I'm feeling disappointed after getting together with Toni and Kelly. There are fewer adults, and Toni is LOUD, and in a smaller group than what we once had she's just freaking oppressively loud. So I'm pondering producing a get together next year apres Christmas. Or not participating at all.
It's sad that Bob left, it's sad Diane left, it's sad Mom and Dad are dead. The kids aren't adults yet with spouses and kids of their own. It's a thin patch.
Odd feelings today. And I ought to consider taking down the Christmas decorations, which seems like nothing I want to do.
The buildup to Christmas is always so pleasant, it's like gentle foreplay. Then, suddenly, you're cold, naked and dripping semen. See you next year.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Home again
Waiting to de-stress from the drive up and back to and from Kelly's house.
I didn't really enjoy myself and I'm thinking that this was the last year I'm going to participate. It's just too fucking far to drive. It's sad that Bob moved out from their house.
I've always found Toni entertaining, but tonight she was just loud. Toni's very loud, perpetual monologue.
It was nice to see Kelly. Brent is GROWN. Carly gets taller and taller. Toni's girls are like miniature Tonis.
The drive home was awful. I just hate driving. I don't especially like this area, but Orange County doesn't really exist anymore. It's all incredibly built up.
I didn't really enjoy myself and I'm thinking that this was the last year I'm going to participate. It's just too fucking far to drive. It's sad that Bob moved out from their house.
I've always found Toni entertaining, but tonight she was just loud. Toni's very loud, perpetual monologue.
It was nice to see Kelly. Brent is GROWN. Carly gets taller and taller. Toni's girls are like miniature Tonis.
The drive home was awful. I just hate driving. I don't especially like this area, but Orange County doesn't really exist anymore. It's all incredibly built up.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
From an e-mail to Kelly
I bought another half-ham at the local good butcher shop. We had one over Thanksgiving, too. Flynn and I thought it was incredible. Cassidy was not impressed. The cats were beside themselves over the ham. I had it wrapped in foil paper, and every time I do anything with foil paper they'll both instantly materialize at the sound of it. "Ham? Ham? Any ham?" say the cats, in unison.
I finally got around to planting three "shrub roses" which I'd had for months. And a collection of bedding plants. And a couple of shrimp plants. And a culphea. And some stray bulbs. So, for me, that was tremendous progress.
I've been buying four bins (a day, sometimes) at Target, those 70-quart/65-liter bins with lids that clamp onto the bin. And putting any and all clutter in them. I'm within three or four more bins of containing ALL our clutter. I'm excited about the idea. I wonder if Target is open tomorrow, Christmas Day..? Certainly they'll be open on Tuesday morning.
I want one more bin for the stock air intake and filter that came with the truck. I had them replaced. I think that Flynn's saxophone and trumpet will both fit in another bin. A third bin can hold all things painting related (except paint).
I already have a bin for hardware and a bin for toys (including two Razor scooters) and a bin for garden items and tools and plant food. Another bin has the power tools in it.
I finally rounded up ALL the aluminum cans. It always seems like a good idea to set them aside, then after nine months or a year you have a MOUNTAIN of aluminum cans, and it seems that whenever I go to try and turn them in the little scruffy guy at the recycling storage container isn't there... probably off frying a muskrat or something.
And one more bin for camping items. Better add that to the list.
This morning I woke up around 2:30 and didn't go back to sleep. Went out to the bagel place and bought a dozen bagels and a large coffee. Split the coffee 80/20 with Flynn.
Diane came by with Gail and Theresa to pick up the kids. Flynn and I washed her car. Not happy with Diane driving the kids anywhere.
I ought to do a partial water change on the big aquarium. I actually thought of making a cheesecake earlier today, I believe I have all the ingredients, but the last few times I've made that recipe it's just unbelievably heavy. Hmm, I have a recipe for a "pumpkin chiffon cheesecake" that I intended to make earlier this fall... I wonder if I can find it?
I finally got around to planting three "shrub roses" which I'd had for months. And a collection of bedding plants. And a couple of shrimp plants. And a culphea. And some stray bulbs. So, for me, that was tremendous progress.
I've been buying four bins (a day, sometimes) at Target, those 70-quart/65-liter bins with lids that clamp onto the bin. And putting any and all clutter in them. I'm within three or four more bins of containing ALL our clutter. I'm excited about the idea. I wonder if Target is open tomorrow, Christmas Day..? Certainly they'll be open on Tuesday morning.
I want one more bin for the stock air intake and filter that came with the truck. I had them replaced. I think that Flynn's saxophone and trumpet will both fit in another bin. A third bin can hold all things painting related (except paint).
I already have a bin for hardware and a bin for toys (including two Razor scooters) and a bin for garden items and tools and plant food. Another bin has the power tools in it.
I finally rounded up ALL the aluminum cans. It always seems like a good idea to set them aside, then after nine months or a year you have a MOUNTAIN of aluminum cans, and it seems that whenever I go to try and turn them in the little scruffy guy at the recycling storage container isn't there... probably off frying a muskrat or something.
And one more bin for camping items. Better add that to the list.
This morning I woke up around 2:30 and didn't go back to sleep. Went out to the bagel place and bought a dozen bagels and a large coffee. Split the coffee 80/20 with Flynn.
Diane came by with Gail and Theresa to pick up the kids. Flynn and I washed her car. Not happy with Diane driving the kids anywhere.
I ought to do a partial water change on the big aquarium. I actually thought of making a cheesecake earlier today, I believe I have all the ingredients, but the last few times I've made that recipe it's just unbelievably heavy. Hmm, I have a recipe for a "pumpkin chiffon cheesecake" that I intended to make earlier this fall... I wonder if I can find it?
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Ping pong
Filled up the new plastic bins I bought yesterday morning at Target. And there's STILL clutter without a home. I'm thinking of returning to Target yet again and buying still more plastic bins.
I'd originally had two in mind for the kid's stuff, their school papers and all that, just collect it in a plastic bin apiece.
Maybe four more plastic bins will contain everything that's still without a home. I have a wall of plastic bins in my bedroom, now, which contain everything I own that I can fit into a plastic bin. At least things are picked up for a change.
Need to attend to the aquarium today or tomorrow. I bought water to do a partial water change with yesterday.
The Carbon Monoxide alarm went off last night so I ventilated the house. That was a scary surprise. Need to clean out the fireplace today, also.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Monday is Christmas. No word from Kelly or Toni about getting together after Christmas. I haven't suggested a date or place, either. Mea culpa.
Flynn helped me wash the truck yesterday afternoon. Looks nice. Need to detail the chrome and glass. Way more chrome than I'd have chosen on the truck. Looks a bit flashy for me.
I do enjoy the truck. We never really go anywhere, but I enjoy driving the truck. The Prius was a fun little gadget, but there was something about it that wasn't exactly satisfying. The truck is better. I feel more secure in the truck. I did not feel secure in the Prius.
I think I'll go braid my hair and get my shoes and socks on and be ready to go to Target at eight o'clock. Buy some more plastic bins. No. More. Clutter.
Well, at least stick it all in some plastic bins so it all looks picked up, at least. When I emptied the bookshelf the garage was awash with loose clutter, burying the ping pong table.
I made enough progress yesterday that we were able to PLAY ping pong for the first time in forever! It was fun, too!!!
There is just a bit more loose clutter that really could use a home. I want to buy more plastic bins to hold it all. Keep it all contained and picked up. A stack of plastic bins is easier to look at and manage than a mountain of loose clutter.
I'd originally had two in mind for the kid's stuff, their school papers and all that, just collect it in a plastic bin apiece.
Maybe four more plastic bins will contain everything that's still without a home. I have a wall of plastic bins in my bedroom, now, which contain everything I own that I can fit into a plastic bin. At least things are picked up for a change.
Need to attend to the aquarium today or tomorrow. I bought water to do a partial water change with yesterday.
The Carbon Monoxide alarm went off last night so I ventilated the house. That was a scary surprise. Need to clean out the fireplace today, also.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Monday is Christmas. No word from Kelly or Toni about getting together after Christmas. I haven't suggested a date or place, either. Mea culpa.
Flynn helped me wash the truck yesterday afternoon. Looks nice. Need to detail the chrome and glass. Way more chrome than I'd have chosen on the truck. Looks a bit flashy for me.
I do enjoy the truck. We never really go anywhere, but I enjoy driving the truck. The Prius was a fun little gadget, but there was something about it that wasn't exactly satisfying. The truck is better. I feel more secure in the truck. I did not feel secure in the Prius.
I think I'll go braid my hair and get my shoes and socks on and be ready to go to Target at eight o'clock. Buy some more plastic bins. No. More. Clutter.
Well, at least stick it all in some plastic bins so it all looks picked up, at least. When I emptied the bookshelf the garage was awash with loose clutter, burying the ping pong table.
I made enough progress yesterday that we were able to PLAY ping pong for the first time in forever! It was fun, too!!!
There is just a bit more loose clutter that really could use a home. I want to buy more plastic bins to hold it all. Keep it all contained and picked up. A stack of plastic bins is easier to look at and manage than a mountain of loose clutter.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Speaker wire
Yesterday I finally got around to re-wiring the rear speakers.
After Diane had left, I set out to secure a modern home entertainment system. My stereo was given away. I wanted something made by Sony with a center audio channel. Found that, dragged it home, set it up.
The wires leading to the rear speakers were a problem, the kids kept tripping on them. I went through one cheaply-made curly wire bridge. Gave up on the whole idea for a while. Found another much heavier wire bridge, a lovely (not) shade of black rubber. Anyway. Bought two spools (requiring two trips, argh) of Radio Shack stranded 18 gauge speaker wire. Finaly got around to DOING it yesterday.
What was the delay about? Once I'd purchased and set up the entertainment center and the big television two years ago, I found that I had to get another receiver from DirecTV to receive local television channels in High Definition, something like that. I was sick of fooling around with it. And the VCR operates on Video 4 input. I couldn't figure it out, really, it was work, not like in the old days when I was single. And childless.
Anyway, I finally got around to it and got it done, and IT WORKS!!! Which I'm happy about. I like having the rear channel sound functioning.
Had to jump up and go stir some turkey breakfast sausage I'm cooking.
Ten to six. Put my hair in a braid and put my shoes and socks on. Shaved and brushed my hair earlier. Put on clean clothes.
Another day. Another Christmas vacation day. Pick up the ribs, see if Target has any more of those plastic bins which appear to hold the key to organization for me, buy water at the market... more bread, stuff like that. Replace the backup bottle of chocolate syrup.
Maybe get around to planting some flowers today. Or even adding soil to the planter boxes I'd rebuilt (since they were splitting). Or trimming the bougainvillea. The inconquerable bougainvillea. Ah! What I really meant to remember to get around to is digging up and amending and possibly planting that little triangular patch of soil just inside the black gate. It's gotten rather ratty and needs attention. I think I'll get around to planting the two surviving shrimp plants and some culphea right there, also. Maybe not the culphea. Might keep that outside of the black gate.
I might as well dig up the two deceased white roses, too. Wait until the good nursery has roses available again and replace them, if possible. I dug them up to have the fountain wired. Too bad. Didn't intend to kill them off.
After Diane had left, I set out to secure a modern home entertainment system. My stereo was given away. I wanted something made by Sony with a center audio channel. Found that, dragged it home, set it up.
The wires leading to the rear speakers were a problem, the kids kept tripping on them. I went through one cheaply-made curly wire bridge. Gave up on the whole idea for a while. Found another much heavier wire bridge, a lovely (not) shade of black rubber. Anyway. Bought two spools (requiring two trips, argh) of Radio Shack stranded 18 gauge speaker wire. Finaly got around to DOING it yesterday.
What was the delay about? Once I'd purchased and set up the entertainment center and the big television two years ago, I found that I had to get another receiver from DirecTV to receive local television channels in High Definition, something like that. I was sick of fooling around with it. And the VCR operates on Video 4 input. I couldn't figure it out, really, it was work, not like in the old days when I was single. And childless.
Anyway, I finally got around to it and got it done, and IT WORKS!!! Which I'm happy about. I like having the rear channel sound functioning.
Had to jump up and go stir some turkey breakfast sausage I'm cooking.
Ten to six. Put my hair in a braid and put my shoes and socks on. Shaved and brushed my hair earlier. Put on clean clothes.
Another day. Another Christmas vacation day. Pick up the ribs, see if Target has any more of those plastic bins which appear to hold the key to organization for me, buy water at the market... more bread, stuff like that. Replace the backup bottle of chocolate syrup.
Maybe get around to planting some flowers today. Or even adding soil to the planter boxes I'd rebuilt (since they were splitting). Or trimming the bougainvillea. The inconquerable bougainvillea. Ah! What I really meant to remember to get around to is digging up and amending and possibly planting that little triangular patch of soil just inside the black gate. It's gotten rather ratty and needs attention. I think I'll get around to planting the two surviving shrimp plants and some culphea right there, also. Maybe not the culphea. Might keep that outside of the black gate.
I might as well dig up the two deceased white roses, too. Wait until the good nursery has roses available again and replace them, if possible. I dug them up to have the fountain wired. Too bad. Didn't intend to kill them off.
Clothes for Cassidy
Hanna Andersson was having a sale and I ordered Cassidy three t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, a new pair of shoes, some socks and I think that might be all. For less than $120 shipped. Which isn't bad at all. She'd been asking for new jeans. I'll probably have to hem those. That was a pretty good deal overall.
It would be splendid to see so much as one penny from Diane to help with the kids. I have enough unprocessed angry regarding Diane already without having her being a fucking deadbeat on top of it all.
I woke up very early again this morning. Or last night.
I'd like to stop at Target again this morning and buy more of those plastic storage bins if they have any in stock. Contain clutter in those bins. I want to tame the garage. It's depressing having it super messy.
What else? Managed to sleep through the second half of the football game last night, and all of Survivor. I routinely fall asleep on the couch about five minutes after I sit down. I always think the same thought "it feels so good to sit down!" and that's about all there is. Then I wake up about three hours later and get the kids in bed.
Well, let's see. Too early to do anything just yet, already read e-mail and visited my usual web sites and played Inselkampf, that online game that's slow to play -- I'm still developing my resources and infrastructure. In two and a half more hours I'll be ready to upgrade another component.
Go pick up half a ham at Bisher's this morning. And stop at the market and buy water and a few other items. Then stay home.
I haven't heard from Toni or Kelly about getting together after Christmas. Diane and her friend Gail are going to drive the kids to and from Diane's parent's house on Christmas Eve.
We'll be at home Christmas Day. After that we may go and see Kelly and Toni and their kids. Or not. I haven't talked to Toni in a long, long time. Kelly and I will sometimes e-mail one another. I like hearing from her.
What else? That's about all.
It's nice having this time off. Mailed the Christmas cards yesterday, that was the final thing I had to get done, I believe. Felt relieved.
It would be splendid to see so much as one penny from Diane to help with the kids. I have enough unprocessed angry regarding Diane already without having her being a fucking deadbeat on top of it all.
I woke up very early again this morning. Or last night.
I'd like to stop at Target again this morning and buy more of those plastic storage bins if they have any in stock. Contain clutter in those bins. I want to tame the garage. It's depressing having it super messy.
What else? Managed to sleep through the second half of the football game last night, and all of Survivor. I routinely fall asleep on the couch about five minutes after I sit down. I always think the same thought "it feels so good to sit down!" and that's about all there is. Then I wake up about three hours later and get the kids in bed.
Well, let's see. Too early to do anything just yet, already read e-mail and visited my usual web sites and played Inselkampf, that online game that's slow to play -- I'm still developing my resources and infrastructure. In two and a half more hours I'll be ready to upgrade another component.
Go pick up half a ham at Bisher's this morning. And stop at the market and buy water and a few other items. Then stay home.
I haven't heard from Toni or Kelly about getting together after Christmas. Diane and her friend Gail are going to drive the kids to and from Diane's parent's house on Christmas Eve.
We'll be at home Christmas Day. After that we may go and see Kelly and Toni and their kids. Or not. I haven't talked to Toni in a long, long time. Kelly and I will sometimes e-mail one another. I like hearing from her.
What else? That's about all.
It's nice having this time off. Mailed the Christmas cards yesterday, that was the final thing I had to get done, I believe. Felt relieved.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The Next Day
I'm thinking of heading to Target to buy a couple more of those big plastic bins. These would be to try and tame the garage, which is a big mess right now. I kind of like the idea. The bin idea, not the big mess idea.
Yesterday morning I dragged the kids to Petco to buy more cat food, then we had bagels at the bagel place. Nice not to be rushed.
It's five to eight, I ought to zip down to Target. I also wanted to mail Christmas cards. Which the kids have yet to sign. I'm not sure that Cassidy is awake at this time. Hmm.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Planted the roses at last
The three "shrub roses" I had seen at the good nursery in Poway (the small one) in September. Came back for them in October. Tried to decide where to plant them. Finally planted them today. Nearly the solstice.
The Japanese ferns I'd ordered from Burpee arrived half-dead and didn't improve from there. One of them wintered over but that was that.
Hopefully the shrub roses will do well in their new spots. The shrub roses have pinkish-red flowers. And very sharp and determined fucking thorns.
Very pleased to get those in the ground at last. Blessed each of them with a 4-gallon bucket of Superthrive and some kind of mysterious kelp-derived plant food. Watered out in front with one of those Miracle Grow plant food units.
The two Culpheas I'd planted out in front look a bit anemic. That whole area needs more water in general. From August on it's just too fucking hot to do anything in the garden. From August until... December. At the earliest.
I wish that the house had foot-thick adobe walls in the summer months.
Now it's nearly winter. Glad to have a fire in the fireplace. Nice and warm. One of the cats sleeps on the corner of the electric blanket.
The Japanese ferns I'd ordered from Burpee arrived half-dead and didn't improve from there. One of them wintered over but that was that.
Hopefully the shrub roses will do well in their new spots. The shrub roses have pinkish-red flowers. And very sharp and determined fucking thorns.
Very pleased to get those in the ground at last. Blessed each of them with a 4-gallon bucket of Superthrive and some kind of mysterious kelp-derived plant food. Watered out in front with one of those Miracle Grow plant food units.
The two Culpheas I'd planted out in front look a bit anemic. That whole area needs more water in general. From August on it's just too fucking hot to do anything in the garden. From August until... December. At the earliest.
I wish that the house had foot-thick adobe walls in the summer months.
Now it's nearly winter. Glad to have a fire in the fireplace. Nice and warm. One of the cats sleeps on the corner of the electric blanket.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Reorganized the web pages
Although most of the content is on blogger.com and most of the images are on flickr.com. Blogger is certainly more convenient than all those stray text files I once had.
Found an old (2002) spaceways.net intro Flash file I had, used that for a top later. Cassidy's teacher had one of those chunky classroom world maps on display when I was there for the "holiday feast" and I took a photo of the Southwest US and modified it.
That's about all. Plug in content. No reason to change or tweak things further at this point, if ever. I feel so organized. The garage should be as organized as the web pages. At least I don't have mountains of boxes and bins of stuff to keep things on the web pages or on the computer.
Satisfied that the web pages are cleaned up.
Woke up very early again this morning, about three.
Time to go and do something else now.
Found an old (2002) spaceways.net intro Flash file I had, used that for a top later. Cassidy's teacher had one of those chunky classroom world maps on display when I was there for the "holiday feast" and I took a photo of the Southwest US and modified it.
That's about all. Plug in content. No reason to change or tweak things further at this point, if ever. I feel so organized. The garage should be as organized as the web pages. At least I don't have mountains of boxes and bins of stuff to keep things on the web pages or on the computer.
Satisfied that the web pages are cleaned up.
Woke up very early again this morning, about three.
Time to go and do something else now.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Camera and sunglasses both broken
I managed to DROP the camera. It's semi-functional. Then a liter bottle of water I had stored on top of the refrigerator came crashing down, FLATTENING my sunglasses and knocking a glass off the counter, which broke into a zillion pieces. So I was cleaning that up while I was missing Monday Night Football. And I have NO sunglasses, which I am NOT pleased about. And the fucking kitchen light seems to only light intermittently, it needs new ballast, that is not in the budget.
This month the oven crapped out and had to be repaired, the kids went to the dentist at the end of November and the cost was $475, which was far more than I'd anticipated.
I did order wine and firewood.
Now I need to get my sunglasses fixed. Dr. Lee's office is CLOSED on Tuesdays, is it not..? SHIT. I do not want to set foot outside without sunglasses, no kidding.
The dishwasher was acting up last month, also. And the light. And the oven. I do not want to try and replace the ballast in the overhead light on my own.
Oh well.
Four more days until the kid's Christmas vacation. Flynn was home sick yesterday. I hope that he feels better today.
5:30 and I'm out of web sites to visit and read. Got thrown in "Time Out" on Stern Fan Network, not planning on returning there. Too bad, I was spending a lot of time there.
One bad thing after another. Hang in there.
This month the oven crapped out and had to be repaired, the kids went to the dentist at the end of November and the cost was $475, which was far more than I'd anticipated.
I did order wine and firewood.
Now I need to get my sunglasses fixed. Dr. Lee's office is CLOSED on Tuesdays, is it not..? SHIT. I do not want to set foot outside without sunglasses, no kidding.
The dishwasher was acting up last month, also. And the light. And the oven. I do not want to try and replace the ballast in the overhead light on my own.
Oh well.
Four more days until the kid's Christmas vacation. Flynn was home sick yesterday. I hope that he feels better today.
5:30 and I'm out of web sites to visit and read. Got thrown in "Time Out" on Stern Fan Network, not planning on returning there. Too bad, I was spending a lot of time there.
One bad thing after another. Hang in there.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Rain last night
Late last night. It rains at night here. Pretty good rain. Midnightish.
Felt better hearing the rain, feel better seeing the clouds this morning. I hope that it's not 80 degrees again today. I get fucking sick of the heat by December. Why doesn't it rain more here..?
Flynn is going to Zack Ross' birthday party today from 11 to 1, so Cassidy and I will run some errands during that time.
Then back home again. One more week of school until Christmas vacation. Two weeks off. Looking forward to that. A break.
Felt better hearing the rain, feel better seeing the clouds this morning. I hope that it's not 80 degrees again today. I get fucking sick of the heat by December. Why doesn't it rain more here..?
Flynn is going to Zack Ross' birthday party today from 11 to 1, so Cassidy and I will run some errands during that time.
Then back home again. One more week of school until Christmas vacation. Two weeks off. Looking forward to that. A break.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Had half a cord of eucalyptus delivered last Friday. Three cases of cheap Italian wine were delivered yesterday. I feel wealthy and semi-secure having those things. The firewood is splinterly and super-dry. Burns well. Hardwood, burns hot. Good value. It's also really gorgeous to look at.
Having a supply of firewood is one of the best feelings around. These final few weeks before the winter solstice when it keeps getting darker earlier and earlier do not make me happy nor comfortable. A fire in the fireplace is the ultimate psychic defense. A rainy day without a fire in the fireplace is a missed opportunity.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Tuesday
Here I sit.
In Illustrator I listed the next twenty years and how old the kids will be in each year. And myself. Which was sobering.
Another five years and Flynn will be 18. In ten more years Cassidy will be 18.
Depressing and sobering information on that list I made. There it is. Don't expect a different ending than what everyone else gets.
I'm taking care of the kids now. Not a penny of support from Diane.
The endless insecure feeling of dangling by a thread. Will we get to keep this house? Will the divorce ever be settled..? Could Diane just not fucking kill herself..? Does Hallmark make a card I could send her to suggest that..?
Had the kids home last week for Thanksgiving vacation. Enjoyed that a lot.
Nearly out of firewood. The kid's visit to the dentist yesterday was $475. Which kind of precludes firewood at this time.
Or ordering wine from winelibrary.com. Good wine at low prices, deadly high shipping costs, though.
Diane gave me insurance cards for the kids that cover medical, dental and vision. I don't want to use them. I don't want anything to do with Diane. I want Diane to go far away and stay wherever she goes.
Maybe I'll get busy and re-paint the laundry room. And start on the kitchen. Which I thought I'd have painted over Thanksgiving vacation.
I was wrapping another gift or two this morning. I like seeing the pile of wrapped gifts in the corner of the bedroom.
I'm looking forward to getting a Christmas tree. I love Christmas. I put up the Christmas lights on Saturday, waaaay up on top of the extension ladder. That is intense. New string of "D" lights, the kind Dad used to put on the outside of the house. The big, old-fashioned ones. I had put up "C" lights in years past.
This string of lights blink, which I kind of like. I remember a transparent green light bulb that blinked on some of our old, like Mom and Dad old, Christmas lights.
The kids are still young enough to enjoy Christmas. I love to put up the decorations and play Christmas music, especially The Roches' "We Three Kings," my favorite Christmas music. And the Vince Guaraldi Peanuts Christmas music. And watch Christmas shows like How The Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Time to go do something else. Chilly this morning. Nice change.
In Illustrator I listed the next twenty years and how old the kids will be in each year. And myself. Which was sobering.
Another five years and Flynn will be 18. In ten more years Cassidy will be 18.
Depressing and sobering information on that list I made. There it is. Don't expect a different ending than what everyone else gets.
I'm taking care of the kids now. Not a penny of support from Diane.
The endless insecure feeling of dangling by a thread. Will we get to keep this house? Will the divorce ever be settled..? Could Diane just not fucking kill herself..? Does Hallmark make a card I could send her to suggest that..?
Had the kids home last week for Thanksgiving vacation. Enjoyed that a lot.
Nearly out of firewood. The kid's visit to the dentist yesterday was $475. Which kind of precludes firewood at this time.
Or ordering wine from winelibrary.com. Good wine at low prices, deadly high shipping costs, though.
Diane gave me insurance cards for the kids that cover medical, dental and vision. I don't want to use them. I don't want anything to do with Diane. I want Diane to go far away and stay wherever she goes.
Maybe I'll get busy and re-paint the laundry room. And start on the kitchen. Which I thought I'd have painted over Thanksgiving vacation.
I was wrapping another gift or two this morning. I like seeing the pile of wrapped gifts in the corner of the bedroom.
I'm looking forward to getting a Christmas tree. I love Christmas. I put up the Christmas lights on Saturday, waaaay up on top of the extension ladder. That is intense. New string of "D" lights, the kind Dad used to put on the outside of the house. The big, old-fashioned ones. I had put up "C" lights in years past.
This string of lights blink, which I kind of like. I remember a transparent green light bulb that blinked on some of our old, like Mom and Dad old, Christmas lights.
The kids are still young enough to enjoy Christmas. I love to put up the decorations and play Christmas music, especially The Roches' "We Three Kings," my favorite Christmas music. And the Vince Guaraldi Peanuts Christmas music. And watch Christmas shows like How The Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Time to go do something else. Chilly this morning. Nice change.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Heard from the lawyer. Trial date in November or December? I e-mailed a mediator. What does Diane want? I don't have any more money for more lawyer fees. They blew through four thousand dollars, I'm unsure what on. Not impressed at all with the lawyer.
I want the house. You can borrow against my equity in it. BTW you owe me twenty thousand dollars. And how about some help with the kids? Thanks for no money. So far.
Marriage is a trap.
I'll need to vacuum one of these days. I doubt that will please the cats.
I want the house. You can borrow against my equity in it. BTW you owe me twenty thousand dollars. And how about some help with the kids? Thanks for no money. So far.
Marriage is a trap.
I'll need to vacuum one of these days. I doubt that will please the cats.
Friday, October 06, 2006
First full day of the Cat Era
The kids are at school. Mr. B is sleeping next to the small aquarium on my desk. Trixie is hiding under Cassidy's bed.
Life is better with the cats here. They've brought cooler weather with them. They are beautiful cats. Cassidy is wild about them.
Life is better with the cats here. They've brought cooler weather with them. They are beautiful cats. Cassidy is wild about them.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Friday
I'm 48 now. Cloudy out this morning. Bought some switchplate covers at Home Depot. Finished painting the large wall red yesterday. Took three days. Tired of painting. Still need to paint the mantle and replace it on the wall.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Another iMac
Ordered another iMac identical to the other one. Do I need to buy another copy of Windows?? I hope not.
That ought to end the whining about "The PC" as the kids call it. Fuck Windows. Shitty OS. It's a Mac.
What now? Bought some yellow-orange paint and I painted a couple of the walls in the laundry room.
The screen door looks good, the newly-painted formerly-dark threshold looks good. I finished off the patch on the back of the house and that looks good. I spray painted the plastic table from God knows how long ago with some spray paint meant for plastic. Looks pretty good. It was fucked up.
I ought to dump that propane tank somewhere. Or open the valve and let the propane out. Or use the gas up... by running both burners on the stove for a year..? I've had that tank for ten years, I think. Sheesh.
Today is Friday. Thank God. Yeah, as if my schedule is so stressful... Cassidy said "I can't stand the pressure!" this morning and that cracked me up... loads of pressure in second grade, I'm certain...
The second PC ought to make life easier. Less squabbling.
What else? Three more hours until Cassidy arrives home.
I wonder if Flynn is going to mock the yellow color I painted the laundry room? I think that it looks cheerful.
I ought to pull the corned beef out of the freezer. Although I was planning on preparing ribs for Diane and Flynn for lunch tomorrow. Hopefully Diane won't ask for a ride over and back. That really fucks up Saturday. And I fucking HATE that part of town, Mira Mesa. Nearly as filthy as Anaheim. Yuck. Ugly houses, too much traffic, no reason to be there... it's badly planned. I don't want any part of it.
I was going to smoke the ribs... incinerated some ribs the last time I tried that. I still have most of a box of hardwood chips for smoking in the garage somewhere. Fucking up ribs is expensive.
What else? I ought to vacuum Flynn's room. Or address some bills. This has been a bad month for money.
Or maybe trim some of the tomatoes.. or transplant that one tomato that's still growing. Or mow the lawn... always something to do at home. Good to keep busy.
If I don't think "It feels so good to sit down" at the end of the day when I finally sit down, then I haven't been busy enough that day...
Sitting here listening to a Howard Stern replay. I ought to break down the tomato planters. Try that again next year, maybe.
Waiting for a quote on cutting a drain between War and Cor's house and here. That will be a big improvement. That side of the house has been wet since we moved here. So that will be a big deal.
I'd also like to get the rest of the windows double-glazed. The bedroom windows, two bathroom windows, the kitchen flowerbox thing, the sliding glass doors, the window in the small bathroom, the window in Flynn's room... The window in the garage? Yes, eventually.
In time, if possible, I'd like to get a doorway into the garage from the house. And to add a big bathroom for Cassidy's use. And to make Flynn's room a big larger. And to build a real fireplace and chimney and not a metal box with a metal tube. Some massive fireplace made of real bricks that would absorb heat while a fire burns.
That new iMac is expensive, but it will be nice to have my own computer to myself for a change...
Mr. Castro, when he was out looking at the walkway between War and Cor's house and here, mentioned that the palm tree which had planted itself outside of the small bathroom window would grow to be forty or sixty feet... yipes. Too tall for that space, too tall for the house...
What else is new? Cassidy spilled something on this keyboard and the "a" key sticks. Drives me nuts. I ordered a replacement keyboard with the new computer. And a new Kensington Pilot mouse, which is exactly what the other iMac has. I also ordered another 512Mb SIMM so both computers will have a GIG of memory... shit! Imagine that!!!
The iMacs are 1.83 and have a gig of RAM apiece... this iMac has 768Mb of RAM and runs at 1GHz...
I'd like to replace the squishy gel pad I rest my wrists on while I type. The dogs and then Cassidy have wrecked it.
Change the fish water this weekend. Moved all the larger, aggressive fish to the small tank. Where they promptly killed off six of their number. Moved two small fish back to the large tank last night.
I'd moved all but one of the larger or aggressive fish. Couldn't catch one brass tetra. Asshole fish. I was glad to see those fish kill one another. I want small and peaceful fish.
Sigh. Time to clean the floor again!??!!??! Where does this dust come from?!
I'd like to replace the kid's television sets with a pair of $250 Sony televisions. Those televisions were each $99 or less and have crappy pictures.
I'd also like to replace three of the exterior cameras. I have only the one in the eaves at the front of the house which looks at our parking spot.
Ho hum. Gotta water everything. And attack the final patch of crabgrass. Dangerous Africanized crabgrass...
What next? Go pack up the HDTV receiver which I can apparently keep. Stash that in the garage. There's a small hill of clutter in the garage which I don't seem to be able to get rid of...
Time to go do something useful...
That ought to end the whining about "The PC" as the kids call it. Fuck Windows. Shitty OS. It's a Mac.
What now? Bought some yellow-orange paint and I painted a couple of the walls in the laundry room.
The screen door looks good, the newly-painted formerly-dark threshold looks good. I finished off the patch on the back of the house and that looks good. I spray painted the plastic table from God knows how long ago with some spray paint meant for plastic. Looks pretty good. It was fucked up.
I ought to dump that propane tank somewhere. Or open the valve and let the propane out. Or use the gas up... by running both burners on the stove for a year..? I've had that tank for ten years, I think. Sheesh.
Today is Friday. Thank God. Yeah, as if my schedule is so stressful... Cassidy said "I can't stand the pressure!" this morning and that cracked me up... loads of pressure in second grade, I'm certain...
The second PC ought to make life easier. Less squabbling.
What else? Three more hours until Cassidy arrives home.
I wonder if Flynn is going to mock the yellow color I painted the laundry room? I think that it looks cheerful.
I ought to pull the corned beef out of the freezer. Although I was planning on preparing ribs for Diane and Flynn for lunch tomorrow. Hopefully Diane won't ask for a ride over and back. That really fucks up Saturday. And I fucking HATE that part of town, Mira Mesa. Nearly as filthy as Anaheim. Yuck. Ugly houses, too much traffic, no reason to be there... it's badly planned. I don't want any part of it.
I was going to smoke the ribs... incinerated some ribs the last time I tried that. I still have most of a box of hardwood chips for smoking in the garage somewhere. Fucking up ribs is expensive.
What else? I ought to vacuum Flynn's room. Or address some bills. This has been a bad month for money.
Or maybe trim some of the tomatoes.. or transplant that one tomato that's still growing. Or mow the lawn... always something to do at home. Good to keep busy.
If I don't think "It feels so good to sit down" at the end of the day when I finally sit down, then I haven't been busy enough that day...
Sitting here listening to a Howard Stern replay. I ought to break down the tomato planters. Try that again next year, maybe.
Waiting for a quote on cutting a drain between War and Cor's house and here. That will be a big improvement. That side of the house has been wet since we moved here. So that will be a big deal.
I'd also like to get the rest of the windows double-glazed. The bedroom windows, two bathroom windows, the kitchen flowerbox thing, the sliding glass doors, the window in the small bathroom, the window in Flynn's room... The window in the garage? Yes, eventually.
In time, if possible, I'd like to get a doorway into the garage from the house. And to add a big bathroom for Cassidy's use. And to make Flynn's room a big larger. And to build a real fireplace and chimney and not a metal box with a metal tube. Some massive fireplace made of real bricks that would absorb heat while a fire burns.
That new iMac is expensive, but it will be nice to have my own computer to myself for a change...
Mr. Castro, when he was out looking at the walkway between War and Cor's house and here, mentioned that the palm tree which had planted itself outside of the small bathroom window would grow to be forty or sixty feet... yipes. Too tall for that space, too tall for the house...
What else is new? Cassidy spilled something on this keyboard and the "a" key sticks. Drives me nuts. I ordered a replacement keyboard with the new computer. And a new Kensington Pilot mouse, which is exactly what the other iMac has. I also ordered another 512Mb SIMM so both computers will have a GIG of memory... shit! Imagine that!!!
The iMacs are 1.83 and have a gig of RAM apiece... this iMac has 768Mb of RAM and runs at 1GHz...
I'd like to replace the squishy gel pad I rest my wrists on while I type. The dogs and then Cassidy have wrecked it.
Change the fish water this weekend. Moved all the larger, aggressive fish to the small tank. Where they promptly killed off six of their number. Moved two small fish back to the large tank last night.
I'd moved all but one of the larger or aggressive fish. Couldn't catch one brass tetra. Asshole fish. I was glad to see those fish kill one another. I want small and peaceful fish.
Sigh. Time to clean the floor again!??!!??! Where does this dust come from?!
I'd like to replace the kid's television sets with a pair of $250 Sony televisions. Those televisions were each $99 or less and have crappy pictures.
I'd also like to replace three of the exterior cameras. I have only the one in the eaves at the front of the house which looks at our parking spot.
Ho hum. Gotta water everything. And attack the final patch of crabgrass. Dangerous Africanized crabgrass...
What next? Go pack up the HDTV receiver which I can apparently keep. Stash that in the garage. There's a small hill of clutter in the garage which I don't seem to be able to get rid of...
Time to go do something useful...
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Soloflex
$250.00 Soloflex Weightstrap Set
$250.00 WBV Attachment
$10.00 Soloflex Wall Chart
$15.00 Soloflex User Guide
$3.00 Hitch Pin
$5.00 Leg Bag
$10.00 Soloflex Wrench x2
$8.00 Bolt, Nut, Washers & Reta
$5.00 Fly Bag
----------
Total $556.00
Plus $200 for the bones of a Soloflex, the vertical and horizontal parts, the bench, bench legs, bench pin, chrome pin, two-part pin, floating arm, butterfly, leg extension, pads... Roman chair pin...
So for $780 or so I'm getting another Soloflex, with new weightstraps and replacement hardware on everything. That seems like a reasonably good deal overall.
I'll need to USE it for it to do any good...
At least I'll have it on hand. Gotta use it. Weigh WAY too much. Going to catch up with me. Gotta lose weight. I weigh 170 pounds more than I did when I weighed 160. I weight 330. Never heavier. Not good. Gotta reduce.
$250.00 WBV Attachment
$10.00 Soloflex Wall Chart
$15.00 Soloflex User Guide
$3.00 Hitch Pin
$5.00 Leg Bag
$10.00 Soloflex Wrench x2
$8.00 Bolt, Nut, Washers & Reta
$5.00 Fly Bag
----------
Total $556.00
Plus $200 for the bones of a Soloflex, the vertical and horizontal parts, the bench, bench legs, bench pin, chrome pin, two-part pin, floating arm, butterfly, leg extension, pads... Roman chair pin...
So for $780 or so I'm getting another Soloflex, with new weightstraps and replacement hardware on everything. That seems like a reasonably good deal overall.
I'll need to USE it for it to do any good...
At least I'll have it on hand. Gotta use it. Weigh WAY too much. Going to catch up with me. Gotta lose weight. I weigh 170 pounds more than I did when I weighed 160. I weight 330. Never heavier. Not good. Gotta reduce.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Ten Days Later
Monday the nineteenth... ten days later... What's new?
I put up four trellises on the fence for the vines that are growing there, that looks really good.
The purple morning glory opened for the first time on Saturday or Sunday, very nice.
Go pick Cassidy up in about an hour. Go pick Flynn up at 3:00 or so.
Beginning next Monday I want the kids to review some math and practice typing. Impose some kind of structure on their summer vacations. Including some exercise. Before it gets too hot. I don't think that would kill them.
I can't believe that Cassidy is just about done with first grade. Flynn is finishing sixth grade, more or less.
Flynn had a very poor attitude when I mentioned the math review if he expected to play video games. He could really use a clue implant.
I put up four trellises on the fence for the vines that are growing there, that looks really good.
The purple morning glory opened for the first time on Saturday or Sunday, very nice.
Go pick Cassidy up in about an hour. Go pick Flynn up at 3:00 or so.
Beginning next Monday I want the kids to review some math and practice typing. Impose some kind of structure on their summer vacations. Including some exercise. Before it gets too hot. I don't think that would kill them.
I can't believe that Cassidy is just about done with first grade. Flynn is finishing sixth grade, more or less.
Flynn had a very poor attitude when I mentioned the math review if he expected to play video games. He could really use a clue implant.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Friday
Yep. Friday.
Kids are at school. Here I sit. Listening to the Howard Stern show replay of the Artie roast last night.
Got a new iMac in the mail this week, installed XP on it last night. XP cost $179. Too expensive for a piece of shit OS. The kids have wanted a PC to play PC games on forever.
What else? Met with Sal Calfiero this week about taxes. Going to put some money in two 529a plans. Paid off the truck. Paid off the Visa card. Keep about $10,000 (three months expenses) on hand in a money market account. Invest about $1000 a month.
Need life insurance in the event I die earlier than I expect. Sal Calfiero mentioned that. Sounds like a good idea.
The attorney finally sent me a draft of a letter to Diane's attorney. Translated into legalese. Hopefully we can keep the house. I'm assuming that I'll keep the kids.
Two two bottom feeders in the small aquarium have been ill, I removed and sacrificed one of them. The other one is looking ragged. The green neons seem healthy.
Waiting for a sketchbook to arrive in order to wrap it with some other gifts for a friend of Cassidy's. Her birthday party is tomorrow.
What now? Some housework or something. Mow the law. Something useful...
Kids are at school. Here I sit. Listening to the Howard Stern show replay of the Artie roast last night.
Got a new iMac in the mail this week, installed XP on it last night. XP cost $179. Too expensive for a piece of shit OS. The kids have wanted a PC to play PC games on forever.
What else? Met with Sal Calfiero this week about taxes. Going to put some money in two 529a plans. Paid off the truck. Paid off the Visa card. Keep about $10,000 (three months expenses) on hand in a money market account. Invest about $1000 a month.
Need life insurance in the event I die earlier than I expect. Sal Calfiero mentioned that. Sounds like a good idea.
The attorney finally sent me a draft of a letter to Diane's attorney. Translated into legalese. Hopefully we can keep the house. I'm assuming that I'll keep the kids.
Two two bottom feeders in the small aquarium have been ill, I removed and sacrificed one of them. The other one is looking ragged. The green neons seem healthy.
Waiting for a sketchbook to arrive in order to wrap it with some other gifts for a friend of Cassidy's. Her birthday party is tomorrow.
What now? Some housework or something. Mow the law. Something useful...
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Tuesday
Overcast and cool out this morning.
The tomato planter stuff arrived yesterday. Ordered two too many planters. I thought that five would fit in each tray, but only four do.
I need to figure out how to support the planter and mix up the media. Need to find some horticulatural sand.
The tomato seedlings are nearly ready to transplant, I think.
What else? Not much else. At home again. Got the kids up and took them to school.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Tomatoes
10 Two-gallon "Perfect Pots" 49.50
2 42"x8"x4" American Ag trays 39.90
2 1/2" fill/drain fittings 5.90
10 ft of 1/2 tubing 5.00
1 21-liter bag of Higromite
3 .4 cubic ft bags of Vermiculite 11.85
3 .4 cubic ft bags of Perlite 11.85
1 qt Fox Farm Grow Big
1 qt Fox Farm Big Bloom
1 qt Maxicrop Liquified Seaweed
$219.80. Ouch. Much more than I'd intended to spend. The trays are what I was searching for. The "Perfect Pots" ought to fit into them. I can suspend the big trays on something and then just pour the nutrient through several times a day.
The eighteen seeds I planted (three different kinds of tomatoes) have almost ALL germinated. Four each of two varieties and three of the third variety.
I intend to grow the tomatoes on the cement side of the house, attached to the fence. I'd tried large containers and soil one year, which didn't work out well at all.
I think this will work. I think that I'll enjoy it.
Too much money. Spent over $100 on two pairs of Under Armour shorts and underwear today. And a new pair of giant swim trunks. And a tie-dye t-shirt. Nice lime green color.
Looking forward to the tomato project. I hope that things work out as I've envisioned them. I'm hoping that two gallons per plant is enough for a root system. It won't need to support the plant, but I want enough room for the root ball to develop.
2 42"x8"x4" American Ag trays 39.90
2 1/2" fill/drain fittings 5.90
10 ft of 1/2 tubing 5.00
1 21-liter bag of Higromite
3 .4 cubic ft bags of Vermiculite 11.85
3 .4 cubic ft bags of Perlite 11.85
1 qt Fox Farm Grow Big
1 qt Fox Farm Big Bloom
1 qt Maxicrop Liquified Seaweed
$219.80. Ouch. Much more than I'd intended to spend. The trays are what I was searching for. The "Perfect Pots" ought to fit into them. I can suspend the big trays on something and then just pour the nutrient through several times a day.
The eighteen seeds I planted (three different kinds of tomatoes) have almost ALL germinated. Four each of two varieties and three of the third variety.
I intend to grow the tomatoes on the cement side of the house, attached to the fence. I'd tried large containers and soil one year, which didn't work out well at all.
I think this will work. I think that I'll enjoy it.
Too much money. Spent over $100 on two pairs of Under Armour shorts and underwear today. And a new pair of giant swim trunks. And a tie-dye t-shirt. Nice lime green color.
Looking forward to the tomato project. I hope that things work out as I've envisioned them. I'm hoping that two gallons per plant is enough for a root system. It won't need to support the plant, but I want enough room for the root ball to develop.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Washed the truck
Nearly time to go and pick Flynn up. Time to go and wait for Flynn, anyway.
Set aside money for taxes. Pay off the truck. Pay off the credit card. That will leave about $28,500. Keep $10,000 in an interest-bearing account and put $18,500 away in the IRA or kid accounts. Something.
Time to go get Flynn.
Set aside money for taxes. Pay off the truck. Pay off the credit card. That will leave about $28,500. Keep $10,000 in an interest-bearing account and put $18,500 away in the IRA or kid accounts. Something.
Time to go get Flynn.
Here I sit. Monday at 10:20.
I've gotta remember to pick Flynn up at 12:30 this morning, not 3:15.
Both kids have testing today. Hopefully they'll do well.
I could not get out of bed this morning. I resented my clock's alarm clock.
I looked forward to the weekend and when it finally arrived it flew right past.
Need to work on Cassidy's home photo project. I ought to find her camera and transfer the photos to her account on the computer.
Monday again already.
I've gotta remember to pick Flynn up at 12:30 this morning, not 3:15.
Both kids have testing today. Hopefully they'll do well.
I could not get out of bed this morning. I resented my clock's alarm clock.
I looked forward to the weekend and when it finally arrived it flew right past.
Need to work on Cassidy's home photo project. I ought to find her camera and transfer the photos to her account on the computer.
Monday again already.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Friday again. Went to Plough Boys and Bisher's. Bought chicken breasts at Bisher's. Make chicken picatta. Bought some ground beef to make meatballs and meat sauce with for spaghetti. The kids can have white sauce with meatballs and spaghetti. Also bought some frozen veal chops and some fish.
Cassidy was difficult to pry out of bed this morning. Got both kids to school. Up, clean, dressed, fed, delivered. My primary function is getting them up and to school on time, clothed and fed. Ideally with their homework done and whatever supplies they need with them. So far, so good. Flynn's GPA is now a C-, so he's raised that quite a bit. Good for him. Cassidy is breezing through first grade.
What else? I noticed that out of the eighteen spots in a seed tray I planted with three varieties of tomatoes, in one third only one seedling is up. Hmm. Have to pamper that seedling. Still undecided as to where to let them grow. The cement side of the house seems likely. Build a planter box and plant the tomatoes there..? Use buckets as hydroponic units? Train the vines along the fence? Grow them in soil?
Still waiting for a check in the mail.
Called Diane, we'll pick her up tomorrow instead of Sunday. I like having Sundays off. Possibly go to the beach or to the glider port near Torrey Pines. Always wanted to see that. Sounds intriguing.
What else? Not much else. Took the kids out for Chinese food yesterday afternoon. Got some Chinese food to go, also. It was delicious. I get tired of cooking and having the kids reject whatever I serve.
I could use some more dryer sheets. Maybe I'll go to Ralph's and buy some of those Hawaiian hamburger rolls and some dryer sheets.
Cassidy was difficult to pry out of bed this morning. Got both kids to school. Up, clean, dressed, fed, delivered. My primary function is getting them up and to school on time, clothed and fed. Ideally with their homework done and whatever supplies they need with them. So far, so good. Flynn's GPA is now a C-, so he's raised that quite a bit. Good for him. Cassidy is breezing through first grade.
What else? I noticed that out of the eighteen spots in a seed tray I planted with three varieties of tomatoes, in one third only one seedling is up. Hmm. Have to pamper that seedling. Still undecided as to where to let them grow. The cement side of the house seems likely. Build a planter box and plant the tomatoes there..? Use buckets as hydroponic units? Train the vines along the fence? Grow them in soil?
Still waiting for a check in the mail.
Called Diane, we'll pick her up tomorrow instead of Sunday. I like having Sundays off. Possibly go to the beach or to the glider port near Torrey Pines. Always wanted to see that. Sounds intriguing.
What else? Not much else. Took the kids out for Chinese food yesterday afternoon. Got some Chinese food to go, also. It was delicious. I get tired of cooking and having the kids reject whatever I serve.
I could use some more dryer sheets. Maybe I'll go to Ralph's and buy some of those Hawaiian hamburger rolls and some dryer sheets.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Cloudy Saturday
Some rain, wonderful to see the raindrops fall in the pools of the fountain.
This may be the last rain we see this spring.
Glad that it rained a bit. Wish it would rain more. I study the satellite and radar maps, hoping to see massive storms heading our way.
That rarely happens. Oh well. I certainly enjoy what rain falls here.
A set of casseroles arrived today, very happy to have them. Something that I didn't have. And will use.
Flynn arrived home yesterday after being at school-at-camp since Monday. Good to have him home. He's squabbling/playing with Cassidy.
I hope that it rains more.
This may be the last rain we see this spring.
Glad that it rained a bit. Wish it would rain more. I study the satellite and radar maps, hoping to see massive storms heading our way.
That rarely happens. Oh well. I certainly enjoy what rain falls here.
A set of casseroles arrived today, very happy to have them. Something that I didn't have. And will use.
Flynn arrived home yesterday after being at school-at-camp since Monday. Good to have him home. He's squabbling/playing with Cassidy.
I hope that it rains more.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Wednesday
Some rain. Nice to see the raindrops fall in the water in the fountain.
Nothing much happening. Kelly e-mailed and told me that she'd received a check for me from Linda. That's not terribly convenient. Kelly will mail the check to me.
Spent too much money last month. The windows, Cassidy's closet doors, chairs for the kids, spices from Penzey's.
Most of the bills are paid online, automatically. That saves time.
Just sitting here. Listening to the Howard Stern show I recorded earlier today. Looking out the window.
It may as well be a day back in the house on Carnation long ago.
Twenty-five years have gone by, going on thirty. Wow. Now I'm getting into the last chapters of my story.
Nothing much happening. Kelly e-mailed and told me that she'd received a check for me from Linda. That's not terribly convenient. Kelly will mail the check to me.
Spent too much money last month. The windows, Cassidy's closet doors, chairs for the kids, spices from Penzey's.
Most of the bills are paid online, automatically. That saves time.
Just sitting here. Listening to the Howard Stern show I recorded earlier today. Looking out the window.
It may as well be a day back in the house on Carnation long ago.
Twenty-five years have gone by, going on thirty. Wow. Now I'm getting into the last chapters of my story.
Rain Tuesday night. Cloudy this morning. Doesn't look like much rain today. I'd be happy to be wrong in this instance.
Sat down last night at 7:30 with a glass of ice water to watch Cassidy play a video game and to watch the fish (cleaned the tanks yesterday morning). Fell asleep, woke up at 8:55 again, missed American Idol again. Oh well. Nothing new there.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Friday morning
Cloudy out, agreeable.
Scraped off a small section of the ugly popcorn ceiling near the small bathroom. What a mess. I hate popcorn ceilings. I'd like to get rid of it.
I'd like to paint the kitchen, too. I like that one section of wall in the dining room that I painted yellow-orange.
Installed the new camera at the top of the eaves in front of the house yesterday. Managed to destroy the other cameras ripping them down. Shit.
Haven't made any progress digging an 18" deep trench for the fountain wiring. Reluctant to dig up those two white rose bushes again, they've just recovered from my having moved them over a few inches last year.
I would like to get that done, however.
Two Brownie events and The Flying Karamazov Brothers this weekend. Busy weekend.
Scraped off a small section of the ugly popcorn ceiling near the small bathroom. What a mess. I hate popcorn ceilings. I'd like to get rid of it.
I'd like to paint the kitchen, too. I like that one section of wall in the dining room that I painted yellow-orange.
Installed the new camera at the top of the eaves in front of the house yesterday. Managed to destroy the other cameras ripping them down. Shit.
Haven't made any progress digging an 18" deep trench for the fountain wiring. Reluctant to dig up those two white rose bushes again, they've just recovered from my having moved them over a few inches last year.
I would like to get that done, however.
Two Brownie events and The Flying Karamazov Brothers this weekend. Busy weekend.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Seeds
Tomato Caspian Pink
Tomato Black Krim
Morning Glory Granpa Ott's
Lettuce Heatwave Blend
Basil Bounty
Tomato Big Rainbow
Book Putting Food By
Cypress Vine
Hyacinth Bean Purple
Stock Evening Scented
Sweet Pea Matucana
The vines sounded interesting. I love having flowering vines in the summer time. I don't know where to plant the tomatoes. Maybe in hydroponic units by the shady side of the house?! And train them on the fence..? I think that would work. I love tomatoes.
Last night or night before I needed a lemon and I remembered that I'd seen one on the Meyer lemon and went out and picked that. Very nice.
Tomato Black Krim
Morning Glory Granpa Ott's
Lettuce Heatwave Blend
Basil Bounty
Tomato Big Rainbow
Book Putting Food By
Cypress Vine
Hyacinth Bean Purple
Stock Evening Scented
Sweet Pea Matucana
The vines sounded interesting. I love having flowering vines in the summer time. I don't know where to plant the tomatoes. Maybe in hydroponic units by the shady side of the house?! And train them on the fence..? I think that would work. I love tomatoes.
Last night or night before I needed a lemon and I remembered that I'd seen one on the Meyer lemon and went out and picked that. Very nice.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Noon Wednesday
Yep, noon Wednesday... actually saw some rain fall this morning. Now it's sunny again. Rained again last night. Always after dark.
Sat down on the couch to watch American Idol and I was asleep in five minutes again. If I sit on the couch, I fall asleep. Every time.
Diane owes me $21,758.68. Am I ever going to see that money?
I finally e-mailed Kershek & Shular. I had called about two months ago and asked if the divorce can move forward. Then I waited. And waited. And waited.
Cleaned up some clutter around the house. It looks better.
Stay on top of things. I have a ton of ironing to do. Everything Cassidy owns needs to be ironed.
What else? Anything good? Not much.
I wonder if Mom's estate will leave any chunks of money with which I can pay off my credit card debt or the truck or the house? I have no idea.
Go pick Cassidy up in an hour or so.
This Saturday there's a Brownie Girl Scout meeting. Saturday night is the Flying Karamazov Brothers in Escondido. Kind of apprehensive to go to that, to do anything after dark. I've never seen them. Looking forward to it. Sunday there's a "Brownie Spectacular" so that pretty much fucks up the whole weekend.
Diane wants me/us to pick her up and drop her off since her license is suspended and will remain suspended for at least another six months. I'm already in the Minor Saint category for all I've done for her. Did I mention the $21,758.68 she owes me? Yes, I did. I'm raising two kids. I could use the money.
I have a stack of stuff to file in the filing cabinet. Clean things up. I feel happier when things are picked up and organized.
Most of the bills are paid automatically online. I like that.
Sat down on the couch to watch American Idol and I was asleep in five minutes again. If I sit on the couch, I fall asleep. Every time.
Diane owes me $21,758.68. Am I ever going to see that money?
I finally e-mailed Kershek & Shular. I had called about two months ago and asked if the divorce can move forward. Then I waited. And waited. And waited.
Cleaned up some clutter around the house. It looks better.
Stay on top of things. I have a ton of ironing to do. Everything Cassidy owns needs to be ironed.
What else? Anything good? Not much.
I wonder if Mom's estate will leave any chunks of money with which I can pay off my credit card debt or the truck or the house? I have no idea.
Go pick Cassidy up in an hour or so.
This Saturday there's a Brownie Girl Scout meeting. Saturday night is the Flying Karamazov Brothers in Escondido. Kind of apprehensive to go to that, to do anything after dark. I've never seen them. Looking forward to it. Sunday there's a "Brownie Spectacular" so that pretty much fucks up the whole weekend.
Diane wants me/us to pick her up and drop her off since her license is suspended and will remain suspended for at least another six months. I'm already in the Minor Saint category for all I've done for her. Did I mention the $21,758.68 she owes me? Yes, I did. I'm raising two kids. I could use the money.
I have a stack of stuff to file in the filing cabinet. Clean things up. I feel happier when things are picked up and organized.
Most of the bills are paid automatically online. I like that.
Monday, March 27, 2006
5:30, rain beginning
Why does it not rain during the day here..? Almost always a night rain, some kind of stealth
Another Monday
Supposed to rain tonight. Sounds like another stealth rain. Very dry winter so far this year.
Went through a bunch of photos and stuck them into some albums I bought.
So they look neater.
Threw out a bunch of photos. Duplicates and out-of-focus shots and anything Diane shot. Can we say "composition"?
What else? Bored and dissatisfied. Picked Diane up again yesterday. That pretty much ruins Sunday.
Next Saturday there's a Girl Scout meeting in the afternoon and we have tickets for The Flying Karamazof Brothers Saturday night. And there's a "Brownie Spectacular" on Sunday. So next weekend is pretty much wrecked...
Have to stick to a budget. Spending too much money. Unhappy about that.
Will I ever see any of the money I gave Diane? I somehow doubt it. So that's $22 thousand dollars lost. Not pleased about that.
I ought to start some bread dough. When in doubt, bake.
Bought and drank a bottle of wine last night. Enjoyed that.
Went through a bunch of photos and stuck them into some albums I bought.
So they look neater.
Threw out a bunch of photos. Duplicates and out-of-focus shots and anything Diane shot. Can we say "composition"?
What else? Bored and dissatisfied. Picked Diane up again yesterday. That pretty much ruins Sunday.
Next Saturday there's a Girl Scout meeting in the afternoon and we have tickets for The Flying Karamazof Brothers Saturday night. And there's a "Brownie Spectacular" on Sunday. So next weekend is pretty much wrecked...
Have to stick to a budget. Spending too much money. Unhappy about that.
Will I ever see any of the money I gave Diane? I somehow doubt it. So that's $22 thousand dollars lost. Not pleased about that.
I ought to start some bread dough. When in doubt, bake.
Bought and drank a bottle of wine last night. Enjoyed that.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Tuesday morning
Rained last night. It rains at night a lot here. Stealth rain.
Well..? What now? Go find Flynn's big jacket in the garage for his camping trip. Or trip to school camp. That's coming up in three weeks.
After his trip it's Easter vacation. Looking forward to that.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Friday. 0843a.
Kind of cloudy out. Doing laundry.
I ought to pick up Cassidy's room. And vacuum.
And sort through her toys.
Made grilled pizza last night. I thought it was very good. Made four rounds, first one stuck to the grill, total loss.
Need to clean the house.
Need to change the fish water.
Need to water outside. Heard that it may rain. It may not rain.
Brownie Girl Scouts tomorrow at noon. Not too thrilled with that. Cub Scouts was more fun.
Time to do more laundry. And dishes.
Bought two lamps at Home Depot yesterday for Flynn's room and Cassidy's room.
I ought to do Cassidy's ironing today and get that out of the way.
I want to install the throttle body spacer I bought for the truck. That's supposed to take half an hour. I need to find out which tools are required.
Made spaghetti sauce night before last. I thought it was delicious. The kids were suspicious of it.
I ought to pick up Cassidy's room. And vacuum.
And sort through her toys.
Made grilled pizza last night. I thought it was very good. Made four rounds, first one stuck to the grill, total loss.
Need to clean the house.
Need to change the fish water.
Need to water outside. Heard that it may rain. It may not rain.
Brownie Girl Scouts tomorrow at noon. Not too thrilled with that. Cub Scouts was more fun.
Time to do more laundry. And dishes.
Bought two lamps at Home Depot yesterday for Flynn's room and Cassidy's room.
I ought to do Cassidy's ironing today and get that out of the way.
I want to install the throttle body spacer I bought for the truck. That's supposed to take half an hour. I need to find out which tools are required.
Made spaghetti sauce night before last. I thought it was delicious. The kids were suspicious of it.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Monday. Slightly cloudy.
Got the security system installed this morning. Glad that's over, glad to be back home again.
Planted another half-dozen impatiens near the fence after amending another portion of the soil.
Sent Flynn off with his paperwork and a check for sixth-grade camp.
Nine disposable cameras arrived on Saturday. Maybe Friday. For his trip. Four underwater cameras, four flash cameras, one black and white camera. I hope that he enjoys the trip.
Rain on Saturday, very nice, what there was of it. Sunday was sunny. Diane needed a ride over here and back. Sunday was not satisfying. Saturday was so-so, even with the rain.
Couple periods of hard rain and some hail. Had a fire going most of the day on Saturday.
A rainy day ought to be rain all day long. Lots of it.
Made some chicken picatta last night and some really chocolate-ly ice cream.
Bored. Go get Cassidy soon.
Planted another half-dozen impatiens near the fence after amending another portion of the soil.
Sent Flynn off with his paperwork and a check for sixth-grade camp.
Nine disposable cameras arrived on Saturday. Maybe Friday. For his trip. Four underwater cameras, four flash cameras, one black and white camera. I hope that he enjoys the trip.
Rain on Saturday, very nice, what there was of it. Sunday was sunny. Diane needed a ride over here and back. Sunday was not satisfying. Saturday was so-so, even with the rain.
Couple periods of hard rain and some hail. Had a fire going most of the day on Saturday.
A rainy day ought to be rain all day long. Lots of it.
Made some chicken picatta last night and some really chocolate-ly ice cream.
Bored. Go get Cassidy soon.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Spices
Vanilla double-strength 16 ounces
Rosemary powdered 1/4 cup jar
Savory leaf 1/4 cup jar
Chicken taco seasoning 4 oz bag
Empty glass jars for bagged spices
Zatar 1/4 cup jar
Ground cumin 8 oz bag
Pacific sea salt fine grind 1 lb
French fleur de sel sea salt 1/2 cup
Fines herbes 1 oz bag
Parisien herbes 1 oz bag
Large cut parsley 1 oz bag
Pasta sprinkle 1 oz bag
Pumpkin pie spices 4 oz bag
Happy to have new spices. Makes a big difference in cooking. The fines herbes and Parisien herbes and the pasta sprinkle are all very nice from what I've tasted so far.
New spices.
Rosemary powdered 1/4 cup jar
Savory leaf 1/4 cup jar
Chicken taco seasoning 4 oz bag
Empty glass jars for bagged spices
Zatar 1/4 cup jar
Ground cumin 8 oz bag
Pacific sea salt fine grind 1 lb
French fleur de sel sea salt 1/2 cup
Fines herbes 1 oz bag
Parisien herbes 1 oz bag
Large cut parsley 1 oz bag
Pasta sprinkle 1 oz bag
Pumpkin pie spices 4 oz bag
Happy to have new spices. Makes a big difference in cooking. The fines herbes and Parisien herbes and the pasta sprinkle are all very nice from what I've tasted so far.
New spices.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Another Week Begins
Quarter past five Monday morning. Another weekend zoomed by. Go to Flynn's 6th Grade Camp orientation meeting this morning. Pick up taxes and pay and mail those.
Plant the flowers I bought. Need to amend the section of lawn by the fence that I separated with that rubber border material. Water the lawn, keep the new grass seed moist and happy.
What else? I was going to rewire the stereo to make it neater. That seems somewhat daunting. If I start now I might have it done in time for football season...
Plant the flowers I bought. Need to amend the section of lawn by the fence that I separated with that rubber border material. Water the lawn, keep the new grass seed moist and happy.
What else? I was going to rewire the stereo to make it neater. That seems somewhat daunting. If I start now I might have it done in time for football season...
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Sunday
Gardened the past two days. Today I'm taking it easy.
Put down bricks in place of the ugly stepping stones outside of the wooden gate. This morning I was surprised to see how much of the sand had washed out due to War and Cor's excessive watering. Have to address that issue.
Transplanted five rose bushes. Two rose bushes came from one plant that I had to split to extract from its spot. It had grown around a big root.
What else? Nothing much else. Warm today.
I have a few other garden projects but I would like a day off.
Was going to make BLTs for lunch but discovered that we used the pound of bacon I thought I had on hand. Oh well. Maybe chicken sandwiches.
Put down bricks in place of the ugly stepping stones outside of the wooden gate. This morning I was surprised to see how much of the sand had washed out due to War and Cor's excessive watering. Have to address that issue.
Transplanted five rose bushes. Two rose bushes came from one plant that I had to split to extract from its spot. It had grown around a big root.
What else? Nothing much else. Warm today.
I have a few other garden projects but I would like a day off.
Was going to make BLTs for lunch but discovered that we used the pound of bacon I thought I had on hand. Oh well. Maybe chicken sandwiches.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Friday, another sunny day. The kids had this week off.
Richard Darr delivered $200 worth of firewood, Flynn and I stacked that. Got that all cleaned up. Bribed the kids with lunch at McDonald's if they'd go to the good local nursery in Poway so I could buy some amendment.
I want to overseed the lawn, I've had the seed for a long time, but wanted to put down Kellogg's Topper with it. And water it like crazy.
There are a couple of patches in the lawn that could be softer and more level, too.
The other day I planted the new lemon tree after transplanting the old dwarf lemon tree.
It's been warm, as warm as spring, so why not work in the garden?
Left a message for Laddie Blazek about properly wiring the fountain. Is the fountain level? I may end up re-leveling it.
Time to go back outside. Work until I'm thoroughly exhausted. I ought to clean the barbecue, too, I was going to grill some hot dogs for dinner tonight.
Good day to be alive.
Richard Darr delivered $200 worth of firewood, Flynn and I stacked that. Got that all cleaned up. Bribed the kids with lunch at McDonald's if they'd go to the good local nursery in Poway so I could buy some amendment.
I want to overseed the lawn, I've had the seed for a long time, but wanted to put down Kellogg's Topper with it. And water it like crazy.
There are a couple of patches in the lawn that could be softer and more level, too.
The other day I planted the new lemon tree after transplanting the old dwarf lemon tree.
It's been warm, as warm as spring, so why not work in the garden?
Left a message for Laddie Blazek about properly wiring the fountain. Is the fountain level? I may end up re-leveling it.
Time to go back outside. Work until I'm thoroughly exhausted. I ought to clean the barbecue, too, I was going to grill some hot dogs for dinner tonight.
Good day to be alive.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Hot day in February
Monday afternoon.
Received an enormous check on Friday, deposited it today. Money is no longer screamingly tight.
Looking at a Nissan Titan again. A huge pyramid to hide in. The Prius is not too manly.
Cassidy was playing at a friend's house after school. I picked Flynn up at 3:15 on my own.
Awfully hot today. And yesterday. No rain in sight. This is winter?
Not happy about the heat.
Why would I want to swap my Prius for a giant truck? Does that make any sense? Does it have to make sense? I never go anywhere, anyway. Perhaps I should have just held on to the VW. Or the Santa Fe.
A giant truck? I couldn't park it in the garage, it's too big to fit in the garage.
Received an enormous check on Friday, deposited it today. Money is no longer screamingly tight.
Looking at a Nissan Titan again. A huge pyramid to hide in. The Prius is not too manly.
Cassidy was playing at a friend's house after school. I picked Flynn up at 3:15 on my own.
Awfully hot today. And yesterday. No rain in sight. This is winter?
Not happy about the heat.
Why would I want to swap my Prius for a giant truck? Does that make any sense? Does it have to make sense? I never go anywhere, anyway. Perhaps I should have just held on to the VW. Or the Santa Fe.
A giant truck? I couldn't park it in the garage, it's too big to fit in the garage.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Friday at last
Somehow four-day weeks drag by.
Went to the market this morning. Bought three whole chickens, only $0.57 a pound... freezing two of those. Hot dogs, pizza... fruit salad. Bought some circle noodles for the kids.
Need to liquidate more of the IRA funds. Money is very tight. Very, very tight.
Looking forward to the football championship games this Sunday.
Would like to buy some amendments to use this weekend. If the weather is going to be spring-like, I might as well do some gardening. The kids will probably just want to stay at home. Maybe I'll drag them out somewhere or other. Or not.
Just sitting here right now. Listening to the Howard Stern show. Which I can't get on my iPod for some reason. Maybe I need to convert the file to MP3 somehow... try another converter...
Went to the market this morning. Bought three whole chickens, only $0.57 a pound... freezing two of those. Hot dogs, pizza... fruit salad. Bought some circle noodles for the kids.
Need to liquidate more of the IRA funds. Money is very tight. Very, very tight.
Looking forward to the football championship games this Sunday.
Would like to buy some amendments to use this weekend. If the weather is going to be spring-like, I might as well do some gardening. The kids will probably just want to stay at home. Maybe I'll drag them out somewhere or other. Or not.
Just sitting here right now. Listening to the Howard Stern show. Which I can't get on my iPod for some reason. Maybe I need to convert the file to MP3 somehow... try another converter...
Friday, January 13, 2006
Friday
Go pick Flynn up in a half an hour. Three-day weekend.
Went to the market this morning. Planning on making salisbury steak, potato cheese soup and sweet and sour meatballs... none of which I've made before. Also two soup recipes I want to try. Or one other soup. Corn chowder. Also make a pizza. And make salsa. And possibly make huevos ranchero. I've only made that two or three times, and it's one of my favorite dishes, certainly my favorite breakfast. One time I made it when Mom was visiting and her car needed repair, some rainy day. Great day. Love rainy days.
Went to the market this morning. Planning on making salisbury steak, potato cheese soup and sweet and sour meatballs... none of which I've made before. Also two soup recipes I want to try. Or one other soup. Corn chowder. Also make a pizza. And make salsa. And possibly make huevos ranchero. I've only made that two or three times, and it's one of my favorite dishes, certainly my favorite breakfast. One time I made it when Mom was visiting and her car needed repair, some rainy day. Great day. Love rainy days.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Nice to see the sunlight reflect off the fountain.
Doing laundry, folding laundry. Unloading the dishwasher. Putting dishes away. Putting clothes away. Making Cassidy's bed. Washed my sheets. Nothing special, but it seems to take a lot of time.
Walked to school yesterday from the library and today from the gym. Cassidy does not like walking. Didn't take Flynn for a bagel yesterday but did today.
Girl Scout meeting tonight at 5:00 or 5:30. Haven't secured a uniform for Cassidy yet.
What else? Went through bills yesterday, not good, not too bad, though.
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