Raincharm’s Weblog

You know how every now and again you get a call from your kid, and it doesn’t have to do with asking for a care package, or when they are coming home next? It often has to do with money. We got one this morning – but low and behold it was to try and figure out why they had received a REFUND check – from the university.

Nice to wake up to. Finally did figure a reasonable explanation – appears to be a check for leaving University Housing in 2 months. (they require 2 months notice, so maybe they hold extra rent??) Anyway – nice to have money coming in for once.

OK, how many started humming the OJ’s tune to the title. (Not the drink or killer kidnaper.)

We just spent 1-1/2 hours with our financial advisor, as it were. That is the person that handles our IRA, 529, etc type accounts. The focus was transferring Rey’s leftovers to Ashlan and then figuring out a strategy for covering the part of Ashlan that we are projected to not have covered yet. A transfer here (loss due to current market may help at tax time), little more deposited there … we’ll check again in a few months. The dollar is stronger in Canada and the 529 accounts are stable and retirement is still fairly far away so, wait it out and vote in November.

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving dinner is the leftovers.
We have now managed to finish all except a small amount of Cranberry Jelly and some wine.
I guess we will have to figure out how to cook again.

Today is our 1/2 day full office seminar on Violence in the Workplace.
I was so frustrated at the end of the workday yesterday I could have done some violence.
But – I don’t think that’s what they are talking about – at least not so directly.

Carl calmed me down and I am ready to go again.
Coffee anyone? Need to uncalm a bit.

It is a balance between total calm and getting things done, but on the other end of the spectrum, I am rarely really efficient when totally frustrated either. Kind of like a circle….

Maybe first thing in the morning isn’t the best time to put together a cohesive thought.

And so the world (mine) turns back to mundane things like laundry, leftovers and how to pay for life as we know it. We have set up a meeting with our investor director to see what we can do to try and have enough to finish out the college funding – in these uncertain times. Actually, this meeting is only very remotely associated with the recent ups and downs of the financial market. At least I think so. It just adds a little edge to the discussions.

Retirement? Not for a while yet, so sit and hold.

Food – OK so far (since I don’t generally shop I don’t really know what is expensive, and what is not). But, a friend just returned from Hawaii and said that a six pack of english muffins cost $7. Now that would get my attention.

Oh- and as you all should know, yesterday was Canada’s Thanksgiving, and Canada’s own 40-year old Matt Stairs hit a home run to give the Phillies the lead for good in last nights game. (We are hoping for Phillies/Rays)

I looked back at my post from yesterday – boy am I linear.
Dishes were impressive. Maybe it’s because there have been only two of us lately, so 9 makes a mark. But we did have so many dishes out that our silverware tray was so empty that we took out the straglers and washed it too.

Today I am going to put away the last load of dishes (large things mostly) and decide what to take to a party. Most of our leftovers are probably not appropriate. I am toying with the idea of a second pumpkin, but it may be too late already.

I would prefer to find a cup of coffee, newspaper and a comfortable chair, and then pick something up at the store.

Oh – and when did UM(ichigan) start playing Toledo??? and LOSING!!!!!

1:15 PM

Onions – diced
Garlic – minced
Celery – diced
Turkey – thawed, not 3:15 stuffed and in the oven, 5:30 – out of the oven, 6:00 carved sort of
Pumpkin – carved, not buttered, 4:30 filled and into the oven, 6:00 – out of the oven
Pumpkin seeds – in 3:15 out of the oven
Cheese – grated
Potatoes – not 3:15 peeled, not 5:00 cut up, 5:30 into the water, 6:00 – mashed
Roasted vegetables arrive – 5:00 ummmmm
Table – mats on
Table – silverware not 4:45 on
Table – plates not 4:45 on
Table – serving dishes not 3:15 on
Chairs – not 3:15 half 5:00 found/out
Whipping cream – whipped 8:00
Pie out – 8:15
Dishes – done #1, #2, #3, #4 – 9:55 underway – 2nd drainer full

Friends and food – two of my favorite things.

Ashlan is arriving on the train, except that it really looks like a bus and it drives on the freeway.
The scheduled arrival is 8:30. It is now 9, and no phone call to tell us that she is passing our house and we should beat it down to the train station, where the bus stops. This is a three-day weekend for Canadians, and I think the bus will be fully loaded. It will also be the first trip for some newbies, and customs may take a while. I think this weekend trip last year was a very late arrival.

Made three beds waiting for the phone to ring. Two more to go, and a turkey to go check. Let’s go find some giblets.

The title about sums up my evening, or at least a point in my evening.
I was working at work, when my carpooler appeared (late – was not sure he was still there)
Sure – convince me to go home – at a breaking point.
Worked in the car until it got too dark – editing a budget presentation
Don’t lose steam – connect via remote desktop – put edits into presentation
Stop to eat a porkchop
What’s this – connection has been lost?
No apparent ability to re-connect and don’t know what is going on at work site …

Guess this will be a morning rush job – hope my prior work saved OK

This post is being written while waiting for a carpool. And since I don’t have an I-whatever they are, I am tied to the laptop that could be moved, except I have it locked down. So – the thought is, better to be able to spend a moment blogging, or wanting to be on the road to get to work sooner. It is 6:57 by my clock, and 7 is generally the latest we leave, so ….

In the meantime, C & I took a nice evening walk to do some grocery shopping, including picking up a pumpkin for Soup in a Pumpkin on Saturday, bananas, cliff bars, pepitas, dogs, and a few other things I can’t remember. Finding a pumpkin big enough for 10 was the real goal. Accomplished at the Rising Sun Farms stand north of us. Then after dropping off the pumpkin and bananas, we headed south to Trader Joes for everything else.

Finally a dinner of chicken and roasted potatoes, crossword and Soduko (sp? Ashlan has me so mixed up on this one I never know which is correct) from the evening paper, and I was ready for some shut eye. Turkey is thawing (I haven’t touched it myself, so I guess I don’t even know the condition – that will be tonight’s adventure). 

After spending these few minutes I realize this was really about food. Gotta go ———>