I've gotten into a bad cycle, staying up late, getting up relatively early, and, at least today, taking a nap in the afternoon. Realizing I was in a late cycle, I decided to make the Almost No Knead whole wheat olive bread today. In previous bread making, I had always let it raise through the night for at least ten hours. Today I got it mixed up around 9:00 AM and started the second raising around 6:00 PM. Not only is this a shorter raising time than my normal minimum overnight time, it commits me to baking until after 9:00 PM. (Which also means that I will be eating some bread late but hopefully before or no later than 10:00 PM.) Yes, it is that good, which is also why my vegan diet has stopped losing weight.
Today, in addition to my continued outplacement education, I prepared my Life after Layoff budget. Due to my housing expenses, around $25,000/year, I need more than an ideal amount annually for early retirement, particularly with the current stock market volatility although today the volatility was at least the right direction.
All of this is means that I need to get more disciplined about my days, including a chore list. This sounds like a good application for a spreadsheet application. I could even write it on a Windows platform using Visual Basic Application but have yet to learn Apple Script. I am done with procrastination--after today, well, at least after this week, unless I just have to get out and have some fun.
Speaking of fun, it would be fun to travel to Nevada and do some gambling. However, my favorite form of gambling, the craps table, has been somewhat ruined because it appears to be McCain's favorite form of gambling. Does that similarity make me sound older? At least I'm not as compulsive about it as he appears to be. Nor am I as rich, not that I would have ever thought to ask for a table to be set up in my room. It would be a lot easier to go to bed more quickly and would be a non-smoking environment...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Day Ninety-one: Finding work is work
I've started on the long path of finding replacement income, well, I started last week but today is my first official day. It is every bit as much work as I remember and if the stock market weren't tanking, I would not be even as eager as I'm not now. First, I have a lot to read, learn, prepare, and find. I don't know how many hours this will take a day but I am to get the bulk of the preparation work done before I head out on my six-week road trip in December.
The worst of it is that I haven't thought on these kinds of things for some time. No, the worst of it is the time that it will take. No, the worst of it is all the competition for that time over the next two months. (I must get my house ready for me to be away for six weeks. A watering system, or person, is mandatory. Come to think of it, a watering person would be cheaper. I'll have to make some calls, something else to do.)
So, in the face of all this work, I decided to skip out on it this afternoon. Instead, I mowed my yard, vacuumed my floor, and washed dishes. I wonder if there is a business that can be built on procrastination.
I wore a suit, and tie, for my meeting with my, and several others', personal consultant. He confirmed that I have my head on straight but emphasized the "work" that I needed to do. He also said that it would take three to five months to find a job once I start actually looking instead of just preparing. This fits well in my time frame of doing it next year but not so well for the way I want to be spending my time on next year.
Finding a job isn't living, whether or not it is part of my Life after Layoff.
Today is the last day of the thirteenth week after my layoff. One quarter of a year gone by already. It has been fun and hopefully will continue to be fun. I don't intend to work for money ever again, which is not the same as saying I will work for free. I intend to work for me with lots of money as an incidental by product.
The worst of it is that I haven't thought on these kinds of things for some time. No, the worst of it is the time that it will take. No, the worst of it is all the competition for that time over the next two months. (I must get my house ready for me to be away for six weeks. A watering system, or person, is mandatory. Come to think of it, a watering person would be cheaper. I'll have to make some calls, something else to do.)
So, in the face of all this work, I decided to skip out on it this afternoon. Instead, I mowed my yard, vacuumed my floor, and washed dishes. I wonder if there is a business that can be built on procrastination.
I wore a suit, and tie, for my meeting with my, and several others', personal consultant. He confirmed that I have my head on straight but emphasized the "work" that I needed to do. He also said that it would take three to five months to find a job once I start actually looking instead of just preparing. This fits well in my time frame of doing it next year but not so well for the way I want to be spending my time on next year.
Finding a job isn't living, whether or not it is part of my Life after Layoff.
Today is the last day of the thirteenth week after my layoff. One quarter of a year gone by already. It has been fun and hopefully will continue to be fun. I don't intend to work for money ever again, which is not the same as saying I will work for free. I intend to work for me with lots of money as an incidental by product.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Day Ninety: Avoiding Corporate Depression
I got up today with the intent of working around the house but since I didn't go to bed until late it has been a more leisurely day. While I do have a few domestic chores that won't wait, my leisure has allowed me to think and react to the financial news.
The announced "bailout" plan is probably as good as can be expected from politicians, regardless of party. At least it doesn't perpetuate the worst of the lack of care typical of the liaisez-faire Republican management of corporate America.
As to the need for the bailout, at a corporate level the problem is almost identical to the 1929 crash that triggered the great depression. Essentially, corporations are able to be 100% margined and have unlimited speculation. The crash in 1929 was due to speculation on 90% margin. (Subsequent controls have limited individual stock margins to 50%.) In essence, financial institutions have been able to sell 100% of their mortgage loans in repackaged securities, divorcing the real property securing the loan from the instrument. They then took the proceeds from this paper and made more loans.
This is nothing but a questionably legal pyramid scheme, which as long as there were new investors, speculators, who would continue to drive up the price of real estate. As the price rose above the threshold of people who could afford housing, even with no money down, the new blood stopped and the prices have plummeted. This doesn't even address the greed both at an individual level when someone would "buy" a house for the free rent because they had no intention of paying and at the corporate level which would assign higher rates to the people who could least afford them and further push up the level of their debt just to keep expanding the pyramid.
Reagan and Bush 43 do have at least one thing in common. They each have presided over the greatest increase in national debt of any presidential tenure. This has other consequences, including a declining value for the U.S. dollar, which has exacerbated the credit crisis. When the government has to borrow $10,000,000,000,000, it is $10,000,000,000,000 not available to the private sector. It also drives up the cost of money, which also has two impacts: fewer of our tax dollars are available to maintain government functions and business expenses go up reducing tax revenue. (Yes, I know that our global corporations with transfer pricing get away with reducing their U.S. taxes to nothing more often than not.) I haven't looked at it recently, but some time ago I was struck by the similarities in the annual deficit number and the annual interest payment number, even with the favorable loan rates that borrowing from Social Security excess funds allowed.
Social Security is the third factor in this "perfect storm" of a credit crisis. With baby boomers retiring, there will be no additional excess funds. Unless the government changes the rules on who qualifies for Social Security and reduces its impending outlay, the cost of the $10,000,000,000,000 and growing borrowing will sky rocket as it is replaced with more expensive loans.
Unfortunately, there is yet another factor. Our trade deficit has been negative for most of my life. This also devalues the U.S. dollar, which increases the cost of borrowing...
Now, I am not yet ready to go into survivalist mode but I do know that my Life after Layoff has been affected and not in a positive way. Credit for starting a business will be substantially more difficult to obtain bailout or not. Things that will sell to people with less spendable and more devalued money are fewer in number. Even jobs will be less available and for less money.
As I've been writing this, I've been watching a surprisingly large variety of birds cavort around my bird bath and the surrounding foliage. Since I don't want to disturb them, it makes for a good excuse to avoid yet another of my domestic chores, at least for the moment, mowing the yard.
The announced "bailout" plan is probably as good as can be expected from politicians, regardless of party. At least it doesn't perpetuate the worst of the lack of care typical of the liaisez-faire Republican management of corporate America.
As to the need for the bailout, at a corporate level the problem is almost identical to the 1929 crash that triggered the great depression. Essentially, corporations are able to be 100% margined and have unlimited speculation. The crash in 1929 was due to speculation on 90% margin. (Subsequent controls have limited individual stock margins to 50%.) In essence, financial institutions have been able to sell 100% of their mortgage loans in repackaged securities, divorcing the real property securing the loan from the instrument. They then took the proceeds from this paper and made more loans.
This is nothing but a questionably legal pyramid scheme, which as long as there were new investors, speculators, who would continue to drive up the price of real estate. As the price rose above the threshold of people who could afford housing, even with no money down, the new blood stopped and the prices have plummeted. This doesn't even address the greed both at an individual level when someone would "buy" a house for the free rent because they had no intention of paying and at the corporate level which would assign higher rates to the people who could least afford them and further push up the level of their debt just to keep expanding the pyramid.
Reagan and Bush 43 do have at least one thing in common. They each have presided over the greatest increase in national debt of any presidential tenure. This has other consequences, including a declining value for the U.S. dollar, which has exacerbated the credit crisis. When the government has to borrow $10,000,000,000,000, it is $10,000,000,000,000 not available to the private sector. It also drives up the cost of money, which also has two impacts: fewer of our tax dollars are available to maintain government functions and business expenses go up reducing tax revenue. (Yes, I know that our global corporations with transfer pricing get away with reducing their U.S. taxes to nothing more often than not.) I haven't looked at it recently, but some time ago I was struck by the similarities in the annual deficit number and the annual interest payment number, even with the favorable loan rates that borrowing from Social Security excess funds allowed.
Social Security is the third factor in this "perfect storm" of a credit crisis. With baby boomers retiring, there will be no additional excess funds. Unless the government changes the rules on who qualifies for Social Security and reduces its impending outlay, the cost of the $10,000,000,000,000 and growing borrowing will sky rocket as it is replaced with more expensive loans.
Unfortunately, there is yet another factor. Our trade deficit has been negative for most of my life. This also devalues the U.S. dollar, which increases the cost of borrowing...
Now, I am not yet ready to go into survivalist mode but I do know that my Life after Layoff has been affected and not in a positive way. Credit for starting a business will be substantially more difficult to obtain bailout or not. Things that will sell to people with less spendable and more devalued money are fewer in number. Even jobs will be less available and for less money.
As I've been writing this, I've been watching a surprisingly large variety of birds cavort around my bird bath and the surrounding foliage. Since I don't want to disturb them, it makes for a good excuse to avoid yet another of my domestic chores, at least for the moment, mowing the yard.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Day Eighty-nine: Out of shape and out of practice
I went for a motorcycle ride today, 97 miles to my daughters house and 125 miles back. Aside from the fun, I learned (and relearned) a few things. First the reason for this entry's title: I don't envy women who have to hold their legs together for skirt wearing. Hugging a motorcycle at California speed limits uses the same muscles. I don't have them, or certainly not strong ones. I hate stop signs with lines. All during my ride I was trying to make my shifting smooth without racing, or lugging, my engine. When I got to Napa on the return trip, there was this one stop sign and cars were just creeping through it. In one of my own creeps I didn't give enough gas while releasing the clutch and stopped my engine. I moved it to the side, letting several vehicles behind me move on through while I shifted it to neutral and restarted it. Then I moved back in to traffic and missed my turn.
Lesson one: Know my route a little better, particularly the transitions. I should have remembered that 121 joins 29 for a short time. It wasn't a long detour.
In between Winters and Napa, I had my side of the road to myself. This meant that I could go as fast or as slow as I wanted to without slowing someone up or tailgating. The road was nice and curvy, which is almost always fun. The only possible time it isn't is when I'm riding into the sunset. It did make for a little more excitement going around literally "blinding" curves. Other drivers must have known that as everyone was going the other way. For a few miles after I first turned on to 121 from 128 I was riding in shade. It was glorious.
Lesson two: Time my ride or direction a little better. Better yet, don't ride when I have to stare into the sun to ride. At least I had my sunglasses on.
After that ill-fated stop in Napa, I didn't get to stop again until the hills of San Francisco and even though they weren't steep on Geary, they weren't the kind of stops that allowed me to do anything else. This meant that I didn't get my "winter" gloves on after the temperature turned positively chilly near Sausalito and was even colder in the fog of Daly City. I was able to take my sunglasses off without needing to stop.
I did have two other stops on the way home, one to get gas and the other to get the yellow jacket out of my helmet. What with the vibrations of the motorcycle and bees flying around in my helmet, my Life after Layoff is really buzzing.
I still am "buzzed" about a much longer ride but it is good that I only get 135 miles to 150 miles on a tank of gas. That puts an upper limit between breaks.
Lesson one: Know my route a little better, particularly the transitions. I should have remembered that 121 joins 29 for a short time. It wasn't a long detour.
In between Winters and Napa, I had my side of the road to myself. This meant that I could go as fast or as slow as I wanted to without slowing someone up or tailgating. The road was nice and curvy, which is almost always fun. The only possible time it isn't is when I'm riding into the sunset. It did make for a little more excitement going around literally "blinding" curves. Other drivers must have known that as everyone was going the other way. For a few miles after I first turned on to 121 from 128 I was riding in shade. It was glorious.
Lesson two: Time my ride or direction a little better. Better yet, don't ride when I have to stare into the sun to ride. At least I had my sunglasses on.
After that ill-fated stop in Napa, I didn't get to stop again until the hills of San Francisco and even though they weren't steep on Geary, they weren't the kind of stops that allowed me to do anything else. This meant that I didn't get my "winter" gloves on after the temperature turned positively chilly near Sausalito and was even colder in the fog of Daly City. I was able to take my sunglasses off without needing to stop.
I did have two other stops on the way home, one to get gas and the other to get the yellow jacket out of my helmet. What with the vibrations of the motorcycle and bees flying around in my helmet, my Life after Layoff is really buzzing.
I still am "buzzed" about a much longer ride but it is good that I only get 135 miles to 150 miles on a tank of gas. That puts an upper limit between breaks.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Day Eighty-eight: Virtual outplacement in a virtual world
My company bought a good package for me, including a personal consultant, who I am to see Monday. Most of the outplacement services are virtual: webinars, research, email, resume' preparation, ... Several of these services can continue for me even after the contracted for time period. What's even better, they have both an "entrepreneurial" and a "retirement" series. Of course, I just bought my own copy of a book my daughter loaned me: Work Less, Live More (The Way to Semi-Retirement).
In addition, my business plans, writing plans, even my living plans, but more than anything else, my travel plans don't really support working at a job in my Life after Layoff.
Aside from the time I've been eating and on the Internet, I've been watching TV. Eating today consisted of two meals of tomato sandwiches, breakfast and dinner, and a salad and potatoes for lunch. (The nice thing about tomato sandwiches is that they don't require any cooking. Even the potatoes were leftovers I microwaved.) But I couldn't miss the debate, not that I particularly enjoyed it.
Well, I did do a couple other things. I've started establishing my daily and weekly schedule, which doesn't have time for work. There are a lot of items that are simply maintenance: exercise and food for body maintenance, cleaning for house and car maintenance, yard maintenance, and blogging for mental maintenance. Then there are the projects that I want to make progress on. For example, I have a lot of house projects, including a new toilet for the master bathroom sitting in the garage. Some of my other "projects" may be more on the order of wishes but at least I want to pursue some of them to see if they can be more.
In a slightly different take on my "projects," I want to share the horoscope I read for me today: "It's just your luck that the project you were least interested in winds up becoming your meal ticket. Feast is better than famine."
One project that will continue to take my time is finding more and more ways to fund the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund. I am working on a posting I can carry with me across the country as I travel back east to visit family for the holidays. Part of this project is my new blog Memories of Marilyn.
The most important item in all of my planning is fun and I intend to have a lot of it.
In addition, my business plans, writing plans, even my living plans, but more than anything else, my travel plans don't really support working at a job in my Life after Layoff.
Aside from the time I've been eating and on the Internet, I've been watching TV. Eating today consisted of two meals of tomato sandwiches, breakfast and dinner, and a salad and potatoes for lunch. (The nice thing about tomato sandwiches is that they don't require any cooking. Even the potatoes were leftovers I microwaved.) But I couldn't miss the debate, not that I particularly enjoyed it.
Well, I did do a couple other things. I've started establishing my daily and weekly schedule, which doesn't have time for work. There are a lot of items that are simply maintenance: exercise and food for body maintenance, cleaning for house and car maintenance, yard maintenance, and blogging for mental maintenance. Then there are the projects that I want to make progress on. For example, I have a lot of house projects, including a new toilet for the master bathroom sitting in the garage. Some of my other "projects" may be more on the order of wishes but at least I want to pursue some of them to see if they can be more.
In a slightly different take on my "projects," I want to share the horoscope I read for me today: "It's just your luck that the project you were least interested in winds up becoming your meal ticket. Feast is better than famine."
One project that will continue to take my time is finding more and more ways to fund the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund. I am working on a posting I can carry with me across the country as I travel back east to visit family for the holidays. Part of this project is my new blog Memories of Marilyn.
The most important item in all of my planning is fun and I intend to have a lot of it.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Day Eighty-seven: Calling strangers
Before I knew it, it was 11:30 and I had to get cleaned up and run out the door. It was my day to call people on behalf of Obama. My time for doing so was limited by the battery in my cell phone. Still, I called several numbers with the high percentage being "not at home." The next highest was "number disconnected," possibly due to foreclosures. There were several Spanish only, which I marked as "Spanish" for another call from someone who spoke Spanish. Most of the actual contacts were voting for Obama with a very few undecided and only one voting for the other guy.
I have to say that the Obama campaign is a class act. Besides, they loved my vegan chocolate cupcakes with the fluffy buttercream frosting.
I mixed the frosting up this morning as the bread was making its final raise. Then I made the mistake of putting it in the refrigerator. As I was rushing around to go, I tried icing with my now solid frosting. It still tasted good but didn't really spread all that well. The nicest thing was that my tupperware cupcake holders, i.e., deep enough for cupcakes with icing and still be covered, didn't hold them all. So, I ate the two that were excess.
This was my dessert after my lunch of my last heirloom tomato in the house on my just made whole wheat bread. On my way back from San Carlos, I stopped at Whole Foods and got some more. I had to. I have the perfect tomato sandwich bread and didn't have anymore perfect tasting tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes are my fruit of choice in this Life after Layoff.
As I was driving up to my house, I saw my neighbor. I rolled down my window and asked if he wanted some of my excess beer. I have reduced my inventory by 16 bottles of Stella Artois. I still don't like to drink by my self.
I have to say that the Obama campaign is a class act. Besides, they loved my vegan chocolate cupcakes with the fluffy buttercream frosting.
I mixed the frosting up this morning as the bread was making its final raise. Then I made the mistake of putting it in the refrigerator. As I was rushing around to go, I tried icing with my now solid frosting. It still tasted good but didn't really spread all that well. The nicest thing was that my tupperware cupcake holders, i.e., deep enough for cupcakes with icing and still be covered, didn't hold them all. So, I ate the two that were excess.
This was my dessert after my lunch of my last heirloom tomato in the house on my just made whole wheat bread. On my way back from San Carlos, I stopped at Whole Foods and got some more. I had to. I have the perfect tomato sandwich bread and didn't have anymore perfect tasting tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes are my fruit of choice in this Life after Layoff.
As I was driving up to my house, I saw my neighbor. I rolled down my window and asked if he wanted some of my excess beer. I have reduced my inventory by 16 bottles of Stella Artois. I still don't like to drink by my self.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Day Eighty-six: Ready to ride
For one reason or another, but most likely because of the soy latte I had in the afternoon yesterday, I was awake at 2:22 AM this morning. I remember that time because I was still so awake that I checked my clock and noted the unusual time. Before I went to bed I had set my alarm clock to make sure that I didn't miss my motorcycle servicing appointment this morning. Since I got up before the alarm went off, I shut it off.
Even though I got ready somewhat leisurely, I still made it to the Daly City Honda service center a full 25 minutes before they opened. Thank goodness they started moving the motorcycles, scooters, and even a four-wheeler before 9:00 AM so they were checking me in right around 9:00. I walked about a mile to a Starbucks that I knew was in Daly City and had another soy latte. I don't think it will keep me up tonight.
However, the political twists may. I couldn't turn on the TV or look at the Internet without hearing and reading about McCain's latest surprise. While I thought it was a political ploy, it was confirmed for me when he also suggested that the VP debate be "postponed." Well, anyway, I have to stay up to watch Letterman. I gotta get DVR. But realistically, I never watch Letterman normally so probably wouldn't have it programmed to record it.
Oh well, I now have a smooth running ride for my Life after Layoff. I even used it this evening for a grocery run. I wore my summer gloves on my way to the grocery store and my winter gloves back. What I went to get was some more Earth Balance margarine. I need it to make my Fluffy Buttercream Frosting for the cupcakes I am taking to my first ever campaign participation tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a longer motorcycle ride this fall, maybe all the way to Reno.
I also have some whole wheat bread raising for baking tomorrow morning. All of this baking meant that I washed dishes not once but twice today (and could have washed another batch but wanted to stop working.) I'm baking the bread for tomato sandwiches.
My guests didn't drink enough beer. I have 17 bottles of Stella Artois, five bottles of Lobotomy Bock, five bottles of Blue Moon, and two cans of 24 oz. Bud Light. The last two were contributions of two of my sisters. I used one Blue Moon to make beer bread but won't use any more as my youngest daughter said that she liked that beer. Oh well, maybe I can deliver them to her this weekend. I'm thinking of giving my neighbor 12 or 16 of the Stella Artois bottles. He has given me, well my daughters, venison. He is also ready to go on a motorcycle ride with me. Now that I am ride ready, I can do that.
Even though I got ready somewhat leisurely, I still made it to the Daly City Honda service center a full 25 minutes before they opened. Thank goodness they started moving the motorcycles, scooters, and even a four-wheeler before 9:00 AM so they were checking me in right around 9:00. I walked about a mile to a Starbucks that I knew was in Daly City and had another soy latte. I don't think it will keep me up tonight.
However, the political twists may. I couldn't turn on the TV or look at the Internet without hearing and reading about McCain's latest surprise. While I thought it was a political ploy, it was confirmed for me when he also suggested that the VP debate be "postponed." Well, anyway, I have to stay up to watch Letterman. I gotta get DVR. But realistically, I never watch Letterman normally so probably wouldn't have it programmed to record it.
Oh well, I now have a smooth running ride for my Life after Layoff. I even used it this evening for a grocery run. I wore my summer gloves on my way to the grocery store and my winter gloves back. What I went to get was some more Earth Balance margarine. I need it to make my Fluffy Buttercream Frosting for the cupcakes I am taking to my first ever campaign participation tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a longer motorcycle ride this fall, maybe all the way to Reno.
I also have some whole wheat bread raising for baking tomorrow morning. All of this baking meant that I washed dishes not once but twice today (and could have washed another batch but wanted to stop working.) I'm baking the bread for tomato sandwiches.
My guests didn't drink enough beer. I have 17 bottles of Stella Artois, five bottles of Lobotomy Bock, five bottles of Blue Moon, and two cans of 24 oz. Bud Light. The last two were contributions of two of my sisters. I used one Blue Moon to make beer bread but won't use any more as my youngest daughter said that she liked that beer. Oh well, maybe I can deliver them to her this weekend. I'm thinking of giving my neighbor 12 or 16 of the Stella Artois bottles. He has given me, well my daughters, venison. He is also ready to go on a motorcycle ride with me. Now that I am ride ready, I can do that.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Day Eighty-five: A day of many happenings
But not much activity. I did vacuum, water and make my bed. I got cleaned up and made phone calls. The phone calls are the cause of some of the many happenings. I also baked another batch of my vegan chocolate cupcakes, this time in true cupcake form. I also went out and mailed a package and bought some heirloom tomatoes. (They cost more but are worth it. I actually eat the heirloom ones. I won't even buy the cardboard tasting ones for cooking. I'll use canned tomatoes first.)
One of my phone calls was to the Daly City Honda Dealership so I could take my motorcycle in for servicing. When they said I could bring the bike in today and pick it up by evening I quickly asked if there was a better time tomorrow. So, I have an appointment right at 9:00 AM for about an hour and a half. I'll just hang around or go walking in Daly City for the duration.
Another phone call set up an out placement appointment, a service offered to me because of my Life after Layoff status. I'm hoping they offer a business startup path rather than just resume writing and interviewing practice. If that is all they have, I will see if I can't use those offerings in making my own business path. A good curriculum vitae is undoubtedly required for venture capital investment.
I also made my first entry in my Memories of Marilyn blog. I don't plan on making an entry every day but will regularly. I wasn't trying for any special significance to this first "memory" but not only was it nine months exactly since her passing but the actual entry approximated her time of death. Even though the memories are positive and a joy, it has still been an emotional day.
One last thing. I have kept my politics out of this blog and in the past have often voted libertarian or green because I didn't see much difference between the two major party candidates. This hasn't made much difference in decidedly liberal California but this year there is one candidate I can vote for rather than against. Again though, my vote will not make much difference in California. As a result, I am going to use the freedom that this particular time in my Life after Layoff affords me to become involved in the campaign to elect Obama.
When I had a job I donated to both McCain (and Obama) because I thought both of them were the best their parties had to offer. The more I learned of Obama, the more I favored him. The more I learned about the 2008 McCain, vs. the 2000 McCain who I thought I was donating to, the more I regretted the donation. Now that I can no longer donate money, I have signed up for a stint on the phones for the Obama campaign, hence the cupcakes. I have applied for a greater role but will not be upset if I am not selected for it. (I have many other things to do.) I am still registered as an independent and will remain so. I do not expect my small assistance to result in a political appointment regardless of my Life after Layoff status but I do expect Obama to win. Besides, I have other goals and if a political appointment is anything like the one political science class I took in college, it would be sooooo boring.
One of my phone calls was to the Daly City Honda Dealership so I could take my motorcycle in for servicing. When they said I could bring the bike in today and pick it up by evening I quickly asked if there was a better time tomorrow. So, I have an appointment right at 9:00 AM for about an hour and a half. I'll just hang around or go walking in Daly City for the duration.
Another phone call set up an out placement appointment, a service offered to me because of my Life after Layoff status. I'm hoping they offer a business startup path rather than just resume writing and interviewing practice. If that is all they have, I will see if I can't use those offerings in making my own business path. A good curriculum vitae is undoubtedly required for venture capital investment.
I also made my first entry in my Memories of Marilyn blog. I don't plan on making an entry every day but will regularly. I wasn't trying for any special significance to this first "memory" but not only was it nine months exactly since her passing but the actual entry approximated her time of death. Even though the memories are positive and a joy, it has still been an emotional day.
One last thing. I have kept my politics out of this blog and in the past have often voted libertarian or green because I didn't see much difference between the two major party candidates. This hasn't made much difference in decidedly liberal California but this year there is one candidate I can vote for rather than against. Again though, my vote will not make much difference in California. As a result, I am going to use the freedom that this particular time in my Life after Layoff affords me to become involved in the campaign to elect Obama.
When I had a job I donated to both McCain (and Obama) because I thought both of them were the best their parties had to offer. The more I learned of Obama, the more I favored him. The more I learned about the 2008 McCain, vs. the 2000 McCain who I thought I was donating to, the more I regretted the donation. Now that I can no longer donate money, I have signed up for a stint on the phones for the Obama campaign, hence the cupcakes. I have applied for a greater role but will not be upset if I am not selected for it. (I have many other things to do.) I am still registered as an independent and will remain so. I do not expect my small assistance to result in a political appointment regardless of my Life after Layoff status but I do expect Obama to win. Besides, I have other goals and if a political appointment is anything like the one political science class I took in college, it would be sooooo boring.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Day Eighty-four: Late acting long lasting sleeping pill
Since I rarely plan on staying in bed for eight hours, I even more rarely take a sleeping pill. (I bought some after Marilyn passed away as I was told that sleeplessness is often a result of grief.) I took one or two but they never seemed to work. Last night as I was folding clothes at midnight, I decided to take one last night about a half an hour before I actually went to bed. I don't know whether it worked last night, but it certainly worked today. I have been napping between little duration chores all day. I just hope all this napping doesn't mean that I won't be able to sleep tonight. I'm not going to take another one and sleep tomorrow away as well.
In between my naps and phone calls, I did get some things accomplished. I got the kitchen cleaned up before I dirtied it up again baking beer bread. (I didn't use the butter it recommended and did have a little trouble getting it out of the pan.) I also gave my "A Bronx Tale" tickets to Kelly for her parents. I don't think she thought I was asking her out as I wasn't. I did think for a bit before I called to make sure I didn't blurt out a line that she could confuse as an invitation. The delivery was made while I was on my way to Safeway to buy flour and granulated sugar among other things. I called the out placement services my former employer arranged for but they weren't in today. I called Daly City Honda Motorcycle to get my motorcycle in for servicing, but they are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Well, there is still more to do than I've gotten done. I have a few days to do that even as I start learning more about my work options in my Life after Layoff. I did start the day off right by making my bed this morning. After all, I was the last person to get up.
In between my naps and phone calls, I did get some things accomplished. I got the kitchen cleaned up before I dirtied it up again baking beer bread. (I didn't use the butter it recommended and did have a little trouble getting it out of the pan.) I also gave my "A Bronx Tale" tickets to Kelly for her parents. I don't think she thought I was asking her out as I wasn't. I did think for a bit before I called to make sure I didn't blurt out a line that she could confuse as an invitation. The delivery was made while I was on my way to Safeway to buy flour and granulated sugar among other things. I called the out placement services my former employer arranged for but they weren't in today. I called Daly City Honda Motorcycle to get my motorcycle in for servicing, but they are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Well, there is still more to do than I've gotten done. I have a few days to do that even as I start learning more about my work options in my Life after Layoff. I did start the day off right by making my bed this morning. After all, I was the last person to get up.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Day Eighty-three: Alone again
Parents gone, bikes in the garage, picture hung, lunch eaten, movie watched, trash out, front yard watered, deer fenced, beds stripped (and remade), laundry washed, more food eaten, dishes washed, ..., alone again in my Life after Layoff.
I did buy gas for $3.759 a gallon from Costco.
Short post for hopefully a long sleep. (I'll write more tomorrow.)
But, before I go, one final note. I don't expect deer will come close to me now. I got some of the Liquid Fence on me. It seems I was to shake it well before I put in the sprayer hose. The sprayer hose lid has a hole in the lid for the hose and it isn't a tight seal. I can confirm it stinks and lasts, at least through two washes so far.
I did buy gas for $3.759 a gallon from Costco.
Short post for hopefully a long sleep. (I'll write more tomorrow.)
But, before I go, one final note. I don't expect deer will come close to me now. I got some of the Liquid Fence on me. It seems I was to shake it well before I put in the sprayer hose. The sprayer hose lid has a hole in the lid for the hose and it isn't a tight seal. I can confirm it stinks and lasts, at least through two washes so far.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Day Eighty-two: Cake cupcakes
After a breakfast of overnight cooked steel cut oats with cranberries and currants, we went for a walk on the path from Rockaway Beach to Linda Mar beach. This was really well after breakfast as we played more cribbage. I haven't been keeping score but I know my father is far far ahead on the total game count.
It took passing several people with plastic bags before I realized that today was the Coastal Cleanup day. So I started thanking them. Well, when we got to the Linda Mar side of the walk, my mother noticed the waves splashing on the rocks so we decided to walk out on the path along the cliff to look at them closer. Along the way we ran into more "cleaners," one of whom was also from West Virginia. The rest were native Californians. My father took their picture without knowing any of their names. I can see at some point we will be asking, "Who are these people?" to no avail. They did say that they didn't find very much and one guy, with a drink in each hand, complained that the others of his party, some party with two drinks, picked up all the trash before he could get to it.
You should have seen my parents (and me) hopping around on the rocks, going down and up ravines and scrambling up the steeper pebble and sand strewn slopes. Then the path ran out and we had to retrace our steps. It's harder scrambling down pebble and sand strewn slopes. We also found a decent amount of trash. I picked up three things but had to leave much more. By the time we got back out of our side trip, all the people with the Coastal Cleanup bags had disappeared. I had to carry those three items all the way back to Rockaway Beach in order to "recycle" them properly. One of them had ants. Even when they didn't crawl onto my hand, it felt they had. Life after Layoff can be "buggy" at times.
Then we went on to lunch at the Miramar Beach Restaurant. My mother decided she wanted fish so both my mother and father had fish and chips. I had a pasta primavera that really had a large variety of vegetables.
On the way home I finally stopped at the hardware store and bought the hardware to hang the big picture over the couch. They also had Liquid Fence and now I have a gallon of the stinky stuff.
For dinner, we had leftovers but I wanted to make a new batch of my chocolate cupcakes as something newly made for dessert. This is when I discovered that I only had nine cupcake papers. So after learning that my mother had put my nine-inch pyrex cake pan back in the place I normally stored it and had looked at twice, I decided to make a chocolate cake instead. While the "cake" tasted as good as the cupcakes with the same ingredients, it has one definite drawback: there is much less batter to lick. Pouring it into a pan allowed me to scrape the bowl clean. It wasn't until I was licking that I realized this significant drawback. I'm going to go and get more papers tomorrow.
We watched another free movie after dinner. Until my laptop's charge dropped into the red zone, I was also reading comments on political blogs. One comment said that SNL was great tonight. So, I'm trying to time this entry to last long enough to let me watch it right afterwards. I don't want the gap to be too long or I might be too tired to stay up. I am going to have to get DVR. But then, I shouldn't watch so much TV anyway.
Well, I didn't get this done in time to post it before SNL, which allows me to make this one last comment. I don't know whether I can stay up long enough for SNL to get great because I am doubting that this episode will. Tina Fey won't be on this one.
It took passing several people with plastic bags before I realized that today was the Coastal Cleanup day. So I started thanking them. Well, when we got to the Linda Mar side of the walk, my mother noticed the waves splashing on the rocks so we decided to walk out on the path along the cliff to look at them closer. Along the way we ran into more "cleaners," one of whom was also from West Virginia. The rest were native Californians. My father took their picture without knowing any of their names. I can see at some point we will be asking, "Who are these people?" to no avail. They did say that they didn't find very much and one guy, with a drink in each hand, complained that the others of his party, some party with two drinks, picked up all the trash before he could get to it.
You should have seen my parents (and me) hopping around on the rocks, going down and up ravines and scrambling up the steeper pebble and sand strewn slopes. Then the path ran out and we had to retrace our steps. It's harder scrambling down pebble and sand strewn slopes. We also found a decent amount of trash. I picked up three things but had to leave much more. By the time we got back out of our side trip, all the people with the Coastal Cleanup bags had disappeared. I had to carry those three items all the way back to Rockaway Beach in order to "recycle" them properly. One of them had ants. Even when they didn't crawl onto my hand, it felt they had. Life after Layoff can be "buggy" at times.
Then we went on to lunch at the Miramar Beach Restaurant. My mother decided she wanted fish so both my mother and father had fish and chips. I had a pasta primavera that really had a large variety of vegetables.
On the way home I finally stopped at the hardware store and bought the hardware to hang the big picture over the couch. They also had Liquid Fence and now I have a gallon of the stinky stuff.
For dinner, we had leftovers but I wanted to make a new batch of my chocolate cupcakes as something newly made for dessert. This is when I discovered that I only had nine cupcake papers. So after learning that my mother had put my nine-inch pyrex cake pan back in the place I normally stored it and had looked at twice, I decided to make a chocolate cake instead. While the "cake" tasted as good as the cupcakes with the same ingredients, it has one definite drawback: there is much less batter to lick. Pouring it into a pan allowed me to scrape the bowl clean. It wasn't until I was licking that I realized this significant drawback. I'm going to go and get more papers tomorrow.
We watched another free movie after dinner. Until my laptop's charge dropped into the red zone, I was also reading comments on political blogs. One comment said that SNL was great tonight. So, I'm trying to time this entry to last long enough to let me watch it right afterwards. I don't want the gap to be too long or I might be too tired to stay up. I am going to have to get DVR. But then, I shouldn't watch so much TV anyway.
Well, I didn't get this done in time to post it before SNL, which allows me to make this one last comment. I don't know whether I can stay up long enough for SNL to get great because I am doubting that this episode will. Tina Fey won't be on this one.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Day Eighty-one: A wild life in Pacifica
On a morning walk in San Pedro Valley Park, my father spotted this bobcat, proof of my wild Life after Layoff.
Actually, today has been quiet all day, with plenty of food, of course. Tomorrow will be even more food with a little more walking. I hope to go to bed early so I can get up and beat my mother to cleaning up the kitchen. Tomorrow is their last full day of visiting. I don't have anything special planned but making steel cut oatmeal.
Today we played cribbage, watched TV, watched TV, and did I mention watch TV. I also watered my backyard plants and fed my compost pile. The only driving I did was to go walking. All in all, a very lazy day.
A special note on the cribbage, I lost every time, once by skunk. My father won two of the three times, once by skunking both my mother and me in the same game. I had avoided getting skunked the previous game by virtue of scoring first and getting eleven points on that hand and crossing the skunk line by just one point.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Day Eighty: The scenic route
Today was a day of leisure: a leisurely breakfast followed by a leisurely walk in San Pedro Valley Park, a leisurely lunch followed by a leisurely 30-mile drive to go five miles to a Barnes and Noble. Then, an even more leisurely evening in front of the TV, even eating dinner in front of it. (I like it out in the common room.)
It didn't start all that leisurely as I got up early to bake my Whole Wheat Olive Bread, which was truly delicious with tomato sandwiches at lunch. Accomplishment and leisure is a great Life after Layoff.
How we happened to take the scenic route up El Camino Real was due to my over dependence on the Prius' navigation system. We wanted to go to a Barnes and Noble bookstore to get an Atlas so we could "map" out my December dart to Ohio and West Virginia, a possible run to Alaska next year, and thoughts on a "whizzing around North America" on my motorcycle. So, I plugged Barnes and Noble into the Prius as a POI and selected what I thought was the Tanforan Mall Barnes and Noble. After breezing by it on I-380 and then driving down 101 all the way to 92, I realized what I had done. So, we drove all the way back to Tanforan on El Camino Real, a "real" scenic route.
Once there, we ended up buying an Atlas from Target.
I had heard so much about the true investigative journalism on Sarah Palin that the National Enquirer was doing that we also bought an issue. I had heard much of what was written from other sources and the writing was not all that great. I didn't read any of the other articles. (I know that sounds like I didn't inhale, but I didn't.)
We had thought to watch a cute movie my mother was looking for at Barnes and Noble but ended up watching West Virginia lose to Colorado while watching Countdown, Rachel Maddow, The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Then we all headed to bed. (I, of course, had this side trip to write this entry in my blog.)
It didn't start all that leisurely as I got up early to bake my Whole Wheat Olive Bread, which was truly delicious with tomato sandwiches at lunch. Accomplishment and leisure is a great Life after Layoff.
How we happened to take the scenic route up El Camino Real was due to my over dependence on the Prius' navigation system. We wanted to go to a Barnes and Noble bookstore to get an Atlas so we could "map" out my December dart to Ohio and West Virginia, a possible run to Alaska next year, and thoughts on a "whizzing around North America" on my motorcycle. So, I plugged Barnes and Noble into the Prius as a POI and selected what I thought was the Tanforan Mall Barnes and Noble. After breezing by it on I-380 and then driving down 101 all the way to 92, I realized what I had done. So, we drove all the way back to Tanforan on El Camino Real, a "real" scenic route.
Once there, we ended up buying an Atlas from Target.
I had heard so much about the true investigative journalism on Sarah Palin that the National Enquirer was doing that we also bought an issue. I had heard much of what was written from other sources and the writing was not all that great. I didn't read any of the other articles. (I know that sounds like I didn't inhale, but I didn't.)
We had thought to watch a cute movie my mother was looking for at Barnes and Noble but ended up watching West Virginia lose to Colorado while watching Countdown, Rachel Maddow, The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Then we all headed to bed. (I, of course, had this side trip to write this entry in my blog.)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Day Seventy-nine: Eating and shopping, grocery shopping
After the final two of my sisters with two of their daughters left this morning, my parents and I settled in for some real down time. This involved playing cribbage, watching TV, going out to eat lunch, and buying food. When we returned home and actually started fixing the food, I discovered that I had forgotten to buy two key ingredients. What else could we do but go out to another grocery store.
After all the walking of the previous two days, a vegan day of vegetating suited the old and older folks just fine.
Dinner was great with lots of left overs. My mother made vegan potato salad. I made mango black bean salad. We also had tomato and onion open face sandwiches using the two pound tomato my father had found at Whole Foods. (There was even some of that left over.)
I have a loaf of whole wheat olive bread raising in the oven.
Everyone of my sisters left me money, money they could use more than me. Christmas gifts are funded... (The problem with gifts is that they require shopping. Since I love it so much, not, I'd better get started.) Maybe I'll do some of it on the road to Ohio and West Virginia as I drive there for December.
Before I can go to bed tonight, I need to fold the clothes that are on my bed, one of three loads that I've done today. (The last one is still in the dryer.) There always seems to be some last thing to do in this Life after Layoff.
After all the walking of the previous two days, a vegan day of vegetating suited the old and older folks just fine.
Dinner was great with lots of left overs. My mother made vegan potato salad. I made mango black bean salad. We also had tomato and onion open face sandwiches using the two pound tomato my father had found at Whole Foods. (There was even some of that left over.)
I have a loaf of whole wheat olive bread raising in the oven.
Everyone of my sisters left me money, money they could use more than me. Christmas gifts are funded... (The problem with gifts is that they require shopping. Since I love it so much, not, I'd better get started.) Maybe I'll do some of it on the road to Ohio and West Virginia as I drive there for December.
Before I can go to bed tonight, I need to fold the clothes that are on my bed, one of three loads that I've done today. (The last one is still in the dryer.) There always seems to be some last thing to do in this Life after Layoff.
Day Seventy-eight: Escaping to Alcatraz
Some of, well, most of my guests hadn't seen Alcatraz up close and personal. So, we did the tour. It required every bit as much meticulous planning as an escape would have, but not as much work. First I had to drop my son and daughter-in-law off at the airport, then my daughter off at a BART station, then race home to participate in the conveyance caravan back to the San Francisco piers. To shake things up and take what I thought was a faster route, I took I-280 into King Street, which turned into Embarcadero. Whether it was or not, we got there in plenty of time to stand around, waiting to stand around.
The official standing around was just a little over a half an hour. This gave them time to take our picture, well, everybody's picture, which was why we had to stand around in the zig zagging people mover line for so long.
On the trip over we raced up to the top deck so we could stand in the wind and see all the sights. One of them was a gull who was floating on the wind, and keeping up with the ferry. After a number of pictures, one of my sisters through a cracker up in the air. The gull caught it mid-air.
Then came Alcatraz. It hadn't changed much from the previous three times I had been there. I do think that the audio tour of the cell house used to be a separate price, which explains why I hadn't done that before. (All of my previous trips were with Marilyn and she wouldn't have wanted such extras.) In any regard, all the walking resulted in everyone of us riding the ferry back on the lowest level. It may have been the food and drinks that were being sold on that level, but while some of us had stood on the way over, including me, all of sat on the way back.
After Alcatraz, our party split up with half of us walking by Pier 39, yes the same pier that we had all seen the day before, and half staying at Pier 39 for more shopping. I was in the half that walked by so I can't really tell you what exciting shopping events happened. The reason my group walked by was my middle sister, the one who wouldn't drive down the crookedest street in the world, wanted to walk it as part of her effort to walk another ten miles. Yes, she wears a pedometer everywhere. Since Lombard was only ten or so blocks away, she didn't get much added to her total mileage. Since it was up and down, like Alcatraz, it took a decent amount of effort so we all got our exercise. It was another first for me as I was walking up and down Lombard for my first time. Firsts are coming with more effort as I get older in this Life after Layoff.
After eating Thai for a really late lunch, we made it back to Pier 39 to pick up our shopping half, who wisely had eaten before they shopped so they didn't drop, and walked the six piers back to our cars. The drive home was uneventful but long as we were doing it in rush hour. (Rush hour consists of not rushing for far longer than an hour so it must have been named that as a joke.)
We did not stay up to watch The Daily Show or the Colbert Report but delightedly went to bed, everyone of us.
The official standing around was just a little over a half an hour. This gave them time to take our picture, well, everybody's picture, which was why we had to stand around in the zig zagging people mover line for so long.
On the trip over we raced up to the top deck so we could stand in the wind and see all the sights. One of them was a gull who was floating on the wind, and keeping up with the ferry. After a number of pictures, one of my sisters through a cracker up in the air. The gull caught it mid-air.
Then came Alcatraz. It hadn't changed much from the previous three times I had been there. I do think that the audio tour of the cell house used to be a separate price, which explains why I hadn't done that before. (All of my previous trips were with Marilyn and she wouldn't have wanted such extras.) In any regard, all the walking resulted in everyone of us riding the ferry back on the lowest level. It may have been the food and drinks that were being sold on that level, but while some of us had stood on the way over, including me, all of sat on the way back.
After Alcatraz, our party split up with half of us walking by Pier 39, yes the same pier that we had all seen the day before, and half staying at Pier 39 for more shopping. I was in the half that walked by so I can't really tell you what exciting shopping events happened. The reason my group walked by was my middle sister, the one who wouldn't drive down the crookedest street in the world, wanted to walk it as part of her effort to walk another ten miles. Yes, she wears a pedometer everywhere. Since Lombard was only ten or so blocks away, she didn't get much added to her total mileage. Since it was up and down, like Alcatraz, it took a decent amount of effort so we all got our exercise. It was another first for me as I was walking up and down Lombard for my first time. Firsts are coming with more effort as I get older in this Life after Layoff.
After eating Thai for a really late lunch, we made it back to Pier 39 to pick up our shopping half, who wisely had eaten before they shopped so they didn't drop, and walked the six piers back to our cars. The drive home was uneventful but long as we were doing it in rush hour. (Rush hour consists of not rushing for far longer than an hour so it must have been named that as a joke.)
We did not stay up to watch The Daily Show or the Colbert Report but delightedly went to bed, everyone of us.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Day Seventy-seven: Family is great!
Over this past week, I have gone from my whole family being together to my whole family being together. Last Thursday all three of my children were with me. Today, my parents and all three of my sisters were with me.
We toured a portion of San Francisco, leaving a trip to Alcatraz and a run across the Golden Gate for tomorrow. Then my sisters all fly out Wednesday, with two of my nieces and one brother-in-law.
Tomorrow my son comes back in for a moment to allow me to take him and his new bride, my daughter-in-law, to the airport. My youngest daughter is also leaving for Davis. She is staying around to see her brother and new sister-in-law one more time. It may be some time before they see each other again.
My parents will be staying until Sunday. I haven't made any plans for Wednesday through Saturday but then, I hadn't made plans for the weekend and today and it worked out all right. Planning is definitely over rated in a Life after Layoff. It's too associated with work, which I will have to be doing sooner than I had planned, if the stock market keeps plummeting.
Today we didn't do everything we had planned. Even the day before we had to scramble to make it to Beach Blanket Babylon before the show started, but we all enjoyed ourselves even without the long wait to get in and then seated waiting for the show to start. We, well I, had planned to ride the cable cars from the Hyde Street turn around to China Town then walk down to catch the Embarcadero trolley for the ride back to Fisherman's Wharf. After an impromptu stop at Fort Mason and a walk to Alioto's before walking on to smell the seals at Pier 39 only to walk all the way back to the Hyde Street turnaround only to discover that it would be a 45 minute to one hour wait to get on to a crowded Cable Car, we changed our plans again. While the two drivers went back to get the cars left at Fort Mason, the rest of our tour party went shopping at Ghirardelli Square. After picking the shoppers up, one car went down the crookedest street in the world and the other fearful driver did not. Sure, I had driven down it before, when I finally had found it and before it was closed to traffic for a long time plus the time I couldn't find it again, but I wasn't afraid to drive it then and certainly wasn't afraid to this time. My only scare came when I had to step on the gas to avoid being broadsided at the entrance to the curvy part of Lombard. At the proper setting, the curves are faithfully rendered on my Prius map display.
On the way home we stopped at a grocery store to pick up food for dinner as I hadn't shopped to restock my larder. We proceeded to eat most of what I had purchased, but I didn't need to fix it and not only were the dishes washed, but they were dried afterwards. No air drying dishes in my kitchen tonight and for several additional days until I need the drain rack for the next batch of dishes I must wash. It was great to have one meal fill up the dishwasher. This reduced the amount of pre-cleaning I needed to do. (Not that I didn't do any pre-cleaning, I just didn't need to.) Besides, some dishes weren't pre-cleaned, my daughter put them in and refuses to do any pre-cleaning.
Then seven of us played Shiny Pants Gin. Three players on one side of the table took on three players on the other side of the table in three games of head to head gin. The losing side by total points from each of the three games have to shift, thus the name Shiny Pants. The seventh person slips into the position vacated by the shifting of chairs and the person shifted off becomes the extra. Now, the side I ended up on won. How I got to that side was nothing less than a miracle. Due to an accounting error in the very first round the winning side shifted. That same team won again with a correct shifting of sides and I now sat on the winning side. Although, I must say it looked bleak when the score of the first hand was corrected. The side I had just left had just won two games to none. Needless to say, my new side only lost two more rounds before we reached 500 points, the agreed to winning target. One of them was quite spectacular where all three games were lost with the other side ginning. If we had lost just one more round, I would not have been on the winning team. We didn't keep track of individual honors but if we had, I'm sure my mother would have claimed them.
Since it was already 10:45 PM, we decided to stay up and watch The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert were truly funny and worth staying up for. I do need to get DVR so I don't ever need to do it again. Since three of my guests, the young ones, have to sleep on the sofa bed, where my big screen TV is now, they also had to stay up. (Although one did cover her head up with pillows and try to sleep, which was very difficult because of all the truly loud LOL.) It is also why I am finishing up this entry after 1:00 AM the next day. (It would have to be one of my longer ones.)
Well, I am finished and will be going right to sleep after I brush my teeth, floss, and properly use an oral rinse. At least it is after everyone has already used the bathroom and before they are likely to need to use it again. One sister did drink as much ice tea as I did today and had more beer so I better get in there and out.
We toured a portion of San Francisco, leaving a trip to Alcatraz and a run across the Golden Gate for tomorrow. Then my sisters all fly out Wednesday, with two of my nieces and one brother-in-law.
Tomorrow my son comes back in for a moment to allow me to take him and his new bride, my daughter-in-law, to the airport. My youngest daughter is also leaving for Davis. She is staying around to see her brother and new sister-in-law one more time. It may be some time before they see each other again.
My parents will be staying until Sunday. I haven't made any plans for Wednesday through Saturday but then, I hadn't made plans for the weekend and today and it worked out all right. Planning is definitely over rated in a Life after Layoff. It's too associated with work, which I will have to be doing sooner than I had planned, if the stock market keeps plummeting.
Today we didn't do everything we had planned. Even the day before we had to scramble to make it to Beach Blanket Babylon before the show started, but we all enjoyed ourselves even without the long wait to get in and then seated waiting for the show to start. We, well I, had planned to ride the cable cars from the Hyde Street turn around to China Town then walk down to catch the Embarcadero trolley for the ride back to Fisherman's Wharf. After an impromptu stop at Fort Mason and a walk to Alioto's before walking on to smell the seals at Pier 39 only to walk all the way back to the Hyde Street turnaround only to discover that it would be a 45 minute to one hour wait to get on to a crowded Cable Car, we changed our plans again. While the two drivers went back to get the cars left at Fort Mason, the rest of our tour party went shopping at Ghirardelli Square. After picking the shoppers up, one car went down the crookedest street in the world and the other fearful driver did not. Sure, I had driven down it before, when I finally had found it and before it was closed to traffic for a long time plus the time I couldn't find it again, but I wasn't afraid to drive it then and certainly wasn't afraid to this time. My only scare came when I had to step on the gas to avoid being broadsided at the entrance to the curvy part of Lombard. At the proper setting, the curves are faithfully rendered on my Prius map display.
On the way home we stopped at a grocery store to pick up food for dinner as I hadn't shopped to restock my larder. We proceeded to eat most of what I had purchased, but I didn't need to fix it and not only were the dishes washed, but they were dried afterwards. No air drying dishes in my kitchen tonight and for several additional days until I need the drain rack for the next batch of dishes I must wash. It was great to have one meal fill up the dishwasher. This reduced the amount of pre-cleaning I needed to do. (Not that I didn't do any pre-cleaning, I just didn't need to.) Besides, some dishes weren't pre-cleaned, my daughter put them in and refuses to do any pre-cleaning.
Then seven of us played Shiny Pants Gin. Three players on one side of the table took on three players on the other side of the table in three games of head to head gin. The losing side by total points from each of the three games have to shift, thus the name Shiny Pants. The seventh person slips into the position vacated by the shifting of chairs and the person shifted off becomes the extra. Now, the side I ended up on won. How I got to that side was nothing less than a miracle. Due to an accounting error in the very first round the winning side shifted. That same team won again with a correct shifting of sides and I now sat on the winning side. Although, I must say it looked bleak when the score of the first hand was corrected. The side I had just left had just won two games to none. Needless to say, my new side only lost two more rounds before we reached 500 points, the agreed to winning target. One of them was quite spectacular where all three games were lost with the other side ginning. If we had lost just one more round, I would not have been on the winning team. We didn't keep track of individual honors but if we had, I'm sure my mother would have claimed them.
Since it was already 10:45 PM, we decided to stay up and watch The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert were truly funny and worth staying up for. I do need to get DVR so I don't ever need to do it again. Since three of my guests, the young ones, have to sleep on the sofa bed, where my big screen TV is now, they also had to stay up. (Although one did cover her head up with pillows and try to sleep, which was very difficult because of all the truly loud LOL.) It is also why I am finishing up this entry after 1:00 AM the next day. (It would have to be one of my longer ones.)
Well, I am finished and will be going right to sleep after I brush my teeth, floss, and properly use an oral rinse. At least it is after everyone has already used the bathroom and before they are likely to need to use it again. One sister did drink as much ice tea as I did today and had more beer so I better get in there and out.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Day Seventy-six: Bay area dining
I conveniently had everyone scattered all over the Sacramento area that was coming to the bay area meet us where I was staying. Well, since I was staying with my youngest daughter and her husband, synching up there was the best place because everyone wanted a tour to see the barn owls and most importantly, the canoe they refurbished.
Due to late arrivals, we got started late to my house in Pacifica. But, we went there anyway. Then rushed to have lunch from El Toro Loco so we could make it to Beach Blanket Babylon on time. This is a must see by every vistor and resident of the San Francisco Bay Area at least once. This made my fourth or fifth trip in twenty years and each of them have been worth it, although the ones paid for by my employer were cheaper. Even the two of my brothers-in-law who were able to attend were "singing" its praises.
They weren't so praising of my dining choice after the show, but I felt it was also an experience they should have. I took them to Cafe Gratitude. It probably wouldn't have been so bad for them if we hadn't had such a long wait outside the restaurant, allowing them to enhale many lung fulls of the next door's pizza smells.
Not everybody had to put on a game face. We vegans and vegetarians truly liked the food, particularly the no milk milkshakes and the desserts. While my father didn't particularly like the "live" bread, he seemed to put away the cashew butter icecream just fine.
Even though there were 13 of us at the table, I don't think it was my, or anyone else's at the table, last supper. It certainly wasn't my last vegan supper in this Life-after-Layoff.
Due to late arrivals, we got started late to my house in Pacifica. But, we went there anyway. Then rushed to have lunch from El Toro Loco so we could make it to Beach Blanket Babylon on time. This is a must see by every vistor and resident of the San Francisco Bay Area at least once. This made my fourth or fifth trip in twenty years and each of them have been worth it, although the ones paid for by my employer were cheaper. Even the two of my brothers-in-law who were able to attend were "singing" its praises.
They weren't so praising of my dining choice after the show, but I felt it was also an experience they should have. I took them to Cafe Gratitude. It probably wouldn't have been so bad for them if we hadn't had such a long wait outside the restaurant, allowing them to enhale many lung fulls of the next door's pizza smells.
Not everybody had to put on a game face. We vegans and vegetarians truly liked the food, particularly the no milk milkshakes and the desserts. While my father didn't particularly like the "live" bread, he seemed to put away the cashew butter icecream just fine.
Even though there were 13 of us at the table, I don't think it was my, or anyone else's at the table, last supper. It certainly wasn't my last vegan supper in this Life-after-Layoff.
Day Seventy-five: More wine, beer, and, this time, song
In short, my son got married to a wonderful woman. I wish them the rest of their life as happy as they are now. While it was a whirlwind for them to fall in love, they waited over a year and a half to get married. After Marilyn said yes, we were married in a month (only because we couldn't get it done in two weeks), less than four months after I met her.
The ceremony was good. My son walked the mother of the bride to her seat and then took me in, holding my hand.
It was a most joyous evening. Only one song made me cry, the "significant other's" song. Fortunately I had to go to the bathroom and the distance and "muzak" in the bathroom allowed me to regain my composure.
Since food seems to be a recurring theme in many of my posts, I should point out that the whole day was one of being off my diet. By "diet" I don't mean calories, I consumed sufficient numbers of those as well. What I did mean is that I ate non-vegan food, particularly the cheesecake wedding cake. There was no way I wasn't going to have a piece of my son's wedding cake.
Since my oldest daughter didn't have dancing at her wedding, I was finally able to dance with her. I also danced with my mother and two of my sisters. My third sister had already left by the time the music started. I did not get to dance with my new daughter-in-law. All this dancing proved one thing to me: I still need lessons, yet another thing to do in my Life-after-Layoff, one of the more fun things. Yes, I enjoy dancing. I wish Marilyn and I had done more of it.
The ceremony was good. My son walked the mother of the bride to her seat and then took me in, holding my hand.
It was a most joyous evening. Only one song made me cry, the "significant other's" song. Fortunately I had to go to the bathroom and the distance and "muzak" in the bathroom allowed me to regain my composure.
Since food seems to be a recurring theme in many of my posts, I should point out that the whole day was one of being off my diet. By "diet" I don't mean calories, I consumed sufficient numbers of those as well. What I did mean is that I ate non-vegan food, particularly the cheesecake wedding cake. There was no way I wasn't going to have a piece of my son's wedding cake.
Since my oldest daughter didn't have dancing at her wedding, I was finally able to dance with her. I also danced with my mother and two of my sisters. My third sister had already left by the time the music started. I did not get to dance with my new daughter-in-law. All this dancing proved one thing to me: I still need lessons, yet another thing to do in my Life-after-Layoff, one of the more fun things. Yes, I enjoy dancing. I wish Marilyn and I had done more of it.
Day Seventy-four: Screen door walking and other tales
After scrambling to do some last minute house straightening (I didn't get to any repeat cleaning, whether needed or not.), I raced off to pick my parents up at the airport. I ran late, the plane ran late, so, I only had to circle the airport three times.
We raced back to my house in Pacifica in time to let them see my son heading off for Sacramento. He was literally pulling out of the drive when we drove in. Thank goodness we live back on a flag lot with another house so in these situations we have another drive to switch to. After a quick stop to allow grandparent - grandson hugs, we went on in, had lunch, I packed, and then raced back out, this time to Davis and ultimately on to Sacramento.
Most notable about the trip to Davis was the traffic. Most notable about the trip to essentially North Sacramento, was the even worse traffic. The only good thing about the traffic was that however late we were, the wedding party was even later, due to the traffic. This also is something I'm taking for a sign: No matter what the impediment, I'm going to reach my Life-after-Layoff destination. It won't even deter me from my plans to do long road trips.
There was also construction, which may have been a small part of the traffic problem. But it's primary effect was that I couldn't turn left where my Prius guidance system directed me to do so. The second missed left was simply because I missed it. After driving almost around the block I finally made the third left.
There we were, my parents, my daughters and their spouses, in my future daughter-in-law's parent's house without anyone from her family present. (They had to be at the rehearsal.) I've been to some very interesting Rehearsal Dinners, but this one has to be the way to go. All Rehearsal Dinners should be this easy:
Son-in-law manned the grill,
Daughters bought and fixed the food,
Oldest daughter planned everything,
Bride's family supplied the place, wine, ..., and
I didn't have to drive back to my youngest daughter and son-in-law's house, where we were staying for free, which meant that I could drink the great beer and excellent wine.
It was after my second glass of wine, which was after my second beer, that I remembered to designate a "designated driver," my youngest daughter. Her husband immediately took her wine glass and poured its contents into his. She made a face but took it all and drove very well.
They also cleaned up.
Now for the screen door walking: It was that perfect twilight with the limited outdoor lighting just beginning to take effect and spread that romantic pre-wedding glow over everything, when nature called my youngest son-in-law into the house to visit the facilities. By the time he came out, which wasn't all that long of time, it was natural that he would think that it had gotten darker. So, he didn't notice that it was extra dark because of the screen door barrier between the inside and the outside. He also found out that he couldn't really walk through a screen door. What he could do was pop it completely out of its tracks. Thank goodness he is quite the handyman. He was able to put it back in place looking like it was fully fixed. Later when the mother of the bride and community property owner of the house knocked it completely out of its tracks, it would look like it was a condition rather than a partial repair.
Whether it was the wine or the good spirit because of the occasion, no one seemed to mind the screen door and everyone had a very good time. I know I did. I enjoyed the conversations, the food, the beer, and the wine.
One final note: I went "cowboy" for the Rehearsal Dinner. By this, I mean I wore my cowboy, Lucchese, boots and my real Idaho purchase cowboy hat. I dumped the hat back in the car once it became dark but I had fun wearing it until then.
We raced back to my house in Pacifica in time to let them see my son heading off for Sacramento. He was literally pulling out of the drive when we drove in. Thank goodness we live back on a flag lot with another house so in these situations we have another drive to switch to. After a quick stop to allow grandparent - grandson hugs, we went on in, had lunch, I packed, and then raced back out, this time to Davis and ultimately on to Sacramento.
Most notable about the trip to Davis was the traffic. Most notable about the trip to essentially North Sacramento, was the even worse traffic. The only good thing about the traffic was that however late we were, the wedding party was even later, due to the traffic. This also is something I'm taking for a sign: No matter what the impediment, I'm going to reach my Life-after-Layoff destination. It won't even deter me from my plans to do long road trips.
There was also construction, which may have been a small part of the traffic problem. But it's primary effect was that I couldn't turn left where my Prius guidance system directed me to do so. The second missed left was simply because I missed it. After driving almost around the block I finally made the third left.
There we were, my parents, my daughters and their spouses, in my future daughter-in-law's parent's house without anyone from her family present. (They had to be at the rehearsal.) I've been to some very interesting Rehearsal Dinners, but this one has to be the way to go. All Rehearsal Dinners should be this easy:
Son-in-law manned the grill,
Daughters bought and fixed the food,
Oldest daughter planned everything,
Bride's family supplied the place, wine, ..., and
I didn't have to drive back to my youngest daughter and son-in-law's house, where we were staying for free, which meant that I could drink the great beer and excellent wine.
It was after my second glass of wine, which was after my second beer, that I remembered to designate a "designated driver," my youngest daughter. Her husband immediately took her wine glass and poured its contents into his. She made a face but took it all and drove very well.
They also cleaned up.
Now for the screen door walking: It was that perfect twilight with the limited outdoor lighting just beginning to take effect and spread that romantic pre-wedding glow over everything, when nature called my youngest son-in-law into the house to visit the facilities. By the time he came out, which wasn't all that long of time, it was natural that he would think that it had gotten darker. So, he didn't notice that it was extra dark because of the screen door barrier between the inside and the outside. He also found out that he couldn't really walk through a screen door. What he could do was pop it completely out of its tracks. Thank goodness he is quite the handyman. He was able to put it back in place looking like it was fully fixed. Later when the mother of the bride and community property owner of the house knocked it completely out of its tracks, it would look like it was a condition rather than a partial repair.
Whether it was the wine or the good spirit because of the occasion, no one seemed to mind the screen door and everyone had a very good time. I know I did. I enjoyed the conversations, the food, the beer, and the wine.
One final note: I went "cowboy" for the Rehearsal Dinner. By this, I mean I wore my cowboy, Lucchese, boots and my real Idaho purchase cowboy hat. I dumped the hat back in the car once it became dark but I had fun wearing it until then.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Day Seventy-three: Memories and tears
Since the family was together for my son's wedding, we all walked to Marilyn's favorite spot and had a final memorial. I read the messages she and I worked on before she couldn't interact anymore (or sign anything). There was one message for all of her children, with a paragraph directed to each child. There was a separate message for my marrying son. Then I read some of the memories I had already written. We all cried freely.
On the walk up we talked about her "run and rest" walking style. We also found the bench the park service was suggesting as the memorial bench. Now if the park service would get back to us, we can make that happen.
On the walk down, after a companionable silence for much of the first part, we started talking about the future, the immediate future. Did my son have time to go on the shopping trip to Costco for food? He did. In fact, he had time also to get some burritos with us, and eat them.
Then he left to pick up his tux. My daughters left to get a pedicure and I fought off sleep. It seemed the thing to do since my head intercepted the hatch back being rapidly closed by my son after all the groceries we had just stowed. I was attempting to make one last adjustment. One final adjustment may be a lesson in my Life after Layoff, layoff the extra stuff and get to it.
Since I was up until 2:00 this morning, I am going to bed now.
On the walk up we talked about her "run and rest" walking style. We also found the bench the park service was suggesting as the memorial bench. Now if the park service would get back to us, we can make that happen.
On the walk down, after a companionable silence for much of the first part, we started talking about the future, the immediate future. Did my son have time to go on the shopping trip to Costco for food? He did. In fact, he had time also to get some burritos with us, and eat them.
Then he left to pick up his tux. My daughters left to get a pedicure and I fought off sleep. It seemed the thing to do since my head intercepted the hatch back being rapidly closed by my son after all the groceries we had just stowed. I was attempting to make one last adjustment. One final adjustment may be a lesson in my Life after Layoff, layoff the extra stuff and get to it.
Since I was up until 2:00 this morning, I am going to bed now.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Day Seventy-two: Sweeping clean...
Everyone should be as laid back as I am now. I had a couple things to do on my way to getting my Prius serviced, mailing something at a local mail box to keep it and buying my lottery tickets. (My wife told me that mail boxes that don't average 25 pieces of mail a day are removed, which is not all that much in this era of online Bill Pay. So, she had me take everything we had to mail down to this one local mail box. I don't know whether or not this is still true but I still do it.) While at the store where I buy lottery tickets, I realized that I didn't have my cell phone or my iPod Nano. Without either one, it would make my wait for my car servicing seem longer. So, I went back to my house to pick them up even though doing so would make me "late" for my servicing appointment, which I was. I didn't care and, it appears, neither did they.
Now, the ironic thing is, I didn't use either one while I waited because I discovered that Toyota has a free wifi for its customers, at least at Putnam Toyota, and I did have my MacBook.
I'm going to have to use my motorcycle more so I don't rack up so many miles on the Prius. There are only a couple more months of good weather for doing so. I really would like to do a longer motorcycle trip to/through the Sierras, possibly to Reno. So far though, amazingly, I haven't had the time.
After Putnam, I went to AAA Sewing and Vacuum to buy a new vacuum, one that would do floors, rather than carpet. I called one of my son-in-law's mother because when I visited I was impressed with their vacuum. She still thought, and spoke, highly of it. Before I had left, I did my research online. Her particular model didn't seem to be available online, so I found one of the few stores in the area, which miraculously was close to Putnam Toyota. They did have the Miele Naturell but while there I kept thinking why have two vacuums, one for carpet and one for floors, when one would do. So, I bought the next one up, the Miele Plus.
When I got home, I put it to good use. I know the floors haven't been this clean since we had help cleaning them. I also vacuumed the carpet. Of course, the old carpet vacuum cleaner hasn't disappeared, nor has the old under powered missing attachments cannister vacuum, and I even used the shop vac today. So, I now have four vacuums. At least Marilyn gave away the Orreck version of the DustBuster. I think I remember using it once. It had a weird shoulder strap and didn't seem to vacuum all that well. Still having to get a new vacuum every ten plus years isn't too bad. I wish everything lasts so well in my Life after Layoff.
I'm going to take a tangental aside at this point and make an observation. My parents are probably the most congenial people I know. They literally have traveled around the country staying with and visiting distant relatives/strangers. They met my wife's parents and her family and may have my sisters' husbands' parents but they never did have the now extensive interaction I have had and hope to continue with my children's spouses' parents/family. When a child marries you are supposed to gain a daughter (or son). I feel as though I have been adopted as well. It just goes to show me how great the families my children are joining truly are.
Next, even though my son and his fiancee cleaned the bathrooms, I cleaned portions of them again. Then I cleaned the kitchen. Mind you I used rubber gloves while cleaning the bathrooms and washed my hands before and during my kitchen cleaning. In fact, I've washed my hands so much today that I need to put some lotion on them.
Dinner was in front of the TV with my son. We each had a Lobotomy Bock with our organic blue corn chips and tasty, but not truly spicy, chipotle salsa. I then further had a tomato on my homemade artisan whole wheat bread, a Cherokee Purple heirloom tomato, of course, Marilyn's favorite. (I am going to have to have a whole topic on tomatoes in my Memories of Marilyn.) For a number of years, I would refuse to eat tomatoes as the mechanically picked tomatoes felt and tasted like wood. Heirloom tomatoes, on the otherhand, taste like tomato ambrosia, and cost almost as much. I still make sure that my heirloom tomatoes are rung up last and packed on top. Marilyn would take charge of them and hand carry them from the store. She would always have some growing, and believe you me, the store bought ones at $6.00/lb. were always cheaper.
Now, the ironic thing is, I didn't use either one while I waited because I discovered that Toyota has a free wifi for its customers, at least at Putnam Toyota, and I did have my MacBook.
I'm going to have to use my motorcycle more so I don't rack up so many miles on the Prius. There are only a couple more months of good weather for doing so. I really would like to do a longer motorcycle trip to/through the Sierras, possibly to Reno. So far though, amazingly, I haven't had the time.
After Putnam, I went to AAA Sewing and Vacuum to buy a new vacuum, one that would do floors, rather than carpet. I called one of my son-in-law's mother because when I visited I was impressed with their vacuum. She still thought, and spoke, highly of it. Before I had left, I did my research online. Her particular model didn't seem to be available online, so I found one of the few stores in the area, which miraculously was close to Putnam Toyota. They did have the Miele Naturell but while there I kept thinking why have two vacuums, one for carpet and one for floors, when one would do. So, I bought the next one up, the Miele Plus.
When I got home, I put it to good use. I know the floors haven't been this clean since we had help cleaning them. I also vacuumed the carpet. Of course, the old carpet vacuum cleaner hasn't disappeared, nor has the old under powered missing attachments cannister vacuum, and I even used the shop vac today. So, I now have four vacuums. At least Marilyn gave away the Orreck version of the DustBuster. I think I remember using it once. It had a weird shoulder strap and didn't seem to vacuum all that well. Still having to get a new vacuum every ten plus years isn't too bad. I wish everything lasts so well in my Life after Layoff.
I'm going to take a tangental aside at this point and make an observation. My parents are probably the most congenial people I know. They literally have traveled around the country staying with and visiting distant relatives/strangers. They met my wife's parents and her family and may have my sisters' husbands' parents but they never did have the now extensive interaction I have had and hope to continue with my children's spouses' parents/family. When a child marries you are supposed to gain a daughter (or son). I feel as though I have been adopted as well. It just goes to show me how great the families my children are joining truly are.
Next, even though my son and his fiancee cleaned the bathrooms, I cleaned portions of them again. Then I cleaned the kitchen. Mind you I used rubber gloves while cleaning the bathrooms and washed my hands before and during my kitchen cleaning. In fact, I've washed my hands so much today that I need to put some lotion on them.
Dinner was in front of the TV with my son. We each had a Lobotomy Bock with our organic blue corn chips and tasty, but not truly spicy, chipotle salsa. I then further had a tomato on my homemade artisan whole wheat bread, a Cherokee Purple heirloom tomato, of course, Marilyn's favorite. (I am going to have to have a whole topic on tomatoes in my Memories of Marilyn.) For a number of years, I would refuse to eat tomatoes as the mechanically picked tomatoes felt and tasted like wood. Heirloom tomatoes, on the otherhand, taste like tomato ambrosia, and cost almost as much. I still make sure that my heirloom tomatoes are rung up last and packed on top. Marilyn would take charge of them and hand carry them from the store. She would always have some growing, and believe you me, the store bought ones at $6.00/lb. were always cheaper.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Day Seventy-one: Cooking, mowing, and misc.
My son and soon to be daughter-in-law have left for Sacramento. I have an appointment to get my Prius serviced. I canceled my daughter's phone number without there being any additional cancelation fee. (I confirmed with her that she did not, in fact get a new phone.) I baked bread, chocolate cupcakes, and fixed my Gerson Ratatouille. (See recipe at the bottom of this post.) We ate at Cafe Gratitude for lunch, since they will not be able to join us after the wedding.
My son started his motorcycle, and mine. He then rode my bike to take back some shorts he bought at Nordstrom Rack. They cost 2/3 of the original price rather than the 1/3 the rest of the prices were. So, by taking them back he was able to get jeans, his fiancee a shirt, and some money back. He couldn't ride his. It doesn't have a current registration or insurance. As much as he likes New York, I think he is quite willing to return to his motorcycle. I did find out that he has received two tickets for speeding with one being so fast that he did not qualify for Traffic School. Maybe this 2 and 1/2 year stay in New York City is good for his driving record.
While the bread was baking, I mowed my dead yard. Even though it doesn't look green, it looks better. The deer are still enjoying one kind of my plants in the front yard. I have yet to get the Liquid Fence.
The TV that was in my room is now in the guest bedroom. I had a much better morning without a working TV in my bedroom this morning. But, with the TV in my Living Room, I don't know how much stereo listening I will do. Maybe it will pick up when I get my iPod and my TV to stereo connectivity established.
Tomorrow I have a long cleaning list. I've found that there is always more to do in my Life after Layoff.
"Gerson" Ratatouille: I started making this for Marilyn when she was able to do the Gerson Therapy to address her cancer. (I truly don't know what the therapy would have done for her cancer but certainly her health all except for the cancer was the best it had been in years.) The Gerson diet is largely no salt added vegan. This left us trying to find tasty ways to prepare vegetables and have a variety. The "Gerson" Ratatouille was just that kind of vegetable.
One medium/large yellow onion cut in one to one and one half inch length chunks.
Four to five garlic cloves, crushed.
One medium to large eggplant, peeled and diced into about one inch squares.
One can of diced tomatoes or three medium/large heirloom tomatoes, diced.
Cook on low until eggplant is done. If you put the onions on the bottom, you can turn the fire on low without burning anything. I've cooked green beans with that layer of onion without needing to add water. In this case, however, the tomatoes also supply a lot of moisture.
My son started his motorcycle, and mine. He then rode my bike to take back some shorts he bought at Nordstrom Rack. They cost 2/3 of the original price rather than the 1/3 the rest of the prices were. So, by taking them back he was able to get jeans, his fiancee a shirt, and some money back. He couldn't ride his. It doesn't have a current registration or insurance. As much as he likes New York, I think he is quite willing to return to his motorcycle. I did find out that he has received two tickets for speeding with one being so fast that he did not qualify for Traffic School. Maybe this 2 and 1/2 year stay in New York City is good for his driving record.
While the bread was baking, I mowed my dead yard. Even though it doesn't look green, it looks better. The deer are still enjoying one kind of my plants in the front yard. I have yet to get the Liquid Fence.
The TV that was in my room is now in the guest bedroom. I had a much better morning without a working TV in my bedroom this morning. But, with the TV in my Living Room, I don't know how much stereo listening I will do. Maybe it will pick up when I get my iPod and my TV to stereo connectivity established.
Tomorrow I have a long cleaning list. I've found that there is always more to do in my Life after Layoff.
"Gerson" Ratatouille: I started making this for Marilyn when she was able to do the Gerson Therapy to address her cancer. (I truly don't know what the therapy would have done for her cancer but certainly her health all except for the cancer was the best it had been in years.) The Gerson diet is largely no salt added vegan. This left us trying to find tasty ways to prepare vegetables and have a variety. The "Gerson" Ratatouille was just that kind of vegetable.
One medium/large yellow onion cut in one to one and one half inch length chunks.
Four to five garlic cloves, crushed.
One medium to large eggplant, peeled and diced into about one inch squares.
One can of diced tomatoes or three medium/large heirloom tomatoes, diced.
Cook on low until eggplant is done. If you put the onions on the bottom, you can turn the fire on low without burning anything. I've cooked green beans with that layer of onion without needing to add water. In this case, however, the tomatoes also supply a lot of moisture.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Day Seventy: Ten weeks of retirement sampling
This is the end of my tenth week without a job. While I have remained very busy, I have also enjoyed not "working." Today was an exception. First my son kept cutting. This definitely made the place look better, but, ... We filled the bed of the Ford Ranger XLT then stacked on seven filled 33 gallon trash bags on top. The bed was so full that the covering net had to be bungy corded on one end to cover it.
Then we went to the dump.
After the dump, we ate at Chez Shea in Half Moon Bay. I had eaten there a few times before with the first being a break of a motorcycle ride after we moved to Pacifica. Later, when Marilyn was no longer doing Gerson Therapy, we went there on one of our few dining out experiences her final year. This made at least the second time this year. I like the food.
After a stop back at home to find an ATT Store and a WAMU, we proceeded to them. At the ATT Store we had to get a new phone number to add my son's soon to be wife to the family plan. Plus, we couldn't cancel my daughter's phone because she had to get yet another number when she and her husband formed a family plan to free up a line for my son's soon to be wife. What's more, we were told that there was a cancelation fee of $175.
Then we went to Circuit City for the cables and connecters we needed to move the big TV into the Living Room. Unfortunately Circuit City didn't have them. Since Home Depot was literally on the way to Best Buy, we stopped there, also for no reason as it turned out. But Best Buy had the cable, splitter, and splicer. It didn't have the coax box. So we went to Radio Shack. Radio Shack had the plate with a drywall clamp device. Since we had previously cut two holes into the wall, with the one that worked partially on a stud, the clamp method wouldn't work. So, we went on to a local Ace Hardware. We got a box for the cable plate we got at Radio Shack and patching material for the extra holes.
Since this is my blog, I've left out a lot of the hard work that my son and his soon to be wife did. They had the hardest work, which is one reason they are already in bed while I am still up writing. Another is that they are still on New York time and it is late here in California.
Then we moved the TV. Even though we had the support plate on level, the TV definitely wasn't. So we adjusted the plate as much as possible and then shimmed the TV. It still isn't perfect but I now have a TV in the Living Room. All that is left is a little cleaning and relocating the TV from my bedroom into the guest room. It is smaller and won't get HD but still it is something that will keep guests up until all hours of the night, while the one out in the Living Room will keep me up all hours of the night, at least until I get my entry in my Life after Layoff written and published.
Then we went to the dump.
After the dump, we ate at Chez Shea in Half Moon Bay. I had eaten there a few times before with the first being a break of a motorcycle ride after we moved to Pacifica. Later, when Marilyn was no longer doing Gerson Therapy, we went there on one of our few dining out experiences her final year. This made at least the second time this year. I like the food.
After a stop back at home to find an ATT Store and a WAMU, we proceeded to them. At the ATT Store we had to get a new phone number to add my son's soon to be wife to the family plan. Plus, we couldn't cancel my daughter's phone because she had to get yet another number when she and her husband formed a family plan to free up a line for my son's soon to be wife. What's more, we were told that there was a cancelation fee of $175.
Then we went to Circuit City for the cables and connecters we needed to move the big TV into the Living Room. Unfortunately Circuit City didn't have them. Since Home Depot was literally on the way to Best Buy, we stopped there, also for no reason as it turned out. But Best Buy had the cable, splitter, and splicer. It didn't have the coax box. So we went to Radio Shack. Radio Shack had the plate with a drywall clamp device. Since we had previously cut two holes into the wall, with the one that worked partially on a stud, the clamp method wouldn't work. So, we went on to a local Ace Hardware. We got a box for the cable plate we got at Radio Shack and patching material for the extra holes.
Since this is my blog, I've left out a lot of the hard work that my son and his soon to be wife did. They had the hardest work, which is one reason they are already in bed while I am still up writing. Another is that they are still on New York time and it is late here in California.
Then we moved the TV. Even though we had the support plate on level, the TV definitely wasn't. So we adjusted the plate as much as possible and then shimmed the TV. It still isn't perfect but I now have a TV in the Living Room. All that is left is a little cleaning and relocating the TV from my bedroom into the guest room. It is smaller and won't get HD but still it is something that will keep guests up until all hours of the night, while the one out in the Living Room will keep me up all hours of the night, at least until I get my entry in my Life after Layoff written and published.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Day Sixty-nine: Day of change
My Living Room now looks a lot more like one and a lot less like a sofa display in a furniture store hallway. To get it this way took a lot of work and a trip to IKEA with the maximum number of occupants in a Ford Ranger XLT, five. It made the Internet report of supposedly 22 miles one way seem like a lot more. We also made it more by trying to stop at an organic Thai restaurant for lunch, Sirayvah, that was only open for dinner.
We then drove directly to a completely different kind of restaurant in Pacifica, El Toro Loco. I think most of us had eaten there before, or at least food from there. It has an interesting combination of Central and South American foods. I don't know how authentic it is, but it is good.
Then we went back home and proceeded to make not only the change above, but my son and future daughter in-law, six days future, really cleaned the yard. Unfortunately, I had already filled the green bin and the green pick up is in seven days. So, what wouldn't fit in the available alternatives, are in piles along the concrete walk in my backyard. Even the zip line has been put into extra duty as a clothes line.
It was great crowding into the "in your dreams" five passenger truck. We all obeyed California's seat belt law but it was a tight fit. It was great having two of my children with their significant others. Their presence was enough of a joy in this Life after Layoff, but they made their presence into a present for a much longer joy with all the work they did.
One final note: As I dropped the state quarters I had recently received in change into the state quarter can, I could only think back and laugh at myself for continuing this tradition. My mother started "collecting" bicentennial quarters soon after they started coming out. As they became scarce in circulation, all of her children started looking for them for her. One of the ways I would find them would be to gamble at the quarter slots when they were quarter slots rather than paper slots of a quarter value. One such trip, infrequent because Marilyn didn't like to gamble and I never seemed to get away on my own (which continues even now as I have yet to go gambling even with all this supposed time I have in my Life after Layoff), I found around $20 worth of bicentennial quarters.
Marilyn saw in this two opportunities: she knew that looking for specific quarters would slow my gambling down and pulling out more quarters would guarantee that I would leave the casinos with more money. So, she had me start "collecting" state quarters for her, which had yet another benefit: she got the money. She looked on the quarter fund as disaster money. It was part of her disaster preparation to maintain a little cash should some earthquake knock out electricity, phones, ... and we needed to buy something. The quarter "collection" served double duty.
Oh, when I say collection, I don't mean one of each. I mean every state quarter that made its way into my hands, made it into hers.
(This last portion will definitely one of my entries in my Memories of Marilyn blog coming September 23, 2008.)
We then drove directly to a completely different kind of restaurant in Pacifica, El Toro Loco. I think most of us had eaten there before, or at least food from there. It has an interesting combination of Central and South American foods. I don't know how authentic it is, but it is good.
Then we went back home and proceeded to make not only the change above, but my son and future daughter in-law, six days future, really cleaned the yard. Unfortunately, I had already filled the green bin and the green pick up is in seven days. So, what wouldn't fit in the available alternatives, are in piles along the concrete walk in my backyard. Even the zip line has been put into extra duty as a clothes line.
It was great crowding into the "in your dreams" five passenger truck. We all obeyed California's seat belt law but it was a tight fit. It was great having two of my children with their significant others. Their presence was enough of a joy in this Life after Layoff, but they made their presence into a present for a much longer joy with all the work they did.
One final note: As I dropped the state quarters I had recently received in change into the state quarter can, I could only think back and laugh at myself for continuing this tradition. My mother started "collecting" bicentennial quarters soon after they started coming out. As they became scarce in circulation, all of her children started looking for them for her. One of the ways I would find them would be to gamble at the quarter slots when they were quarter slots rather than paper slots of a quarter value. One such trip, infrequent because Marilyn didn't like to gamble and I never seemed to get away on my own (which continues even now as I have yet to go gambling even with all this supposed time I have in my Life after Layoff), I found around $20 worth of bicentennial quarters.
Marilyn saw in this two opportunities: she knew that looking for specific quarters would slow my gambling down and pulling out more quarters would guarantee that I would leave the casinos with more money. So, she had me start "collecting" state quarters for her, which had yet another benefit: she got the money. She looked on the quarter fund as disaster money. It was part of her disaster preparation to maintain a little cash should some earthquake knock out electricity, phones, ... and we needed to buy something. The quarter "collection" served double duty.
Oh, when I say collection, I don't mean one of each. I mean every state quarter that made its way into my hands, made it into hers.
(This last portion will definitely one of my entries in my Memories of Marilyn blog coming September 23, 2008.)
Day Sixty-eight: Two days in one
It may seem like two days, a morning of cleaning, an afternoon barbeque (not at my house), and a late pick up from the airport such that it is past midnight as I write this. It reminds me of the time I worked 36 hours in one day. Yes there are only 24 hours in a day but I worked 36 hours straight and got paid double time for any hours over twelve in one day.
The morning was filled with making a truly fluffy buttercream frosting for the cupcakes I had made earlier, getting all the boxes I had filled out to the storage shed, sweeping the carpet, dusting (for which I also used a vacuum before I used the dust cloth because the dust was really thick in some spots), toilets, ...
After my youngest daughter (and her husband) got here, we headed out to my oldest daughter's in-laws' place for a barbeque. Our timing was accidentally great. We got there just before eating and proceeded to eat for five hours. The food was that good and plentiful.
The drive down along Highway 1 was scenic. After we turned off of Highway 1 onto the curvy mountain road up to their place in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I felt like I was driving a sports car. Then I came upon the minivan whose driver did not feel as though he was driving a sports car, or a minivan. He must have thought it was a cement truck. After a couple miles that felt like a couple hundred, I passed him going up hill. The Prius doesn't really have sports car acceleration, at least not up hill. I was just deluding myself in my Life after Layoff, but it was fun for the 13 seconds it lasted.
I have been driving a lot at night lately. The last time I did, I got bugs in layers on my car. I didn't check when I got here after the airport run and almost don't want to check. After all, I just washed the thing.
The morning was filled with making a truly fluffy buttercream frosting for the cupcakes I had made earlier, getting all the boxes I had filled out to the storage shed, sweeping the carpet, dusting (for which I also used a vacuum before I used the dust cloth because the dust was really thick in some spots), toilets, ...
After my youngest daughter (and her husband) got here, we headed out to my oldest daughter's in-laws' place for a barbeque. Our timing was accidentally great. We got there just before eating and proceeded to eat for five hours. The food was that good and plentiful.
The drive down along Highway 1 was scenic. After we turned off of Highway 1 onto the curvy mountain road up to their place in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I felt like I was driving a sports car. Then I came upon the minivan whose driver did not feel as though he was driving a sports car, or a minivan. He must have thought it was a cement truck. After a couple miles that felt like a couple hundred, I passed him going up hill. The Prius doesn't really have sports car acceleration, at least not up hill. I was just deluding myself in my Life after Layoff, but it was fun for the 13 seconds it lasted.
I have been driving a lot at night lately. The last time I did, I got bugs in layers on my car. I didn't check when I got here after the airport run and almost don't want to check. After all, I just washed the thing.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Day Sixty-seven: Pick up and put away is now hide
I woke up today to reality. I was going to pick up things and put them away but I have run out of time. From this moment forward, I will be hiding things in my junk room, the garage, and in the storage shed. This means that I needed to get some more boxes to hide things in. For this I have an errand to Costco. I don't want to buy anymore boxes from the UPS Store. They really cost. So, I saved $3.50 a box. I only had to buy ten of them. Of course, the rum and beer for my guests, the year's supply of trash bags, the two half gallons of juice because they came packaged together, ... Not to mention that the store was further away. (I was also able to get gas though.)
I also woke up in the dark. I was up before 5:00 AM. I had the bread doing the second rise by 5:30 AM and my breakfast eaten by 6:00. Then I moved a few things around, boxes to the garage, baked the bread, and cleaned up the kitchen. It started out a long day.
Some time ago I sent out an email to my family saying that I felt better, and I probably did. Today though I really feel better. I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm getting sick.
Well, I used half of them. I packed everything lying around loose. I packed the slides that I scanned and have yet to scan. I packed miscellaneous items loosely even to use that much. I also threw away, well, recycled, all my magazines. If I had a reading rack in the bathroom, it would have been a good place to put them. It's good to see the floor again. It's good to get the tops of furniture pieces cleared off. It's good to get rid of dust. I should have guests more often.
Entertaining, a new facet in my Life after Layoff.
I also woke up in the dark. I was up before 5:00 AM. I had the bread doing the second rise by 5:30 AM and my breakfast eaten by 6:00. Then I moved a few things around, boxes to the garage, baked the bread, and cleaned up the kitchen. It started out a long day.
Some time ago I sent out an email to my family saying that I felt better, and I probably did. Today though I really feel better. I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm getting sick.
Well, I used half of them. I packed everything lying around loose. I packed the slides that I scanned and have yet to scan. I packed miscellaneous items loosely even to use that much. I also threw away, well, recycled, all my magazines. If I had a reading rack in the bathroom, it would have been a good place to put them. It's good to see the floor again. It's good to get the tops of furniture pieces cleared off. It's good to get rid of dust. I should have guests more often.
Entertaining, a new facet in my Life after Layoff.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Day Sixty-six: Loss of productivity
I couldn't watch the Republican convention last night or the repeats. I find that I'm getting tired of the political speeches. This doesn't mean I don't have an Internet addiction. In fact, it's obvious that far too many people do. I read the blogs and particularly the comments, the comments that are added to before I can read all the ones that have already been posted. This is a tremendous drain on my productivity, or could be without some severe self-imposed restrictions.
I only do it while I'm waiting for something, or at the end of the day. Now it takes a certain amount of creativity to find things that have built in waiting time. Take this morning for example: I chose to fix myself steel cut oats because they were supposed to simmer a whole thirty minutes. I could have done something more productive with that time but my very portable laptop was on the table so I declared it "waiting time." Of course, my laptop being on the table also meant that I could "wait" between bites.
Leisurely meals are supposed to be healthier for a person...
The rest of my morning was truly one of productivity without progress. I did a load of laundry after I changed the sheets on the guest bed. I made a pot of chili, primarily to use up the cilantro that I had left from the earlier Mango Black Bean Salad, and to use some more of that delicious chili powder my daughter got me. I also made a double batch of chocolate cupcakes, 24, for Saturday. I enjoyed the chili for lunch and licking the bowl was dessert, although I didn't eat them in the traditional order. I do hold with the philosophy that since life is uncertain, one should eat dessert first. Eating when I want and what I want is The Secret of Life after Layoff.
I'd like to say that my productivity continued into the afternoon. I did start a couple loaves of bread possibly for Saturday. Both are Whole Wheat but one also has olives. I also put a lot of effort for little result in washing the truck's wheels, well two of them, one of them twice. I was following the instructions, including the use of rubber gloves. With my lack of progress and noticing holes in one of my gloves, I decided to try again when the sun wasn't so bright, hot, and burning. Oh, I did dry the laundry I washed this morning. My final bit of work this afternoon was the creation of a list, a list of all I still had to do. I kept it very high-level so as to not be overwhelmed. Lists are good for at least one thing, the crossing of completed items off of them. It is also a reason to put things that I know I will do, like bake the bread I now have raising. At least I didn't put things like get up (each day), ... But maybe a computer program/scheduler would be a good place for all of that. I know, I'll put it on a list.
I only do it while I'm waiting for something, or at the end of the day. Now it takes a certain amount of creativity to find things that have built in waiting time. Take this morning for example: I chose to fix myself steel cut oats because they were supposed to simmer a whole thirty minutes. I could have done something more productive with that time but my very portable laptop was on the table so I declared it "waiting time." Of course, my laptop being on the table also meant that I could "wait" between bites.
Leisurely meals are supposed to be healthier for a person...
The rest of my morning was truly one of productivity without progress. I did a load of laundry after I changed the sheets on the guest bed. I made a pot of chili, primarily to use up the cilantro that I had left from the earlier Mango Black Bean Salad, and to use some more of that delicious chili powder my daughter got me. I also made a double batch of chocolate cupcakes, 24, for Saturday. I enjoyed the chili for lunch and licking the bowl was dessert, although I didn't eat them in the traditional order. I do hold with the philosophy that since life is uncertain, one should eat dessert first. Eating when I want and what I want is The Secret of Life after Layoff.
I'd like to say that my productivity continued into the afternoon. I did start a couple loaves of bread possibly for Saturday. Both are Whole Wheat but one also has olives. I also put a lot of effort for little result in washing the truck's wheels, well two of them, one of them twice. I was following the instructions, including the use of rubber gloves. With my lack of progress and noticing holes in one of my gloves, I decided to try again when the sun wasn't so bright, hot, and burning. Oh, I did dry the laundry I washed this morning. My final bit of work this afternoon was the creation of a list, a list of all I still had to do. I kept it very high-level so as to not be overwhelmed. Lists are good for at least one thing, the crossing of completed items off of them. It is also a reason to put things that I know I will do, like bake the bread I now have raising. At least I didn't put things like get up (each day), ... But maybe a computer program/scheduler would be a good place for all of that. I know, I'll put it on a list.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Day Sixty-five: Drinks after work
I'm almost caught up with the work I planned on having done two days ago and I'm sore. After the washing the truck, I washed the Prius. I hadn't washed it since the off-roading in Oregon, two weeks and two thousand miles before. It was loaded with bugs. I decided to address the bugs head on as that was the way that I had picked them up so to speak. (This meant washing the hood and front immediately after I washed the top.) Some of the places I found bug residue made me think that some bugs must have crawled after impact. The bugs took so much "elbow grease," I was regretting washing the truck first. But if I hadn't it would probably still be out there unwashed. I even opened the doors and wiped off the insides. Unfortunately, I still have windows and vacuuming to do. This is all in preparation for my son's wedding. He will be driving the truck around and I will be driving my parents around.
After the washing, I went and bought another hose. Even though it is probably too late, I now can sprinkle the yard, which I did for at least an hour. In that hour I cleaned myself up in preparation for heading in to the city for "drinks after work."
Now, washing cars are a great deal of effort, but are not truly work. But the rest of the attendees were working. So much so that no one was available to take my work laptop off of my hands. I waited around for a half an hour before someone was found. What I returned was my last physical tie to my former employer. (I'll let you know who on day three hundred and sixty six as well as the reason for the delay.)
The drinks after work at a bar named 83-Proof was the first time I had seen these particular people in over two months. We had a little bit of catching up to do and our conversations, sometimes several at once, were far ranging. One question was asked of me, did I have any advice, and at that moment, it came together for me and I did. I prefaced it with: "For the long time of her illness I was doing everything I could for my wife and when I wasn't doing that, I was doing everything I could for my employer. After she passed away, I buried myself in my work. Now I realize that I needed to do something for me and have been recently. But my advice is to make sure you are doing something for yourself. It makes all the other things you do more valuable."
And, I really do value this Life after Layoff. Every day I find something else I want to do and my list is impossibly long right now but making that list is also something I am doing for myself.
After the washing, I went and bought another hose. Even though it is probably too late, I now can sprinkle the yard, which I did for at least an hour. In that hour I cleaned myself up in preparation for heading in to the city for "drinks after work."
Now, washing cars are a great deal of effort, but are not truly work. But the rest of the attendees were working. So much so that no one was available to take my work laptop off of my hands. I waited around for a half an hour before someone was found. What I returned was my last physical tie to my former employer. (I'll let you know who on day three hundred and sixty six as well as the reason for the delay.)
The drinks after work at a bar named 83-Proof was the first time I had seen these particular people in over two months. We had a little bit of catching up to do and our conversations, sometimes several at once, were far ranging. One question was asked of me, did I have any advice, and at that moment, it came together for me and I did. I prefaced it with: "For the long time of her illness I was doing everything I could for my wife and when I wasn't doing that, I was doing everything I could for my employer. After she passed away, I buried myself in my work. Now I realize that I needed to do something for me and have been recently. But my advice is to make sure you are doing something for yourself. It makes all the other things you do more valuable."
And, I really do value this Life after Layoff. Every day I find something else I want to do and my list is impossibly long right now but making that list is also something I am doing for myself.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Day Sixty-four: "Putzing" outside
Well, that is what I always called it when Marilyn did it. She would do the one thing outside over the million things inside. I don't know how many pruning sheers she went through. At the time I didn't think they were worn out from use but now I'm not so sure. I didn't use pruning sheers but loppers. I don't believe I wore them out but I certainly wore myself out.
Before I could wash my vehicles, I needed to sweep my driveway. Before I swept my driveway, I decided to trim away the bottle brush bush that was hanging over the fence from my neighbor's yard. I carefully cut it up the fence line and had a mass, a mess of a mass of trimmings I now had to fit into the green bin. This involved a lot of cutting of the branches, which I endeavored to do over the bin itself. Since the branches did what branches do, they branched, and they also were longer than the top of the green bin, I would frequently make a cut and have one or both sides fall off of the bin to the driveway. I took care sometimes to minimize the fall off and other times I just let the clips fall where they may.
I don't know which way was faster but after about four hours and two additional small bins I had the driveway cleaned. This meant that it wasn't really too late to wash at least one car, but my arms ached and It was past time for dinner. (Not that I need any excuse to procrastinate on work.)
Earlier today I took my truck out to go to the Faucets and Fixtures warehouse to pick up the toilet I ordered over a month ago. On the way I stopped to get gas and realized that I hadn't put the next year's sticker on the license. Thank goodness I was only a mile away from my house and didn't have a specific appointment to pick the toilet up. After my truck was legal, I made my way to my new toilet. It's a one piece unit and took two of us to lift it into the truck. Probably it wouldn't have, since I was able to offload it by myself, but the sole person who brought it out only picked up one side. If I hadn't picked up the other side it would have fallen to the ground instead of get to the bed of my truck.
For all my work in various positions as a scouter helping my son through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, I still don't know knots. But, the rope I tied the toilet box into my truck didn't come loose and the box didn't slide around.
Since I was close Whole Foods and it was lunch time, I went there to eat. I like their selection and I am a minor share holder. More minor than I once was: I still have the same number of shares, but their value has dropped close to 60% since I bought them. Poor timing is the mark of Life after Layoff. I lose my job and lose my investment.
I don't feel down at all. In fact, today I had another idea that may even be worth a book. At least it is something that I'm looking forward to putting on my list, researching, and writing. With the number of my projects that involve writing, maybe I'm just looking forward to writing. I know I look forward to writing this every day. Since there are rarely comments, I don't know whether it is even read. I still enjoy writing it.
Before I could wash my vehicles, I needed to sweep my driveway. Before I swept my driveway, I decided to trim away the bottle brush bush that was hanging over the fence from my neighbor's yard. I carefully cut it up the fence line and had a mass, a mess of a mass of trimmings I now had to fit into the green bin. This involved a lot of cutting of the branches, which I endeavored to do over the bin itself. Since the branches did what branches do, they branched, and they also were longer than the top of the green bin, I would frequently make a cut and have one or both sides fall off of the bin to the driveway. I took care sometimes to minimize the fall off and other times I just let the clips fall where they may.
I don't know which way was faster but after about four hours and two additional small bins I had the driveway cleaned. This meant that it wasn't really too late to wash at least one car, but my arms ached and It was past time for dinner. (Not that I need any excuse to procrastinate on work.)
Earlier today I took my truck out to go to the Faucets and Fixtures warehouse to pick up the toilet I ordered over a month ago. On the way I stopped to get gas and realized that I hadn't put the next year's sticker on the license. Thank goodness I was only a mile away from my house and didn't have a specific appointment to pick the toilet up. After my truck was legal, I made my way to my new toilet. It's a one piece unit and took two of us to lift it into the truck. Probably it wouldn't have, since I was able to offload it by myself, but the sole person who brought it out only picked up one side. If I hadn't picked up the other side it would have fallen to the ground instead of get to the bed of my truck.
For all my work in various positions as a scouter helping my son through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, I still don't know knots. But, the rope I tied the toilet box into my truck didn't come loose and the box didn't slide around.
Since I was close Whole Foods and it was lunch time, I went there to eat. I like their selection and I am a minor share holder. More minor than I once was: I still have the same number of shares, but their value has dropped close to 60% since I bought them. Poor timing is the mark of Life after Layoff. I lose my job and lose my investment.
I don't feel down at all. In fact, today I had another idea that may even be worth a book. At least it is something that I'm looking forward to putting on my list, researching, and writing. With the number of my projects that involve writing, maybe I'm just looking forward to writing. I know I look forward to writing this every day. Since there are rarely comments, I don't know whether it is even read. I still enjoy writing it.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Day Sixty-three: A traditional Labor Day
For almost thirty Labor Days, Marilyn would let me not labor, if I had labored sufficiently on other days. I can't say that I have but no one is here to say I haven't. As a result, I decided that I would make this a traditional Labor Day, in spite of all that I have to do, and not labor.
The problem was, the cilantro I got was already going bad when I got it. All of the other cilantro bunches were too and I really like cilantro in the Mango Black Bean Salad. Well, since the recipe calls for it, I have never made it without it. This got me cooking and then eating. The food coma that hit after the eating got me resting and before I knew it, the rest of the day was history.
Within limits, I can do (or not do) whatever I want in this portion of my Life after Layoff.
The problem was, the cilantro I got was already going bad when I got it. All of the other cilantro bunches were too and I really like cilantro in the Mango Black Bean Salad. Well, since the recipe calls for it, I have never made it without it. This got me cooking and then eating. The food coma that hit after the eating got me resting and before I knew it, the rest of the day was history.
Within limits, I can do (or not do) whatever I want in this portion of my Life after Layoff.
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