Friday

tip-o-day

It's that time of year again where we start jonesin' for some Spring.

For a little hint of Spring in your home, set a couple vases of fresh flowers around. Tulips and Daffi's are flooding the stores now. This small spark of color will do wonders for the energy in your home.
Put a small vase in your bedroom too. Remember, your bedroom is your sanctuary. Keeping the room you sleep in orderly and clean will help you stay focused and keep your mood level throughout the day. And seeing a happy spot of color will also give you a bit of joy to carry with you into the still cold days of March.

There's no need to spend money on this little bit of happiness. Just trod out into the backyard (your's or someone else's) and clip some forsythia or pussy willow. Both these early bloomers are easy to force.

Before sticking them in a vase, be sure to crush the woody stems so they can draw in more water. Using warm water will hasten the process. It also helps to set them in a sunny window.



But know that it will take several days for your blooms.

We set out some forsythia to greet guests we had coming in for the weekend.
Unfortunately, just a little to late - so they were met with sticks in water when they arrived.
















But of course...


the day after they left.

The Circle of the Box

O Great And Powerful Internet (OGAPI) – you never cease to amaze me.


First a little background.

Last April a group of blog type folks got together and created this wonderful
collaborative art project for my sweet wife for her birthday.
A large drawing was done of which small pieces were then sent to households across the country. Each person or family colored in and embellished their piece. These
were then sent one at a time to our house.
Each one was so beautiful and different… it was so much fun to piece together the big picture as we got the mail each day.

We were incredibly moved by this banding together of gentle internet folk.
Since we were the only ones who had seen the art all in one place we felt strongly about sharing it with everyone who participated.

So we decided to send the art ‘on tour’...

And really… what’s a tour without T-shirts.
So we made up some T-Shirts in various sizes and stuffed them and the art into a Box. We included pre-printed mailing labels for each destination and quietly sent it off on its journey.

That was in June.

Every once in a while we would wonder about the Box. Ponder where it might, who might have seen it already, where it may end up next.

But the Box had been gone a long time. We had not heard of the Box in months. I considered sending out a cryptic email to the Box recipients… to see if I got any bites – but in the end we let (read: my patient wife calmed me and fed me paxil) the universe …and the Box.. make its own way.

Fast forward to this past weekend.

My innkeeping wife and I hosted some out of town bloggers at our house. Bloggers whose addresses were in that Box.

So one drunken night over cocktails I simply had to ask,
“Has anyone SEEN the box?”

Ah yes... they HAD! But that was some time ago... it's current whereabouts - sadly unknown.

O well…

My spiritual wife is always trying to teach me to let it be, let the universe take the direction that it will.


The next day we went to the second annual BlogFriends get together, hosted by dear bloggers Sassy and Eagle Eye.

And guess what showed up…

Not only did the box make its full circle – but it was embellished inside and out with drawings and writings

and tokens from its trip.

The universe is grand and glorious place people.

To those of you who could not be here with us as the box came home ...

Thank you.

You have warmed our hearts, made us laugh, and brought us great joy… and T-Shirts.

House of Bloggers

We have been entertaining some blog-gals for the last few days.

Some details to come - but first my energetic wife and I have some laundry and vacuuming to tend to.

busy busy busy

I am very busy at work today.
So I am settled in for the afternoon in my warm, dark cubicle.

I have a freshly opened Diet Dr. Pepper stowed in my happy fish coozy



my Ipod...turned up loud














and of course a little snack.

Because old dogs don't always learn very much at all

And by dogs... I am referring to myself.

We got the new 'Laundry Center' this weekend.
I spent some time sitting on a small stool just watching it wash.


I was riveted.
Do you have a front loader?
Have you ever watched it? I highly recommend it.



Alas, I was not completly satisfied with the installation by the trained, washer-installer professionals.
Not a problem.
There is not much weese can't fix... or should I say 'attempt' to fix.

After about 20 minutes, 4 bandaids and several trips to the basement for more tools.
I found my anywhere-but-in-the-same-room-with-me wife and said
"Sometimes you should just tell me to leave well enough alone."

Happy Valentines Day

Go do something romantic.

You don't need a dozen roses, or a box of chocolates, or a dinner out...

How about a slow dance in the kitchen, a hot bubble bath for two, or just a quiet moment of small, sweet whispers.

Saturday Delivery

Sadly... no tax credit.
But the water savings alone will make for a very happy weese.

Friday

tip-o-day


When the washer makes a high pitched squealing sound - stop it immediately.
Once you see the smoke - its most likely too late.

____
And now we decide... fix or trash?

Gratuitous Foam

Ok. So now what. I can't simply throw it away!


Before I could even get my head fully around my rage I found myself on the HP website.
I penned this letter to a fellow named Mark Hurd, as he seemed to have a lofty title... Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President.

I am writing to tell you how EXTREMLEY disappointed I am in your company’s latest advertising promotion.

I received your gimmicky box labeled 'Top Secret'. Mind you, I have no issue with the premise. But WHY oh WHY did you feel the need to include a completely gratuitous 9x12 piece of Styrofoam?
How could a company, as environmentally conscious as you claim to be, send out a substance that has a degradable time frame of NEVER -- for absolutely NO reason. There was NOTHING in the box except for Styrofoam.

I will not visit your site, not even to play along for my free gift. I will also do my best to repurpose this Styrofoam to keep it from floating around in the environment for all eternity.

Your advertising has not only failed to promote your products or your company – but has truly upset me.

I sent it, proudly, from my work email, with my full e-signature on Monday.
No response yet.

hmm, I think perhaps I can do better than to simply repurpose...

Because I am a clearly a very important technical professional, I recieved this package at work yesterday from HP.


The package had all sorts of exciting industry news for me! Even tempting me with free gifts.


ooo what could be inside??



hmm??!!??


what will weese do?



to be continued...

super fat

Its big, it’s huge, it’s ginormous
It's TUESDAY!

As is customary on Fat Tuesday my festive wife adorned me with beads as I left for work this morning (with a requisite flash).

And I am also announcing my support for Barack Obama. Ya know… cuz when say …Oprah or the Kennedy’s endorse a candidate it creates quite the stir.

Msabu, thes water lives at Mombasa

This weekend we had some big rain here in the Northeast. Big enough that we found ourselves with a leak in the laundry room. It was night time and torrential rain with some ice - so the best thing we could do was to get a bucket and a couple of cocktails.

The next morning, after my handy wife tidied up the leak area - I went outside to investigate. There is a dryer vent that pokes out of the roof right there. So my assumption was that something had gone wrong around the flashing. I needed a closer look.

Would you be surprised to know we have several ladders?
My favorite is a 7 foot green fiberglass step ladder. But we also have two extension ladders. One is around 20', the other may be as tall as 30'.
I got out the seven foot ladder and put it on the back steps... hmm... not tall enough.
I went back for the 20' extension ladder. Since this was placed at ground level I extended it up about halfway, placing it in a secure, level location and testing its sturdiness.
Up I went.
I got to the top and placed my hands on the roof... and froze.
I was paralyzed.
There was no way I could get myself off the ladder and onto the roof.

I knew this before I even took the ladder out of the garage. I have tried several times to climb up onto this roof over the 20 years we have lived in this house.
Each time I greet the chance enthusiastically. Certain that this time I can do it. Positive that saving all that money on hiring someone else to do a job I am perfectly capable of will be all the reinforcement I need.

I climb the ladder each time happily and full of confidence.
And each time, I climb back down.
Defeated.

Luckily the basement was also leaking. So my graceful wife sent me down there to play.

Friday

tip-o-day

I seem to end up doing a lot of trim work around this aging house we live in.
I have mastered base trim and can cut it using either my chop saw or a hand saw and mitre box quite effectively.
Where it all falls apart for me is crown molding. I understand the basics. I know I don't have to have a compound mitre saw to get good results.

I am clear that I need to place the molding in the saw upside down and at the same 45 angle as it will be on the wall.



But for some reason I just can't keep the angles straight in my head. So inevitably I run down to the basement - make some cuts, run back upstairs and the cut is wrong... so very wrong.

I found all sorts of complex advice online, but finally came across just the simple clues that I needed to make the right cuts.

So if you have some molding to do, I hope this can help you too.