For the last couple of years, I've been running a bit of software called Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI). What this thing claims to do is keep a list of all the current software on your PC and alert you any time there is a newer version available. At first it worked great. According to the initial scan, I had several programs that were out of date. I updated those, turned on their auto-update option and, "Ta da!!!" A score of 100%. Things went along OK until PSI started nagging me about Open Office being out of date. When I went into Open Office, auto update was on. I told it to go check for the latest version. It tells me I have the latest version. I went to the Open Office web site. Ahhhhhh. The front page had an announcement that anyone who wanted to mess with the latest beta version could download it. I'm not sure how PSI updates version numbers in its database, but if it scrapes them from the main page of of the software vendor, I could see how PSI got confused.
That problem eventually resolved itself and things went back to normal for several months. Sometimes PSI would flag a problem, but I found if I just let it be, an auto update would pop up and make PSI all warm and fuzzy again. Then one bright, sunny Florida day, I get a big pop-up from PSI doing the whole, "Warning, warning Will Robinson!" thing on my screen. Suddenly, I have three things out of date: Adobe Reader, Java, and Windows XML blah blah somethin' somethin'. OK, Adobe Reader is the easy one; download and install the latest version, then go into each browser and update the Adobe Reader add-on, shut everything down, reboot, rerun the scan. No joy. Hmmm. Then I remember that Chrome has its own sort-of built-in Reader. Maybe there is a lag between Adobe release and getting a new version of Chrome with the latest version built in.
OK, ignore Adobe. On to Microsoft. I click on PSI's link to Microsoft update. I end up on some page about ten layers down inside the Microsoft.com domain going on about some update to XP. Screw that. Lets try Java. The problem there is just what am I supposed to be updating? Java SE? Java JRE? Java BunnyFuFu? Then there is the Java versioning system where monstrosities like Java BunnyFuFu version 1.6/6.2/3.7.11.34 is considered a perfectly rational way to number software versions. After wasting close to an hour, I decided to hell with it. I'd just live with three out-of-date programs. At some point, an auto update would shut PSI up.
It wasn't to be. In the last five months, I've installed at least a dozen updates to Adobe Reader, three different species of Java, Windows, Chrome. None have made PSI any happier. Then this morning, PSI went into nuclear meltdown mode. I decided that's it, I'm either cleaning this mess up, or I dump PSI off a cliff. After a half hour of digging around, installing, rebooting, rinse-and-repeat, I was able to get all the new programs and Adobe Reader off the list. I knew there were major updates to Java thanks to some hacker figuring out a way to use it to take over people's lives. Another round of digging, installing, rebooting, rinsing-and-repeating, and, "Voila!" I was down to just one thing left...
[Insert Dramatic Chipmunk here]
This Windows XML thing. PSI swore up and down that this was a serious threat to my PC. Fine. I clicked the link to Windows Update again and this time was taken to my PC's Windows Update application. Progress of a sort. I had no important updates waiting, but there were four optional updates. None said anything about XML, but a couple were just mass updates. Maybe what I needed was buried in one of those. Installed everything, rebooted, rescanned and...
Secunia PSI now listed six different versions of Windows XML with version numbers running from 3.n to 6.n. According to PSI, 4.n was the current version.
Enough. Secunia PSI is buh-bye.
While messing about with that, I noticed that IE was opening up to some search engine I'd never heard of. I didn't write it down like I should have mostly because I was in fire-and-sword mode by this time. My default search engine was supposed to be Google, but when I went into IE's search engine management, the only ones available were Bing and this Miss Clarol or whatever it was called. Tell IE to "install" Google, make that the default, delete the other two and reboot IE. Back to the search engine from hell, and the only search engines available are Bing and Crapsearch. I go into Uninstall Programs slashing and burning everything that starts with the letter C. There were at least five programs installed that were all linked together. Then off to the registry for more mahem. Reboot the computer, start up IE and another ta da.
Now I was really in a mood. When the dust settled (think crazed massage robot on WALL-E taking out the cruise ship's entire security force and you're getting close), the list of installed programs was about half as long as when I started. Nothing like a good purge. And the PC is humming along nicely again.
A few news items that caught my eye:
A man in Sandy Hook helped a group of six kids who had just watched their teacher get shot, and a school bus driver leading them away from the school. His reward? Being constantly harassed by tinfoil-hat douche bags. He has been overwhelmed by e-mail, mail and phone calls accusing him of working for the government in a staged shooting. I have no idea what these ass clowns think they're accomplishing. If anyone is working for Obama to eliminate gun rights, they are.
The basketball coach at some fancy prep school in California has been disciplining players by making them stand for hours with their feet and hands zip-tied together and clothespins on their nipples. Barney Fife from the local PD is quick to assure us that the nipple thing was probably not sexual, just sadistic. Me thinks Barney needs to type "sado-masochism" into Google and learn the two are not mutually exclusive. Anyway, what I want to know is, did it work? Do zip-ties and nipple pinching produce superior basketball players? That is the purpose of school, after all. That whole learning thing is so Paleo. What we want from our schools is a steady stream of gladiators... er.... athletes to fill up all 74 ESPN channels with never-ending sports for our entertainment. Right? Right?!?
Then we have more nipple play over at the Manhattan Soccer Club right on the club's logo. Unfortunately, the article doesn't address whether this makes better soccer players, and instead talks about the flue and why players are no longer allowed to high five or do the handshake thing with the other team at the end of the game. Two thoughts: If the flu is so bad that a high five could result in a players death, then maybe soccer season should just be canceled. And what good does banning high-fives do when you simultaneously encourage players to manipulate each others' mammaries?
And finally we have a college hoop star involved in a bar fight. He and a teammate walk into a bar, drunk douche bag takes a swing at hoop star, teammate knocks out DDB with a single punch to the head. Then hoop star displays his amazing lack of judgement, as well as deep confusion regarding which sport he plays, by attempting to kick a field goal with now-unconscious DDB's head. In keeping with the news media's inability to get to the bottom of the story, the important question is never asked: Did hoop star's high school coach force him to wear clothespins on his nipples? Is nipple-pinching like steroids? A little can give you a real edge, but too much makes you grow a Neanderthalish beetle-brow and go on rampages? Inquiring minds want to know....
On the home front, we continue to putter around doing repairs, cleaning and yard work, as long as it costs little or no money. The one thing we did purchase is a clothesline (no clothespins though). It's in the middle of the floor still in the box. Given the current pace of work, it should be up early spring 2017. I should probably take some pictures of the stuff we're doing, but now I'm too busy researching the history of nipple-pinching as an athletic training tool. So far, I've found references going back to the Greek marathon runners.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Merry New Year!
Well, it's 2013, which means every check we send out for the next several months will have the incorrect year on it. It's also time to clean out the Past Reading list. We missed our goal of collectively reading 100 books every year by a mere 3 books. Still not bad when you consider that this was not only another moving year, but a 2-month-renovation-to-the-new-digs year as well. Still, I feel like a slacker whenever we miss that goal.
Speaking of renovations, we're still plugging away at making this place more livable. We spent most of New Year's Day rearranging the shed, throwing stuff out, moving stuff from the trailer to the shed, etc. We made a bit more room for ourselves and much more room in the shed. The bikes are still outside under bike covers, but I'm not giving up on the idea of them living in the shed along with all the paraphernalia like lights, saddlebags, etc. That would clean out a full shelf in our bedroom. I'm sure it would be quickly filled up again with stuff lurking somewhere hidden, but progress is progress. And we finally unloaded the electric hot water heater that's been sitting unused in the back of the Florida room since early July, although we got less than a third what we paid for it. All I cared about was getting the thing out of my house and out of my life. We're currently short on cash thanks to our $5,000 dental bill, but I still have an entire to-do list that involves nothing but sweat to get done. Those to-do's should be kicked out over the next month or so, but a lot of that depends on....
I'm still hustling for some place to park my carcass for tax season. I'll be spending time today and tomorrow following up on the strongest lead so far. Their process is something like twenty steps long, and these are the last three steps, so I should know something by the end of the week. I have a couple other strong leads here in town, but I can almost guarantee I wouldn't be making near the money I will be if Plan A pans out.
I'm still waiting for the official word on the last-minute "fiscal cliff" deal. From what I've been able to piece together so far is that anyone making less than $50,000 will have slightly less money in their pocket, those making between $50,000 and $400,000 may or may not see a bit more of their gross earnings in 2013, and those making over $400,000 will be paying a great deal more. In theory, of course. I'm sure their tax attorneys are busy looking for tax strategies to nullify any tax increases on their clients. Meanwhile, the real questions, like how one-third of the country working for shrinking wages are supposed to support the other two-thirds in the manner to which they have become accustomed, got another kick down the road.
The New Year is supposed to be a time for predictions and resolutions. I'll start with the easiest: resolutions. We don't have any other than surviving another year without ending up living in a dumpster behind Denny's or murdering the Bitch Who Lives Next Door. (That last one is still up in the air depending on if we can figure out a way to not get caught.)
As far as predictions, I expect America's slow, downward spiral to continue. The Fed will continue to shovel $80 billion a month into the to-big-to-fail (TBTF) banks, barely offsetting the currency that is disappearing from debt deflation. Jon Corzine will continue wandering around free, as will all the rest of the TBTF banksters that in a country with any respect for the rule of law would be cellmates of Bernie Madoff. We will continue to lie about becoming energy independent even as the production of shale oil goes into decline due to rapid depletion and the bursting of the investment bubble around it. Natural gas prices will continue to tick up towards the $8-per-unit needed to pay for production as current shale gas wells continue to go into decline and the burned investors make raising more capital for new ones difficult. The increase in natural gas prices will also cause electricity to become more expensive. (56% of electricity in Florida is generated with natural gas, more than double what is generated with coal and five times what is generated with nuclear.) Our "leaders" in government and finance will continue to insist that what they've been doing for the last five years will solve all our problems if we keep on doing what hasn't worked while we screw our eyes shut, click our heels three times while saying "There's no place like home!"
Merry 2013.
Speaking of renovations, we're still plugging away at making this place more livable. We spent most of New Year's Day rearranging the shed, throwing stuff out, moving stuff from the trailer to the shed, etc. We made a bit more room for ourselves and much more room in the shed. The bikes are still outside under bike covers, but I'm not giving up on the idea of them living in the shed along with all the paraphernalia like lights, saddlebags, etc. That would clean out a full shelf in our bedroom. I'm sure it would be quickly filled up again with stuff lurking somewhere hidden, but progress is progress. And we finally unloaded the electric hot water heater that's been sitting unused in the back of the Florida room since early July, although we got less than a third what we paid for it. All I cared about was getting the thing out of my house and out of my life. We're currently short on cash thanks to our $5,000 dental bill, but I still have an entire to-do list that involves nothing but sweat to get done. Those to-do's should be kicked out over the next month or so, but a lot of that depends on....
I'm still hustling for some place to park my carcass for tax season. I'll be spending time today and tomorrow following up on the strongest lead so far. Their process is something like twenty steps long, and these are the last three steps, so I should know something by the end of the week. I have a couple other strong leads here in town, but I can almost guarantee I wouldn't be making near the money I will be if Plan A pans out.
I'm still waiting for the official word on the last-minute "fiscal cliff" deal. From what I've been able to piece together so far is that anyone making less than $50,000 will have slightly less money in their pocket, those making between $50,000 and $400,000 may or may not see a bit more of their gross earnings in 2013, and those making over $400,000 will be paying a great deal more. In theory, of course. I'm sure their tax attorneys are busy looking for tax strategies to nullify any tax increases on their clients. Meanwhile, the real questions, like how one-third of the country working for shrinking wages are supposed to support the other two-thirds in the manner to which they have become accustomed, got another kick down the road.
The New Year is supposed to be a time for predictions and resolutions. I'll start with the easiest: resolutions. We don't have any other than surviving another year without ending up living in a dumpster behind Denny's or murdering the Bitch Who Lives Next Door. (That last one is still up in the air depending on if we can figure out a way to not get caught.)
As far as predictions, I expect America's slow, downward spiral to continue. The Fed will continue to shovel $80 billion a month into the to-big-to-fail (TBTF) banks, barely offsetting the currency that is disappearing from debt deflation. Jon Corzine will continue wandering around free, as will all the rest of the TBTF banksters that in a country with any respect for the rule of law would be cellmates of Bernie Madoff. We will continue to lie about becoming energy independent even as the production of shale oil goes into decline due to rapid depletion and the bursting of the investment bubble around it. Natural gas prices will continue to tick up towards the $8-per-unit needed to pay for production as current shale gas wells continue to go into decline and the burned investors make raising more capital for new ones difficult. The increase in natural gas prices will also cause electricity to become more expensive. (56% of electricity in Florida is generated with natural gas, more than double what is generated with coal and five times what is generated with nuclear.) Our "leaders" in government and finance will continue to insist that what they've been doing for the last five years will solve all our problems if we keep on doing what hasn't worked while we screw our eyes shut, click our heels three times while saying "There's no place like home!"
Merry 2013.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Year-End Interregnum
I'm still pursuing job leads, with one that looks a bit promising. I don't want to go all blabby and jinx the thing, but it's probably the strongest lead I've had since we moved to Zephyrhills. The problem is that the multiple steps necessary mean I'm stuck hanging around the house waiting for phone calls and/or e-mails. Not that the weather has made me really want to run outside. Since Thursday, we've had nothing but heavy overcast, rain, and temps in the 60's (brrrrrr!).
So while I can't leave the house, I'm cleaning a month's worth of photos off the camera, catching up on our bookkeeping, scraping off the foot of dust on everything, blah, blah, blah.
Speaking of cleaning off the camera:
Inaugural Cruise on Celebrity's Reflection:
We have several neighbors who get into Christmas lights:
And photos from Thursday's trip over to Animal Kingdom. Note to self: Never go anywhere near Disneyworld the week between Christmas and New Years. We're used to the other parks being crowded, but Animal Kingdom is usually much less so. Not Thursday. We had to park further from the gate than we ever have before, and simply attempting to walk down the streets in the park was nearly impossible. But we did get a glimpse of Jabali:
Well, I should stop messing about here and get on my inside work. The weather is supposed to clear tomorrow, so with a bit of luck, I'll get some outdoor work done as well.
So while I can't leave the house, I'm cleaning a month's worth of photos off the camera, catching up on our bookkeeping, scraping off the foot of dust on everything, blah, blah, blah.
Speaking of cleaning off the camera:
Inaugural Cruise on Celebrity's Reflection:
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| Debbie in the Big Chair |
 |
| Ricky in the Big Chair |
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| Reflection at Night |
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| Celebrity's Big X |
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| Sunset at Sea |
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| Migraine Clock |
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| Penguin! |
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| Fence Decorations |
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| Tree Decorations |
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| Santa and Snoop Dawg. |
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| Peek! |
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| Mom |
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| New Kids on the Block |
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| Bald Eagle in the Flights of Wonder Show |
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| Kitty!! |
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| Grumpy Kitty |
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| Hungry Kitty |
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| Sleepy Kitty |
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| No clue what this thing is or why it's standing on its knees. |
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
...and We're Back
We're home to stay for a very long while. Debbie is coming into her busy season. With some luck, I'll be busy as well. I have a number of lines out at this time, and Friday I will be out sniffing around some more. In any case, between now and at least mid-April, don't even bother to ask. We can't.
As I mentioned before, this is our first Christmas since 2005 that we've spent with anyone other than the two of us. Compared to the Grand Chaos of Christmases Past, it was a cakewalk, but it was still more than our normal just-us, monkey-bread-for-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner, NCIS-24-hour-marathon, not-even-get-dressed-let-alone-leave-the-house Christmas. My parents are forever telling us we're boring. I prefer "lazy". Pō-tā-tō, pō-tă-tō.
Tomorrow is Debbie's day off because she will be working Saturday, so we may sneak off someplace like Disneyworld. Which means more driving, but nothing like what we've been doing the last few weeks. Maybe the Christmas... er... Holiday decorations will still be up.
And that's pretty much it for the week. I have several hundred photos on my camera that I haven't even looked at. If I find anything even moderately interesting, I'll post it. Otherwise, I may get some Mickey pictures up over the weekend.
As I mentioned before, this is our first Christmas since 2005 that we've spent with anyone other than the two of us. Compared to the Grand Chaos of Christmases Past, it was a cakewalk, but it was still more than our normal just-us, monkey-bread-for-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner, NCIS-24-hour-marathon, not-even-get-dressed-let-alone-leave-the-house Christmas. My parents are forever telling us we're boring. I prefer "lazy". Pō-tā-tō, pō-tă-tō.
Tomorrow is Debbie's day off because she will be working Saturday, so we may sneak off someplace like Disneyworld. Which means more driving, but nothing like what we've been doing the last few weeks. Maybe the Christmas... er... Holiday decorations will still be up.
And that's pretty much it for the week. I have several hundred photos on my camera that I haven't even looked at. If I find anything even moderately interesting, I'll post it. Otherwise, I may get some Mickey pictures up over the weekend.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Done...
...at least for a few months. I decided that rather than spend the day circling Zephyrhills begging for a job, I would complete my last eight hours of CPE in one go. I managed it, although I think I broke something in my brain. At least I can now read something fun instead of reading tax code, hence Watership Down over in the Currently Reading list. It's been years if not decades since I last read it, and I figured it would be relaxing for my poor noggin. Not much else to report; tomorrow is more money we don't have out the door for doctor visits for me and a trip back to the dentist for Debbie to put one of her temporary caps back on. Then a day to do some chores in the morning and get ready to head out of town again. This will be the last time in a loooooong time we leave our wee little homestead; we're just about tripped out. We'd forgotten how hectic this time of year is after seven quiet Christmases with just the two of us. We had figured it would be just us again as my family normally all head up to Michigan for Christmas with my grandpa. But no one can afford the extra drive back and forth, and Grandpa is to the point that he doesn't recognize hardly anyone and wouldn't know if they were there or not. So they're all here, which is good, but, again, a bit more chaotic that we're used to.
Well, off to read about some wascally wabbits. (Elmer Fudd is in Watership Down, isn't he?)
Well, off to read about some wascally wabbits. (Elmer Fudd is in Watership Down, isn't he?)
Friday, December 14, 2012
Work, Work, Work
So we finally landed at home Monday afternoon. At least for a couple weeks, then it's back on the road for another trip. The plan for this week was for me to focus on finding a place to do taxes for the upcoming tax season, but that went out the window. We spent Monday afternoon unpacking, rebooting, laundry, etc. I spent all day Tuesday trying to get my required CPE complete before the end of the year. Should have gotten on this sooner, but with all the moving and stuff that needed to be done on the trailer, I'm now scrambling.
Then Wednesday, we both had our initial appointments with the new dentist. We expected a quick in-and-out; a few x-rays, a "plan of attack", then appointments at some future point to get things rolling.
Heh.
Instead we were there for five and a half hours and got socked with a $5,000+ bill. After that, we sort of just came home and stared off into space trying to figure out where in the %&#@* we were going to dig up five large.
Thursday, I finally had to do some work outside. The oak trees decided to drop all their leaves while we were out of town, then it rained on them. The oak leaves down here aren't like the ones in Michigan. These are very small and flat so they stick to everything and leave permanent stains on whatever they touch. I just couldn't leave them any longer, so I went at the outdoor work with a vengeance, sweeping, raking, trimming, mowing, edging (a weekly activity in Florida), more sweeping, weeding, mulching. Then I figured the day was pretty well shot anyway and while I was sweaty and dirty, I may as well attack the shed. Since moving here, we've been shoving things into the shed any ol' way, figuring we'd deal with it later. Well, "later" was yesterday: pulled out shelving to make more floor space, relocated/rewired outlets, cleaned and made a first pass at organizing all the clutter. There's still a long way to go, but at least the basic outline is starting to take shape.
And that brings us to today, which was another brain-buster trying to cram in CPE. I really should have started this sooner. Meanwhile, because of the dental fiasco, Debbie's work schedule has been completely jacked all week, just adding to the chaos.
And yes. I'm whinging. Deal with it.
Tomorrow and Sunday look to be more of the same other than a break Sunday night to go to the Christmas cantata at my parents' church. Maybe next week will be normaler.
Then Wednesday, we both had our initial appointments with the new dentist. We expected a quick in-and-out; a few x-rays, a "plan of attack", then appointments at some future point to get things rolling.
Heh.
Instead we were there for five and a half hours and got socked with a $5,000+ bill. After that, we sort of just came home and stared off into space trying to figure out where in the %&#@* we were going to dig up five large.
Thursday, I finally had to do some work outside. The oak trees decided to drop all their leaves while we were out of town, then it rained on them. The oak leaves down here aren't like the ones in Michigan. These are very small and flat so they stick to everything and leave permanent stains on whatever they touch. I just couldn't leave them any longer, so I went at the outdoor work with a vengeance, sweeping, raking, trimming, mowing, edging (a weekly activity in Florida), more sweeping, weeding, mulching. Then I figured the day was pretty well shot anyway and while I was sweaty and dirty, I may as well attack the shed. Since moving here, we've been shoving things into the shed any ol' way, figuring we'd deal with it later. Well, "later" was yesterday: pulled out shelving to make more floor space, relocated/rewired outlets, cleaned and made a first pass at organizing all the clutter. There's still a long way to go, but at least the basic outline is starting to take shape.
And that brings us to today, which was another brain-buster trying to cram in CPE. I really should have started this sooner. Meanwhile, because of the dental fiasco, Debbie's work schedule has been completely jacked all week, just adding to the chaos.
And yes. I'm whinging. Deal with it.
Tomorrow and Sunday look to be more of the same other than a break Sunday night to go to the Christmas cantata at my parents' church. Maybe next week will be normaler.
Friday, December 07, 2012
Passing Through
In between coming from and getting ready to go again, there is this:
Sweet. And note this time around that a) Paramount hasn't ordered free advertising off the internet (yet) and b) the video can be embedded; all without the whole world screaming at them first. Good to know that at least one corporation has learned how to muzzle their clueless lawyers.
More when I have time. At least we'll be mostly done after this weekend. I really need to focus on a couple things for the rest of December.
Sweet. And note this time around that a) Paramount hasn't ordered free advertising off the internet (yet) and b) the video can be embedded; all without the whole world screaming at them first. Good to know that at least one corporation has learned how to muzzle their clueless lawyers.
More when I have time. At least we'll be mostly done after this weekend. I really need to focus on a couple things for the rest of December.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
With apologies to Simon and Garfunkel:
The herb garden is more-or-less planted. Right now, the challenge is keeping the plants watered given everything is dry as dust. Not the most typical problem in Florida, but when the rainy season ended back in September, it came to a screeching halt. As in not a drop of rain since. We need dust masks just to walk across the lot. Crazy stuff. Anyway, the garden:
And just because I have so much free time, I re-did the walk and landing pad in front of the shed, and added a place for our bikes to sit that is less in the way:
Well, gotta go make dinner.
The herb garden is more-or-less planted. Right now, the challenge is keeping the plants watered given everything is dry as dust. Not the most typical problem in Florida, but when the rainy season ended back in September, it came to a screeching halt. As in not a drop of rain since. We need dust masks just to walk across the lot. Crazy stuff. Anyway, the garden:
And just because I have so much free time, I re-did the walk and landing pad in front of the shed, and added a place for our bikes to sit that is less in the way:
Well, gotta go make dinner.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
More Home Improvement
Still messing around in the front of our place. I got 1/4 of our Simon-and-Garfunkel herb garden in a few days go:
The inside of our car and my work gloves have a wonderful rosemary scent to them now. I'll probably get some thyme started next. The sage may need to be grown from seed; I haven't found a local source for plants, which is usually an indication that something doesn't do well in the local climate. But I've found dozens of pages on the web from people who swear that sage does well in Florida's beach sand soil as long as you don't try to plant it in the middle of a bog. So as some point, I'll order some seeds and see what happens. I also got some aloe vera planted along the side of the porch. The stuff is like a weed down here, so that should fill in fairly quickly.
Today I finished up getting our house number and lot number painted on the posts and hanging all our Arcosanti bells:
Now our pizza delivery guy will have an easier time finding us, not to mention that we're now in compliance with the park rules.
That's pretty much all I've gotten done; we've been too busy socializing for me to get to all the things on my ever-growing to-do list. With Thanksgiving coming up, I don't expect to get much more done for the rest of this week, but if I do, I'll throw a couple pictures up here.
The inside of our car and my work gloves have a wonderful rosemary scent to them now. I'll probably get some thyme started next. The sage may need to be grown from seed; I haven't found a local source for plants, which is usually an indication that something doesn't do well in the local climate. But I've found dozens of pages on the web from people who swear that sage does well in Florida's beach sand soil as long as you don't try to plant it in the middle of a bog. So as some point, I'll order some seeds and see what happens. I also got some aloe vera planted along the side of the porch. The stuff is like a weed down here, so that should fill in fairly quickly.
Today I finished up getting our house number and lot number painted on the posts and hanging all our Arcosanti bells:
Now our pizza delivery guy will have an easier time finding us, not to mention that we're now in compliance with the park rules.
That's pretty much all I've gotten done; we've been too busy socializing for me to get to all the things on my ever-growing to-do list. With Thanksgiving coming up, I don't expect to get much more done for the rest of this week, but if I do, I'll throw a couple pictures up here.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The Planting Bed
I finally got this thing finished yesterday. Right now, all I'm growing is dead leaves and grass clippings. At some point next week, I'll pick up a half-dozen or so rosemary plants and put those up against the porch. But for now, this is how it looks:
Eventually, the bed will extend for the full length of the trailer, but I need to do a little work on the skirting first. In the meantime, I have all the inside work - cleaning, dishes, bake some bread, etc. - that piled up on me while I was messing around in the yard. A woman's work is never done....
Eventually, the bed will extend for the full length of the trailer, but I need to do a little work on the skirting first. In the meantime, I have all the inside work - cleaning, dishes, bake some bread, etc. - that piled up on me while I was messing around in the yard. A woman's work is never done....
Friday, November 09, 2012
Carl Sagan's Birthday
I really need to get a calendar; I almost missed this again. Anyway, I've posted this before, but it's worth another watch:
The Gods of the Copybook Headings
One Bruce F. Webster has put together an illustrated version of Rudyard Kipling's poem, "The Gods of the Copybook Headings". Appropriate given certain events from earlier this week.
(For those, like me, who somehow avoided copybooks while learning penmanship, Wikipedia has a short article on them. The part that is relevant to Kipling's poem: "Other copybooks, however, focused chiefly on writing literacy and used maxims and sometimes Bible verses as their material. It was intended that students memorize not only correct penmanship, but correct morals as well, through exposure to traditional sayings.")
(For those, like me, who somehow avoided copybooks while learning penmanship, Wikipedia has a short article on them. The part that is relevant to Kipling's poem: "Other copybooks, however, focused chiefly on writing literacy and used maxims and sometimes Bible verses as their material. It was intended that students memorize not only correct penmanship, but correct morals as well, through exposure to traditional sayings.")
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Anyway...
So yea. I made a wee little drive up to Michigan and back. While I was there, Michigan thought it was appropriate to remind me why I left by slamming me with high winds, freezing temperatures, snow, sleet and rain. I got the message, left as soon as logistically possible and have no desire to go back in any months other than June, July or August.
There were two goals for the trip: Take a small load of furniture up to Michigan to dump on others so we can quit living like one of those headcases on Hoarding: Buried Alive, and to help my parents pack up and drive down to Florida for the winter. Both goals were met in that I did manage to get a load of Stuff up to Michigan (nearly) intact and out of our lives while navigating a moving van for most of the length of I-75, and my parents and I are now back in Florida. We made it back late Saturday night. My parents normally take three or four days for the trip down, but I "missed" a couple of their non-expressway longcuts, my sister and brother-in-law that they normally visit were out of town, and I pushed pretty hard for them to not stop a few hours short of Zephyrhills just because it was dark. We met Debbie in Z-town at a local restaurant for a very late dinner about 9:30pm, then finally HOME.
After being gone two full weeks and a couple days, it took all day Sunday and Monday just to catch up on my daily reading and dig through my e-mail. Yesterday, I felt like I spent the entire day in the car, although I'm certain that can't be true. I started my day off with voting. I had considered skipping the whole sordid mess, but decided that while I was out for other things, I may as well drop in and color in a few ovals. I voted my usual pattern; whoever wasn't in office and was least likely to win. The result was typical as well, with not a single person I voted for attaining office. Works for me. In addition, Florida had 11 constitutional amendments on the ballet, all but one of which I voted against as they were measures that should have been handled in the do-nothing legislature rather than being amendments to the state constitution. The only one I voted for was a symbolic amendment making the key provision of Obamacare - the penalty for failing to have health insurance - unconstitutional. With the Supreme Court ruling that the penalty was constitutional, Florida can't make it unconstitutional, but the measure was left on the ballet as a non-binding referendum of sorts.
So the bottom line is that I am not in any way responsible for what happens in the county, state or national governments. I can piss and moan about it all I want because I did in fact drag myself to the polls.
So the underside of the bottom line is, nutin' new here.
The rest of the yesterday was spent driving around Florida's suburban hell trying (and largely failing) to cross items off my various shopping lists. I keep trying to "support local businesses", but they just don't have what I'm looking for. Even the big box stores have been a disappointment. I ventured out again today after we realized that we were out of paper for the printer. I found a few more things, but I finally gave up and moused another big order of random bits on Amazon.
Today, I did get a bunch of things that piled up while I was in Michigan checked off the to-do list, but for every item I checked off, I added two more, so now the list is longer than ever. I think I've discovered all the bits of neglected and forgotten flotsam of our lives, but there may still be something under the couch or in a corner covered in dust bunnies waiting to be discovered.
So I see on Yahoo this morning that Obama gets his four-more-years. Several people I've encountered today, including my parents, are in a state of mourning due to Obama's re-election. I'm sure today's Wednesday Prayer Meetin' at their church will be an hour of wailing and gnashing of teeth. This I do not understand. There is not one single thing that Romney would, or even could have done in office that would have been any different that what Obama will do, just as ol' hope-n-change followed right in Bush's footsteps in spite of all his rhetoric to the contrary. The banks will continue to run the country for the benefit of the wealthiest Americans and their enabling captives in Congress and the White House. Energy prices will continue their wild gyrations that are simultaneously pushing energy companies and consumers into financial ruin. We will come to accept that 8% unemployment is simply frictional unemployment, rather than a sign of serious economic problems. More and more of the middle class will be stomped down into the growing permanent underclass. The stock market will continue its long-term, random walk to nowhere. Various boogie men, including Obama, will be trotted out from time to time to take the blame for all of America's ills. Etc., etc., etc. In short, we will continue the long, bumpy decent we started back in the 1970's. And the rubes never catch wise.
Well, that's all I have energy for today. If I can drag my sorry carcass out of bed at a decent time tomorrow, I may have pictures of our new planting bed. I wouldn't bet on it, but it could happen, at least in theory.
There were two goals for the trip: Take a small load of furniture up to Michigan to dump on others so we can quit living like one of those headcases on Hoarding: Buried Alive, and to help my parents pack up and drive down to Florida for the winter. Both goals were met in that I did manage to get a load of Stuff up to Michigan (nearly) intact and out of our lives while navigating a moving van for most of the length of I-75, and my parents and I are now back in Florida. We made it back late Saturday night. My parents normally take three or four days for the trip down, but I "missed" a couple of their non-expressway longcuts, my sister and brother-in-law that they normally visit were out of town, and I pushed pretty hard for them to not stop a few hours short of Zephyrhills just because it was dark. We met Debbie in Z-town at a local restaurant for a very late dinner about 9:30pm, then finally HOME.
After being gone two full weeks and a couple days, it took all day Sunday and Monday just to catch up on my daily reading and dig through my e-mail. Yesterday, I felt like I spent the entire day in the car, although I'm certain that can't be true. I started my day off with voting. I had considered skipping the whole sordid mess, but decided that while I was out for other things, I may as well drop in and color in a few ovals. I voted my usual pattern; whoever wasn't in office and was least likely to win. The result was typical as well, with not a single person I voted for attaining office. Works for me. In addition, Florida had 11 constitutional amendments on the ballet, all but one of which I voted against as they were measures that should have been handled in the do-nothing legislature rather than being amendments to the state constitution. The only one I voted for was a symbolic amendment making the key provision of Obamacare - the penalty for failing to have health insurance - unconstitutional. With the Supreme Court ruling that the penalty was constitutional, Florida can't make it unconstitutional, but the measure was left on the ballet as a non-binding referendum of sorts.
So the bottom line is that I am not in any way responsible for what happens in the county, state or national governments. I can piss and moan about it all I want because I did in fact drag myself to the polls.
So the underside of the bottom line is, nutin' new here.
The rest of the yesterday was spent driving around Florida's suburban hell trying (and largely failing) to cross items off my various shopping lists. I keep trying to "support local businesses", but they just don't have what I'm looking for. Even the big box stores have been a disappointment. I ventured out again today after we realized that we were out of paper for the printer. I found a few more things, but I finally gave up and moused another big order of random bits on Amazon.
Today, I did get a bunch of things that piled up while I was in Michigan checked off the to-do list, but for every item I checked off, I added two more, so now the list is longer than ever. I think I've discovered all the bits of neglected and forgotten flotsam of our lives, but there may still be something under the couch or in a corner covered in dust bunnies waiting to be discovered.
So I see on Yahoo this morning that Obama gets his four-more-years. Several people I've encountered today, including my parents, are in a state of mourning due to Obama's re-election. I'm sure today's Wednesday Prayer Meetin' at their church will be an hour of wailing and gnashing of teeth. This I do not understand. There is not one single thing that Romney would, or even could have done in office that would have been any different that what Obama will do, just as ol' hope-n-change followed right in Bush's footsteps in spite of all his rhetoric to the contrary. The banks will continue to run the country for the benefit of the wealthiest Americans and their enabling captives in Congress and the White House. Energy prices will continue their wild gyrations that are simultaneously pushing energy companies and consumers into financial ruin. We will come to accept that 8% unemployment is simply frictional unemployment, rather than a sign of serious economic problems. More and more of the middle class will be stomped down into the growing permanent underclass. The stock market will continue its long-term, random walk to nowhere. Various boogie men, including Obama, will be trotted out from time to time to take the blame for all of America's ills. Etc., etc., etc. In short, we will continue the long, bumpy decent we started back in the 1970's. And the rubes never catch wise.
Well, that's all I have energy for today. If I can drag my sorry carcass out of bed at a decent time tomorrow, I may have pictures of our new planting bed. I wouldn't bet on it, but it could happen, at least in theory.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
On the road again
Ric left this morning with a smaller Penske truck heading to Michigan. We decided we really did not have room for a couple BIG things and could not get anyone down here to make an offer on them, so they are heading to a couple family homes that will appreciate them.
We timed this so after dropping the Penske truck off in Traverse City, he will be heading back with his parents as they make their way down to Florida for the winter. This way he can help out with most of the driving instead of Don doing all the driving.
They will do Halloween at Grandpa's, visit a "couple more days in Flint area" and then start working their way down to Zephryhills Florida. I believe they will try to stop in Mobile AL area to see Teri/Gary before heading back over to Florida. I should them after election day.
We timed this so after dropping the Penske truck off in Traverse City, he will be heading back with his parents as they make their way down to Florida for the winter. This way he can help out with most of the driving instead of Don doing all the driving.
They will do Halloween at Grandpa's, visit a "couple more days in Flint area" and then start working their way down to Zephryhills Florida. I believe they will try to stop in Mobile AL area to see Teri/Gary before heading back over to Florida. I should them after election day.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Rose Wiklanski, RIP
We received word yesterday afternoon that Debbie's Aunt Rose had passed.
This was today's Non Sequitur:
Goodbye Aunt Rose. Give a hug to Dad and Uncle Leo for us.
This was today's Non Sequitur:
Goodbye Aunt Rose. Give a hug to Dad and Uncle Leo for us.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Tweak, Tweak, Tweak
So far, only one call-back to our roof dudes. The vent from our hot water heater was a bit too close to the rubber roof. Nothing damaged, but the heat had caused a bit of a ripple in the material, meaning that eventually, there would have been damage. A bit of flashing to divert the heat away from the roof and all is well. Naturally, since the work is all done, the rainy season has decided to vacate the state once again. We haven't had so much as a heavy dew since the roof work was completed, so we still don't know how much quieter things will be with the added insulation and a non-metal roof. It is definitely cooler in the Florida room with the max temp staying pretty even with the rest of the trailer. We still need some sun shades to hang from the new porch; there is about 45 minutes where the sun is low enough to sneak under the porch roof before it goes behind the trees. The heat film we put on the windows helps with that, but keeping the sun completely off the front of the trailer is better yet. The shades will also make the porch more usable in the summer, while still allowing us to let the sun in during our frigid Florida winters.
Anyway, we're done with big stuff for now. We'll be doing a great deal of tweaking that doesn't involve large amounts of money, but probably the only big-money project we will do in the short term is swapping out the windows in the Florida room for ones made of glass instead of shrink wrap. We're required to put siding on before next May, but I'm going to see if I can get that extended. The cushion is getting pretty thin; it would be nice to give our savings account a chance to build back up before we smack it again.
Yesterday, I started cleaning up around the trailer. It's always amazing to see the amount of debris even the simplest project can create. I hauled over 100 pounds of metal to the scrap yard, but only got about half the money I expected for it. I wrongly assumed the price/pound I got for soda cans would be what I got for all our aluminum scrap. I didn't realize that soda and beer cans are some sort of super-high-grade aluminum that gets almost twice the price of other kinds of aluminum. Shows what I know. I also had several pounds of something called "irony aluminum" on my scale ticket. I wasn't aware aluminum could be ironic. Whatever it is, it ain't worth much. In any case, I got enough to pay for our laundry for the next month or so, which is still better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick found in a sewer and covered in blood from a mouse with the hantavirus. I also got the road swept clear so we don't have to worry about picking up any stray nails or screws with our car tires. After driving up and down the road numerous times, of course.
Today I tackle the oh-so-fun job of policing up all the bits of foam all over the ground. I have no idea what I'm going to do about the "snow" where the guys were ripping the foam sheets with a skill saw. I'll try to rake up what I can, but it may have to simply "disperse" as much as I hate to do that. Then the rest of the raking and trimming, and maybe, if I have time and umph, get a start on laying out walks, planting beds, etc. The joys of a yard.
I didn't bother to watch either the Presidential or Vice-Presidential debates. No one running for office this year will explain to me why Jon Corzine and the rest of his Wall Street golfing buddies are still walking around as free men, and until they do, I don't give a damn what else they have to say. It doesn't sound like I missed much in any case, given that the media is treating the whole thing like a cheerleading competition (with some damn-ugly cheerleaders). Does anyone remember when debates were about ideas instead of an exchange of insults? Or when the holders of high office could manage to conduct themselves with more decorum than a 12-year-old boy when the teachers uses words like "asinine" (Dude! She said, "Ass.") or bupkis (Dude! She said "Butt kiss.")?
Not that it matters much in my case anyway. I just realized that I probably won't be back to Florida in time to vote, and that I don't even care.
Well, off to fold laundry, work outside until lunch, then scan pictures until time to make dinner. Fun, fun!
Anyway, we're done with big stuff for now. We'll be doing a great deal of tweaking that doesn't involve large amounts of money, but probably the only big-money project we will do in the short term is swapping out the windows in the Florida room for ones made of glass instead of shrink wrap. We're required to put siding on before next May, but I'm going to see if I can get that extended. The cushion is getting pretty thin; it would be nice to give our savings account a chance to build back up before we smack it again.
Yesterday, I started cleaning up around the trailer. It's always amazing to see the amount of debris even the simplest project can create. I hauled over 100 pounds of metal to the scrap yard, but only got about half the money I expected for it. I wrongly assumed the price/pound I got for soda cans would be what I got for all our aluminum scrap. I didn't realize that soda and beer cans are some sort of super-high-grade aluminum that gets almost twice the price of other kinds of aluminum. Shows what I know. I also had several pounds of something called "irony aluminum" on my scale ticket. I wasn't aware aluminum could be ironic. Whatever it is, it ain't worth much. In any case, I got enough to pay for our laundry for the next month or so, which is still better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick found in a sewer and covered in blood from a mouse with the hantavirus. I also got the road swept clear so we don't have to worry about picking up any stray nails or screws with our car tires. After driving up and down the road numerous times, of course.
Today I tackle the oh-so-fun job of policing up all the bits of foam all over the ground. I have no idea what I'm going to do about the "snow" where the guys were ripping the foam sheets with a skill saw. I'll try to rake up what I can, but it may have to simply "disperse" as much as I hate to do that. Then the rest of the raking and trimming, and maybe, if I have time and umph, get a start on laying out walks, planting beds, etc. The joys of a yard.
I didn't bother to watch either the Presidential or Vice-Presidential debates. No one running for office this year will explain to me why Jon Corzine and the rest of his Wall Street golfing buddies are still walking around as free men, and until they do, I don't give a damn what else they have to say. It doesn't sound like I missed much in any case, given that the media is treating the whole thing like a cheerleading competition (with some damn-ugly cheerleaders). Does anyone remember when debates were about ideas instead of an exchange of insults? Or when the holders of high office could manage to conduct themselves with more decorum than a 12-year-old boy when the teachers uses words like "asinine" (Dude! She said, "Ass.") or bupkis (Dude! She said "Butt kiss.")?
Not that it matters much in my case anyway. I just realized that I probably won't be back to Florida in time to vote, and that I don't even care.
Well, off to fold laundry, work outside until lunch, then scan pictures until time to make dinner. Fun, fun!
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Losing My Religion
About fifteen minutes ago, the last of the workers packed it in and left, and I gave a big chunk of change to the owner. I tried to take pictures of the roof, but without before pics, I'm not sure how much information they convey. While they were here, we also had them replace our back door with something that a) closes, b) stays closed when the wind blows, c) doesn't allow a cat to walk in under the door without crouching, d) locks. It's almost like living in a real house. Anyway:
 |
| Snow on an 80-degree day. |
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| Snazy new back door. Only problem is the plumb door really shows how bad a job was done on the original Florida room. Inch-and-a-half difference from the top to the bottom. |
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| Our new, gutterless roof line. Less work for me!! |
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| Roofline on the south side. |
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| And the fancy rubber roof already hard at work reflecting away the sun. |
Now we just have to wait for our savings account to stop making pitiful mewling noises, and we can move on to the next phase.
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