Friday

tip-o-day

Some of products I use on the lawn require watering in. We have a pretty big yard so getting out the hose and sprinkling the lawn is really not an option.

In the case of grub control - I like to get that watering in right away. I don't like the idea of the chemical sitting there for too long.

So to keep the environment as safe as I can under such circumstances*, I spread the materials before an expected rain shower.

For quick results, I like to begin spreading just as the rain is starting.
To do this I simply fill the hopper of my broadcast spreader and cover the top with a piece of foil. My gourmet wife keeps the large size foil around to cover her large baking pans - this fits perfectly over my spreader. You can also use saran warp or even a garbage bag.

Toss on a rain hat and some tall rubber boots to complete the look.



Try you're best not to apply the product when very heavy rains are expected. Not only can this be harmful to plants and wildlife but you will simply waste your money as your product washes away.

*I do generally recommend natural grub control methods - such as Milky Spore. But for this size yard in the current economy it's a bit cost prohibitive.

last mom standing

The Free dog has 'hot spots' - she is on antibiotics and a topical treatment.
She has had two accidents in the house so far this week. Please keep in mind she is 80 pounds. An accident can require almost an entire roll of paper towels.

I came down with a stomach virus. I was not even able to stand for an entire day.
I am just starting to eat rice and pudding today.

Ferris was supposed to move into his first off campus apartment yesterday, but he was near death so we dragged him out to a clinic. He has strep. He got some good drugs. Today we are sharing pudding.

And my wily wife - she's fine.
Somebody has to take care of all of us.

tips

Hmm, there used to be 'tips' here every Friday
[scratching head, looking under desk]

I wonder where they went.

I love uniforms

This morning we took our coffee out to the side porch.
It's shady and cool there and we can watch the morning traffic go by on our busy street.

weese (looking at a ginourmous SUV with a soccer mom on her cell)
"Ugh, another one on the phone...I wish I were a cop"

my coffee-sipping wife:
"You are a cop...you just don't have a uniform"

TMI

Have you ever felt a little...something, maybe something wasn't quite right, you feel a little off. So you start to look up your symptoms on the internets.

C'mon...you know you do.

I've noticed that every major disease, affliction, complication or illness seems to involve "unexplained weight loss".

Clearly I'll live to 100.

turn the heat up

Last week I blogged about being hot.

It was technically not that hot outside, in fact it was quite comfortable. Here in my home office,however, in our un-air-conditioned attic things were a bit steamier.

Today temps are predicted to go into the mid 90's.
Should be interesting up here today.
At high noon - my office temp is 81.

It takes until mid afternoon to really get toasty up here. All that radiant warmth off our Timberline dark gray architectural shingles just swirls in here.

I'll update with a thermometer pic later this afternoon.
If I can stand the heat.


4:40 p.m. update - the sun went in...its only 84 degrees up here. I think I will survive after all.

Re-inventing the wheel

Even tho most of my workdays are spent in my warm, dark home office – I do occasionally put on clothes and take the ride into our corporate office building.
When I come to the office, because we are mostly a work-at-home team, office space is shared. There are docking stations and monitors all over the place. So basically I can come in and pop my laptop in most anywhere for my workday.

Today I am in a new location. It’s quite adequate – although a bit chilly and bright for my tastes.
Uncharacteristically, I forgot my little wireless travel mouse. I love my little mouse.

The mouse I am using today has no middle wheel button.
I had no idea how attached I was to the wheel button.

whooo weee

Have you ever been so hot that you need to take your jewelry off.
As if it might be cooler to just not have that necklace on your neck.

Don't get me wrong here.
My people are a short, round island people*.
We love the heat.
Bring it.

* This is a common joke of mine. My father was Italian, his mother grew up in Sicily. I tend to favor that side of the family in the short, round shape and fetching olive tone... thus 'my people'.
Oh... and my mother? The W.A.S.P. - she was simply the vessel.

a token, a favor... a small parting gift

I went to the dentist yesterday.
They gave me a goodie bag. You know - new toothbrush, a small tube of paste and some floss.
I love goodie bags
Really, it doesn't take much to make my day.

I think we should get goodie bags from all our appointments.
You could get a new pencil or notepad from your accountant.
How about a home breathalyzer from your attorney?
Your shrink could give you a complimentary xanax with a tissue pack.
Even the gynecologist can join in the fun....

Little Bathroom Cups

At any given moment you may find one, or more, little bathroom cups strewn about our patio. You know those little cups. The little 3 oz'ers - the ones you get with the Dixie bathroom dispenser. We've had the dispenser mounted to the wall next to our bathroom sink since the kids were little. Always sure to get happy, colorful cup designs - like fish or jungle animals with smiley faces, or a favorite cartoon character.

I suppose we don't use them so much anymore since we've stopped being summoned for a midnight sip of water - or to administer Tylenol just before bed. But we still have the dispenser and I still buy happily designed little cups.


I regularly toss these little cups out the bathroom window.
In fact, I just did last night.

My sentient wife was washing dishes in the kitchen below when she saw it drop by the window in front of her. She didn't flinch.
That's because she knows.
She knows that in that little cup there is an unsuspecting spider... perhaps a witless beetle, or any number of other tiny crawling intruders that has just been launched for the ride of their lives.

No really... it's way more humane than just squishing them on the wall.
I often wonder why they are all so enamored with crawling around the tub, perhaps they like the ride so much they make their way back up for another turn.

addiction

We have been celebrating our anniversary on July 26th for many of the 24 years we've been together. At some point over the course of those two dozen years we just decided to pick a date that we could call our anniversary. It certainly helped in tracking the years gone by. But the date was basically made up... invented for convenience.
Now -we have a new, 'real' date. So we will celebrate then, but for old times sake, we thought we should at least honor this day with a dinner out.

Plus we were too tired to cook on Sunday.

Tired in a really good way.
Tired in a way where you may just need to nap a bit. Perhaps several times during the course of the day.


So after we dropped off our little overnight guests we went out to be served. To have someone bring us food and drink while we sat, relaxing and enjoying each others company.

It was just after dinner that our addiction reared its ugly head.
We were full.
We were tired.
And yet there, right there, on the way home was...
Starb*cks.
Home to the highly addictive Frappuccino.
What the hell do they put in those things?
We simply
had.
to.
have.
one.

There we were physically exhausted, stuffed full of sushi only to be topped off with a huge cup of frozen caffeine.

Not only did we clean the kitchen, vacuum and put away the port-a-cribs when we got home - but we poured another glass of wine and enjoyed it by the firepit.

Ahhhh. They are tasty. And cold. And refreshing. I actually want one right now.. the morning after... I could use one - just one...a small one - then I'll stop. Really.

Friday

tip-o-day

Today's tip is Pay Attention.

Just this week I called two companies with which I have accounts and got adjustments to my bill. I saved about 60 bucks just by paying attention.

If you are a customer in good standing most companies are willing to work with you. Even if you are calling about a mistake that perhaps you made.
An example of this would be; last month I failed to sign up in time for a savings package to call Ferris while he was in Italy at a discounted rate. The phone company generously back dated the package price and saved us money on transactions that had already occurred.

When you call -be sure you are in a calm state, a state of curiosity...not anger.
If a mistake has been made on your bill - it's most likely a software error. A defect. I work with this stuff all day long. There is no reason to be angry. These things happen. In fact, I like to think of defects as job security... well, for me.
When you make a call all filled with rage - you do nothing more than set the tone for the conversation.

So, be peaceful. Pay attention. Save money.

I love my sensible shoes

I was sitting at my desk at work feeling a little chilly - luckily I had brought a sweater. Sometimes the A/C in the office gets to me.

I went to get a cup of tea to warm up and passed the elevator on my way.
Standing there was a very attractive young woman in a rather clingy short dress. Once I got past the oogling - I noticed her clingy little dress was short sleeved and she wore strappy high heeled sandals. While I was easily able to appreciate every curve - nothing about that outfit looked the least bit comfortable.
I mean I may be a little colder than most - but this woman had very little on, and her feet were completely exposed. Brrr.

A fellow walked up to also wait for the elevator. He was wearing standard business-ish attire. Pleated pants with sensible shoes, I will take a leap and assume he was wearing stylish, yet comfortable, trouser socks. Long sleeve dress shirt with a short sleeve white T underneath.
He looked very comfortable.
He looked warm.
I can understand a woman wanting to look pretty and fashionable - but to me that woman standing there just started to look - -- well ... cold.
I wanted to toss her a blanket.

How many times have I seen a fancy couple out to dinner. The woman in a gorgeous sleeveless dress, and sandals. Her manly date in a suit. In November.
sheesh women...

It's times like these that just make me so happy to be a sensibly dressed lesbian.

Beni's

Today I am signing up for some health/medical benefits at the ginormous, international company that I work for now. First, before I rant --let me just say that I love the people I work with and the company has been incredibly kind and accommodating.

But ... we are ginormous - and there is this huge HR machine. The company is teaming with HR folk.

In order to sign up my 'legal' wife on my benefits, even tho we have a legal marriage certificate, I still need to have papers notarized and show 'proof' of our relationship.
If I were married to a man I would need to show no proof at all. I would simply jot his name down on the web-form and click Submit.

Fine... fine... I'm gay... ok ok.

So I am making copies today... and I prepared a letter:

Attn: Benefits Team

Please find the enclosed documents:

• a notarized copy of the Domestic Partnership Affidavit
  
• and as proof of partnership I provide:
  
  
  
  • a copy of our valid/notarized Connecticut marriage license
    
  • a copy of our drivers licenses showing our common address
    
  • a real estate tax statement showing both our names on our property
    
  
  

Please note we have owned this home together for 21 years. We are listed as each others primary beneficiary on every account we have, we have joint bank accounts as well as credit cards, and our wills show each other to be the primary recipient. And our children refer to us as their ‘parents’.

Sadly, married same sex couples need to further prove their commitment past a legal marriage document. A document, which by the way, is not required at all when claiming an opposite sex marriage.

Please let me know if you need any other information from me.

Thank you,

Friday

tip-o-day

Have you ever gotten that paralyzed feeling from some silly, seemingly daunting, project.
Perhaps it's straightening out the basement, or weeding the garden, or in my case currently.... filing.

Sometimes - my filing gets ahead of me. And so it waits.
Piling up.
It waits until I find this non-existent block of time... perhaps a rainy day, or maybe a blizzard where I am certain I will just make a cup of tea and sit down and plow through it.

um.. shyeah.. not gonna happen.

Does that happen to you?

So try this.
Just do a little.
No, really... just set a tiny little goal.

Today I filed a handful of papers.


You can't tell from looking at my piles.

But I know there's less now.

And I feel good.

where is weese?

"I heard she and her adorable wife got a timeshare on an island somewhere."

"really?!"

"yup... and there is NO internet access - BUT they have beachfront property and someone to bring them cool things to drink and fresh towels."

"really?!"

"yup... and they don't even have a phone. all they brought was a couple changes of clothes, oil paints and an easel for that artistic wife of hers, and several pairs of walmart reading glasses."

"wow."

"yup... doncha want to go too?"

Friday

tip-o-day

This tip is brought to you by Bammies.
Bammies is my mother-in-law.

Honestly I never expected to get a tip of the day from this woman...

Bammies likes to wear crocs knockoffs.
Bammies noticed tho that on hot, humid days her feet perspired.
Bammies solved the problem.


Had the picture been better I would have left it at that.
But since its kinda hard to make out...go ahead and 'biggin' the picture - notice the feminine pad placed perfectly in her shoe.
It's not only a perfect fit, but the adhesive back secures them in place. Plus... you can change them out as often as needed. What's better than that?

Of course its not nearly as funny until you hear that Pop pop is wearing them now too.
:)

the pregnant pause

I cannot stand reality TV.
O sure... I thought Survivor was nifty -- when it began ten years ago.

But now reality TV makes me want to toss the big backlit box out into the driveway.
Yes, I could just turn it off and walk away - but I am weak and clearly addicted.

You see we have this routine, and I am all about routine.

Each evening my cuddly wife and I retire to our suite to ready ourselves for rest. This inevitably happens 10 minutes or so before the hour. During this time I switch on the TV in preparation to begin some carefully selected show that will be used for the sole purpose of setting the sleepy-timer to.
For the 10 minutes or so before our show on the Great Pyramids, or Mega Movers (a weese fave) or perhaps Animal Cops comes on, there are the final moments in a myriad of REALity TV shows.

It seems to me - granted I don't actually watch the shows -- that every single one of them ends with this cliche, irritating pause before they 'reveal' the big outcome to the nervous contestant.

You know this pause. Maybe once a long time ago - it felt new and clever and left you on the edge of your seat. But seriously, how many times can a pause like this be effective, certainly its no longer gripping.

The host will lead with some ubiquitous unfinished sentence... some examples are (but not limited to):
"The audience voted and ..."
"The amount is..."
"The winner is..."
The camera then pans to the nervously awaiting contestant... and there
we

P
A
U
S
E

And so as quickly as I can I grasp for the remote, fumbling with the buttons only to switch to another channel with another host doing the same stupid pause with a different, yet frighteningly identical set of moronic contestants.

Why oh why do I not toss the thing out the window.

The twins and our prodigal son

We had a sleep over this weekend with the SIL and BIL's twin girls. We had so much fun.






I told them some stories from the Grimm brothers. And then a couple of less dark classics. Tho I don't remember all the details of most fairy tales so I embellished a bit. I think my rendition of The Three Bears was a hit.









Then Ferris...who we may now need to refer to as Giacomo - returned from his Italian adventure. The stories on the car ride home were unbelievable. He told me as we walked through the airport parking lot that this was the best decision of his life and may never be topped. He saw Rome, and Florence and Milan and the Alps and the Amalfi coast and Sorrento and Cinque Terre and ... the list goes on... all while enjoying a women to men ratio of about 10 to 1.

As you can see...he'll be going back.*

He brought gifts for all.. including little Firenze soccer jerseys for the girls.

*A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome.

Friday

tip-o-day

Ok people... break it up...nothing more to see there... let's move on.

Alrighty then, today I want you to go out your front door, turn around, and look with fresh eyes.
Is your door clean? Is the glass clear and sparkly? Do the walk or steps need to be swept?

This is not only the entry into your home, but into your lives, your energy, your spirit. Let it be mindful, orderly and welcoming. You don't need expensive door knobs and knockers.
A simple entry that is tidy is most welcoming.

I've noticed that ours is in need of some paint and new weatherstripping...thanks to pets trying to open the door themselves. On the inside the FREE dog has just about clawed her way through the wood to get out at menacing delivery folk. Basically, the door is ruined. A new door is not in our budget this year, so ... I sweep, clean the glass, and shake the mat often.

My imaginative wife has placed a table on the porch by our entry. It holds a couple plants and some candles to greet our guests. If you come in the evening she will light them just prior to your arrival - even if evening has not yet cast its full shadow.

Remember, the entry is not only for guests. Every time you walk into your home you should feel centered and peaceful. A welcoming entrance can set that stage.

Go on... get up... go look.

let the sun shine in

Ok... well if there were sun. It would be able to shine in after today.

We hired someone to raise the canopy on a big maple tree right behind our house.
You can see the tree in the picture below.
We started to notice an increase in moss and mold because there was just not enough light and air.



The only way to do this is to have someone climb the tree because its not accessible with a bucket.
From my office window here in the attic I am at eye level with this fellow as he begins the job.


Then there is this other guy down on the ground.


They have to lower the branches because of the patio and plantings below the tree.
They are being very careful.


Whaddya think Sara?

what time is it?

Do you wear a watch?
I do somewhat regularly.

Have you ever worn your watch on the 'other' wrist?

It's so... unnatural.

Vitamin D

I would be the first to tell you that I love a rainy day.
I have no problems with gray gloominess. I have mentioned on several occasions that I prefer to work in a warm, dark environment.

Even with the ridiculous amount of rain we are getting here in the North East I was trodding along just fine. Oh sure... there was the lawn anxiety. But I can have that in the best of weather.

Until this morning. When the sun came up. My sun-lovin wife and I had our coffee on the patio and soaked up the D. It was delicious.
Just now, I simply took the trash to the street -- I felt lifted and refreshed. I could feel my Chi shift.

I am impressed. Thank you Gaia.

too busy

I am too busy.
Or maybe ..its all in my head.

Friday

tip-o-day

Today ...a couple of thoughts.

This first was sent to me by a warm, cuddly friend. She makes a habit of sending us mindful passages.
The sentiment is nothing new - but it gave me such joy just to read it and savor it.

The most important thing in all the world is to be kind.

and this ... this one occurred to me spontaneously, and I wanted to share:

Even a small piece of cheese can make everything right.

Enjoy your weekend peoples.

Opposites may attract, but...

My companionable wife and I do most things together. We truly enjoy each others company and generally make a good time doing the most mundane of errands.

That said – there are things we not only do on our own because we enjoy our individuality ….but frankly there are just some things that the other doesn’t want to do.
For example – I am not a good craft store pal. I get impatient and grumpy. I just don’t understand the laboring over subtle shades of blue beads.

My creative wife on the other hand is not really a great Home Depot buddy. While she is perfectly happy going with me – she tends to wander off …which then takes quite some time roaming around the store to find her once again (often with a cart full).

This past weekend my adorable, wandering wife accompanied me to said Home Depot where… included on our list would be some considerable contemplation in the toilet repair aisle.
Before we left home I assessed the dire toilet situation – took some measurements, poked around and was fairly prepared to look for the items I thought I might need.

So there we are in the plumbing aisle. My somewhat disinterested wife next to me while I pondered washers and hosing and such. After a short time of me wondering whether I could get away with the 9” tubing since the 8” was not available, or perhaps I should go longer to make a loop…but not too long… – she declares –

“Wait… this fixes 90% of toilet problems”

I turn… in disbelief… to see her holding a brightly colored box… a kit if you will.
A kit.
Really…
90% of the problems.
As I hold my handful of little washers and bolts.

“Lemme see that…”

So we took the brightly colored kit home (along with a couple of the individual parts…just in case).

Worked like a charm.

Somehow I doubt I’ll ever be able to reciprocate in the bead aisle at Michael’s.

This is what happens...

when I give my green-thumbed wife my car.

Friday

tip-o-day

If you work on a computer all day like I do, and find yourself experiencing neck, shoulder or back pain you may want to readjust your seating vs. keyboard position.
Try a keyboard tray, or raising your chair height. Be sure your shoulders are not hunched.

In all cases, typing all day is a rather unnatural position to hold your arms and torso in... so do try to get up often, stretch... maybe take a little stroll around the office.

Weekends in Italy

It seems Ferris is adjusting to dorm life in Italy just fine.
He called us a couple of times... from various locations around the country.

This weekend they took a long train ride north. One of the guys was sick, and got much worse on the train... but they got him to a doctor in Milan who gave him antibiotics and sent them on their way. So of course, they threw the guy on a ferry boat up a lake in the Alps to stay in a hostel for the night.

He called the next day from stands of the Milan vs. Roma soccer game. No clue how he found it... let alone got in.

patiently waiting

I just saw the street cleaners on the side road across the street.
That means they will come to my street soon.
I get very excited about the street cleaners.
Think about it... its like the biggest industrial vacuum ever.

Of course I ran right out there to sweep out the end of my driveway.
I mean hey... none of that sand and gravel out there is mine. The way I figure it is I bought those street cleaners with tax money.
It's the least they could do for me.

reflections

Over the many years we have lived here we've been giving more and more of our large suburban lot back to "The Nature". Our deep backyard is now overgrown in stages. It spans from a young forest farthest from the house to a blooming meadow in the latest section we are naturalizing - ie. not cutting anymore.

As I was out on the tractor over the weekend I noticed a large gopher hole in this newly overgrown swath of lawn.
Of course... I worried a little. Holes like that can be dangerous.
Then, I remember we had an old reflector on a post in the garage and so I installed it at the site of the gopher hole.

I was very pleased with myself.

The next morning my nature-loving wife and I were sitting on the patio enjoying a cup of coffee.
I proudly pointed out my ingenuity.

weese: "Look...waay out there in the back yard. Look what I installed to protect the wildlife."
my curious wife: "Yes... I thought I noticed something out there."
weese: "See, now the deer won't break their little legs romping around back there."
my wiseguy wife: "Yeah, because deer have headlights."

hmm.

Friday

tip-o-day

This just in...
Ferris has arrived safely in Italy.
He is participating in a study abroad summer program.

Here are some views from his Italian dorm room.



I gave him some tips on the way to the airport.
We reviewed some of the material in the parents pamphlet, where it talked about being safe and smart while out on the town. Especially for the American girls traveling with the group -- European men may misinterpret their friendliness as an invitation to intimacy, or that accepting a drink from a man may be an acceptance of such an invitation. It also talked about how to drink responsibly and maintain a high level of decorum. All good advice for the young twenty-somethings...

Also on the long ride to the airport he practiced Italian phrases from a little book he bought.

"Where is the bank machine?"
and,
"What do you recommend?"

oh and...
"Can I buy you a drink?"

Friday

tip-o-day

I once read that a goldfish will grow to adapt to the size of its environment. In other words, if you put your goldfish in a larger bowl it will grown larger. If you keep it in a smaller bowl it will remain small.

In keeping with this same theory - it's important never to buy larger pants.

I have been remiss...

It's a good thing Ferris doesn't read my blog.
Because it might upset him to know that I didn't tell you how he went out to H OO Ters of all places on a Monday(school) night to have a couple beers with his friends.

He bought his beers.
Cuz he is a stand up guy ...who likes to pay his own way.
And he can...
Cuz he's a man now.

Happy 21 baby boy.

Friday

tip-o-day

Remember that book someone wrote a while back about how we learned pretty much everything we needed to know in kindergarten.

Sometimes its just a matter of applying the knowledge.

Do you remember pencil rubbings? You know... where you take a sheet of paper and lay it over something that's textured. Then you hold your pencil flat and rub it across the page. The shading then picks up the texture onto your page. I remember running all over the school grounds to find interesting things to rub-- trees, rocks, the engraved sign on the entrance...

Well that same principal works great when you need to make a template to mount something to the wall.

I used this method in my home office to mount modems and power strips to a peg board tucked behind the chimney.

I just flipped over each device, lay a sheet of paper on it, and rubbed with my pencil over the mounting holes. Then I just lightly taped the sheet to the wall and drilled a small pilot hole directly through the paper.
After putting in the screws each device fit like a charm.

Everybody is talking about it

The whole flu thing...
First, let me just say - we had bacon last night. So we're doing our part in eradicating the source. Don't worry people - I will eat as much bacon is necessary for the good of the human race.

But this whole pandemic fright has also gotten me to thinking of mortality of course.
Ya know... whats really important, how short life is and all that.
Almost makes me want to stop dieting, live life like its my last day.
But that's not gonna happen - there's no way I am leaving this earth in anything over a size 10.
O the horror...

Friday

tip-o-day

Do you have pets?
Do your pets shed?

If so ... the next time you have the vacuum out...which is you have a pet like our FREE dog...is most days -- open your lower cabinets and give them a quick vacuum.
If you do this regularly - it won't build up into piles of pet hair mingling with your Pyrex.

ubiquitous

I love that I will never get a speeding ticket in my new car.

Imagine the speed trap...the officer waiting quietly, patiently pointing his radar gun at each passing vehicle whizzing by.
Finally, he finds his mark - a late model compact car speeds by, clearly over the limit.
He tosses his gun onto the passenger seat and drops the tranny into D, pedal to the medal he screeches out of his hidy spot and onto the highway.

Hmm, he scratches his head as he races down the road looking to spy his mark.
Which one, which one....there are just sooo damned many of them.... they're all the same...

Friday

tip-o-day

Here's another re-use tip - don't toss out your old toothbrushes - just give 'em a swish in a mild bleach solution and they make great cleaning tools.

You can use them to scrub the seams around your faucets (what? you didn't notice the grime that collects around faucets... go look). Use them to clean jewelry, scrub little vases or bottles, around the sink drain and drain baskets... the list goes on and on.
I keep one in my tool box too!

I have always
had a thing
for older women.



Who knew
when we were
20-something,
all I had to do
was wait.




Happy Birthday, love.

This is Easter....

First you grab a baby.






Not to worry - I got one too...


Then you settle into a comfy chair


Then you put on The Masters.


And you know how riveting The Masters can be...

Friday

tip-o-day

Here's an unusual tip from me that doesn't have to do with cleaning and/or home maintenance -- because really we are all swamped right now with spring chores.

Since starting the new job after having been at my last job for 8 years - I have had to dust off my brain and start using it again. Its a little rusty, but I can just feel the synapses springing to life.

Being the 'new person' in a technical position where all the technology is new to me - I, of course, find myself with lots of questions to ask.

Rather than jumping out of my chair to find someone every time I become confused (remembering of course that actually speaking with someone is often the best way to learn) I have been instead taking time out to compose an email with my question(s).

This gives me an opportunity to carefully think out what it is that I want to ask and to step through it in such a way as to make it clear to someone else. Which I believe is the key part of the process - explaining things to someone else... someone who has not been sitting in your confused head for the last hour.
I have found that often times the shear act of this type of thought process helps me to figure out many of the answers on my own!

So, while you may not be the new person on the job - you can apply this learning process to fixing a sink or installing a new window or even bathing your cat.

Foiled

Or should I say... foamed.

In an effort to save money without sacrificing the essentials, I ordered wine online.
I was pleased. I was saving money and someone was dropping it off on my porch. (and while I realize the consequences of the fossil fuel wasted to do this - the guy is driving right past my house every day regardless... so why not stop and bring us some wine while your out).

BUT -- what I was not prepared for, was the styrofoam.

They ship in styrofoam! I am sure this is a cost effective way for the company to safely transport its product -- but I simply cannot have this coming into the house on a regular basis.

Do you know how I feel about styrofoam??


This clearly isn't going to work out. And now we have even MORE styrofoam that I have no idea what to do with.

OO the horror!

Luckily, I have some wine to ease my suffering.

O dear

Do you remember the FREE cat?
Well, she has been happily sitting on our covered porch all winter – basically waiting for me to feed her – which I did… A LOT – this of course completely negated the entire reason for getting her in the first place.

Remember, we were seeking help controlling rodents. The theory was that feral cats eat rodents… because they are hungry.
Clearly our feral cat was NEVER hungry. O well.
See this is what happens when a feral cat lives with two Italian lesbian moms. They get fat and lazy…and the rodents play.
(tho my observant wife will tell you that she has actually seen a dramatic reduction in the out-of-control chipmunk population so far this spring).

Just over a week ago – we noticed two things. FREE cat was missing, and there were signs in the gardens surrounding the porch that something was digging to try and get underneath. This concerned us – because we knew FREE cat went under there for naps and/or hiding.

All last week...every morning and every evening I looked for her on the porch. I’d flip on the light and check for her just before bed. Every time I pulled into the driveway I expected to see her sitting there…waiting for food, waiting to hiss at me as I put down her bowl.
She never appeared.
I wondered… of course I worried a little. But she was feral. I had to trust that she could manage.

This morning on my way to work … on a very busy street not too far from home… I came upon a cat that had been hit – seemingly recently. I turned around and came back to look. I called home – to tell my supportive wife that I found our cat.
She suggested I call the animal control folks to come get her. She cautioned me not take care of her myself … after all… she was a wild animal, and we couldn’t know what sort of animals she may have encountered over this last week. That wife of mine…she is wise.

Tho … if the town staff fails us today… and I find our little Sorsha still lying on the side of the road on my way home from work, we’ll find a way to give her a proper burial.

peace Sorsha

Friday

tip-o-day

Even if you don't have pets or kids you'll want to take a walk around with damp cloth and check out your doors and door moldings. You may be surprised at what you find.
Here, the FREE dog likes to nose her way into rooms where the doors are not quite shut --so we find all sorts of slobbers and smears on things at her height.

I also recommend a very good trim paint. Since trim needs to be wiped down so often a high quality paint is a must. We love Benjamin Moore's Impervo. It's a bit pricey - but it's beautiful white luster,self leveling application, and easy washability make it well worth it.
Keeping all the trim in the house this luxurious white also makes it easy to do touch ups as needed.

open communication with my wardrobe

I had a conversation with my jeans this morning.
They are unhappy.
They are not comfortable.
My jeans expressed to me that they did not want to be simply set aside and forgotten about. We discussed our feelings openly and with no fear of judgment.
My jeans and I came to a place of peace...
That is of course after I agreed to do something about this situation that we find ourselves in.

I am heading downstairs now to have some lettuce. Maybe a carrot.

Off Spring

Do you have children?

They just melt your hearts ...don't they.

Like when they are toddlers and all damp and clean right from the tub and cuddly.
Or when they are concentrating as hard as they can to do something their very best, and they get that determined look on their little faces.
How about when they come flying at you from across the playground and leap into your arms.

And then there is that phone call from the dorm laundry room
"I just bought some new Tshirts, how do I get them all soft and silky and smelling good like when you wash them?"

See... it never ends.

Seven 50's

These gorgeous women are some of my very best friends in the world.


A most amazing thing about these seven women is that each year for the next seven years one of us will turn 50.

We have spent many an evening... over cocktails and snacks... dreaming about what each of us may want on our special day. There are trips to Paris and Italy... my adventurous wife wants to safari, the sky is the limit.

This woman - this adorable, funny, incredibly creative (and single ...yes gals, she's available) beautiful woman - is jumping the half century mark today.


We kicked off our seven year adventure in style.


You'll notice the birthday girl is not in that picture.
That's because she had NO idea.
Until we went to pick her up.


We have Veuve.. of course.






The limo whisked us to Broadway for a matinee.

And as if that wasn't enough - once we got back home there was a colossal surprise party waiting. I have no pictures of that ...because please... people - we started drinking Veuve at 11.

Luckily all the excitement didn't kill the ole broad.


Happy Birthday Sue!!

Friday

tip-o-day

Welp, its close to 70° here in CT today. So of course my mind is wandering to....
yup - you guessed it Spring Cleaning! (ok ok... I will admit to some wandering lustful day dreaming to bikinied, taut women on sun bathed Provincetown beaches, playing in the water or running gracefully.... oops )

Right...then...anyway.. yes.
Spring Cleaning.

Don't feel overwhelmed by the thoughts of spring cleaning. Remember not to think of it as a meaningless chore. It's about clearing the stuffy, stagnant winter energy out of your home and making room for freshly smelling, good energy.
Granted it can be a big task - so instead of trying to block out an entire weekend to get it done - try doing one or two rooms a week. You will feel a grand sense of accomplishment without spending an entire day with the vacuum and mop.

So select your room and give a good top to bottom. Remember to dust the picture frames (and clean the glass), dust all the moldings, including around the baseboards, move each peice of furniture and clean underneath - and don't forget to give the walls a quick wipe down.

One thing I don't advise is doing the windows yet... so save some energy for your favorite cocktail and enjoy a tourney game.

It's in the driveway

I originally planned to make you all read my long and drawn out requirements process and it's eventual conclusion before revealing my final selection.

But I am feeling generous today.


I went with the Civic.

This car handily met my requirements by having the highest MPG (save the hybrid genre... but we'll get to that later), being affordable, easily holding the best resale value, with winning reliability.
As a bonus I also have an Ipod connection in my center console and a handy cup holder.
I did forgo the heated seats and remote start. This was in the best interest of meeting my second most important requirement, affordability.
I am ok with this because I know my svelte wife's seat will be toasty, as she is going to start driving the Cabrio. Heated seats are oh so important when taking the top down a little too early in the season.



Several of you suggested Hybrids.
Thank you.
But no.
The increased cost of a hybrid amortized out over several years still well exceeds any savings seen by using less gas.
Not to mention - you may have missed the subtleties of my first point which implied much highway driving. This means that a hybrid would be running mostly on gas anyway. The other problem I have with them is all those batteries overflowing landfills in 5 years. So as far as an environmentally sound mode of transportation - I am going to hold out until they think of something better.

I also notice that many models suggested well exceeded the price of the Civic. I could have gotten the Nav/Bluetooth system as well as leather for less than some of the cars suggested.

Plus... its cute. At least on my cuteness scale. Which of course the only scale I go by.

My ride into work this morning was sublime.

The Requirements

Since you all have advice on my new car selection - perhaps reviewing this list of requirements will help you make a choice.

• great mileage
  this is a top priority as my work commute has increased from 8 miles one way to 48.


• affordable
  this is definetly the second most important as we are still financing the education of our second and final child


• great resale value
  why throw money away


• nimble driving experience
  (see the first bullet)


• medium to dark interior color
  FREE dog is black - need I say more


• sedan
  yes, I want 4 doors


• and it must be cute
  this is of course my cuteness scale - which may differ from yours

Other nice-to-haves:

• MP3 connectivity


• interior seating designed to fit shorter, ever-so-slightly round people


• easy care exterior color


• well placed drivers side cup holder

aw hell ...while I am at it:

• heated seats (I have them now and love them)


• remote start

Time to shop.

It's that time again

I bought my last car on my lunch hour... this was not a normal weese-like behaviour. I am pretty sure it was some sort of mid-life crisis. Actually, now that I think of it - buying a 'used' car as a mid-life crisis is rather weese-y. It's all that crazyness tempered by a resonable price point.

This time however, I am considering a 'more recently assembled' car. And so it's taking longer. When I say longer I sorta mean l.o..n...g....e.....r.
I am not one to make spur of the moment decisions, I generally leave that to my spontaneous wife. At times, it seems, I am not one to be able to decide anything at all. I wonder if this has to do with sticker price... sounds like I may need to do some further research on my personal price breaking point. That dollar limit where I everything becomes fuzzy and I can't think.

And so I have been researching and driving and researching and downloading spreadsheets and making up my mind and changing my mind and then driving more cars often more than once and then coming home exhausted and downloading more spreadsheets.

Frankly, even I am getting sick of myself (this is where I mention again what a saint my patient wife is... and where she implores me to get someone to prescribe me some paxil).

I feel a decision coming on people...
Beware.

Friday

tip-o-day

Safety first. Even before blogging.

Ok... so I just ran out of available outlets in my new 'home office'. It seems I have way too much equipment stuffed into this little space - and all of it requiring power.
So I am going to spend some time rewiring things before I burn the house down.

But while you are plugging stuff in... remember to plug sensitive equipment into surge protected power strips. I recently picked up one of those power squids.



What I like about the squid is they don't expose open outlets to dust accumulation or other items falling into them -- which can be the case when you have a flat power strip tucked behind a desk.





In cases where I do use the flat power strips I try to mount them vertically on a wall or side of a desk.
or even...

techy-ness

So... now that I no longer work for a software company - here I am in a hotel room surfin' with my highly secure 'snow' controlled laptop hooked up to the world wide web wirelessly... with a little help from our international 24 hour internal helpdesk whom I called with my bluetooth headset beaming to my Black ber ry Curve.
(and yes... I am watching the Uconn/Lousville game too)

Ain't technology grand.

That finale

We watched the LWord finale last night with friends.
We had wine and chocolate... it was sublime.
But I am sure going to miss all the hot lesbian sex.

My chocolate-loving wife made her infamous flourless chocolate cake.
She wrote the names of most of the cast (the hot ones anyway) on the cake.
That way we could pick who we wanted to eat.
(run with it Syd)

It was the 80's

I went to college in the 80's. The early 80's.
Sometime last winter my college roommate got in touch with me when she was going to be driving through the area. She suggested we meet for a drink on her way by.

I met her and her college age daughter and a restaurant just off the highway and we fell into familiar conversations as if we left our dorm rooms only recently.

She came armed with a photo album. I had no idea there were pictures...

She sent me a couple recently.

This is me and my roommate. I am guessing this is Spring Weekend -since we are drinking out of plastic cups. They rolled in trucks of beer with spigots on the side so you could basically refill all day long.
And yes, I am smoking. I was never without a Marlboro (and a Michelob... and a bag of weed).



Here I am with my favorite pals. Notice the black concert T. Key wardrobe essential for young lesbians.

I hear there is even a picture of the goldfish I bathed in the bathroom sink after he 'accidentally' fell into a bong.
Hmm, I wonder if there are pictures of our elevator keg party?