I wonder how many blog posts have this title today. Hmmmm.
Well, hurricane Irene has passed, and if you know me well you know I don't like the wind. Irene had some wind, and I spent a good portion of the night worrying about our trees. We have quite a few big, old trees in the yard, trees that need to be trimmed, most of them hanging over cars or near the house or stuff like that. So I worried, and every time I'd hear a big gust of wind I'd worry more, and it went on like that for awhile until I decided to put in the ol' earbuds and fire up the mp3 player and listen to the sound of a fan that we've got on an mp3 loop on there, and turn it up just loud enough to drown out the blowing. Worked pretty damned well.
So this morning I got up and headed into work, and there really wasn't much damage around the neighborhood - a few downed branches (a decent-sized one fell in our yard, but didn't hit anything), that's about it. We never lost power for any length of time, which is pretty miraculous. I don't want to jinx us, but we haven't lost power very much in this place, which has been nice. Also, no new leaks and the basement didn't flood. All things that I worried about that did not come to pass.
I'm in the middle of a long stretch at work and it's getting a little annoying. Any days after 5 in a row get to be a pain. Tomorrow will be day 8 of 11.
That's it, really, for now. There's not that much interesting going on. Cut up some branches when I got home from work. Jeannie worked on drywall. We went to 3 different grocery stores looking for one that had power so we could buy something for dinner. I ate too many mashed potatoes. Back to work tomorrow. And so it goes...
Oh, and for you Infinite Jest fans out there, in case you haven't see it:
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Chesterfield Kings
Something is wrong with my taste lately. I think it all started with the CHEERS bender I've been on, and feeling nostalgic for cheesy, earnest things. This is the music I've been listening to and, for the most part, enjoying for the last couple of weeks:
I think it is the beginning of the end for me. Wait, no. Listening to smooth jazz is the end of the end. It is the bottom.
But no, it gets worse. Here's another one:
The thing is, I bought the Donald Fagen CD because 1.) the cover is awesome 2.) it was cheap 3.) I'd been on a little Steely Dan kick a few months ago, and 4.) the reviews at work gave it 4.5 stars, and when I would listen to samples of it, I would think to myself, "Jesus, that sounds really cheesy, how could it have gotten 4 and a half stars?" So my curiosity was piqued. So I checked it out. And damn if that stuff doesn't grow on you like a thick orange fungus.
The Jeanners and I sat down last night and figured out how much work we need to get done before the insulation folks can come in and complete Phase 2 of the insulation work. Which needs to be finished by the end of February for our loan shit to all work out. We figured that, after we finish the two bedrooms we're working on now (which we've given ourselves until the end of September to do), we've got about 20 days of work to do. The problem is, because of our work schedukes, and Christmas, and all the other stuff that's coming our way over the next few months, it's gonna take us pretty much the entire 6 months to get those twenty days of work done. And as we were going through the list, it seemed like a lot of stuff that we need to get done. So I got a little overwhelmed. And, although I've been abstaining from the G&T's since around my birthday, I had a G&T so I could melt my brain a little bit and be able to sleep without worrying about house stuff all night. It worked. It also worked that Jeannie was willing to come into the bathroom with me and sit on the floor and watch a CHEERS on the laptop with me while I soaked in the tub. True love, ladies and gentlemen.
I think it is the beginning of the end for me. Wait, no. Listening to smooth jazz is the end of the end. It is the bottom.
But no, it gets worse. Here's another one:
The thing is, I bought the Donald Fagen CD because 1.) the cover is awesome 2.) it was cheap 3.) I'd been on a little Steely Dan kick a few months ago, and 4.) the reviews at work gave it 4.5 stars, and when I would listen to samples of it, I would think to myself, "Jesus, that sounds really cheesy, how could it have gotten 4 and a half stars?" So my curiosity was piqued. So I checked it out. And damn if that stuff doesn't grow on you like a thick orange fungus.
The Jeanners and I sat down last night and figured out how much work we need to get done before the insulation folks can come in and complete Phase 2 of the insulation work. Which needs to be finished by the end of February for our loan shit to all work out. We figured that, after we finish the two bedrooms we're working on now (which we've given ourselves until the end of September to do), we've got about 20 days of work to do. The problem is, because of our work schedukes, and Christmas, and all the other stuff that's coming our way over the next few months, it's gonna take us pretty much the entire 6 months to get those twenty days of work done. And as we were going through the list, it seemed like a lot of stuff that we need to get done. So I got a little overwhelmed. And, although I've been abstaining from the G&T's since around my birthday, I had a G&T so I could melt my brain a little bit and be able to sleep without worrying about house stuff all night. It worked. It also worked that Jeannie was willing to come into the bathroom with me and sit on the floor and watch a CHEERS on the laptop with me while I soaked in the tub. True love, ladies and gentlemen.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Don't You F#@$'in Look at Me
I have a day off work today. My plan is to eat a hearty breakfast, do some drywall sandin', and then have a delicious Chinese lunch. I've been looking forward to the Chinese lunch for a few days now. I will also probably watch a couple of CHEERS episodes at some point today.
Had a good birthday on Saturday. The Jeanners got me Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (the book), which has been on my list to read for awhile. Also a tambourine. Jeannie also got me a tambourine for my birthday. So now when you come over I will play the tambourine for you and dance my dances.
We spent the weekend (and the subsequent days) diving back into wonderful world of drywall finishing. I am attempting to get some practice in by working in the closets (in the hopes that one day Jeannie will let me "come out of the closet" (pun intended). Because my drywall finishing skills are non-existent. Meaning I've never really done it before. And fucking up the drywall finishing can make everything look really bad. So it seems that getting some practice in in the closets is a good idea before venturing out onto walls that we'll be staring at a lot.
Anyway, the fact that we're working on drywall is a good thing, because it means we're getting that much closer to moving into the bedroom. So anyway, yeah.
Alright, I think it's time for me to start on this hearty breakfast.
Had a good birthday on Saturday. The Jeanners got me Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (the book), which has been on my list to read for awhile. Also a tambourine. Jeannie also got me a tambourine for my birthday. So now when you come over I will play the tambourine for you and dance my dances.
We spent the weekend (and the subsequent days) diving back into wonderful world of drywall finishing. I am attempting to get some practice in by working in the closets (in the hopes that one day Jeannie will let me "come out of the closet" (pun intended). Because my drywall finishing skills are non-existent. Meaning I've never really done it before. And fucking up the drywall finishing can make everything look really bad. So it seems that getting some practice in in the closets is a good idea before venturing out onto walls that we'll be staring at a lot.
Anyway, the fact that we're working on drywall is a good thing, because it means we're getting that much closer to moving into the bedroom. So anyway, yeah.
Alright, I think it's time for me to start on this hearty breakfast.
Friday, August 12, 2011
A Bad Case of the Sammies
The Jeanners was out of town for the last three days, and I spent most of the time (the time that I wasn't at work, anyway) watching CHEERS episodes and drinking gin and tonics. Ok, I did do some other things. I worked on the kitchen pipe and also played some guitar. But I watched about 20 cheers episodes over 3 days. I am currently toying with the decision to dress more like Sam Malone. Feel free to weigh in with a vote if you feel strongly one way or the other.
My birthday is tomorrow. 34. I will have officially beaten Jesus. Now I just need to avoid the lightning bolts until then. Speaking of lightning, Facebook has really made me aware of the fact that there are a lot of people out there who spell it "lightening." That drives me up a flippin' wall.
Some neighbors gave us canned goods this week.
Why not?
What else. The Jeanners and I are going to hopefully be working on some drywall tomorrow, followed by a birthday dinner at Kathmandu Kitchen, my recently-declared favorite restaurant in Baltimore.
My birthday is tomorrow. 34. I will have officially beaten Jesus. Now I just need to avoid the lightning bolts until then. Speaking of lightning, Facebook has really made me aware of the fact that there are a lot of people out there who spell it "lightening." That drives me up a flippin' wall.
Some neighbors gave us canned goods this week.
Why not?
What else. The Jeanners and I are going to hopefully be working on some drywall tomorrow, followed by a birthday dinner at Kathmandu Kitchen, my recently-declared favorite restaurant in Baltimore.
Monday, August 08, 2011
Tube 'a Lube Express
The Gena's visit came to an end today and she hopped on a plane back to the Lou. 'Twas a good visit. Some things that happened:
1. We went tubing on the Gunpowder River. Great fun. Relaxing. Beautiful nature. And only about 45 minutes from home. Summer fun that I know the Jeanners and I will be repeating in the future.
2. I made them watch Teen Wolf. Couldn't get them to watch Teen Wolf Too.
3. They made me watch Dirty Dancing. I was hoping that the dancing would be dirtier.
4. Hot dog dinner. I don't eat hot dogs like I used to, but for a day I did. And it was good.
So we had a good time. Now, it is back to the realities of work and kitchen drain repair. The Jeanners is going to be flying to Chicago tomorrow for a few days of training, so I think I'll use the opportunity of her absence (and the subsequent reduced kitchen drain usage that comes with it) to start cutting up some pipe.
I finished re-reading The Broom of the System. I liked it more than when I read it the first time, but it still feels kinda sophmoric. It has some of the show-offy stuff that's in Infinite Jest, but doesn't create any sort of reader connection with the characters that IJ does so well (by the end). Basically, I didn't care what happened to any of the characters in BOTS.
Whatever. Anyway, I have to go now and clean up my hibatchi.
1. We went tubing on the Gunpowder River. Great fun. Relaxing. Beautiful nature. And only about 45 minutes from home. Summer fun that I know the Jeanners and I will be repeating in the future.
2. I made them watch Teen Wolf. Couldn't get them to watch Teen Wolf Too.
3. They made me watch Dirty Dancing. I was hoping that the dancing would be dirtier.
4. Hot dog dinner. I don't eat hot dogs like I used to, but for a day I did. And it was good.
So we had a good time. Now, it is back to the realities of work and kitchen drain repair. The Jeanners is going to be flying to Chicago tomorrow for a few days of training, so I think I'll use the opportunity of her absence (and the subsequent reduced kitchen drain usage that comes with it) to start cutting up some pipe.
I finished re-reading The Broom of the System. I liked it more than when I read it the first time, but it still feels kinda sophmoric. It has some of the show-offy stuff that's in Infinite Jest, but doesn't create any sort of reader connection with the characters that IJ does so well (by the end). Basically, I didn't care what happened to any of the characters in BOTS.
Whatever. Anyway, I have to go now and clean up my hibatchi.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
More Wine?
Our friend Gena is here visiting us, and it's been pretty damned fun. Although I've been working like a fool this past week, so I haven't been able to hang out with the ladies (The Jeanners and the Geners) as much as I would've liked. Especially yesterday, when they spent the entire day sleeping and waking up only to eat ice cream. And then we had a tasty home-made shrimp enchilada dinner last night followed by a wicked kitchen dance party. Anyway, it's been nice having somebody else around for a week.
One bad thing that's happened this week is that all the piping underneath our kitchen sink drain is basically falling apart. We've got a temporary fix set up and will attempt a more permanent fix after our guest departs, just in case things don't go well and we end up completely sodomizing the whole drain line.
So my dad spent a lot of time as a kid out in the sun, and he's always had lots of freckles on his back, and as he's aged the freckles have turned into some pretty wicked-looking, scary cancerous-looking spots. On his back and his face. And he's very stubborn about going to the doctor, so he'd never been to a dermatologist to get them checked out or anything. Well, after getting goaded by my Mom's sister ("I've never known anyone who is as smart as you to be so dumb"), he finally made an appointment with a dermatologist to get them checked out and, sure enough, all the really bad-looking spots are all basal-cell cancers. Which is not a huge surprise (he had pretty much figured that they were all cancer anyway), and is actually good news (basal-cell is the less-dangerous type of cancer; melanoma is the really bad kind), but is still pretty shitty. So for the last couple of weeks he's been going and getting a few of the spots removed, including the big one on his temple, right next to his eye. Basically, they either cut or scrape it off, and then burn and sew it closed. Yuck. He said for the one next to his eye, they had to put in like 20 stitches to close it up. And he's awake for the whole thing. And then his eye swelled shut the next day. And then he's been going and getting the ones on his back removed, too, which isn't as bad because they're in a less sensitive location, but still the same shitty procedure. And so anyway, now when I've been calling my parents for the last couple of weeks it's been weird, because my dad, who is usually fairly upbeat or at least stoic about hard situations, sounds depressed. He sounds like he's been almost beaten by this. And that sucks. I hope going to the doctor was the right decision. I'm going to call them today and hopefully he's doing better. Right now I'm wishing that I wasn't so far away and that I could go over and visit every couple of days. (audible sigh).
Been doing some shifts as a real manager-manager at work. It is strange because on those days I end up running around like crazy and actually doing work. As opposed to standing around and waiting for the clock to tick tick tick, which is what I do on most other days.
Tonight: Faidley's crab cakes (the best in Baltimore!) and possible karaoke! You are jealous!
One bad thing that's happened this week is that all the piping underneath our kitchen sink drain is basically falling apart. We've got a temporary fix set up and will attempt a more permanent fix after our guest departs, just in case things don't go well and we end up completely sodomizing the whole drain line.
So my dad spent a lot of time as a kid out in the sun, and he's always had lots of freckles on his back, and as he's aged the freckles have turned into some pretty wicked-looking, scary cancerous-looking spots. On his back and his face. And he's very stubborn about going to the doctor, so he'd never been to a dermatologist to get them checked out or anything. Well, after getting goaded by my Mom's sister ("I've never known anyone who is as smart as you to be so dumb"), he finally made an appointment with a dermatologist to get them checked out and, sure enough, all the really bad-looking spots are all basal-cell cancers. Which is not a huge surprise (he had pretty much figured that they were all cancer anyway), and is actually good news (basal-cell is the less-dangerous type of cancer; melanoma is the really bad kind), but is still pretty shitty. So for the last couple of weeks he's been going and getting a few of the spots removed, including the big one on his temple, right next to his eye. Basically, they either cut or scrape it off, and then burn and sew it closed. Yuck. He said for the one next to his eye, they had to put in like 20 stitches to close it up. And he's awake for the whole thing. And then his eye swelled shut the next day. And then he's been going and getting the ones on his back removed, too, which isn't as bad because they're in a less sensitive location, but still the same shitty procedure. And so anyway, now when I've been calling my parents for the last couple of weeks it's been weird, because my dad, who is usually fairly upbeat or at least stoic about hard situations, sounds depressed. He sounds like he's been almost beaten by this. And that sucks. I hope going to the doctor was the right decision. I'm going to call them today and hopefully he's doing better. Right now I'm wishing that I wasn't so far away and that I could go over and visit every couple of days. (audible sigh).
Been doing some shifts as a real manager-manager at work. It is strange because on those days I end up running around like crazy and actually doing work. As opposed to standing around and waiting for the clock to tick tick tick, which is what I do on most other days.
Tonight: Faidley's crab cakes (the best in Baltimore!) and possible karaoke! You are jealous!
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