Great Big World Out There

Stupid House

I am irked by the house in which I live.  When they built the basement, for reasons unknown they chose to make the walls 1 1/2" thick.  Not typically a problem in the big scheme of things.  Until, 50+ years after the house was built, I come along with my shiny new tv and shiny new wall mounting bracket and I need a 3 1/2 wall.

Bah.  I've solved the problem by building an ugly shelf.  It will do the job and I will save the wall mounting bracket for when I live in a place that has normal walls.  

***

I was quite clever and I took the old tv off to be donated before I even took the new one out of the box.  There were actually 2 other tvs that could have been donated, but I only took the one because I wasn't sure where the remote for the third tv was hiding.  Also had no idea if it would actually fit in my car, being full of recycling as it was.  

I took the afternoon off, you see, since owing to an inability to read the clock I stayed late last night and another night this week, and voila.  Might as well go home, no?  Best part - getting to the bank to change my RSP deduction amount and frequency.  Then while I was at it I decided to get really ambitious and I opened a tax free savings account.  If only I had $5000 to put in it.  Oh well.  I'll get there eventually.  I also got the paperwork I needed to change the account my student loan payments come out of.  I can stick money in that account every payday and 

***

My back is killing me from all of the lifting and stupid carrying I did this afternoon.  I carried around tvs but also cleaned out flowerbeds at church.  That was a wet and messy job.  Rotten and wet nasturtiums are thoroughly disgusting. They looked nice in the summer but I really couldn't leave that mess there over the winter.  I am sure someone would have disapproved.  

***

What else is new?  I'm watching the football game on my new tv.  I've got to find some kind of shelf thing to place my theatre system and satellite receiver upon.  It'd be nice to have a spot to put my fancy printer while I was at it.  Now that I have a fancy hi-def tv I kind of want to get a proper high def receiver for my home office.  How spoiled am I?  Two fancy high def tvs in a year (both paid for, thankyouverymuch).  

***

Might I just say that my back is killing me?  I might?  Thanks.

hockey

I sprang for the hd ppv of the oilers games this season.  The dude on the phone seemed surprised by the price - $200 was said in a state of bewilderment. 

Paying that much, it is not surprising I became agitated when the sound/picture did not work concurrently at the beginning of the game. 

My legs are really sore.  I keep stretching them out but nothing seems to really eliminate the pain.  I don't want to take more advil, since I had a migraine earlier today that needed 4 extra strength pills to kill.  I've had almost enough of migraines for a while. 

I need to go order some stuff for work.  Happy day.  Spending other people's money.

I shall write of my trip tomorrow. 

At the gas station

I just had an uncontrollable need for a coke and some packing tape.  Luckily I live within eyesight of a Flying J so I headed off there a couple minutes ago.  No packing tape, alas,  I will have to look harder in my own house.  There's got to be some around here somewhere.  

There was a woman in the store.  One of 'those' women.  The kind who smoked a pack a day too many, and speaks in volumes normally reserved for the stage.  My first notice of loud lady was when she loudly proclaimed that she was parked in the wrong spot - a spot that wasn't actually a parking spot.  She told her 9 year old kid to go move the car while she stirred her coffee (the kid did not in fact do this, despite her repeated requests).  At one point she loudly muttered, 'OH, did I lose my stir stick in here?'

I don't think it's the stir stick that's missing, if you catch my meaning.  

I was still looking for packing tape while shamelessly being amused by this crazy lady.  She moved on to the check out, pausing to remark loudly upon the cleverness of providing carrot cake for purchase by hungry customers.  (Imagine that, knowing your customers well enough to sell what they want!)

She then saw the sandwich display.  Whereupon she randomly asked her kids, 'If I let you slam 1 of your pops will you eat a bologna sandwich?'

Kids: 'YES!'

She loudly paid her bill ($1.56 in small change) and headed out to the car, talking yelling about how she had to phone the kids dad, he would think they were halfway to Saskatchewan, and they were in the wrong spot and also they needed to turn by the green arrow.

I was exhausted by the time I went to pay.  As I left the store, I saw loud lady loading her kids into the car, whereupon she pulled out of the 'wrong' spot.  While it is true that the spot she was in wasn't truly a legit parking spot, her solution was not really an improvement.  As I got in my car and backed out, I saw that she had chosen to back into the spot next to the non-spot.  The handicapped spot.  

She hadn't even backed in the whole way - so she effectively blocked traffic on that whole side of the gas station.

I went out the back exit, to keep the stink of stupid off me as much as possible.  I'm so pleased I had that coke craving.

cannot think of a thing to say

but I need to say something, so I shall gibber madly for the next 10 minutes and see what I come up with.

I spent most of my weekend looking for a bathtub faucet.  You'd think that wouldn't be hard, but oh, how wrong you would be.  I tried a couple of stores in Leduc but could not find a) suitable faucets or b) a person who might know where the damn faucets might be.  Then there was a problem with the pipe bit coming out of the wall, so we went through 2 replacements before we found a way to make the third version work. 

All this so we could continue to have a hand shower without having to rip out a wall.  I learned about shower/bathtub faucet items though.  I think I want a roman faucet set in future bath tubs I build in a future house. 

Speaking of bath tubs, I know it is probably the thing to have fancy jetted tubs and all the whistles and bells.  I can't stand those things.  You need to empty your hot water tank (I will have on demand hot water so not a huge deal, but still) to fill the bloody thing, and I don't particularly need to go swimming every night when I take a bath.  Because yes, I am a bath person.  Not so much a shower person.  I take a bath before bed every night because it switches off my brain.  Or at least start the switching off process.

I have ideas for future house building but the prospect of making decisions fills me with dread.  I'm not usually decision-making averse, but damn.  I don't want to decide on 15 different floor choices, the type of furnace (with A/C, thank you very much, ideally geothermally powered, however that works) and if I should get that stuff that stops your house from burning.  I know I don't need granite counter tops, because please.  I am not that pretentious.  Except when I fly long distances, and then give me the first class treatment because it hurts my back to be scrunched up in a stupid seat. 

I have embraced stupid games on Facebook the past week or so.  I am enjoying the building of 4 farms, two mafia families and now I have moved on to zoos and fish aquariums.  Not so fond of the fish aquarium thing, their server has been stupid and off all evening so I think I will quit that one once the server is back.

I submitted the thesis to the grad studies faculty today.  We'll see how long it takes to be accepted.  Or if it is in fact accepted.  They have to do the checking of apostrophes and so forth.  Sucks to be them, if you ask me.  All I know for certain is that I am mighty f'ing tired of looking at the bloody thing.  Stupid thesis.  I hate you.

I have now written for 9 minutes, that wasn't so bad after all.  I have to work on my zoos, my farms and my mafia now so I shall sign off.  Happy Monday.

suppose I called you up tonight

I spent my day requesting something that I am sure will not be granted.  I could be irritated by that or just be glad the shitty job is over with so the denial of my request can start as quickly as possible.  I'd rather just get the shit jobs over with so I can go do something interesting and exciting.  Except.  I didn't have anything on my list of things to do that was dreadfully exciting.  

I'm working on the rejigging of some tables for publication.  I wish I'd had this table idea sooner, let me tell you.  Would have saved me some paper for my thesis, at least.  Certainly not any sanity, since they take a bit more effort than the other way I did them. 

***

What else did I do today?  Hmm.  I made fajitas for supper.  I went to work late so I stayed late to make up for my tardiness.  Tardy is such an odd word, I don't really like it.  Tomorrow a bunch of people are moving out of our office space since their space has been renovated.  It should be loud, noisy and generally disruptive. Theree will be cake though, so all is not lost.  

***

I've had a headache for 3 days.  I wish it would go away. I'm out of things to say now.  So I will go to bed and read my book.  

title: I told you so, carrrie underwood

Rainy days and weedy weekends

I cleared the potato patch this weekend.  It was covered in thick nasty weeds.  Weeds that could be chopped up and used as kindling if they weren't covered in thousands or millions of wee little seeds.  I hate those weeds for two reasons - they look like hell and my skin reacts to them big time.  The reaction doesn't last long - at least not once I've scrubbed thoroughly. I did a fairly decent job of weeding 

***

I am utterly addicted to Farm Town on facebook.  So help me.  It's much easier to be a fake farmer than a real one.  Internet chat makes me crazy - teenagers can't or won't spell correctly.  Demand to be hired (so you earn points and coins and such) or yell at everyone.  I don't hire them on principle, dammit.  If they are really annoying I just add them to my blocked list and I never see them again.  Lovely, that.

***

I thought I'd lost a cheque I received last week.  It was sitting between my passenger door and the passenger seat.  Guess I don't open that door very often.  No passengers, either.  Huh.  

***

Now I have the football game on.  All is well.  We've gotten an interception so far, a rather festive one as interceptions go.  Yesterday I made pulled pork but I didn't cook it long enough.  Next time I think I'll use a different cut of pork. I shall have pulled pork for supper tonight.  Lunch tomorrow.  Whoo. 

***

I haven't got much to say.  I've been farting around on the computer most of the weekend, interspersed with bouts of weeding - real weeds as above or the accumulated crap of life.  I have too many books, too many clothes and I am on a mission to get rid of as much as I can.  No one needs this much stuff.  You just don't.  Proof I don't need more crap - I went to Walmart this morning and didn't buy a thing.  NOTHING.  I had a list of things I needed but they didn't have any of the things I wanted in stock.  Imagine that.  I saw things I might normally have bought - realized I didn't need new shoes (I don't wear most of what I have), a water bottle (I have glasses to drink from), chenille throws (all fixed in the throw department).  

This is good.  I will save money AND have less crap.  I think all that til debt do us part I've been watching has been rubbing off.  My debt is totally under control - and what I have left is mostly student loans.  It'll all be paid off by this time next year.  Go me!

mmm

I bought corn for supper.  Now it feels like summer - I love the smell of corn cooking.  Add in a fresh grilled cheeseburger and some pasta salad and voila - excellent dinner. 

***

I can't think of anything to say.  I'm tired.  I started playing a stupid farming game on facebook.  I'm really only writing right now because I am waiting for my grapes to be ready for harvest - it'll take another half hour for that. Writing nonsensical blather - what a great idea!  How convenient that I am good at blathering on about nothing. 

I did spend some time today blathering on about a new research project.  I hope it gets funded because it could be interesting. 

***

I left the BBQ on!  Shit.  I will go turn it off now -running would not make a difference because it has been blasting away for a long time.

Sometimes I am an idiot.

action is better than inaction

I am going to do a good deed this afternoon.  My cousin wants to sell her house, and being newly widowed and all, needs some help.  She sent out a facebook plea and at first I was all, "That's Sunday.  I laze about and read a book on Sunday.  Waaaah."

Then I got over myself and told I could come and help.  So go me.  I have also enlisted the aid of my brother.  I hope we can get her house ready to sell.  She needs to be in a new place, the memories are killing her.

***

I have an odd feeling in my left eye.  It feels - more there than normal.  This is unpleasant, because that's what happened when I had pinkeye a few months ago.  I so don't have time or energy for pinkeye.  Of course, I have angry sinuses, a wee twinge in my throat and a stuffy nose. 

Joy.

***

I went to church this morning.  Nothing exciting about that declaration, since I go every week.  This week was a little different.  I go to the early service when I am not playing at the late service.  I walked in this morning to a mournful groan of a hymn with no piano.  No organ.  I considered, briefly, walking back out of the church.  I knew I would end up playing. 

I have developed some wicked sight reading abilities in the past few years, but I had a tune this morning that was unfamiliar with a really odd setting.  Had I seen it before I opened the hymnal this morning, expectant congregation waiting patiently behind me, I would definitely have practiced this song with some vigor.  It wasn't hard - not hard at all - but it had some syncopated rhythmns and the accompaniment was fancier than normal.  The tune was weird, too.  Not ugly, just weird.  Lots of leaping about, which is fine if you have a strong leader.  I was not a strong leader this morning.  One look at that sucker and I knew I was one-noting my way through that hymn. 

Thankfully the rest of the songs were all familar and I sailed through them.  So I went to church this morning and made $30 by being the accidental organist.  Heh.  (I don't do the playing for the money, heavens no, but it is nice.  It usually goes right back to the church or some charity anyway). 

***

I am off to the bottle depot now.  I have a plethora of bottles, a veritable plethora indeed.  They won't all fit in my car thanks to the piles of milk jugs I have to get rid of.  I think the government was on the right track by making milk jugs refundable - the better to keep our landfills clean and all that - but damn, those suckers take up a lot of room.  I know we could crush them, but somehow we never seem to do that.  I wonder why? 

***

Well, I and my goopy eye are off to make some money at the bottle depot.  I hope it isn't crazy busy.

discovery channel

I kind of love the Discovery channel.  I learn something almost every time I turn it on - whether I want to or not.  I've got a tivo'd episode of how it's made on right now that's all about making records.  That's a cool process, if an antiquated.  Makes me wish I still had a record player to play all my old records on.

Sigh.  I bet I could go buy one if I were inclined.  I just don't want to pay more than $5, which doesn't seem a likely price.  Besides a crappy garage sale purchase.  I don't like garage sales.  Not my thing.

What I do like is a glass of cold milk.  Mmmmm.  Milk.  I'm heading off to the football game later this afternoon and I shall have a cold glass of beer.  Mmmm. Beer.  I always get a fancy beer at these games and I am always disappointed.  I kind of think some their beer has gone skunky from sitting too long - most people get the cheaper Canadian stuff.  Sigh.

It's a lovely day outside.  28 degrees so I mowed the lawn and cut down the ugly weeds in my garden.  I'm watering trees too, come to think of it.  I was going to move the hose before I went to town to get some cash for the football game tonight but sadly forgot.  Sigh.  I'd go do that now but I am writing, as you can tell.

Ehh, not like I was saying anything interesting anyway. 

a migraine a day at work, rest and play

I actually finished the first step of a task I started working on only a week ago.  I am rather pleased with myself since I would like to get my involvement in this task over with as soon as possible.  It involves contracts for large amounts of money and I strongly suspect that it will take way longer than I would like. 

In enormously exciting news - I have 4 of 5 committee members agreeing to sign off on my thesis - once I finish the last revisions they've suggested.  One to go, and then I am done.  If I could submit the thing on Monday I wouldn't have to pay any more tuition.  I shall dive into the thing tomorrow morning and not climb out until I have finished the revisions.  Then to finish formatting to send it off to the grad studies faculty and whatever else is required for that.  I've gotten copyright permission for most of the figures I am including in the thesis, I've requested permission for the others and need to send an email to the final group of people tomorrow. 

I cannot wait for that whole mess to be done.  I want to publish the papers and start working on something else.  Some old stuff and some new stuff would be nice.  I am not hurting for things to do.  I will probably have to start writing a full-fledged grant for a funding agency next week.  I've never done one of the full grant writing things before.  I've only done little bitty letters of intent that limit the characters you may put into any area.  It becomes a game of being clear while being utterly concise.  A good exercise, actually.  It is far too easy to hide behind an excess of words.  I'm doing that right now I think. 

So.  If I get the revisions done tomorrow I shall take Friday off in celebration.  Allows me to get the final touches done on Monday and submit the thesis of doom. 

Or not.  Maybe my headache won't have left by then.  I woke up with this bastard, and while I've hit it with a lot of advil I can still feel it roaming around the edges of my consciousness.  I should go to bed but I want to do some decluttering before I do that.  I can't really work in my office.  That is stupid and wrong.  Argghhhh! Phone ringing.  I haven't had a phone in this office for about a year.  That is even more stupid and annoying.  I need to make someone fix that.