Needless to say, there is a certain energy around these days. It is building, and many are not content to wait for the weekend.
And, I am getting really close to finishing a multi-year project that is at least a year late. There are surely some pieces that will still need a bit of final checking – matching appendices and all. But today I finished my review before managers review, and printed copies. It is tangible.
It has been a good day.
GO HAWKS
It was sunny today (after the morning fog).
So after dishes, some laundry, a bit of work work, a Skype session and hemming one of four curtain panels, we set out. Both of us thought we would get back after the sun had set.
Carl wanted a workout, I wanted a walk.
There was still plenty to do at home – the other 3 panels for instance – but it was sunny, so we had to go.
(It was only in the 30s, but balmy compared to most of the rest of the country.)
Simple straight forward route.
And the sun was still in the sky when we got home.
It was not shining down on the street, but it was hitting the upper stories of buildings.
A few statistics:
These are only as good as the Endomondo app. But it’s fun to track it sometimes.
Walking route gains and losses
Time to spend some time with the newspaper.
Today we started our day at the dentist.
This was followed closely by a visit to Safeco Field for Mariner FanFest.
Fan Fest is always a bit more fun when accompanied by a child, so we appropriated Carl’s current 3-year old for the morning. Sagan was reticent to meet the ball players, but really looking forward to getting onto the field.
Taijuan Walker
She ran the bases 4 times.
Loves to “exercise”
And played catch with Carl.
This is where it was a bit difficult to determine whether she had a dominant hand.
Righty?
We started with her right-handed mitt, but she wanted to throw with that hand.
southpaw?
So we ditched the mitt and went to the south side.
Two southpaws (although the big one hits better from the right)
At the batting tee, she also lined up like a lefty.
Hanging with your buddy
Some chill-axing (in Seat Number 3 – chosen by the 3-year old)
Perfect 3
And – because it is Seattle, and there is a BIG GAME coming up, this banner was a choice for pictures.
Go Hawks
It was in the 30s and really foggy when we started.
This lead to some disagreements about whether fog was a cloud, or just fog.
(Try to reason with a preschooler)
When we left – the sun came out.
It is almost 7 pm. We just left work. I am riding, so I thought I would try to put two thoughts together.
First, I am tired. It has been a long day.
Second, I am riding in a bouncy truck. I take no responsibility for any typos.
Third, my mind is rather blank right now.
Note to self:
Review quote for taking down cherry tree left by the tree guy today. He has an opening on Thursday.
Look at garage door electrical connection to see if there is a reasonably close alternate outlet. Decide how to permanently fix, and let the contractor schedule the electrician.
Aside: tina turner is pretty good commuting music.
Remember you are driving by self tommorow and have the cars appropriately staged.
It is ok to go to bed before 11, and is in fact recommended.
Traffic is much lighter at 7 than 5.
Corollary: traffic is heavier in the other direction. Even at 7.
Time for a brief stop while my carpooler shops
I really have no (more) words of wisdom. Which of course implies there were some wise words in the preceding 50 or so.
And the music had transitioned to BBQ King. That’s B.B.
Homeward
So we went to a birthday party today. For the 3-year old Carl cares for.
Three at last, three at last, three at last. (Sagan shares a birthday with MLK)
It was at the zoo, around 1-1/2 miles away, so we decided to walk.
After the party we walked around a mile more to Sagan’s house to watch the Seahawks and 49ers play for the NFC Championship, and a trip to the Super Bowl.
At half-time we decided it was time to start for home.
The sun was setting and our route had some less than well-lit areas.
The route was mostly residential areas.
We would look for houses with the big screen TVs.
Honestly, we could not see much in houses TV, but there were a few times when there were cheers wafting from one house, and then another. Eventually we started leaning toward the neighborhood business areas. Find a bar and check out the score. Restaurants. As we neared our neighborhood the Seahawks were picking up the pace, and took the lead. We decided we should stay out, so we started taking a rather circuitous route – picking up probably four or five more bars.As we approached the Café Racer, the place sort of erupted. This was the final interception of a 49er pass, in the end zone. At that point we decided we could go home. 8 miles total, and we are going to the SUPER BOWL!
SUPER BOWL BOUND
Today is a good day, and it is only mid-afternoon.
It could be that it did not start until 8 AM.
It could be that when it started it was actually light out. A bit foggy, but light.
It could be that just after it started I got a call letting me know that my kid was safe with his grandparents.
It continues.
We picked up a picture we rediscovered when moving back into the house.
Aaron Brothers did the framing, $$$ but I think it was worth it.
Ray Troll Print
And I unpacked another box (cook books) and arranged stuff off of the island and onto shelves.
One more box unpacked
I think this is going to be sort of a weekend off.
I have a bit of work on the agenda, taxes to do, door hardware to install, curtains to hem.
On the other hand … well most of that can wait.
And – just to give you a flavor of the Seahawk frenzy that is Seattle, the Great Wheel is sporting team colors.
These were taken during a rather long slog under the viaduct because I-5 and 99 were “black”. I don’t know if this was any faster, but it was certainly more colorful. [I was not driving.]
And the good day continues.
As I may have mentioned before, one of the last major items on our house project was to divert some roof runoff further from the house. This ended up being a French drain in the same location as a somewhat broken sidewalk next to a somewhat muddy grass strip. The solution was to replace said sidewalk and grass strip with a new walkway. After much discussion and deliberation (landscaper, us, neighbor & owner of said muddy grass strip) we decided on stone pavers. Real stone.
The landscaper found a reasonably affordable supply and went to work.
When I got home tonight, the stones were laid out from the front walk to the back deck.
It reminded me of rock hopping around the point at the cabin. (Now they were all flat, and there was no water in sight. But one or two did rock a bit when stepped on.)
Walkway layout at the bottom of the deck
I am very pleased.
And it looks like there are a few leftovers.
If they truly are extra, I have a plan for them on the other side of the deck.
He (the landscaper) is really working to complete this soon because his wife is due to have their second child any day now. Since the walkway is essentially usable in this state, we can be as flexible as he needs us to be.
I am also excited to actually see this creation in the light of day.
It is definitely the dark season here, and there have been several late nights at work to boot.
Speaking of work – it appears that one of our major issues at work this past few years is nearing a resolution. Finally. I think having a new mayor was a contributing factor, or a least very coincidental that he took office and we are heading toward a resolution within a month.
And in other news, Rey is heading out on a little excursion tomorrow, and he is not quite sure where he is headed. (Sometimes these can be the best sort of excursions.) Last I heard he is heading from TN to Lexington, KY. At Lexington he will probably make a Wisconsin vs. Michigan decision. If not at Lexington, perhaps at Cincinnati. Who knows.
We have been back in the house for about 1-1/2 months now I think.
One of the last big pieces to get finished was the garage door replacement.
Our one piece wooden manually operated door was replaced with an articulating metal/vinyl electric door.
We don’t park our car in the garage even with an easy-open door, but you never know.
If we had tried we might have figured out our latest learning experience a bit sooner.
When the garage door guy was finishing up, he walked me through the operation of the door from inside the garage.
After that, the door stayed shut most of the time.
When the kids were home we did some major cardboard crushing (floor protection pieces) and moved them into the garage for holding until recycle day. When it was time to move them to the curb, Rey and I took a garage door opener outside and attempted to open the door. No luck. It was pretty light, so I figured it did not have a battery and sent Rey inside to open the door with the handy button in the garage.
Rey got into the garage, but could not find the button at first.
Meanwhile, Carl (in the dining room above the garage) found the other opener, pushed the button, and we were in business.
Fast forward a few weeks.
Now we have a landscape type working to put in a French drain and replace our broken concrete sidewalk. He says he is used to the elements, but we are in a particularly wet and getting windy stretch, so I wanted him to have a place to at least get dry. I was going to get him an opener, so he could get into the garage at will.
I asked Carl to figure out which one had batteries, and leave it on the kitchen table for the contractor.
Carl called back to tell me that neither opener worked from outside.
They only worked when you were inside the garage.
Hmmmmmm. Could it be weak batteries?
When I got home I took both outside.
Even standing next to the garage they would not work.
I went to the inside garage door, still no luck.
Then I turned on the garage light, hit the button, and the light went on in the garage, and also in my brain.
The garage door guy installed the door, and motor, but he does not do electrical work.
The garage door opener is plugged into the light. When the light is off – no power to the door.
One more thing – almost there.
And this evening we went out to see the Wizard of Oz.
At the Sky Church screen, and the EMP (Experience Music Project)
Oz, on a really big screen
It is still a great movie, and when they had a brief intermission (when we reached the Emerald City) we went into the Myths and Magic exhibit, and saw the Witch’s hat, the Cowardly Lion costume (real lion pelts) and a Winkie Guard costume as well.
Now I had heard that you can play Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon along with the movie and it will track. At the end of the movie, Pink Floyd starts playing. We were talking about this with one of the workers, and he thought it would have been cool if Paul Allen showed up in the “Blue room” and had the Pink Floyd soundtrack as an alternative viewing. (Apparently the Blue room is acoustically separate from the Sky Church.)
Unlike some of my eastern brethren that had a day off, I started what will be the first 5 consecutive work days in a long while. (Now not all of the eastern folks had the day off. Those that have alternative transportation modes that continue to operate, have continued to earn their wages.)
And I really did work 5 days last week, but they were not all full days.
I have found I am happiest when I am into a project and moving it forward. I get disgruntled when I am floundering around, not making progress. It is ok to flounder for a bit trying different data queries. I don’t consider that floundering. It is simply education.
Today was a generally good work day. Hopefully this will become a trend.
This weekend we decided it was the right time to pack up the Christmas ornaments and move the tree back outside.
Moving the tree back outside was well timed with our yard-waste pickup on Monday morning.
They do have restrictions on size, so I took the loppers (spell-check please) and de-branched the trunk. The branches went into the yard-waste bin, and the trunk remained out in the cold.
Adding the tree debris to the yard-waste made our compost happy.
During the winter our yard-waste bin can become an interesting stew, since it is almost always just compost. I have to believe the yard-waste haulers don’t always appreciate this stew when they dump the bin. But since most of the dump is done by the truck, I don’t worry too much.
As I was finishing the tree chore, I recalled Carl mentioning that I had not pruned the raspberry bushes yet. This is traditionally a January chore. It was cold (by Seattle standards) with frost on the lawn, but it was also sunny. The raspberry bushes were in the sun, and I doubted I would get another sunny, dry weekend day in January, so it was a chore calling my name. I pruned and pulled, cut down an interloping tree, and added a few nearby blackberry bushes to the bin.
Yesterday was a bit more focused on continuing the move into the house. We took a print we had acquired several years ago to be framed. (WOW – matting and framing was a BIT more expensive than we guessed.) We also put together the pantry since the shelves had arrived. Also spent some time trying to figure out what type of pavers to use on the side of the house for a sidewalk that is shared with our neighbor. Once this has been decided probably the last real part of the house project of 2013 can be completed. (That is if you don’t count putting the door hardware back on the doors. Some things just linger.) ((Oh, and hanging artwork on the walls.))
And for good measure I started working on taxes today.
I don’t have TurboTax yet, but gathered car and work information that I will need for Carl’s self-employment figuring. The big change this year could be trying to count our sales tax expense instead of using the standard deduction. I know you can add in big expenses for cars easily, but don’t know if that can be done for contractor payments.
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