I should have stuck with the Dining from an Empty Bowl diet. Instead, I was so encouraged by a couple pretzels I ate that I had a salad at Applebee's. Then I had a little more on the road and finally ate dinner. I've been paying for it ever since.
My bedroom this round is in the loft. At least for this night, I am alone. Unfortunately it is also the pool and puzzle room. All my daughters and their husbands left after they got the puzzle finished. After a few practice rounds of pool, and notes for this blog, I went to bed.
Earlier the women beat the men in pool. After my first game of this return trip, in which I appeared invincible, my playing was quite vincible. (Obviously, or the women wouldn't have beaten us.)
Today is exactly half way in my subsidized Life after Layoff. I have another idea for an Internet business but haven't been making much progress on anything other than visiting on this visiting trip. I needed exactly this as I am unlikely to be able to do it in this manner at any other time, unless there is a huge stock market recovery.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-eighty-one: Not the Flu!
Now that I have a hopefully mild case of whatever has been going around, I have decided for the full experience. I'm in denial mode. It is either a case of food poisoning or a stomach virus unrelated to the flu.
I don't know when I actually contracted the thing, and hope it wasn't before I baked the two loaves of olive bread, but I certainly had it after our lunch at COSI. (I'm glad I practice good cooking hygiene with 20-second hand washings, approximately two verses of "Happy Birthday" to me. Washing that long and often is not good for chapped hands but it is healthier for anyone eating the food I make, which would make them gladder than me. I did notice that my sister-in-law and her husband gave my daughter and her husband the honor of the first slices.)
I've found the most effective way to minimize the symptoms is don't eat. Besides, whatever I had from COSI's is long gone. (Sorry for the too much information.) Maybe it was the poor football games we were watching that made me sick. In any regard, this is a more abrupt entry into the world of fasting than is recommended in my Dining from an Empty Bowl. At least I am sipping water with no apparent problem.
This is the first time I've been sick in my Life after Layoff. I'm still not sick of the life and suppose at some time I'll have to start calling it life after early retirement. Nah, there is no aliteration.
My youngest daughter and her husband flew in tonight with the final leg a less than an hour hop from Cincinnati's airport, which is in Kentucky. The leg from SFO to Cincinnati was 1st Class.
They brought me one present for my listening pleasure on my trip home, a four CD set of "Car Talk." They also brought pictures of a more substantial present: They moved the water supply and installed the new toilet in the master bedroom. My son-in-law is a master handiman. He had all the appropriate accessories, including the mandatory plumber's crack, at least according to one picture that may have been staged.
They also brought all of my received Christmas cards, including at least one from people that I didn't send anything to. I'm not including the one from some people I just didn't recognize, either by name or by their pictures. It was somewhat of a relief to see that their card wasn't meant for me but the previous residents. I don't know why I didn't think to check the sent to name earlier, after all, I was looking at the front of the envelope to get their name from the return address. I suppose it was my ego: of course they meant to send it to me!
Earlier today I made another entry in my Memories of Marilyn blog. I haven't made but a couple entries, so far in this entire trip. I have so many more to write and publish. It is a true labor of love.
I don't know when I actually contracted the thing, and hope it wasn't before I baked the two loaves of olive bread, but I certainly had it after our lunch at COSI. (I'm glad I practice good cooking hygiene with 20-second hand washings, approximately two verses of "Happy Birthday" to me. Washing that long and often is not good for chapped hands but it is healthier for anyone eating the food I make, which would make them gladder than me. I did notice that my sister-in-law and her husband gave my daughter and her husband the honor of the first slices.)
I've found the most effective way to minimize the symptoms is don't eat. Besides, whatever I had from COSI's is long gone. (Sorry for the too much information.) Maybe it was the poor football games we were watching that made me sick. In any regard, this is a more abrupt entry into the world of fasting than is recommended in my Dining from an Empty Bowl. At least I am sipping water with no apparent problem.
This is the first time I've been sick in my Life after Layoff. I'm still not sick of the life and suppose at some time I'll have to start calling it life after early retirement. Nah, there is no aliteration.
My youngest daughter and her husband flew in tonight with the final leg a less than an hour hop from Cincinnati's airport, which is in Kentucky. The leg from SFO to Cincinnati was 1st Class.
They brought me one present for my listening pleasure on my trip home, a four CD set of "Car Talk." They also brought pictures of a more substantial present: They moved the water supply and installed the new toilet in the master bedroom. My son-in-law is a master handiman. He had all the appropriate accessories, including the mandatory plumber's crack, at least according to one picture that may have been staged.
They also brought all of my received Christmas cards, including at least one from people that I didn't send anything to. I'm not including the one from some people I just didn't recognize, either by name or by their pictures. It was somewhat of a relief to see that their card wasn't meant for me but the previous residents. I don't know why I didn't think to check the sent to name earlier, after all, I was looking at the front of the envelope to get their name from the return address. I suppose it was my ego: of course they meant to send it to me!
Earlier today I made another entry in my Memories of Marilyn blog. I haven't made but a couple entries, so far in this entire trip. I have so many more to write and publish. It is a true labor of love.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-eighty: Extended Family
We managed to get out and about in time for lunch at Northstar Cafe' about 1:00 PM. As usual, the food was great. People recovering from a nasty 24-hour stomach virus, (flu?), people worried that their stomach was a little touchy and that they may be at the onset of the virus attack, and people who had just eaten their breakfast at 11:00 AM, were not as hungry as they should have been. Then there were the people who were just trying to save me money. I had their vegan Northstar burger. I had had it before but it was truly a tasty mouthful, and I do mean mouthful.
The meander through the Park of Roses with a quick side trip to gawk at the large house, while the owner zipped into her drive and garage, was a great follow-up.
Then it was back to Marilyn's mother's residence for a little more visiting and slightly later back to Marilyn's sister's residence for a little TV watching. My brother-in-law and I had hoped to watch Ohio State's basketball team beat WVU but as the game went on, it was too difficult to watch the slaughter so we turned to the football game where we were rooting for the Big Ten team, Wisconsin, to beat Florida State. As in many other times, so far, in my Life after Layoff, my wishes were not to be. Still, I keep believing, knowing that the big wish will happen when I need it most.
The day was topped off, and I do mean topped, with a visit to my brother-in-law's mother and husband. His sister, who lives close to them came over with wine. I won't say the wine hurt the humor, or my seeing humor, but even my brother-in-law, the designated driver was laughing and contributing to the reasons for laughter. I can't begin to even remember all that was said and know that trying to relate some of it out of context will only lead me to then write that you just had to be there, but if he forwards the voice message of the service call supposedly from CVS and I play it for you, you would probably laugh too. If he hadn't put it on his cell phone's speaker phone he would have had to play it over and over again to make sure everyone heard it. Then again, he did play it over and over again anyway. (It was being requested.) Anyway, it had something to do with his order of anal wart cream, which was coming in in two shipments so they would call him again when the second shipment arrived. It closed by saying that his special order of extra small condoms had already arrived.
I learned a lot about his family and found that I fit right in. I have been semi-invited to his brother's 2009 Christmas party which is held in a Funeral Parlor. (I really invited myself and that was confirmed by my brother-in-law's sister, not the brother who actually throws the party.) Half of them were telling me that it was a normal party in a banquet room that just happened to be at a funeral parlor and the other half were telling me of the zany events and conversations I would likely hear. It sounds like fun. I hope I don't have to be making money right then so I can go, if indeed I am truly invited.
The meander through the Park of Roses with a quick side trip to gawk at the large house, while the owner zipped into her drive and garage, was a great follow-up.
Then it was back to Marilyn's mother's residence for a little more visiting and slightly later back to Marilyn's sister's residence for a little TV watching. My brother-in-law and I had hoped to watch Ohio State's basketball team beat WVU but as the game went on, it was too difficult to watch the slaughter so we turned to the football game where we were rooting for the Big Ten team, Wisconsin, to beat Florida State. As in many other times, so far, in my Life after Layoff, my wishes were not to be. Still, I keep believing, knowing that the big wish will happen when I need it most.
The day was topped off, and I do mean topped, with a visit to my brother-in-law's mother and husband. His sister, who lives close to them came over with wine. I won't say the wine hurt the humor, or my seeing humor, but even my brother-in-law, the designated driver was laughing and contributing to the reasons for laughter. I can't begin to even remember all that was said and know that trying to relate some of it out of context will only lead me to then write that you just had to be there, but if he forwards the voice message of the service call supposedly from CVS and I play it for you, you would probably laugh too. If he hadn't put it on his cell phone's speaker phone he would have had to play it over and over again to make sure everyone heard it. Then again, he did play it over and over again anyway. (It was being requested.) Anyway, it had something to do with his order of anal wart cream, which was coming in in two shipments so they would call him again when the second shipment arrived. It closed by saying that his special order of extra small condoms had already arrived.
I learned a lot about his family and found that I fit right in. I have been semi-invited to his brother's 2009 Christmas party which is held in a Funeral Parlor. (I really invited myself and that was confirmed by my brother-in-law's sister, not the brother who actually throws the party.) Half of them were telling me that it was a normal party in a banquet room that just happened to be at a funeral parlor and the other half were telling me of the zany events and conversations I would likely hear. It sounds like fun. I hope I don't have to be making money right then so I can go, if indeed I am truly invited.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-seventy-nine: Chili Pepper Spicy
With my son-in-law still laid low, everyone else in the house headed out for lunch at the North Market. The reason we went there was to enable dessert at Jeni's Ice Cream. I and my brother-in-law had sorbet. The pear sorbet was probably the best one, the one I didn't get, but my brother-in-law allowed me a taste of his. The cranberry was the most unique, very tart. Even though my brother-in-law explicitly didn't order this one, he also got it.
In the morning before we left, I went out for some more easily digested food and some olives with which to make more olive bread. Tomorrow I will get another second rising container so I can make two loaves at a time. I also got some hard to digest food. They didn't have horseradish hummus so I got regular hummus and mixed my own, well my sister-in-law's, horseradish into it. With the tahini, it was bad enough for me but the corn chip scoops made it much worse. I hope I have learned my limit on fat consumption well enough to be well below the Tums stage, even as I know I am well over the effective diet stage.
We also stopped in at Wholly Craft. While there were some cute things, which I thought momentarily funny enough to remember that I was amused, they weren't the kind of things that jumped out and said "buy me" or even "this is worth remembering beyond the confines of the store." Now that I've racked my brains, I have thought of two of the things I saw, which will prove my point that they were mostly in the non-jump out category: a counted cross-stich which said, "Bite Me;" and a joke which said, "What do similarly charged magnets and my dad's feet have in common? They are both repellent." (Hey dad, if you are reading this, I don't think your feet are repellent. It is a direct quote. However, I hope not to get so close that I could find out.)
The piece de la resistance was a trip to Penzey's Spice. There four out of the five in our car bought something and the fifth one paid for one of the other's purchases, my brother-in-law for his wife. I bought Dutch Processed Cocoa, Ancho Chili Pepper, Cloves, Hot Red Pepper flakes, and some Apple Pie spice for my oatmeal on the recommendation of my niece. I'm spicing up my Life after Layoff.
Then back to the house for a dinner of left overs and snacks, including the aforementioned corn chips. While we were gone, the sick bed occupant got up, had some yogurt, and appeared to be fever free. He even ate some soup with us for dinner, although he was smart and stayed away from the fattiest foods, corn chips and dip.
After dinner, we watched "Get Smart." While I laughed, it was really just a touch short of funny. I think the thing that made it so was the predictability and the incompetence that was painful. Oh well, Anne Hathaway made up for a lot. However, the James Caan character and the mooning at the end were also good.
Now I'm off for more TV before bed, an earlier one than last night. I want to sleep well tonight but I didn't exercise enough for that. So, I'll settle for being able to get up a little earlier tomorrow. At some point, I want to be more of a morning person.
In the morning before we left, I went out for some more easily digested food and some olives with which to make more olive bread. Tomorrow I will get another second rising container so I can make two loaves at a time. I also got some hard to digest food. They didn't have horseradish hummus so I got regular hummus and mixed my own, well my sister-in-law's, horseradish into it. With the tahini, it was bad enough for me but the corn chip scoops made it much worse. I hope I have learned my limit on fat consumption well enough to be well below the Tums stage, even as I know I am well over the effective diet stage.
We also stopped in at Wholly Craft. While there were some cute things, which I thought momentarily funny enough to remember that I was amused, they weren't the kind of things that jumped out and said "buy me" or even "this is worth remembering beyond the confines of the store." Now that I've racked my brains, I have thought of two of the things I saw, which will prove my point that they were mostly in the non-jump out category: a counted cross-stich which said, "Bite Me;" and a joke which said, "What do similarly charged magnets and my dad's feet have in common? They are both repellent." (Hey dad, if you are reading this, I don't think your feet are repellent. It is a direct quote. However, I hope not to get so close that I could find out.)
The piece de la resistance was a trip to Penzey's Spice. There four out of the five in our car bought something and the fifth one paid for one of the other's purchases, my brother-in-law for his wife. I bought Dutch Processed Cocoa, Ancho Chili Pepper, Cloves, Hot Red Pepper flakes, and some Apple Pie spice for my oatmeal on the recommendation of my niece. I'm spicing up my Life after Layoff.
Then back to the house for a dinner of left overs and snacks, including the aforementioned corn chips. While we were gone, the sick bed occupant got up, had some yogurt, and appeared to be fever free. He even ate some soup with us for dinner, although he was smart and stayed away from the fattiest foods, corn chips and dip.
After dinner, we watched "Get Smart." While I laughed, it was really just a touch short of funny. I think the thing that made it so was the predictability and the incompetence that was painful. Oh well, Anne Hathaway made up for a lot. However, the James Caan character and the mooning at the end were also good.
Now I'm off for more TV before bed, an earlier one than last night. I want to sleep well tonight but I didn't exercise enough for that. So, I'll settle for being able to get up a little earlier tomorrow. At some point, I want to be more of a morning person.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-seventy-eight: Christmas Day
Back to winging it again. I kind of like writing my thoughts out with pen and paper before I type them into this blog but it does make for a lot of typing when I finally get computer access. Like today, it happens in the really off hours or I am thought to be an anti-social person like the hermit I really am. I'm living counter to type most of the time because, even though I enjoy some time alone, I have had a year of too much of it.
Today was a day of too: too much food, too many gifts, too little exercise, ...
Once again the presents were most appropriate. I'm particularly looking forward to hanging the hummingbird feeder I got as one of them. Another was an Ohio State "hoodie." (Here I am an Ohio State alumnus and other than my diploma, which I can't find, I didn't have anything with Ohio State on it.) My daughter and her husband gave me a couple books that are appropriate in more than one way: I like to read and these are all about what I want to do. I can't wait! Then there were cold weather clothes and emergency cold weather supplies, which I will be carrying with me on the rest of my travels.
My son-in-law has been sick all day with what he at first thought was food poisoning. We are now thinking it is stomach flu. I feel badly that he is feeling badly but can't help but hope that it stops with him. Maybe it is a variety that was covered in my flu shot. My brother-in-law was up until 3:00 AM or so last night and is still up tonight, along with his wife. It would be the pits if we were to visit illness on them as well as they have treated us. Before my Life after Layoff, one of my favorite sayings was: "No good deed goes unpunished."
Today was a day of too: too much food, too many gifts, too little exercise, ...
Once again the presents were most appropriate. I'm particularly looking forward to hanging the hummingbird feeder I got as one of them. Another was an Ohio State "hoodie." (Here I am an Ohio State alumnus and other than my diploma, which I can't find, I didn't have anything with Ohio State on it.) My daughter and her husband gave me a couple books that are appropriate in more than one way: I like to read and these are all about what I want to do. I can't wait! Then there were cold weather clothes and emergency cold weather supplies, which I will be carrying with me on the rest of my travels.
My son-in-law has been sick all day with what he at first thought was food poisoning. We are now thinking it is stomach flu. I feel badly that he is feeling badly but can't help but hope that it stops with him. Maybe it is a variety that was covered in my flu shot. My brother-in-law was up until 3:00 AM or so last night and is still up tonight, along with his wife. It would be the pits if we were to visit illness on them as well as they have treated us. Before my Life after Layoff, one of my favorite sayings was: "No good deed goes unpunished."
Day One-hundred-and-seventy-seven: Christmas Eve
A lot of presents were opened this evening, just none of them were from me. I got three and probably will get more tomorrow. While I am very appreciative, this makes me feel guilty. Even as I feel guilty, I have to admire the thought that goes into the gifts. The ones I received were just right for me.
Today had some similarities with Monday, except this time I made only one loaf of olive bread and doubled the cupcakes. The olive bread was mostly gone in the get together. The gingerbread was sampled. The cupcakes were half gone. It turns out that several of my Columbus relatives are on gluten free diets. I'm sure more will be eaten tomorrow, gluten or not.
Today I had a frief conversation with Marilyn's sister about getting some of Marilyn's childhood documented. We talked a little bit about the pigs they used to draw on their correspondence and I asked how the "pigging" of each other started. She was uncertain but was quick to believe that Marilyn started it. It probably would come back to her if we could talk about it without tearing up.
She suggested a college friend of Marilyn's as a source for memories that were new to my children last January. I can tell that these "memories" aren't going to be written easily just by the "remembering" party, which becomes another thing I'd like to do in my Life after Layoff: Go on a Memories of Marilyn tour where I travel around and talk with Marilyn's friends and family taking notes so I can ghost write the memories for her grand children. (However, it isn't like my own memories are being written speedily.)
Since so many of the things I'm dreaming about doing involve travel and writing, I'm just going to have to find a way to make that possible.
Today had some similarities with Monday, except this time I made only one loaf of olive bread and doubled the cupcakes. The olive bread was mostly gone in the get together. The gingerbread was sampled. The cupcakes were half gone. It turns out that several of my Columbus relatives are on gluten free diets. I'm sure more will be eaten tomorrow, gluten or not.
Today I had a frief conversation with Marilyn's sister about getting some of Marilyn's childhood documented. We talked a little bit about the pigs they used to draw on their correspondence and I asked how the "pigging" of each other started. She was uncertain but was quick to believe that Marilyn started it. It probably would come back to her if we could talk about it without tearing up.
She suggested a college friend of Marilyn's as a source for memories that were new to my children last January. I can tell that these "memories" aren't going to be written easily just by the "remembering" party, which becomes another thing I'd like to do in my Life after Layoff: Go on a Memories of Marilyn tour where I travel around and talk with Marilyn's friends and family taking notes so I can ghost write the memories for her grand children. (However, it isn't like my own memories are being written speedily.)
Since so many of the things I'm dreaming about doing involve travel and writing, I'm just going to have to find a way to make that possible.
Day One-hundred-and-seventy-six: Anniversary
While I cannot forget that Marilyn passed away 366 days, one year, ago at 3:02 PM PST, I have not dwelled on it. While it has been constantly in the back of my mind, which is not substantially different than any other day, my day has otherwise been quite normal. That is, if any day this unique can be normal.
It started in northern Ohio when I got up to say good bye to my sister at 4:30 AM as whe was getting ready for work. I went back to bed and didn't get up for myself until 7:30 AM. After a breadkfast of grapefruit and a cupcake, I cleaned up, packed, filled my plastic Baja Fresh water glass, loaded the car and drove out, with my water glass still in their kitchen. I didn't even notice that I didn't have it until I got thirsty.
After a drive of about 120 miles, I was at the Diamond Cellar at Easton to pick up my 26' chain, fixed heart, and polished wedding bands. I'm wearing it/them now. I was wondering whether or not I would get it as the person in front of me was trying to pick up a ring that he was supposed to be able to pick up the day before. They had about three weeks to get my order correct and they made it in that time.
Just outside of Columbus I got a call from my oldest daughter. She and her husband had just landed. We agreed to meet at Marilyn's oldest sister's house. I arrived no later than five minutes after they did. After a little conversation and an attempt to visit Marilyn's mother, we headed off to German Village.
We parked near Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant. We had thought to have a beer or something at Schmidt's but it was quite popular. Instead we meandered our way to Pistachio's Bakery. We briefly went into Helen Winnemore's Contemporary Craft Gallery, where I knocked one ceramic item to the carpeted floor without it breaking and almost knocked another piece off trying to hang that piece back up. Needless to say we left quickly after that. We checked out an upscale wine and beer store and then passed The Book Loft. Finally we met two of my daughter's cousins, one with her husband and really cute daughter. (I wonder if my daughter is getting the hint?)
When we left Pistachio's, we walked through the bookstore. I actually bought something for my mother.
While we were in the bookstore, the ice came. We slipped and slid all the way to the wine store. We slipped and slid all the way to the car with the added burden of two very breakable wine bottles. The car had to be scraped off. The only reason we didn't slip and slide in the car was our lack of speed. At first intentionally and then because of traffic, we literally crept all the way back to Gahanna.
Progress, however slowly, is welcomed in my Life after Layoff.
(Marilyn, I still miss you.)
It started in northern Ohio when I got up to say good bye to my sister at 4:30 AM as whe was getting ready for work. I went back to bed and didn't get up for myself until 7:30 AM. After a breadkfast of grapefruit and a cupcake, I cleaned up, packed, filled my plastic Baja Fresh water glass, loaded the car and drove out, with my water glass still in their kitchen. I didn't even notice that I didn't have it until I got thirsty.
After a drive of about 120 miles, I was at the Diamond Cellar at Easton to pick up my 26' chain, fixed heart, and polished wedding bands. I'm wearing it/them now. I was wondering whether or not I would get it as the person in front of me was trying to pick up a ring that he was supposed to be able to pick up the day before. They had about three weeks to get my order correct and they made it in that time.
Just outside of Columbus I got a call from my oldest daughter. She and her husband had just landed. We agreed to meet at Marilyn's oldest sister's house. I arrived no later than five minutes after they did. After a little conversation and an attempt to visit Marilyn's mother, we headed off to German Village.
We parked near Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant. We had thought to have a beer or something at Schmidt's but it was quite popular. Instead we meandered our way to Pistachio's Bakery. We briefly went into Helen Winnemore's Contemporary Craft Gallery, where I knocked one ceramic item to the carpeted floor without it breaking and almost knocked another piece off trying to hang that piece back up. Needless to say we left quickly after that. We checked out an upscale wine and beer store and then passed The Book Loft. Finally we met two of my daughter's cousins, one with her husband and really cute daughter. (I wonder if my daughter is getting the hint?)
When we left Pistachio's, we walked through the bookstore. I actually bought something for my mother.
While we were in the bookstore, the ice came. We slipped and slid all the way to the wine store. We slipped and slid all the way to the car with the added burden of two very breakable wine bottles. The car had to be scraped off. The only reason we didn't slip and slide in the car was our lack of speed. At first intentionally and then because of traffic, we literally crept all the way back to Gahanna.
Progress, however slowly, is welcomed in my Life after Layoff.
(Marilyn, I still miss you.)
Monday, December 22, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-seventy-five: One dish, two dish, three dish, more
Today was a food extravaganza. I first finished the olive bread by baking the loaves I made up last night. Then I baked the gingerbread for which I cooked the syrup while the olive bread was in its second raise. Not finally, I made a batch of vegan chocolate cupcakes using the last of the cocoa I brought with me.
During the less busy parts I researched and planned my evening menu and my shopping list for the items I needed to get from the grocery store. The basis for my menu was one of the dinner menus in Program for Reversing Heart Disease. Let's just say it was very instructional. Thank goodness I prepared alternative plans for the main course. While I only used three of the four burners, we wouldn't have eaten had my middle sister not come home and pitched in.
The main course became the polenta casserole instead of the eggplant lasagna. I allowed three hours for the food preparation and cooking. It took four and that was with my sister taking over the mushrooms and broccoli entirely. I still did the pea soup and the polenta casserole. I can't believe my sister's family all like gingerbread. My youngest sister's daughters wouldn't touch it.
While I used far more wine than it called for to braise the onions for the polenta, we managed to put away the remaining red and white that wasn't used in the cooking. My sister also has the ingredients for the eggplant lasagna but doesn't have the recipe. She will be buying the Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook because the four people who ate some of it really liked it. I got the recipe from my oldest daughter's in-laws as that was one of the dishes they prepared especially for me.
We had a great conversation about parents, siblings, and children. (At least I think it was great. Three glasses of wine wouldn't have clouded my judgement that much.) What the wine did cloud are the conclusions we reached. But those kinds of conversations are less about conclusions than the feeling of camaraderie. Of course, more wine and less talk may have achieved the same result. However achieved, it is results that matter in this Life after Layoff.
Earlier this morning, after a breakfast of grapefruit and homemade bread toast, not my bread but my mother's, we played more Mystery Partner Euchre. In the third or fourth game, I was well on my way to winning, thanks to a four-point loaner I finally managed to deal myself without a bower turned up. Ultimately, I didn't win. My oldest sister, still younger than me, snatched my victory away from me.
I brushed the snow off my car when I went out to help my father do the same on his. This called for using one of the pair of three pair of gloves I brought. At the time the temperature was no more than ten degrees Fahrenheit. I was plenty warm for the time I was outside. Admittedly I did have my fleece vest and North Sierra jacket on, but I have not needed my silks. Nor have I needed my full sleeved fleece or the down gloves and scarf I bought to go on my first ski trip with Marilyn.
Tomorrow I drive to Columbus. I pick up my 26' chain, cleaned wedding bands, and corrected inscription heart from Diamond Cellar. My oldest daughter and her husband are supposed to be arriving at 11:00 AM. I don't know when we will be meeting, or where. After the Diamond Cellar, I will be heading to Marilyn's oldest sister's house, still younger than her. I both want to remember Marilyn's death, even revere her life, and not. I suppose with each remembrance I am healing. It is a much slower process and one with no end in sight, than I ever expected it to be.
During the less busy parts I researched and planned my evening menu and my shopping list for the items I needed to get from the grocery store. The basis for my menu was one of the dinner menus in Program for Reversing Heart Disease. Let's just say it was very instructional. Thank goodness I prepared alternative plans for the main course. While I only used three of the four burners, we wouldn't have eaten had my middle sister not come home and pitched in.
The main course became the polenta casserole instead of the eggplant lasagna. I allowed three hours for the food preparation and cooking. It took four and that was with my sister taking over the mushrooms and broccoli entirely. I still did the pea soup and the polenta casserole. I can't believe my sister's family all like gingerbread. My youngest sister's daughters wouldn't touch it.
While I used far more wine than it called for to braise the onions for the polenta, we managed to put away the remaining red and white that wasn't used in the cooking. My sister also has the ingredients for the eggplant lasagna but doesn't have the recipe. She will be buying the Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook because the four people who ate some of it really liked it. I got the recipe from my oldest daughter's in-laws as that was one of the dishes they prepared especially for me.
We had a great conversation about parents, siblings, and children. (At least I think it was great. Three glasses of wine wouldn't have clouded my judgement that much.) What the wine did cloud are the conclusions we reached. But those kinds of conversations are less about conclusions than the feeling of camaraderie. Of course, more wine and less talk may have achieved the same result. However achieved, it is results that matter in this Life after Layoff.
Earlier this morning, after a breakfast of grapefruit and homemade bread toast, not my bread but my mother's, we played more Mystery Partner Euchre. In the third or fourth game, I was well on my way to winning, thanks to a four-point loaner I finally managed to deal myself without a bower turned up. Ultimately, I didn't win. My oldest sister, still younger than me, snatched my victory away from me.
I brushed the snow off my car when I went out to help my father do the same on his. This called for using one of the pair of three pair of gloves I brought. At the time the temperature was no more than ten degrees Fahrenheit. I was plenty warm for the time I was outside. Admittedly I did have my fleece vest and North Sierra jacket on, but I have not needed my silks. Nor have I needed my full sleeved fleece or the down gloves and scarf I bought to go on my first ski trip with Marilyn.
Tomorrow I drive to Columbus. I pick up my 26' chain, cleaned wedding bands, and corrected inscription heart from Diamond Cellar. My oldest daughter and her husband are supposed to be arriving at 11:00 AM. I don't know when we will be meeting, or where. After the Diamond Cellar, I will be heading to Marilyn's oldest sister's house, still younger than her. I both want to remember Marilyn's death, even revere her life, and not. I suppose with each remembrance I am healing. It is a much slower process and one with no end in sight, than I ever expected it to be.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-seventy-four: Aunts and more, (and less)
After breakfast and some more games of Mystery Partner Euchre, which for some hands wasn't as much of a mystery as it should have been due to table talk, we got on the road to visit my aunts that lived in the area. First we stopped off at my youngest sister's to drop off some of the olive bread I baked last night after she left. It was, of course too paltry an amount. Now that I have set to raise two loaves of olive bread, I would have to agree with her. (The reason I can make two loaves is that while I was out visiting my middle sister, whose house I am staying in now, and my oldest sister, still younger than me, went shopping for some dutch ovens.)
The first aunt we visited is only two years older than me. Yes, my father's mother and father, had children for about 22 years. In point of fact, my father's youngest sister was younger than Marilyn. (When I asked Marilyn to marry me she asked if our age difference mattered to me. I said it didn't because women are supposed to live longer than men. We were supposed to grow old together and go at the same time.) They are into genealogy and often go on expeditions with my parents and one of our cousins to see places of family significance, including graveyards. Anyway, my youngest aunt has her house decorated for Christmas, really decorated for Christmas. Everything that had a candle, had the candle lit. Everything that plugged in and turned on was. Even though I had eaten a huge lunch, she had made such a large variety of cookies that I just had to try couple. They were good. They were very good.
Then we called ahead to our next aunt's destination to confirm she was home. She was and we went. This was also a special visit as one of her sons, my cousin, and his wife was there. This led to a lot of great conversation that ultimately got around to puzzles. This aunt challenged me with a nine piece puzzle that I would still be working on if she hadn't relented and used her back-of-the-puzzle hints to put it together for me.
On our next visits we just saw houses. Now we didn't have the phone numbers, which gives me a great task when I finally do get back to WV for New Year's, put my father's and mother's phone book in their cell phone, so we had to take our chances. We knew from the single set of car tire tracks leaving the garages but we all traipsed up to the door of my father's second youngest sister and rang the door bell anyway. I had last seen this aunt, and her husband, in 2004. They stopped in to visit me once in California. At that time, only they, my parents, and my oldest sister, who is still younger than me, with two of her daughters had been to see me from my side of the family. (More of my sisters, another niece, and one of my brother-in-laws made it out for my son's wedding this last September.)
Then we went to visit parents of my father's only brother's sons. They are great people who kept their sons part of all the family gatherings and remain good friends of my father (and mother) as well. My father was the only person who got out of the car on this stop. He dropped off some salsify, a tuber that tastes like oysters when cooked, between their storm door and front door.
So, we had some great visiting and missed out on what could have been great visiting. This missing out had a silver lining, we made it back to my middle sister's before dark. On the various bank and car dealer signs that posted the temperature we could tell it was dropping but they still said mid-teens. Now back at the house, at 10:00 PM, it is zero. That's zero degrees Fahrenheit. To top it off, the wind is howling. I haven't had to put on my truly winter clothes that I brought yet but if this keeps up I will need to. I don't have any long johns anymore but did bring my silks that I used for cross country skiing. Like the Boy Scout I never was, I am prepared in my Life after Layoff.
I am committed to repaying all the hospitality I've received with a dinner tomorrow night. This is above and beyond the baking I will be doing. Now I have to figure out a menu from one of the several cookbooks I brought. This will be a first. Maybe I will just use one of the menu's already laid out for me in Food for Life or Program for Reversing Heart Disease.
Oh well, I need to finish getting ready for bed and take my bed away from the cat that is using it now. With the low temperature outside and my action today of unplugging the electric room heater, I should sleep a little more soundly tonight. I may even need the extra blanket at the foot of the bed. It appears to be the cat's favorite.
The first aunt we visited is only two years older than me. Yes, my father's mother and father, had children for about 22 years. In point of fact, my father's youngest sister was younger than Marilyn. (When I asked Marilyn to marry me she asked if our age difference mattered to me. I said it didn't because women are supposed to live longer than men. We were supposed to grow old together and go at the same time.) They are into genealogy and often go on expeditions with my parents and one of our cousins to see places of family significance, including graveyards. Anyway, my youngest aunt has her house decorated for Christmas, really decorated for Christmas. Everything that had a candle, had the candle lit. Everything that plugged in and turned on was. Even though I had eaten a huge lunch, she had made such a large variety of cookies that I just had to try couple. They were good. They were very good.
Then we called ahead to our next aunt's destination to confirm she was home. She was and we went. This was also a special visit as one of her sons, my cousin, and his wife was there. This led to a lot of great conversation that ultimately got around to puzzles. This aunt challenged me with a nine piece puzzle that I would still be working on if she hadn't relented and used her back-of-the-puzzle hints to put it together for me.
On our next visits we just saw houses. Now we didn't have the phone numbers, which gives me a great task when I finally do get back to WV for New Year's, put my father's and mother's phone book in their cell phone, so we had to take our chances. We knew from the single set of car tire tracks leaving the garages but we all traipsed up to the door of my father's second youngest sister and rang the door bell anyway. I had last seen this aunt, and her husband, in 2004. They stopped in to visit me once in California. At that time, only they, my parents, and my oldest sister, who is still younger than me, with two of her daughters had been to see me from my side of the family. (More of my sisters, another niece, and one of my brother-in-laws made it out for my son's wedding this last September.)
Then we went to visit parents of my father's only brother's sons. They are great people who kept their sons part of all the family gatherings and remain good friends of my father (and mother) as well. My father was the only person who got out of the car on this stop. He dropped off some salsify, a tuber that tastes like oysters when cooked, between their storm door and front door.
So, we had some great visiting and missed out on what could have been great visiting. This missing out had a silver lining, we made it back to my middle sister's before dark. On the various bank and car dealer signs that posted the temperature we could tell it was dropping but they still said mid-teens. Now back at the house, at 10:00 PM, it is zero. That's zero degrees Fahrenheit. To top it off, the wind is howling. I haven't had to put on my truly winter clothes that I brought yet but if this keeps up I will need to. I don't have any long johns anymore but did bring my silks that I used for cross country skiing. Like the Boy Scout I never was, I am prepared in my Life after Layoff.
I am committed to repaying all the hospitality I've received with a dinner tomorrow night. This is above and beyond the baking I will be doing. Now I have to figure out a menu from one of the several cookbooks I brought. This will be a first. Maybe I will just use one of the menu's already laid out for me in Food for Life or Program for Reversing Heart Disease.
Oh well, I need to finish getting ready for bed and take my bed away from the cat that is using it now. With the low temperature outside and my action today of unplugging the electric room heater, I should sleep a little more soundly tonight. I may even need the extra blanket at the foot of the bed. It appears to be the cat's favorite.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-seventy-three: Resume'
The first thing I did when I got up this morning was work on a resume', just not my own. The husband of my youngest sister, as regular readers of this blog may know, is in a similar situation to that which I am in, laid off, but worse. The good news is, he has the skills and experience for a truly impressive resume' and now he should have one. Still, the best way to find a job is through networking. I didn't tell him about LinkedIn. I'll have to rectify that.
Then my mother and I moved to my middle sister's house. We started fixing food immediately. I mixed up a batch of chocolate cupcakes and some "almost no knead" olive bread. I will be up until at least 11:00 PM before it finishes baking.
Then my sister and her husband came home. After my father and my oldest sister arrived, most of us went to VegiTerranean. The food was good, possibly better than Cafe' Gratitude.
The afternoon was more cards, Mystery Partner Euchre. I was tied for the lead when we left for the restaurant but other than that unfinished game didn't come close to winning later on. I don't really think the old saying, "unlucky in cards, lucky in love," applies to my in my specific Life after Layoff, but maybe I'll be lucky in something else.
Just about the time the bread came out of the oven, I was part of a winning team in Shiny Pants Gin. Everyone but me immediately went to bed. I stayed up to finish this blog. I'm done now!
Then my mother and I moved to my middle sister's house. We started fixing food immediately. I mixed up a batch of chocolate cupcakes and some "almost no knead" olive bread. I will be up until at least 11:00 PM before it finishes baking.
Then my sister and her husband came home. After my father and my oldest sister arrived, most of us went to VegiTerranean. The food was good, possibly better than Cafe' Gratitude.
The afternoon was more cards, Mystery Partner Euchre. I was tied for the lead when we left for the restaurant but other than that unfinished game didn't come close to winning later on. I don't really think the old saying, "unlucky in cards, lucky in love," applies to my in my specific Life after Layoff, but maybe I'll be lucky in something else.
Just about the time the bread came out of the oven, I was part of a winning team in Shiny Pants Gin. Everyone but me immediately went to bed. I stayed up to finish this blog. I'm done now!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-seventy-two: Losing in two states
I was so industrious this morning that my packing was done in plenty of time to lose in cribbage, setback, and pool before I had to get on the road.
Then it was a long drive in the rain. Finally we arrived and went right back out to shop for groceries to use for dinner. My brother in law greeted us on our first arrival and my nieces greeted us on our return from shopping. While my brother in law was out at his football coaches banquet, we prepared and ate some food.
Then after my sister came home from her job, we ate the food we had prepared.
I drank a lot of water so will need to make sure I packed my pajamas in my backpack and know the path to the bathroom.
After dinner we played four games of euchre, men against the women. We went easy on them allowing them to win all four. My brother in law dealt my mother two loaners. Even though my sister was the beneficiary of the scoring that resulted, she accused him of brown nosing.
The games are incidental to the jokes and laughter. Even being the butt of the joke is a good place to be with family. I did notice a "billiard parlor" down the road. I'm going to have to practice so I can surprise my father. (Writing this here will certainly blow the surprise. He is probably my most regular reader.) Oh well, the surprise will then be not following through and having him practice unnecessarily. My Life after Layoff is full of surprises, mostly for me.
Then it was a long drive in the rain. Finally we arrived and went right back out to shop for groceries to use for dinner. My brother in law greeted us on our first arrival and my nieces greeted us on our return from shopping. While my brother in law was out at his football coaches banquet, we prepared and ate some food.
Then after my sister came home from her job, we ate the food we had prepared.
I drank a lot of water so will need to make sure I packed my pajamas in my backpack and know the path to the bathroom.
After dinner we played four games of euchre, men against the women. We went easy on them allowing them to win all four. My brother in law dealt my mother two loaners. Even though my sister was the beneficiary of the scoring that resulted, she accused him of brown nosing.
The games are incidental to the jokes and laughter. Even being the butt of the joke is a good place to be with family. I did notice a "billiard parlor" down the road. I'm going to have to practice so I can surprise my father. (Writing this here will certainly blow the surprise. He is probably my most regular reader.) Oh well, the surprise will then be not following through and having him practice unnecessarily. My Life after Layoff is full of surprises, mostly for me.
Day One-hundred-and-seventy-one: Hay day
Even though it was cloudy, it wasn't raining. So, this morning we hooked the hay trailer to the truck and went to get three 800 pounds (each) bales of hay. (I weighed them by picking them up and comparing them to the weight of the hay trailer.)
My father had told me about the easy loading, (They had a bale specific fork lift that set them down in the truck bed and trailer without human assistance.), but he didn't tell me it would be muddy. So, I didn't wear my already muddy mud boots purchased just for that condition. To top it off, they are duck boots, suitable for deer hunting and one of the people there asked if I had gotten my deer this season. I said I hadn't and he said he hadn't either. He would have been more convinced that I was a deer hunter with those boots. However, my father did point out that I was a city person from California. Instead, I was wearing my hiking boots. I was careful and they only got a little muddy, like my jeans.
I can't believe I am leaving so soon. Even though my clothes were washed, all except for one handkerchief that I dropped schlepping my armful of loose clothes to the washing machine, the task of packing everything is daunting. This may be why I'm putting it off until tomorrow. I'd like to live out of my backpack just to see if I can. However, I don't think I've quite simplified my Life after Layoff that far. I am headed in the right direction. But the real reason I want to is that I am lazy. I only want to haul my backpack into the various places I will be staying over the next four nights. If I can do this now, I should be able to do it later for much longer, when riding my motorcycle.
Im seeing everything as practice for my next stage in life, even as I'm not fully certain what that stage will be.
My father had told me about the easy loading, (They had a bale specific fork lift that set them down in the truck bed and trailer without human assistance.), but he didn't tell me it would be muddy. So, I didn't wear my already muddy mud boots purchased just for that condition. To top it off, they are duck boots, suitable for deer hunting and one of the people there asked if I had gotten my deer this season. I said I hadn't and he said he hadn't either. He would have been more convinced that I was a deer hunter with those boots. However, my father did point out that I was a city person from California. Instead, I was wearing my hiking boots. I was careful and they only got a little muddy, like my jeans.
I can't believe I am leaving so soon. Even though my clothes were washed, all except for one handkerchief that I dropped schlepping my armful of loose clothes to the washing machine, the task of packing everything is daunting. This may be why I'm putting it off until tomorrow. I'd like to live out of my backpack just to see if I can. However, I don't think I've quite simplified my Life after Layoff that far. I am headed in the right direction. But the real reason I want to is that I am lazy. I only want to haul my backpack into the various places I will be staying over the next four nights. If I can do this now, I should be able to do it later for much longer, when riding my motorcycle.
Im seeing everything as practice for my next stage in life, even as I'm not fully certain what that stage will be.
Day One-hundred-and-seventy: Nuts for games
After being told to sleep in long enough to make it a full eight hours, I did sleep in a little bit this morning. I was rudely awakened by my meditation timer as I tried to meditate in bed for my morning meditation. It doesn't work that well at night before I've slept.
After breakfast and morning cards, I cracked black walnuts for about a cup's worth of walnut meat. Black walnuts are something that no one in this house should have. If they are anything like their English cousin, ninety percent of their calories come from fat.
We then played lunch cards, a little pool, and a little work on the puzzle. (It is much further along than when my grand niece decided to make a puzzle mound where the building blocks were individual puzzle pieces. To make individual pieces, she had to disconnect the ones that were connected.) Just as I don't want to repeat my Life after Layoff tag lines, I hope not to repeat too many things in my Life after Layoff, especially putting the same puzzle back together. I think that if this opportunity ever comes again, I'll pass. Even losing at pool is better. (I'm repeating that often enough.)
Tonight was pizza night. Where I join my parents as they joined their friends. My parents and I had a no cheese vegetarian pizza. Their friends had a pepperoni pizza. Finally, just before bed, more pool, more puzzle, and more cards.
After breakfast and morning cards, I cracked black walnuts for about a cup's worth of walnut meat. Black walnuts are something that no one in this house should have. If they are anything like their English cousin, ninety percent of their calories come from fat.
We then played lunch cards, a little pool, and a little work on the puzzle. (It is much further along than when my grand niece decided to make a puzzle mound where the building blocks were individual puzzle pieces. To make individual pieces, she had to disconnect the ones that were connected.) Just as I don't want to repeat my Life after Layoff tag lines, I hope not to repeat too many things in my Life after Layoff, especially putting the same puzzle back together. I think that if this opportunity ever comes again, I'll pass. Even losing at pool is better. (I'm repeating that often enough.)
Tonight was pizza night. Where I join my parents as they joined their friends. My parents and I had a no cheese vegetarian pizza. Their friends had a pepperoni pizza. Finally, just before bed, more pool, more puzzle, and more cards.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-sixty-nine: Rainy Day
Say nay to hay today. Today reminded me of most of my adult visits to WV, rainy. It has been probably well over a full 24 hours of rain. I can say I'm glad it wasn't snow, but some small part of me would have liked seeing it. I think I would have also liked it cooler.
We went out to Chinese today. Even though my Broccoli with Garlic Sauce was supposedly vegan, it wasn't very good for me. It was loaded with fat. It was good tasting though. We did better for dinner, pinto beans with brown rice.
After reading Dr. Dean Ornish's book, Program for Reversing Heart Disease, I'm thinking about becoming non-vegan for skim milk and non-fat yogurt. The only soy, or rice, milk or yogurt products I can find have substantial fat.
In both Ornish's book and Dr. Neal Barnard's book, Food for Life, are 21-day menus. I find them very unrealistic for one person. I don't see how I could have that variety for each meal, both for the amount of time it would take to prepare the dishes and the amount of leftovers I would have to store.
Maybe I should some people with heart disease who will pay me to cook for them. I don't really think so. This option is not even in my top ten career choices for my Life after Layoff.
Thinking back to my "time it would take" about cooking, I could never have dreamed that I would literally have all the time in the world in my Life after Layoff, but still never enough time.
Oh well, if I am going to take advantage of my earlier start to bed, I should complete my getting to it. I think my parents would like some morning alone time. They keep telling me to sleep a good eight hours.
We went out to Chinese today. Even though my Broccoli with Garlic Sauce was supposedly vegan, it wasn't very good for me. It was loaded with fat. It was good tasting though. We did better for dinner, pinto beans with brown rice.
After reading Dr. Dean Ornish's book, Program for Reversing Heart Disease, I'm thinking about becoming non-vegan for skim milk and non-fat yogurt. The only soy, or rice, milk or yogurt products I can find have substantial fat.
In both Ornish's book and Dr. Neal Barnard's book, Food for Life, are 21-day menus. I find them very unrealistic for one person. I don't see how I could have that variety for each meal, both for the amount of time it would take to prepare the dishes and the amount of leftovers I would have to store.
Maybe I should some people with heart disease who will pay me to cook for them. I don't really think so. This option is not even in my top ten career choices for my Life after Layoff.
Thinking back to my "time it would take" about cooking, I could never have dreamed that I would literally have all the time in the world in my Life after Layoff, but still never enough time.
Oh well, if I am going to take advantage of my earlier start to bed, I should complete my getting to it. I think my parents would like some morning alone time. They keep telling me to sleep a good eight hours.
Day One-hundred-and-sixty-eight: More Farm Work
The morning was great for sun shine. So much so we took about a mile and a half walk, in the mud. On the walk we decided to do a couple necessary chores to enable the purchase, pick up, and storing of three more [large round] bales of hay for the goats.
This involved moving the three bales already in the shed and driving the ATV to take the hay trailer up to the house and truck. Using the same ATV, we took an old [metal] barrel up to Grandma's former house, or as I like to characterize it, my mother's second house in the mountains. (It's maybe a half mile further up the hollow and is higher.)
Then we two car caravaned to their auto mechanic to get their Elantra's soft brakes checked out. We drove on to Weston in one car to pick up a pair of gold earrings my mother had made from pearls she got in Hawaii last year.
While in Weston, I had my first Veggie Delite from Subway.
Once home again, I had a break through day in pool. I won every game. While I am playing better, (I have had a lot of recent practice in my Life after Layoff.), most of my wins came from my father playing worse. The secret to winning a lot of late day pool is to work him to exhaustion in the morning, which made my hand-eye coordination marginally better.
After pool, more cards. I lost badly in two games of cribbage. One was a skunk and the other had me just one peg past the skunk line. I lost again in gin. I did win the first game but then she whipped me four games in a row.
Oh well, the pool made up for a lot. But what did we watch on TV just before bed? The Trick Shot Championship. I'm still a little dyslexic when it comes to hitting my target ball on the correct side for those almost straight in shots. Besides, as interesting as it was, I'm unlikely to see any of those shot options in a real game. A lot of them involved foreign objects being strategically placed on the table. I know my father wouldn't let me get away with it even if he did admire the skill of the shot.
This involved moving the three bales already in the shed and driving the ATV to take the hay trailer up to the house and truck. Using the same ATV, we took an old [metal] barrel up to Grandma's former house, or as I like to characterize it, my mother's second house in the mountains. (It's maybe a half mile further up the hollow and is higher.)
Then we two car caravaned to their auto mechanic to get their Elantra's soft brakes checked out. We drove on to Weston in one car to pick up a pair of gold earrings my mother had made from pearls she got in Hawaii last year.
While in Weston, I had my first Veggie Delite from Subway.
Once home again, I had a break through day in pool. I won every game. While I am playing better, (I have had a lot of recent practice in my Life after Layoff.), most of my wins came from my father playing worse. The secret to winning a lot of late day pool is to work him to exhaustion in the morning, which made my hand-eye coordination marginally better.
After pool, more cards. I lost badly in two games of cribbage. One was a skunk and the other had me just one peg past the skunk line. I lost again in gin. I did win the first game but then she whipped me four games in a row.
Oh well, the pool made up for a lot. But what did we watch on TV just before bed? The Trick Shot Championship. I'm still a little dyslexic when it comes to hitting my target ball on the correct side for those almost straight in shots. Besides, as interesting as it was, I'm unlikely to see any of those shot options in a real game. A lot of them involved foreign objects being strategically placed on the table. I know my father wouldn't let me get away with it even if he did admire the skill of the shot.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-sixty-seven: Ladybugs
For the last several years, my parents' place has been infested with ladybugs throughout the winter. They have caulked everywhere one can imagine a tiny bug can get in and still they do. Now, these are not your nice American ladybugs but some import. They bite. They stink. And, if allowed to get too numerous in the house, I suppose they would swarm.
My father has designed a rather ingenious non-lethal trap to collect them with. Tonight I collected five in the upstairs bathroom.
When this infestation started, everone started giving them ladybug themed gifts. As we were cycling through pictures today to show my cousins, I was reminded by a picture of Marilyn holding up a metal ladybug that we didn't buy. I'm way down on my gift giving, especially of ladybugs. My problem is that I don't shop in those kinds of stores. Well, I really don't shop at all.
After the cousins left, we went over to see the progress my sister is making on her 3,500 square foot house she is bui9lding to replace the much smaller one that burned down. She deserves the mansion she is building but as a mansion, it is taking longer.
Then we came back to my parents' place for dinner, chores that we postponed, pool, and Setback. I once again lost badly at pool, except for the very last game. I then proceeded to lose really badly in the last game of Setback.
Why didn't I go to bed with the last win rather than the last loss? I would have gotten more rest and I wouldn't be writing so much about losing in my Life after Layoff blog.
As it is now, it's once again close to midnight and I still haven't meditated. I don't know how effective it is when I'm this tired.
My father has designed a rather ingenious non-lethal trap to collect them with. Tonight I collected five in the upstairs bathroom.
When this infestation started, everone started giving them ladybug themed gifts. As we were cycling through pictures today to show my cousins, I was reminded by a picture of Marilyn holding up a metal ladybug that we didn't buy. I'm way down on my gift giving, especially of ladybugs. My problem is that I don't shop in those kinds of stores. Well, I really don't shop at all.
After the cousins left, we went over to see the progress my sister is making on her 3,500 square foot house she is bui9lding to replace the much smaller one that burned down. She deserves the mansion she is building but as a mansion, it is taking longer.
Then we came back to my parents' place for dinner, chores that we postponed, pool, and Setback. I once again lost badly at pool, except for the very last game. I then proceeded to lose really badly in the last game of Setback.
Why didn't I go to bed with the last win rather than the last loss? I would have gotten more rest and I wouldn't be writing so much about losing in my Life after Layoff blog.
As it is now, it's once again close to midnight and I still haven't meditated. I don't know how effective it is when I'm this tired.
Day One-hundred-and-sixty-six: Goatherding
When I got up this morning, after having stayed up myself past midnight, I found out that my sister had watched over 13 hours worth of TV. Since she fast forwards through the commercials, it may have been slightly less time but still that is a lot of TV. If I ever get cable again, I'm definitely getting DVR.
My father and I played still more pool. This time I "lost" two games by scratching on the eight ball and sinking it in a pocket different from the one I called. I'm obviously improving. Losing this way means that I am putting more balls in.
I played goatherd a little bit today. The electric fence was turned off for too long and one of my parents' smaller goats became emboldened, or accidentally found ways to get through the electric fence. I herded him (it) back through the fence and we gave all 22 of them some more hay to keep them occupied while we went back to the house to turn the fence on. One had gotten out while we were heading back. So my mother and I did the goatherding thing again. Before we could walk away, it had gotten out again. This time we had seen it and used bungee cords and a stick to block a rather squarish hole framed by the gate, shed, and an electric fence pole.
We watched as the goat in question once again was nosing about the former hole. This time it touched its nose to a live wire and jumped back at least five feet. Our work was done. The goat was lessened and likely to stay put on the correct side of the fence.
By the time we had walked back to the house, the goat had found another spot to cross. Tomorrow it is to get a collar with metal antennas that will be guaranteed to catch the electric fence.
"Green acres is the place for me.
Farm living is my philosophy."
... At least I got mud on my new boots. I could go for this pace of life in my Life after Layoff. Of course, this pace only exists in the winter. Plus, I'm still mostly a bystander. My mother and father are working much more than I am.
After my sister left, another set of cousins of mine through my father's side from Springfield, OH, came in for a visit. I was able to visit with them last January. It was good that they could make this trip and great to see them. I hope to be able to stop in for a short visit on my way home.
My father and I played still more pool. This time I "lost" two games by scratching on the eight ball and sinking it in a pocket different from the one I called. I'm obviously improving. Losing this way means that I am putting more balls in.
I played goatherd a little bit today. The electric fence was turned off for too long and one of my parents' smaller goats became emboldened, or accidentally found ways to get through the electric fence. I herded him (it) back through the fence and we gave all 22 of them some more hay to keep them occupied while we went back to the house to turn the fence on. One had gotten out while we were heading back. So my mother and I did the goatherding thing again. Before we could walk away, it had gotten out again. This time we had seen it and used bungee cords and a stick to block a rather squarish hole framed by the gate, shed, and an electric fence pole.
We watched as the goat in question once again was nosing about the former hole. This time it touched its nose to a live wire and jumped back at least five feet. Our work was done. The goat was lessened and likely to stay put on the correct side of the fence.
By the time we had walked back to the house, the goat had found another spot to cross. Tomorrow it is to get a collar with metal antennas that will be guaranteed to catch the electric fence.
"Green acres is the place for me.
Farm living is my philosophy."
... At least I got mud on my new boots. I could go for this pace of life in my Life after Layoff. Of course, this pace only exists in the winter. Plus, I'm still mostly a bystander. My mother and father are working much more than I am.
After my sister left, another set of cousins of mine through my father's side from Springfield, OH, came in for a visit. I was able to visit with them last January. It was good that they could make this trip and great to see them. I hope to be able to stop in for a short visit on my way home.
Day One-hundred-and-sixty-five: Laughter!
Today I got a tour of the Glenville State College library where my oldest sister, still younger than me, is the director and tour guide.
Afterwards we bought some beer for company coming Saturday and some PowerBall tickets, also for the Saturday drawing.
My father and I played some more pool. I was still the loser overall but did win two by sinking the eight ball at the right time and into the pocket I called. My father quit playing for the day after my second "win" so I do not know whether or not I could have caught up.
I laughed all evening. First my oldest sister came in and we played Mystery Partner Euchre. I made the crib, the left over cards from the deal, my partner a couple of times. My father also "stole" a loaner I had dealt myself by ordering up the bower that I would have definitely picked up and making me his partner. The two points we received for me taking all the tricks put both of us out. It was the only time I won and it was a half win.
Then we watched a marathon of "The Daily Show" and the "Colbert Report." My sister comes over every once and a while and watched these shows that my parents record on their DVR. I had seen many of them but laughed at the repeats even more. Laughter is truly contagious almost at any time and I need laughter in my Life after Layoff. The ones I had seen, I had seen alone.
Afterwards we bought some beer for company coming Saturday and some PowerBall tickets, also for the Saturday drawing.
My father and I played some more pool. I was still the loser overall but did win two by sinking the eight ball at the right time and into the pocket I called. My father quit playing for the day after my second "win" so I do not know whether or not I could have caught up.
I laughed all evening. First my oldest sister came in and we played Mystery Partner Euchre. I made the crib, the left over cards from the deal, my partner a couple of times. My father also "stole" a loaner I had dealt myself by ordering up the bower that I would have definitely picked up and making me his partner. The two points we received for me taking all the tricks put both of us out. It was the only time I won and it was a half win.
Then we watched a marathon of "The Daily Show" and the "Colbert Report." My sister comes over every once and a while and watched these shows that my parents record on their DVR. I had seen many of them but laughed at the repeats even more. Laughter is truly contagious almost at any time and I need laughter in my Life after Layoff. The ones I had seen, I had seen alone.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-sixty-four: Pool shark
Well, I put some balls in with some of them being the result of half way decent shots. Unfortunately, I also missed quite a few that should have been easy. As a result, I won only four games and lost more. What is worse, I didn't "win" any. My father lost, twice by scratching on the eight ball and twice by sinking it prematurely.
Just like golf for me, there is always some aspect of my pool playing that holds out the promise that I will do better the next time, as long as the next time is in the next couple of days, not a year or more. (Not that I actually do better, but that promise is there.) If the delay is a year, I will conveniently forget how bad I actually played and only remember the promise.
The rest of the day was more cards, more errands, and more eating. I won the last game of cards, which is that promise again, but I can't remeber winning any other.
It also rained all day, sometimes rather heavily. This may be a promise of a different sort.
All of these promises, or potential, are very analogous to the potential in my Life after Layoff.
Except for when my cousins visited, I've been carrying around my camera in the belt case I bought to keep it with me and allow me to take more pictures. When it came time to take pictures with my cousins, I couldn't find my camera. Now that I'm carrying it around again, I still forget to take pictures.
Just like golf for me, there is always some aspect of my pool playing that holds out the promise that I will do better the next time, as long as the next time is in the next couple of days, not a year or more. (Not that I actually do better, but that promise is there.) If the delay is a year, I will conveniently forget how bad I actually played and only remember the promise.
The rest of the day was more cards, more errands, and more eating. I won the last game of cards, which is that promise again, but I can't remeber winning any other.
It also rained all day, sometimes rather heavily. This may be a promise of a different sort.
All of these promises, or potential, are very analogous to the potential in my Life after Layoff.
Except for when my cousins visited, I've been carrying around my camera in the belt case I bought to keep it with me and allow me to take more pictures. When it came time to take pictures with my cousins, I couldn't find my camera. Now that I'm carrying it around again, I still forget to take pictures.
Day One-hundred-and-sixty-three: Family history
I really enjoyed listening to my father and my cousins talk about his family and his sister's genealogy work. They, in turn, talked about their family. In fact, there were a lot of family stories and pictures. My father has been visiting family graveyards and relatives across the country, particularly for family on his mother's side: Clarkson and Miller. He now corresponds by email to quite a few of them.
All of this made me think of a couple of other "tours" I would like to take in this Life after Layoff: A "Family" tour, where I visit the relatives we know spread across the country. The problem is, I don't know them. (I will need to get a copy of his addresses and phone numbers.) And a "Nostalgia" tour, where I visit places, and maybe people, from my past.
Even the family I do see, other than immediate, mostly come to see me while I'm visiting immediate family.
Tonight the visitors were friends of my parents and oldest sister. They did not come to see me but I got to enjoy their visit anyway.
Once again, there were lots of good food, all of it good tasting but only some of it good for me, especially in the quantities I ate of it.
All of this made me think of a couple of other "tours" I would like to take in this Life after Layoff: A "Family" tour, where I visit the relatives we know spread across the country. The problem is, I don't know them. (I will need to get a copy of his addresses and phone numbers.) And a "Nostalgia" tour, where I visit places, and maybe people, from my past.
Even the family I do see, other than immediate, mostly come to see me while I'm visiting immediate family.
Tonight the visitors were friends of my parents and oldest sister. They did not come to see me but I got to enjoy their visit anyway.
Once again, there were lots of good food, all of it good tasting but only some of it good for me, especially in the quantities I ate of it.
Day One-hundred-and-sixty-two: Real boots
I finally have a pair of real deer hunting boots. They are both warmer than my snow boots, which I didn't bring, and better suited for mud. Their only problem may be that they are warmer.
We also played more cards, at which I lost more than I won. It seems that whenever the three of us play, one of them wins. My father really gets enjoyment from winning.
We drove the Prius out on the one errand we made today, to pick up a couple of rebuilt John Deere mower tires, and my boots. On our outing, we went by Stouts Mills, where my grandmother and I used to walk to over the hill to go to the general store. Quite a few trips involved me carrying five gallons of blackberries with us, which I sold for $0.50 a gallon. I mostly picked them myself for sale but my grandmother helped more than she should have.
My fatehr attached the grading blade to his tractor and scraped cown the county road where the state had just dumped gravel, in the middle as well, building it up so high in places that it was easy for normal cars to drag. Three quarters, or more, of the road is essentially their lane. There is now only a deer hunter's cabin above tehm. That has residents very infrequently.
I have a new seater. My father had one he claimed was too large for him. I've worn it all day. They may get tired of their gift before I leave. It is the perfect weight for running out in the cold for short errands, like to the loft above the detached garage/shop. It may be too large, but it also may have been too warm for him, as hot as they keep their house. For the evening, I went and changed into a micro knit T-shirt I accidentally brought with me. It's good that their gas is free. Some oil company ran a gas line across their land without a right of way.
A couple of first cousins, once removed to me, came to visit. One of them used to baby sit me and one stayed with us for a brief time when I became old enough to remember her.
It was some time since I last saw them. They didn't show up when I was last here and I can't remember when I last saw them before 2004.
Now that I have the boots, I need to go walking. I haven't done any this trip. I used to walk five miles one way to play with one of their nephews when I came out over the summer ostensively to help my grandparents in the hay.
Except for the ability to drive or ride in a car, my times out here with my grandparents were all of the freedom I'm having now in my Life after Layoff. Maybe even more freedom because then I didn't have any money worries or future worries. In fact, I was living in the moment better then without the meditation I'm now doing to be fully present.
I've been reading Dr. Dean Ornish's Reversing Heart Disease. It has a section on meditation that I'm going to try tonight.
We also played more cards, at which I lost more than I won. It seems that whenever the three of us play, one of them wins. My father really gets enjoyment from winning.
We drove the Prius out on the one errand we made today, to pick up a couple of rebuilt John Deere mower tires, and my boots. On our outing, we went by Stouts Mills, where my grandmother and I used to walk to over the hill to go to the general store. Quite a few trips involved me carrying five gallons of blackberries with us, which I sold for $0.50 a gallon. I mostly picked them myself for sale but my grandmother helped more than she should have.
My fatehr attached the grading blade to his tractor and scraped cown the county road where the state had just dumped gravel, in the middle as well, building it up so high in places that it was easy for normal cars to drag. Three quarters, or more, of the road is essentially their lane. There is now only a deer hunter's cabin above tehm. That has residents very infrequently.
I have a new seater. My father had one he claimed was too large for him. I've worn it all day. They may get tired of their gift before I leave. It is the perfect weight for running out in the cold for short errands, like to the loft above the detached garage/shop. It may be too large, but it also may have been too warm for him, as hot as they keep their house. For the evening, I went and changed into a micro knit T-shirt I accidentally brought with me. It's good that their gas is free. Some oil company ran a gas line across their land without a right of way.
A couple of first cousins, once removed to me, came to visit. One of them used to baby sit me and one stayed with us for a brief time when I became old enough to remember her.
It was some time since I last saw them. They didn't show up when I was last here and I can't remember when I last saw them before 2004.
Now that I have the boots, I need to go walking. I haven't done any this trip. I used to walk five miles one way to play with one of their nephews when I came out over the summer ostensively to help my grandparents in the hay.
Except for the ability to drive or ride in a car, my times out here with my grandparents were all of the freedom I'm having now in my Life after Layoff. Maybe even more freedom because then I didn't have any money worries or future worries. In fact, I was living in the moment better then without the meditation I'm now doing to be fully present.
I've been reading Dr. Dean Ornish's Reversing Heart Disease. It has a section on meditation that I'm going to try tonight.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-sixty-one: Shopping
I found out that my father likes to shop even less than I do, much less. As a result, our shopping trip to Clarksburg, about fifty miles away, with a stop in Weston on our way back bought a few food stuff extra that wasn't on the list but little else. We didn't get mud boots for me and after this snow melts, I will certainly need them. West Virginia, when wet, is noting but mud.
After a breakfast of oatmeal, and after a couple rounds of cards (cribage and gin), we were on the road by 10:00 AM. After a stop at Sam's Club to check out TVs, we made our way to Sears, where my parents bought a 40" Sony Bravia HDTV. Since that Sears store was out of stock on that model, they will have to pick it up on or after December 23rd.
By then it was lunch so we ate at China Buffet. I'm sure I stayed with true vegan items but both the amount and fat percentage content was over the top.
Then we went back to Sam's Club for non-TV shopping, well buying. Even though there was no walking the aisles just to see if there were any other things to buy, we did buy more than what was on the list. On the way home we stopped at both Wal-Mart and Kroger. My parents spend money better than I do, which is not to say for better things.
It felt good to donate to the Salvation Army kettles. One thing that I miss in this Life after Layoff is giving to the street people and muscians in San Francisco.
We made it back to their home just before 4:00 PM. Shopping in West Virginia is an almost all day effort. My middle sister called just after we got here. I guess she does it a lot. It was good to hear her voice.
As we were driving up the lane, we saw a neighbors horse with one leg stuck over a fence, hopefully not a barbed wire fence. My mother called the neighbor to let them know. They couldn't call back, even if they were of a mind to, because I have been on the computer using their sole dial up line for this blog. I'm glad to be able to keep up, however infrequently, even without pictures.
After a breakfast of oatmeal, and after a couple rounds of cards (cribage and gin), we were on the road by 10:00 AM. After a stop at Sam's Club to check out TVs, we made our way to Sears, where my parents bought a 40" Sony Bravia HDTV. Since that Sears store was out of stock on that model, they will have to pick it up on or after December 23rd.
By then it was lunch so we ate at China Buffet. I'm sure I stayed with true vegan items but both the amount and fat percentage content was over the top.
Then we went back to Sam's Club for non-TV shopping, well buying. Even though there was no walking the aisles just to see if there were any other things to buy, we did buy more than what was on the list. On the way home we stopped at both Wal-Mart and Kroger. My parents spend money better than I do, which is not to say for better things.
It felt good to donate to the Salvation Army kettles. One thing that I miss in this Life after Layoff is giving to the street people and muscians in San Francisco.
We made it back to their home just before 4:00 PM. Shopping in West Virginia is an almost all day effort. My middle sister called just after we got here. I guess she does it a lot. It was good to hear her voice.
As we were driving up the lane, we saw a neighbors horse with one leg stuck over a fence, hopefully not a barbed wire fence. My mother called the neighbor to let them know. They couldn't call back, even if they were of a mind to, because I have been on the computer using their sole dial up line for this blog. I'm glad to be able to keep up, however infrequently, even without pictures.
Day One-hundred-and-sixty: Crying, Cards, TV, ...
In addition to crying, cards, TV, ..., there was a whole lot of visiting and laughter. (The laughter was aided in part by a joke book, Plato and a Platypus.)
The day started similarly to other days with whole wheat pancakes from a recipe out of Food for Life. I also baked the "almost no knead" olive bread I had mixed up the night before. If all I ate would have been what I made, the day's food consumption may have been at reasonable levels. Unfortunately there was a lot of other food prepared, primarily by my mother.
After my youngest sister left with her oldest daughter, I got cleaned up. Everyone left around me was grateful.
Then my parents and I shared. It was helpful. I have always known that I am not alone in my loss and grief, even as there are aspects that are unique. I feel that a lot of this trip is about crying again with my and Marilyn's family. I hope it is healing for everyone and not a further wallowing in it.
Through the tears, maybe even partly because of the tears, I recognize that life must go on. Indeed, I want this Life after Layoff to go on.
I have received word that the symbol and the words under it: "The Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund," is now a trademark.
As far as the cards go, I won as much as I lost, cards that is not money. Even in losing I felt like a winner. I am visiting my parents in a Christmas card setting.
The day started similarly to other days with whole wheat pancakes from a recipe out of Food for Life. I also baked the "almost no knead" olive bread I had mixed up the night before. If all I ate would have been what I made, the day's food consumption may have been at reasonable levels. Unfortunately there was a lot of other food prepared, primarily by my mother.
After my youngest sister left with her oldest daughter, I got cleaned up. Everyone left around me was grateful.
Then my parents and I shared. It was helpful. I have always known that I am not alone in my loss and grief, even as there are aspects that are unique. I feel that a lot of this trip is about crying again with my and Marilyn's family. I hope it is healing for everyone and not a further wallowing in it.
Through the tears, maybe even partly because of the tears, I recognize that life must go on. Indeed, I want this Life after Layoff to go on.
I have received word that the symbol and the words under it: "The Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund," is now a trademark.
As far as the cards go, I won as much as I lost, cards that is not money. Even in losing I felt like a winner. I am visiting my parents in a Christmas card setting.
Day One-hundred-and-fifty-nine: Winter wonder land?
It was a long snowy drive from Columbus, Ohio, to just outside Glenville, West Virginia. Snow was on the road most of the way. I was glad that I started out early as it took much longer than I thought it would, namely five and one half hours.
The important thing is that I made it safe. I'm more careful in my Life after Layoff, particularly on drives in WV. As I was going down a snow covered hill with a car in the ditch on my side facing me with skid marks from the truck stopped just before the car, I made sure I didn't have the same problem by going no faster than three miles per hour down the hill. Just a little before this hill on the same road, I had totaled a 280Z. In point of fact it was on clear dry roads in October of 1977 as I was coming out to tell my parents that I had met someone, Marilyn. (She was visiting her ex that very weekend to find out whether she was over him. It turned out she was and as I was driving a Duster for a time after that weekend, was obviously not attracted to me for my car or my money.)
I used the Prius' Navigation System almost the whole way out even though I didn't take many of its recommendations. First it tried to send me out I-70 to I-77. Instead I went down 33. There were portions of 33 that were not on the Prius' maps. It was quite interesting to see the car symbol move across open country.
Then once in West Virginia, it was directing me almost on any road but 47. It did so all along 47 until after Smithsville. Then it recommended taking 47 to its end on 5. Instead, I turned off on the "cutoff" at Burnthouse. (This way I got the after the fact fun of driving on some real snow and saw two cars in the ditch. It definitely wasn't fun while I was doing it. However, I only got the lack of traction warning light once and it wasn't on this road.) I turned off the guide feature at this point but maybe it knew more about the road conditions than I did.
The important thing is that I made it safe. I'm more careful in my Life after Layoff, particularly on drives in WV. As I was going down a snow covered hill with a car in the ditch on my side facing me with skid marks from the truck stopped just before the car, I made sure I didn't have the same problem by going no faster than three miles per hour down the hill. Just a little before this hill on the same road, I had totaled a 280Z. In point of fact it was on clear dry roads in October of 1977 as I was coming out to tell my parents that I had met someone, Marilyn. (She was visiting her ex that very weekend to find out whether she was over him. It turned out she was and as I was driving a Duster for a time after that weekend, was obviously not attracted to me for my car or my money.)
I used the Prius' Navigation System almost the whole way out even though I didn't take many of its recommendations. First it tried to send me out I-70 to I-77. Instead I went down 33. There were portions of 33 that were not on the Prius' maps. It was quite interesting to see the car symbol move across open country.
Then once in West Virginia, it was directing me almost on any road but 47. It did so all along 47 until after Smithsville. Then it recommended taking 47 to its end on 5. Instead, I turned off on the "cutoff" at Burnthouse. (This way I got the after the fact fun of driving on some real snow and saw two cars in the ditch. It definitely wasn't fun while I was doing it. However, I only got the lack of traction warning light once and it wasn't on this road.) I turned off the guide feature at this point but maybe it knew more about the road conditions than I did.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-fifty-eight: Offline for WV
I'll be on the lookout for a hotspot somewhere around where my parent's live but, even if I do find one, with all the visiting I don't think that I will be doing much posting over the next couple of weeks. Instead, I will have to rely on my old fashion note taking and catching up, as if I were making daily entries.
Today has been a full day as I am typing this coming up on midnight. It started with me getting up at six to do my almost no kneading. I then went back to bed for another hour and a half. After my timer went off, I heated up the Le Crusett and then baked the whole wheat olive bread. While it was baking I got cleaned up and dressed. (The number of times I report that mundane fact must make you think that either I'm obsessively compulsively clean or am just one dirty person.)
Then I cleaned up the last of my mess and took my car to the dealer for servicing early. They accepted it and in addition to the planned and prepaid for servicing, sold me four new Goodyear tires. (After this trip, I will need to use my motorcycle to slow down the use of the Prius. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my car and go everywhere I can!)
After lunch and a walk with my mother-in-law and brother-in-law, I improved my attire for a Columbus Symphony Christmas Pops concert with one of my sisters-in-law and her husband. Lunch and dinner were at two different locations of the Northstar Cafe. I had different dishes but both were truly good.
Good food, good company, good music, full days, ..., what a Life after Layoff. It simulates very well the life of the idle rich.
Today has been a full day as I am typing this coming up on midnight. It started with me getting up at six to do my almost no kneading. I then went back to bed for another hour and a half. After my timer went off, I heated up the Le Crusett and then baked the whole wheat olive bread. While it was baking I got cleaned up and dressed. (The number of times I report that mundane fact must make you think that either I'm obsessively compulsively clean or am just one dirty person.)
Then I cleaned up the last of my mess and took my car to the dealer for servicing early. They accepted it and in addition to the planned and prepaid for servicing, sold me four new Goodyear tires. (After this trip, I will need to use my motorcycle to slow down the use of the Prius. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my car and go everywhere I can!)
After lunch and a walk with my mother-in-law and brother-in-law, I improved my attire for a Columbus Symphony Christmas Pops concert with one of my sisters-in-law and her husband. Lunch and dinner were at two different locations of the Northstar Cafe. I had different dishes but both were truly good.
Good food, good company, good music, full days, ..., what a Life after Layoff. It simulates very well the life of the idle rich.
Day One-hundred-and-fifty-seven: First destination
Since I knew I didn't have far to go, I decided to sleep in. But, I woke up around 4:00 AM anyway. I wrote a little bit then turned the TV on and went back to sleep. (I don't know whether I bored myself or it was ultimately the TV that did it.) I finally got up around 8:00 AM. By the time I went down for breakfast, read the free USA Today, and went back up to my room for cleaning myself up and packing, I was checking out at 10:00 AM. I then drove across the road to a service station to pump up my low tire, again.
It was indeed a short drive into Columbus and a stop at one of the two Columbus, well, one is in Upper Arlington, Whole Foods. (There may have been others on my trip across the country but I didn't have the right city name to enter in my Prius' navigation system.) While at the Columbus Whole Foods, I purchased the ingredients and some of the cooking implements to make cupcakes, gingerbread, and whole wheat olive bread. I also dropped off another flyer for the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund.
Of course, they didn't have everything I wanted, so I went on to Sur La Table. It's really nice having a navigation system. What was even better, the only Sur La Table in the area was directly on the way to my sister-in-law's. The store next door was the Diamond Cellar, so I bought a longer chain for my and Marilyn's wedding bands. They are also fixing the engraving on the heart. I am to pick it all up December 23rd. (A Christmas present from me to me.)
Of course, I forgot to get all the stuff I was intending to get at Sur La Table and still needed to go out for olives. So once I got my car unloaded, I went out for the olives.
The nice thing about all the driving I've already done in and around Columbus is that I happened to drive by the Toyota dealer I will be taking the car to tomorrow for servicing. I won't even have to set up the navigation system. It's nice knowing where I'm going in my Life after Layoff. I just wish that were true in all aspects of "where I'm going." (Hey children, if you are reading this, note the correct use of the subjunctive mood.)
It was indeed a short drive into Columbus and a stop at one of the two Columbus, well, one is in Upper Arlington, Whole Foods. (There may have been others on my trip across the country but I didn't have the right city name to enter in my Prius' navigation system.) While at the Columbus Whole Foods, I purchased the ingredients and some of the cooking implements to make cupcakes, gingerbread, and whole wheat olive bread. I also dropped off another flyer for the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund.
Of course, they didn't have everything I wanted, so I went on to Sur La Table. It's really nice having a navigation system. What was even better, the only Sur La Table in the area was directly on the way to my sister-in-law's. The store next door was the Diamond Cellar, so I bought a longer chain for my and Marilyn's wedding bands. They are also fixing the engraving on the heart. I am to pick it all up December 23rd. (A Christmas present from me to me.)
Of course, I forgot to get all the stuff I was intending to get at Sur La Table and still needed to go out for olives. So once I got my car unloaded, I went out for the olives.
The nice thing about all the driving I've already done in and around Columbus is that I happened to drive by the Toyota dealer I will be taking the car to tomorrow for servicing. I won't even have to set up the navigation system. It's nice knowing where I'm going in my Life after Layoff. I just wish that were true in all aspects of "where I'm going." (Hey children, if you are reading this, note the correct use of the subjunctive mood.)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-fifty-six: Last hotel, for a while
Another four state day but in 135 fewer miles with almost 40 of the 565 I did log due to my going around Indianapolis to deliver a Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund flyer to a Whole Foods north of town. I also delivered one to a Whole Foods in St. Louis earlier. Yes, I'm finally in Ohio but couldn't drive on any more.
When I got in my car, just before 8:00 AM CST, I noticed a weird symbol lighted on the dash. I looked in the glove compartment for a Prius manual but finally figured out that it meant a low tire. I stopped at the very next exit, which fortunately had a gas station with an air pump. It cost $0.75 to fill it back to where the light went off and it didn't come back on throughout the day's driving.
The day was overcast all day and started spitting rain the middle of Illinois. This left me driving with my wipers on either intermittent or low continuous the rest of the trip.
I tried drafting behind trucks in Missouri on my way to St. Louis. The first truck turned off. I turned off for a rest area from behind the second one. (Caffeinated tea this morning.) I traded the third one in on a faster truck but gave up on all of it when they all turned in to a weigh station. The last truck I had trouble keeping up with, which may have mitigated the draft effect, if there was one to begin with.
Driving behind trucks for whatever reason has a couple major drawbacks: my visibility as a driver was very limited and I couldn't use cruise control. The truck's speed, regardless of how fast they were going varied constantly.
Just after I made an appointment to have my Prius serviced Friday morning, my "MAINT REQD" dashboard light came on.
I listened to most of the albums on what was Marilyn's iPod in today's drive. I just started going through them in alphabetical order. I tried but couldn't listen to Placido Domingo's "Perhaps Love" album, perhaps because I bought the CD especially for Marilyn as a collection of romantic love songs.
I don't know whether it was a joke or real, but it was cute regardless. St. Clair, Missouri, had two water towers next to each other. One was labeled "COLD" and the other was labeled "HOT."
In St. Louis, my Prius navigation system kept wanting to send me on I-64 to get to the Whole Foods. The only problem was that the road was being completely redone and not open for any cars. I finally got far enough away by going at a right angle to I-64 that the Prius calculated a route that didn't involve it. At least the attempt to find an alternative way took me through an area of quite upscale houses.
As it turned out, just before the Ohio border, there was a gauntlet of billboards. While I first thought the Ohio border occurred just before that line up, after I saw the location of the real border, I realized that it was Ohio that had the greater billboard restrictions and the border Ohio businesses were using Indiana's looser laws to advertise their businesses.
Up until Indiana, the truck and car speed limits were the same on the expressway. (In Texas, they were the same on the country roads as well.) In Indiana, they were just five miles apart, typically 70/65, with the 65 for truly huge trucks. Once in Ohio, the speed limits became 65/55 and for much smaller trucks. Of course, this had the effect of making the right lane a solid wall of trucks that frequently slowed the fast lane down as the somewhat faster trucks would slowly pass the somewhat slower trucks. As a result, I guess I drafted a little more than I really intended. While most of my Life after Layoff thus far has been simply slowing down, it's hard in traffic to avoid hurrying up both in an attempt to avoid slowing down but ultimately only to slow down anyway. I did consciously try to avoid having it affect my mental outlook, but that is an old trap that was too easy to fall into. Deep breathing while driving helped, when I recognized what I was doing.
When I got in my car, just before 8:00 AM CST, I noticed a weird symbol lighted on the dash. I looked in the glove compartment for a Prius manual but finally figured out that it meant a low tire. I stopped at the very next exit, which fortunately had a gas station with an air pump. It cost $0.75 to fill it back to where the light went off and it didn't come back on throughout the day's driving.
The day was overcast all day and started spitting rain the middle of Illinois. This left me driving with my wipers on either intermittent or low continuous the rest of the trip.
I tried drafting behind trucks in Missouri on my way to St. Louis. The first truck turned off. I turned off for a rest area from behind the second one. (Caffeinated tea this morning.) I traded the third one in on a faster truck but gave up on all of it when they all turned in to a weigh station. The last truck I had trouble keeping up with, which may have mitigated the draft effect, if there was one to begin with.
Driving behind trucks for whatever reason has a couple major drawbacks: my visibility as a driver was very limited and I couldn't use cruise control. The truck's speed, regardless of how fast they were going varied constantly.
Just after I made an appointment to have my Prius serviced Friday morning, my "MAINT REQD" dashboard light came on.
I listened to most of the albums on what was Marilyn's iPod in today's drive. I just started going through them in alphabetical order. I tried but couldn't listen to Placido Domingo's "Perhaps Love" album, perhaps because I bought the CD especially for Marilyn as a collection of romantic love songs.
I don't know whether it was a joke or real, but it was cute regardless. St. Clair, Missouri, had two water towers next to each other. One was labeled "COLD" and the other was labeled "HOT."
In St. Louis, my Prius navigation system kept wanting to send me on I-64 to get to the Whole Foods. The only problem was that the road was being completely redone and not open for any cars. I finally got far enough away by going at a right angle to I-64 that the Prius calculated a route that didn't involve it. At least the attempt to find an alternative way took me through an area of quite upscale houses.
As it turned out, just before the Ohio border, there was a gauntlet of billboards. While I first thought the Ohio border occurred just before that line up, after I saw the location of the real border, I realized that it was Ohio that had the greater billboard restrictions and the border Ohio businesses were using Indiana's looser laws to advertise their businesses.
Up until Indiana, the truck and car speed limits were the same on the expressway. (In Texas, they were the same on the country roads as well.) In Indiana, they were just five miles apart, typically 70/65, with the 65 for truly huge trucks. Once in Ohio, the speed limits became 65/55 and for much smaller trucks. Of course, this had the effect of making the right lane a solid wall of trucks that frequently slowed the fast lane down as the somewhat faster trucks would slowly pass the somewhat slower trucks. As a result, I guess I drafted a little more than I really intended. While most of my Life after Layoff thus far has been simply slowing down, it's hard in traffic to avoid hurrying up both in an attempt to avoid slowing down but ultimately only to slow down anyway. I did consciously try to avoid having it affect my mental outlook, but that is an old trap that was too easy to fall into. Deep breathing while driving helped, when I recognized what I was doing.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-fifty-five: Four states
I started on the road this morning just before 9:00 AM CST in New Mexico. I bought gas in Amarillo with 500 miles on the tank but only 131 miles for the day. At the 424 mile mark, I had 59.2 mpg. But with the wind and speed in Texas, by the time I bought gas, it was down to 57.6. I still had two bars on the gas gauge but managed to stuff $18.91 worth of gas into the tank and fill tube.
After Amarillo I made a beeline for Oklahoma City on I-40. There I hooked up with I-44 and am now at Marshfield, Missouri, some 695 miles further along and in my fourth state of the day. Sunday I was also in fours states, if the two times I was in Arizona count.
I started my iPod music right away today. I'm working my way through all the albums. Of course I turn it off when I'm talking on the phone. I did that for about an hour today. Interestingly, I was listening to Shania Twain's greatest hits just as I entered Texas. The last time I listened to country was when I lived in Texas, 22 years ago.
Just before Amarillo, I saw a pheasant cross the road in front of me. Before that, I was on a rather narrow road where the speed limit was still 70 MPH. I wasn't going that because the semi in front of me wasn't doing that. I finally passed the truck and returned to 72 MPH. Darned if that truck didn't keep right up with me until I turned onto 87. I sometimes wish I had never seen "Duel" starring Dennis Weaver.
Other than the really ancient buttes around Amarillo, the rolling hills, really just dips that periodically cut off cell phone signals, were not that interesting. By the time I hit Missouri, it was dark. So all I could really note that was interesting was that almost every exit had either an Adult Video store or a Fireworks Supermarket.
An even longer drive today resulted in a shorter blog. It may be because this drive was more tiring. I don't think I will be going back the reverse of this drive in January. Once in a Life after Layoff is enough.
After Amarillo I made a beeline for Oklahoma City on I-40. There I hooked up with I-44 and am now at Marshfield, Missouri, some 695 miles further along and in my fourth state of the day. Sunday I was also in fours states, if the two times I was in Arizona count.
I started my iPod music right away today. I'm working my way through all the albums. Of course I turn it off when I'm talking on the phone. I did that for about an hour today. Interestingly, I was listening to Shania Twain's greatest hits just as I entered Texas. The last time I listened to country was when I lived in Texas, 22 years ago.
Just before Amarillo, I saw a pheasant cross the road in front of me. Before that, I was on a rather narrow road where the speed limit was still 70 MPH. I wasn't going that because the semi in front of me wasn't doing that. I finally passed the truck and returned to 72 MPH. Darned if that truck didn't keep right up with me until I turned onto 87. I sometimes wish I had never seen "Duel" starring Dennis Weaver.
Other than the really ancient buttes around Amarillo, the rolling hills, really just dips that periodically cut off cell phone signals, were not that interesting. By the time I hit Missouri, it was dark. So all I could really note that was interesting was that almost every exit had either an Adult Video store or a Fireworks Supermarket.
An even longer drive today resulted in a shorter blog. It may be because this drive was more tiring. I don't think I will be going back the reverse of this drive in January. Once in a Life after Layoff is enough.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-fifty-four: Long day, long blog
At least, it will be if I write up all my notes. Today I had my note pad on the seat beside me and whenever I had an observation or thought I wrote a note to remind me. I wrote more in the morning than I did in the afternoon, and didn't make any notes after dark. Yes, I drove after dark today for a total of over 575 zigzag miles. My stop is in Clayton, NM. Otherwise, I would have had to drive on to Amarillo, TX, which I figure I would have made around 11:00 PM, if the time zone doesn't change to Central. (I haven't checked.)
This morning started out before dawn, which in a way undermined my decision to stop early the night before rather than driving on in the dark. But an early stop led to an early night and I was rested earlier the next day. But while the sun was not quite up, the skyline was still visible. My first "sight" was the power plant, smoking or steaming fully. (All my pictures today were taken from the car, while it was moving and mostly through glass. There were a couple shots taken out of the driver's side window where I thought to roll the window down.)
The buttes just out of Page, AZ, were at first just stark silhouettes but very slowly their red and white banding was revealed, which led to my first question of the day: If the light after the sun sets but before full dark is called twilight, what is the light before the sun rises and full light called? Twidark? (Obviously not from my spell checker.)
In this beautiful country, there was still trash along the side of the road. But Arizona had one road feature that California should import, memorial signs. I didn't think to check how often they occurred until they stopped occurring. Anyway, they looked like they were paid for. California has thousands of miles and needs the money.
By the way, driving southeast at dawn is not the smartest direction. There was no way the sunshade could reach that low to block the sun anyway and if it could, it would create severe visibility issues of its own. Thanks to my zigzag course, I was soon going northeast.
It's just my supposition but the best scenery seemed to be either into the sun or in my rear view mirror. But it didn't matter. What I could see was still spectacular.
In the middle of nowhere I saw a person standing by the side of the road. I assumed he was hitchhiking but with my car sprawl I didn't have any place for him even if I had the inclination to pick someone up.
While there were long sections where I appeared to be the only vehicle on the road, it seemed that the only time there was traffic was when I came up behind someone. On the other hand, most of the vehicles that passed me, really zoomed around. They were all gas guzzlers to boot, large pickups for the most part. My cruise control was set for two to three miles above the speed limit. (I don't know for sure that the odometer is calibrated properly as the "your speed" flashers never seem to say what my speed says.) This leads to my second question: Does cruise control set in fractions of miles per hour? If I am slowly increasing my speed and set it just before the next mph registers is it close to the higher number or does it always set in the middle. Since my Prius can display in kph as well, I could set it to the kph number that is relatively higher in the mph display.
The first view of truly snow covered peaks was breath taking. Of course, I was always fond of mountains.
For some reason, I enjoyed silence this morning, well, except for the road noise. After about four hours when I found myself singing "I've been a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn, and a king. ..." in response to a sign that read "Pawn and Propane," I started up my iPod.
New Mexico has their speed control signs grammatically correct. Unlike California, and most other states I've been in, whose signs say "enforced by ...," New Mexico's said "Speed monitored by aircraft" and "Speed checked by radar."
I saw all kinds of animals, many I couldn't identify because they were either road kill or it was dark and I saw them too briefly. Lots of crows. Lots of dogs, horses, cows, donkeys, and goats. I saw at least one owl and a couple other raptors I couldn't identify.
While the first consistent snow I saw was 16 miles before Dulce on the north facing ground, the first full covering, thank goodness not on the road was at the continental divide. The high point with a full blanket of snow that looked to be at least eight inches was at mileage marker 193 on US 64. I kept looking for an elevation sign but never saw one.
I got to Taos around 3:00 PM MST. It and the brief time I drove on 160 in Arizona brought back memories of Marilyn. I ate quickly and at least the lentil soup was hot and got on the road to Clayton. Marilyn and I had driven the loop to Eagles Nest in 2004. I just drove the US 64 portion backwards to our direction then. I didn't realize before I drove into Taos that it crossed the Rio Grande River Gorge bridge. We made a special trip out there as well.
After making a special stop in Taos for some hot food, I arrive at the Kokopelli Lodge, a Best Western in Clayton, to have a hot dinner, and breakfast, as part of my stay.
Believe it or not, this is not all of my notes. It is, however, all of my typing. I'm deliciously tired in my Life after Layoff.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-fifty-three: Beautiful country
Today's traveling was so beautiful, I decided to take the more scenic route another day. I've been in three states today, Arizona twice. The first time I entered Arizona, on I-15, I thought sure I was going to have to go into a tunnel but instead there were several curves through some beautifully sliced rock walls. After I was through the slices, it was difficult to see much change as the canyon walls were just as shear but perhaps a little further from the road. Both were spectacular.
Even though I had only gone 139 miles, I decided to get gas in St. Georges. Then I changed my Prius navigation system to area three and my destination as the Zion National Park Visitor's Center.
Zion was spectacular as well. Since I had to pay $25 just to drive through it, I decided to take the shuttle all the way to the end of the road and walk another mile into the canyon. The pictures I took on the walk were good but cannot show it well. (While at the end, I did my guided meditation with the roar of the water as the background. I could hardly hear the voice on my ipod for the water.) I didn't stop anywhere else in Zion National Park because I couldn't have seen it all and one more wouldn't make that much difference. I'll just have to go back. (Yet another place that Marilyn would have really loved.)
Leaving Zion, I set my Prius up for a Best Western in Farmington, New Mexico. I figured I could get there before midnight. Then as I drove through more and more spectacular scenery, I decided to stop before dark, which finds me in a Courtyard by Marriott in Page Arizona. Their restaurant isn't open for dinner and I didn't feel like driving to a less than satisfactory non-vegan restaurant. (Although a hot meal is becoming more attractive the further in time I am removed from my last one, Thanksgiving Day.)
I was surprised at some of the sizes of the towns, well one town, Kanab, on this side of Zion. I think it had everyone of the fast food standards. Glen Canyon and Escalante were also spectacular. I didn't even bother taking pictures of all the beautiful swirling and layered red and pink and white rocks. I just enjoyed them.
I'm going to have to travel more in my Life after Layoff. I wish I had done so in my life before layoff.
I finished listening to the Garrison Keeler CDs. The last one, number five, had a long skit on jokes with guest Paula Poundstone. The last two came from one of the musicians:
- What is the definition of a "perfect pitch?" It is when you throw a banjo in the dumpster and it doesn't touch the sides.
- Son to father: "When I grow up I want to be a musician." Father to son: "Son, you can't have it both ways."
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-fifty-two: Nevada Backcountry
I didn't look in the Atlas for the "as the crow flies" distance between Reno and Las Vegas, but I followed the short route on my Prius navigator. This had me going NW, SE, E, and S. It also had me on a wash board dirt road for what turned out to be only 14 miles. The maximum speed I could go on that road made me believe the Prius' navigation estimate of 11 hours. It was actually closer to eight hours.
The scenery before it got repetitive was really great. Even the repetitive parts were great, but literally two or three hundred miles of high desert caldera looking land. Every once in a while I had to cross the rims that it looked like the caldera through up. I did take some pictures.
I had my doubts about the dirt road that got worse. About a mile from Alt 95, right at Fortchurchill, it became paved again. I thought that I was coming up on a town but it turned out to be a Nevada Auto Test site.
The mountain tops were dusted with snow but the road level was clear, even at the plus six thousand feet. While still on the dirt road I passed a formation that looked like a small version of the Devil's Postpile.
The dirt road ran along Carson River. I took a picture but all that can be seen are trees. Of course in a desert, the only place a tree can grow is where there is water. This route took me through Virginia City. Marilyn and I did make it to Virginia City once because she wanted to see the city that the Cartrights rode to from the Ponderosa. (We drove by the Ponderosa a couple times near Lake Tahoe but never stopped there.) We toured "The Way It Was" museum and I thought about stopping and taking a picture but that was when the Prius was telling me it would take 11 hours to drive to Las Vegas.
I'm sure Marilyn would have liked Tonopah and Goldfield. She probably would have had me pull into the 20-mile beach at Walker Lake. There were long stretches where we couldn't have stopped for a rest break and I made it all the way to my exit in Las Vegas, which was surprising, given the amount of water I drank. The air is dryer.
I set the Prius up to take me to a Whole Foods in Las Vegas to post my flyer for the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund. As I was leaving Reno, I happened to be driving right by a Whole Foods, so I stopped in. They didn't allow customer postings. All the way to Las Vegas, this stuck in my mind. But when I got to the Las Vegas Whole Foods, as I was checking out, I asked the clerk about posting it. She said, "Sure, just put it on the bulletin board over there." There was a perfect open space for it. I'll still have quite a few left when I get back to Ohio and West Virginia so I will have to take a different way back to California.
Early tomorrow I want to leave for Zion National Park. I don't intend to stay there long as I also want to get all the way to Gallup. I had thought to take a more northern route into Taos but that would be even further on roads that zig zag as much as my Nevada travels today.
Even though I have not burned through all the money I set aside to gamble with, I will not be going out to a casino tonight. Conflicting desires mean that I'd prefer to go to sleep early to be able to get up early over getting all smoked up again. Tough choices in my Life after Layoff. Oh well, there are Indian Casinos in New Mexico and River Boat casinos in Saint Louis. And there is always the return trip.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-fifty-one: More memories
I'm staying in a hotel in Reno that Marilyn and I once stayed at. I had forgotten how bad it was but at least it is reasonable, and has free WiFi. I walked over to the Peppermill casino to have dinner but their only likely source of vegan food was a Chinese restaurant that will open the middle of December. So, I gambled before I walked back to hotel to eat out of my traveling stash. (I'm limiting myself to $100 per casino unless I'm using their money.) However, I decided not to reinvest $30 in winnings and the original $20, which means that I only lost $50.
At this rate, my Den of Inequities tour will be very short. Cigarette smoke and losing take the luster off of it. I can tolerate the cigarette smoke much better if I'm winning but to have to pay for the punishment...
This trip so far is a series of memories of Marilyn. Auburn and the Grass Valley turn off all the way to Grae Eagle. Auburn itself. Truckee. She loved to poke around in Truckee's stores. We were there more than once. One time we even went skiing at the downtown Truckee ski slope. She said it reminded her a lot of Mansfield.
Even Reno has several memories, our first or second Thanksgiving on the road was a trip to Reno to stay at the Flamingo Hilton. As we were walking up to check-in, my son, who was no older than five, was jaw dropping amazed at the machines that gave real money. Someone had just hit a minor jackpot and the machine was paying out. Now they are all paper. It definitely takes the fun out of it and makes it easier to go through money. There's no slowing to look for double dated, 1976, quarters or pulling out state quarters.
Life keeps changing. I guess that's what makes it Life after Layoff.
It is a longer drive to Reno from Pacifica than Fremont anyway and the stop, stop, and go around I-680 didn't help. I think I will try and stop while it is still daylight tomorrow, which means that I need to get to bed early enough to get up and get out early. So, its off to the shower and then to bed.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-fifty: Give love
I still read the Huffington Post although my topics have expanded somewhat. On an economic article about how the retail stores are in a pricing death spiral, a short comment just jumped out at me: "Give love. It costs nothing and the payback is enormous."
It is late and I have an early day tomorrow, just not for the reason I had originally planned, but that is the nice thing about a Life after Layoff, my plans can change without impact to my life.
To make a long story manageable, my youngest daughter and her spouse and in-laws arrived just as the bread came out of the oven. So they packed the Prius with their hiking/camping gear and we took both cars out on the way to my oldest daughter's in-laws. Along the way they parked their car at the sea end of the "skyline to the sea" trail and the five of us completed the trip to my oldest daughter's in-laws.
There we had too much food disguised by the amount of time it took us to eat it. They had made several dishes for me to eat and where there were non-vegan equivalents, like the mash potatoes, gravy, stuffing, ... I was the only one eating from "my" foods' serving bowls. Before I knew it, I had eaten far too much. Even the walk before dessert didn't make any appreciably additional room. For dessert, there was once again several vegan options, a couple of which I had brought. But the piece de resistance was the vegan pumpkin pie, which my oldest daughter's sister-in-law made. Others ate pieces of it and some claimed to prefer it. All I know is that I ate two pieces. It was good.
(Describing my daughters as oldest and youngest exaggerates their actual age difference, which is three and one half years. They have a brother in between them.)
After sitting around the food for an inordinate amount of time we spent some additional time looking at digital pictures. My oldest daughter's sister-in-law's husband takes extremely high quality digital pictures of some very great wild life. He is to send me his Flickr url. His 10-megapixel camera is professional grade. He sold his motorcycle to buy a lens for it. I truly am surprised that he is not making a living with his photography.
At about 8:30 PM, we left for the camping site so my youngest daughter, husband, and in-laws could hike the "Skyline to the Sea" trail. At one of the day use pull off spots we discovered a map that showed the camping site was a good mile hike off the road. By then it was 9:30 PM and well dark without a moon and overcast besides. None of the hikers were willing to hike in the dark to a strange campsite. So we rode back to Pacifica. I will take them to their trail head tomorrow morning and drive back to Pacifica to pack and get on the road myself.
I'll play it by ear and not be upset at all if I decide to start my trip on Saturday instead of tomorrow. It's far better to not leave anything critical, eat rather than throw away good food, and have fun on this trip, than to worry about any specific start time or for that matter day. If I do end up starting tomorrow, it may be perfect timing to stop in Reno as the first stop on my Den of Inequities tour.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-forty-nine: Domestic Day on steroids
This morning has been just like I dreamed it would be, a nightmare of work but without the horrible feelings or ending. Right off I did the dishes. I started unloading the dishwasher only to realize that I had not in fact run it yet. So, I quickly put back the things I had already taken out and added what I could. Then, while really running it, I hand washed the remaining.
While they were drying I mowed the back yard, but only in one direction rather than cross-hatched like I normally do, and put my kitchen garbage and the clippings in the compost, along with the shredded newspaper and compromising documents. Since I had noticed that the agapantha blossoms were all now seed stalks, I decided to cut them off and stuffed them in the green bin. (Another reason never to take the compost from the recycling yard and agapantha seeds aren't likely to be the worst seeds in it.) By this time it had started to drizzle but I decided to go ahead and vacuum out the Prius' deck. It held off the serious rain until I had done so. As I forgot to water down the compost, with its covering of paper, it is fortunate that I also did not put the cover on. Now the rain is watering it down. Hopefully I will remember to put the cover on before I leave.
Next I went inside and did the syrup for ginger bread and made two dozen vegan chocolate cupcakes. Of course this required additional dish washing because I needed the mixing bowls and measuring spoons later today.
After a quick lunch of salad, a mix of the Fresh Herb Salad, green onion, garbanzo beans, radishes, and my flax oil apple vinegar vinaigrette, I took off for Whole Foods and REI. After mailing the last of the Christmas Letters for which I had addresses, I remembered that I didn't have anything to hang the flyer with. So, I turned around and went back to my house for the push pins. Whole Foods approved its posting. I almost wish I had a hammer. It was not a cork board but one of those wood chip ply boards. I also bought stuff from Whole Foods.
Then to REI for my Trekker Sleeping Pad and if I had stopped stopping there, I would have been home much sooner. Instead I went to Macy's looking for a memory foam cushion. They didn't have one but I did get a memory foam pillow on sale with a 20% discount on top of that and a 15% discount, if I used my Macy's card. I didn't have my Macy's card and thought the card that Marilyn had was her card. When I entered her SSN, there was no card. (Yes, I still remember it.) When I entered mine, it found one. I don't know whether they have the right address or not. I'm sure Marilyn didn't use her Macy's card since we moved.
As I was leaving Macy's my oldest daughter called to ask me to get some MandMs and a can of Fosters for the grilled beer turkey they are making tomorrow. I went to Costco for them. I'm glad I called back to find out which kind or I would have only bought Peanut M&Ms. Since they wanted Plain MandMs, I got both, after I found them. I had to walk all over Costco and ask a couple of people, unsuccessfully, before I found them. However, I did find Beano. A vegan diet that is heavy in legumes should use a lot of Beano. The alternative isn't pretty. Of course, MandM's and Beano aren't all that I bought.
Since Costco didn't have Fosters, Australian for beer, I stopped at Safeway. There again I bought more than what I stopped for.
Finally back at home I mix up the Gingerbread and set the timer for 30 minutes. While the Gingerbread was cooking, I completed the flyers by attaching the card holders. I plan on giving my daughters a few, leaving me with nine or ten for posting across the country and in Columbus. After I finished the flyers I realized that my timer should have gone off. I hadn't started it. The Gingerbread was done. It may be dry but it doesn't appear to be burned. Then I mixed up the whole wheat olive bread and whole wheat bread that I am baking tomorrow morning.
Some where in all of this, I fixed and ate my dinner. Surprise, surprise, this leaves me with a kitchen of dirty dishes full circle back to this morning.
Still to go tonight, after this posting, I will vacuum the floors, which will require a decent amount of picking up, and clean off my HP laptop. Today has been quite fulfilling, possibly the most so in my Life after Layoff.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-forty-eight: Retirement costs!
I was not given the opportunity to enroll in my former company's benefits for next year. This means that until June I will continue my health coverage through Kaiser Permanente, my dental coverage through Delta, and not have any Health Savings Account. (I'm not too concerned about the latter as I didn't use all of my reduced amount this year. About the only thing it goes for is dental deductibles and Kaiser co-pays.)
What was disturbing is what I was told about the cost. After June, my out-of-pocket cost to continue with Kaiser will be $602.41 a month. That's over $7,200 a year and I'm not eligible for any retirement subsidy, which makes it the full COBRA cost. At that rate (pun intended), I should go self-insured, or at least look into catastrophic only insurance, which at my desired level of health would be the equivalent of self-insurance.
Of course, a book I'm reading tells me that a person in my situation is more susceptible to heart disease. I'm hoping that doing all the other things will mitigate the negative impacts of the situation.
House, vehicles, health insurance, food, ... Life after Layoff is expensive.
Out for a haircut and the first posting of my new flyer, back home for lunch, then to Staples for some kind of holder to attach to the flyer for the take away business cards, and then to Whole Foods. I was going to buy something but the real reason was to post the flyer. Unfortunately, Staples didn't have anything so I went home to make some of my own. It is slow going but I can do them. I don't know how many I can make for the trip between now and the time I leave, with everything else I have to do. The second one went better.
My oldest daughter was a tremendous help with her editing of the flyer. I'm planning on taking two or three for her to post when I see her on Thanksgiving.
Normally I'd welcome rain and it looks like it really will but I was planning on washing the Prius. I vacuumed out the floors but forgot to do the hatch deck. I also held off washing the windows because I wanted to wait until after I washed the car. With my busted trip down to Whole Foods, I don't know whether or not I will get that posted before I leave or not.
I had a full dinner: asparagus, baked potato w/ chili beans, and salad. I have a lot of food to go through before I leave. I also have purchased some travel food. Of course, I'll have to ration the travel food or I could eat it too fast. With all that I've purchased, I don't think that even I could eat it all on the first day, even if I didn't eat anything else. Some of it is even good for me.
I'm doing both a list and a collection point. The guest bedroom is my collection point and the list is my backup.
When I was looking for the double-sided Scotch tape, I found another card that Marilyn had addressed and stamped the envelope. For this one she had drafted its contents but had never put them on the card itself. I stopped looking for the double-sided tape after that.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Day One-hundred-and-forty-seven: Vehicular manslaughter
My title for this entry is "vehicular manslaughter" because it kills me to clean cars. This is one good reason to do it as infrequently as I do. I'm not even sure that I put it on my list but I know I needed to do it. How creepy is this: an apostrophe and a space converts manslaughter into man's laughter. I would not want to be around anyone who could laugh at something like that.
I'm also cleaning the truck. A friend of my son's, in fact a groomsman in my son's wedding, is going to run it for me while I'm off on my road trip. Since it hadn't been run since the middle of September, it needs it. It also really needed cleaning, a real good cleaning.
I found a Mother's Day card that I never gave to Marilyn. I don't know what year I bought it but I remember buying two, one for Marilyn and one for my Mother. It was the last time I did Mother's Day cards and had to have been earlier than 2007. Marilyn always bought her Mother's Mother's Day card, whether or not she remembered to send them. I didn't know I suffered from her card memory, but I'm sure they were for different reasons. If she were doing the Gerson Therapy at the time, it would have been the reason I never got it filled out.
I also found a parking receipt for March, 2007. We went over to Berkeley to eat at an organic burrito bar. I was of mixed emotions for doing so but since she couldn't do Gerson Therapy any more, we both thought we needed to live in the time we had left to do so. There were so few times in the last two and a third years of her life that we could be the couple rather than the care giver and the patient. I do so wish that I had been laid off earlier.
I did stay up until 1:30 AM last night signing, stuffing, sealing, and stamping 37 of my Christmas Letters. I was hoping to finish them up this morning for a combined mailing before 1:00 PM at my local mail box but other things intervened, like vehicular manslaughter.
I also ended up cleaning up a trash mess. While our trash people are really sloppy and don't do anything extra at all, I think this was really my neighbor's fault. He must have put something in his trash that was attractive to animals. All I saw this morning was some items that needed sweeping up and one large item that either was deemed hazardous and not taken or had been dumped and not separately picked up. What's worse, all of this trash residue was on my drive. Trashy, a way of Life after Layoff.
The place looks a lot better with the truck out of the drive. If I could get the garage cleared and put the Prius in it, it would probably even look better. In the few days I have remaining, before I leave, I may park the Prius on the gravel just to make it look like I'm parking it in the garage.
I'm done with this round of Christmas letters. I'll drop the last of them in the mail tomorrow or Wednesday. I know I don't have a lot of addresses and hope that those who don't receive one and should have are understanding. I didn't send it to one person whose address I did have. These were people we met in 2004 while hiking on Mt. Baker. The husband was a college professor and the wife was receiving treatment for a very serious cancer. The wife took our pictures and sent them to us. Marilyn emailed back and forth with the wife for a short while, letting her know of her own cancer but I can't help but think the worst has happened for both of us. As I really didn't know the husband well, or either actually, I don't know what to say. I've chickened out but they were part of a very special day and with the pictures have given me some great reminders.
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