Tell Me Baby [Red Hot Chili Peppers]

After the layoff in 09, and all the various fun that followed, we started calling 2010 the "Year of Change" then the job offer to go to dallas came, and we had to extend the year of change into 2011 - because dallas was not the change we wanted. Finally, when i was able to leave the "great" state of Texas behind - no some offense, texans - the first bit of being back in the same place was spent just enjoying living in the same house again. We spent evenings and weekends hanging out with each other, or with friends, just getting back to being us. We spent plenty of time ignoring the long list of things-to-do that lived on the fridge. At some point the holidays happened - halloween (which we love but weren't prepared for) thanksgiving where we had to avoid going to see my family, and then then christmas sneaked up on us, and we were hosting her family! So between July and January, all those possible projects got put on hold. When things did happen, it was always immediate attention needed type stuff, like fixing a garage door, or new appliance installation.

So we decided that we at least 2, if not 3 years of spring cleaning to catch up on. 2012 was going to be "The Year of Improvement" We started with a few small things - hang some pictures we've had sitting in the closet, clean the garage, sell some things, throw out boxes we don't need, etc. Just recently, the toilet in the master bath started to have issues, and since we've wanted to replace it and update with a fresh coat of paint, it was opportune. Also a good way to strike a slightly bigger item off the list. Since we were being optimistic, we also decided to get a new vanity, to increase storage. The problem is, the toilet plumbing has bigger issues, and now we're operating of the hall bath for ?? time, until we can solve all the problems. Thank goodnes for multiple bathrooms, right?

The larger issue is that this bathroom thing is in the way of doing things like nursery painting, which we need to have done before the baby arrives. Oh, by the way, we're having a baby. Looks like 2012 will be the "Year of Baby O." as well!

Sitting Waiting Wishing [Jack Johnson]

As a kid, I never understood my dad's reluctance to come home and play computer games with me. When i hit college and he finally embraced email, I couldn't get why he wouldn't come home and respond to things i sent him. His stock response was:

"i sit at a computer all day, why do I want to do it at home?"

This just baffled me - how could you not want to? The internet is awesome, and even if you're not internetting it up, there's always something to sort/organize/delete on the computer. He's a lot like me in that way. So the fact the he didn't want to be at the computer was entirely foreign and nonsensical.

However, the older I get, the more I finally see where he was coming from. I've even used his classic line a few times. It's not that I don't want to post blog entries, catch up with people via email, look at all the cute cat pictures with funny captions, or even sort/organize/delete various things on my hard drive. I just find that I have other things I need/want to do - tv, video games, reading, sleep. Also laundry, dishes, yardwork, home repairs. Oh, and this time of year, taxes. Maybe if I could spend time doing fun computer things I'd be more inclined to forgo those other items, but lately it's been researching vacuums, how to repair plumbing (that's a fun story), etc.

The problem is, I spend my "free" time on these things, and by the time I'm ready for fun, I'm fed up with sitting in the office with a meowing cat at my feet. And then things like blogs posts, emails and cat pictures get lost. I really do want to get back at this blog - i can't promise anything, but I'm thinking 1 or 2 posts a week for now, and well see how it goes. I mean, after all, i do have to spend some computer time sorting/organizing/deleting stuff.

Rain King [Counting Crows]

While i was in Texas (and long before that) KTO would joke that i live "the life of the constantly amused" It sounds sweet and innocent, and it basically is, but it's also her go-to phrase when i do something silly or nonsensical, usually out of the blue while we're having a conversation. it could be anything from making noises to using myself as a drum to trying to balance a pencil on it's eraser. any small or insignificant action or task that keeps me occupied for any length of time, but is usually pointless. I'm not denying that this is the case - i fully admit to, and embrace, my moments of simplicity.

The thing is, i also find myself enjoying tedious tasks, and 'fruitless' pursuits, as well. I'm not talking about hobbies, and I'm not talking about TV and video games - the former can be very productive (and profitable) and the latter might not net any physical gains, but often provide mental satisfaction. I'm talking about things that basically eat your time and reap no tangible, useful results. I can spend hours at the computer, sorting and organizing files and folder. comparing the contents of my hard drive to the contents of the external backup. developing complex file naming conventions and renaming all the files to the new system. sorting music files into folders based on the origin of said files - all ripped files from CD in one folder, all digital downloads in another, all of KTO's music files in a third. Repathing and rebuilding my iTunes library after sorting said music files. Renaming and regrouping files within iTunes to eliminate the dreaded XXXXXXXX feat. XXXX and XXXX sub-divisions that so often happen (especially with the rap musics)

You may argue that backing up data is a positive thing. it is. but backing up data is tricky when you've renamed or reorganized a group of files and then try to compare the current collection to whatever your most recent back-up system happens to be. Also, finding the line between safety and hoarding when getting rid of files - once they're gone, they're gone - so how many backups do you need? what if the external drive fails - do you make one CD backup just in case? what if that fades or has an error? how much redundancy is too much. and will your backup CD of a backup CD make sense after you've gone 3 or 4 cycles forward in sorting and renaming?

I've also found myself spending hours sorting images from our cameras, too. This task i find a bit more useful, because it helps to eliminate "data clutter" and reduce our huge collection of photos to something more manageable. Purists may argue that film is better, and i don't disagree, but digital cameras allow us to be less sparing with our picture taking - we can just trim the fat later, as they say. KTO and I take this thought to heart, and we have a huge drive devoted to pictures from past events. every major (and several minor) holidays since about 2005. all sorts of special events - birthdays, zoo trips, family visits, etc. the problem is, we generally never do anything with most of those photos. i've created a relatively simple way of organizing picture worthy events - 4 digit year code, followed by event title (Christmas, Easter, zoo trip, etc) once you're in one of those folders, though, there's no way to determine what is what - they're just numbers and letters, based on how the camera titles pictures that day. so my first task is going through and getting rid of duplicates, blurry shots, etc. At first i was taking any and every "deletable" picture and dumping it into a folder for KTO to review, but after the 2nd or 3rd session, i got carte blanche to delete whatever i wanted. now, blurry pictures are one thing, but you never know when you're going to want another angle of something, so of course the entire collection, bad photos included, is backed up on the external drive. but the folder on the hard drive are thinned out. most of them, anyway.

Part of me feels bad for spending time doing things like this - after all, i could be productive in some other arena. however, my justification is that i do most if it during the nighttime hours, when I'm awake and KTO is sleeping, and when side projects and noisy endeavors would not be appreciated. And, sorting and renaming and comparing at least uses a portion of my brain, whereas TV is just mindless.

i tell you all that in order to tell you this: I just found an awesome program that lets you customize your desktop (windows based computers only) and puts all sorts of functions and information right at your fingertips. I'll never own a Mac, but i've never been partial to the simplicity and rigidity of the Windows operating systems. It seems like they're getting better, but they don't have the look or ease of use i would like. I'm not big computer nerd - i don't do a lot of computer games, or high level computer coding or anything, but i do like to easily get to the things i use the most, and i like to have a decent understanding of my computers storage and computing abilities. enter Rainmeter. this is an open-source (anyone can edit/update/improve) program that take up minimal harddrive space but packs a big visual punch. It's basically a set of control panels that gives you access to files and system information without having to go into the start menu or clutter your desktop with tons of icons. seeing as how i like to streamline my files and avoid digital clutter, this is just the thing for me. Being open-source, any user can modify and create their own panels and toolbars, and then share them with other users. after finding this program and downloading it, i spent some time tweaking it, and then spent some time searching for, downloading, and then re-tweaking other interface components. the program can be as complicated or simple as you'd like. some of the user-made files are easy and intuitive, other are overly complex and take a high level of computer coding to understand. since all i wanted was a way to simplify my menu navigation, i settled for one of the more standard, basic level interface styles. I've altered some of the settings, and have finally gotten it to a clean, easy to use set of toolbars, and I'm now running a pretty minimal desktop.

click to enlarge

you can see that i have no extraneous icons, except for my recycle bin, which is a bear to remove in windowsXP. on the side, my rainmeter setup has a clock/calendar, a small weather bar (pulling info from weather.com) access to my harddrives - one click on the drive letter will take me to that drive, just like going to "my computer". after that i have a recycle bar, which will take the place of the recycle bin once i can ger rid of it. then i have system usage info and network traffic, to monitor basic computer functions. after that, a media player toolbar, and then a program launch bar - with all of the programs i use most frequently. as i said, Rainmeter can get as complicated as you want, but this meets my needs, and i consider the time i spent setting it up as some of the most productive hours i've spend in front of the computer in recent times. I highly recommend the program, and if you have any questions about it, i will totally help where i can.
**i am in no way affiliated with or paid by Rainmeter to endorse their product, i just love it that much.

now go out there an do something worthwhile, or fruitless, or just find a simple task to amuse yourself for a while. all three work for me.

Living in the Fridge [Weird Al]

we wish you a merry kitchenmas.....

so this year, instead of the usual $25 limit we place on gifts for each other , we decided to go all out and get new appliances. our dishwasher was shooting craps - the rack was rusty and ruining our silverware, it didn't really seem to clean so well anyway, and it was plain old boring white. Our range was un-level (not to be fixed, no matter how much i tried) and didn't hold heat so well. Also didnt have self clean - who has a range w/o self clean in this day and age?! The fridge was fine, but if you replace the other two, might as well do them all. We got some mid-range whirlpool units, in stainless steel. Fridge has water and ice (and ice bin in the door- strange, i know) It also has fancy blue LED lights, and warning tones, and some sort of ESP or sixth sense that will detect hot food and ramp up the cooling for a while. The dishwasher needs some sort of drying agent, which we didnt realize when we bought it, but what are you going to do about that? Range has self clean, and some sort of semi-convection whatnot, and is a newer flat surface technology than the last one we had, which is good. Also it is a cat magnet, for some reason.

Apparently the new thing is SS with grey/silver sides ("monochromatic" for those in the know.....) Since the range and dishwasher had bits of black (lots of it in the case of the range) we wanted the fridge with the black sides - which is a special order, apparently. rather than wait on all three, we had the range and dishwasher delivered together, and the fridge schedule for later. The range and dishwasher came on the 10th, the fridge came this past weekend. The range was "installed" when it was delivered - the dishwasher just lived in the corner of the kitchen in the box (which the cat loved) till this weekend. I wanted to get the new fridge in and the old one out before i started to monkey around under the sink. Everyone is in and working now, but it was a bit of an adventure.

Here are some things I've learned regarding new appliances:

-measure your old appliances, then measure the hole they were in, then measure any and every opening or hole or hallway you plan to bring those appliances through. I double and triple checked the openings in the kitchen cabinetry, and then we almost didn't get the fridge up the stairs or past the half wall.
-if you think you can "just take the door off the hinges or pop out the sliding door" to make delivery easier, double check that you can actually do that. i though i would just work that sliding door out and make it easy on the delivery guys - no such luck - could not get it out of the track. didn't realize that till they brought the stove onto the deck. oops!

-delivery guys hate, HATE, split level houses.
-delivery guys are crazy. they'll try anything, like wiggling a fridge through an opening with 1/8 inch clearance on either side.
-delivery guys are not necessarily the best people to "install" anything. plugging in a stove and sliding it in the hole? no problem. attaching the water line to the fridge - apparently rocket science.

-energy star appliances, while efficient, run more and longer than old appliances. our dishwasher cycle will range anywhere from 1.5 to 8 hours, says the manual. i guess they've gone to higher water pressure and lower hp motors. same with the fridge - "don't be concerned if your refrigerator cycles on more frequently than your old one" thanks, instruction book. i actually would have been concerned, but now i wont be.
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no matter what your confidence level, it might just be a good idea to have the store install the dishwasher. new dishwashers have a tall tub, which means the motor and other workings sit closer to the floor. also, they maximize the amount of space they fit into - and every fraction of an inch helps. and good luck keeping that insulation tight to the unit. i think we've got plenty of it bunched up near the opening, and none in the back of the unit. the house wasnt very cooperative, either - here are some things to think about: did the old homeowners install new flooring at some point, but stop short of the dishwasher hole - that's gonna cause a problem. did your house settled a bit, and now your opening isn't 100% square and true? that's gonna cause a problem too. our house had both of these conditions, and about 1 hour into installation, i was ready to just tear out the whole kitchen and start over.

-it is my recommendation that every one of you make it a habit to open and close your shut-off valves (all of them) at least once a year. i think maybe even twice a year. Every time you adjust your clocks for daylight saving time, give the ol' valves a workout. the one for the dishwasher didn't quite close all the way, and neither did the hot water shut-off on the water heater - ever tried to install equipment while your pipes were leaking? that made the electrical hookup really interesting.

-if you get a new fridge, take all the stuff out of the old one, put it in a cooler till the new one comes to temp, or throw it away. whatever you do, let the delivery guys get the old one out of the house. or get yourself an actual furniture dolly. mine doesn't have the small wheels or the fancy glides, or straps. so we dollied the fridge to the landing, couldn't get the dolly out from under it (thanks, giant wheels), so we took it back up, then me, Karen's dad and the neighbor just tipped the fridge back and carried it out of the house like a dead body.

but they're all in, they all work, and they look great, so it was all worth it, i guess. though now i believe what they say about stainless steel and fingerprints.

hope everyone has a good holiday. stay safe, and warm, and don't kill your families.

Race Car Ya-Yas [Cake]

remember when i got a job and moved back from dallas? well, right after coming home with a trailer full of stuff, i also bought a new car. not, new new, but new-to-me. It's a very low mileage 2008 mazda 3 hatchback - much to the chagrin of our neighbor, who is all in your face about american cars - but i've loved every mazda i've ever owned, from the first family car, to Danger Bob, to Rio, and now this currently unnamed dream sitting in the garage. KTO has also loved her mazdas - all in all, they've given us long and trouble free service, so we're a mazda family, i guess.

Anyway, contrary to the above testimonial for mazda, i did plenty of research on cars. i am still doing some post-purchase, cause it's a fun hobby? i don't know why, but it's interesting, the similarities/difference between the car lines. I'm really starting to notice the cockpit layout of other cars. I'm not saying mazda is the winner, but i recently rode in a mini cooper, and they are definitely not the winner.

i'm also noticing more of my car (the new one) on the road. they always caught my eye, but now that i have one, they seem to be everywhere. there are 3 that even share most of my commute to work. i don't come home at the same time every day, but most days there are 2 other ones that are going in that direction at the same time as me. i think it's common to notice other people in your car, but i'm really aware of it now, because the car is new to me and because it's a more stylish car than Rio was. plus i like seeing what types of other people have purchased the car - it seems to be a pretty big demographic.

what i've also noticed is that regardless of their age, race or sex, i tend to mentally race them as we are driving. whether they know it or not, whenever two or more are gathered, it's on. (attention KTO, I don't actually race them) generally in my mental races i win - largely because the race is one-sided, but also because i do have a bit of a lead foot. and, this car is nearly twice as powerful as the last one, so it's got the ability to actually race, if the need arose. m my last car i could probably have taken on a vespa scooter, and that's about it. if the AC was on, forget it. The downside to all that new power is that it means more gas. I net the same overall mileage on one tank of gas, but this tank also holds about 3 more gallons - so my actual MPG is around 4 or 5 less.

However, i wouldn't trade it for the world. because now i can win those races.

Against the World [A Tribe Called Quest]

the new quarter starts next week, and this week has been spent prepping syllabi and sitting through training and all sorts of other work things. of my 4 classes, the two with the largest work load are also the two with the largest number of students registered. awesome.

as i prep for this new quarter, it only reinforces the notion that i'm not really wild about doing this. my sister called the other day (while i was at work) and since she wouldnt take the hint that i couldnt talk, i was left trying to explain my frustration in grunts and single work answers, so nobody could hear me. my mom called the other day at 11.30pm and wanted talk about how i was doing, how i felt, etc - we dont have that type of relationship, and i have to work in the morning, and i dont even want to discuss this we people i do share with, so leave me alone about it.

i'm not saying that i dont have feelings about it (cause clearly i do) but i try not to dwell as much as i can, because it doesnt make anything easier, and can actually ruin an otherwise decent afternoon, night or evening. and for some reason, any time i give the crap side of this adventure too much thought, i get really tired, and then i take a nap and it throws off my whole schedule. next thing you know, i'm still up at 3am and then i barely make it to school in time for my 1pm class.

this quarter i will have some heavy loads, but i also only have one day with back to back classes, so i wont be super exhausted by the end of the week. which is good, cause i will have a ton of grading to do for those two big classes, and grading is much harder to do when you just want to collapse and die.

this week (but officially today) marks the return of the "no fast food" rule. i also went ahead and threw in no chocolate candy and no ice cream. so for the first few weeks of April I'm gonna be a bear. i want to work in some actual exercise, but 1.)lets get real, and b.) i can only change so much at a time. of course, making all these changes is for the best, but they are more difficult when I'm dealing with no news/bad news situations on potential jobs. we'll just call that my extra challenge.

when we started this adventure we said we'd give it 6 months and then reassess. well, that's about now, and we're going to have to reassess. at first i thought 6 months would be a breeze, and about 2 months in i thought i would never make it, then after christmas (3 months) i thought i could push through, and now here we are. i dont relish the though of any more months - 1, 3 or 6 - but right now i have to steel myself for at least 3 more. when we started this adventure, i never really gave any thought to being here past the 6 month mark, and now that i will be, i realize that i'll be here for our 3 year anniversary. i'll be here for kto's birthday, and i'll be here for my birthday. not to mention mother's day and father's day, and the in-law's anniversary as well. so this quarter may very well break me - all those missed holidays and events, plus the largest senior class enrollment that they've ever had, all for me to deal with. awesome.

i promise to try to update regularly, and with things that are more positive, or at least humorous to read - though i do warn you I'll have some complaints. i'm also going to introduce a new segment where i talk about other jobs i've held, and the funny/horrible things that happened during them. thanks for reading (all 5 of you) and stay tuned, it'll get better.