, but I wish we'd had that information when haggling the current terms. Live and learn. Now I'm STILL waiting to find out what things on the List Of Repairs need to be taken care of. Ah well. I suppose it just leaves me more time now to pack and play.
I mowed, trimmed the hedges, watered the front lawn, did the dishes, and packed about 6 boxes so far today. Doesn't that mean that I get some play time now? I think so.
Friday, September 03, 2004
Quirks and Oddities
(aka More Stalling to distract both of us from the fact that the Buyers want to bring out a Structural Engineer to look at the house. I wish I was joking.)
Bucket: Whines with every breath. Sometimes poops when he cocks his leg to pee (although I've only actually seen it twice--it's pretty funny and worth mentioning). Drools incessantly when he thinks there is food on the way.
Delilah: HATES all things round and related to locomotion (so much for taking her on bike rides!). Is a licker. Will lick just about anything raw...prefers feet. For a nervous/bored habit, likes to tear apart rope toys or her bed.
Kerri: Remember that bike scar on my knee from some months ago? It was raised and hard and kinda cool... I noticed yesterday that it has sort of "collapsed" and is now no more than a mark on my kneecap. I'm honestly a little disappointed. Oh yeah, and I'm a little neurotic (?is that what I am?). Drama queen. Waiting for the worst to happen. Dharma I am not, much to my chagrin. I try, but I have a short memory.
Anyway. My second-to-last Friday at work awaits...
Bucket: Whines with every breath. Sometimes poops when he cocks his leg to pee (although I've only actually seen it twice--it's pretty funny and worth mentioning). Drools incessantly when he thinks there is food on the way.
Delilah: HATES all things round and related to locomotion (so much for taking her on bike rides!). Is a licker. Will lick just about anything raw...prefers feet. For a nervous/bored habit, likes to tear apart rope toys or her bed.
Kerri: Remember that bike scar on my knee from some months ago? It was raised and hard and kinda cool... I noticed yesterday that it has sort of "collapsed" and is now no more than a mark on my kneecap. I'm honestly a little disappointed. Oh yeah, and I'm a little neurotic (?is that what I am?). Drama queen. Waiting for the worst to happen. Dharma I am not, much to my chagrin. I try, but I have a short memory.
Anyway. My second-to-last Friday at work awaits...
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Stalling
I had wanted to wait until I had some definite good news to share, but I'm still in limbo. The appraiser and inspector were out yesterday (sooner than expected), but I don't have any new on the results of either yet. Odd, because when we had the house inspected, the guy gave us a sheet of paper with the info on it right then and there. I guess the sellers didn't get it until later? At any rate, I'm impatiently waiting a call from Monica to tell me how I'm spending my Labour Day weekend. I had toyed with the idea of going to KC/Lawrence, and had even booked the pups into the kennel, but decided against it due to money and time concerns. Very sad not to go, but my Vulcan brain always wins.
We are also in the midst of awaiting approval for a house to rent. Russell turned in the paperwork last night, and I faxed my half over this morning. I have no idea how long it will take for us to find out about that, but it better be freakin' SOON, because in 12 days, we're going to be homeless. The main issue now is that apparently property owners in Phoenix are a bunch of dog-hating bigots (is that redundant in any way?). We have our fingers crossed that the owners of the house we are applying for do *not* ask about the breeds mixed up in our two.
Anyway. Still at work, although I've handed most things off to my sassy replacement, so there's not a lot left for me to do besides clean up, clean out, and make sure the baton is sanitized when I pass it off. Yawnsville, to be sure.
I'm about to call Monica and see what gives. I'll keep you posted.
We are also in the midst of awaiting approval for a house to rent. Russell turned in the paperwork last night, and I faxed my half over this morning. I have no idea how long it will take for us to find out about that, but it better be freakin' SOON, because in 12 days, we're going to be homeless. The main issue now is that apparently property owners in Phoenix are a bunch of dog-hating bigots (is that redundant in any way?). We have our fingers crossed that the owners of the house we are applying for do *not* ask about the breeds mixed up in our two.
Anyway. Still at work, although I've handed most things off to my sassy replacement, so there's not a lot left for me to do besides clean up, clean out, and make sure the baton is sanitized when I pass it off. Yawnsville, to be sure.
I'm about to call Monica and see what gives. I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Tentative Joy
Anyone who knows me will understand why I'm not jumping up and down and screaming and laughing as I tell you that we have a contract on the house.
!!!!!
Yes, I am SOOOOO excited, but I'm also now able to focus on a whole new set of worries--the inspection and appraisal.
That crappy day Sunday? It was punctuated with a spontaneous visit by a couple of house hunters who thought I was having an open house. I turned them away, but encouraged them to set up an appointment to see the house later that day. They came back about 2 hours later and stayed for about 1/2 hour (we were cussing them, actually, as we had been on THREE different walks that day and we were hot and worn out--Bucket just flat out refused to move at one point!)...Monica phoned around 9 or 9:30 that night to say that they wanted to make an offer. Woohoo.
To shorten an epic tale, they offered, we countered, they countered, and now we are set to sign on the 13th of September--a year and a day after we signed to get the house in the first place. Yep. It's quick. They needed to sign early to get the interest rate they locked down...but they've agreed to let us occupy the house for up to a week after signing in case Russell can't find a rental house for us quickly enough.
So you see, the stress is just beginning!! Still and all, I'm very happy that I will soon be in my honey's arms again!
!!!!!
Yes, I am SOOOOO excited, but I'm also now able to focus on a whole new set of worries--the inspection and appraisal.
That crappy day Sunday? It was punctuated with a spontaneous visit by a couple of house hunters who thought I was having an open house. I turned them away, but encouraged them to set up an appointment to see the house later that day. They came back about 2 hours later and stayed for about 1/2 hour (we were cussing them, actually, as we had been on THREE different walks that day and we were hot and worn out--Bucket just flat out refused to move at one point!)...Monica phoned around 9 or 9:30 that night to say that they wanted to make an offer. Woohoo.
To shorten an epic tale, they offered, we countered, they countered, and now we are set to sign on the 13th of September--a year and a day after we signed to get the house in the first place. Yep. It's quick. They needed to sign early to get the interest rate they locked down...but they've agreed to let us occupy the house for up to a week after signing in case Russell can't find a rental house for us quickly enough.
So you see, the stress is just beginning!! Still and all, I'm very happy that I will soon be in my honey's arms again!
Sunday, August 22, 2004
...
Was (am) tired and grumpy. Was venting. No lies were told, although I do apologise for being a bit brusque about the whole thing.
The dogs are outside now. We'll see if the new boards hold. Or if I even put them in the right place.
Ironing's still not done. And the house stinks (guess why?). Time to get busy(er).
The dogs are outside now. We'll see if the new boards hold. Or if I even put them in the right place.
Ironing's still not done. And the house stinks (guess why?). Time to get busy(er).
Babydoll
I want you to tell me again how f*(K*!g lucky I am to have the pups. I have not gotten to sleep past 7am EVER since you've left. Bucket WILL NOT shut up when I need to do something that doesn't involve him directly. The neighbours were over at 9:15 this morning to tell me that, despite my recent best efforts, the dogs had gone through the fence and were in her yard again. I was just trying to catch up on some ironing and laundry and clean the house (AGAIN) for our showing today, but NO! I had to drop everything to go get the damn dogs and then fix the fence, all the while listening to Bucket's incessant whining and yelping because he's inside and I'm out. Now I can't even let them out in the back yard without constant stress of wondering whether they've escaped.
I'm sorry, but I don't really feel all that lucky.
I'm sorry, but I don't really feel all that lucky.
Friday, August 20, 2004
Frightening Observation
I turned on CNN Headline news just a bit ago, and was shocked to note that their new (well, I just noticed it) tag line is Need To Know News Network--or something to that effect. "Need To Know"is the flag that caught my eye. I may be mistaken, but isn't that phrase generally used when information is being withheld? If a relationship is on a "Need To Know" basis, it means that one side is only getting information that the other side deems neccessary--not ALL the information...
Think about it.
Think about it.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
As Per Shanny's Request
Holy Jeebus, I had no idea it had been so long since I updated! Sorry, fans.
(hehehe)
So in the interim, I have decided there is a special place in Hell for all of those people who allow their dogs to roam freely in their yards (sans fencing). These little monsters consistently rile up my nutters and make walking in the neighbourhood a real nightmare. And it's always the nasty little yappy ones who come charging out at us while there pathetic owners stand idly by and say "Fluffy, come. Come, Fluffy. No, Fluffy, come...". Meanwhile, the dog is about to be mauled to death by one very psycho Delilah, who remains in that maddened state for at least the next three blocks.
*sigh*
Aside from frustrating walks with the dogs, not a lot going on. Someone wanted to come look at the house Friday evening, but A) I was on the way to dinner with some friends and B) it was 7:30 pm and as it was so late--on a Friday evening, I feel I must re-iterate--I had not counted on anyone wanting to come over...so the place was a bit mussed. So they didn't come over, as per my request, and we've never heard from them again. Whoops. No one came over the weekend, or the last two days. I'm going to call Monica tomorrow and find out what the hell is up.
Anyway. I've not slept well in ages, so I'm going to go now and try to change that. Need to get up early and walk the pups, as it's getting to be hot again. I'm sure Russell is laughing at me, as it's continually 100+ in Phoenix, but whatever.
I got my hair cut Saturday. It's damn cute, but Russell would probably say that it's short. Good thing it grows at the speed of light.
Happy now? It's not much, and I promise more (as always I do)...niters.
(hehehe)
So in the interim, I have decided there is a special place in Hell for all of those people who allow their dogs to roam freely in their yards (sans fencing). These little monsters consistently rile up my nutters and make walking in the neighbourhood a real nightmare. And it's always the nasty little yappy ones who come charging out at us while there pathetic owners stand idly by and say "Fluffy, come. Come, Fluffy. No, Fluffy, come...". Meanwhile, the dog is about to be mauled to death by one very psycho Delilah, who remains in that maddened state for at least the next three blocks.
*sigh*
Aside from frustrating walks with the dogs, not a lot going on. Someone wanted to come look at the house Friday evening, but A) I was on the way to dinner with some friends and B) it was 7:30 pm and as it was so late--on a Friday evening, I feel I must re-iterate--I had not counted on anyone wanting to come over...so the place was a bit mussed. So they didn't come over, as per my request, and we've never heard from them again. Whoops. No one came over the weekend, or the last two days. I'm going to call Monica tomorrow and find out what the hell is up.
Anyway. I've not slept well in ages, so I'm going to go now and try to change that. Need to get up early and walk the pups, as it's getting to be hot again. I'm sure Russell is laughing at me, as it's continually 100+ in Phoenix, but whatever.
I got my hair cut Saturday. It's damn cute, but Russell would probably say that it's short. Good thing it grows at the speed of light.
Happy now? It's not much, and I promise more (as always I do)...niters.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Outwitting the Storm.
It's a quarter after 7am and storming like gangbusters. I think the pups are a little leery of poopin in the rain. I've managed to con them into peeing, but have yet to witness "the business". Seems like as the sun fights more for rights, the rain slows more and more. Hopefully I can get them out there and done before work. I have actually considered calling in so that I can stay home a bit longer and make sure they go. Sad, hey? "Sorry boss, I'll be a little late today. My dogs won't poop."
They went three times out the back door and promptly sat down on the mat and cried to come in. I thought to try the side door of the garage--it's a bit more sheltered there with the fence and shrubs... Lo, they went out and immediately did the potty squat...apparently glad to do it, too. I'm so clever for figuring that out. (Hey, you have to take the small victories, too!)
It seems to have calmed down still more, so I think I'll try again to cajole them in to a business run...laters.
They went three times out the back door and promptly sat down on the mat and cried to come in. I thought to try the side door of the garage--it's a bit more sheltered there with the fence and shrubs... Lo, they went out and immediately did the potty squat...apparently glad to do it, too. I'm so clever for figuring that out. (Hey, you have to take the small victories, too!)
It seems to have calmed down still more, so I think I'll try again to cajole them in to a business run...laters.
Monday, August 09, 2004
Yes!
The neighbour *was* tumbling rocks! It was a dryer, not a washer, but there were rocks involved. He does jiu-jitsu and was trying to soften up his ghi, which (he showed it to me) would have been about like donning 1/4 inch thick lead with an 80grit sandpaper laminate. So all day Saturday, he ran the back-yard dryer with the ghi and a bucketful of riverrock. As I was working in the yard a good portion of the day, it became something of a drone, and a comforting one at that. When the dryer periodically went off, I was jolted by the relative silence. What does that say about me and our society of constant noise and activity? Inactivity I don't think I ever fully appreciated, but peace and quiet used to be appreciated and and even valued. Now I have a pacifier full of rocks to keep my brain from chewing on matters too weighty.
At any rate. The Open House came (and I went to the mall and bought myself 3 skirts and a shirt for $66! What a bargain!) and strangers again wandered around in our home and passed judgement. Monica The Realtor wasn't too excited about any of them, so I'm still waiting for that fabulous moment of "They want to make an offer..." What music that will be!
The pups are still at boarding--I'm going after work to pick them up. I should probably schedule us for some bathtime tonight. They will surely need it after a weekend in the country...I'm loathe to mess up the nice clean bathroom, but dog smells have even less of a place in a house for sale than a few errant dog hairs. My back aches just thinking about it, but it's far less trouble to bathe them at home than to load them up and drive down to the dog wash again. Perhaps in our new house we can build a similar grooming station. A girl can dream.
Anyway. It's Monday. How is it that we keep looking forward when all there is is more work and more work and more work? This 8-5 business is not going out of style anytime soon, at least not for yours truly. Okay, style is perhaps a poor choice of words. It won't become any less of an option for me anytime soon. Sure, the hours may change, but the bottom line remains that when it's all said and done, I will have spent the bulk of my life doing meaningless crap for someone else's benefit. How is that right? How does that fit in with my ideals? And what the hell can I do to change it?
whoa. not sure where that came from. chalk it up to the angsty "Kerri needs to see her man" side of things. everything is better when you have someone with whom to share it. even melancholy.
soon. soon.
At any rate. The Open House came (and I went to the mall and bought myself 3 skirts and a shirt for $66! What a bargain!) and strangers again wandered around in our home and passed judgement. Monica The Realtor wasn't too excited about any of them, so I'm still waiting for that fabulous moment of "They want to make an offer..." What music that will be!
The pups are still at boarding--I'm going after work to pick them up. I should probably schedule us for some bathtime tonight. They will surely need it after a weekend in the country...I'm loathe to mess up the nice clean bathroom, but dog smells have even less of a place in a house for sale than a few errant dog hairs. My back aches just thinking about it, but it's far less trouble to bathe them at home than to load them up and drive down to the dog wash again. Perhaps in our new house we can build a similar grooming station. A girl can dream.
Anyway. It's Monday. How is it that we keep looking forward when all there is is more work and more work and more work? This 8-5 business is not going out of style anytime soon, at least not for yours truly. Okay, style is perhaps a poor choice of words. It won't become any less of an option for me anytime soon. Sure, the hours may change, but the bottom line remains that when it's all said and done, I will have spent the bulk of my life doing meaningless crap for someone else's benefit. How is that right? How does that fit in with my ideals? And what the hell can I do to change it?
whoa. not sure where that came from. chalk it up to the angsty "Kerri needs to see her man" side of things. everything is better when you have someone with whom to share it. even melancholy.
soon. soon.
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Rock Washing
No, I'm not referring to some new hip method of doing laundry. Nor is it some eco-friendly variation on that loathesome chore. I'm referring to the fact that there is a washing machine in our neighbour's back yard, and it sounds as though it is full of rocks. Maybe it's a dryer, I don't know. The bottom line is that it's NOISY! I'm dying for them to make an appearance so I can ask them what is going on.
It's 2:30 and I'm on break. I've just come in from doing some mowing and then vacuuming up the clippings. Much better effect than just sweeping. I've also hooked up the sprinkler in the front because it never fails that when I mow the grass just ceases to look as green. I'm loathe to water in the middle of the day like this, but if I want get get all of the front yard and back yard done in time to pull in the intstuments of waste and get the lawn dried out before we Open tomorrow, I figured I'd best get started.
I stink.
We had a showing today at noon, so I had to do a lot of half-ass cleaning for that...now I have to go back and re-do some of that work. Bah. Still need to mop the floors and vacuum and just generally clean. Oh, and light a ton of candles and hook up some Plug-Ins. The inside smell comes and goes, but it is maskable if I work at it. What about what died in the back yard?? That's another story. I swear it smells like sewage out there. The dogs were a bit nutty the other day, sniffing at the boards on the deck--I suspect that a mouse or toad or other smallish critter has crawled under there and died. Great. What timing.
My pesto's done...I'm off to eat.
It's 2:30 and I'm on break. I've just come in from doing some mowing and then vacuuming up the clippings. Much better effect than just sweeping. I've also hooked up the sprinkler in the front because it never fails that when I mow the grass just ceases to look as green. I'm loathe to water in the middle of the day like this, but if I want get get all of the front yard and back yard done in time to pull in the intstuments of waste and get the lawn dried out before we Open tomorrow, I figured I'd best get started.
I stink.
We had a showing today at noon, so I had to do a lot of half-ass cleaning for that...now I have to go back and re-do some of that work. Bah. Still need to mop the floors and vacuum and just generally clean. Oh, and light a ton of candles and hook up some Plug-Ins. The inside smell comes and goes, but it is maskable if I work at it. What about what died in the back yard?? That's another story. I swear it smells like sewage out there. The dogs were a bit nutty the other day, sniffing at the boards on the deck--I suspect that a mouse or toad or other smallish critter has crawled under there and died. Great. What timing.
My pesto's done...I'm off to eat.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
5Aug2005
Today is Thursday, and the pups have been sent to boarding school so that momma can have a nice, peaceful weekend...of cleaning! The 3rd installment of Open House is this Sunday, so I've set to getting the place ready. I dropped the pups off after work tonight, played for a bit, and then went out to deadhead the hydrangeas and pull some sundry weeds. I also got the sprinkler going, so that we'll have a nice green lawn this weekend. We got a little rain night before last, and it's supposed to rain again, but I figured I'd get some water in the ground while the pups are gone--just in case the weather man turns out to be wrong *cough*--neverrightanyway--*cough*. So that was a new bit of excitement for me--hauling out the hose and tearing the $4 sprinkler out of the box. It all seems to be going well, aside from the fact that the hose hookup is leaky like a bugger, so I have a bucket under the faucet to prevent flooding.
I have some laundry to attend, and the sprinkler to move, and then I think I'll go to bed early and read a bit. I was up until 2am last night on the game--but I hit the level cap, so it's all good! I am now a l33t d00dee. Except that, thank heaven, I have no idea how to type "l33t 5p34k". Anyway, it was fun to hit the cap; now I can help out my lower level friends, *or* hang out with all the higher-ups in the Guild. :) Yah, I'm a huge geek. I'm okay with that. I have plenty of time to get a life.
I hereby promise a much more intelligent post sometime over the weekend.
And HI to my newest added reader, Chris in Dallas! Don't forget to post your comments, man! Hellos to the missus and James. :)
I have some laundry to attend, and the sprinkler to move, and then I think I'll go to bed early and read a bit. I was up until 2am last night on the game--but I hit the level cap, so it's all good! I am now a l33t d00dee. Except that, thank heaven, I have no idea how to type "l33t 5p34k". Anyway, it was fun to hit the cap; now I can help out my lower level friends, *or* hang out with all the higher-ups in the Guild. :) Yah, I'm a huge geek. I'm okay with that. I have plenty of time to get a life.
I hereby promise a much more intelligent post sometime over the weekend.
And HI to my newest added reader, Chris in Dallas! Don't forget to post your comments, man! Hellos to the missus and James. :)
Sunday, August 01, 2004
Time, she does fly...
It's Sunday evening already, and I'm never sure how that happens exactly. The weekdays are roughly equivalent to two-point-five weekend days--at least in my universe. I did get a lot done this weekend, in addition to many hours of WoW time, but it's never enough. Never enough.
It's Big Trash day tomorrow (or sometime this week, at any rate, since they are always several days week for the Big Trash pickup), so I did some yard work. I finally broke down and bought some hedge and pruning shears. The bushes were looking...well...bushy. I should have borrowed the electric ones from Ken (next door neigbour), but I feel pretty awkward doing that. They were 15 bucks or something, so it's managable. I trimmed a bit here and there--what I could stand, anyway. It was miserably hot, so I worked in approximately 20 minute invervals. It looks better. Not great, just better.
I also had to buy some concrete pavers and 1x4s to strategically place along the fence in the hedge to keep the dogs from taking advantage of the rotten wood and errant branches...Apparently Delilah found a way through yesterday! The doorbell rang and there's the other neighbour timidly telling me that my dog is in her yard. Thank goodness the little yappy dog that visits from time to time wasn't there! *shudder*
I'm tired. Goodnight. Hope you had a good weekend and have a good week.
It's Big Trash day tomorrow (or sometime this week, at any rate, since they are always several days week for the Big Trash pickup), so I did some yard work. I finally broke down and bought some hedge and pruning shears. The bushes were looking...well...bushy. I should have borrowed the electric ones from Ken (next door neigbour), but I feel pretty awkward doing that. They were 15 bucks or something, so it's managable. I trimmed a bit here and there--what I could stand, anyway. It was miserably hot, so I worked in approximately 20 minute invervals. It looks better. Not great, just better.
I also had to buy some concrete pavers and 1x4s to strategically place along the fence in the hedge to keep the dogs from taking advantage of the rotten wood and errant branches...Apparently Delilah found a way through yesterday! The doorbell rang and there's the other neighbour timidly telling me that my dog is in her yard. Thank goodness the little yappy dog that visits from time to time wasn't there! *shudder*
I'm tired. Goodnight. Hope you had a good weekend and have a good week.
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