I grind coffee beans with a manual grinder. I hate the blade grinder because it grinds a quarter of the beans to dust and completely misses a lot of beans, no matter what I try. Dust is no good, because we use a percolator. We bought a "burr grinder" but the motor burned up in a month. I asked for the manual job, because I know the motor won't burn up. SO! When I load the hopper, I sometimes drop a bean or two. This morning, Lucia ran over to it, ready to soccer dribble it all over the house, but first she sniffed it. She must not have liked the smell, because she began pawing the floor to drag imaginary dirt over the tiny little turd I dropped.
Next on the list of new discoveries is the mouse cursor arrow/hand on my computer screen. Lucia will hang out, as long as I'll let her, in front of my monitor, chasing that little sucker around the screen. Sometimes she scores a direct hit, lifts her paw and it's not there! What the heck?!
Under discoveries yet to come, I must assume that our little girl, who is now over twice as big as she was when she came, is going to learn a hard lesson about jumping up onto our glass cooktop. One of these days it's not going to be as cool as it has been every time she has jumped up there so far.
And speaking of heat, she has finally learned that Carmen's side of the bed has the electric blanket turned on. Now that was the best discovery of all.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
A Corollary
We went to a dinner and celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King this evening. The featured speaker was a third grade teacher at Meadville Elementary. Her main point was that, as far as we've come, the work is not finished - and no matter how much farther we go, our work will never be finished. Humans being humans, there will always be forces intent on taking away the rights of others. She likened it to the Meadville snow: "Our sidewalks will never be so clear that we can ever stop shoveling." Amen.
White Blues
The sun came out this morning and has been shining pretty much all day. Of course, it snowed all day yesterday and most of the night, so there was still shoveling to be done. When it actually stops snowing for any length of time, I like to get out there and scrape down to bare concrete. Then I can actually see bare concrete for minutes, even possibly hours at a time before it starts snowing again. It's very disheartening to snowblow and shovel for an hour, only to find that it's all covered again before I even get the tools put away.
The warm rainy weather we had over New Years weekend melted all but the deepest heaps and plow ridges, leaving the world suddenly green. There was great rejoicing for a day - before the snow started again and everything was six inches deep in white by Tuesday.
When I look out the window and see flakes falling, I see more shoveling, more flakes in the face while walking to work, and basically being unpleasant outdoors. People tell me it will stop doing this eventually. Yay.
The warm rainy weather we had over New Years weekend melted all but the deepest heaps and plow ridges, leaving the world suddenly green. There was great rejoicing for a day - before the snow started again and everything was six inches deep in white by Tuesday.
When I look out the window and see flakes falling, I see more shoveling, more flakes in the face while walking to work, and basically being unpleasant outdoors. People tell me it will stop doing this eventually. Yay.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Another Year Older And Deeper In Debt
Got up extra early today, not because I wanted my birthday to last longer, but because it had been snowing all night and I knew I needed to snowblow and shovel in addition to getting myself out the door for work and getting Carmen out the door for work. This week I have been starting at 11:00 instead of 12:00, which means starting my launch sequence at 9:45 instead of 10:45. After tomorrow I'm off Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday!
Friday is Soup Kitchen at 10:00 am until 12:30 or so. Saturday is working on the set at the Community Theatre. Sunday is church. Monday? Don't know yet. But I'm pretty sure I'll be at least shoveling snow on several of those days. Probably busting out the snowblower once or twice as well. If I'm going to be deeper in debt, I'm glad it's a snowblower I bought.
Cats are still the same. Shovel the food in, shovel the litter out. The great circle of life.
A lot of my time these days is spent shoveling.
Friday is Soup Kitchen at 10:00 am until 12:30 or so. Saturday is working on the set at the Community Theatre. Sunday is church. Monday? Don't know yet. But I'm pretty sure I'll be at least shoveling snow on several of those days. Probably busting out the snowblower once or twice as well. If I'm going to be deeper in debt, I'm glad it's a snowblower I bought.
Cats are still the same. Shovel the food in, shovel the litter out. The great circle of life.
A lot of my time these days is spent shoveling.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
You Can Get Anything You Want...
As I approached my local Sherwin Williams store yesterday, I noticed a Meadville's Finest Police car in the parking lot. Buying paint? Maybe. Then the officer came out the door and walked around to the side of the building. Hmmm.
I went inside, not stamping snow off my shoes for the first time ever in that store, and asked "Did we have a break-in or something?" W - e - e - l - l - l . . . It turned out that someone had come in the night with fourteen bags of garbage and dumped it - not IN the dumpster, which might have gone unnoticed, but in FRONT of the dumpster, which couldn't possibly go unnoticed.
I already had the guitar licks of "The Alice's Restaurant Massacree, In Four Part Harmony And Full Orchestration" going through my head, when Officer Opie came back in with an envelope bearing the name and address of the alleged perpetrator of the biggest crime of the last fifty years. It was a Government Housing address, and the letter was a notice that the Government was sending an Inspector to said address. Evidently, the perp didn't want the inspector to see the half ton of garbage in said Government Housing. The officer (not really Opie) then went to said address to inform said perp that he'd found the envelope at the bottom of a half ton of garbage. "Yessir, Officer Opie, I cannot tell a lie. I put that envelope under that garbage."
CSI Meadville!
I went inside, not stamping snow off my shoes for the first time ever in that store, and asked "Did we have a break-in or something?" W - e - e - l - l - l . . . It turned out that someone had come in the night with fourteen bags of garbage and dumped it - not IN the dumpster, which might have gone unnoticed, but in FRONT of the dumpster, which couldn't possibly go unnoticed.
I already had the guitar licks of "The Alice's Restaurant Massacree, In Four Part Harmony And Full Orchestration" going through my head, when Officer Opie came back in with an envelope bearing the name and address of the alleged perpetrator of the biggest crime of the last fifty years. It was a Government Housing address, and the letter was a notice that the Government was sending an Inspector to said address. Evidently, the perp didn't want the inspector to see the half ton of garbage in said Government Housing. The officer (not really Opie) then went to said address to inform said perp that he'd found the envelope at the bottom of a half ton of garbage. "Yessir, Officer Opie, I cannot tell a lie. I put that envelope under that garbage."
CSI Meadville!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2010 - Year Of The Geezer
It's a darn good thing nobody reads this stuff, or I'd be in big trouble. Last Monday I promised I'd write this in a couple of days. Well, guess what - I didn't. I could make up a long string of excuses for you, but the truth is much more easily swallowed: I just didn't feel like it.
So here we are on Jon Hondorp's favorite day of the year, the day after all of the madness ends and the world gets back to normal. It's a good day for a grinch like me, too. For those of you keeping score, Jon was a part owner of Mystic Scenic Studios in Norwood, Massachusetts until he was asked to leave in the spring of 2007. He started up his own shop in Somerville, and for three months in 2009, while I was laid off from Mystic, I worked for Jon. But that's another story. I'll eventually get there over at "The Business Of Show."
The year began in Albuquerque, New Mexico with a major phase of my transition to geezerdom. I was basically confined to my bed and my recliner with a deep vein thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism. Blood clots. I was tethered to my oxygen concentrator for my lung and keeping my left leg elevated. I was taking anti-coagulants and being hauled to the hospital every couple of weeks to have my blood tested for its coagulation factor. And the most telling sign of geezerdom: I started wearing a compression stocking on my left lower leg.
Meanwhile, we were following up on my admission that I probably did have some hearing loss ater twenty five years of loud power tools every day. Once I was off the oxygen, we made an appointment with Sandia Hearing Aids to pound the final nail into my geezerly status. Starting at the top, I now had a bald head with a fringe of greying hair, trifocal glasses, two hearing aids, a compression stocking and orthotic arch supports in my shoes. I was reminded of Allan Sherman's parody "Second Hand Nose" "...I'll melt the girls' hearts. They can't resist a man with interchangeable parts..."
Meanwhile, Carmen was deep into the search process, exchanging information packets with congregations looking for ministers, having phone interviews, and flying to far flung destinations to "precandidate" with congregations. The three finalists were: London, Ontario; Brighton, Michigan; and Meadville, Pennsylvania - all very much a part of the Lake Erie lake effect snow belt. We were destined to buy a snow blower. Part of the search process is that there is a time and date at which it is permissable for the congregations to call their choices. At the proscribed time, all three lines into the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque lit up simultaneously. London, Brighton and Meadville all called Carmen as their first choice to be their candidate. Carmen chose Meadville, and broke the hearts of the other two search committees.
So, in April we flew to Erie and drove a rental car to Meadville. Carmen had events scheduled nearly every day during the ten days she was here, and I had some as well. The second day here we were hauled all over town by a realtor, looking at about fourteen houses that met our criteria - three bedrooms and two bathrooms being the lion's share of criteria. Late in the afternoon we made an offer on a house very close to the church, and by Sunday afternoon we had a signed contract. On Monday evening we had it inspected, and by the time I drove back to Erie airport on Wednesday morning, the mortgage was in motion. I was going home alone to take care of the kitties.
Also on Sunday, the Albuquerque congregation had a special meeting at which they decided to be Carmen's ordaining congregation.
The following Sunday, after Carmen's second Sunday sermon. the Meadville congregation voted to call Carmen as their next minister, starting in August. Suddenly we had a firm destination and a definite time frame. I started calling moving companies and assembling boxes.
During May I did a lot of work at Albuquerque Little Theatre mounting "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas", for which they paid me a small stipend. At the beginning of June, my previous employers in Orlando, FX Group, were installing a news set in Albuquerque, and I got myself on board for two days of the install before people began arriving from all over the country for the Ordination on June 6th.
During the rest of June I was packing and organizing while Carmen was elevated to Assistant Minister for a month at the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque. Her last day was Sunday, July fourth. That night, the whole country celebrated with fireworks.
On Monday the fifth, Shyanne Moving Company came and loaded nearly all of our stuff on a semi trailer, and on Tuesday the sixth, we loaded our two kitties and a Rav4 load of stuff and set out for Pennsylvania, stopping for the night in Oklahoma City, St Louis and Columbus. The Gospel Of Rand McNally contains the details of that adventure.
So Friday afternoon we entered our newly acquired house and discovered that the three / two house we bought was really still a two / one - the seller had not even come close to finishing the work he was doing converting the attic into a "master suite." We opened an account at the Home Depot. So from mid-July until mid-October, my task was to finish the upstairs so that it could serve as Carmen's sanctum, and build fourteen foot wide by seven foot tall bookcases for the living room, to accomodate most of the 120 boxes of books we moved to Meadville. In Mid-December, the plumber finally came and hooked up our toilet and sink upstairs, and work on the house was pretty much done.
In mid-September our little girl Yin died and we were very very sad. Then in mid-November a little black and white kitten came to live with us, and she's a major source of joy and laughter. Even grumpy old Remus Lupin is in love with Lucia. OH - and the latest Lucia news: two of her declawed claws grew back! Her Indian name is "Little LuLu Two Claws"
But the huge news: after a year and a half of diligent searching, I finally landed a job as "part time sales associate" at Sherwin Williams in downtown Meadville - in walking distance ! ! ! I am the delivery geezer, driving the van all over northwestern Pennsylvania and even into the wilderness of Ohio. If nothing else, The Gospel Of Rand McNally will benefit from this development.
Carmen's first Christmas season went well. I made another ox head for another Christmas pageant, as well as a donkey. Her Christmas Eve service went very well. And - you won't believe it - she has had many days off since Christmas Eve, and she has spent most of that time... wait for it... relaxing! Tomorrow she is back to work with evenings booked as well nearly every night this week. She's a busy girl, that girl.
So I guess that's it. A very busy, very eventful year has drawn to a close, and so must this post.
So here we are on Jon Hondorp's favorite day of the year, the day after all of the madness ends and the world gets back to normal. It's a good day for a grinch like me, too. For those of you keeping score, Jon was a part owner of Mystic Scenic Studios in Norwood, Massachusetts until he was asked to leave in the spring of 2007. He started up his own shop in Somerville, and for three months in 2009, while I was laid off from Mystic, I worked for Jon. But that's another story. I'll eventually get there over at "The Business Of Show."
The year began in Albuquerque, New Mexico with a major phase of my transition to geezerdom. I was basically confined to my bed and my recliner with a deep vein thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism. Blood clots. I was tethered to my oxygen concentrator for my lung and keeping my left leg elevated. I was taking anti-coagulants and being hauled to the hospital every couple of weeks to have my blood tested for its coagulation factor. And the most telling sign of geezerdom: I started wearing a compression stocking on my left lower leg.
Meanwhile, we were following up on my admission that I probably did have some hearing loss ater twenty five years of loud power tools every day. Once I was off the oxygen, we made an appointment with Sandia Hearing Aids to pound the final nail into my geezerly status. Starting at the top, I now had a bald head with a fringe of greying hair, trifocal glasses, two hearing aids, a compression stocking and orthotic arch supports in my shoes. I was reminded of Allan Sherman's parody "Second Hand Nose" "...I'll melt the girls' hearts. They can't resist a man with interchangeable parts..."
Meanwhile, Carmen was deep into the search process, exchanging information packets with congregations looking for ministers, having phone interviews, and flying to far flung destinations to "precandidate" with congregations. The three finalists were: London, Ontario; Brighton, Michigan; and Meadville, Pennsylvania - all very much a part of the Lake Erie lake effect snow belt. We were destined to buy a snow blower. Part of the search process is that there is a time and date at which it is permissable for the congregations to call their choices. At the proscribed time, all three lines into the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque lit up simultaneously. London, Brighton and Meadville all called Carmen as their first choice to be their candidate. Carmen chose Meadville, and broke the hearts of the other two search committees.
So, in April we flew to Erie and drove a rental car to Meadville. Carmen had events scheduled nearly every day during the ten days she was here, and I had some as well. The second day here we were hauled all over town by a realtor, looking at about fourteen houses that met our criteria - three bedrooms and two bathrooms being the lion's share of criteria. Late in the afternoon we made an offer on a house very close to the church, and by Sunday afternoon we had a signed contract. On Monday evening we had it inspected, and by the time I drove back to Erie airport on Wednesday morning, the mortgage was in motion. I was going home alone to take care of the kitties.
Also on Sunday, the Albuquerque congregation had a special meeting at which they decided to be Carmen's ordaining congregation.
The following Sunday, after Carmen's second Sunday sermon. the Meadville congregation voted to call Carmen as their next minister, starting in August. Suddenly we had a firm destination and a definite time frame. I started calling moving companies and assembling boxes.
During May I did a lot of work at Albuquerque Little Theatre mounting "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas", for which they paid me a small stipend. At the beginning of June, my previous employers in Orlando, FX Group, were installing a news set in Albuquerque, and I got myself on board for two days of the install before people began arriving from all over the country for the Ordination on June 6th.
During the rest of June I was packing and organizing while Carmen was elevated to Assistant Minister for a month at the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque. Her last day was Sunday, July fourth. That night, the whole country celebrated with fireworks.
On Monday the fifth, Shyanne Moving Company came and loaded nearly all of our stuff on a semi trailer, and on Tuesday the sixth, we loaded our two kitties and a Rav4 load of stuff and set out for Pennsylvania, stopping for the night in Oklahoma City, St Louis and Columbus. The Gospel Of Rand McNally contains the details of that adventure.
So Friday afternoon we entered our newly acquired house and discovered that the three / two house we bought was really still a two / one - the seller had not even come close to finishing the work he was doing converting the attic into a "master suite." We opened an account at the Home Depot. So from mid-July until mid-October, my task was to finish the upstairs so that it could serve as Carmen's sanctum, and build fourteen foot wide by seven foot tall bookcases for the living room, to accomodate most of the 120 boxes of books we moved to Meadville. In Mid-December, the plumber finally came and hooked up our toilet and sink upstairs, and work on the house was pretty much done.
In mid-September our little girl Yin died and we were very very sad. Then in mid-November a little black and white kitten came to live with us, and she's a major source of joy and laughter. Even grumpy old Remus Lupin is in love with Lucia. OH - and the latest Lucia news: two of her declawed claws grew back! Her Indian name is "Little LuLu Two Claws"
But the huge news: after a year and a half of diligent searching, I finally landed a job as "part time sales associate" at Sherwin Williams in downtown Meadville - in walking distance ! ! ! I am the delivery geezer, driving the van all over northwestern Pennsylvania and even into the wilderness of Ohio. If nothing else, The Gospel Of Rand McNally will benefit from this development.
Carmen's first Christmas season went well. I made another ox head for another Christmas pageant, as well as a donkey. Her Christmas Eve service went very well. And - you won't believe it - she has had many days off since Christmas Eve, and she has spent most of that time... wait for it... relaxing! Tomorrow she is back to work with evenings booked as well nearly every night this week. She's a busy girl, that girl.
So I guess that's it. A very busy, very eventful year has drawn to a close, and so must this post.
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