A post in which my hole is plugged

I was up at 2:30 this morning. I finally got back to sleep about 4, after having to eat something else. I didn't eat enough dinner last night. That makes for a rough morning though. I had to get it in gear today because I had Wednesday reports to do, plus I had to get ready for the handyman to come before I left. I managed to get to work pretty much on time, which was a small miracle.

It was a fairly average day at work. I'm breaking in a new guy to doing the Canadian numbers, and had to goad him a bit, but fortunately I had time for that today.

Alan (the handyman) called this afternoon to tell me he was done with the raccoon hole, had used the materials I had there, and that I owed him a very reasonable amount of money. He had already left the house and told me I could just mail him a check. I was very pleased, but still somewhat disbelieving. He is at least a very nice guy. I hit the gym, then went by the post office on the way home and mailed his check so he would get it tomorrow. Then I went home to view the work. It was a great job - you really wouldn't even notice the patch unless you knew where it was. I am thrilled.

I kind of felt bad for making him drive over for such a small job, but I'm going to have him pressure-wash the house next week, and I'm going to get him to paint the windows for me. That will pull them through another couple of years and give me time to put a roof on the house. He does window replacements too though, and I'm thinking I may start on that and just do a couple at a time. I'll have to ask him about doing that as well. I am tickled to find someone who actually wants to work, and doesn't charge an arm and a leg just for showing up. It is a weight off my mind to no longer have to worry about critters in my attic also.

I triumphantly consumed 1,400 calories for dinner, in hopes of sleeping through the night tonight. I feel thinner when I exercise, even if I'm not.

A post in which I finally move my ass again

I was up at 4:30 this morning. That makes for a long day. I had some coffee and a smoke, and tried to become un-bleary.

After a round of nit-pickery with my boss, I got down to work. It wasn’t a bad day overall. I got a lot of loose ends tied up today. At quitting time, I hit the gym for the first time in a month, and headed for home.

I put on my flop clothes and relaxed a bit.

Terry dropped by unexpectedly, but it’s always good to see him. He had his niece in tow. She is a tween now, and just cute as a button. Apparently she has a bit of a crush on me – much to my surprise. I didn’t even remember meeting her before. It was flattering and kind of sweet though. Terry is going to be staying with me some while he gets ready to move. He is working long shifts on Saturdays, and staying at my place will save him a long drive back to Easley after a double. I’ll be glad of the company frankly.

The new handyman Russ recommended called today. He’s going to come fix the raccoon hole tomorrow – yay! It’s turning out to be an expensive week, but at least I’m getting some stuff put to bed.

A post in which I get my car squared away

I got up and called the dealership today, since I figured if I had to have a new rim the tire place would have to order it and they would get it more quickly. I was really worried I had messed up the rim last night, so what should have been just a patch job would end up costing a whole lot more. Big O said it was OK to come on in. Of course they wanted me to leave the car, since the dealership wants you to leave the car to have a wiper blade replaced. Since I had the wheel off the car anyway I just left them the wheel. That actually made things a lot easier.

They called me later in the day to tell me that the wheel was fine. I was very relieved that I got to the gas station in time last night. The problem was that the tire service broke the bead on the tire putting it on. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was on purpose, or if they gave me a damaged tire. They were pretty pissed when I told them I wouldn’t pay $70 extra for the replacement guarantee they were hocking. I suppose that’s just cynicism on my part, but I don’t think I’ll be buying any more tires from them.

It turned out the tire from the dealership was about the same price I paid a supposed “discount” tire place. So it was $130 to get it fixed. Yes, that’s a lot of money, but it had to be done anyway, the tire couldn’t have been patched, and it’s worth it at this point to be able to stop worrying about my damn tire all the time.

And a good thing too, since I was invited to an egg-dying party in Spartanburg Friday night. Justin's giving it. I’m pretty stoked about that; it should be fun.

I had an email from Mom. Poppy has been suffering from shingles, and the medicine they put him on for it ate a hole in his stomach. As a result, he had a gastric bleed he had to be hospitalized for. They took him off the medication and he’s improving. He may get to come home by Thursday.

Work was fairly quiet up until the end of the day, when I had to have it out with the account from hell. My boss set up a special deal for them, and they’ve been trying to sweeten it by increments ever since. We had to draw a line in the sand today, and they yowled like stuck cats. But I was able to put it to bed before I left. I had to eat lunch at my desk today so I could leave in time to get to the dealership before they closed.

After I picked up my tire, I went on to the grocery store since I hadn’t had time to go this weekend.

I got home and cooked up a pot of red potatoes with olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. I had those at a benefit last year and they were really good. Plus I had some rosemary that Petal had given us all for Christmas, and I wanted to use it. They turned out delicious. I finally have the secret to red potatoes. You have to use extra water because they soak up so much. If you don’t, they turn out really dry and gloppy. These cooked up plump and tasty.

As I was cleaning up the kitchen, I realized I forgot to get any fruit, so I had to get dressed and go back out to the grocery store. But I was home in no time. It was after 9, and there was no one there.

When I got that straightened out, I went on to bed. After getting in late last night and then the busy day today, I was pooped.

A post in which I head for home, eventually*

I took Cole to Starbucks for coffee first thing today, after we woke up a bit. That is kind of our thing. While we were out, we ran by Panera and picked up some breakfast. I love those baked omelet things they make, and Cole tried one and apparently really liked it. I didn't tell him that they have 800 calories in them. He worries a lot about his weight (at 14, for heaven's sake!). I guess that's natural having lived around Lisa. She's always on a diet, and always talking about how fat and ugly she is, despite being 5'6", about a size 6, and gorgeous. Plus he's seen my dad, and heard Mom and I talk about our weight so much. He's a sensitive boy, and really takes things to heart. He doesn't even have a hint of a weight problem, but I can tell it's on his mind. He eats just like Lisa. No mayo, sauces, etc. He's the only kid I have ever seen order broiled fish and steamed vegetables in a seafood place. I guess it's good that he's starting to eat healthy young, but when he's worried about something, you only see the tip of the iceberg. It kind of bothers me.

We took Mom a muffin back to the house, and waited around while she got ready. We headed to the flea market a bit after 9. I was champing at the bit, just a bit. 9 is pretty much the prime glassing hour, and I was ready to get there. The #1 flea market has proved a rich hunting ground in the past, and I had the fever today. I had woken up thinking I'd like to find a nice piece of crystal Colonial glass today, for some reason. Usually the feeling isn't that specific. It's usually counter to my glass luck too. Most of the time when I'm sure I'm going to find something I don't. That appeared to be the case today. I did see some things, (a ruby red sugar bowl, a pretty cool milk glass compote where the stem was a fish, a piece of shell pink, and of course a good bit of paneled grape, which I am begging myself not to start collecting) but nothing I really wanted to buy. Lisa called and we were going to make plans for lunch, but they wanted us to drive back out to Chapin to go and then go out on the boat with them today. I didn't have time to do all that, and Mom wasn't really into driving back out to Chapin today.

We left the #1 and decided to go on to the Barnyard in Columbia, which is right down the street. There was a painting guy there, and I found a couple of things that I liked, but didn't fall in love. Mom looked too but didn't buy anything. She is really in need of some pictures for her living room. I went through her paint swatches last night and helped her pick out a color. She's told me she's ready to paint in there, but she's like me. She's been telling me that for at least a year now. She isn't home enough to do stuff around the house now. She stays on the road, either to Granny and Poppy's, or off with Rod.

At Barnyard I finally scored. I walked into a little clutter glass booth and sure enough, there was a Columbia saucer I dug out of a pile of miscellaneous saucers first. It was marked $5 though, and book value on it was only $1. The woman would only come down to $4. I decided not to get it, but when I went to put it back, there was a crystal Colonial dinner plate. It was marked only $6 and I knew it was worth more than that, even though crystal pieces aren't priced in my field guide. She told me if I wanted both I could have them for $9, so I bit. I'm not sure that the Columbia plate is the same size as my others. I have the smaller ones, and I think this is a 6", but I'll find out when I get home. I was tickled with the Colonial plate, and was very surprised that I ended up getting exactly what I had pictured this morning. When I looked it up in the book, the value on it is listed at $20; although as usual, crystal prices are kind of a theoretical thing.

Colonial "Knife and Fork" 10" dinner plate in crystal by Hocking Glass Company, circa 1934-1936

"Columbia" 6" cake plate/saucer in crystal by Federal Glass Company, circa 1938-1942

After the flea market we were all fairly hungry, so we went to find some lunch. Mom wanted to go to a shopping center in an old mill she had seen, but when we got there it seemed like a tourist trap. There was a pizza buffet though, and we went ahead and had lunch. With some lunch, we were ready to go again for a bit, and decided to go through the great antique store near her house. I almost always score there, and they had a bunch of stuff on sale, but I didn't find anything today. I went through the great Depression Glass booth at the front of the store and just drooled. I wish I knew where that guy goes to get his stuff. He most likely makes buying trips up North. He always has beautiful things but his prices are too high. I had decided to get a blue Diamond Point vase, even though I have been resisting buying them. But it was on a sale table and turned out to not be for sale, so I forewent. I had already scored today, and it was out of my era anyway.

When we got back to Mom's the ^%$#@!!! tire on the car was flat. Again. I've been pumping it up for the last two months, and trying to find someone to fix it, but no one wants to patch or plug it, they just want to sell me another tire. I've been fooling with it for a while now, and I'm sick of worrying about it. But I had to get home. I went in Mom's and thought about leaving, but I was really tired. I took a bit of a nap so I wouldn't have to worry about going to sleep behind the wheel.

I woke up when Rod got there, and talked to him for a bit before deciding to get it in gear. By this time it was almost 5, and later than I wanted to leave. I ran through the shower, aired up the problem tire, and headed out with the best intentions of trying to make it home before dark. But I decided to call Chip before I left town. He lives in Columbia too, and I don't get to see him as often as I would like. It turned out he was home, so I went by there and visited him for a while. His cat is dying and he's been having a rough time. We ended up going out to dinner and I didn't end up leaving until about 9. The tire looked like it had gone down a bit, but the leak has been slow, and I had to stop for gas anyway, so I figured I would pump it up again then and I'd probably be fine.

About the time I got to the intersection of 26 and 385 and was thinking about stopping for gas I started hearing a noise, but couldn't decide if it was just road noise or not. I had already stopped once to check the tire and it was fine. By the time I got off the highway though, I knew the tire was totally flat. I made it to a lighted gas station, and when I pulled around to the air pump and looked, it was clear the tire had blown. So I got out my manual and figured out where the spare was stored (I had made few half-hearted attempts to inspect it since I got the car, but thought it was under the deck inside instead of actually suspended under the car where it actually is). Thankfully it was easier to get off than the spare on my old truck. I changed the tire, made sure the pressure was right in the spare, and got back on the road. I called Mom and told her what was going on - she was all worried, so I told her that my phone was working fine, and that if there was a problem I’d call her. Otherwise, just to assume that everything was fine.

I got home a bit after 10, got in the house, and went on to bed. I was bushed. It was a very long day.

A post in which I head for Columbia

I woke up this morning feeling muzzy and kind of drug out. I'm not used to all those tannins in my system. I didn't really feel hung over, but I didn't feel like my usual self. I got up though, and started getting ready to go, futzing around the house, packing, etc. Robert called. He's back from Florida. Apparently the trip didn't go so well, but he was seeing the silver lining. We caught up for a bit. By the time I finished up everything and left it was about 11:30, which was later than I had planned on getting started, but since I didn't wake up until 9, it wasn't bad.

I got to Lisa's house around 2. Mom had spent the night there, since Lisa and Carl had left the night before. That was a change in plans. They were coming back tonight, another change, but that meant that Mom and I could spend more time together, stay at her place, and go to the flea market in the morning.

We greeted, then got ready to go into Columbia for lunch and a trip to the zoo. That plan was considerably delayed though, by extensive road work we ran into when we got to town. We ended up sitting in the car for an hour trying to get to an Italian place, but when we got there they were closed. Ava was amazingly patient through all this, considering she really hates the car seat. We ate Mexican instead - I can always eat Mexican.

After a huge lunch we went on to the zoo. Mom had some free passes, which was good since we didn't get there until about 4:30. I was surprised at how the Columbia Zoo has gone downhill. The animals were fed and all, but several exhibits were closed, and the place was obviously in need of some maintenance. The penguin exhibit in particular was looking run down. Previously one of the star attractions of the zoo, the glass today was murky and in need of cleaning. The water was clean, but the whole bird house smelled, and there were many exhibits in the bird house that were closed. The howler monkey island in the middle of the zoo had been closed. The snow leopard was gone. The gorilla encounter was new since I was there last, and was impressive, but there were three males and no females in the exhibit. They had a pecking order established apparently, but I was surprised. Mom had never been there before, and it is a nice zoo, but it was not in the same state that it used to be kept. The zoo closes at 6pm, and of course the animals know the schedule. Many of them were just waiting at the exit doors to the exhibits, waiting to be let in and fed. The elephants just stood at the door, and the sea lions were already off exhibit. Many of the exhibits apparently close at 4pm, inexplicably. But Ava was really too young for the zoo, and was as interested in the other babies as she was in the animals anyway. We did get to see feeding time in the aviary, and that was pretty cool, but we couldn't go in as that was closed for the day. I went in and saw the much-ballyhoo'd koala exhibit, which was pristine and well-kept, but the koalas had already gone to sleep.

After the zoo, we went by Mom's place for a bit of a rest, then went on to meet Maureen and Dee for dinner. We met them at about 7, but we had eaten lunch so late we really weren't hungry. We just had salads and visited with them. Dee has a Smartcar, which was pretty cool. He claims 51mpg on the highway. I sat in it though, and my head was right against the sun roof. It was surprisingly room inside except for that though. It was a cute little thing, and was surprisingly affordable. He seemed well-pleased with it, which was the important thing.

After supper we headed back to Lisa's house to wait for them to get home. We visited, and Ava played. She had worn all three of us out, as good as she was. She has to be watched every second, and I'm just not used to that. We watched a bit of telly. By the time Lisa got home, it was about 9:30 or so. I visited with her for a bit, and of course saw Kevin and Inga, who go with them everywhere. After they left we loaded up Cole and headed back to Mom's. By the time we got back there, we were a wee bit peckish, so we had some toasted bagels and chatted until bedtime. Tomorrow is the flea market! Yay!

A post in which I find that Greenville has added another jewel to it's culinary crown

Today at work the quiet trend continued, for which I was grateful.

I was supposed to do a movie night with Anna and her parents tonight, but she had to cancel. That was just as well, since I really needed to pack and stuff tonight anyway. But after work, I felt like doing something. I’m so glad not to be sick any more. I really wanted to go out and do something tonight. I called Laura to see what she and Kimbley were up to.

I ended up going over there for cocktails on the patio while we discussed dinner plans. It was pretty, if a bit cool, but windy. After all the rain we’ve had though, it was just good to be outside. Donnie and Mark came over, and we decided to go to a new place I hadn’t been called Campobello’s. They have Italian food and it was absolutely scrumptious. The atmosphere was quiet – it’s a small place, and hasn’t been “discovered” yet. The staff was friendly and very accommodating. They also let you bring your own wine, which was a big deal for Donnie and Mark, since they’re all in to wine. I think they’re going to make and aficionado of me in spite of myself. I’m not usually into red, but the wine they brought tonight was all delicious. I shudder to think what most of it cost. Their wine budget is far greater than mine. Mark generously picked up the tab for everyone too. I thought that was very nice. It was also good for me, since I'm a bit strapped for funds at the mo, and this place wasn't cheap.

At the restaurant I ran into an old friend from high school. I was very surprised at her effusive greeting, since we hadn’t been that close way back when, but she was super nice and seemed really glad to see me. She’s also a lesbian, which of course was just extra points in my book. She had been to the high school reunion, and I found myself asking about people I hadn’t thought about in years. I really enjoyed seeing her. I’m going to have to have her and her lover over soon. Kimbley and Laura were interested in getting to know them too. Susan was so nice, and K&L are always telling me they’d like to have more women friends, which I can understand.

After dinner, we went back to watch movies on the big screen at K&L’s. Tonight we watched Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. I had seen it once before and frankly it was so unpleasant I don’t think I made it all the way through. But I know it’s supposed to be a masterpiece, and I really like both of them, so I decided to give it another try. Apparently I am not smart enough to get it. I could feel the hidden meanings just missing me as they went over my head, but never caught up with them. I could see that there was a lot going on under the surface, but the majority of it was incomprehensible to me. Ultimately, it just collapsed in a mish-mash for me. I didn’t understand the ending.

The one thing that hadn’t changed from my initial impression was the sheer unpleasantness of the whole thing. Watching Elizabeth Taylor fully immerse herself in the role of a castrating, adulterous, vicious, alcoholic shrew is just not my idea of entertainment. I can understand intellectually that it was an accomplishment for her as an actress, but I can’t understand why anyone would want to watch it. Why would anyone want to watch a dysfunctional couple of vitriolic drunks scream at each other for two hours? I don’t get it. Maybe it just goes back to my simple-minded pursuits of entertainment that actually makes me feel better. Maybe it’s just that I’ve experienced so much bitterness and argument with members of my own family. I don’t think I’ll be sitting through that one again.

It was nice to see everyone though. I said my goodnights and went home to get in bed far too late to do any packing. Meh. I’ll do it tomorrow.

A post in which I do good work

I was up at 4am this morning. Since I haven't been sleeping well, I guess I'm better. The cats have spring fever, and wake me up at night having endless races through the house. I needed coffee today.

I watched a documentary called "Nazi Pop Twins" on hulu this morning while I got ready. I am officially hooked on online video. This one was quite disturbing. It was about a singing duo called Prussian Blue, two young girls who have become the darlings of the white supremacist movement by singing songs that carry their twisted message. Of course, since the girls started this very young, it's actually their mother's views they are touting, not their own. They have been home schooled since they were very young. In one of the disturbing scenes, the mother is teaching their younger sister the alphabet - this is a pretty near quote:

"A is for Aryan - like you, a white person! B is for blood - like the blood your forefathers shed so that you could be free, white, and proud!"

You get the gist.

Interestingly, now that they are older and are back in public school, the girls aren't as enthusiastic about their role in the movement. They have started writing other kinds of songs. This has apparently created some tension with their mother. You can hear them having a "private" discussion (they were miked), in which the mother says "You need to be conscious of the fact that you are on camera. They are going to be gone in an hour, and after that you can be a cunt all evening if you want. But behave for now." Nice parenting. It just makes me sick that people raise their kids this way. And folks say gay people shouldn't have children! It makes me nuts.

When I got to work, I still didn't have the reports I needed to finish the presentation. I worked on what I could, then got varicose veins in my neck trying to get the rest of them from China. I did eventually get what I needed - a half hour before I had to turn it in. By the time my boss futzed around with it, it was two and a half hours late getting in, but at least I got it done before I left without having to work too late.

The other thing that happened this afternoon was that they brought in the big boss from California for the monthly meeting this month. My boss was all excited because we got to have a question and answer session with him today. True, most of the people in the department don't have that much exposure to him. But I already figured there wasn't going to be much information involved here. The big question everyone wanted to have answered had already been asked, and of course they wouldn't answer that one. After two rounds of lay-offs, people want to know if their jobs are safe. We're not told there are going to be lay-offs. You just come in and someone else is gone. We are told "the crystal ball grows cloudy..." when we ask about jobs. In fact, we spent an hour in a room with him politely and professionally not answering one question. Not one. It was more of a waste of time than even I cynically thought it would be. Usually when I get done masturbating there is at least something to clean up. He didn't even leave a spot. Oy, the amount of bullshit just gets me down. I understand this was supposed to quiet the troops. But the older I get, the less patience I have with the empty gesture. That's really what I mind. It's usually not the job - it's all the corporate bullshit that wears me out. The endless double-speak and needless complication. The petty, back-biting fiefdoms of bureaucracy.

On the way home, I stopped by the library to pick up some books. I have a new book on CD I got for the trip to Columbia this weekend. It's OK, but it's getting Hallmark-y. A woman opens her dream bed and breakfast after she has a terrible relationship experience with a cad. She has meets a guy who wants to interview her (her ex was a politician), but she doesn't know that yet. Of course he is brutally and ruggedly handsome, with piercing blue eyes, etc etc. (I'd kind of like to hear a love story about two people who fall in love because they are really good to each other.) The lively part is that this woman's great grandmother was a madam, and the house the woman bought is the old brothel, which her great grandmother is haunting. That's a mildly amusing spin. The old ho is given a wry voice that is kind of funny.

I finished up watching "Nazi Pop Twins" after dinner, and then watched some clips from "To Catch a Predator" on youtube. For some reason I find those endlessly fascinating, I don't know why. When they lie (as most of them do) I just want to punch them, and when they tell the truth I'm aghast at their sheer gall. Either way I want to hit them. That combination should make for some fucked-up dreams tonight.

I did a load of laundry so my favorite (biggest) pants would be clean to take to Columbia this weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing my mother, Cole, and Ava. It should be nice.