Raincharm’s Weblog

OK, yesterday was rather .. different.
Started out like most days, when I think I know what I want to work on.
Of course it rarely goes that way, but I actually did get 1 item on my work to do list out to press, and started on the second (oink, oink, oink).

Then the rest of the world intruded.
No car, 1 carpooler home sick (thank you for staying home), 2nd carpooler leaving at 2 (his normal schedule), bus possible and new bus pass may actually have money loaded, 8 people arriving in 2 shifts to spend the next 3 days in our humble abode. We don’t know who exactly is in the first shift, or exactly when they will arrive (predicted before 5 PM), with Ashlan leading the 2nd shift predicted around 7-8 PM. Carl has two young-uns at the house so somebody is home when 1st shift arrives. Said two young-uns like to get out things with lots of little pieces and are not always diligent about picking up all said little pieces. Food, towels, sheets, food, sleeping bags, food, pillows, food all need to be brought out or bought.

A shining knightprincess appears on the horizon. As I was describing my own personal travel dilemmas to a co-worker she mentioned that if I were to drive her and family to the airport in the afternoon I could have her car through Saturday. WOW. Quite an offer. The only drawback was that work item number 2 was destined to suffer due to lack of being in the office while driving said co-worker and family to the airport. Still, it seemed like the best overall solution as it would make me less dependent on the illnesses and schedules of others in this short period of many guests and too many pigs.

(Our County now has a few probably cases and due to one they closed an elementary school for a week – one Rey attended for 4 years. Guess I know what I am going to really get into today.)

This is the decision I face almost every evening.
Lately homework has been winning, and some of it is definitely homeplay. Maybe I should call it Not Work Work to be clear (“NWW”).

As usual yesterday I brought home Work. (That is Work Work (“WW”))
It is WW I really need to attend to. One deadline at noon today, and I could go short or long with it. Since I did not get it done last night it will most likely be done short, with long to follow as an add on presentation.

The long part of this report is all about the flu. When the avian flu was all the talk we started putting together a Health Advisory Plan Annex. It was not 100% complete, although many pieces were brought together that form the base. Then the birds flew further away and other seemingly more urgent plan updates arrived, implement NIMS, ICS, train everyone on that … there are only so many hours in the day and that is only the emergency focus of the jobs. It was also before I got an assistant to help out with putting together these things that I get close to completion, but not quite there.

So, home with WW, but NWW beckons as well. A walk? It is training, so good to go. Before the rains really hit a jaunt around the lake. Then the real NWW comes home to roost. Nine people are anticipated to arrive at the house sometime later today. They are expected to stay through the weekend, so time to shove the detritus of daily life to the sides, and much of it to the basement. Pay a few bills, answer a few e-mails, try to get the new bus pass in order since it is likely the car will continue to be commandeered for the next days.

Now WW must be attended to. Finish the short, get the long under control and cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough, don’t go to work if you are sick, and wash your hands so the long part is not really needed after all!

I had an opportunity this weekend to catch up with an old friend. Actually more my mother’s friend, but I consider her a friend as well. She and my mother and a few others went to college and then off on a Europe adventure together. This shows you what bonds can be formed as I think they graduated a few decades ago. (Hmmm – I graduated a few decades ago, so let’s say several decades ago.)

She lives in the same city as me, and I should visit more often. I always enjoy seeing her and it always feels a bit like going home. That said her homes never looked the same as my parents house, but once inside it just has that feel of home. The furniture is not exact, but close (50’s style). The manners and the whole sense of place, I always feel at home. Perhaps that is just the sign of a wonderful, welcoming host.

I should pay attention and learn – I would want people to feel that way in our house. My mother once commented on a gathering they had been to, that the host and hostess were so first-rate that you never felt like they were working at hosting. Something to strive for.

Next gathering coming up? Thursday when Ashlan and 8 of her closest classmates descend for a few days. My hosting functions have so far just been focused on bedding and what sort of food to lay in. Then I was planning to just get out of the way.

Where does the time go.
Ok – I basically missed Saturday, so Sunday has been an interesting mix of thinking it was still Saturday, but with Sunday schedules as well. I tried to tell Ashlan about the U-District Farmers Market (Saturday) while she was mentioning not needing to feed meters (Sunday).

Soccer Sunday was just that, in the glorious sunshine. We had substitutes – 3 of them, so for me it was much more relaxed. Ashlan and Stephi got to play their share, but I think the demands of finals week have left them a little more tired than they might have been otherwise. But that did not stop them from jetting out for ice cream and renting movies. (Ghost Town & Saved)

I actually remembered at basically the last moment that Ashlan is here today and gone tomorrow,    with the car.
So – need to figure out how to get to work, basically for the entire week. I think I am going to buy my carpooler a tank of gas and see how far that gets me. I also need to stock up on bus schedules. I’ve only known this for a couple of weeks, and yet it is only on Sunday evening that I actually move to take care of things.

It’s off to the north I go.

And back down south again.
With a full car and two year 2 students that I guest are now year 3.
After saying how early they were going to bed – they are off to a movie.
Oh to be young, and relieved for a day of school or work.

Had a brief conversation with the boy today.
Today was  COTTON CANDY making day.
The ball club is having some sort of big kids day this weekend and they need to lay in 500 bags of cotton candy. They accomplished 300 bags today. Rey & one of his buddies were the primary spinners, with others bagging. Apparently at some point the wind picked up and Rey was covered with cotton candy.

He also said that in addition to Merle Haggard and the Dukes of Hazard folks, they now are booking Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Meloncamp as well as Trace Atkins. Unconfirmed, but sounds like quite a line-up.

Weather
Whether to be nice or not. Last night was cold and wet. Rain & snow on the windshield mix at 10 PM. This morning – misty drizzle, but cloud breaks possible. 30’s with potential for 50. Weather was beautiful this afternoon. Sunny with a breeze. 54 degrees.

Work
Whether to stay or not. Have obtained permission to take the afternoon off. Will going to a Mariners game to help Carl with the kids still be considered work? Asked and received permission to have the afternoon off. 

Play
Whether to go or not. Have a bus schedule to get downtown from work. Includes a 45 minute layover at a Park & Ride. Didn’t pay attention to that detail early enough to bring along a book. What work should I take with me that is compact, actually accomplishes something and can be done freehand (non-computer based). [Hey – this is sounding more like work, but is under “play”] I did take some work with me. Well – a co-worker was on the way to a different city and took the place of the first leg, dropping me at a park-and-ride. And a bus showed up almost as I arrived, so – no work done, but good intentions. Once at the game can watch the Mariners play, am there to help watch the kids play – they play more than watch others play, and am playing hooky. (Is it still hooky if you have permission?) Carl and the kids were already in the park when I arrived. I joined them in the beautiful sunshine. Warm enough to take off the jacket and apply sunscreen. While we waited for the pre-game functions to finish Carl kept taking the kids places, to see the Moose, watch the starting pitchers warm up at the bull pen.

Game begins – The Mariner pitcher gets 3-up 3-down. Ichiro, the Mariner lead-off hitter, leads off with a Home Run. 1-0 Mariners. 

 So far I have basically spent 70% of my time sitting in the sun without kids to watch. They are back, complete with bunny-man, doggy and a tickling ladybug. Four -1/2 innings later Carl had to take the kids and leave to get them back to their respective parents. So for the last 5 innings I am sitting in the sun, watching a ball game. The Mariners held on to win 1-0. Find a bus home. What a nice, warm, pleasant afternoon.

I waited for my carpool outside this morning, first cup in my hand.

As I closed my eyes and listened to the birds and felt the damp coolness in the air, with the sun, in evidence but not in my space yet, I was standing on the shore waiting for a beach day full of promise.

As in games with a new telephone.
A few days ago I said that one of my tasks was to set up the phone – plug it in to the wall.
Silly me.

I plugged it in to the wall – phone jack and power cord.
I plugged the additional carry around phone into a different outlet (power only) after installing the battery pack.
A day later the carry around phone is still not quite working. It looks like something is trying to show up on the display, but no dial tone at all. Uninstall the battery pack and reinstall (try to plug it into the phone a few different ways). Finally – bingo and it works. Apparently it had been Installer error.

Now we have voice mail through the phone company. But of course this phone has an answering maching built in. I wondered what would happen when a call came in.

So I called from the cell phone, and two things happened, almost at once. Our lovely daughter’s voice (both her and her voice are lovely) comes on through voice mail with the usual message. As I am listening to this, the phone starts blaring something that I can’t quite hear because I am listening to the girl, and not in the same room with the base phone. OK – I know I have a little more to figure out, but I’m tired and don’t want to read any more manuals.

This morning, while at work I decide I want to talk with Carl. Call home, phone rings about four times and starts into the message, but I just hang up. Later in the morning I call again, and this time the phone rings maybe twice and goes to a male voice saying, “No one is available to answer your call.” Hmmmm. This is not what happened when I called it from the cell the day before. Maybe Carl’s on the phone and somehow that sent it to the at home answering machine. Tried to call a few more times through the day and got the same short ring and to answering machine… A little worried now, what if one of his kids parents tries to call and I don’t know if the phone is really working. So I tried calling on Ashlan’s cell (at home) but no answer there either.

Finally get home, and there are at least 3 messages on the phone, I think all from me. But none of them on the voicemail. Sit down to read the manual. This phone has a special feature to keep the phone companies from ringing long enough to count as a call in case you are not at home, called Tolling. This is apparently what happened. The first call let it ring four times, which allowed it to go to voice mail. The second call only went two rings, which meant the voice mail never had a chance and it went to the lovely phone voice.

Set the phone to ring 6 times (can choose 2, 4 or 6) That way voice mail should always prevail. Wait – there’s more, you can turn off the answering machine! I’ll try … 

[phone rings at this point for probably an hour long call, during which Rey tries to call, getting the weird machine (not sure why) which starts talking in the background, he then goes on to try both cell phones, all while Carl is on the phone with his friend. I, of course, was nowhere in sight to hear or help.]

I think I am going to leave it as is and see how it works tomorrow. (We did call Rey back eventually, and kept him up way to late.) 

So much for just plugging it into the wall. Note: the old rotary phone in the basement just keeps on working.

Today I got to play soccer.
I am so happy I still get to run around chasing a ball even though I am close to the slowest one on the pitch most games. I had two plays of note today, at least I thought they were plays I was really happy with at the time.

1.  Playing outside fullback, ball comes out into open space in front of me. I managed to get to the ball before the player from the other team and chip it into the air, actually to the head of one of our forwards who backheaded it toward the goal. The goalie made a great save, so no assist, but still it was a good play. Getting to the ball early and it actually did what I wanted – both good things.

2.  Central fullback was engaged with a player from the other team on the wing, so I came in to cover the other teams forward running down the center. Of course the ball is passed to him, but I managed to (a) keep up with him – a major achievement, and (b) kick the ball back to our goalie. (In our league the goalie can handle balls kicked back to them – old style) I was surprised with myself, and not sure how or why I was able to keep up with the much younger, longer legged player this time.

In the end we tied 4-4. Our team played short the entire game (10 players, 9 players then 10 players [should be 11]). I think the other team was short one as well. They picked up two men who had played an earlier game, and one of them scored three of their four goals. Moral victory for us.

Beautiful day, even used sun screen.
This is what I work out on the weekdays for, so I can play in the sun on Sundays.