I made a slight faux pas today. The admin stopped by to drop off my paycheck. She is normally a serious person, but I think she likes passing out paychecks because everyone is happy to see her when she has money for them. Anyway, I always take the opportunity to flash a big smile and say something appreciative.
Today I forgot it was payday and I said so. Her smile lessened a little bit and then she said "How could you forget it's payday. I run out of money."
Whoops.
Friday, April 28, 2006
I think it might work out well to leave my USB flash drive plugged into my PC at work all day. As I get thoughts that I want to quickly write something about I can do that and save it to the drive. When I get home in the evening I can just do a dump to the Internet of all my important thoughts at once.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
If I had to replace both of our cars right now I am pretty sure it would be with a Toyota Corolla (41 mpg) and a Toyota Scion xB (32 mpg). The primary reason is superb gas mileage. The secondary reason is Toyota's reputation for reliability. We don't need anything bigger because it is just the two of us.
At the new job sites like blogger.com are filtered so I can't make quick posts during breaks like I used to. I miss doing that because it was a good way to get something out of my head and then refocus on whatever I was doing.
Now when I get home from work writing a post falls very low on my priority list. By the time I bring in the mail, go through the mail, change clothes, run any errands we may have, do any chores we may have, pay bills, etc., I am not in much of a mood to sit down and write.
At least a few times each day something will pop into my head and I say to myself I want to write about that, but it just have not been able to get around to it in the evenings, or I forget about what I wanted to write about.
I just got ANOTHER birthday gift in the mail today! It is a Lexar JumpDrive Sport 1 GB USB flash drive. I love the form factor of the Sport. The "cap" is made of flexible rubber and covers the whole drive. It is also what attaches to the lanyard. Every other drive has the hook attached to the drive itself. If you need to use the drive you have to take your lanyard off to plug in the drive. Having the rubber holder design lets you remove the drive and plug it in while leaving the cap on the lanyard. Thanks Mom-In-Law!
I had a JumpDrive Sport that was only 512 MB, but I lost it a few months ago. I felt naked without it, and TurboTax (or it might have been Office Depot) had a promotion of a free USB drive with the purchase of their software. The drive was only 128 MB, but it didn't cost me anything. I will give this drive to Sheri to keep in her purse.
In 2005 I was self employed and made quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS, but I didn't think to do the same for the State. I got a bill in the mail yesterday from the State for a little over $100 for a penalty for not paying taxes to them all last year. Ouch.
I was asked to sit in on the monthly board meeting at work today. That was pretty cool.
I am starting some sunflowers in little pots on the kitchen window sill right now. They are all about 4 inches tall and looking pretty good. They each have four good sized leaves right now and are almost holding themselves up. They are resting a little bit on the window, but that might be because they are all leaning that way to get more sun. If they were outdoors and the sun was overhead they would probably all be pointing straight up. Last year I planted sunflowers in the garden and the rabbits ate every last one of them as soon as they were only an inch or two high. I really want to do an Elmer Fudd on those little bastards.
I wanted to cut the grass and then go for a bike ride with Sheri after work tonight, but didn't have the energy. Maybe this weekend.
I am pretty sure I am going to buy this soon. It is the Garmin StreetPilot i2 GPS navigator. It is the size of a baseball. Will run from a cigarette lighter or two AA batteries. The amazing part is it only costs $240. All of the reviews I have read said it performs as well, and in some cases better, than the built-in units that cost $2,000 - $3,000. It comes with street level detail of the entire United States on a DVD, and you can download map updates from the Internet when they become available. We bought a Magellan 750M GPS navigator when we first moved to Chicago and we have gotten A LOT of use out of it, but it is about the size of a small laptop. Plus the maps are a little out of date and not updateable. With this baseball-sized one we can just drop it into Sheri's purse and use it in any car.
We should probably treat the other half of the garage this weekend with the water proofing. The first half did not turn out the way I expected. I wanted a shiny shellacked look. Instead it looks like plain old concrete. The bottle says it penetrates and protects the concrete down to 1/2 inch.
Now when I get home from work writing a post falls very low on my priority list. By the time I bring in the mail, go through the mail, change clothes, run any errands we may have, do any chores we may have, pay bills, etc., I am not in much of a mood to sit down and write.
At least a few times each day something will pop into my head and I say to myself I want to write about that, but it just have not been able to get around to it in the evenings, or I forget about what I wanted to write about.
I just got ANOTHER birthday gift in the mail today! It is a Lexar JumpDrive Sport 1 GB USB flash drive. I love the form factor of the Sport. The "cap" is made of flexible rubber and covers the whole drive. It is also what attaches to the lanyard. Every other drive has the hook attached to the drive itself. If you need to use the drive you have to take your lanyard off to plug in the drive. Having the rubber holder design lets you remove the drive and plug it in while leaving the cap on the lanyard. Thanks Mom-In-Law!
I had a JumpDrive Sport that was only 512 MB, but I lost it a few months ago. I felt naked without it, and TurboTax (or it might have been Office Depot) had a promotion of a free USB drive with the purchase of their software. The drive was only 128 MB, but it didn't cost me anything. I will give this drive to Sheri to keep in her purse.
In 2005 I was self employed and made quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS, but I didn't think to do the same for the State. I got a bill in the mail yesterday from the State for a little over $100 for a penalty for not paying taxes to them all last year. Ouch.
I was asked to sit in on the monthly board meeting at work today. That was pretty cool.
I am starting some sunflowers in little pots on the kitchen window sill right now. They are all about 4 inches tall and looking pretty good. They each have four good sized leaves right now and are almost holding themselves up. They are resting a little bit on the window, but that might be because they are all leaning that way to get more sun. If they were outdoors and the sun was overhead they would probably all be pointing straight up. Last year I planted sunflowers in the garden and the rabbits ate every last one of them as soon as they were only an inch or two high. I really want to do an Elmer Fudd on those little bastards.
I wanted to cut the grass and then go for a bike ride with Sheri after work tonight, but didn't have the energy. Maybe this weekend.
I am pretty sure I am going to buy this soon. It is the Garmin StreetPilot i2 GPS navigator. It is the size of a baseball. Will run from a cigarette lighter or two AA batteries. The amazing part is it only costs $240. All of the reviews I have read said it performs as well, and in some cases better, than the built-in units that cost $2,000 - $3,000. It comes with street level detail of the entire United States on a DVD, and you can download map updates from the Internet when they become available. We bought a Magellan 750M GPS navigator when we first moved to Chicago and we have gotten A LOT of use out of it, but it is about the size of a small laptop. Plus the maps are a little out of date and not updateable. With this baseball-sized one we can just drop it into Sheri's purse and use it in any car.
We should probably treat the other half of the garage this weekend with the water proofing. The first half did not turn out the way I expected. I wanted a shiny shellacked look. Instead it looks like plain old concrete. The bottle says it penetrates and protects the concrete down to 1/2 inch.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
We are having a really nice weekend so far. Friday night after work we picked up a new favorite pizza to eat while watching a movie. The pizza has fresh spinach, portabella mushrooms, garlic, pine nuts, goat cheese and basil on top of a nice red sauce. All of that is covered with a pretty decent mozzarella. I would prefer the ingredients to be on top of the cheese, but other than that minor complaint it is really good. The girl behind the counter had more of her bosoms uncovered than covered, so that was a good thing too.
We got home, poured some drinks, plated some pizza, and settled in right away to watch A History of Violence. We both really liked it.
This morning (Saturday) we woke up early and went to Burger King for breakfast. I wanted to try their new French toast breakfast sandwiches. They are good, but the extra taste from the French toast is not worth the extra calories it adds. I will stick with their biscuit sandwiches. We hung out, talked, worked a crossword together and read the paper for a while.
We came home and started working on the garage. We are going to treat the floor with a waterproofing treatment to protect it from the corrosive effects of the salt from winter driving. It is starting to pit in a couple places.
We did some pre-organizing during the week, and using the broom and leaf blower to get out all of the accumulated dust, dead bugs, etc. that accumulate behind the things you don't use for years and years. We moved everything to one side of the garage and I started using a scrub brush and degreaser on a couple areas with oil stains. I used a garden hose to rinse the soup out while Sheri used a squeegee to direct the water away from the stuff piled up on the other side of the garage.
After that I fired up the pressure washer to remove more of the grease and the shiny surface that some areas of the concrete had. The instructions on the waterproofer said to use a pressure washer to strip away existing waterproofing treatment.
We needed a break as well as a few supplies. I took off the blade from the lawn mower and put on a freshly sharpened one. I also installed a fresh sparkplug. Then we took the dull blade to the hardware store to drop off for sharpening. Only $6. I swap out a sharpened blade at least twice a season. It makes a huge difference on the health and appearance of the lawn. We can drive down the street and spot the people that cut there grass with a dull blade. The day after cutting the grass with a dull blade the ragged edges of the grass tips dry out and give the whole lawn a brownish tint. I crisply cut blade of grass does not loose as much moisture to evaporation and the tip does not dry out. We also got some acid etcher, some chemical resistant gloves, and some ant poison to sprinkle around the house.
After that we went to 7-Eleven for a Squishee, and then to the gas station for lawnmower and pressure washer gas.
When we got home I used the phosphoric acid to work on some rust stains and to rough up the surface of the concrete. The instructions said a proper acid etched surface should feel like 80 grit sandpaper. I didn't get it that rough but it did do a good job on getting down to the bare concrete. Sheri cut the grass while I started with the acid. It looks good.
After flushing the garage out again with copious amounts of water I hooked up the pressure washer again and worked the concrete over again.
I think I am happy enough with the concrete now. There are still a few stubborn rust stains but I am not going to worry about them.
Tomorrow (Sunday) we will apply the water sealer to that side of the garage and let it dry overnight. In a couple of weeks we will do the exact same thing to the other side of the garage. We don't want to do it next weekend because we are having a guest.
We put away all of our tools and stuff, took showers, and then went out for dinner. We went to the golf course restaurant I wrote about a few weeks ago. The have their all-you-can-eat fish every single day! Not just Fridays and not just during lent. I got that, but I had them substitute their sweet potato fries for the regular fries. Both were excellent. Sheri had a really good turkey club and brought half of it home. I had one fish refill, and was tempted to go for a second, but I knew if I did I would walk out of their feeling uncomfortable. There was only one waitress who was actually the bartender, and there was a pretty decent sized crowd, so after sitting at a table for a few minutes and not getting any attention we decided we would be better off sitting at the bar. The Cub's game was on a big plasma set right behind the bar so it worked out really well. I love that place.
We went to Meijer for a few things and now are home to watch a movie. The only thing is it is after 9 PM and we are both tired from a day of good work and might not be able to stay awake for a move, so I think we will probably just watch Mad TV and SNL.
While Sheri was doing some yard work she came across on almost complete skeleton of some carnivore in one of the flower beds between some plants. We are not sure be our best guess is that it is a cat. What do you think?
We got home, poured some drinks, plated some pizza, and settled in right away to watch A History of Violence. We both really liked it.
This morning (Saturday) we woke up early and went to Burger King for breakfast. I wanted to try their new French toast breakfast sandwiches. They are good, but the extra taste from the French toast is not worth the extra calories it adds. I will stick with their biscuit sandwiches. We hung out, talked, worked a crossword together and read the paper for a while.
We came home and started working on the garage. We are going to treat the floor with a waterproofing treatment to protect it from the corrosive effects of the salt from winter driving. It is starting to pit in a couple places.
We did some pre-organizing during the week, and using the broom and leaf blower to get out all of the accumulated dust, dead bugs, etc. that accumulate behind the things you don't use for years and years. We moved everything to one side of the garage and I started using a scrub brush and degreaser on a couple areas with oil stains. I used a garden hose to rinse the soup out while Sheri used a squeegee to direct the water away from the stuff piled up on the other side of the garage.
After that I fired up the pressure washer to remove more of the grease and the shiny surface that some areas of the concrete had. The instructions on the waterproofer said to use a pressure washer to strip away existing waterproofing treatment.
We needed a break as well as a few supplies. I took off the blade from the lawn mower and put on a freshly sharpened one. I also installed a fresh sparkplug. Then we took the dull blade to the hardware store to drop off for sharpening. Only $6. I swap out a sharpened blade at least twice a season. It makes a huge difference on the health and appearance of the lawn. We can drive down the street and spot the people that cut there grass with a dull blade. The day after cutting the grass with a dull blade the ragged edges of the grass tips dry out and give the whole lawn a brownish tint. I crisply cut blade of grass does not loose as much moisture to evaporation and the tip does not dry out. We also got some acid etcher, some chemical resistant gloves, and some ant poison to sprinkle around the house.
After that we went to 7-Eleven for a Squishee, and then to the gas station for lawnmower and pressure washer gas.
When we got home I used the phosphoric acid to work on some rust stains and to rough up the surface of the concrete. The instructions said a proper acid etched surface should feel like 80 grit sandpaper. I didn't get it that rough but it did do a good job on getting down to the bare concrete. Sheri cut the grass while I started with the acid. It looks good.
After flushing the garage out again with copious amounts of water I hooked up the pressure washer again and worked the concrete over again.
I think I am happy enough with the concrete now. There are still a few stubborn rust stains but I am not going to worry about them.
Tomorrow (Sunday) we will apply the water sealer to that side of the garage and let it dry overnight. In a couple of weeks we will do the exact same thing to the other side of the garage. We don't want to do it next weekend because we are having a guest.
We put away all of our tools and stuff, took showers, and then went out for dinner. We went to the golf course restaurant I wrote about a few weeks ago. The have their all-you-can-eat fish every single day! Not just Fridays and not just during lent. I got that, but I had them substitute their sweet potato fries for the regular fries. Both were excellent. Sheri had a really good turkey club and brought half of it home. I had one fish refill, and was tempted to go for a second, but I knew if I did I would walk out of their feeling uncomfortable. There was only one waitress who was actually the bartender, and there was a pretty decent sized crowd, so after sitting at a table for a few minutes and not getting any attention we decided we would be better off sitting at the bar. The Cub's game was on a big plasma set right behind the bar so it worked out really well. I love that place.
We went to Meijer for a few things and now are home to watch a movie. The only thing is it is after 9 PM and we are both tired from a day of good work and might not be able to stay awake for a move, so I think we will probably just watch Mad TV and SNL.
While Sheri was doing some yard work she came across on almost complete skeleton of some carnivore in one of the flower beds between some plants. We are not sure be our best guess is that it is a cat. What do you think?
Friday, April 14, 2006
Cell phone rings:
Me: Hello?
Caller: confused moan
Me: Hello?
Caller: Uh, is Alfredo there?
Me: Sorry, you have the wrong number.
Caller: Who is this?
Me: Not Alfredo.
Caller: Uh…
Me: Sorry, wrong number.
Caller: Uh, OK.
It never ceases to amaze me when I receive a wrong number call and they ask who I am. Are people getting stupider? It used to be they apologized and hung up. I think the majority of wrong number calls seem to ask that.
I think I am even more amazed when I get a wrong number and get their voicemail, and I realize I have the wrong number, so I hang up, check my number and make my call again. Then the dork who's number I mistakenly called checks his (it has always been guys that do this) caller ID and calls me back and asks who I am. That doesn't happen as often but I have experienced it a few times.
I have the guy's phone number that was looking for Alfredo. I should call him back sometime and ask for Alfredo.
Me: Hello?
Caller: confused moan
Me: Hello?
Caller: Uh, is Alfredo there?
Me: Sorry, you have the wrong number.
Caller: Who is this?
Me: Not Alfredo.
Caller: Uh…
Me: Sorry, wrong number.
Caller: Uh, OK.
It never ceases to amaze me when I receive a wrong number call and they ask who I am. Are people getting stupider? It used to be they apologized and hung up. I think the majority of wrong number calls seem to ask that.
I think I am even more amazed when I get a wrong number and get their voicemail, and I realize I have the wrong number, so I hang up, check my number and make my call again. Then the dork who's number I mistakenly called checks his (it has always been guys that do this) caller ID and calls me back and asks who I am. That doesn't happen as often but I have experienced it a few times.
I have the guy's phone number that was looking for Alfredo. I should call him back sometime and ask for Alfredo.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Several weeks ago my sister was doing some housework when she lost her vision and got a little lightheaded. After a few minutes she was OK except for a bad headache. Because she did not lose consciousness like Sheri did several weeks earlier, and everything turned out OK for Sheri, she decided not to follow up with a doctor.
When she related her experience to a coworker the coworker convinced her to see a doctor. They performed an MRI, and the initial interpretation indicated either oxygen depravation, inflammation of the brain, or MS. Yuck.
She had her appointment with a neurologist today and it turns out she just suffers from migraines! (Isn't it weird that that is good news?)
She has had headaches since she was just a kid, and we always attributed that to sinus congestion from allergies. The doctor said those were probably all migraines.
An American has a 1 in 1,000 chance of developing MS. If you have a sibling or parent with MS the odds of you developing it increase to between 1 and 3 in a 100! So I am doubly relieved that my sister is OK and that I am not at an increased risk for MS.
When she related her experience to a coworker the coworker convinced her to see a doctor. They performed an MRI, and the initial interpretation indicated either oxygen depravation, inflammation of the brain, or MS. Yuck.
She had her appointment with a neurologist today and it turns out she just suffers from migraines! (Isn't it weird that that is good news?)
She has had headaches since she was just a kid, and we always attributed that to sinus congestion from allergies. The doctor said those were probably all migraines.
An American has a 1 in 1,000 chance of developing MS. If you have a sibling or parent with MS the odds of you developing it increase to between 1 and 3 in a 100! So I am doubly relieved that my sister is OK and that I am not at an increased risk for MS.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
This is a neat site. It is a map of the world, and you can click anywhere on it to hear a person from that area read the same sample text so you can hear just about any dialect in the world.
Clicky clicky.
Clicky clicky.
As I mentioned yesterday Sheri woke me up with a backrub and then some fresh coffee and a few slices of pizza. You can see my contented expression as I enjoy my coffee and digest my pizza.
I think Sheri took a picture on average of one every 20 seconds.
My nephew is obsessed with the Titanic, so of course he signed my card with a rendering of himself and Uncle Brad standing on the deck of the Titanic. Isn't that precious?
Lots of cool shirts.
A cool mini-kite from my nephew. I tried flying it yesterday but the wind just wasn't strong enough.
Sheri's favorite picture.
After gift-opening time we got dressed to go out for my birthday brunch. The emissions testing station is near to the restaurant we planned on going to so we stopped by there first to get it out of the way. We are required to do it every two years. There is a sign in front of the station that displays the current wait time. It said 13 minutes but there must have been at least 25 cars lined up in front of us. No way could it only be 13 minutes. We were already there so I just figured we would wait to get it over with. Started the stopwatch on my watch once we entered the facility and pulled into a line. Thirteen minutes later we were handed the certificate indicating we passed the test.
On the way to the restaurant we passed a PetSmart store and I remembered that I needed some fish food, so as long as we were in the area we stopped in. A greyhound rescue organization was there with four dogs. Beautiful. Sheri wants one. The greyhound personality almost perfectly matches our personality and temperaments. We both work much shorter hours now than when we first moved here, and I am much closer to home with only a 15 minute commute, so that issue is taken care of. Greyhounds are notorious couch potatoes and day-long sleepers too. The biggest issue for me is not having the flexibility to not come home directly after work if I want to go out for dinner or go into the city. On the other hand, when was the last time we have done that? Oh well. We'll see what happens.
We got to the restaurant, which happens to be in a mall, and they went out of business. I really wasn't surprised. It just didn't fit the kind of clientele you find at a shopping mall. The food was great, but the prices were significantly higher than the average mall rat is used to. We were there once before and I had an oyster po-boy and Sheri had their pulled pork. Both very good. I forgot what kind of soup Sheri ordered but it had small chunks of fresh raw apple stirred in just before being served. We split an order of blueberry cobbler for dessert. Excellent example of southern cooking. I was going to treat myself to the crab cakes yesterday. Oh well.
We stopped by a gaming store and I bought a fun little puzzle called River Crossing.
We were getting hungry, so what was a good substitute for some fine southern cuisine? Taco Bell of course. We hung out in the food court for a bit playing with our puzzle and people-watching.
We picked cake mix and a few household necessities on the way home. At home Sheri made my birthday cupcakes while I relaxed in the family room. She kept my drink filled and brought me some cupcakes when they were done.
We watched most of Brokeback Mountain but stopped 30 minutes from the end to watch Mad TV and then Saturday Night Live. Neither of us could figure out where all of the hype over the movie came from. It was technically a very good movie. I loved the wilderness scenes in Wyoming. The acting was very good, but the story line itself we just couldn't get into. Maybe when we watch the last 30 minutes tonight it will tie it all together. Who knows.
We are going to Ikea soon for a birthday hotdog, a cinnamon roll, coffee and a diet cola, and then get some things across the street at Meijer.
I think Sheri took a picture on average of one every 20 seconds.
My nephew is obsessed with the Titanic, so of course he signed my card with a rendering of himself and Uncle Brad standing on the deck of the Titanic. Isn't that precious?
Lots of cool shirts.
A cool mini-kite from my nephew. I tried flying it yesterday but the wind just wasn't strong enough.
Sheri's favorite picture.
After gift-opening time we got dressed to go out for my birthday brunch. The emissions testing station is near to the restaurant we planned on going to so we stopped by there first to get it out of the way. We are required to do it every two years. There is a sign in front of the station that displays the current wait time. It said 13 minutes but there must have been at least 25 cars lined up in front of us. No way could it only be 13 minutes. We were already there so I just figured we would wait to get it over with. Started the stopwatch on my watch once we entered the facility and pulled into a line. Thirteen minutes later we were handed the certificate indicating we passed the test.
On the way to the restaurant we passed a PetSmart store and I remembered that I needed some fish food, so as long as we were in the area we stopped in. A greyhound rescue organization was there with four dogs. Beautiful. Sheri wants one. The greyhound personality almost perfectly matches our personality and temperaments. We both work much shorter hours now than when we first moved here, and I am much closer to home with only a 15 minute commute, so that issue is taken care of. Greyhounds are notorious couch potatoes and day-long sleepers too. The biggest issue for me is not having the flexibility to not come home directly after work if I want to go out for dinner or go into the city. On the other hand, when was the last time we have done that? Oh well. We'll see what happens.
We got to the restaurant, which happens to be in a mall, and they went out of business. I really wasn't surprised. It just didn't fit the kind of clientele you find at a shopping mall. The food was great, but the prices were significantly higher than the average mall rat is used to. We were there once before and I had an oyster po-boy and Sheri had their pulled pork. Both very good. I forgot what kind of soup Sheri ordered but it had small chunks of fresh raw apple stirred in just before being served. We split an order of blueberry cobbler for dessert. Excellent example of southern cooking. I was going to treat myself to the crab cakes yesterday. Oh well.
We stopped by a gaming store and I bought a fun little puzzle called River Crossing.
We were getting hungry, so what was a good substitute for some fine southern cuisine? Taco Bell of course. We hung out in the food court for a bit playing with our puzzle and people-watching.
We picked cake mix and a few household necessities on the way home. At home Sheri made my birthday cupcakes while I relaxed in the family room. She kept my drink filled and brought me some cupcakes when they were done.
We watched most of Brokeback Mountain but stopped 30 minutes from the end to watch Mad TV and then Saturday Night Live. Neither of us could figure out where all of the hype over the movie came from. It was technically a very good movie. I loved the wilderness scenes in Wyoming. The acting was very good, but the story line itself we just couldn't get into. Maybe when we watch the last 30 minutes tonight it will tie it all together. Who knows.
We are going to Ikea soon for a birthday hotdog, a cinnamon roll, coffee and a diet cola, and then get some things across the street at Meijer.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
I am having a good birthday so far.
I woke up to a nice backrub. While I was taking a shower Sheri brought up a couple pieces of pizza to hold me, some fresh coffee, and all of my birthday gifts to open. I got lots of good stuff. I am going to fly a kite later today and read up on geography.
We are getting ready to go out for brunch. I want to try the crab cakes at a nearby southern restaurant we tried once before and liked.
For dinner I want cheeseburgers on the grill and Sheri is going to make cup cakes for me. If they have artichokes in the store I want a couple of those as well.
We didn't watch Brokeback Mountain last night so we may watch that, or go to the video store if I feel like something a little more action-packed. We'll see how I feel later in the day.
We also have to get the emissions on the van tested. I may do that today just to get it out of the way.
I woke up to a nice backrub. While I was taking a shower Sheri brought up a couple pieces of pizza to hold me, some fresh coffee, and all of my birthday gifts to open. I got lots of good stuff. I am going to fly a kite later today and read up on geography.
We are getting ready to go out for brunch. I want to try the crab cakes at a nearby southern restaurant we tried once before and liked.
For dinner I want cheeseburgers on the grill and Sheri is going to make cup cakes for me. If they have artichokes in the store I want a couple of those as well.
We didn't watch Brokeback Mountain last night so we may watch that, or go to the video store if I feel like something a little more action-packed. We'll see how I feel later in the day.
We also have to get the emissions on the van tested. I may do that today just to get it out of the way.
Friday, April 07, 2006
I drove 155 miles on Tuesday to train two sites and 160 miles today for three sites. I have trained a total of seven sites so far and have four more to go. It is a nice change of pace and I enjoy getting out of the office for a while, but all that driving, especially when I am not used to it, tires me out at the end of the day.
I noticed today that our fleet cars run on E85 which is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. We have an E85 pump on site.
Sheri is waiting on me hand-and-foot for my birthday weekend. She is out now picking up a pizza and then we are going to watch Brokeback Mountain.
I noticed today that our fleet cars run on E85 which is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. We have an E85 pump on site.
Sheri is waiting on me hand-and-foot for my birthday weekend. She is out now picking up a pizza and then we are going to watch Brokeback Mountain.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Monday, April 03, 2006
I have been agonizing over buying a digital SLR forever. At first I was going to buy the Canon Rebel XT. After a while I thought as long as I am making a major investment that I will most likely be using 10, and probably 20, years from now, I might as well pay the few hundred extra and get the Canon EOS 20D. Now Canon has released the EOS 30D and I think that is what I will eventually get. I say eventually because when I agonize this long over something I usually end up getting it.
Isn't it beautiful?
Isn't it beautiful?
What a great day! It was Sheri's first day at the new job and I was slightly anxious that things were not going to work out, but they did wonderfully.
My first anxiety was that there might have been a miscommunication between her, the recruiter and the employer and that she would show up to work and they would say something like "Mr. Smith will be in conference room B for your second interview." The recruiter didn't speak English as a first language and was very difficult to understand on the phone and was a soft-talker. After her first interview they said if they liked her they would call her back for a second interview with the head boss, but when they did call it was to say come to work. Something just didn't seem right.
My second anxiety was that her group would be a repeat of the group she was in when we first moved to Chicago. She felt like an outsider and they did not go out of their way to make her feel welcome. If that was the case and she dreaded going to work every morning, and Sunday nights brought on depression, I would feel the anxiety just as much as she does, maybe more. After one day she thinks everyone in her group are all good people with similar personalities and temperaments and all about the same age. She really felt good about the whole thing.
I didn't know on her first day if she was going to have an opportunity to call me and fill me in on how the day was going, so I made a little code list she could use to call me, tell me the code, and hang up whenever she had a free minute in the restroom or breakroom. I couldn't stand not knowing if she was dying a slow death all day. This is the list:
A Doing great! People are nice. I think I will enjoy the work.
B OK. A little nervous but I am hiding it OK. Nothing bad or uncomfortable.
C As well as can be expected. It will take me a few weeks to get comfortable.
D Uncomfortable but I will live.
F This sucks. Can't wait to get home.
She called me after being there an hour and said she was at level "C". Great! I thanked God it wasn't a "D" or "F".
After about another hour or so she called back and she moved up to a "B". Awesome!
After lunch she called again and she inched up to a "B+"! I wanted to do a little jig right then and there. The rest of the day stayed at "B+".
Just that would have made it a great day, but we went out for a great celebration dinner which made it a really great day. We never got around going out for a celebration dinner for the contract job she started in November, the start of my new job in January, or her birthday, so tonight's dinner covered all of these.
We went to one of Sheri's top five favorite restaurants if not her favorite: Sullivan's Steakhouse.
We started off with their signature lettuce wedges with blue cheese chunks and tomatoes. (I actually think these are the real reason she loves Sullivan's. These are her favorite.) We also had a nice loaf of hot bread and iced tea.
She couldn't manage a whole steak so we split a 16 ounce New York strip. We also split an order of creamed spinach and an order of au gratin potatoes. We decided to stay for dessert and coffee and we split an amazing crème brulee. Everything was fantastic and was the perfect end to a good day.
My first anxiety was that there might have been a miscommunication between her, the recruiter and the employer and that she would show up to work and they would say something like "Mr. Smith will be in conference room B for your second interview." The recruiter didn't speak English as a first language and was very difficult to understand on the phone and was a soft-talker. After her first interview they said if they liked her they would call her back for a second interview with the head boss, but when they did call it was to say come to work. Something just didn't seem right.
My second anxiety was that her group would be a repeat of the group she was in when we first moved to Chicago. She felt like an outsider and they did not go out of their way to make her feel welcome. If that was the case and she dreaded going to work every morning, and Sunday nights brought on depression, I would feel the anxiety just as much as she does, maybe more. After one day she thinks everyone in her group are all good people with similar personalities and temperaments and all about the same age. She really felt good about the whole thing.
I didn't know on her first day if she was going to have an opportunity to call me and fill me in on how the day was going, so I made a little code list she could use to call me, tell me the code, and hang up whenever she had a free minute in the restroom or breakroom. I couldn't stand not knowing if she was dying a slow death all day. This is the list:
A Doing great! People are nice. I think I will enjoy the work.
B OK. A little nervous but I am hiding it OK. Nothing bad or uncomfortable.
C As well as can be expected. It will take me a few weeks to get comfortable.
D Uncomfortable but I will live.
F This sucks. Can't wait to get home.
She called me after being there an hour and said she was at level "C". Great! I thanked God it wasn't a "D" or "F".
After about another hour or so she called back and she moved up to a "B". Awesome!
After lunch she called again and she inched up to a "B+"! I wanted to do a little jig right then and there. The rest of the day stayed at "B+".
Just that would have made it a great day, but we went out for a great celebration dinner which made it a really great day. We never got around going out for a celebration dinner for the contract job she started in November, the start of my new job in January, or her birthday, so tonight's dinner covered all of these.
We went to one of Sheri's top five favorite restaurants if not her favorite: Sullivan's Steakhouse.
We started off with their signature lettuce wedges with blue cheese chunks and tomatoes. (I actually think these are the real reason she loves Sullivan's. These are her favorite.) We also had a nice loaf of hot bread and iced tea.
She couldn't manage a whole steak so we split a 16 ounce New York strip. We also split an order of creamed spinach and an order of au gratin potatoes. We decided to stay for dessert and coffee and we split an amazing crème brulee. Everything was fantastic and was the perfect end to a good day.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Our Sunday
I cooked us a nice hearty breakfast of eggs and rashers and coffee. We sat at the kitchen table and read the Sunday paper while we ate.
We hung out in the family room watching TV for a bit and then we both went upstairs to the office for a couple hours. Sheri hung out with me while I finished our taxes. All I have to do is submit them on-line, but I want to do one more review before I pull the trigger.
After that we got on our street clothes and ran the following errands:
1. Filled up Sheri's tank with gas so she will be all set for her first week of commuting again.
2. Went to Trader Joe's to stock up on snacks for work. Sheri got a handful of Luna bars. I got a handful of Kashi bars, two bags of their roasted peanuts and a bag of sunflower seeds.
3. Stopped at Walgreen's to try a new Hershey's Extra Dark chocolate bar. Walgreen's had it advertised in today's paper for $1.50 which is 50¢ off. I didn't have high expectations but it was really good. It has a 60% cacao content. Very smooth texture. Complex flavor. I think it compares very favorably to my other two favorite chocolate bars from Lindt and Scharffen Berger. I just now remembered something as a wrote that last sentence: Hershey's bought Scharffen Berger about a year ago. I'll bet they used a little of what they learned from that purchase to come out with this new product line. Give it a try when you want to treat yourself to a little something.
4. Home Depot for the season's first bag of lawn fertilizer. We also wanted to check out house plants and I wanted to pick up a box of galvanized decking nails in case I ever need to make any repairs to our fence.
5. Meijer for some things for this week's dinners. We got a chuck roast on special for $2 per pound for the crock pot on Wednesday, and lettuce and a tomato for BLTs on Tuesday night. We were looking for the new Coke BlaK and didn't see it, but there were a couple guys with Coke uniforms on so I asked them what they knew about it. They told us Target had it for sale.
6. We stopped at Starbucks for Sheri.
7. Went to Target to get the Coke BlaK.
We are hanging out now watching Simpson's and Desperate Housewives. I just opened up a Coke BlaK and I love it! To tell you the truth I actually don't taste coffee too much. It actually has more of a rich caramel taste. Maybe like the way the caramelized sugar tastes on crème brulee. I can actually see enjoying one as a dessert rather than knocking one back to quench my thirst.
I cooked us a nice hearty breakfast of eggs and rashers and coffee. We sat at the kitchen table and read the Sunday paper while we ate.
We hung out in the family room watching TV for a bit and then we both went upstairs to the office for a couple hours. Sheri hung out with me while I finished our taxes. All I have to do is submit them on-line, but I want to do one more review before I pull the trigger.
After that we got on our street clothes and ran the following errands:
1. Filled up Sheri's tank with gas so she will be all set for her first week of commuting again.
2. Went to Trader Joe's to stock up on snacks for work. Sheri got a handful of Luna bars. I got a handful of Kashi bars, two bags of their roasted peanuts and a bag of sunflower seeds.
3. Stopped at Walgreen's to try a new Hershey's Extra Dark chocolate bar. Walgreen's had it advertised in today's paper for $1.50 which is 50¢ off. I didn't have high expectations but it was really good. It has a 60% cacao content. Very smooth texture. Complex flavor. I think it compares very favorably to my other two favorite chocolate bars from Lindt and Scharffen Berger. I just now remembered something as a wrote that last sentence: Hershey's bought Scharffen Berger about a year ago. I'll bet they used a little of what they learned from that purchase to come out with this new product line. Give it a try when you want to treat yourself to a little something.
4. Home Depot for the season's first bag of lawn fertilizer. We also wanted to check out house plants and I wanted to pick up a box of galvanized decking nails in case I ever need to make any repairs to our fence.
5. Meijer for some things for this week's dinners. We got a chuck roast on special for $2 per pound for the crock pot on Wednesday, and lettuce and a tomato for BLTs on Tuesday night. We were looking for the new Coke BlaK and didn't see it, but there were a couple guys with Coke uniforms on so I asked them what they knew about it. They told us Target had it for sale.
6. We stopped at Starbucks for Sheri.
7. Went to Target to get the Coke BlaK.
We are hanging out now watching Simpson's and Desperate Housewives. I just opened up a Coke BlaK and I love it! To tell you the truth I actually don't taste coffee too much. It actually has more of a rich caramel taste. Maybe like the way the caramelized sugar tastes on crème brulee. I can actually see enjoying one as a dessert rather than knocking one back to quench my thirst.
We picked up a four-pack of the new Coca-Cola BlaK today at Target and it is icing down now.
It is Coke with a little coffee taste added. Also it has half the sugar and twice the caffeine as a regular Coke.
I read a review of it and they said the coffee taste is very very weak, so I am not expecting much, but I love trying new stuff.
Target has the four-pack of 8 ounce bottles for $5. I'll let you know what I think of it.
It is Coke with a little coffee taste added. Also it has half the sugar and twice the caffeine as a regular Coke.
I read a review of it and they said the coffee taste is very very weak, so I am not expecting much, but I love trying new stuff.
Target has the four-pack of 8 ounce bottles for $5. I'll let you know what I think of it.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
It has been forever since I have had popovers, and I have been having a craving for them lately, so I just put a batch in the oven. Sheri says I have never made them for her before, but it seems like I would have at least once or twice. Maybe when she takes a bite of one it will refresh her memory. She claims the only time she ever had a popover was in the fifth grade at a friend's house. She says she vividly remembers thinking it was the best thing she ever ate so maybe she is right and I never made them for her. The will be ready in about 30 minutes.
One of our fence posts on our six foot privacy fence broke in the strong winds we have been having the last few days. Last night I pounded a stake into the ground at an angle away from the fence and then nailed a 2 x 4 to the fence and the stake to brace the fence until it gets fixed so the fence sections don't break and cost us more money.
I will be conducting five training sessions over two days next week for the users of my application. I will be going to their sites so I will be doing a lot of driving. It will be a nice change from the normal pace. I did two training sessions last week but I took a programmer with me just in case something happened that I didn't know how to recover from. It was a good thing because he had to Remote Desktop back into the application server to reset a couple things.
Next week I will conduct four more training sessions and then all of the users will be trained for the phase one of the rollout. We will run parallel with the current process for at least a couple weeks to work out any problems that arise. Once we are comfortable everything is working correctly I will cut off the current process and have everyone use my app.
One of our fence posts on our six foot privacy fence broke in the strong winds we have been having the last few days. Last night I pounded a stake into the ground at an angle away from the fence and then nailed a 2 x 4 to the fence and the stake to brace the fence until it gets fixed so the fence sections don't break and cost us more money.
I will be conducting five training sessions over two days next week for the users of my application. I will be going to their sites so I will be doing a lot of driving. It will be a nice change from the normal pace. I did two training sessions last week but I took a programmer with me just in case something happened that I didn't know how to recover from. It was a good thing because he had to Remote Desktop back into the application server to reset a couple things.
Next week I will conduct four more training sessions and then all of the users will be trained for the phase one of the rollout. We will run parallel with the current process for at least a couple weeks to work out any problems that arise. Once we are comfortable everything is working correctly I will cut off the current process and have everyone use my app.