Month: May 2023

But nobody reaches out, so I feel like the searched by category notification from LinkedIn is for dopamine and not much else. Or, maybe my profile comes across as unapproachable. Who knows. Lots to think about.

It’s Friday, the sun is shining, work is a bit slower this week, while I wait on feedback for a few things. I have procured the brown spray paint I was after to complete the moose fence topper for my mum. I’m going to take it off, and paint that today. I then need to wait for it to dry, then break it down and ship it off to BC, at some point in the near future. I do think it’ll need a clear coat top coat to protect it from all the west coast rain though. That will add more delays I’m sure. Of course it will.

Last few steps will be to remove masking, add white eyes, and touch ups, a clear coat finish, and then break it all down to ship to BC. Fun stuff. Spray paint is super stinky, so I have a respirator on, and a box fan running full tilt to air our the garage where I am working. Everything always takes longer than expected around here.

Dismantled more items in the garage to make myself more room to work in. I did it, not in the way I had been fixated on, but I did it nonetheless. I was at Home Depot looking for bolts for my lawn mower when I saw a work top rolling tool bench heavily on sale. The Canadian tire version goes for $1,199.00, but last years Husky model was on sale for $549.00, so I jumped on it. It came to less than half of what the taller, and slightly wider Milwaukee work bench starts at before you add on the sales tax. So, yes while I did spend money, it was just under 50% of what I was stressing over with the other bench. Plus it fits perfectly, with room left over for me to funnel more stuff into it, which would open even more floor space should I want to.

Oh, and the water softener came in yesterday too, so I’ll pop over there and pay the $800.00 for that. Didn’t know it was coming, but I had to jump on it. Didn’t want to finally decide to buy a bench and then have them all go back up to full price.

So I’ve been working, and finding time to come out here to clean, move stuff around, tear down tables, and get organized once more. I have to get back to work now, so have a lovely sunny Thursday. Ciao Bella.

Here’s something I never really enjoyed before, but have since gotten a taste for. Fresh Jerky. I think I hated it before because I was only ever offered old, tired, far too tough jerky before. I never understood why anybody would like chewing on what amounted to as little more than dried bark. But the fresh stuff? Whoo boy, that shiznit is tasty. Smoked hickory, original, teriyaki, they are all fabulous. Filling too. I think my high school “pals” were just trying to pawn off the old crap on me. And I just assumed it was all that bad no matter what. But I was wrong. It’s rather good if you get it fresh.

On the plus side we got through the entire book, and my eldest dictated the content of her report to my wife last night. So today I can edit it. Put capitals where they belong, and punctuation to finish the sentences, where missed. Cut out and repeated words, and look for typos. Cut it into the appropriate pieces, and make sure each sentence is coherent. If my kid doesn’t know the full answer she trails off, and the talk to text app adds a bunch of gibberish. So I need to be on the lookout for that. Luckily in this case I’ve read the book twice, outloud mind you, so I can add context to any statement where it is implied. Gotta give the peeps the straight facts, not be vague and wave at it as you skim past it. That leaves people scratching their heads because they don’t know the ins and outs like you do. Funny that. Huh.

Also – side note: feeling better today. Not sure what set me off last night, but it was tenacious and unpleasant. Once I got to sleep though, all good. Well, except for my sore hand which has been bothering me for several days now. Feels like I’ve rearranged some bones in my hand, and the tendons don’t care for that at all. Not sure what it is, but I don’t much care for it.

Here we are, back to Wednesday. Only seven weeks left of the school year. Sept to Christmas fly by, and then January 1st to May 1st drags on forever, and then May through June will just fly by like a bat out of hell. It has to be due to the better weather. We get outside, see more friends, do a whole lot more besides camp inside, away from the cold & snow. Will I get out on my roller blades this year? Will we ride our bikes anywhere fun? Will I fall when skateboarding? These are the real questions. I’m not afraid to ask them!

**WARNING: GRAPHIC INTESTINAL HEALTH DISCUSSION AHEAD**

I have a pretty decent sense of what will set my guts off, but with today’s bout of rotten guts, I’m stymied. I didn’t eat anything really out of the ordinary. I made an egg sandwich on an everything bagel for breakfast, sometime around 10:00am, which gave me no immediate signs of causing me problems. But woah buddy, something inside me wants to get out, and take everything else with it in a hurry, laws of physics & physiology be damned. Not going to lie. I do not miss this sensation at all. Twisting, crumpling, cramping, blood soaked visits to the rest room are not my favourite thing. The urge to push my cranium out through the soles of my feet is something I could go a hundred years or more without, and would never miss it. Whatever is in there currently feels like shards of glass scraping my guts with every millimeter it moves. That an a white hot, furious, semi liquid lava glorping, grumbling, and roiling about my innards as we speak. Fan-fucking-tastic. My own private Idaho. Or is this Californiacation? Either way, I ain’t leaving a dribble on the mesh of a screen door with this bout. Bet. Fr fr. Fam.

Spent the early morning taking baby stuff round to my SIL’s just down the road from us. Finally got the two seater stroller gone, the two seater wagon, the little tykes picnic bench table combo, and the little tykes work bench & tools. That opened up a fair bit of floor space in the shed, basement, and the garage. I would love to find someone to take our change table off our hands, but no takers as of yet. Plus it’s only been six years since my vasectomy so a change of life baby isn’t due until year ten or so, so perhaps holding on to it won’t be too terrible a thing to do. Ha. You never know.

So that’s my morning. Driving, washing baby stuff, doing school drop off, and now I’m finally back at home and I need to eat breakfast. Perhaps an egg sandwich? Bacon & eggs? Beans on toast? I’d say cereal, but all that is around here are the super sugary kids stuff, like the Reese’s Pieces cereal or Lucky Charms. Not my bag man. I guess I could sort the kids washed laundry from yesterday? I see some branches that could do with pruning in the back yard. Lots to choose from until I find out what work requires from me today. Suns up, blue skies over head, and I’m happy to have cleared out some baby stuff. I’m all good today.

Not going to lie, still fixated on a rolling tool bench with work top, but the longer I hold off, the more likely the fixation will pass on to some other coveted item with a much lower price tag. Until these invoices start getting paid, or I quote/estimate more new work, I have to act like this is it for the time being. So cinch down the belt, and don’t go spending money you don’t have in your accounts just yet. If I contract for a good amount, I can figure out what I can spend, after setting aside the income tax amount, and HST amount, so I don’t end up spending money that isn’t mine, which still has to be made up at tax time the following April. Takes the fun out of Retail Therapy once you see your available funds halved, and then split between savings of your own & spending money. Gotta bring in all those dollar bills y’all. Be smart with what little you have at your disposal. Cars will still need oil changes, new tires from general wear and tear, servicing, the water softener tank is still looming, water heater is going to act up all summer long – again. Refrigerator has been reasonable, but for how much longer? You know? Yeah I’d love to get carried away, and buy the kids new bicycles, roller blades, or a free standing basketball net, but house hold things are coming whether I want to spend my money on them or not. Yeah! Adulthood. Boo-Urns! I wanted toys, not new appliances. I feel you bruv, I really do.

So, today is Tuesday. No extracurriculars today. Oldest has a few chapters left to read, and a report to put together. Then I can help to rejig it into something coherent. We’ll print it off, and then spend tomorrow practicing the book talk, so the presentation on Thursday goes smoothly. Such fun!

My guts are growling so I really need to eat now. Ciao Bella.

What a morning it was too. Lovely a sunny! Dress for the early morning chill, but be prepared for the afternoon heat wave. I need to find my kids hats, and purchase new sun screen. As we draw nearer to the middle of spring these temps are going to jump! And it’ll be shorts, and sweating profusely kind of weather. The trees are finally starting to develop leaves once more. Took a few weeks break while it was cold, grey and rainy. Hit them with some sunshine and BAM! leaves once more. I need to put some laundry on, and get the gymnastic gear sorted for this afternoon.

We did succeed in getting my oldest to read four full chapters of her latest book yesterday, so Thursdays looming deadline seems more attainable. Less stressful for all concerned. I hot things to do, best be about it then. Ciao Bella!

Is not much fun to be the constant reminder regarding their obligations to school work. I’ve been reminding my oldest about their book talk three times a day for the last sixteen days. And now with just a mere four days to go, she has decided to start reading in a panic, and has found several words they can’t decipher. Zero sympathy here (which sounds awful I know). For three weeks we’ve discussed the need to pick up this book and actually read it. Which shouldn’t be too hard as I’ve read this book to her on two separate occasions. But waiting until the week it is due to just start makes me angry.

Every single day when we get home from school I’ve said, you should pick up that book, do a little reading. Made sure the tv was off for the first hour we were home. Fixed them drinks & snacks too. In 21 days, of reading a little each day she could have completed the book and started the assignment. But now with a week full of evening events to do she wants to start and try to finish it. Foolish. Absolutely ridiculous. I’m not writing this for her. No way. Take the terrible mark you’ve earned and use it to motivate you to do better. Take some responsibility for the lack of effort you’ve put in. That’s how I feel about it.

It isn’t like we’ve done anything crazy around here to warrant not starting. I didn’t dangle lazer tag, or paint ball sessions to lure her away from doing her work. We didn’t visit theme parks, go to the movies, see concerts, or go to parties as obstacles to this homework getting done. The weather has been rainy & terrible which has kept us all indoors. She chose to sit to watch tv, or hide in her room instead of doing the assignment. We all know that she had five of them to do this year. And with three completed it isn’t like she did not know what was expected of her in getting it completed.

We even have speech to text apps on her computer to help her get started on organizing her thoughts. Then her mother or I cut & paste her thoughts into a coherent order. And ask follow up questions to get cleaner answers or more context. But I can’t do that unless the book is read. So I can be of no help here.

And it isn’t like we don’t model the joy of reading around here. I have hard cover/paperback novels that I read most days in front of the kids, and their mother reads e-books on a Kindle or phone every single day. We derive a lot of pleasure from reading and communicate such to both kids. After this one gets presented on Thursday there is one more to do for June. That one has to be non-fiction. Depending on which book she finds and what it is about, that could take a good deal of discipline to finish. Looking forward to that.

I need to check the lug nuts on the van, and possibly retorque them all. I had wanted to vacuum the inside too, and power wash the exterior, but with more rain in the forecast for today that may not be a smart use of my time. Lazy Sunday spent reading it is then, for all! Ciao Bella.

My Briggs and Stratton lawn mower which is now 17 years old, started first pull – again. God damn. If that’s not a statement towards a products solid design, then I don’t know what is. I’m no mechanic, I’m not terribly mechanically inclined, so 99% of that sturdiness and reliability comes down to the motor itself. I change the oil once per cutting season. I have wire brushed the spark plug once or twice in those 17 years. I use new gas each year. And I wash & clean the air intact filter once per cutting season. I sharpen the blades once or twice per year too. I once had to replace a spring that works a plastic flap which regulates the air intact, but that was a one off. I’ve lost bolts that keep the cowl/cover on, so it isn’t perfect, but God Damn am I happy with this 22 inch mower that could. Also – shout out to my 17 year old Echo line trimmer that started up problem free again this year too. All that has ever needed was a new rubber bulb for priming the fuel through the system. That Echo was probably the most expensive piece of lawn equipment that I ever bought, other than my John Deere ride on mower that now resides at my in-laws cottage property. It still runs like a champ too.

After I get our water softener replaced I’m probably going to splurge on a new rolling work bench / tool chest with butcher block work top. Just hyping myself up for the expense. Hoping the one I want goes on sale for Father’s Day. Looking to save a few bucks if I can. Or maybe my van will go bust and I’ll be happy I didn’t spend all that money just yet. The problem with being cheap and cautious is having a hard time spending hard earned money on stuff just for myself. Gah! Kentucky derby is about to begin, gotta jet.

Waking up early to get out on the ice again. Learning to skate, out on the ice again. Listening to the whistle blow, out on the ice again. Under the florescent glow of those lights again. Sitting on the chilly plastic seats out by the ice again. Whee! Happy Saturday!