I'm now taking it as as a sign. When I picked up the dead rat, a fairly small one, and put its stinking carcass in my trash can I wasn't. It was just another chore that was added to the list I made in my head as I was driving home. I was just glad that it was trash night. And trash night was the reason I had to come home before Labor Day. It would have been nice to drop in on my Pasadena daughter and her husband on my way home rather than breezing by their house. But, I had missed the two previous trash nights and needed to clear out some green bin stuff or the brown weed would have been here for my son's wedding.
Besides, having an extra day to work on the house, particularly cleaning my vehicles can only be good.
Since I made my entry early yesterday, I should say that I had a great dinner that was topped off by fireworks. Across the water there was some symphony for which the last piece was associated with fireworks. Couldn't really hear the music but we were perfectly placed to see the fireworks. The real neat part was that I had just decided to walk outside of the restaurant and was out there for all of the fireworks.
I didn't wake up to an alarm clock this morning, but I might as well have done so. I woke up at the same time the alarm was set for the previous days. At least this morning I was a little, well a lot, lazier getting around. I made sure I didn't leave anything but got out of there as soon as I could, I really wanted to get back and water, haul trash, unload and unpack, log on one last time to my work computer. Well, not that I really wanted to do any of that stuff but I didn't want to suffer the consequences of not doing them: dead plants, a stinky house, ...
The house was stinky enough with no air circulating for a few hours more than a week. So, even though the outside temperature was around 57, I still opened up a couple windows. The stink may have been from my stewing worm food. In the rush to leave, I didn't get it taken out. If it was the source of the not so bad odor that was taken care of by opening a couple windows, I didn't want to open the somewhat sealed garbage bucket and confirm a worse odor. Besides, come to think of it, I just took out all my paper in the paper recycling.
I had thought to fix dinner so stopped at Whole Foods and got something to fix. But by the time I got everything else done, I didn't feel like fixing, or eating. Oh well, there is always tomorrow and I did have two meals, literally, for lunch. Now to clear my bed of unpacked but not stowed stuff, get ready and go to bed.
No more alarm clocks! At least not until the next time I need to guarantee I'm up in time, hopefully not until the next NLN Conference in Orlando in 2010. I hadn't realized how much not having to get up to an alarm clock had become part of my Life after Layoff. Its not that I'm not industrious, or don't even get up early, I think it's just the symbol, the wrong symbol, that an alarm clock stands for.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Day Sixty-one: Early rather than delayed
Since I didn't think that I could get this entry done before my last 24-hour Internet access period expired, or get it done in thirty minutes for $5, I was all prepared to do the delayed entry again and made the following notes to do so.
Today was the last booth staffing and the day of my speech, which I entered into my last post. I'd like to report that I made it through without crying, although my voice did break right at the end. It took a lot of practice to be able to do that. They gave me a standing ovation. The keynote speaker didn't even get that. It wasn't really what I said but rather that in a small way this helps address a great need.
But now I'd like to get back to other less tearful topics, at least to me.
The hotel room is a "comp" room, in other words the conference generated so much business for the hotel that some percentage of the rooms were available to presenters and NLN staff. For purposes of the conference, I was considered staff. It wasn't truly "free" however. The greatest expense was the valet parking. Food and then the Internet access followed. Then tips, ... You get the picture.
I'm not even considering the gas, but a portion of that should be defrayed by its qualification as a charitable mileage deduction. At least I have a good system to remember it come tax time.
But back to the room. I got a cold the very first night from the continuous running of the AC fan. I never got used to the cold water faucet turning the opposite, and wrong, direction from the hot. There was also some suspicious brown splashes on the wallpaper in the bathroom. And, while not all but the last I will say about the room, the balcony door wouldn't close when locked. (This may have been the source of the musty odor and my cold.) I didn't figure that there was any real danger from people climbing up to the sixth floor or somehow climbing around from a neighboring room or down from above so I unlocked it and closed it. By running the AC only during the day and turning the whole thing off at night, I've kept the cold from getting worse and I think the room is smelling better and drying out. It's quite humid in San Diego by the water.
What with the early start, 7:00 AM every day, and the many long days, including tonight, although I do have this break in the afternoon, and every day dressed up in a suit and tie no less, I didn't get to exercise, use my swimming suit, or even just walk around, not that walking around this close to the airport would be that much of a thrill.
Still, the people I met were great. The experience was unique and precious. This has been truly a great Life after Layoff experience. I can't help but think that it would have been much less so, if I hadn't been laid off.
Today was the last booth staffing and the day of my speech, which I entered into my last post. I'd like to report that I made it through without crying, although my voice did break right at the end. It took a lot of practice to be able to do that. They gave me a standing ovation. The keynote speaker didn't even get that. It wasn't really what I said but rather that in a small way this helps address a great need.
But now I'd like to get back to other less tearful topics, at least to me.
The hotel room is a "comp" room, in other words the conference generated so much business for the hotel that some percentage of the rooms were available to presenters and NLN staff. For purposes of the conference, I was considered staff. It wasn't truly "free" however. The greatest expense was the valet parking. Food and then the Internet access followed. Then tips, ... You get the picture.
I'm not even considering the gas, but a portion of that should be defrayed by its qualification as a charitable mileage deduction. At least I have a good system to remember it come tax time.
But back to the room. I got a cold the very first night from the continuous running of the AC fan. I never got used to the cold water faucet turning the opposite, and wrong, direction from the hot. There was also some suspicious brown splashes on the wallpaper in the bathroom. And, while not all but the last I will say about the room, the balcony door wouldn't close when locked. (This may have been the source of the musty odor and my cold.) I didn't figure that there was any real danger from people climbing up to the sixth floor or somehow climbing around from a neighboring room or down from above so I unlocked it and closed it. By running the AC only during the day and turning the whole thing off at night, I've kept the cold from getting worse and I think the room is smelling better and drying out. It's quite humid in San Diego by the water.
What with the early start, 7:00 AM every day, and the many long days, including tonight, although I do have this break in the afternoon, and every day dressed up in a suit and tie no less, I didn't get to exercise, use my swimming suit, or even just walk around, not that walking around this close to the airport would be that much of a thrill.
Still, the people I met were great. The experience was unique and precious. This has been truly a great Life after Layoff experience. I can't help but think that it would have been much less so, if I hadn't been laid off.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Day Sixty: People who care for others
I have been thanked so many times in the last two days by people who I have to thank, and did. Most of the attendees at this conference are therapists, at least the people who came by my booth. And it does amaze me that these caring people can step into the breech time and time again, to give what relief they can, while they can. They often donate vast quantities of their time and more of their money. Some of the therapists are also sufferers. Primary lymphedema can be successfully treated and many of those sufferers have a special appreciation for the suffering of others, whether also primary or secondary, from cancer.
Several people asked about whether there were any limits on the fund, wondering whether like other sources of funding it was only available for lymphedema associated with some other primary condition, like breast cancer. While I was glad to be able to say that it is for any garment to treat lymphedema, there is a rather severe limitation: there is far more need than there are funds. To that end, I hope to start my Memories of Marilyn blog by September 20th. I'm still working on the trailer that I will put in every entry, something like my tag line, Life after Layoff, in this one. It will be a direct appeal for donations to the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund but the entries will be our life story more for the grandchildren she will never know.
The booth staffing went from 7:00 AM to only 4:00 PM today. This meant that I was able to go out to a local Whole Foods and have a wholesome meal. I was back in my room by 6:00 PM, working on the short speech that I am to give tomorrow. I've incorporated some of the suggestions I solicited from my family by email and made some other changes on my own. I'm including it below. The operative word is short.
There was one question that came up that I think is worth pursuing. One of the therapists who came by asked what was to be done with recycling the lymphedema garments that are no longer needed, unfortunately most of the time because their previous user has died. Marilyn's were given to a group in Oakland who know how to properly match the garments to people who can really benefit from them. As Marilyn and I found out, an improperly prescribed lymphedema garment can accelerate the lymphedema.
The speech:
My wife suffered and died from cancer. I'm not going to go into the details of why the cancer wasn't treatable but one of the side effects of her cancer was lymphedema in her left leg, particularly the upper thigh and groin. I know from her personal experience that treating lymphedema can make the immobile mobile again; treating lymphedema can make an observer a participant; treating lymphedema can take a person, like my wife, dying from cancer, from focusing on her death to being truly alive: able to participate in her daughter's wedding, able to join her daughter's new in-laws at the Thanksgiving table, able to meet her son's fiancee's mother. (My son is getting married in two weeks.)
This blessing of really living while she still had life was made possible by a lymphedema garment from Don Kellogg. Lymphedema treatment is truly a blessing. The last smile I saw on my wife's face was when she last saw and thanked Michele Coxon, her manual lymph drainage massage therapist who had dropped in just to visit. I want to extend that thanks to all of you for the care you give to relieve the suffering caused by lymphedema.
When I asked Don how I could help pass the blessing that Marilyn received on to others in her memory, he put me in touch with Saskia. I am glad to be able to publicly thank all the great people associated with the National Lymphedema Network, the members of the board, the employees and volunteers, and of course, Saskia, who made the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund a reality.
If the funding for the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund were to be left to my resources alone, the blessing would be too small and the memory far too short. This is why I am asking everyone I can, every lymphedema product supplier I can, to help extend the blessing and memory, the memory of my wife who died from cancer but was living to the very end.
Several people asked about whether there were any limits on the fund, wondering whether like other sources of funding it was only available for lymphedema associated with some other primary condition, like breast cancer. While I was glad to be able to say that it is for any garment to treat lymphedema, there is a rather severe limitation: there is far more need than there are funds. To that end, I hope to start my Memories of Marilyn blog by September 20th. I'm still working on the trailer that I will put in every entry, something like my tag line, Life after Layoff, in this one. It will be a direct appeal for donations to the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund but the entries will be our life story more for the grandchildren she will never know.
The booth staffing went from 7:00 AM to only 4:00 PM today. This meant that I was able to go out to a local Whole Foods and have a wholesome meal. I was back in my room by 6:00 PM, working on the short speech that I am to give tomorrow. I've incorporated some of the suggestions I solicited from my family by email and made some other changes on my own. I'm including it below. The operative word is short.There was one question that came up that I think is worth pursuing. One of the therapists who came by asked what was to be done with recycling the lymphedema garments that are no longer needed, unfortunately most of the time because their previous user has died. Marilyn's were given to a group in Oakland who know how to properly match the garments to people who can really benefit from them. As Marilyn and I found out, an improperly prescribed lymphedema garment can accelerate the lymphedema.
The speech:
My wife suffered and died from cancer. I'm not going to go into the details of why the cancer wasn't treatable but one of the side effects of her cancer was lymphedema in her left leg, particularly the upper thigh and groin. I know from her personal experience that treating lymphedema can make the immobile mobile again; treating lymphedema can make an observer a participant; treating lymphedema can take a person, like my wife, dying from cancer, from focusing on her death to being truly alive: able to participate in her daughter's wedding, able to join her daughter's new in-laws at the Thanksgiving table, able to meet her son's fiancee's mother. (My son is getting married in two weeks.)
This blessing of really living while she still had life was made possible by a lymphedema garment from Don Kellogg. Lymphedema treatment is truly a blessing. The last smile I saw on my wife's face was when she last saw and thanked Michele Coxon, her manual lymph drainage massage therapist who had dropped in just to visit. I want to extend that thanks to all of you for the care you give to relieve the suffering caused by lymphedema.
When I asked Don how I could help pass the blessing that Marilyn received on to others in her memory, he put me in touch with Saskia. I am glad to be able to publicly thank all the great people associated with the National Lymphedema Network, the members of the board, the employees and volunteers, and of course, Saskia, who made the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund a reality.
If the funding for the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund were to be left to my resources alone, the blessing would be too small and the memory far too short. This is why I am asking everyone I can, every lymphedema product supplier I can, to help extend the blessing and memory, the memory of my wife who died from cancer but was living to the very end.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Day Fifty-nine: Long day but very rewarding
I got up with an alarm clock for the first time since, well, my layoff. I had to, particularly after I was up in the middle of the night to write my "short speech" that I was asked to deliver Saturday. On top of that I had a soy latte that had caffeine, a double shot of espresso worth of caffeine. Then I had breakfast. Except for a bathroom break and a break again from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, I was staffing the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund booth from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Yes, that did not allow me to eat lunch or dinner.
The talking with all the people who came by, some for longer some for just long enough to give them a sticker to show that they stopped by the booth, was intriguing. My message had three parts: Lymphedema patients need to realize that there are treatments that can dramatically improve their quality of life so much so that "quality of life" fails to adequately describe the improvement. Lymphedema therapists and other providers need to use all the weapons available to get their patients this improvement, including helping them apply to the NLN for money from the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund to get the right garment. And, they should encourage their more well off lymphedema patients to donate to the Fund to make sure that more people in need can start living again.
The fact of the matter is that with half the states of the United States not recognizing these garments as medical devices and insurance companies following suit, there is more need than any single person of my means can meet. A lot of contributors with my means will help people with lymphedema live rather than just exist.
A couple of people had longer conversations with me that touched on subjects that were still rawer to me than I thought they would be. One person felt moved to give me a hug three different times throughout our conversation. One person asked whether I had thought of public speaking in about a year. I am now and feeling that this may ultimately be my calling in this my Life after Layoff.
While traffic at the booth was heavy at times and never completely dried up for any major block of time, I used what gaps there were to write several topics in my Memories of Marilyn. I made such progress that I am now thinking that I have enough momentum and prepared topics that I should be able to start my blog of the same name. The document and associated blog will serve two purposes: provide a written vehicle that let the grandchildren know of the grandmother they will now never meet; and be hopefully well enough written that it will attract Internet readers who will then be inspired to donate to the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund to sustain its funding and help by that fund keep her memory alive.
The talking with all the people who came by, some for longer some for just long enough to give them a sticker to show that they stopped by the booth, was intriguing. My message had three parts: Lymphedema patients need to realize that there are treatments that can dramatically improve their quality of life so much so that "quality of life" fails to adequately describe the improvement. Lymphedema therapists and other providers need to use all the weapons available to get their patients this improvement, including helping them apply to the NLN for money from the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund to get the right garment. And, they should encourage their more well off lymphedema patients to donate to the Fund to make sure that more people in need can start living again.
The fact of the matter is that with half the states of the United States not recognizing these garments as medical devices and insurance companies following suit, there is more need than any single person of my means can meet. A lot of contributors with my means will help people with lymphedema live rather than just exist.
A couple of people had longer conversations with me that touched on subjects that were still rawer to me than I thought they would be. One person felt moved to give me a hug three different times throughout our conversation. One person asked whether I had thought of public speaking in about a year. I am now and feeling that this may ultimately be my calling in this my Life after Layoff.
While traffic at the booth was heavy at times and never completely dried up for any major block of time, I used what gaps there were to write several topics in my Memories of Marilyn. I made such progress that I am now thinking that I have enough momentum and prepared topics that I should be able to start my blog of the same name. The document and associated blog will serve two purposes: provide a written vehicle that let the grandchildren know of the grandmother they will now never meet; and be hopefully well enough written that it will attract Internet readers who will then be inspired to donate to the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund to sustain its funding and help by that fund keep her memory alive.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Day Fifty-eight: San Diego
This morning at 7:43 AM, according to my cell phone log, I received a call from the Gerson Institute asking to speak with Marilyn. I let them know that she passed away December 23, 2007. I should have let them know earlier and in a way that was less traumatic for both of us.
After I hugged and said goodbye to my daughter as she left for work, around 8:30, I started on the second stage of my drive to San Diego. Since I was going to get there early and with the earlier call still in my mind, I thought I'd drop in on the Gerson Institute. Well, the only "Gerson" that was close in my Prius' navigation system was "Gerson Research." After a drive well off of I-5 but through some wonderful horse venues, including polo fields, I arrived at--nothing. There were no buildings, no signs. So, I pulled off to turn around and called the number from earlier this morning for directions. (Yes, I, a man, asked for directions.) What happened next is the reason most men don't. Most directions are worthless. Not only was the address I was given over the phone not in my Prius, I couldn't find it on the street. I couldn't find a sign. I drove all up and down Second Avenue. Finally, I came on to the Lymphedema conference. I'm not lost in my Life after Layoff, but it appears that a lot of other places are.
My room wasn't ready so I put my big bag in storage and proceeded to the exhibit hall. Over some period of time, I got my laptop power cord plugged in and taped down. I got a couple of chairs, although it appears that I will be staffing the booth by myself. And lastly, I got a separate smaller table for the poster. Then Saskia came by, making all the appropriate oohing and aahing sounds over all the preparation and then asked if I would be willing to give a short speech on the MWGF Saturday.
I'll see what I can write out and let her know. I may still be too close it. My eyes teared up when a person from Australia talked with sympathy for me about her sister's battle with cancer. (It has spread to her bones.)
As I was going over some of the pictures of Marilyn with Saskia, it struck me that the person who often put her hand up in front of her face to avoid a picture being taken has her picture around the world on the Internet and at least in front of people from twelve countries at this conference.
I'm all checked in, using an Internet connection that costs $12/day. With this entry I'm also caught up with my blog entries so the cost was worth it. Now for a late dinner.
After I hugged and said goodbye to my daughter as she left for work, around 8:30, I started on the second stage of my drive to San Diego. Since I was going to get there early and with the earlier call still in my mind, I thought I'd drop in on the Gerson Institute. Well, the only "Gerson" that was close in my Prius' navigation system was "Gerson Research." After a drive well off of I-5 but through some wonderful horse venues, including polo fields, I arrived at--nothing. There were no buildings, no signs. So, I pulled off to turn around and called the number from earlier this morning for directions. (Yes, I, a man, asked for directions.) What happened next is the reason most men don't. Most directions are worthless. Not only was the address I was given over the phone not in my Prius, I couldn't find it on the street. I couldn't find a sign. I drove all up and down Second Avenue. Finally, I came on to the Lymphedema conference. I'm not lost in my Life after Layoff, but it appears that a lot of other places are.
My room wasn't ready so I put my big bag in storage and proceeded to the exhibit hall. Over some period of time, I got my laptop power cord plugged in and taped down. I got a couple of chairs, although it appears that I will be staffing the booth by myself. And lastly, I got a separate smaller table for the poster. Then Saskia came by, making all the appropriate oohing and aahing sounds over all the preparation and then asked if I would be willing to give a short speech on the MWGF Saturday.
I'll see what I can write out and let her know. I may still be too close it. My eyes teared up when a person from Australia talked with sympathy for me about her sister's battle with cancer. (It has spread to her bones.)
As I was going over some of the pictures of Marilyn with Saskia, it struck me that the person who often put her hand up in front of her face to avoid a picture being taken has her picture around the world on the Internet and at least in front of people from twelve countries at this conference.
I'm all checked in, using an Internet connection that costs $12/day. With this entry I'm also caught up with my blog entries so the cost was worth it. Now for a late dinner.
Day Fifty-seven: Dropped at the end
Today started really well. I a spurt of creativity I now have a complete draft of the lyrics of a political song I've been hashing around on off and on for some time. I've been talking with my youngest sister as a possible singer.
I also had a reasonable breakfast, before I ruined it with another reasonable breakfast. There were also fewer dishes to clean up.
With what happened next, it is a good thing that I no longer have my over stressed hyper-reactive attitude. (Perhaps it was the feeling of complete satiation from the second reasonable breakfast.) Anyway, as I've written earlier, when I'm on the road, I make pen and paper notes for daily entry into this blog. Yesterday I couldn't even get onto the Internet using my daughter's and her husband's computer. Today was much worse. I got on and had completely typed in my "Day Fifty-five" with a link to the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund and not one but two references to my Life after Layoff catch phrase (Notice how I've cleverly brought all of these elements into this post as well?) when I was dropped. Well, their computer is hard wired to DSL so "dropped" probably incorrectly describes what happened, but, all my text disappeared with all its created on the fly language. This last is my real beef. Whether or not my words were golden, I know I will never get them reconstructed in the same way. [Since I just finished typing that post, this did indeed happen.]
After that let down, I did whatever any American male would do around noon, I went out for lunch.
My daughter made her favorite thing for dinner, reservations. We ate at the first restaurant that they took Marilyn and me to the first time the two of us visited them. We didn't sit at the same table and since that earlier time I became a vegan, I didn't eat the same thing.
After dinner and getting back to their house just after Clinton's speech, we worked on the poster until 9:30 PM. I took several pictures. As essentially pictures of pictures, I don't know if any of them are usable for posting, so probably won't even try. I've found that usefulness is always something known after, however speculated before, in this Life after Layoff. In a Corporate world, predictions better be true (budgets, earnings), or the consequences are dire.
I also had a reasonable breakfast, before I ruined it with another reasonable breakfast. There were also fewer dishes to clean up.
With what happened next, it is a good thing that I no longer have my over stressed hyper-reactive attitude. (Perhaps it was the feeling of complete satiation from the second reasonable breakfast.) Anyway, as I've written earlier, when I'm on the road, I make pen and paper notes for daily entry into this blog. Yesterday I couldn't even get onto the Internet using my daughter's and her husband's computer. Today was much worse. I got on and had completely typed in my "Day Fifty-five" with a link to the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund and not one but two references to my Life after Layoff catch phrase (Notice how I've cleverly brought all of these elements into this post as well?) when I was dropped. Well, their computer is hard wired to DSL so "dropped" probably incorrectly describes what happened, but, all my text disappeared with all its created on the fly language. This last is my real beef. Whether or not my words were golden, I know I will never get them reconstructed in the same way. [Since I just finished typing that post, this did indeed happen.]
After that let down, I did whatever any American male would do around noon, I went out for lunch.
My daughter made her favorite thing for dinner, reservations. We ate at the first restaurant that they took Marilyn and me to the first time the two of us visited them. We didn't sit at the same table and since that earlier time I became a vegan, I didn't eat the same thing.
After dinner and getting back to their house just after Clinton's speech, we worked on the poster until 9:30 PM. I took several pictures. As essentially pictures of pictures, I don't know if any of them are usable for posting, so probably won't even try. I've found that usefulness is always something known after, however speculated before, in this Life after Layoff. In a Corporate world, predictions better be true (budgets, earnings), or the consequences are dire.
Day Fifty-six: Plenty of time to work
My title for this post is something I never wanted to use again, even in this context: getting something done under time pressure. But, given what I am working on, it is the best context possible. I am working on a PowerPoint slide show with more pictures and greater explanation than just the poster, which still needs to be finished, can convey.
After breakfast, after cleaning up (breakfast dishes and myself), which was after my daughter and her husband left for their real work; after cleaning off the mud from my tennis shoes, which I hadn't worn since we planted the low-maintenance front yard (at least three weeks ago); after trying to use their computer to access the Internet and failing; I decided that I really needed sunscreen and while I was out might as well get lunch and hook up to a free wifi service.
So, I navigated to Whole Foods Market and bought my sunscreen along with a travel sized bottle of mouthwash and lunch and snacks. It was 11:00 AM when I checked out so I decided to have an early lunch. After eating I walked over to a Starbucks in the same strip mall, sat down with my decaf soy latte and proceeded to use Whole Foods' free wireless. If only I had known. I really didn't need a latte, particularly one that only has the diuretic effect going for it. Besides, Starbucks was warmer than Whole Foods, probably from all the steaming of soy milk. On top of all of that, the Whole Foods signal was weaker at the Starbucks end of the mall.
Except for some final timing, the PowerPoint slide show is done, well, as done as I'm going to make it. Tears have flowed freely all day. I will have to see if NLN is interested in posting it for the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund.
After dinner, which my daughter prepared, her artist side arranged the pictures, captions, and titles. (My small role was helping her use all of her tools to cut them all out.) She has made some phenomenal backing and framing choices from her collection of special papers, some of which were selected by Marilyn. Tomorrow night is the actual taping down.
Today I discovered that my Life after Layoff is better when I'm with people than when I'm alone. My ability to share with Marilyn will always be special but the contrast couldn't have been greater today. I was with my son-in-law and daughter this morning and evening and alone in a strange city while they were at work.
After breakfast, after cleaning up (breakfast dishes and myself), which was after my daughter and her husband left for their real work; after cleaning off the mud from my tennis shoes, which I hadn't worn since we planted the low-maintenance front yard (at least three weeks ago); after trying to use their computer to access the Internet and failing; I decided that I really needed sunscreen and while I was out might as well get lunch and hook up to a free wifi service.
So, I navigated to Whole Foods Market and bought my sunscreen along with a travel sized bottle of mouthwash and lunch and snacks. It was 11:00 AM when I checked out so I decided to have an early lunch. After eating I walked over to a Starbucks in the same strip mall, sat down with my decaf soy latte and proceeded to use Whole Foods' free wireless. If only I had known. I really didn't need a latte, particularly one that only has the diuretic effect going for it. Besides, Starbucks was warmer than Whole Foods, probably from all the steaming of soy milk. On top of all of that, the Whole Foods signal was weaker at the Starbucks end of the mall.
Except for some final timing, the PowerPoint slide show is done, well, as done as I'm going to make it. Tears have flowed freely all day. I will have to see if NLN is interested in posting it for the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund.
After dinner, which my daughter prepared, her artist side arranged the pictures, captions, and titles. (My small role was helping her use all of her tools to cut them all out.) She has made some phenomenal backing and framing choices from her collection of special papers, some of which were selected by Marilyn. Tomorrow night is the actual taping down.
Today I discovered that my Life after Layoff is better when I'm with people than when I'm alone. My ability to share with Marilyn will always be special but the contrast couldn't have been greater today. I was with my son-in-law and daughter this morning and evening and alone in a strange city while they were at work.
Day Fifty-five: Going south in two easy stages
I'm off on another road trip, this time to San Diego to the International National Lymphedema Network conference by way of Pasadena with three nights at my oldest daughter's and her husband's. She flew up to Oakland last Friday to visit a high school and college friend in from Sweden. So, the first stage will probably be the easiest as she did all the driving. Since the driver gets to select the music, or in my case the audiobook, I got to listen to Japanese Techno, German HipHop, a Canadian, who was apologetically described as more mainstream than my daughter thought when she bought this person's album, and some music with which I was more familiar, such as Queen. It's good to expand my Life after Layoff horizons. Even though I still couldn't understand the German words, I could at least hear them. In the rare times that I have happened to hear Gangster Rap, I wasn't able to do either.
My children have quite eclectic music taste. The oldest one loves opera. The middle one has been known to listen to Country. The youngest loves to make music, including with a dijeradoo(sp?), and has been known to travel great distances for jazz and bluegrass. The only music they have universally shunned has been gangsta rap, at least so they tell me.
This day started with me exercising, watering plants (and hoping that they last a week without watering), breakfast, packing, and while I was cleaning myself up, my daughter was cleaning the kitchen up. Packing also meant including all of the food that wouldn't last a week (or longer) for me to get back and prepare it. It also included our "eat on the road" food, our planned lunch. Since we finally got on the road at 11:30, lunch occurred before we got out of the Bay Area.
Not five minutes down the road I discovered at least one thing I left behind, my watch. My daughter offered to return and let me get it but if that is the only thing, I have other means to tell time: my cell phone, the car clock, ... Besides, if I have forgotten anything else, I won't know it until I get there and dig through everything I've packed.
About two hours out we stopped at a Starbucks. I had a venti decaf soy latte. I found out it has the same diuretic effect as caffeinated coffee. Of course, by the time that effect made itself apparent, we were in L.A. traffic. We didn't want to stop when we were moving and couldn't when we weren't. Thank goodness I got dibs on their bathroom when we arrived, before we unpacked. (My daughter, who had real coffee but just half the volume, was next in short order.) I must admit that I have thought of my Life after Layoff as holding on, just not this type of holding.
My children have quite eclectic music taste. The oldest one loves opera. The middle one has been known to listen to Country. The youngest loves to make music, including with a dijeradoo(sp?), and has been known to travel great distances for jazz and bluegrass. The only music they have universally shunned has been gangsta rap, at least so they tell me.
This day started with me exercising, watering plants (and hoping that they last a week without watering), breakfast, packing, and while I was cleaning myself up, my daughter was cleaning the kitchen up. Packing also meant including all of the food that wouldn't last a week (or longer) for me to get back and prepare it. It also included our "eat on the road" food, our planned lunch. Since we finally got on the road at 11:30, lunch occurred before we got out of the Bay Area.
Not five minutes down the road I discovered at least one thing I left behind, my watch. My daughter offered to return and let me get it but if that is the only thing, I have other means to tell time: my cell phone, the car clock, ... Besides, if I have forgotten anything else, I won't know it until I get there and dig through everything I've packed.
About two hours out we stopped at a Starbucks. I had a venti decaf soy latte. I found out it has the same diuretic effect as caffeinated coffee. Of course, by the time that effect made itself apparent, we were in L.A. traffic. We didn't want to stop when we were moving and couldn't when we weren't. Thank goodness I got dibs on their bathroom when we arrived, before we unpacked. (My daughter, who had real coffee but just half the volume, was next in short order.) I must admit that I have thought of my Life after Layoff as holding on, just not this type of holding.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Day Fifty-four: Poster done but for the taping
I had ten glossy picture papers and used Publisher to place digital pictures on ten pages. Some I cropped. All I resized to either a quarter of a page or a half page. Some I rotated, after I got smart. I used PowerPoint to generate large font text for the title, some headings, and some captions. I may wait until my daughter gets back to cut the pictures and text out and place on the display board. If she doesn't get back until late, I will "cut and paste" myself. (It's unusual to use "cut and paste" in its original meaning, although my pasting will be by double sided tape.)
I've scanned hundreds of slides; I have hundreds of digital camera pictures of Marilyn alone; I haven't even gone through all my prints; but I don't have nearly the pictures I'd like to have. Most of our lives together was spent doing, not recording. A lot of our early pictures were taken with cameras that needed adjustments to the aperture, shutter speed, ... Then on top of that I added a scanning camera that couldn't capture the contrast fully and I don't have enough documentation of the most important pieces of my life. We were always forgetting our camera. Marilyn would come out with that quote she learned from her mother: "Just hold it in your mind." I'm trying. I guess I need to add crossword puzzles to my Life after Layoff to do list. I don't want to get Alzheimer's.
I have about 25 square feet more of garage floor space. The person who tried to come by last Saturday came by today. She got quite a bargain. The wall unit I sold for $5 a section cost at least $300 a section over 20 years ago. It was still in good shape. If I could have gotten a charity to pick them up, I would have made more money in the deduction.
Unfortunately, I still have the middle of the garage to clear as well as boxes in the Living Room.
I still have the poster to put together and packing to do tonight. I feel like my children are still in junior high science. That is the last time I helped out on a poster.
I've scanned hundreds of slides; I have hundreds of digital camera pictures of Marilyn alone; I haven't even gone through all my prints; but I don't have nearly the pictures I'd like to have. Most of our lives together was spent doing, not recording. A lot of our early pictures were taken with cameras that needed adjustments to the aperture, shutter speed, ... Then on top of that I added a scanning camera that couldn't capture the contrast fully and I don't have enough documentation of the most important pieces of my life. We were always forgetting our camera. Marilyn would come out with that quote she learned from her mother: "Just hold it in your mind." I'm trying. I guess I need to add crossword puzzles to my Life after Layoff to do list. I don't want to get Alzheimer's.
I have about 25 square feet more of garage floor space. The person who tried to come by last Saturday came by today. She got quite a bargain. The wall unit I sold for $5 a section cost at least $300 a section over 20 years ago. It was still in good shape. If I could have gotten a charity to pick them up, I would have made more money in the deduction.
Unfortunately, I still have the middle of the garage to clear as well as boxes in the Living Room.
I still have the poster to put together and packing to do tonight. I feel like my children are still in junior high science. That is the last time I helped out on a poster.
Day Fifty-three: More bread
I confessed to my daughter that I had made some bread that she would've liked and ate it all. So she said, "Why don't we make some more?" Even before she ate her late dinner, we whipped up another loaf for raising.
Earlier in the day, I took a real nap. This meant that I didn't get as much done as I wanted to but what I did get done was well worth it:
I got a call from someone who will come tomorrow and take the wall unit.
I went to Staples The Office Superstore and bought a foam poster display board. (I had previously bought photo ink.)
I got the stuff off of the guest bed, which my daughter is using now.
I spent at least three hours picking my daughter up at the Oakland Airport.
Then after the bread mixing, dinner eating, and general discussion, we looked at some more of the slides. Tomorrow I will be printing a lot.
Oh yes, I made the following list, a list of what I want to do with my Life after Layoff: (It's actually a list of lists...)
Take care of the house;
Exercise;
Write/blog my Memories of Marilyn;
Start my business(es);
Continue this blog;
Study (at least a language but also whatever is required for my business); and
Have some fun!
Earlier in the day, I took a real nap. This meant that I didn't get as much done as I wanted to but what I did get done was well worth it:
I got a call from someone who will come tomorrow and take the wall unit.
I went to Staples The Office Superstore and bought a foam poster display board. (I had previously bought photo ink.)
I got the stuff off of the guest bed, which my daughter is using now.
I spent at least three hours picking my daughter up at the Oakland Airport.
Then after the bread mixing, dinner eating, and general discussion, we looked at some more of the slides. Tomorrow I will be printing a lot.
Oh yes, I made the following list, a list of what I want to do with my Life after Layoff: (It's actually a list of lists...)
Take care of the house;
Exercise;
Write/blog my Memories of Marilyn;
Start my business(es);
Continue this blog;
Study (at least a language but also whatever is required for my business); and
Have some fun!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Day Fifty-two: The perfect bread
The "Almost No Knead" bread I mixed up last night for raising, I baked this morning. It will definitely not last until my daughter, who loves olives, arrives tomorrow unless I go in there and freeze the half, or so, that remains. I waited for it to cool a little bit and then had a mid-morning snack of just the bread. While I like bread, particularly the homemade kind, and don't put a lot on more normal bread, this bread was made to be eaten by itself. Perfectly crusty. Delightfully soft inside. Tasty without being tart or salty. I got the split done right this time by wetting my knife with the water I had set to boiling before putting the pan in the oven with the bread to help its raising.
This bread snack allowed me to delay lunch while I was cooking wild rice for the Mango Black Bean Salad. I decided to make that salad as I was chopping up green onions for my flax oil base for my oil and vinegar salad dressing. Since it also takes crushed garlic, I ended up crushing a whole head, half for the flax oil and half for the Balsamic Vinaigrette I also made.
All this food discussion is just to say that I had more of the fresh olive bread in an open faced heirloom tomato sandwich, plus a large salad with radishes, "hot shot," some cherry tomatoes, and the Balsamic Vinaigrette I had just made. Then I went ahead and had some of my Mango Black Bean salad as well.
Then I had an early dinner, consisting of more Mango Black Bean salad, another slice of bread, and half a Tuscany melon. Half may have been too much but when I finished the quarter, I decided that it was so good that another quarter wouldn't be too much.
While I admit that I have spent a considerable portion of today either preparing or eating food, I have done some other things. I went to the store. Yes it was a grocery store but only one of three items was a food item. I also went to the Post Office to mail an item that was inadvertently left in my Prius to its rightful owner, presumably the person who left it. I have also spent a considerable time on three computers, one at a time, but at one time all three were on. At this moment I only have two on.
My trip to the Post Office compels me to make a special note. I like the Post Office because of its tradition of slowness. Today was no exception. When I arrived there was one clerk waiting on one person and two other people in line. Well, one was in line and the other one was finishing up a package in order to join the line. The package person went to join the line just as I did. I politely motioned her on ahead of me but she insisted I proceed ahead of her. The single person getting waited on was trying to buy 60 59 cent stamps, which the Post Office didn't carry. He ended up buying 60 58 cent stamps and 60 1 cent stamps. By this time another clerk came out from the back and started serving the person in line ahead of me. Then it was a race to see whether the multiple stamp person could complete his purchase before the new mailer could send his stuff off. The stamp person won and I stepped up for my turn.
I also like the fact that they also always ask if I want stamps. Since I have at least 200 of the forever stamps, I can say no.
Now, I didn't used to appreciate the Post Office traditions. In fact, I used to dread going to the Post Office. Admittedly, most of my previous trips were on large mailing days with much longer lines but just as slow service. The big thing that has changed is my appreciation for it. In my Life after Layoff, I am much more laid back. In my previous trips I always had something to get back to or on to. Plus, if it wasn't an errand at work, it was on the weekend and I really did want to get back to my wife or on to something fun with my wife. It's is much better now. I am much better.
Now my only concern is how I can continue this life, continue to be laid back. That is for another day, a day after September 20th. Until then, I still have a lot to do.
This bread snack allowed me to delay lunch while I was cooking wild rice for the Mango Black Bean Salad. I decided to make that salad as I was chopping up green onions for my flax oil base for my oil and vinegar salad dressing. Since it also takes crushed garlic, I ended up crushing a whole head, half for the flax oil and half for the Balsamic Vinaigrette I also made.
All this food discussion is just to say that I had more of the fresh olive bread in an open faced heirloom tomato sandwich, plus a large salad with radishes, "hot shot," some cherry tomatoes, and the Balsamic Vinaigrette I had just made. Then I went ahead and had some of my Mango Black Bean salad as well.
Then I had an early dinner, consisting of more Mango Black Bean salad, another slice of bread, and half a Tuscany melon. Half may have been too much but when I finished the quarter, I decided that it was so good that another quarter wouldn't be too much.
While I admit that I have spent a considerable portion of today either preparing or eating food, I have done some other things. I went to the store. Yes it was a grocery store but only one of three items was a food item. I also went to the Post Office to mail an item that was inadvertently left in my Prius to its rightful owner, presumably the person who left it. I have also spent a considerable time on three computers, one at a time, but at one time all three were on. At this moment I only have two on.
My trip to the Post Office compels me to make a special note. I like the Post Office because of its tradition of slowness. Today was no exception. When I arrived there was one clerk waiting on one person and two other people in line. Well, one was in line and the other one was finishing up a package in order to join the line. The package person went to join the line just as I did. I politely motioned her on ahead of me but she insisted I proceed ahead of her. The single person getting waited on was trying to buy 60 59 cent stamps, which the Post Office didn't carry. He ended up buying 60 58 cent stamps and 60 1 cent stamps. By this time another clerk came out from the back and started serving the person in line ahead of me. Then it was a race to see whether the multiple stamp person could complete his purchase before the new mailer could send his stuff off. The stamp person won and I stepped up for my turn.
I also like the fact that they also always ask if I want stamps. Since I have at least 200 of the forever stamps, I can say no.
Now, I didn't used to appreciate the Post Office traditions. In fact, I used to dread going to the Post Office. Admittedly, most of my previous trips were on large mailing days with much longer lines but just as slow service. The big thing that has changed is my appreciation for it. In my Life after Layoff, I am much more laid back. In my previous trips I always had something to get back to or on to. Plus, if it wasn't an errand at work, it was on the weekend and I really did want to get back to my wife or on to something fun with my wife. It's is much better now. I am much better.
Now my only concern is how I can continue this life, continue to be laid back. That is for another day, a day after September 20th. Until then, I still have a lot to do.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Day Fifty-one: Plant care
The best thing you can say about my plant care is that my recent lack of care doesn't appear to have killed anything new. I know when I've gone too long without watering when the bird bath is dry. I had to water both front and back today. I still haven't started watering the yard itself. To do that regularly, I still need to get another hose. I'm planning on watering Sunday morning before I leave for San Diego via Pasadena, but I don't know whether or not the plants will last over seven days.
I picked up my suits today and called for my new toilet. It's now been three weeks for a two week delivery. According to my online credit card report, they already have my money.
When I checked my former work email today, there was a request to do a last task, a partial review of the people who reported to me. I don't see how I can get it done before I get back from San Diego, or even started for that matter. To my surprise, there is still old work in my Life after Layoff.
I'm trying to make some olive bread. I left out the Parmesan and rosemary but added the olives. I thought about making an olive whole wheat but decided I should just vary one ingredient. The next time I make it, I will use already pitted olives. The Rosemary, Olive, Parmesan bread called for green olives. I had some I needed to use but the greens hold on to their pits a lot more.
I hope there is some left of the bread for my oldest daughter to try. Not only should I not eat it all, ever since she was a toddler, she has liked olives. I used to have an olive snack and she would want to eat what I was eating. So I gave her one. She made a face and asked for another one. Now she is an olive gourmet. I think of this because I am picking her up Friday night. Saturday, maybe even Friday night, she is to go visit her best friend who is around from Sweden for a brief time. I need to at least wash her ride's windows.
Today, though, I bought and ate some food. I washed a couple loads of clothes. I finished catching up in my blogs. And, I'm going to go to bed, in my now clean bed, early. Forget the Olympics. But wait, the women's beach volleyball gold is supposed to be on.
I picked up my suits today and called for my new toilet. It's now been three weeks for a two week delivery. According to my online credit card report, they already have my money.
When I checked my former work email today, there was a request to do a last task, a partial review of the people who reported to me. I don't see how I can get it done before I get back from San Diego, or even started for that matter. To my surprise, there is still old work in my Life after Layoff.
I'm trying to make some olive bread. I left out the Parmesan and rosemary but added the olives. I thought about making an olive whole wheat but decided I should just vary one ingredient. The next time I make it, I will use already pitted olives. The Rosemary, Olive, Parmesan bread called for green olives. I had some I needed to use but the greens hold on to their pits a lot more.
I hope there is some left of the bread for my oldest daughter to try. Not only should I not eat it all, ever since she was a toddler, she has liked olives. I used to have an olive snack and she would want to eat what I was eating. So I gave her one. She made a face and asked for another one. Now she is an olive gourmet. I think of this because I am picking her up Friday night. Saturday, maybe even Friday night, she is to go visit her best friend who is around from Sweden for a brief time. I need to at least wash her ride's windows.
Today, though, I bought and ate some food. I washed a couple loads of clothes. I finished catching up in my blogs. And, I'm going to go to bed, in my now clean bed, early. Forget the Olympics. But wait, the women's beach volleyball gold is supposed to be on.
Day Fifty: And two llamas
It rained quite a bit over night. The air was cleared of smoke and ash. The dirt had the dust settled but generally hadn't made it all the way to mud, also helped by the very rocky ground. So, my pre-breakfast walk was quite enjoyable in the clear air and crisp coolness. (I was glad I had a jacket.) The rain excuse allowed me to avoid all tall grasses, which also had the benefit of avoiding the shoe sucking bottomless spring fed mud pits. (Not my story to tell.)
After breakfast, we cleaned the place. With so many hands it didn't take long. I seriously thought to invite the whole crew to my place for just such a cleaning. It's going to take me considerably longer as I have a lot more stuff than just what four cars could carry in for a few days.
Then it was back on the road for the reverse trek. We all left around noon, the official check out time.
The trip consisted of new sights and perspectives, including seeing two llamas that I missed driving in because of all the sheep that I was looking at at the time. Since my smoke plume picture came out so well, taken through my windshield, I attempted to take some more pictures: The Dalles, near Klamath Falls, and Mount Shasta from the side I had never seen before. I missed several other photo ops because of their fleeting nature at the speed I was traveling and because I didn't think of it until, well two hundred miles into the trip.
There was a lot of construction going on. For the most part, I made it through the spots in good order. In one short stretch near The Dalles, they were single "laning." I was the last car they let through going my direction and I didn't need to stop at all. It would have been a considerable wait, if I had to be the first car of the next pass.
Just across the California-Oregon border is the town of Dorris. I first made note of it when I saw the curfew sign of 10:00 PM. Then the three right angle turns in 97 going through the town caught my eye. I didn't particularly pay attention to them driving up, but then I didn't have three semis in front of me oozing around them at the rapid speed of at least 15 MPH. To top it off, there was a truck only agricultural inspection station just outside the town. While it was a short line, the trucks were long enough that the last one extended out onto the road and entirely blocked my direction. After a short wait to allow the oncoming truck to get by me, I swung out across the double yellow line in time to have a truck exiting the inspection station pull out in front of me. The driver was unexpectedly but very appreciated courteous as he swung over on the wide shoulder to allow me to pass. I'm sure he didn't see my appreciative wave through my extra tinted window.
I got to the City of Mount Shasta right at 5:30 PM. So, I decided to eat at the Billy Goat Cafe again, even though I had been eating the whole drive thus far. Since they didn't have lemonade, I had two glasses of Ice Tea to help combat the food coma that could have jeopardized the rest of the drive. Even with the construction reducing traffic to single lanes in several spots on I-5, even with the stopping for food I didn't need but enjoyed, even with the earlier rest stop and buying gas twice, I made it home by 11:00 PM.
Now, I can't really know for certain that my after five tea caffeine kept me awake on the drive more than normal. It could have very well been my listening to Take on the Street, or my ability to drive without sunglasses due to the clouds and then the dark, but, I did stay up for a couple hours after I got home.
I'm looking forward to doing more of this driving, including longer motorcycle treks. I really do hope to be spending a good bit of my Life after Layoff on the road.
After breakfast, we cleaned the place. With so many hands it didn't take long. I seriously thought to invite the whole crew to my place for just such a cleaning. It's going to take me considerably longer as I have a lot more stuff than just what four cars could carry in for a few days.
Then it was back on the road for the reverse trek. We all left around noon, the official check out time.
The trip consisted of new sights and perspectives, including seeing two llamas that I missed driving in because of all the sheep that I was looking at at the time. Since my smoke plume picture came out so well, taken through my windshield, I attempted to take some more pictures: The Dalles, near Klamath Falls, and Mount Shasta from the side I had never seen before. I missed several other photo ops because of their fleeting nature at the speed I was traveling and because I didn't think of it until, well two hundred miles into the trip.There was a lot of construction going on. For the most part, I made it through the spots in good order. In one short stretch near The Dalles, they were single "laning." I was the last car they let through going my direction and I didn't need to stop at all. It would have been a considerable wait, if I had to be the first car of the next pass.
Just across the California-Oregon border is the town of Dorris. I first made note of it when I saw the curfew sign of 10:00 PM. Then the three right angle turns in 97 going through the town caught my eye. I didn't particularly pay attention to them driving up, but then I didn't have three semis in front of me oozing around them at the rapid speed of at least 15 MPH. To top it off, there was a truck only agricultural inspection station just outside the town. While it was a short line, the trucks were long enough that the last one extended out onto the road and entirely blocked my direction. After a short wait to allow the oncoming truck to get by me, I swung out across the double yellow line in time to have a truck exiting the inspection station pull out in front of me. The driver was unexpectedly but very appreciated courteous as he swung over on the wide shoulder to allow me to pass. I'm sure he didn't see my appreciative wave through my extra tinted window.
I got to the City of Mount Shasta right at 5:30 PM. So, I decided to eat at the Billy Goat Cafe again, even though I had been eating the whole drive thus far. Since they didn't have lemonade, I had two glasses of Ice Tea to help combat the food coma that could have jeopardized the rest of the drive. Even with the construction reducing traffic to single lanes in several spots on I-5, even with the stopping for food I didn't need but enjoyed, even with the earlier rest stop and buying gas twice, I made it home by 11:00 PM.
Now, I can't really know for certain that my after five tea caffeine kept me awake on the drive more than normal. It could have very well been my listening to Take on the Street, or my ability to drive without sunglasses due to the clouds and then the dark, but, I did stay up for a couple hours after I got home.
I'm looking forward to doing more of this driving, including longer motorcycle treks. I really do hope to be spending a good bit of my Life after Layoff on the road.
Day Forty-nine: Ash Monday
The cabin that my son-in-law's mother rented for this extended family, really extended by inviting me, get together had three bedrooms with two twin beds in each. So when another couple joined us yesterday, it made sense to give them a bedroom. I was going to join my daughter and her husband outside. (They were sleeping in their two person Pacific Crest Trail ready tent, small and light. Since there were literally no bugs, I was just going to sleep under the stars.)
Once we had taken the walk last night, my daughter over ruled my sleeping under the stars for fear that the ash would get in my eyes, nose, and mouth. When that argument didn't seem to be working, she said she didn't want her sleeping bag, that I was using, to get ash all over it. So, I slept in the little porch.
We drove to White Fir Springs for Agate Rock hunting. About 0.3 miles from the public hunting grounds, we read the directions that it was 4.8 miles from the last paved road. I was convinced that we had gone much further than that and must have missed it. So, we turned around and made it all the way back to the paved road without seeing it. We measured it going back in with one of the trip-ometers.
We found some pretty rocks, once they were split or washed, and lots of ugly ones. This actually was the second time in this day I was rock finding. Earlier, when I joined a couple for a pre-breakfast walk, I found a rock that has to prove the existence of rock worms. (It is a volcanic rock with lots of little holes.)
On Coyle Creek Road, a dirt road short cut between 42 and 26, we noticed piles and piles of horse manure. Some of us were positing that they must be the deposits of wild horses reputed to be in the area. Others were claiming that they were the horse trailer cleaning residue from riding steeds brought into the area by owners eager to take advantage of the numerous horse trails in the area. On our way back from the agate beds, we saw a wild stallion and his harem, putting to rest exactly which horses made the horse trails and piles of ... (I can't pass up this analogy. My Life after Layoff is "wild." You probably thought I was going to say "full of crap.")
Played games and ate the rest of the day. I lost at 42 in spite of my partner, my daughter, and lost to my daughter a couple games of Mancala. Dinner was another winner, cajun beans and rice.
Once we had taken the walk last night, my daughter over ruled my sleeping under the stars for fear that the ash would get in my eyes, nose, and mouth. When that argument didn't seem to be working, she said she didn't want her sleeping bag, that I was using, to get ash all over it. So, I slept in the little porch.
We drove to White Fir Springs for Agate Rock hunting. About 0.3 miles from the public hunting grounds, we read the directions that it was 4.8 miles from the last paved road. I was convinced that we had gone much further than that and must have missed it. So, we turned around and made it all the way back to the paved road without seeing it. We measured it going back in with one of the trip-ometers.
We found some pretty rocks, once they were split or washed, and lots of ugly ones. This actually was the second time in this day I was rock finding. Earlier, when I joined a couple for a pre-breakfast walk, I found a rock that has to prove the existence of rock worms. (It is a volcanic rock with lots of little holes.)
On Coyle Creek Road, a dirt road short cut between 42 and 26, we noticed piles and piles of horse manure. Some of us were positing that they must be the deposits of wild horses reputed to be in the area. Others were claiming that they were the horse trailer cleaning residue from riding steeds brought into the area by owners eager to take advantage of the numerous horse trails in the area. On our way back from the agate beds, we saw a wild stallion and his harem, putting to rest exactly which horses made the horse trails and piles of ... (I can't pass up this analogy. My Life after Layoff is "wild." You probably thought I was going to say "full of crap.")Played games and ate the rest of the day. I lost at 42 in spite of my partner, my daughter, and lost to my daughter a couple games of Mancala. Dinner was another winner, cajun beans and rice.
Day Forty-eight: "Off-roading" in a Prius
I woke up to gravel crunching and looked out the window to my son-in-law and his father loading up the newly refurbished canoe to go fly fishing. While I was up for good, I didn't run out to join them on their fish quest.
Instead, I joined the second expedition out the door to hike, well more of an educational walk, around the Bane Berry Nature Loop and the Independent and Blue Ridge mines. (I still don't know what they mined.) I kept wondering what the red berries were, then we came upon a nature sign that told us. They were Bane Berries. We don't know whether the white ones were an albino mutation, a different stage of the same berry, or a snow berry.
After a lunch of tomato and mustard sandwiches, we headed off to Lake Walton for canoeing (and swimming). My daughter "guilted" me into swimming across the lake, if you can call what I did swimming. It was at least 200 yards regardless of the real distance because I definitely didn't go straight across. I was a little concerned with the circling buzzards. Once we got across, the sag canoe came by and got us back to the starting side.
We also saw a number of tanker planes over flying us to drop their loads on at least one of the three fires in the area.
My daughter drove one of the cars back and missed the turn that would have taken us back to the paved road. This led to a back road adventure that didn't involve paving. We obviously made it.
Dinner was my daughter, son-in-law, and my turn. They supplied a great Caribbean Black Bean soup with all kinds of fresh toppings. I supplied the baked goods: the "Almost No Knead" bread, chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, and cupcake toppings (raspberries, peaches, chocolate granache, and fluffy buttercream frosting). I'm eating too well in this Life after Layoff.
Almost all of us took a walk in the well moon lit dark after dinner to see if we could see the glow of any of the fires. We couldn't see a glow but could definitely see the ash falling like a light snow and smell the smoke.
Instead, I joined the second expedition out the door to hike, well more of an educational walk, around the Bane Berry Nature Loop and the Independent and Blue Ridge mines. (I still don't know what they mined.) I kept wondering what the red berries were, then we came upon a nature sign that told us. They were Bane Berries. We don't know whether the white ones were an albino mutation, a different stage of the same berry, or a snow berry.
After a lunch of tomato and mustard sandwiches, we headed off to Lake Walton for canoeing (and swimming). My daughter "guilted" me into swimming across the lake, if you can call what I did swimming. It was at least 200 yards regardless of the real distance because I definitely didn't go straight across. I was a little concerned with the circling buzzards. Once we got across, the sag canoe came by and got us back to the starting side.We also saw a number of tanker planes over flying us to drop their loads on at least one of the three fires in the area.
My daughter drove one of the cars back and missed the turn that would have taken us back to the paved road. This led to a back road adventure that didn't involve paving. We obviously made it.
Dinner was my daughter, son-in-law, and my turn. They supplied a great Caribbean Black Bean soup with all kinds of fresh toppings. I supplied the baked goods: the "Almost No Knead" bread, chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, and cupcake toppings (raspberries, peaches, chocolate granache, and fluffy buttercream frosting). I'm eating too well in this Life after Layoff.
Almost all of us took a walk in the well moon lit dark after dinner to see if we could see the glow of any of the fires. We couldn't see a glow but could definitely see the ash falling like a light snow and smell the smoke.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Day Forty-seven: 600 miles in 10 hours
Toward the end of the trip, I finally thought to take out my camera and take this picture. At the time I wasn't really sure what it was but later I could tell that it was smoke from a fire. Before this sight, I saw goats, cows, sheep, and deer (one of which ran across the road just in front of me). I saw new places that were truly spectacular, such as: the high desert from Weed, California, to the Oregon border; coming off the butte into Prineville, Oregon.
In Prineville, I saw a church sign that asked: "Where will you be sitting in eternity? Smoking or non-smoking?
In the 10 hours of driving, I made a long call to my parents and a short call to my daughter to make sure I had the directions to the place. I also listened to all but the last hour of the audio book, Gut Feelings. My iPod ran out of juice or I could have finished that book, finally. It's quite academic but really does make the case for instincts, approximations, and, well, gut feelings.
After Prineville, I drove an extra 10 miles as I missed my right turn 16 miles beyond Prineville onto OR 23. My real problem was knowing where the mileage started in Prineville. That and there wasn't any road sign that said "23." After five miles and deciding that the road I didn't turn on must have been the one I wanted, I turned around and took the road. This time I noticed an "Ochoco RS" sign, which I finally interpreted as "Ranger Station." Yes, the correct spelling is "Ochoco," not the Ococho spelling of my previous entries.
My next turn was to be 31 miles down this road. A couple miles short of that distance, I saw my daughter the side of the road. So after I realized it was her and backed up, I followed her down the only dirt road, a very dry dusty dirt road, that my Prius had ever been on. I certainly wouldn't have found the place without her.
It's the importance of family Life after Layoff to get me where I need to go.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Day Forty-six: Baking and mixing
The first thing I did this morning was wash the dishes that I needed to use immediately for the next thing I did. The next thing was mix up the dough for the artisan bread, two loaves, and set them to rise. Then I fixed breakfast, ate and washed those dishes.
I went in to my bedroom to exercise but ended up not doing it. I did stretch my legs a little bit. I'm finding that I sleep better when my legs are stretched. I may do so again tonight before I go to bed. Instead of exercising, I read a few political blogs and before I knew it, it was time for lunch. For lunch I had Amy's chili. It's a vegan chili with soy and beans. (Even though I did have Beano, I can attest that they are indeed the musical fruit.)
Immediately after lunch, I went out to get Earth Balance margarine and Spectrum shortening. (I also picked up a couple paper bread bags from Safeway.) Once I got them home, I mixed up a couple toppings for my cupcakes: Fluffy Buttercream Frosting and Rich Chocolate Ganache Topping. I have some raspberries that I hope lasts to add to the "Chocolate Ganache." I have a chocolate candy bar to grate some chocolate on at least the buttercream frosting. I don't know whether or not it will go with the ganache.
The dinners are shared but breakfasts and lunches are individual responsibilities. I'm taking soup, fruit, snack bars, trail mix, and did I say fruit. For sharing, I'm taking cupcakes, bread, and ginger bread. I can and will share the fruit as well. I have peaches, bananas, apples, and plums. If the raspberries don't last, I can do what I was going to do with them with the peaches.
Then I had to knead, set to the final raise, and finally bake the bread. The bread certainly rose. It reached the top of the containers and really closed up the slit I put in the top. I suppose that the bread is cool enough to put into the bags.
Dinner was a salad, a separate dish of kale, and a cherry soy yogurt. Dessert was grapes, which I'm still eating on. My choice had everything to do with wanting to use up food that I didn't think would last until I got back as well as food that didn't take a lot of preparation.
This makes the third road trip I will have been on. It is good practice for my month of traveling I'm planning in December. It didn't use to be so difficult, but then I didn't appreciate all that Marilyn did to prepare. It was auto-magic. Now it seems that my Life after Layoff is always preparing. I have a lot to do in the next month. Thank goodness a lot of it is preparing for fun.
Now I need to go in and print out the directions on how to get to the Ococho's.
I went in to my bedroom to exercise but ended up not doing it. I did stretch my legs a little bit. I'm finding that I sleep better when my legs are stretched. I may do so again tonight before I go to bed. Instead of exercising, I read a few political blogs and before I knew it, it was time for lunch. For lunch I had Amy's chili. It's a vegan chili with soy and beans. (Even though I did have Beano, I can attest that they are indeed the musical fruit.)
Immediately after lunch, I went out to get Earth Balance margarine and Spectrum shortening. (I also picked up a couple paper bread bags from Safeway.) Once I got them home, I mixed up a couple toppings for my cupcakes: Fluffy Buttercream Frosting and Rich Chocolate Ganache Topping. I have some raspberries that I hope lasts to add to the "Chocolate Ganache." I have a chocolate candy bar to grate some chocolate on at least the buttercream frosting. I don't know whether or not it will go with the ganache.
The dinners are shared but breakfasts and lunches are individual responsibilities. I'm taking soup, fruit, snack bars, trail mix, and did I say fruit. For sharing, I'm taking cupcakes, bread, and ginger bread. I can and will share the fruit as well. I have peaches, bananas, apples, and plums. If the raspberries don't last, I can do what I was going to do with them with the peaches.
Then I had to knead, set to the final raise, and finally bake the bread. The bread certainly rose. It reached the top of the containers and really closed up the slit I put in the top. I suppose that the bread is cool enough to put into the bags.
Dinner was a salad, a separate dish of kale, and a cherry soy yogurt. Dessert was grapes, which I'm still eating on. My choice had everything to do with wanting to use up food that I didn't think would last until I got back as well as food that didn't take a lot of preparation.
This makes the third road trip I will have been on. It is good practice for my month of traveling I'm planning in December. It didn't use to be so difficult, but then I didn't appreciate all that Marilyn did to prepare. It was auto-magic. Now it seems that my Life after Layoff is always preparing. I have a lot to do in the next month. Thank goodness a lot of it is preparing for fun.
Now I need to go in and print out the directions on how to get to the Ococho's.
Day Forty-five: Baking sweets
Today I really made a mess of the kitchen. I made two kinds of cupcakes, at the same time. The vanilla cupcakes had a cup and a quarter of flour. The chocolate only had a cup of flour. This was made up by the 1/3 cup of cacao powder. So, the very first thing I did was put the chocolate in the bowl with the cup and a quarter of flour. After salvaging as much as I could of the chocolate and putting it the right bowl, I finally figured out that all I had to do was set the flour laced with chocolate aside and start the vanilla cupcakes over.
That wasn't the only faux pas. When I was placing the chocolate cupcake batter into the papers, I got my scoop too close the paper. It touched. Thus, when I pulled the scoop back up to shake the right amount of batter into the paper, I pulled one side of the paper up. This dumped the batter into the pan and left me with 11, not 12 cupcakes. So with the chocolate cupcakes I didn't eat from my earlier experiment with coffee, I have 20 chocolate cupcakes and 12 vanilla cupcakes. Tomorrow I make bread and the cupcake topping.
I also made my Food for Life Ginger Bread. The oven was going for over an hour. Thank goodness I live in Pacifica. I think the high today was 73.
Many of these entries are being written the following day. Even so, I haven't written why, until now. I've been staying up watching the Olympics. Since I'm getting up at the same time, or close to it, I'm tired. This has led to a nap in the afternoon for a couple of the days, unfortunately not long enough. I can't wait until I don't have anything to do, like watch the Olympics, and can get a normal night's sleep. It will have to be that way tomorrow night as I will be driving on Saturday and certainly don't want to do that tired.
I must admit that as good as this break has been, so far, I'm beginning to look forward to doing something. Right now, it still is not trading time for money but I can't wait to get to the defining of my business and actually getting into doing it, the business of Life after Layoff.
That wasn't the only faux pas. When I was placing the chocolate cupcake batter into the papers, I got my scoop too close the paper. It touched. Thus, when I pulled the scoop back up to shake the right amount of batter into the paper, I pulled one side of the paper up. This dumped the batter into the pan and left me with 11, not 12 cupcakes. So with the chocolate cupcakes I didn't eat from my earlier experiment with coffee, I have 20 chocolate cupcakes and 12 vanilla cupcakes. Tomorrow I make bread and the cupcake topping.
I also made my Food for Life Ginger Bread. The oven was going for over an hour. Thank goodness I live in Pacifica. I think the high today was 73.
Many of these entries are being written the following day. Even so, I haven't written why, until now. I've been staying up watching the Olympics. Since I'm getting up at the same time, or close to it, I'm tired. This has led to a nap in the afternoon for a couple of the days, unfortunately not long enough. I can't wait until I don't have anything to do, like watch the Olympics, and can get a normal night's sleep. It will have to be that way tomorrow night as I will be driving on Saturday and certainly don't want to do that tired.
I must admit that as good as this break has been, so far, I'm beginning to look forward to doing something. Right now, it still is not trading time for money but I can't wait to get to the defining of my business and actually getting into doing it, the business of Life after Layoff.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Day Forty-four: Same-o same-o
Today wasn't quite the same old thing as I got up at 5:00 AM, to an alarm clock. Well, a timer that happened to be set for nine hours. Last night I prepared some slow-cook steel cut oatmeal in my crock pot. The instructions said to cook for eight to nine hours on low. Eight PM to Five AM is nine hours. I thought about putting it on later. The reason I set the timer was that previous non-timed slow cooking had resulted in crusty sides. The sides were still crusty but came off easier.
After my early morning breakfast, I went back to bed for a couple more hours.
I'm still scanning slides. It's slow going due to the nature of the mechanics of the slide scanning but also because I still have to take breaks. The memories are overwhelming sometimes.
Some good news, I found a poster template on Microsoft Publisher. I haven't started placing pictures and words on it but I can print it on 8 1/2 by 11 paper. I may see if Staples can print it on a full sized poster. I don't know whether to title it "30 years of love and joy" or "59 years of love and joy." I can scan pictures from earlier in her life, but it may be too much to cover.
Time is getting short. I need to get cooking, literally. Tomorrow I'm planning on making more cupcakes and Friday, baking bread. Saturday, I will be driving. I'll take my notepad so I can take notes and complete my daily blog entries after the fact, again.
Between cooking and cleaning, sleeping and reading, working and TV watching, I don't know where the day went. (Well, I really do but need to do better.) I guess planning needs to become my way of Life after Layoff.
After my early morning breakfast, I went back to bed for a couple more hours.
I'm still scanning slides. It's slow going due to the nature of the mechanics of the slide scanning but also because I still have to take breaks. The memories are overwhelming sometimes.
Some good news, I found a poster template on Microsoft Publisher. I haven't started placing pictures and words on it but I can print it on 8 1/2 by 11 paper. I may see if Staples can print it on a full sized poster. I don't know whether to title it "30 years of love and joy" or "59 years of love and joy." I can scan pictures from earlier in her life, but it may be too much to cover.
Time is getting short. I need to get cooking, literally. Tomorrow I'm planning on making more cupcakes and Friday, baking bread. Saturday, I will be driving. I'll take my notepad so I can take notes and complete my daily blog entries after the fact, again.
Between cooking and cleaning, sleeping and reading, working and TV watching, I don't know where the day went. (Well, I really do but need to do better.) I guess planning needs to become my way of Life after Layoff.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Day Forty-three: Cooking for one
I don't know how to cook for one. I may have already said this in an earlier entry but it bears repeating because I still haven't learned. Besides, cooking takes so much time, even when I don't do the cleanup right away. Since I'm not cooking for one, I'm eating for more than one.
For example, I made the basic vegan chocolate cupcakes again. I left out a portion of the oil and added instant coffee in a heaping teaspoon, about the coffee recommended for one cup. The cupcakes were quite good. So good in fact that I snacked all afternoon on three of them. Only on the first one did I have the soy yogurt and raspberries accompaniment I picked up for them. The coffee really does enhance the chocolate flavor. It also helps keep me awake.
But the real point is that except for truly large portions designed for multiple meals, I tend to fix one dish meals, not that they all are a dietary variety in one dish. My lunch was the rest of the Mango Black Bean salad. My dinner is one butternut squash, cooked with green onions, raisins, and fresh ground black pepper. I would have added some orange juice, if I had had any but it was fairly good.
With my turning to steel cut (Irish) oats for breakfast, I let my normal oat supply drop below some recipes' requirements. So, when I went out for my instant coffee, I got some Old Fashion Oats as well. Now I can make the Spicy Mole Oatmeal Chili.
Cooking for one, eating for two (or more) is really the Life after Layoff. Eating more means I need to exercise more, which after a two day break, I did again this morning.
It hit me yesterday, but I didn't say anything about it when I wrote about yesterday. Yesterday was the end of six weeks of not working. It has passed very quickly and I don't have nearly as much done for all that time as I would have liked. I keep telling myself that I'll get better. In fact, I am looking forward to September for a couple of reasons: The big one is my son's wedding and seeing everyone who is coming out for it. Next in line to that is starting to work on my longer term making money to continue the better Life after Layoff.
For example, I made the basic vegan chocolate cupcakes again. I left out a portion of the oil and added instant coffee in a heaping teaspoon, about the coffee recommended for one cup. The cupcakes were quite good. So good in fact that I snacked all afternoon on three of them. Only on the first one did I have the soy yogurt and raspberries accompaniment I picked up for them. The coffee really does enhance the chocolate flavor. It also helps keep me awake.
But the real point is that except for truly large portions designed for multiple meals, I tend to fix one dish meals, not that they all are a dietary variety in one dish. My lunch was the rest of the Mango Black Bean salad. My dinner is one butternut squash, cooked with green onions, raisins, and fresh ground black pepper. I would have added some orange juice, if I had had any but it was fairly good.
With my turning to steel cut (Irish) oats for breakfast, I let my normal oat supply drop below some recipes' requirements. So, when I went out for my instant coffee, I got some Old Fashion Oats as well. Now I can make the Spicy Mole Oatmeal Chili.
Cooking for one, eating for two (or more) is really the Life after Layoff. Eating more means I need to exercise more, which after a two day break, I did again this morning.
It hit me yesterday, but I didn't say anything about it when I wrote about yesterday. Yesterday was the end of six weeks of not working. It has passed very quickly and I don't have nearly as much done for all that time as I would have liked. I keep telling myself that I'll get better. In fact, I am looking forward to September for a couple of reasons: The big one is my son's wedding and seeing everyone who is coming out for it. Next in line to that is starting to work on my longer term making money to continue the better Life after Layoff.
Day Forty-two: Fat pills
When my one great weakness is combined with fresh and homemade, I get undisciplined consumption. I'm talking about bread, homemade artisan bread. Today I baked the 1/3 whole wheat bread that I had mixed up the night before. I took special care to try and create an oval loaf to see whether or not I could. (I have two pans that can bake this bread. The round one worked well but I was unsure about the oval one due to forming the bread while it was rising. It worked, but I ended up using the same rising pan as I had for the round loaf I made last week.)
When I got up I went into the kitchen first thing, did my ten kneads, and popped it back in the oven for the two hour raising. It was all baked by 10:30 AM. I let it cool for about a half and hour and then had an early taste, which led to an early lunch, and another slice. After lunch I had an afternoon snack of another slice. I had a slice with dinner, then another as a bedtime snack. Homemade bread is the bread of Life after Layoff.
My morning started at a normal time, even though I had stayed up until about 1:00 AM finishing a book re-read. Except for the bread and dishes and laundry and plant watering and trash can retrieval, I didn't do all that much. Yes, there is continuing trying to sell. Tomorrow will be more focused on accomplishment rather than maintenance.
When I got up I went into the kitchen first thing, did my ten kneads, and popped it back in the oven for the two hour raising. It was all baked by 10:30 AM. I let it cool for about a half and hour and then had an early taste, which led to an early lunch, and another slice. After lunch I had an afternoon snack of another slice. I had a slice with dinner, then another as a bedtime snack. Homemade bread is the bread of Life after Layoff.
My morning started at a normal time, even though I had stayed up until about 1:00 AM finishing a book re-read. Except for the bread and dishes and laundry and plant watering and trash can retrieval, I didn't do all that much. Yes, there is continuing trying to sell. Tomorrow will be more focused on accomplishment rather than maintenance.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Day Forty-one: Really cooking?
Today was one of those "best intentions" days. I intended to spend most of the day cooking. What little I did cook, was warming some soup out of a can. I did prepare some "Almost No Knead" bread for baking tomorrow. I substituted one third of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. I'll see tomorrow how that affects the bread. I also cooked some wild rice for the Mango Black Bean salad. This salad required that I go to the grocery store for some green onions, which was done under a time crunch.
Just before I headed out, I got an email saying that if I were at my house between 12 and 2, someone would come and get the desk. So, I raced down to the grocery store to get my onions. (Racing is only figurative. I stayed within the speed limit, well, close to the speed limit.) I would have had more time, if I hadn't bought other things.
I made it back in time. The person who picked it up came on behalf of his wife. He didn't even check it over.
Then, I get an email asking whether or not I could deliver the wall unit. Now, this is a wall unit whose original cost was over $1,500 over 20 years ago. I'd asked $25 for it just so someone else would haul it away. The person who sent me the email offered to "pay" extra. I said that it could take two trips and I would need help loading and unloading. I really want to get rid of them because I don't have a place for them anymore.
Then toward the end of the day, I got an email on the suede sofa. At the true end of the day, I got an email that confused me. It appeared to be the answers to questions that were earlier in the chain but I hadn't gotten the original questions. Since they were questions on smoking and pets, it gave me a good idea on how to "enhance" my postings. You might say that getting rid of this stuff should enhance my Life after Layoff.
Except for the mini-fridge, I haven't gotten rid of anything from the garage. I need to clear out the garage, and that suede sofa to do the things I need to do to make this place more livable. The bedroom stuff is for further future.
I did remember to get the trash out this week. I decided not to give them the styrofoam from the shed packing. I'll see if Coastside Scavenger will take it for recycling.
Just before I headed out, I got an email saying that if I were at my house between 12 and 2, someone would come and get the desk. So, I raced down to the grocery store to get my onions. (Racing is only figurative. I stayed within the speed limit, well, close to the speed limit.) I would have had more time, if I hadn't bought other things.
I made it back in time. The person who picked it up came on behalf of his wife. He didn't even check it over.
Then, I get an email asking whether or not I could deliver the wall unit. Now, this is a wall unit whose original cost was over $1,500 over 20 years ago. I'd asked $25 for it just so someone else would haul it away. The person who sent me the email offered to "pay" extra. I said that it could take two trips and I would need help loading and unloading. I really want to get rid of them because I don't have a place for them anymore.
Then toward the end of the day, I got an email on the suede sofa. At the true end of the day, I got an email that confused me. It appeared to be the answers to questions that were earlier in the chain but I hadn't gotten the original questions. Since they were questions on smoking and pets, it gave me a good idea on how to "enhance" my postings. You might say that getting rid of this stuff should enhance my Life after Layoff.
Except for the mini-fridge, I haven't gotten rid of anything from the garage. I need to clear out the garage, and that suede sofa to do the things I need to do to make this place more livable. The bedroom stuff is for further future.
I did remember to get the trash out this week. I decided not to give them the styrofoam from the shed packing. I'll see if Coastside Scavenger will take it for recycling.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Day Forty: Stuck at home selling
I'm not a good bargainer. Basically I'm taking whatever I'm offered. The smaller stuff is selling because so far the only people taking anything are picking it up in their cars. It's a good thing I put the dimensions in my Craig's List posting. Well, the cheapest stuff is selling. Tomorrow I hope to get rid of the FREE coffee table and matching end tables along with the now $25 desk.
One of the things already gone was the most useful of the items, the end table in the guest bedroom. That carried a lamp, with a CFL, is now on the bed with a lot of other stuff from the dresser's drawers. I may need to buy some more boxes.
I'm also going to dramatically lower my prices for the rest of the items. It is more important to get rid of them than to make a lot of money. I hope the lower prices encourage people with trucks or trailers to come and haul them away.
After the disposal, I then need to get the stuff that they made room for, which will allow getting rid of still more stuff. This cycle of disposal and acquisition loses money on every part of it, but that appears to be life, Life after Layoff. I just hope that it changes, or at least slows. It will have to, at least by the time I run out.
I have fewer slides to scan, but I still have some. Tomorrow's a cooking day. Next week is a cooking week.
One of the things already gone was the most useful of the items, the end table in the guest bedroom. That carried a lamp, with a CFL, is now on the bed with a lot of other stuff from the dresser's drawers. I may need to buy some more boxes.
I'm also going to dramatically lower my prices for the rest of the items. It is more important to get rid of them than to make a lot of money. I hope the lower prices encourage people with trucks or trailers to come and haul them away.
After the disposal, I then need to get the stuff that they made room for, which will allow getting rid of still more stuff. This cycle of disposal and acquisition loses money on every part of it, but that appears to be life, Life after Layoff. I just hope that it changes, or at least slows. It will have to, at least by the time I run out.
I have fewer slides to scan, but I still have some. Tomorrow's a cooking day. Next week is a cooking week.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Day Thirty-nine: Selling and dumping
After several tries at posting on Craig's List from my MacBook and Safari browser, I burned a CD of my pictures and went to my PC laptop. I would like to say that they posted right away but after the fourth post, I stopped receiving the emails in my AOL account. Finally I figured out that my PC (or AOL) had frozen. So, I restarted my browser and resigned into AOL and there were my other posts to publish.
I even had my first nibble. The whole family came but decided not to buy the bedroom matching desk, dresser, and nightstand because the drawer bottoms were too thin. Before they came, I put some lemon oil on the tops and got rid of some water rings. I also emptied out the drawers and vacuumed them. I even moved the nightstand out. I was surprised to find under the nightstand the old DVD remote that I spent over $100 replacing. Now I have two for a DVD player that I haven't watched in months. I think I'll leave both of them in the guest bedroom, where the DVD player is, so that couples can fight over fast forwarding and pausing.
I also found some yoga videos for a VHS player that I don't have. I even did morning yoga with my daughters once or twice in Fremont. I'm much less limber than I was then and I wasn't very.
This morning I also made a trip to the landfill with all the sod I lifted for my stepping stones and bark. Since I was dumping dirt, you might say that it was land I was filling with land. It was much easier lifting the dirt into the truck, and back out again, than it was moving it to the side of the house. (I only needed to do this because I forgot to take out the trash last weekend. I've gotten out of the habit with my several weekends away.) I feel that my morning exercising is showing benefits already. If I keep it up, I may not be able to fit into my newly altered suits.
My lesson of the day is that Life after Layoff is a hard sell. In fact, I could make the claim that it is a "no sale," at least today. Oh well, better posting tomorrow.
I even had my first nibble. The whole family came but decided not to buy the bedroom matching desk, dresser, and nightstand because the drawer bottoms were too thin. Before they came, I put some lemon oil on the tops and got rid of some water rings. I also emptied out the drawers and vacuumed them. I even moved the nightstand out. I was surprised to find under the nightstand the old DVD remote that I spent over $100 replacing. Now I have two for a DVD player that I haven't watched in months. I think I'll leave both of them in the guest bedroom, where the DVD player is, so that couples can fight over fast forwarding and pausing.
I also found some yoga videos for a VHS player that I don't have. I even did morning yoga with my daughters once or twice in Fremont. I'm much less limber than I was then and I wasn't very.
This morning I also made a trip to the landfill with all the sod I lifted for my stepping stones and bark. Since I was dumping dirt, you might say that it was land I was filling with land. It was much easier lifting the dirt into the truck, and back out again, than it was moving it to the side of the house. (I only needed to do this because I forgot to take out the trash last weekend. I've gotten out of the habit with my several weekends away.) I feel that my morning exercising is showing benefits already. If I keep it up, I may not be able to fit into my newly altered suits.
My lesson of the day is that Life after Layoff is a hard sell. In fact, I could make the claim that it is a "no sale," at least today. Oh well, better posting tomorrow.
Day Thirty-eight: Clearing out
The storage shed wasn't enough to de-clutter my downsized home. I'm getting rid of more than the extra stuff in the garage. Of course, I will need to get some other stuff, but hopefully that will be more suited to the space and more useful. (I am a very function-oriented person in the final analysis.) After this wave, I will be able to get the stuff I really need into here and may have even more stuff to get rid of.
Just to impress, and also because I had to make a list anyway for the associated measurements, I am getting rid of: two sofas; one hassock; a matching sofa table and map table; a matching desk, dresser, and end table; an oak dining room table with five chairs; a mini-fridge; five wall units; and a coffee table with two matching end tables.
I don't know whether or not I will have all the desired stuff here for my son's wedding or not, but there is still a lot left, including all the beds. Of course, the youngest might need to sleep in a tent, but it's a good sized tent.
I also replaced most of my incandescent bulbs with CFLs today. I was waiting until the incandescent bulbs burned out before I put in CFLs, but the bargain I got at Costco for 22 CFLs of assorted lumens, combined with the four I had picked up earlier, put me in the mind of: "Why wait?" So, I didn't. I will keep the incandescent bulbs for the dimming chandelier over the dining room table and there are a couple of lamps whose cover actually clamps onto the bulb. Being environmentally friendly is a way of life and saving money is the way of Life after Layoff.
Just to impress, and also because I had to make a list anyway for the associated measurements, I am getting rid of: two sofas; one hassock; a matching sofa table and map table; a matching desk, dresser, and end table; an oak dining room table with five chairs; a mini-fridge; five wall units; and a coffee table with two matching end tables.
I don't know whether or not I will have all the desired stuff here for my son's wedding or not, but there is still a lot left, including all the beds. Of course, the youngest might need to sleep in a tent, but it's a good sized tent.
I also replaced most of my incandescent bulbs with CFLs today. I was waiting until the incandescent bulbs burned out before I put in CFLs, but the bargain I got at Costco for 22 CFLs of assorted lumens, combined with the four I had picked up earlier, put me in the mind of: "Why wait?" So, I didn't. I will keep the incandescent bulbs for the dimming chandelier over the dining room table and there are a couple of lamps whose cover actually clamps onto the bulb. Being environmentally friendly is a way of life and saving money is the way of Life after Layoff.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Day Thirty-seven: Celebrating 60
When I got up this morning, I sang "Happy Birthday" to my wife who would have turned 60 on this day. My plans were to have a quiet day of reflection and remembrance, hiking to her favorite Pacifica spot in the morning and doing something else in the afternoon. I cried when I sang "Happy Birthday;" I cried when I IM'd my son; I cried when I talked with my oldest daughter; I cried when I talked with my youngest daughter; and I cried when she got here. My eyes are even tearing up as I write this.
[Picture taken at King's Canyon in June of 2005, when she had cancer but before it was diagnosed.]
Yes, I still miss her, even painfully so, but a lot of the tears were due to more pleasant memories, all of which are bittersweet.
My daughter and I did hike to where the Portola Expedition discovered the San Francisco Bay, starting at 1:00 PM. We also stopped into a furniture store that Marilyn really liked, and had taken me there to look at stressless recliners, which is why we went there today, to look at them for me. (I've needed a new recliner ever since my old "Blue" was taken to the dump.) After we got back to the house, we each had one of the vegan chocolate cupcakes that I had made, with a commemorative birthday candle. We then went to Greens, Marilyn's favorite San Francisco restaurant. Greens was, and may still be, associated with a Zen Buddhist farm in Marin. It is completely vegetarian, with some vegan options. We went there a couple times when she was still on the Gerson Therapy as they allowed her to bring in her Gerson food since it was very much vegetarian. (If the lymphedema hadn't effectively halted this therapy, I believe she would have lived.)
I remember back before this recent round of cancer, I was planning on having a big blowout embarrassing birthday party for her on her 60th. I had kept from doing this at earlier milestones because, since I was slightly younger than her, she would have been able to obtain her revenge. I figured that at 60 I was myself to old to care and everyone should have at least one embarrassing birthday. I guess change is the essence of life, even Life after Layoff.
Marilyn, you are still loved. I just wish you could be here to share my freedom. We would be traveling this whole year, but somehow traveling by myself just doesn't have the appeal. Even driving around here I find myself thinking: "Marilyn would have loved that;" or "I'd like to tell Marilyn about this."
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Day Thirty-six: Listening for good reading
When I woke up this morning at close to my normal 6:00 AM time, I realized that I'm really enjoying not working, at least not working for someone else. The only problem is that so far I haven't found a way to get money for it. I am revising downward the amount of money I need. Less is truly more--time, in this Life after Layoff.
My wife really got into audio books in the last few years, one of the reasons I got her an iPod with the inscription: "Marilyn, the JOY of my life." As I reported on my long ride down to Pasadena, I was listening to that iPod and an audio book that she recommended to me, The Secret. Well, I finally finished that particular listening today in my driving around to buy things.
And buy things I did. In fact, I've been buying the whole month of August, so far. I'm always buying food, but when I made the chocolate cupcakes, I discovered that my Hershey's Dutch Processed Special Dark cocoa was running so low that I probably wouldn't have enough to make another batch. The three grocery stores I've stopped in so far haven't had any "Dutch Processed" cocoa.
Today though, I have spent the most money in one day since I bought the shed. I won't say how much I spent, but what I spent it on is as follows:
A new suit and alterations on the two suits that are now too large for me.
A new blue blazer and a couple of shirts and ties.
A soap dish so I don't have to use the soap out of travel case.
A set of those push up grips. (Yes, I was intrigued by the television ads but got them at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% discount.)
Four hundred business cards for handing out on the Marilyn Westbrook Fund.
And a photographic print cartridge to print quality pictures of Marilyn for a poster I need to make for the International NLN Conference coming up the end of August. (The conference is the reason I bought the suit and blazer. The alterations were really for my son's wedding on September 13th.)
I've scanned more slides today but the scanner locked up when I tried to delete the 72 I had just moved to my hard drive. Then it was time for a meal. I'm not trying to be so skimpy on the calories any more but do want to continue keeping the fat calorie percentage at 10%. The day before I decided to undertake this renewed body fuel consciousness, I bought a couple containers of hummus. The commercial hummus has a tremendous amount of fat content. Beyond that, the serving size is just two tablespoons, hardly enough to spread on one half of a 300 calorie bagel.
My wife really got into audio books in the last few years, one of the reasons I got her an iPod with the inscription: "Marilyn, the JOY of my life." As I reported on my long ride down to Pasadena, I was listening to that iPod and an audio book that she recommended to me, The Secret. Well, I finally finished that particular listening today in my driving around to buy things.
And buy things I did. In fact, I've been buying the whole month of August, so far. I'm always buying food, but when I made the chocolate cupcakes, I discovered that my Hershey's Dutch Processed Special Dark cocoa was running so low that I probably wouldn't have enough to make another batch. The three grocery stores I've stopped in so far haven't had any "Dutch Processed" cocoa.
Today though, I have spent the most money in one day since I bought the shed. I won't say how much I spent, but what I spent it on is as follows:
A new suit and alterations on the two suits that are now too large for me.
A new blue blazer and a couple of shirts and ties.
A soap dish so I don't have to use the soap out of travel case.
A set of those push up grips. (Yes, I was intrigued by the television ads but got them at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% discount.)
Four hundred business cards for handing out on the Marilyn Westbrook Fund.
And a photographic print cartridge to print quality pictures of Marilyn for a poster I need to make for the International NLN Conference coming up the end of August. (The conference is the reason I bought the suit and blazer. The alterations were really for my son's wedding on September 13th.)
I've scanned more slides today but the scanner locked up when I tried to delete the 72 I had just moved to my hard drive. Then it was time for a meal. I'm not trying to be so skimpy on the calories any more but do want to continue keeping the fat calorie percentage at 10%. The day before I decided to undertake this renewed body fuel consciousness, I bought a couple containers of hummus. The commercial hummus has a tremendous amount of fat content. Beyond that, the serving size is just two tablespoons, hardly enough to spread on one half of a 300 calorie bagel.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Day Thirty-five: Remembering
I got the word from my son in the form of a forwarded email, one of his groomsmen's father had passed away from the debilitating effects of VHL, Von Hippel-Lindau disease. This particular groomsman has been my son's friend since cub scouts at least and it was through cub scouts that I met his father.
When the Akela of my son's cub scout patrol moved to Alaska, I found myself with those duties. The parents got together and decided to rotate the meetings into each of their houses with different activities and different adults planning them. At my house, one time we made rope, useful for belts, straps, or just practicing knots. Another time we made homemade ice cream with a challenge to the boys to be the last churner. Working for the ice cream always used to make it taste better. At this father's house, the patrol made bridges.
He was an engineer with a calm demeanor, unruffled voice, and an easy laugh. He and his wife raised two boys. The oldest continues to be my son's friend and groomsman.
It turned out that I read the email wrong. Somehow when I read the date for the Memorial Service, I associated it with the viewing. This meant that when I showed up for the viewing, I was 24 hours too late and just over four hours too late for the service. He was my age.
When the Akela of my son's cub scout patrol moved to Alaska, I found myself with those duties. The parents got together and decided to rotate the meetings into each of their houses with different activities and different adults planning them. At my house, one time we made rope, useful for belts, straps, or just practicing knots. Another time we made homemade ice cream with a challenge to the boys to be the last churner. Working for the ice cream always used to make it taste better. At this father's house, the patrol made bridges.
He was an engineer with a calm demeanor, unruffled voice, and an easy laugh. He and his wife raised two boys. The oldest continues to be my son's friend and groomsman.
It turned out that I read the email wrong. Somehow when I read the date for the Memorial Service, I associated it with the viewing. This meant that when I showed up for the viewing, I was 24 hours too late and just over four hours too late for the service. He was my age.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Day Thirty-four: Bugs, tar, and tree sap
I baked my "Almost No Knead" bread this morning. I did the ten kneads this morning before breakfast and set it in the oven to raise the final two hours. By the time I made and ate breakfast (and raised the paper), it was just a half and hour or so before I was to start the baking. I didn't want to start anything dirty before then, so I did a couple little things.
This particular bread calls for heating the dutch oven to 500 degrees then baking with the lid on for approximately 30 minutes. So I couldn't do anything that would take substantial time before I had to take the lid off. Then it bakes 20 to 30 minutes more with the lid off. So basically I couldn't do anything until the bread was on the cooling rack.
Once it was cooling though, I went out and washed my truck. This had to be the first time it had been washed in over two years, a good portion of that time it was sitting idle, accumulating debris, dirt, and sap. The 150 pounds of water pressure took care of the debris. The car washing soap took care of the dirt, well, most of it. But nothing I had took off the tree sap or cleaned the wheels. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
After the washing, I went in and ate a lunch that featured my just baked bread and an heirloom tomato. Then after some non-working elbow grease on the tree sap spots and on the brake dust encrusted wheels, I went out to get some products that would do the job, let alone do it without as much work. These products say that the paint won't be damaged if the directions are followed. One even says to wear protective glasses. I have a pair somewhere in the garage but even though the shed allows it to be emptier, it was almost time to eat. As I had already worn a hole in the latex gloves I had put on to protect my hands from the product that didn't work, I decided that eating with clean hands would better.
Besides, procrastination is the way of Life after Layoff.
This particular bread calls for heating the dutch oven to 500 degrees then baking with the lid on for approximately 30 minutes. So I couldn't do anything that would take substantial time before I had to take the lid off. Then it bakes 20 to 30 minutes more with the lid off. So basically I couldn't do anything until the bread was on the cooling rack.
Once it was cooling though, I went out and washed my truck. This had to be the first time it had been washed in over two years, a good portion of that time it was sitting idle, accumulating debris, dirt, and sap. The 150 pounds of water pressure took care of the debris. The car washing soap took care of the dirt, well, most of it. But nothing I had took off the tree sap or cleaned the wheels. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
After the washing, I went in and ate a lunch that featured my just baked bread and an heirloom tomato. Then after some non-working elbow grease on the tree sap spots and on the brake dust encrusted wheels, I went out to get some products that would do the job, let alone do it without as much work. These products say that the paint won't be damaged if the directions are followed. One even says to wear protective glasses. I have a pair somewhere in the garage but even though the shed allows it to be emptier, it was almost time to eat. As I had already worn a hole in the latex gloves I had put on to protect my hands from the product that didn't work, I decided that eating with clean hands would better.
Besides, procrastination is the way of Life after Layoff.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Day Thirty-three: Charged up and "raring" to go
Today started at 5:00 AM. Yes, I know it is a Saturday, but I went to sleep earlier the night before and I can only stay in bed so long. I've decided to up my Glucosamine/Chondroitin daily intake to the recommended dose. (I was doing half doses.) Maybe the proper dose will allow my joints to stay in one place longer.
The longer day allowed me to get more done. It still wasn't everything on my list but I'll just pretend the list was for the whole weekend. I did some things not on my list, such as: sweeping the drive. I live on a flag lot, which has a disproportionally longer drive and my non-flag lot neighbor's plants and trees hanging over the fence and dropping stuff on my drive. I decided before I washed my vehicles, I needed to clean up the the debris so the water from the washing wouldn't make the debris worse.
Then, to wash the truck I had to move it. After over 24 hours of charging, the battery was still dead. So, I took it out and went to Kragen Auto Parts for a replacement. When I got back with it, I decided that I'd better check and make sure it was fully charged before I put it in. It wasn't. So, I left it trickle charging and went off to do other things, like lunch.
Lunch was a Mango Black Bean Salad, a large Green Salad with pinto beans, and one of my cupcakes with Mixed Berry soy yogurt and fresh raspberries. After lunch I decided that I'd better make sure my motorcycle started. I was relieved when it did. Then I decided to check my tires' pressures. Surprisingly, only the truck's tires were fully inflated. I added air to the motorcycle's tires, the Prius' tires and my pedal bike's tires. Then I decided that since my motorcycle was running and had air in the tires, I should take it for a spin to make sure the battery was properly charged. I only had work to do if I didn't. Besides, it was a short trip of just about 50 miles, but to go even that far I had to get gas.
The nice thing is, when I got back, the battery was fully charged. Even better, when I put it in the truck, it started right up. So I positioned it for my multiple vehicle washing and went in to fix and eat dinner. I won't bore you with yet another menu, but I decided to start the "Almost No Knead" bread. Then I saw that I needed to use up an eggplant I had purchase and I wanted to make a Balsamic vinaigrette, basically balsamic vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, and crushed garlic. It is really good and has very few calories. Since I was going to make my special "Gerson" ratatouille, lots of onion, lots of garlic, eggplant, and tomatoes, I could just clean more garlic at the same time and get two things for the garlic bother of one. My Life after Layoff is really cooking.
I never did get back out to wash the vehicles.
The longer day allowed me to get more done. It still wasn't everything on my list but I'll just pretend the list was for the whole weekend. I did some things not on my list, such as: sweeping the drive. I live on a flag lot, which has a disproportionally longer drive and my non-flag lot neighbor's plants and trees hanging over the fence and dropping stuff on my drive. I decided before I washed my vehicles, I needed to clean up the the debris so the water from the washing wouldn't make the debris worse.
Then, to wash the truck I had to move it. After over 24 hours of charging, the battery was still dead. So, I took it out and went to Kragen Auto Parts for a replacement. When I got back with it, I decided that I'd better check and make sure it was fully charged before I put it in. It wasn't. So, I left it trickle charging and went off to do other things, like lunch.
Lunch was a Mango Black Bean Salad, a large Green Salad with pinto beans, and one of my cupcakes with Mixed Berry soy yogurt and fresh raspberries. After lunch I decided that I'd better make sure my motorcycle started. I was relieved when it did. Then I decided to check my tires' pressures. Surprisingly, only the truck's tires were fully inflated. I added air to the motorcycle's tires, the Prius' tires and my pedal bike's tires. Then I decided that since my motorcycle was running and had air in the tires, I should take it for a spin to make sure the battery was properly charged. I only had work to do if I didn't. Besides, it was a short trip of just about 50 miles, but to go even that far I had to get gas.
The nice thing is, when I got back, the battery was fully charged. Even better, when I put it in the truck, it started right up. So I positioned it for my multiple vehicle washing and went in to fix and eat dinner. I won't bore you with yet another menu, but I decided to start the "Almost No Knead" bread. Then I saw that I needed to use up an eggplant I had purchase and I wanted to make a Balsamic vinaigrette, basically balsamic vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, and crushed garlic. It is really good and has very few calories. Since I was going to make my special "Gerson" ratatouille, lots of onion, lots of garlic, eggplant, and tomatoes, I could just clean more garlic at the same time and get two things for the garlic bother of one. My Life after Layoff is really cooking.
I never did get back out to wash the vehicles.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Day Thirty-two: Cupcakes
This day was very similar to a lot of other days: I got up. I exercised. I ate. I cleaned up myself and then the kitchen. I had lunch. I went to the garden store. I finished the front yard. I went to the grocery store. I ate dinner. Oh yes, I baked cupcakes.
While my current reduced calorie diet in order to resize my suits to my hopefully more permanent waist size can only include things a rich as these cupcakes with a lot of planning, I couldn't resist licking the batter. It was very good. They are very "chocolaty." In my trip to the grocery store to get necessary ingredients, I also bought fresh raspberries and blueberries to use as a topping with an appropriately flavored soy yogurt.
I loaned my youngest daughter my My Sweet Vegan cookbook, which she still has, but I kept the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. It has 75 cupcake recipes. This is certainly enough for my sweet Life after Layoff.
I took a picture of the cupcakes but I still don't know how to include it in this posting. I'm going to have to freeze most of them. I can only eat one a day, and probably shouldn't eat that much. They don't contribute to any of my nutrition targets and I haven't begun to calculate their calories. Yes, I calorie count.
While my current reduced calorie diet in order to resize my suits to my hopefully more permanent waist size can only include things a rich as these cupcakes with a lot of planning, I couldn't resist licking the batter. It was very good. They are very "chocolaty." In my trip to the grocery store to get necessary ingredients, I also bought fresh raspberries and blueberries to use as a topping with an appropriately flavored soy yogurt.
I loaned my youngest daughter my My Sweet Vegan cookbook, which she still has, but I kept the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. It has 75 cupcake recipes. This is certainly enough for my sweet Life after Layoff.
I took a picture of the cupcakes but I still don't know how to include it in this posting. I'm going to have to freeze most of them. I can only eat one a day, and probably shouldn't eat that much. They don't contribute to any of my nutrition targets and I haven't begun to calculate their calories. Yes, I calorie count.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
