Raincharm’s Weblog

So – I have my big project that really needs to get done.
I had planned to work most of the day on this project.
Arrived at work approximately 7:54 AM.
By 8 AM I was instead:

• Responding to a complaint that the temperature in the Board room seemed to be soaring again, when the previous day it had soared and then tanked.
• Responding to a report (actually several reports eventually) of a car with California license plates driving around the sidewalk, and then into our parking lot, taking pictures.

Now the heating issue I had actually addressed at the end of the previous day.
The unauthorized car? I immediately went outside and saw the car myself, driving through the parking lot and leaving the site. I was only able to get 3 characters of the plate. Others had some additional information, and so I spent the better part of the morning putting together incident reports. (Oh yeah, when I was talking to others that had been near the car they told me about two strange phone calls that came in at the same time.) Strange morning, probably innocent, but …. we have to check it out. Protect the water supply and all.

So the project? About 11:30 I finally got to it.

So tomorrow will be a project day as well.
Fun, fun.

But for real fun, we went to the Sounders last regular season soccer game.
Another win – 2 to 1.
A bit chilly, but no rain in sight.
We had dinner out, then walked to join other fans for the March to the Match.
[Band, chanting, singing, general cheering, but no hooliganism.]
(I have actually seen a t-shirt that said, “Hooligans don’t march.”)

A really nice break from HVAC systems, security breaches and unfinished projects.

I am trying to finish a BIG project.
But I am having a terrible time getting focused.
I really think I need to get to a place where I am either working on the project or twiddling my thumbs.

Maybe a thermos of hot chocolate and a cozy spot that is

• Not in my house.
• Not at my desk
• Not near a telephone
• Food close at hand
• Power would be handy (for a computer plug-in)

Then I am sure I could accomplish mountains of work.
But most people are expecting me to be sitting at my desk, and accomplishing whatever I can.

Hmmm. I need a plan. I need inspiration.

Today was Columbus Day.
We do not get this as a holiday, or thankfully, as a furlough day.
I did take it as a vacation day.

The day was supposed to start with breakfast at the Scarlett Tree.
It had to be early, as Carl did not take a vacation day.
Carl & I got up and started getting ready.
I called into Ashlan’s room and she grunted back.
Unfortunately the next sound I heard from her was not the sound of a healthy person.

We skipped the breakfast out.
Ashlan skipped breakfast altogether.

Luckily her distress seemed to only last the morning.
She was able to eat a roll (forgotten at the T-Day dinner), and we were able to make the trip north in the afternoon.

So up we went, Ashlan & I.
No major incidents, just some rain as we entered Vancouver.

And back I went.
The rain ended as I entered the US, after a 6 car wait. (No complaints.)

As I was approaching Bellingham I had passed a car, and was settled back into the right lane, with another truck a little ways ahead. Suddenly I heard a roar. Motorcycle? Loud car/truck approaching in a hurry??

No – a large airplane coming in for a landing, just off the freeway.

I had just started hearing advertisements for flying into and out of Atlanta Bellingham.  This may have been a 757. I am sorry to say I do not have all the Boeing fleet committed to memory. It did have the wings that curve up ever so slightly. What I do know is that I have never seen a large plane coming in over the freeway in that location. They come in over your left shoulder, so there is not much of a visual warning. Got my attention. (I must have Atlanta on my mind.)

The rest of my attention was kept by the Giants/Braves game.
I arrived home with one out in the bottom of the 9th.
Giants win the game, and the series.

I guess Thanksgiving is really tomorrow, but most people around here are working or in school tomorrow.

So – the food started in the previous post was all coming together. Some faster than expected. The turkey was at the appointed temperature before any guests had arrived (not by much though). Mark H was in the kitchen – he had made the gravy which was waiting on the stove, and then generally helping out. I was in the kitchen “carving” the turkey. [Really ripping and shredding the pieces onto the platter.]

Also on the stove was the stuffing. The stuffing this year was completely outside of the turkey. We could not find any little stuffing cubes (really – look for something that is not pre-seasoned stuff right now), so decided to make our own. Carl got a baguette and a loaf of french bread. I cubed the baguette and half of the other loaf yesterday. Sauted them briefly in butter (in the wok), and then baked them for 5 minutes. Added some sage and thyme, and set them aside for today. Today I put the stuffing together with onions, celery, (noted now that I forgot the egg), some chicken broth, and into a Pyrex casserole. In the oven, and out after 45 minutes.

And then. The stuffing exploded. Literally.

The Pyrex casserole was in pieces, and there was a mound of stuffing sitting on the stove top, and some on the ground. The kitchen was declared off limits for anyone except Mark, myself, and then Carl – with shoes on. We picked up the casserole bits and the stuffing, into a bag – destined for the garbage.

Luckily the gravy, which was just one burner away, had a skim on the surface. We could see no dents or holes in the skim and determined the gravy was safe to consume. We quickly finished up the turkey shredding, put the gravy into a bowl, and loaded the table with all of the food that was still available to eat.

It was all good and I believe everybody had enough to eat. Turkey, fruit salad, pumpkin soup, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry-orange relish, and a few different salads that were great. [We never got the rolls out either, and with the stuffing gone the mashed potatoes had to hold up the carbohydrate end of the evening.]

Once again the meal was started with a chorus of Oh, Canada. And after the dinner we all stood and sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the mid-7th inning of the Phillies v Reds game. And because it is a school and work night here in the states, everybody was on their way by 7:30.

It felt like 10 PM to be truthful, but starting in the late afternoon will do that.
I am going to get the recipe for the cranberry relish we had tonight. Too good to not try to recreate.

Just a little report.
Starting with yesterday afternoon.

Three of us played soccer. Two of the three played the entire game. Two of the three came away with injuries.
Three = Ashlan, Jay & Carl
Two = Ashlan & Carl
Two = Jay & Carl

I’ll let you figure out the two and two.
We won 3-0. SHUTOUT for Carl.

Today.
Actually slept in a bit, and then off and doing.
Coffee (at home type)
Tables arranged for 12. Chairs borrowed so al 12 can sit at a table.

• Onions diced
• Cheese grated
• Apples sliced
• Potatoes cubed
• Turkey in the oven.

Still to come

• Soup in a pumpkin prepared
• Stuffing (outside)
• Mashing and smashing
• Fruit cutting
• Cream a whipping
• Others bringing other things
• And most important, chatting and eating.

I have been reading quite a bit about the UM (GO BLUE) v MSU (GO GREEN) game over the last few days. And traffic has been the frequent topic. I remember walking around A2 before, during and after the football games, in the vicinity of the stadium. I always found it somehow exciting.

Now I live on a coast, and we have our own football team (GO PURPLE). And we live in the “University District” so are close enough to tell when there is something big happening. And today is a home game. They even put signs up around the neighborhood with the expected times of traffic impact. Tonight is a night game. Impacts expected to start late afternoon. Of course that is when we actually have somewhere to go to, that almost requires we drive past the stadium. Oh well … just leave a little more time.

That fact also had us out this morning to get some errands out of the way. On my way home from my errand, I got off at our usual exit, along with just about everybody else. I guess the tailgaters start earlier than predicted. Then things got a little weird.

Out of all the traffic exiting, I was behind only one car by the time we reached the traffic signal. But of course, she then realized she wanted the right-turn lane, not the go forward/left turn lane. Put on her signal, as the right-turn lane filled with folks. Luckily, as our light turned green, a driver let her in – no delay at all.

As I proceeded forward, a tow-truck with tow was approaching from the right, on a “free-turn” into the direction I was going, to cross my lane to the freeway entrance that is north of the main intersection. Many times people using this free turn do not consider that other people might be going straight through the intersection to get to their house. Technically we have the right-of-way, but will defer in favor of saving the car. But – the tow-truck driver stopped to let me proceed. Two for two.

Then as I was proceeding, a crow, yes, a crow, enters my vision by flying (from the back of the car) in front of the windshield, proceeding down over the hood, and then in front of the “grill” (if the car had a grill). Slowing down the entire time, as though he wanted to land on the pavement in front of the car.

Maybe the crow knows the traffic patterns, and also did not expect a car to proceed straight through into the neighborhood. I am not sure. But as he was going, slowly, from the hood to the grill, he looked back over his shoulder at me. And finally veered to the left to land on the pavement, away from the car.

Weird enough.

Wonder if the crows were planning their football game assault on the tailgaters.

I did not arrive home until after 8 PM the last two days.
Of course I did not arrive home until after 10 PM the day before that.
But the last two days have been due to staying late at work to try and make a dent in my to do pile.

So, this morning, I got up at the normal time, but did not go in to work.
This was planned.

The girl arrives today, early afternoon.
Work at home and an errand or two, and then it is family time once again.

So the weekend is starting a bit early.
And to make the most of it – I will sign off now to get some things done.

We went to a Seattle Sounders FC (soccer) game tonight.
It was not a regular season game, and it was not a playoff game.
It was the Open Cup Championship Game for the Lamar Hunt Cup.

Seattle Sounders - Open Cup Champions 2010

U.S. OPEN CUP: America’s oldest soccer trophy — first awarded in 1916 — will go to a Major League Soccer club for the 14th time in 15 years.

Last year, in their first year as an MLS team, the Seattle Sounders won the cup.

This year the Sounders played the Columbus Crew. It was a fast-paced game.
The Columbus Crew scored first on a break by an unmarked player. Seattle answered back, and then added another goal in the second half. Then it was time to hold on. Highlights

The referees really seemed to be on the Crew’s side. But isn’t that always the way it feels. Regardless, the pace of the game was frenetic and the crowd was wild. 31,311 folks in attendence. What a fun way to spend an evening.

If only I could play with such intensity, skill and energy.

Today I got to be a mascot handler, a fuzzy thing’s wrangler.
What a blast.

It was Kid’s Appreciation Day on the last game of the season.
Kids seem to appreciate mascots.
We have a mascot (actually we share a mascot with several utilities, but this gig was our idea, so it was our mascot for the day).

Introducing

Wayne Drop at Safeco Field

The mascot’s greeted fans, paraded and generally goofed around on the field before the game, greeted fans on the concourses, participated in the YMCA song in the stands, greeted fans on the concourses, sang and danced on the dugouts for the 7th inning stretch, and finally got to sit down (and cool down).

Mascots everywhere (there's a clam, and a geoduck (gooey duck))

It was a long day, but fun.
So many little kids are not sure about meeting a larger than life mascot.
Wayne (aka Chic) was great. He got down on his knees for the little ones.
And mugged for pictures with the older ones.  He has the mascot knack.

Well there is old, and there is mature.
Hmmm.

If you read this occasionally, you will know that I like to take long walks.
Really long walks.

After my latest long walk I had a small blister on the the side of one heel, and a very sore spot on the lower front of one shin. Really the top of the ankle, but I was thinking shin splints when I first felt a twinge. It was sore enough to make me limp on the downhills, or at least feel like I was limping at the end.

After almost a week, and still having a sore spot, and slightly swollen ankle, I decided to have it checked out.
Something interesting like a stress fracture?
A sprain when I didn’t remember twisting my ankle, and I have had my fair share of sprains.

No.

Arthritis.

Well. Didn’t like to hear that! Even said I had done these long walks before, which really made no sense, but I was in instant denial. The medical person kindly indicated that I was getting a bit older. Harrumph! I was directed to ice and rest the ankle, and it would get better. I was to use my judgement and not do anything that hurt.

So – yesterday I probably walked 5-6 miles. (Mature?) It was not all at once, just going here and there from a bus to a soccer stadium, around the stadium at halftime, back up the waterfront. Where we rested for lunch. Back down the waterfront to the baseball stadium, around the stadium, then sitting still in the stadium for 2-1/2 hours. Then back to the bus and bus to home. Really, not too much other than the waterfront to be avoided. Unless we drove. …

The ankle was a bit sore this morning when I first stood up. But I hope that is short lived as today I am off on another adventure at the ballpark. But this time I don’t get to sit through the game.

Old is a state of mind, and I am not ready. So I guess I will have to work on the mature part.

Oh, and several people have pointed out to me that the many sprained ankles of my young adulthood are most likely the cause of my arthritis. What goes around comes around?