The plan this weekend is to get some things accomplished. First and foremost, I am hoping that our favorite handy man will come and fix the ceiling in one of our bedrooms. That would be neat. He does such good work and is reasonably priced. Can't beat that!
Meanwhile, I do have a show coming in to the Smith that I will be checking on - not running. Yippee! That ought to take two visits, one to check on a contractor and one to check on the group coming in. The rest of the day I can lounge around my house, working. Oh, wait, lounging isn't lounging if one is working, is it?
My Smith stuff to do at home is work on two items - first figuring out how exactly to spend some money we got from a grant. Second, work on a new grant - I would like to pick three items that would be handy and helpful to have around the Smith. I know what one of them is for sure, one is a definite maybe and the last - well that is going to take a little time and research. Then I have to write the grant up. Yippee!
Oh, I also need to pack up my tax stuff and my mom's tax stuff and send it off to Karl, my brother, the CPA. He has been doing our taxes for a long while. Yay! What a good guy he is. He barely charges us anything...
So far, so good - Justin is here working away - he also thinks he can add a gate and a higher railing to the hallway. And he brought a new heating element for the stove - so I might not have to get a new oven after all. Yippee! Yogurt time for mom and then I will head to the Smith for the first time today. Oh, and I have gotten some good work down on the new grant application - asking for two different tape rolling devices and a lighting instrument circuit checker. Woo hoo!!
Justin is done and the room looks great! He tried to fix the oven and was unsuccessful. And he thinks that he can put in a gate and a higher railing so that mom might feel a bit safer and won't be able to head down the stairs without asking me. That would be nice.
I am at the Smith getting ready for the show tonight. My current plan is to stay for about an hour - longer if necessary.
It turned into two hours. A surprise guest was there. I love Al. Glad he came - we might have gone a little faster if he hadn't been helping - but that's ok. He is fun to have around. We got everything started and I think they will be fine. At least that is what I learned from watching Shakespeare in Love. (Great movie)
Showing posts with label Karl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karl. Show all posts
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Lots of random memories
One of the reasons I enjoy sorting, sometimes, is the memories that are stimulated. Last night, I sorted through a shoebox full of four different things - check supplies from a few defunct accounts, address pieces of paper, business cards and fortune cookie fortunes. Yes, I save most all (yes most all) of my fortune cookie fortunes. When I run across one or a pile of them - since they are scattered through my belongings - I like to read a few of them and see what they say. I like the fortunes that are fortunes and not the ones that are silly statements. And I like to learn Chinese from the ones that have "learn Chinese" on the back. Ni hao, bai cai! (That means hello cabbage, I think.)
But the fortune cookies were the smallest part of the treasure trove I went through last night. Half of the contents were the checking supplies - I did not shred the checks. Somehow I can't get paranoid about checks from accounts that are defunct falling into the wrong hands! The evildoers at the recycling plant can have fun with those. In terms of mass, that was the largest part of the contents of the box - and they all went into the recycling bin. Yay.
The last two bits were the most interesting - the business cards and the address slips of paper. Lots of people turned up who I had not heard of or thought of for varying amounts of time. Old friends, old crushes, old acquaintances and lots of people I did not remember at all. Many of them went into the recycling bin as well. A few were retained so that maybe one day, I might try and google them to see if they are easily found. If not, oh well. If so, they might be worth an email to say hello. I figure if they are important in my life, they will be there (here), if not, not.
I also found a bunch of business cards of mine. And of friends. I think I have four from my friend Ellen in Seattle. Seven or so of mine from different stages of my life. Love it. Overall, a very positive sorting experience. Yay!
My brother and his kids left yesterday, vowing to return one day. Perhaps in three months (after the summer). Eeek!
The Smith beckoned again yesterday. David and I did more sorting and labeling and testing and such. We worked on sound - testing the various microphones and equipment that had accumulated in the storage closet over the years. Then we went to Wal-mart - ick - and got containers - plastic containers. I love containers. We stored some of the stuff we uncovered and were not brave enough to let go. Good fun and so rewarding. The closet looks pretty good for now. Yay!
Last night I saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes and though it was a pretty terrible movie, I am glad I saw it. Now I know how the Planet of the Apes became possible. Other than that, ick. I don't know why but very little about the movie appealed. I am not a big fan of Franco. I liked the lead woman but there seemed to be little chemistry between the two actors. The whole movie felt disjointed and choppy.
But the fortune cookies were the smallest part of the treasure trove I went through last night. Half of the contents were the checking supplies - I did not shred the checks. Somehow I can't get paranoid about checks from accounts that are defunct falling into the wrong hands! The evildoers at the recycling plant can have fun with those. In terms of mass, that was the largest part of the contents of the box - and they all went into the recycling bin. Yay.
The last two bits were the most interesting - the business cards and the address slips of paper. Lots of people turned up who I had not heard of or thought of for varying amounts of time. Old friends, old crushes, old acquaintances and lots of people I did not remember at all. Many of them went into the recycling bin as well. A few were retained so that maybe one day, I might try and google them to see if they are easily found. If not, oh well. If so, they might be worth an email to say hello. I figure if they are important in my life, they will be there (here), if not, not.
I also found a bunch of business cards of mine. And of friends. I think I have four from my friend Ellen in Seattle. Seven or so of mine from different stages of my life. Love it. Overall, a very positive sorting experience. Yay!
My brother and his kids left yesterday, vowing to return one day. Perhaps in three months (after the summer). Eeek!
The Smith beckoned again yesterday. David and I did more sorting and labeling and testing and such. We worked on sound - testing the various microphones and equipment that had accumulated in the storage closet over the years. Then we went to Wal-mart - ick - and got containers - plastic containers. I love containers. We stored some of the stuff we uncovered and were not brave enough to let go. Good fun and so rewarding. The closet looks pretty good for now. Yay!
Last night I saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes and though it was a pretty terrible movie, I am glad I saw it. Now I know how the Planet of the Apes became possible. Other than that, ick. I don't know why but very little about the movie appealed. I am not a big fan of Franco. I liked the lead woman but there seemed to be little chemistry between the two actors. The whole movie felt disjointed and choppy.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Tax is taxing
The day turned out to be a rainy one, here in lovely Geneva, NY. Not what had originally been forecast. But Karl wanted to go on his adventure anyway. Before time, though, we got a call from the Nursing place saying that they couldn't come at their scheduled time. What? Karl set that up a month ago, at least. I had spoken with someone at the service and Karl had also spoken on the phone in depth with someone and at 9:30 in the morning they discovered that they couldn't make their 10 am appointment? Karl told them that was unacceptable. They eventually came to a compromise of 3 in the afternoon - which gave Karl time to do his adventure.
When the whole group, Karl, three kids and mom, headed off to Wagner's Vineyard for lunch, I had the house to myself! What did I do? Walked naked to the bathroom! Yay! Then I went to the bank. Fully clothed by the way. And that was about all. Didn't really take advantage of, but did wallow a bit in, the silence and solitude!
The visit from the VPN (whatever that stands for) was ok. At first she had the wrong idea that we were looking for services from her - which we weren't. When she finally got the idea, she did a walk-through of the house with me and gave us some good suggestions. These were for when mom gets a little further down the slope into the abyss. I think I need to find a good carpenter!
As we were touring, I got a call from The Smith asking me to come in for a bit - which I did - to do some neatening and sorting. More today, actually, but got what I needed to get done yesterday. Yay!
Dinner was all me last night - we had chicken, corn on the cob, orange glop (sweet potato) and green beans. I think everyone enjoyed some parts of the meal. Well, I enjoyed the whole thing. As did mom. And Karl. I guess it was the kids who only enjoyed parts. Orange glop disappeared into Jenna's maw as quickly as it was put in front of her.
After dinner, I had my regular night out downtown. It was raining quite a bit and not as toasty as it could have been, so I drove down. Red Dove was pretty empty! Eeek! Good for me, but not good for the staff. Had a nice time chatting with the bartender. Sadly, I am not going to be going back for a while. There have been some shake-ups there. Manager stepping down, staff leaving, and most irksome, raising prices of their beer by adding tax. I knew the tax was there before, but it was invisible. A $4 beer was $4. Now, a $4 beer is $4.30. How is that good for the bartender? And why make people deal with change? Just short sighted and silly. If they want to raise their prices, just add $.25 or $.50 to everything - there would still be change, but it would be quarters only and the bartender could still get tipped easily. Whatever. There are other places for me to visit.
When the whole group, Karl, three kids and mom, headed off to Wagner's Vineyard for lunch, I had the house to myself! What did I do? Walked naked to the bathroom! Yay! Then I went to the bank. Fully clothed by the way. And that was about all. Didn't really take advantage of, but did wallow a bit in, the silence and solitude!
The visit from the VPN (whatever that stands for) was ok. At first she had the wrong idea that we were looking for services from her - which we weren't. When she finally got the idea, she did a walk-through of the house with me and gave us some good suggestions. These were for when mom gets a little further down the slope into the abyss. I think I need to find a good carpenter!
As we were touring, I got a call from The Smith asking me to come in for a bit - which I did - to do some neatening and sorting. More today, actually, but got what I needed to get done yesterday. Yay!
Dinner was all me last night - we had chicken, corn on the cob, orange glop (sweet potato) and green beans. I think everyone enjoyed some parts of the meal. Well, I enjoyed the whole thing. As did mom. And Karl. I guess it was the kids who only enjoyed parts. Orange glop disappeared into Jenna's maw as quickly as it was put in front of her.
After dinner, I had my regular night out downtown. It was raining quite a bit and not as toasty as it could have been, so I drove down. Red Dove was pretty empty! Eeek! Good for me, but not good for the staff. Had a nice time chatting with the bartender. Sadly, I am not going to be going back for a while. There have been some shake-ups there. Manager stepping down, staff leaving, and most irksome, raising prices of their beer by adding tax. I knew the tax was there before, but it was invisible. A $4 beer was $4. Now, a $4 beer is $4.30. How is that good for the bartender? And why make people deal with change? Just short sighted and silly. If they want to raise their prices, just add $.25 or $.50 to everything - there would still be change, but it would be quarters only and the bartender could still get tipped easily. Whatever. There are other places for me to visit.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
And then there were four?
I was wrong about the ages of my brother's kids - they are 4, 3 and 1. True, the oldest is almost 5, but not quite yet. And he manages them so well! I guess he got enough practice from the first three that these three are easy.
In three minutes, seemingly, with two people, my tasklets all got accomplished. This is one reason it is good to have a partner in life. Not that Karl, my brother, is my partner, but I am just saying. We moved a chair into the basement, a foam mattress thingie into the attic and I got up the motivation to go fix a fence - not as hard as it sounds. And it isn't really fixed. More like I put a figurative band-aid on the problem. Sadly, Karl laughed at me when I said that my plan was to clean up the habitable areas of the house first before taking on the basement and the attic and the garage/barn structure. Oh well. I will keep plugging along. A little bit at time and before one knows it, icky and huge tasks are completed! Speaking of which, anyone think I ought to keep electric typewriters or should I let them go to the recyclers?
Well, dinner was interesting. My brother cooked, which meant that I didn't. Yay! Not that I mind cooking, but anything I don't have to do, is fine by me. The kids are all at different stages of eating habits and tendencies. Karl handles them so well! Then, Jacob let slip that Candace is pregnant again. That will make four babies and counting. That's all I am going to say. (Thankfully, I think mom has forgotten already...)
I don't mind chaos. Really, I don't. And I don't mind craziness. Disruption of routine, fine. All in moderation as I know that this too shall pass. Last night for a little but I just felt really intolerant. But I breathed through it.
Mom hasn't let on as to whether or not she is enjoying all of the stimulation. When she has a better audience than I am, she exaggerates her infirmity. I know that she is not as firm on her pins as she once was, but she is not as incapable as she likes to make people think. Sigh. She did become exhausted, that much is sure.
We went to see Star Trek: Into Darkness. It was a sort of remake of the television Original Series episode where Khan is introduced. I enjoyed the movie, all things considered. Not loved it, like my brother, but enjoyed it. I didn't like the costumes at all. Is that too picky? I am not thrilled with any of the characters/actors except Spock and Uhura - so happy they are in a relationship! And it it no way explores difficult social issues in a serious way like the original series and to a lesser extent the other series did. Still, not too bad. Glad I saw it on a big screen. I could tell that they did a good bit for 3d versions of the film but I don't think we lost too much by seeing it in 2d. One thing that irks me is the gratuitous use of aliens in the movie. Who is the little critter who is a coworker of Scotty's? Who is the cyborg on the bridge? What kind of alien was the one we glimpse in the detention area? And others. The Klingons looked pretty scary and they had bat'leths. Does anyone know if the Klingon in the movie is the same as it has always been? (I think it was...)
In three minutes, seemingly, with two people, my tasklets all got accomplished. This is one reason it is good to have a partner in life. Not that Karl, my brother, is my partner, but I am just saying. We moved a chair into the basement, a foam mattress thingie into the attic and I got up the motivation to go fix a fence - not as hard as it sounds. And it isn't really fixed. More like I put a figurative band-aid on the problem. Sadly, Karl laughed at me when I said that my plan was to clean up the habitable areas of the house first before taking on the basement and the attic and the garage/barn structure. Oh well. I will keep plugging along. A little bit at time and before one knows it, icky and huge tasks are completed! Speaking of which, anyone think I ought to keep electric typewriters or should I let them go to the recyclers?
Well, dinner was interesting. My brother cooked, which meant that I didn't. Yay! Not that I mind cooking, but anything I don't have to do, is fine by me. The kids are all at different stages of eating habits and tendencies. Karl handles them so well! Then, Jacob let slip that Candace is pregnant again. That will make four babies and counting. That's all I am going to say. (Thankfully, I think mom has forgotten already...)
I don't mind chaos. Really, I don't. And I don't mind craziness. Disruption of routine, fine. All in moderation as I know that this too shall pass. Last night for a little but I just felt really intolerant. But I breathed through it.
Mom hasn't let on as to whether or not she is enjoying all of the stimulation. When she has a better audience than I am, she exaggerates her infirmity. I know that she is not as firm on her pins as she once was, but she is not as incapable as she likes to make people think. Sigh. She did become exhausted, that much is sure.
We went to see Star Trek: Into Darkness. It was a sort of remake of the television Original Series episode where Khan is introduced. I enjoyed the movie, all things considered. Not loved it, like my brother, but enjoyed it. I didn't like the costumes at all. Is that too picky? I am not thrilled with any of the characters/actors except Spock and Uhura - so happy they are in a relationship! And it it no way explores difficult social issues in a serious way like the original series and to a lesser extent the other series did. Still, not too bad. Glad I saw it on a big screen. I could tell that they did a good bit for 3d versions of the film but I don't think we lost too much by seeing it in 2d. One thing that irks me is the gratuitous use of aliens in the movie. Who is the little critter who is a coworker of Scotty's? Who is the cyborg on the bridge? What kind of alien was the one we glimpse in the detention area? And others. The Klingons looked pretty scary and they had bat'leths. Does anyone know if the Klingon in the movie is the same as it has always been? (I think it was...)
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Karl's Visit!
We just didn't have enough for Karl to do on his visit here. Oh well. We had a decent list and he accomplished those tasks and a few more besides. Our own handy man! Let's see. Starting outside and working in: he put the side porch away and cleaned it off. He is taking a few old typewriters home with him as he thinks there might be a market for them on eBay. Then he repaired the front door which had a broken pane of glass. Cleaned up a pile of junk that our paid handyman had created and had yet to clean up. Filled the bird feeder. Then inside he fixed a door in mom's room that was irking me - mom has a closet that she uses for mothballing things - unfortunately the door and the house were conspiring to make it impossible to close, which meant that mom had a bit of mothball miasma in her room. Ick. We leveled the oven and a cabinet in the kitchen and he helped me rearrange furniture in my room, which is making me even happier! Then he helped mom sort a bit. The greatest thing he did, though, was spend a lot of time with mom. Partially, this allowed me to have a bit of my own time, more than I normally get in a day! Yippee!
Other than Karl doing lots of stuff yesterday, we had lunch of leftovers and a dinner or tortellini with alfredo sauce, asparagus, an eggroll and garlic toast. And Karl tried to watch Iron Man 2 on Netflix through the new to us DVD player. For some reason it just wasn't working all that well. I don't know why. Maybe I need a faster wireless router. We shall see. Not high on my priority list just this second. Oh, Karl and I also went downtown for a beer. I haven't been out on a Saturday night that late for a long time. Mostly because I don't like crowds. But Downtown wasn't all that crowded. We went to Red Dove Tavern and had a lovely time. Erin was happy to see me. Abby the bartender said he wanted us to remember him to our mother. We shared some pretty yummy french fries and had a couple of beers. On the way home, a woman came running up to us and said "you had dinner at Torrey Park last night! Hello!" Small town, gotta love it!
And that is about it. He heads off to CT in just a little bit. But it was great having him!
Pictures from November 12, 2011:
Other than Karl doing lots of stuff yesterday, we had lunch of leftovers and a dinner or tortellini with alfredo sauce, asparagus, an eggroll and garlic toast. And Karl tried to watch Iron Man 2 on Netflix through the new to us DVD player. For some reason it just wasn't working all that well. I don't know why. Maybe I need a faster wireless router. We shall see. Not high on my priority list just this second. Oh, Karl and I also went downtown for a beer. I haven't been out on a Saturday night that late for a long time. Mostly because I don't like crowds. But Downtown wasn't all that crowded. We went to Red Dove Tavern and had a lovely time. Erin was happy to see me. Abby the bartender said he wanted us to remember him to our mother. We shared some pretty yummy french fries and had a couple of beers. On the way home, a woman came running up to us and said "you had dinner at Torrey Park last night! Hello!" Small town, gotta love it!
And that is about it. He heads off to CT in just a little bit. But it was great having him!
Pictures from November 12, 2011:
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| Karl and Mom ready to eat |
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| The put-to-bed porch |
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| Look mom, no pile! |
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| Someday I will paint this... |
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| Yum! I do enjoy food now and again... |
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