Raincharm’s Weblog

My carpooler just called to say he was, “On the road.”
I am driving today, but since he moved further away, he now drives to the park and ride next to his old apartment, and his still current coffee shop. I pick him up at the coffee shop.

So I have a minute or two.

Yesterday was a whirlwind at work – mostly getting ready for an evening meeting about extending sewers through a neighborhood. In this case I think it is a good project, but as is always the case – not everybody along the route agrees, and that is a normal situation. The meeting was fairly good. The participants were generally respectful, and not too agressive (term used by one participant after the meeting to describe another).

Actually – they were merely assertive. I have led meetings where a truly agressive person was asked to, “Sit down and be quiet”, by other members of the audience.

And – in the hour before the meeting, the plotter stopped working. So one of my show and tell boards was an 11 x 17 sheet, instead of a 24 x 36 sheet. It was a moment of humor when I put it up.

SHOWTIME! That is how I approach these meetings. And afterwards I feel like I have been in a show. So this morning is rambling – and now I must be off.

A few weeks ago Ashlan was home for Reading Weekends.
She rented Season 1 of a show called Midsomer Murders.

Each show is about 1-1/2 hours long, without commercials.
It is a British murder mystery series, and we have both been enjoying them immensely. It has been around since the late 1990’s, so it may well be old news to most. We tend to miss certain things due to the lack of cable, or lack of searching around. This would seem to be up our PBS stations alley, so maybe we were just busy for several years.

Yesterday we watched a couple.
Those of you that know me well may have realized I have no capacity for recognizing people. Even people I have met with friends may appear to be a stranger to me the next several meetings. Or I will realize I know them, but have no idea where from, or what their name is. Names are awful for me. I actually forgot the name of a guy I was out on a date with once. And once I am searching in my mind, the names only skitter further back from view.

Anyway, we were watching an episode and I realized I recognized one of the actors. Since these are over 10 years old and British, it is not that likely that I will know the actors that happen through the scenes. But I came up with the name, even before Carl realized who it was.

Orlando Bloom! He was a bad boy, and met his fate in the first 1/2 of the show. But he did show up in a few later memories of what had gone before.

We are about to settle in for another episode.
If you have not seen these and like murder mysteries, you have my recommendation.

It could have been a lot of water on the floor, but the washing machine decided to fail in two modes at once.

In truth, the machine has had some minor glitches in it’s 13 or so year existence. But it has continued to provide service without major interruption.

It lost a bit of its rubber o-ring type seal that keeps the water in and the area outside the door dry. And the bit that is gone is at the low point, don’t ya know it would be at the place where it could actually leak. So we have been pushing the door shut with a laundry detergent bucket for a few years. The water leak is minimal, and it all works fine.

Very early on in the machines tenure in our house a bit of the door latch broke off. The latch is a two part affair, with an upper part for the on-off switch and the lower part for the door latch/lock. The lower part was broken, but the previously described laundry bucket did the trick for this as well.

We recently had a friend attempt a home repair.
This actually resulted in us looking for a replacement latch, finally.
Which we found, and installed this AM.
It should work now, with maybe a little leak. But no such luck.
And the laundry bucket that should be keeping the floor dry was not enough to make the machine go either.

A broom handle wedged between the laundry chute and machine was finally enough force to make it think it was OK to run.

Guess we will have to call in a pro this time.

THE SUN IS OUT!

Yesterday, not so much.
Yesterday did get brightened by the arrival of the new scarves for the Seattle Sounders 2011 season. The team provides scarves to season ticket holders. It was a great marketing move the inaugural season. It meant that a good part of the stadium crowd had something in common, right from the start. And each of the three years of the team’s existence they have sent out that year’s scarf. It means the season is almost here – March 15th is our opening night. And the scarves may be needed just to stay warm.

But today it is sunny.

On the long dark (not sun down dark, just lots of clouds dark) drive home last night I happened on a convoy. Yes, a military convoy. Those big trucks with 3 or more axles, and several lucky soldiers sitting out in the elements. In the cold rain. It was not quite cold enough for snow. But still. I hope they had some warm food waiting when they made it back to base. I’ll bet they were still more than an hour from home when I passed them.

Today’s chores should include finding some lodging for upcoming trips, and then back to work on the house drawings – 2nd floor on the docket.

BUT IT IS SUNNY OUTSIDE.
So, some of these interior chores may just have to wait.

Tonight I have plans to do something fun(ish) – plan a vacation.
I actually started last night, but lost steam after looking at one too many airline sights.

But I did gather some valuable information and tonight started to fully plot a course. So it will be back to the airline sites in short order.

I am running out of steam already however. Need to power through.
Work is the reason I am giving for my faltering efforts tonight.
I have some projects I want to get to at work (and at home).
But today was destined to be a day focused on other’s wants, needs and requests. I was able to satisfy several, but found my inner self getting a might testy towards the end of the day. I think the last few e-mails were probably a little more direct than normal.

On the drive home I was less forgiving to those that know they are more important, or at least have more important places to be quicker than the rest of us. My carpooler would have been proud of me (we drove separately today), but I am not sure I appreciate these assertive moments.

Anyhoo, it is time to buckle down and see if I can get to a decision point or two. Carl has set off in the direction of Dennis movies. It is Vaudeville night. I was invited, but still a bit on the testy side, and think I will be happier on the morrow if I make some headway tonight.

We are finally settled in front of the Oscar telecast, but it is probably halfway over. They were just singing the song from Toy Story 3 and then from Tangled. (Toy Story 3, one of the few Oscar nominated films we saw this year. What a tear jerker.)

We spent the first part of the telecast in an Oscar-related pursuit – at the showing of several previously nominated, and some winners, of the animated category. Quite the range – from 1934 to 1981. Including a wide range of offerings. My favorite was one done in 1993 called Screen Play. Linked just before this on YouTube – worth the 11 minutes. It looks like a Japanese play with a revolving stage and screens moving to show passage of time, and included a narrator puppet/animation doing sign language.

And now back to our relatively warm house. The projectionist, our visitor, will not get home until the last two shows are done. And, unless he calls to request a ride, he will be walking. (Not too far, and we really would not know when he was ready, unless he calls.)

And many things not done. But I can actually check off my list

• Taxes (all three filed)
• An early birthday present
• One floor of the house drawn to scale – pretty much anyway.
• A few lasagnas fixed (I really shouldn’t have this on MY list, but I did stir some)

And we have extra people in the house for the third weekend in a row.
No complaints. They are all regular visitors – or with other family members in charge, and don’t need much from us as hosts.

And – we went out last night.
I suppose that could have been on the list of things done, but that would make it sound like a chore.
We went out to see the Seattle Womens Chorus with Kathy Najimy.
It was a fun show.

We took the bus down and back. It saved on the parking issues and cost, but we did have to wait in the cold for about 10 minutes for the first bus. IT WAS COLD, at least for Seattle. In the 20’s, and maybe lower. Walking in it was fine, it was the standing around that took its toll. The bus was surprisingly warm, and people watching is always fun. On the trip back it was more like people listening. A nearby young man was calling friends, planning what he was going to be drinking. I heard run, red bull, cola, and a gator-bong. (would that be with Gatorade?) I actually felt a bit out of touch. And this was starting at 10:30 PM. I was looking forward to being home, and snuggly warm in my bed. I guess I am getting a little old. (But in my mind’s eye I am still in my twenties, or maybe thirties.)

One of the kid’s favorite (well read anyway) books growing up was, “Is Your Mama a Llama?”
Play on words for the title. But we had a similar situation at work – finding the correct mother for a forlorn egg.

Looking for a mother for this forlorn little egg.

Life has always been a little fuzzy for this chick

Harumph - I am not anybody's mother!

There is a family resemblence

Sorry, this egg will not end up with it’s own hatchling. But that’s nature. 

More signs of spring for sure. But this one was also taken this morning at the office.

Still hoping for a snow day tomorrow!
The evenings weather has started – with hail.

Spring is almost here.
Well OK, it is still a month away.
But the daffodil and tulip greens are poking up in the gardens.
Spring cleaners are afoot.

And the rain drops are here.
Except they are disguising themselves as snow flakes.

There was a little less than an inch in the grass when I got home tonight. But the roads were still just wet. They are expecting a few inches – so we will have to see what accumulates overnight.

I had a class scheduled for the next three days. It has been cancelled. (Snow plus continued cold prediction.) So, if it is bad I would consider taking a day at home. I almost feel like a school girl praying for a good showing of the white stuff.

I was listening to the radio driving in to work this morning.
A DJ asked what people did to celebrate President’s Day.
I guess we don’t have any traditions here. I remember when there were both Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays to celebrate, and figuring out at some point that the calendar changed after Washington was born, so what was the “real date” of his birth.

I celebrated today by going to work. I am a government employee, but my wonderful employer has designated four of the holidays as “floaters”. You can choose to take them off as holidays, or you can save them to take at a later date – but it has to be in the same calendar year. Initially most people focused on the week between Christmas and New Years Day. Some still do, but it is really all over the board.

I did come home in a bit of a celebratory mood because

• Traffic was very light going to work this morning.
• I had a total of 2 phone calls at work today – both from my hubby.
• Traffic was very light coming home this evening. Basically no traffic (second work day in a row).

Tonight we are going to eat dinner and then do some more house measuring.
It is really time to get it done and off of the to-do list. It needs to be to-done.
I know this because the architect we are working with e-mailed me and offered to do it himself.

Dinner’s cooking and I’ve got to run.

How did you celebrate?