62 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we have to get out of this house)
33 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we can move into the new house)
It's Leap Year! We've got a 366 day year! A leap year is any year that can be divided by the number 4...except if it can be divided by 100. Were you born in a leap year? Happy Birthday to any of you out there who were born on February 29th! I don't actually know anyone who was born on February 29th but I think it's worth a mention. If I had been born on February 29th, I'd only be celebrating my 12th birthday right now. Actually...I don't suppose it works that way. If you only get to celebrate every 4th year, it seems to me that even if I don't know you, everyone should wish you a Happy Birthday! Go out and party enough to last until the next time.
I found the following "funny" on the net and thought I'd share.
Leap Year Internet Shutdown
*** Attention ***
It's that time again!
As many of you know, each leap year the Internet must be shut down for 24 hours in order to allow us to clean it. The cleaning process, which eliminates dead email and inactive ftp, www and gopher sites, allows for a better-working and faster Internet.
This year, the cleaning process will take place from 12:01 a.m. GMT on Feb. 29 until 12:01 a.m. GMT on March 1. During that 24-hour period, five powerful Internet-crawling robots situated around the world will search the Internet and delete any data that they find.
In order to protect your valuable data from deletion we ask that you do the following:
1. Disconnect all terminals and local area networks from their Internet connections.
2. Shut down all Internet servers, or disconnect them from the Internet.
3. Disconnect all disks and hardrives from any connections to the Internet.
4. Refrain from connecting any computer to the Internet in any way.
We understand the inconvenience that this may cause some Internet users, and we apologize. However, we are certain that any inconveniences will be more than made up for by the increased speed and efficiency of the Internet, once it has been cleared of electronic flotsam and jetsam.
We thank you for your cooperation.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
I couldn't resist adding this little "funny" as my Trivia section today in honor of Leap Year. Please note that I cannot verify the veracity of any of the following data.
The Calendar
If you want to know what day it is, you won't even come close with the Gregorian Calendar. It's arbitrary and accumulates lost time rapidly!
The Babylonians introduced the 60-minute hour.
The Egyptians added 24-hour days...
The Hebrews recorded 7-day weeks, although the names are pagan...
The year used to begin in March
In fact, it still does.
The astrological year begins in Aries. But sometime around 700 B.C. the Romans rolled back the New Year to January.
Take a look at what happened to these months:
The 7th month, September, became the 9th month
The 8th month, October, became the 10th month
The 9th month, November, became the 11th month
The 10th month, December, became the 12th month
It's Emperor Julius Caesar who really got the most mileage out of this calendar. He invented leap year and named a month after himself, July.
He also removed a day from February and added it to July, making July the longest month of the year.
Well, February running on only 29 days made things fall apart fast, so Julius added a leap year every four years. It worked so well that July got to keep the extra day... poor February.
Not to be outdone, Emperor Augustus, successor to Julius Caesar, also named a month after himself, August. He removed an additional day from February and placed it at the end of August, a first-place tie with July. He had to stop there because February would just not work on 27 days...
Then .....
The Europeans discovered 11 days of error after the Dark Ages because even with leap year, the solar year is still a little over 9 minutes longer than the calendar year.
In 1582 A.D. Pope Gregory XIII noticed that this added up to 11 days of lost time, so on October 5 he removed the next 11 days (Poof!)
After this band-aid, the Julian Calendar became known as the Gregorian Calendar, and guess what, it's off by 2 1/2 days again...
and if that isn't unsettling enough, it wasn't until 180 years (and 11 days in error) later that the British adopted the revised calendar. They dropped all the dates between September 2 and September 16.
These dates don't exist in British or American history!
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Saturday, February 28, 2004
63 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we have to get out of this house)
34 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we can move into the new house)
As I sit here with my first cup of coffee, I again find myself in the position of wondering what the heck I should write about in my blog. There is so much going on in the world but you all can read about that in the newspapers or you can hear about it on any number of TV news stations. I tend to get my first bit of news in the morning when I fire up my computer's search engine. It's set at Yahoo at this point. I could change that but then I tend to be rather lazy and phobic when it comes to changing anything operational with my computer. And so ends a whole paragraph of absolutely nothing sayings.
I could have written about something political. It's difficult to do this because most of the political information provided by newspaper and television has a definite bias or agenda these days. I listen to talk radio too and that has a definite agenda and bias too. Even the stuff on the internet is biased, even when it pretends not to be biased. I suppose it's all on who you are and how you interpret things. I like to think of myself as an independent thinker. I'm not a Republican who votes the Republican ticket do or die. I'm not a Democrat who votes the Democratic ticket do or die. And I guess I'm not an Independent either because I sure as heck didn't go through some primary to elect Ralph Nadar to represent my thinking. So, I'm an independent thinker...no capital letters. Unfortunately, it's more then apparent that getting real information is harder for us independent thinkers. You have to weed out the rhetoric from the fact. You have to recognize the bias and dismiss it. You have to make up your own mind. This takes a lot of doing these days. You need to dig a bit deeper into where these newspapers send their political contributions. They're pretty open sometimes and will tell you who they support. Television stations aren't as open when it comes to telling you who they support. Who is writing out their paychecks? AOL? You can tell right off when you listen to talk radio who they support. What I find is that you need to listen to every side and then wend your way mentally down a pretty tricky middle road avoiding rocks of rhetoric and the boulders of bias. I find that I keep stumbling over this rhetoric but I imagine that eventually I'll reach some decision come November.
I could have written about religion this morning. People don't really want to make me feel guilty that I don't want to go see Mel Gibson's new movie. I understand that it's an epic film. It's not that I don't want to go see the movie, it's that I know that I can't see the movie. I'm one of those people who just can't watch films with violence. I couldn't watch, Shindler's List, Apocalypse, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan...the list goes on and on. I was dragged out to see Titanic and Gone With the Wind but I didn't want to go. I'm not going to go to The Passion of Christ. Going to the film won't make me a better Christian. Not going to the film won't make me less of a believer. I don't need to go to the film to affirm my faith. I don't need to place my hand in Jesus' wounds to believe. If I had the mental strength, I'd go see the film, not to place my hand's on Jesus' wounds, but to join in communion with other believers. I just don't have the capability to go to a movie where I feel every blow.
Religion and politics. Yes, I can write about these two subjects. I just did. I don't usually care to do so. You all can read about such things in other places. Wars are justified for these two subjects. That's right...I could have written about the war. The war on terror, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the war in Haiti....
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
When Margaret Mead died in 1978, she was one of the most famous anthropologists in the world. She had published 44 books and more then 1,000 articles which helped shape our understanding of human behavior.
"Our humanity rests upon a series of learned behaviors, woven together into patterns that are infinitely fragile and never directly inherited."
"We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet."
"Thanks to television, for the first time the young are seeing history made before it is censored by their elders."
"We need to devise a system within which peace will be more rewarding than war."
"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else."
-Margaret Mead
34 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we can move into the new house)
As I sit here with my first cup of coffee, I again find myself in the position of wondering what the heck I should write about in my blog. There is so much going on in the world but you all can read about that in the newspapers or you can hear about it on any number of TV news stations. I tend to get my first bit of news in the morning when I fire up my computer's search engine. It's set at Yahoo at this point. I could change that but then I tend to be rather lazy and phobic when it comes to changing anything operational with my computer. And so ends a whole paragraph of absolutely nothing sayings.
I could have written about something political. It's difficult to do this because most of the political information provided by newspaper and television has a definite bias or agenda these days. I listen to talk radio too and that has a definite agenda and bias too. Even the stuff on the internet is biased, even when it pretends not to be biased. I suppose it's all on who you are and how you interpret things. I like to think of myself as an independent thinker. I'm not a Republican who votes the Republican ticket do or die. I'm not a Democrat who votes the Democratic ticket do or die. And I guess I'm not an Independent either because I sure as heck didn't go through some primary to elect Ralph Nadar to represent my thinking. So, I'm an independent thinker...no capital letters. Unfortunately, it's more then apparent that getting real information is harder for us independent thinkers. You have to weed out the rhetoric from the fact. You have to recognize the bias and dismiss it. You have to make up your own mind. This takes a lot of doing these days. You need to dig a bit deeper into where these newspapers send their political contributions. They're pretty open sometimes and will tell you who they support. Television stations aren't as open when it comes to telling you who they support. Who is writing out their paychecks? AOL? You can tell right off when you listen to talk radio who they support. What I find is that you need to listen to every side and then wend your way mentally down a pretty tricky middle road avoiding rocks of rhetoric and the boulders of bias. I find that I keep stumbling over this rhetoric but I imagine that eventually I'll reach some decision come November.
I could have written about religion this morning. People don't really want to make me feel guilty that I don't want to go see Mel Gibson's new movie. I understand that it's an epic film. It's not that I don't want to go see the movie, it's that I know that I can't see the movie. I'm one of those people who just can't watch films with violence. I couldn't watch, Shindler's List, Apocalypse, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan...the list goes on and on. I was dragged out to see Titanic and Gone With the Wind but I didn't want to go. I'm not going to go to The Passion of Christ. Going to the film won't make me a better Christian. Not going to the film won't make me less of a believer. I don't need to go to the film to affirm my faith. I don't need to place my hand in Jesus' wounds to believe. If I had the mental strength, I'd go see the film, not to place my hand's on Jesus' wounds, but to join in communion with other believers. I just don't have the capability to go to a movie where I feel every blow.
Religion and politics. Yes, I can write about these two subjects. I just did. I don't usually care to do so. You all can read about such things in other places. Wars are justified for these two subjects. That's right...I could have written about the war. The war on terror, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the war in Haiti....
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
When Margaret Mead died in 1978, she was one of the most famous anthropologists in the world. She had published 44 books and more then 1,000 articles which helped shape our understanding of human behavior.
"Our humanity rests upon a series of learned behaviors, woven together into patterns that are infinitely fragile and never directly inherited."
"We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet."
"Thanks to television, for the first time the young are seeing history made before it is censored by their elders."
"We need to devise a system within which peace will be more rewarding than war."
"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else."
-Margaret Mead
Friday, February 27, 2004
64 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we have to get out of this house)
35 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we can move into the new house)
I was going to go out for a walk this morning with my dogs but they looked at me like I was crazy so I didn't until I noticed that it really wasn't raining...yet. Upon reflection I can see why they may have thought walking in the rain might be a bad idea. But it wasn't really raining so I made them take a quick walk anyway. A quick walk is a walk in which you cover the same distance that you normally cover but in half the time. Quick before it starts to rain.
HTP (husband-type-person) and I went over to check out the new house yesterday. We had to stop at the sales office to get a builder master key because there are now locks on the doors. The builder finally moved the ceiling vent that we've been begging him to move since it was installed. We had to drag him over to the house to show him that someone was going to patch over our speaker wires if he didn't do something about it. At the same time I pointed out that I really didn't expect calico cupboards when I chose the upgraded oak cabinets from the decorator center. I realize that oak has many variations in color and wood grain. I like oak and I like the many variations and color but it would have been nice to see some consistancy. I have one cabinet door that had red, blonde and dark woods all glued together on the same panel and all different wood grains too. Calico cabinets. The builder promised me that the cabinet guy (undoubtedly color blind) would come and look at them. HTP pointed out to me afterwards that he didn't promise that anything would be done to correct the situation.
I am relieved to see that this post relegates the picture of my tattoo to archival history. For those who want to know, my tattoo is healing nicely. It itches like crazy (I am not scratching it) but I can wear my jeans again.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Don't Try These Folk Remedies...unless you want to and you won't come back and sue me.
Rubbing a fox tongue on your eyes will cure cataracts.
To cure a headache, tie a string around a buzzard's head and wear it around your neck. (mmmm...that's one I've never tried.)
Frostbite? Mix cow milk with cow manure and apply it to the affected area.
35 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we can move into the new house)
I was going to go out for a walk this morning with my dogs but they looked at me like I was crazy so I didn't until I noticed that it really wasn't raining...yet. Upon reflection I can see why they may have thought walking in the rain might be a bad idea. But it wasn't really raining so I made them take a quick walk anyway. A quick walk is a walk in which you cover the same distance that you normally cover but in half the time. Quick before it starts to rain.
HTP (husband-type-person) and I went over to check out the new house yesterday. We had to stop at the sales office to get a builder master key because there are now locks on the doors. The builder finally moved the ceiling vent that we've been begging him to move since it was installed. We had to drag him over to the house to show him that someone was going to patch over our speaker wires if he didn't do something about it. At the same time I pointed out that I really didn't expect calico cupboards when I chose the upgraded oak cabinets from the decorator center. I realize that oak has many variations in color and wood grain. I like oak and I like the many variations and color but it would have been nice to see some consistancy. I have one cabinet door that had red, blonde and dark woods all glued together on the same panel and all different wood grains too. Calico cabinets. The builder promised me that the cabinet guy (undoubtedly color blind) would come and look at them. HTP pointed out to me afterwards that he didn't promise that anything would be done to correct the situation.
I am relieved to see that this post relegates the picture of my tattoo to archival history. For those who want to know, my tattoo is healing nicely. It itches like crazy (I am not scratching it) but I can wear my jeans again.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Don't Try These Folk Remedies...unless you want to and you won't come back and sue me.
Rubbing a fox tongue on your eyes will cure cataracts.
To cure a headache, tie a string around a buzzard's head and wear it around your neck. (mmmm...that's one I've never tried.)
Frostbite? Mix cow milk with cow manure and apply it to the affected area.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
65 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we have to get out of this house)
36 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we can move into the new house)
I woke up this morning thinking that today was Friday. It's not. I lost track of time but this time time didn't run me over...I ran it over. I suppose it depends upon how you look at things. Either you have to trudge through one more day that you actually thought and felt like you trudged through already but you hadn't...darn the luck or you have an entire day that you thought was gone to do whatever you decided that you couldn't do because there wasn't enough time left over to do it. I've decided that I've been given more time as a gift...this time. I may feel differently next time.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Folk Remedies I Wouldn't Recommend
To treat a burn, rub it with mashed potatoes.
To cure a child of whooping cough, put them on a donkey and lead the donkey in a clockwise circle nine times.
Eating beaver fat will calm your nerves.
36 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we can move into the new house)
I woke up this morning thinking that today was Friday. It's not. I lost track of time but this time time didn't run me over...I ran it over. I suppose it depends upon how you look at things. Either you have to trudge through one more day that you actually thought and felt like you trudged through already but you hadn't...darn the luck or you have an entire day that you thought was gone to do whatever you decided that you couldn't do because there wasn't enough time left over to do it. I've decided that I've been given more time as a gift...this time. I may feel differently next time.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Folk Remedies I Wouldn't Recommend
To treat a burn, rub it with mashed potatoes.
To cure a child of whooping cough, put them on a donkey and lead the donkey in a clockwise circle nine times.
Eating beaver fat will calm your nerves.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
66 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we have to get out of this house)
37 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we can move into the new house)
The Sign Fairy visited our house sometime after I collected the mail at 3 PM yesterday from our mailbox and before I took the dogs out for our nightly walk after 7PM. We have a Sold sign out in front of the house. I suppose the next step will be the removal of all signs. We've got two closings that we need keep straight. I tried to be clear on the above header.
I should tell you that I honestly don't take the dogs out for nightly walks. I don't always have the energy for such a project. I did have the energy last night and since the rain had finally stopped (it's been raining for the last couple of days which is actually a good thing because we really need the rain but it's kind of depressing too) I decided to take the dogs out for a walk. I needed the exercise far more then the dogs.
I don't plan to start packing my household for the move for a while yet. It's just nice to sit around and do absolutely nothing for a bit. I plan to enjoy the non-activity or non-"selling the house" activity. I still have stuff to do that has nothing to do with selling a house so I actually won't be sitting around on my hands doing nothing. But, I'll worry about selling the living room set that won't fit into the new home next week. I already packed up all the stuff that I didn't need for everyday life and Easter, before we put the house on the market. I don't have to pack up the Easter stuff and the china buffet stuff until mid-April. I fully intend spending one more Easter in this house but that may change. We'll see. Depends on how energetic I get.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
More Cures For What Ails You
To cure a cold, rub your feet with grease. If that doesn't work, eat some bear brains.
Fox fat, when warmed and placed in the ear, will cure an earache.
To get rid of a wart, rub the wart with a peeled apple, then feed the apple to a pig.
*Warning! I did not invent these cures and I don't guarantee their efficacy.
37 Days Before Closing (The time that remains before we can move into the new house)
The Sign Fairy visited our house sometime after I collected the mail at 3 PM yesterday from our mailbox and before I took the dogs out for our nightly walk after 7PM. We have a Sold sign out in front of the house. I suppose the next step will be the removal of all signs. We've got two closings that we need keep straight. I tried to be clear on the above header.
I should tell you that I honestly don't take the dogs out for nightly walks. I don't always have the energy for such a project. I did have the energy last night and since the rain had finally stopped (it's been raining for the last couple of days which is actually a good thing because we really need the rain but it's kind of depressing too) I decided to take the dogs out for a walk. I needed the exercise far more then the dogs.
I don't plan to start packing my household for the move for a while yet. It's just nice to sit around and do absolutely nothing for a bit. I plan to enjoy the non-activity or non-"selling the house" activity. I still have stuff to do that has nothing to do with selling a house so I actually won't be sitting around on my hands doing nothing. But, I'll worry about selling the living room set that won't fit into the new home next week. I already packed up all the stuff that I didn't need for everyday life and Easter, before we put the house on the market. I don't have to pack up the Easter stuff and the china buffet stuff until mid-April. I fully intend spending one more Easter in this house but that may change. We'll see. Depends on how energetic I get.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
More Cures For What Ails You
To cure a cold, rub your feet with grease. If that doesn't work, eat some bear brains.
Fox fat, when warmed and placed in the ear, will cure an earache.
To get rid of a wart, rub the wart with a peeled apple, then feed the apple to a pig.
*Warning! I did not invent these cures and I don't guarantee their efficacy.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
House For Sale - Day 21
I'm told that my Sold sign will be installed later this week. "They" only deliver these signs once a week in our area of town.
I've been baking. My famous sugarless multi-grain chocolate chip cookies. I've made two batches and I have to make another today. They've been disappearing, fast. Hey! There still are calories involved here.
Today is the first day that I can actually do my laundry without hiding the fact that I'm doing my laundry. Heaven forbid that someone touring our house would actually discover that someone needs to do laundry. Generally speaking, people would prefer to tour a house in which no-one actually lives. Have you ever noticed that Model Homes (houses set up by builders to exemplify the home that you the buyer need and want to buy), don't have televisions or stereos. The Model decorators never provide such amenities or space to put them. The beds are all twin size or at most, doubles. You never see a full dining room set. You never see a full bedroom set. There is never a full living room or family rooms set. There is never any quantity of toys laying about unless it's a designer wooden horse. The kitchen tables are never set with real dishes. The pantries are empty or nearly so. You walk through these homes and admire how big and clean they are but wait. Where are you going to put your king-size bed? How about your kitchen table? Where do you plan to put your clothes, other then the closet? Where are you going to set up your television and stereo? Is there really enough counter space in the kitchen for your coffeemaker, mixer, food processor, bread machine, and microwave? Real people don't live in Model Homes, but that's what real people expect to see when they tour previously owned homes. I've sold a few homes so I'm well aware of this concept. On laundry day, I hid the fact that I did laundry. I carefully stored away my microwave and my mixer and dragged my mixer out only in the dead of night to secretly cook and bake. I hid my kitchen garbage can. People don't want to deal with the fact there is garbage and one must put it somewhere. My house sold because I made it into what the buyer expected. A Model Home. I even hid my TV behind the closed doors of my entertainment unit. Do you honestly think that I would actually turn all the lights on in my house and play soft music on a regular basis?
I'm relieved to say that I can now go back to living in my house now that the house is sold. I'm not a slob but I do have to do the laundry and it's easier not to have to hide the sorted laundry in the closet. I'm going to make more cookies too...and leave my mixer out afterwards. Hah! And I'm not going to put the pillowshams on the bed either. Hah, hah, hah!
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
It was interesting to read these "folk remedies" so I thought I'd share.
To cure lung infections, rub onions on your chest.
To ease arthritis pain, carry a peeled potato in your pocket. It that doesn't work, try a pocketful of buckshot...or the ashes from a turtle shell.
For Kidney troubles, eat...kidney beans. If that doesn't work, try chewing on the bones from a dogfish head. (I just knew that someone would find a use for dogfish).
I'm told that my Sold sign will be installed later this week. "They" only deliver these signs once a week in our area of town.
I've been baking. My famous sugarless multi-grain chocolate chip cookies. I've made two batches and I have to make another today. They've been disappearing, fast. Hey! There still are calories involved here.
Today is the first day that I can actually do my laundry without hiding the fact that I'm doing my laundry. Heaven forbid that someone touring our house would actually discover that someone needs to do laundry. Generally speaking, people would prefer to tour a house in which no-one actually lives. Have you ever noticed that Model Homes (houses set up by builders to exemplify the home that you the buyer need and want to buy), don't have televisions or stereos. The Model decorators never provide such amenities or space to put them. The beds are all twin size or at most, doubles. You never see a full dining room set. You never see a full bedroom set. There is never a full living room or family rooms set. There is never any quantity of toys laying about unless it's a designer wooden horse. The kitchen tables are never set with real dishes. The pantries are empty or nearly so. You walk through these homes and admire how big and clean they are but wait. Where are you going to put your king-size bed? How about your kitchen table? Where do you plan to put your clothes, other then the closet? Where are you going to set up your television and stereo? Is there really enough counter space in the kitchen for your coffeemaker, mixer, food processor, bread machine, and microwave? Real people don't live in Model Homes, but that's what real people expect to see when they tour previously owned homes. I've sold a few homes so I'm well aware of this concept. On laundry day, I hid the fact that I did laundry. I carefully stored away my microwave and my mixer and dragged my mixer out only in the dead of night to secretly cook and bake. I hid my kitchen garbage can. People don't want to deal with the fact there is garbage and one must put it somewhere. My house sold because I made it into what the buyer expected. A Model Home. I even hid my TV behind the closed doors of my entertainment unit. Do you honestly think that I would actually turn all the lights on in my house and play soft music on a regular basis?
I'm relieved to say that I can now go back to living in my house now that the house is sold. I'm not a slob but I do have to do the laundry and it's easier not to have to hide the sorted laundry in the closet. I'm going to make more cookies too...and leave my mixer out afterwards. Hah! And I'm not going to put the pillowshams on the bed either. Hah, hah, hah!
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
It was interesting to read these "folk remedies" so I thought I'd share.
To cure lung infections, rub onions on your chest.
To ease arthritis pain, carry a peeled potato in your pocket. It that doesn't work, try a pocketful of buckshot...or the ashes from a turtle shell.
For Kidney troubles, eat...kidney beans. If that doesn't work, try chewing on the bones from a dogfish head. (I just knew that someone would find a use for dogfish).
Monday, February 23, 2004
House For Sale - Day 20
I'm told that my house is sold. We're still waiting for the Sold sign. When we get our sign I'll change my header to a countdown for closure on the new house.
I hear that Ralph Nadar is running for President again. Go Ralphie! I've never forgiven the guy for the Corvair issue. I know who I'm not voting for in November. That may change but so far I haven't been impressed with the alternatives. I'm registered as a Republican. That doesn't mean that I'm a Republican. It just means that I can vote in a Republican primary. I had no say in the Democratic primary here in Arizona. I wouldn't have had a say if I was registered as an Independant either. I hear things are different in Wisconsin. I may go ahead and register as an Independant when we move there this summer. Just because I may decide to register as an Independant doesn't mean that I'll vote for Ralphie. Yes Virginia, it's come down to this. Who don't you want to see in the White House? Eenie, Meenie, Minie or Moe? That's a really sad commentary of the way things are today. Do I vote for Kerry, regardless of his beliefs just because I don't like Bush and neither do the French?
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
More than on billion people on Earth are between the ages of 15 and 24. I'm no longer a part of that group.
I'm told that my house is sold. We're still waiting for the Sold sign. When we get our sign I'll change my header to a countdown for closure on the new house.
I hear that Ralph Nadar is running for President again. Go Ralphie! I've never forgiven the guy for the Corvair issue. I know who I'm not voting for in November. That may change but so far I haven't been impressed with the alternatives. I'm registered as a Republican. That doesn't mean that I'm a Republican. It just means that I can vote in a Republican primary. I had no say in the Democratic primary here in Arizona. I wouldn't have had a say if I was registered as an Independant either. I hear things are different in Wisconsin. I may go ahead and register as an Independant when we move there this summer. Just because I may decide to register as an Independant doesn't mean that I'll vote for Ralphie. Yes Virginia, it's come down to this. Who don't you want to see in the White House? Eenie, Meenie, Minie or Moe? That's a really sad commentary of the way things are today. Do I vote for Kerry, regardless of his beliefs just because I don't like Bush and neither do the French?
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
More than on billion people on Earth are between the ages of 15 and 24. I'm no longer a part of that group.
Sunday, February 22, 2004
House For Sale - Day 19
I got a call from our realtor this morning. He sounded confident that the house is sold. We just have to endure the house appraisal end and fix those things on the To Do list from the walk-thru and I think that the new buyers have a pre-closing walk-thru that will be done on April 29th or 30th. However, since there is no Sold sign yet out in front of my house, I'll keep my counting header. Our realtor doesn't believe in Sale Pending signs.
It's my youngest daughter's birthday today! Let's all sing the birthday song. Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday Dear Youngest Daughter, Happy Birthday to You! She's an ancient 23 years old. We're going to take her out for supper tonight along with her husband and their roomie friend. Nothing fancy. Just pitchers of beer and burgers at the local pub and that neat electronic trivia game.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
I came across the latest bit of trivia and since it involved a town where we hold the Edgerton family reunion, I just had to share.
Night Lights Cause Cancer
Researcher: Dr. Richard Stevens
Subjects: Residents of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
What He Learned: In 2002, citing several studies of women's cancer rates, Dr. Stevens reported to the World Conference on Breast Cancer in Victoria, British Columbia, that artificial night lighting increases the risk of breast cancer. Extended hours of light, he said--night lights, street lights, and even car headlights--rob a person of valuable hours of darkness and disrupt the body's natural clock. That causes the body to make less melatonin, a hormone produced almost exclusively at night. Melatonin limits the body's estrogen levels, and high levels of the female hormone estrogen are known to increase the risk of getting the disease. He recommended red bulbs in the night lights--they're less disruptive to sleep patterns.
I got a call from our realtor this morning. He sounded confident that the house is sold. We just have to endure the house appraisal end and fix those things on the To Do list from the walk-thru and I think that the new buyers have a pre-closing walk-thru that will be done on April 29th or 30th. However, since there is no Sold sign yet out in front of my house, I'll keep my counting header. Our realtor doesn't believe in Sale Pending signs.
It's my youngest daughter's birthday today! Let's all sing the birthday song. Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday Dear Youngest Daughter, Happy Birthday to You! She's an ancient 23 years old. We're going to take her out for supper tonight along with her husband and their roomie friend. Nothing fancy. Just pitchers of beer and burgers at the local pub and that neat electronic trivia game.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
I came across the latest bit of trivia and since it involved a town where we hold the Edgerton family reunion, I just had to share.
Night Lights Cause Cancer
Researcher: Dr. Richard Stevens
Subjects: Residents of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
What He Learned: In 2002, citing several studies of women's cancer rates, Dr. Stevens reported to the World Conference on Breast Cancer in Victoria, British Columbia, that artificial night lighting increases the risk of breast cancer. Extended hours of light, he said--night lights, street lights, and even car headlights--rob a person of valuable hours of darkness and disrupt the body's natural clock. That causes the body to make less melatonin, a hormone produced almost exclusively at night. Melatonin limits the body's estrogen levels, and high levels of the female hormone estrogen are known to increase the risk of getting the disease. He recommended red bulbs in the night lights--they're less disruptive to sleep patterns.
Saturday, February 21, 2004
House For Sale - Day 18
Is my house sold? I really don't know yet. No-one has called to let us know what the results of the walk-thru were. So, I repeat, until I see a Sold sign out in front of my house...the house is still for sale.
We went over to the new house today to measure for window coverings. There was a crew painting the exterior of the house. The new cabinets were installed...such as they were. I wasn't all that happy with them. They looked like they were made of several different types of wood with no thought put into matching grain or color. I suppose I'll have a fight on my hands when I try to get them to fix the problem. We also got a call from our building coordinator and the first walk-thru of our newly completed house is scheduled for March 29th. The second walk-thru and the closing is scheduled for April 2nd. That's good. At least they didn't schedule it for April Fool's Day.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Cockamamie is a word used to describe something that is "worthless" or "absurd". This word may have originated from the inability of early 20th-century kids in Manhattan's Lower East Side to pronounce decalcomania, a cheap picture to be transferred onto wood or china (a decal).
Is my house sold? I really don't know yet. No-one has called to let us know what the results of the walk-thru were. So, I repeat, until I see a Sold sign out in front of my house...the house is still for sale.
We went over to the new house today to measure for window coverings. There was a crew painting the exterior of the house. The new cabinets were installed...such as they were. I wasn't all that happy with them. They looked like they were made of several different types of wood with no thought put into matching grain or color. I suppose I'll have a fight on my hands when I try to get them to fix the problem. We also got a call from our building coordinator and the first walk-thru of our newly completed house is scheduled for March 29th. The second walk-thru and the closing is scheduled for April 2nd. That's good. At least they didn't schedule it for April Fool's Day.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Cockamamie is a word used to describe something that is "worthless" or "absurd". This word may have originated from the inability of early 20th-century kids in Manhattan's Lower East Side to pronounce decalcomania, a cheap picture to be transferred onto wood or china (a decal).
Friday, February 20, 2004
House For Sale - Day 17
Last night our realtor came over with the To Do list of things that need to be fixed before closing. Thankfully, it wasn't a long list. However, I'm not going to run out to fix the things on the list until our buyer's wife actually approves of the house. We just signed the paper that said that we agreed to take care of the things on the list before closing. If there isn't a closing on April 30th, there's really no point in straining ourselves. These were not major repairs and quite frankly, a couple of the items on the list were non-items.
I'm told that the buyer and his wife plan to tour the house tomorrow morning at 9 AM. This is going to be interesting. Very interesting. This is not only because my husband and son are not used to getting up that early on weekends but because they need to get up soon enough to make sure that the house is "prepared" for viewing. Dusting. Vacuuming and then dusting again. Beds made...correctly. Every light must be turned on and all the fans turned on low. The dogs must be fed, watered, walked, and loaded into the car to exit the house with us. All this must be done before my husband and son are "conscious". I'm used to getting up at pre-dawn hours. It's a habit of mine not to mention that the dogs don't permit me to sleep late.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
The phrase "sent up the river" is slang for "sent to prison". The river is the Hudson and the prison is Sing Sing, which is upriver from New York City.
Last night our realtor came over with the To Do list of things that need to be fixed before closing. Thankfully, it wasn't a long list. However, I'm not going to run out to fix the things on the list until our buyer's wife actually approves of the house. We just signed the paper that said that we agreed to take care of the things on the list before closing. If there isn't a closing on April 30th, there's really no point in straining ourselves. These were not major repairs and quite frankly, a couple of the items on the list were non-items.
I'm told that the buyer and his wife plan to tour the house tomorrow morning at 9 AM. This is going to be interesting. Very interesting. This is not only because my husband and son are not used to getting up that early on weekends but because they need to get up soon enough to make sure that the house is "prepared" for viewing. Dusting. Vacuuming and then dusting again. Beds made...correctly. Every light must be turned on and all the fans turned on low. The dogs must be fed, watered, walked, and loaded into the car to exit the house with us. All this must be done before my husband and son are "conscious". I'm used to getting up at pre-dawn hours. It's a habit of mine not to mention that the dogs don't permit me to sleep late.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
The phrase "sent up the river" is slang for "sent to prison". The river is the Hudson and the prison is Sing Sing, which is upriver from New York City.
Thursday, February 19, 2004
House For Sale - Day 16
Today's the day that we pick out the granite slabs for the new countertop in our new home. One can't just go out and pick out granite slabs. One must make an appointment to view said slabs. One must be put on hold for over 30 minutes while one is attempting to make an appointment to view said slabs. I get to view said slabs at 10 AM this morning...with Bret. There are untold colors and textures and thicknesses etc. for these slabs along with different varieties of stone. I went with granite. Madura Gold. I need two slabs, 2 cm. thick. I had to tell them my name, my development name, my model, my lot number, the builder's name, the fabricator's name, the number of slabs I'd need, and how thick they needed to be, and the type of granite. Good thing that I've gone through this before. The fabricator called me and told me to call the slab people to make an appointment to pick out slab. OK. I knew that there would be more involved with this that just making an appointment so I prepared myself by grilling the fabricator about the above details. If I hadn't had all this information on hand when I called to make my appointment, I'm sure I would still be sitting on repeated 30 minute holds. Why the fabricator couldn't have called the slab people to set everything up except the actual time and date of the appointment, I'll never know. I think it's a sign of our times. Poor service. And now they're outsourcing these service jobs to foriegn countries? Can you imagine setting up appointments to view slabs via some person in India? Don't laugh. I ended up talking to someone in India to fix a morgage company error and I could only understand every other word that he spoke. I don't think he understood a thing I was saying either but the error was eventually fixed...I think.
I picked out my slab. Finally. Nothing is ever simple. I don't concider myself a picky person (no...really, I'm not picky) but I did end up having to drive clear across town to a second warehouse which was smaller then the first warehouse in order to finally find two granite slabs that I was willing to pay for using the amount of money that I'm paying the builder for these slabs. I was able to find one slab at the first warehouse but they only had the one that looked right in my "color". The other warehouse, though smaller, had more of a choice. Go figure. I suppose Corian would have been easier to select but I do love the look, the feel and the maintanance of granite. It's amazing all the different colors and patterns that nature can provide. If I have to do this again (build another house) I'm going to go directly to the slab warehouses when I have to pick out granite. Those little 5"x7" samples they show you really don't give you any kind of idea of what this stuff looks like up close and personal in the form of a 700 pound slab.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
The first year in which the U.S. national debt exceeded $1 Billion was 1863...and that's all I have to say about that.
Today's the day that we pick out the granite slabs for the new countertop in our new home. One can't just go out and pick out granite slabs. One must make an appointment to view said slabs. One must be put on hold for over 30 minutes while one is attempting to make an appointment to view said slabs. I get to view said slabs at 10 AM this morning...with Bret. There are untold colors and textures and thicknesses etc. for these slabs along with different varieties of stone. I went with granite. Madura Gold. I need two slabs, 2 cm. thick. I had to tell them my name, my development name, my model, my lot number, the builder's name, the fabricator's name, the number of slabs I'd need, and how thick they needed to be, and the type of granite. Good thing that I've gone through this before. The fabricator called me and told me to call the slab people to make an appointment to pick out slab. OK. I knew that there would be more involved with this that just making an appointment so I prepared myself by grilling the fabricator about the above details. If I hadn't had all this information on hand when I called to make my appointment, I'm sure I would still be sitting on repeated 30 minute holds. Why the fabricator couldn't have called the slab people to set everything up except the actual time and date of the appointment, I'll never know. I think it's a sign of our times. Poor service. And now they're outsourcing these service jobs to foriegn countries? Can you imagine setting up appointments to view slabs via some person in India? Don't laugh. I ended up talking to someone in India to fix a morgage company error and I could only understand every other word that he spoke. I don't think he understood a thing I was saying either but the error was eventually fixed...I think.
I picked out my slab. Finally. Nothing is ever simple. I don't concider myself a picky person (no...really, I'm not picky) but I did end up having to drive clear across town to a second warehouse which was smaller then the first warehouse in order to finally find two granite slabs that I was willing to pay for using the amount of money that I'm paying the builder for these slabs. I was able to find one slab at the first warehouse but they only had the one that looked right in my "color". The other warehouse, though smaller, had more of a choice. Go figure. I suppose Corian would have been easier to select but I do love the look, the feel and the maintanance of granite. It's amazing all the different colors and patterns that nature can provide. If I have to do this again (build another house) I'm going to go directly to the slab warehouses when I have to pick out granite. Those little 5"x7" samples they show you really don't give you any kind of idea of what this stuff looks like up close and personal in the form of a 700 pound slab.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
The first year in which the U.S. national debt exceeded $1 Billion was 1863...and that's all I have to say about that.
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
House For Sale - Day 15
I discovered that new tattoo's and blue jeans don't mix. I'm not complaining but for the next two weeks I'm going to have to wear loose clothing until this thing heals. The blue jeans were making my new tattoo hurt. I'm not really into pain. I'm told that as soon as this thing starts to heal, I'll be experiencing a great urge to scratch it because it will drive me insane with its itchiness. I'm not supposed to scratch. I'll let you know. I grew up and live half the year in The Land of Many Blood-sucking Mosquitoes and I learned to stop scratching myself bloody a long time ago. I promised you a picture of my new tattoo but I'm still waiting to receive it. My daughter has it still and hasn't shared...yet.
I'm expecting the home inspector out here at noon. I expect we'll receive a TO DO list of items that the inspector feels we need to fix before closing; if there is a closing and the buyer doesn't back out because his wife hates the house. She hasn't seen it yet and I'm not sure when she'll want to have her walk-thru. She's in China. The house is still listed on the MLS website. We do not have a Sold sign out front as yet. My blog header will continue its daily count.
Note to reader: If you haven't read a Today's Little Bit of Trivia segment in my blog, you should check back later because I haven't completed blogging for the day. I tend to add and edit little things as life evolves throughout the day. The trivia segment is my little way of adding a period to the blog and my day.
My house has been inspected and toured. Even the termite inspector was here. I hope the To Do list isn't too long.
I get to pick out two granite slabs for the countertop at our new home. That's scheduled for tomorrow. I think I maybe should go over and take a look at the new house to see how far they're coming along, especially if someone is calling to tell me to pick out the countertop slabs. I was over there last week but things seem to be moving pretty fast.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
It's estimated that by 2005 there will be more than one billion cell phone users. Cingular just bought out my cell phone company, AT&T. I wonder how that will affect my service. I suppose it'll mean a rate hike.
I discovered that new tattoo's and blue jeans don't mix. I'm not complaining but for the next two weeks I'm going to have to wear loose clothing until this thing heals. The blue jeans were making my new tattoo hurt. I'm not really into pain. I'm told that as soon as this thing starts to heal, I'll be experiencing a great urge to scratch it because it will drive me insane with its itchiness. I'm not supposed to scratch. I'll let you know. I grew up and live half the year in The Land of Many Blood-sucking Mosquitoes and I learned to stop scratching myself bloody a long time ago. I promised you a picture of my new tattoo but I'm still waiting to receive it. My daughter has it still and hasn't shared...yet.
I'm expecting the home inspector out here at noon. I expect we'll receive a TO DO list of items that the inspector feels we need to fix before closing; if there is a closing and the buyer doesn't back out because his wife hates the house. She hasn't seen it yet and I'm not sure when she'll want to have her walk-thru. She's in China. The house is still listed on the MLS website. We do not have a Sold sign out front as yet. My blog header will continue its daily count.
Note to reader: If you haven't read a Today's Little Bit of Trivia segment in my blog, you should check back later because I haven't completed blogging for the day. I tend to add and edit little things as life evolves throughout the day. The trivia segment is my little way of adding a period to the blog and my day.
My house has been inspected and toured. Even the termite inspector was here. I hope the To Do list isn't too long.
I get to pick out two granite slabs for the countertop at our new home. That's scheduled for tomorrow. I think I maybe should go over and take a look at the new house to see how far they're coming along, especially if someone is calling to tell me to pick out the countertop slabs. I was over there last week but things seem to be moving pretty fast.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
It's estimated that by 2005 there will be more than one billion cell phone users. Cingular just bought out my cell phone company, AT&T. I wonder how that will affect my service. I suppose it'll mean a rate hike.
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
House For Sale - Day 14
I think I'm supposed to get a tattoo today. It's all kind of weirdly cosmically comical. Years ago I promised my daughter that I'd get a tattoo when I reached my 50th birthday. It seemed like a far distant time in the future. My daughter set something up for today...I think. I haven't heard from her and I'm not going to call her to remind her. Heck! I thought she'd forget about that promise that I made. Anyway, if she remembers and things are set up, I guess I'll get a tattoo. If she forgets and things aren't set up I'll be on probation until a future date. I suspect that I'll either get a tattoo today or I'll get a tattoo in the next few days. If I get my tattoo, I'll tell you all about it. Why did I agree to get a tattoo? I don't know. Rites of passage? Who knows. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
My daughter just called. She's got the memory of an elephant! Oh well...I'm scheduled to get my tattoo (thankfully I got to pick the design...no skulls or I "heart" Mom though I do love my Mom. I'm getting a frog, a teeny-tiny frog...with wings) at 3 PM. If I survive, I'll let you know how it went.
I've got a tattoo. It wasn't that bad. I've had more painful experiences then getting a tattoo. Childbirth was more painful. Migraines are more painful. Having your leg ripped off and stuck in your ear... OK. That never happened to me. I'd say the Epilady or waxing comes pretty close to describing the experience....for a full hour. Apparently I picked a rather sensitive part of my body when I chose the location of my tattoo. I must say that I didn't scream or even moan...not once. Get your mind out of the gutter...the tattoo is over my left kidney. I heard a lot of loud moans coming from some of the other customers in the "parlor". Men are such babies. My daughter took a picture of my tattoo but you'll have to wait to see it. My husband just saw my tattoo as I was cleaning it. He said, "Oh! That's a big one!" No it isn't...and my butt isn't big either.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
There are about one billion red blood cells in two to three drops of blood. I hate to think about how many red blood cells I shed while getting this tattoo.
I think I'm supposed to get a tattoo today. It's all kind of weirdly cosmically comical. Years ago I promised my daughter that I'd get a tattoo when I reached my 50th birthday. It seemed like a far distant time in the future. My daughter set something up for today...I think. I haven't heard from her and I'm not going to call her to remind her. Heck! I thought she'd forget about that promise that I made. Anyway, if she remembers and things are set up, I guess I'll get a tattoo. If she forgets and things aren't set up I'll be on probation until a future date. I suspect that I'll either get a tattoo today or I'll get a tattoo in the next few days. If I get my tattoo, I'll tell you all about it. Why did I agree to get a tattoo? I don't know. Rites of passage? Who knows. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
My daughter just called. She's got the memory of an elephant! Oh well...I'm scheduled to get my tattoo (thankfully I got to pick the design...no skulls or I "heart" Mom though I do love my Mom. I'm getting a frog, a teeny-tiny frog...with wings) at 3 PM. If I survive, I'll let you know how it went.
I've got a tattoo. It wasn't that bad. I've had more painful experiences then getting a tattoo. Childbirth was more painful. Migraines are more painful. Having your leg ripped off and stuck in your ear... OK. That never happened to me. I'd say the Epilady or waxing comes pretty close to describing the experience....for a full hour. Apparently I picked a rather sensitive part of my body when I chose the location of my tattoo. I must say that I didn't scream or even moan...not once. Get your mind out of the gutter...the tattoo is over my left kidney. I heard a lot of loud moans coming from some of the other customers in the "parlor". Men are such babies. My daughter took a picture of my tattoo but you'll have to wait to see it. My husband just saw my tattoo as I was cleaning it. He said, "Oh! That's a big one!" No it isn't...and my butt isn't big either.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
There are about one billion red blood cells in two to three drops of blood. I hate to think about how many red blood cells I shed while getting this tattoo.
Monday, February 16, 2004
House For Sale - Day 13
Our home inspection is scheduled for this Wednesday. Someone is going to inspect the entire house and compile a list of all the things that need to be fixed before closing. I'm familiar with this part of selling a house. I had to go through this with the last house we sold. I was rather startled that the inspection was going to take place before the contingency in the contract (the buyer's wife has to come and see the house and like it on February 21st) was satisfied. However, since I'm not paying for the home inspection and I'll be able to benefit from the inspection, I don't suppose it makes much difference.
Someone in their infinite wisdom decided to plant silk flowers out by the gate and entrance of our small development. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Someone picked out really tacky gates to replace our old gate...without any consultation...at least I wasn't consulted. Actually, the gate isn't that bad...if you happen to live in England. They just strike a rather tacky strident note here in the desert southwest. Now, don't think that I would have preferred barbed wire or roadrunners and cacti picked out in stressed copper. But Victorian metal gates just don't seem to fit in with a community of stucco'd houses with red tile roofs. And now...tacky silk flowers to adorn the property by the gate? They can't even pretend to look real. Bright fantastically purple cascades of wisteria style flowers stuck into bark chips....I'm surprised they bothered removing the price tags. Maybe they didn't. I'll have to go back and look. I didn't have to look that closely to see that they were fake. I suppose I should be happy that they didn't plant plastic flowers? Unfortunately, I think someone paid more for these tacky silk flowers then they would have paid for the real thing. We live in Phoenix! There are real flowers everywhere. Cheap! If I planted silk flowers in front of my house, the HOA would fine me! Big time! This is really getting too weird for me. I'm glad I'm moving. I hope those silk flowers don't scare away my buyers.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
A single ragweed plant can release a billion grains of pollen. Maybe the people who planted silk flowers instead of real flowers were worried about allergens. Maybe they were worried about the drought. Maybe they figured that planting silk flowers was more economical then planting real flowers which need to be replaced twice a year with the change in seasons. I wonder what they've been doing with all the money we send them every month?
Our home inspection is scheduled for this Wednesday. Someone is going to inspect the entire house and compile a list of all the things that need to be fixed before closing. I'm familiar with this part of selling a house. I had to go through this with the last house we sold. I was rather startled that the inspection was going to take place before the contingency in the contract (the buyer's wife has to come and see the house and like it on February 21st) was satisfied. However, since I'm not paying for the home inspection and I'll be able to benefit from the inspection, I don't suppose it makes much difference.
Someone in their infinite wisdom decided to plant silk flowers out by the gate and entrance of our small development. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Someone picked out really tacky gates to replace our old gate...without any consultation...at least I wasn't consulted. Actually, the gate isn't that bad...if you happen to live in England. They just strike a rather tacky strident note here in the desert southwest. Now, don't think that I would have preferred barbed wire or roadrunners and cacti picked out in stressed copper. But Victorian metal gates just don't seem to fit in with a community of stucco'd houses with red tile roofs. And now...tacky silk flowers to adorn the property by the gate? They can't even pretend to look real. Bright fantastically purple cascades of wisteria style flowers stuck into bark chips....I'm surprised they bothered removing the price tags. Maybe they didn't. I'll have to go back and look. I didn't have to look that closely to see that they were fake. I suppose I should be happy that they didn't plant plastic flowers? Unfortunately, I think someone paid more for these tacky silk flowers then they would have paid for the real thing. We live in Phoenix! There are real flowers everywhere. Cheap! If I planted silk flowers in front of my house, the HOA would fine me! Big time! This is really getting too weird for me. I'm glad I'm moving. I hope those silk flowers don't scare away my buyers.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
A single ragweed plant can release a billion grains of pollen. Maybe the people who planted silk flowers instead of real flowers were worried about allergens. Maybe they were worried about the drought. Maybe they figured that planting silk flowers was more economical then planting real flowers which need to be replaced twice a year with the change in seasons. I wonder what they've been doing with all the money we send them every month?
Sunday, February 15, 2004
House For Sale - Day 12
Happy Birthday to Me! Of course I still had to get up at 6 AM to let the dogs out and I still had to go to church for a 7:45 AM practice. But I did get to go out for breakfast with my husband and son and my daughter and her husband where I got all the champagne that I cared to drink and some really wonderful sushi and caviar and strawberries and raspberries and smoked salmon and chocolate desserts. MMMMM. Chocolate. And now I'm enjoying the rest of the day relaxing outside in the sun and reading a book.
Happy Birthday to Me! Of course I still had to get up at 6 AM to let the dogs out and I still had to go to church for a 7:45 AM practice. But I did get to go out for breakfast with my husband and son and my daughter and her husband where I got all the champagne that I cared to drink and some really wonderful sushi and caviar and strawberries and raspberries and smoked salmon and chocolate desserts. MMMMM. Chocolate. And now I'm enjoying the rest of the day relaxing outside in the sun and reading a book.
Saturday, February 14, 2004
House For Sale - Day 11
Happy Valentine's Day!
Technically the house is still up for sale so I'll keep my header until we have a Sold sign in front of the house. We do have a contract and I think there may be another contract waiting in the wings if this first contract doesn't pan out. I doubt that we'll be having anyone come through to see the house today. It's Valentine's Day. Everyone should be sleeping in and eating breakfast in bed. OK. I'm not sleeping in because I have dogs that won't ever let me sleep in and I hate to get my sheets all crumby but I'm not talking about me. I do plan to make spaghetti with real Italian sausage imported from Wisconsin and real garlic knots, my own recipe, for supper tonight. When you're on a low/no carb diet, pasta dinners sound like a small piece of heaven on earth. I plan to eat a lot of chocolate too. And I'm not going to follow my diet tomorrow either. Hah! So there! Monday sounds like a good day to go back on the low carb diet plan. Today is Valentine's Day and tomorrow is my birthday, my *shudder* 50th birthday.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
To cook on billion pounds of pasta, you'd need two billion gallons of water--enough to fill nearly 75,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Don't worry, I don't plan to make that much spaghetti tonight.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Technically the house is still up for sale so I'll keep my header until we have a Sold sign in front of the house. We do have a contract and I think there may be another contract waiting in the wings if this first contract doesn't pan out. I doubt that we'll be having anyone come through to see the house today. It's Valentine's Day. Everyone should be sleeping in and eating breakfast in bed. OK. I'm not sleeping in because I have dogs that won't ever let me sleep in and I hate to get my sheets all crumby but I'm not talking about me. I do plan to make spaghetti with real Italian sausage imported from Wisconsin and real garlic knots, my own recipe, for supper tonight. When you're on a low/no carb diet, pasta dinners sound like a small piece of heaven on earth. I plan to eat a lot of chocolate too. And I'm not going to follow my diet tomorrow either. Hah! So there! Monday sounds like a good day to go back on the low carb diet plan. Today is Valentine's Day and tomorrow is my birthday, my *shudder* 50th birthday.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
To cook on billion pounds of pasta, you'd need two billion gallons of water--enough to fill nearly 75,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Don't worry, I don't plan to make that much spaghetti tonight.
Friday, February 13, 2004
House For Sale - Day 10
"They" came through and looked at the house again this morning. We were later called and told that "they" accepted our counter-offer but that "they" wanted my washer and dryer and refrigerator. My husband and I discussed it for a few seconds. Those old things? Why not...it would save us from moving them and we could buy all new stuff for the new home. I've never been fond of that refrigerator anyway...though I'll miss my washer and dryer. You get used to your old appliances' idiosyncrasies after using them for years on end. Anyway, I think we sold the house but until we get it all in writing we'll still show the house and entertain secondary offers just in case this one falls through for some reason. That was fast!
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
WOMBAT stands for Waste Of Money, Brains, And Time. A computer programmer "wrestles with a wombat" when the solution proves more complex then the solution. I sure hope our buyers don't read my blog.
"They" came through and looked at the house again this morning. We were later called and told that "they" accepted our counter-offer but that "they" wanted my washer and dryer and refrigerator. My husband and I discussed it for a few seconds. Those old things? Why not...it would save us from moving them and we could buy all new stuff for the new home. I've never been fond of that refrigerator anyway...though I'll miss my washer and dryer. You get used to your old appliances' idiosyncrasies after using them for years on end. Anyway, I think we sold the house but until we get it all in writing we'll still show the house and entertain secondary offers just in case this one falls through for some reason. That was fast!
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
WOMBAT stands for Waste Of Money, Brains, And Time. A computer programmer "wrestles with a wombat" when the solution proves more complex then the solution. I sure hope our buyers don't read my blog.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
House For Sale - Day 9
We got an offer on our house last night. We'll send it back with a counter-offer because you don't want to slam anyone's face in the door. I'm not holding my breath. It's early days yet. We'll hear back on our counter-offer one way or another tomorrow....or they'll counter-offer right back at us. Kind of like tennis.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
NO FUN stands for NO First Use of Nuclear weapons
We got an offer on our house last night. We'll send it back with a counter-offer because you don't want to slam anyone's face in the door. I'm not holding my breath. It's early days yet. We'll hear back on our counter-offer one way or another tomorrow....or they'll counter-offer right back at us. Kind of like tennis.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
NO FUN stands for NO First Use of Nuclear weapons
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
House For Sale - Day 8
Good Grief! We had someone call back today to ask lots of questions about the house. Some things I could answer but I didn't have a clue about others. Do we have a lawn service? Yes, but it's not required if you don't mind mowing the lawn when it's 114° outside. How much do you pay the lawn service per month? I told them what we've been paying. Is this for both the front and the back yards? Apparently I'm not paying as much as he thought could be paying because we're paying this amount for front, back, and side yards. Is there a clubhouse? I didn't and don't know. I've got a key to the tennis courts. I have no idea where these tennis courts are or if there's a club house nearby. I've never used the key. I have a discount card for the golf course. I don't know how much the discount is or what it covers because like the key to the tennis court, I have never used this card. I don't golf. Oh...wait a minute...I got a 15% discount at the restaurant at the golf course clubhouse when I went there for lunch one day with a bunch of the neighbors. How soon can we move out?! What did he mean by this?! June would be nice. Our new house isn't even finished yet. We haven't received our 45 day closing notice even though the house has been dry-walled and stucco'd. I don't want to move twice. Our son would like to stick around until he graduates from the high school.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
The acronym OOPS stands for Occasionless Ordered Reemptive Strike.
Good Grief! We had someone call back today to ask lots of questions about the house. Some things I could answer but I didn't have a clue about others. Do we have a lawn service? Yes, but it's not required if you don't mind mowing the lawn when it's 114° outside. How much do you pay the lawn service per month? I told them what we've been paying. Is this for both the front and the back yards? Apparently I'm not paying as much as he thought could be paying because we're paying this amount for front, back, and side yards. Is there a clubhouse? I didn't and don't know. I've got a key to the tennis courts. I have no idea where these tennis courts are or if there's a club house nearby. I've never used the key. I have a discount card for the golf course. I don't know how much the discount is or what it covers because like the key to the tennis court, I have never used this card. I don't golf. Oh...wait a minute...I got a 15% discount at the restaurant at the golf course clubhouse when I went there for lunch one day with a bunch of the neighbors. How soon can we move out?! What did he mean by this?! June would be nice. Our new house isn't even finished yet. We haven't received our 45 day closing notice even though the house has been dry-walled and stucco'd. I don't want to move twice. Our son would like to stick around until he graduates from the high school.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
The acronym OOPS stands for Occasionless Ordered Reemptive Strike.
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
House For Sale - Day 7
8:30 AM - Just because I didn't post this until well after the morning is well under way does not mean that I haven't been up and running. My cleaners arrived at 8 AM. They are cleaning. I got up at 6 AM. Dogs. I also had to make coffee and make sure my only son got up and that he provided me with all of his dirty laundry. After he left for school, I had to make sure my husband was up before the cleaners arrived. He was. I also had to make sure that my son had cleaned his room for the cleaners. I believe I mentioned my little phobia when it comes to having my house cleaned. Heaven forbid that these people think of me as a slob. I cleaned up his room and his bathroom and carried his dirty underwear and wet towel to the laundry for washing....and I picked up all of the hangers he had left in his bathroom. His area is now clean enough for the cleaners to clean. Mine is too. My husband transferred himself to his office to stay out of the way. I've gone through my email and I've read several blogs and had my interest tweaked to read The DaVinci Code. Interesting...though I think their little test needs adjusting. He may have been a member of the Priory but the organization was Knights Templar but I guess they did ask which sect. Oh well...no more time to fool around with this. I have a realtor coming and I have to arrange to have all our calls transferred to our cell phone while we're out of the house.
2:48 PM - Our housecleaners came and went. We had someone tour the house so we had to leave. The house smells terrific! It's clean. Really clean this time. I'm just going to sit here and enjoy it until someone else calls and makes us leave.
7:41 PM - No more calls tonight. Tomorrow is another day. My house is clean and my laundry is almost done.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
MANIAC is the acronym for Mathematical Analyzer, Numerical Integrator, And Computer. I've met a few math professors when I was still in school that fit this discription.
8:30 AM - Just because I didn't post this until well after the morning is well under way does not mean that I haven't been up and running. My cleaners arrived at 8 AM. They are cleaning. I got up at 6 AM. Dogs. I also had to make coffee and make sure my only son got up and that he provided me with all of his dirty laundry. After he left for school, I had to make sure my husband was up before the cleaners arrived. He was. I also had to make sure that my son had cleaned his room for the cleaners. I believe I mentioned my little phobia when it comes to having my house cleaned. Heaven forbid that these people think of me as a slob. I cleaned up his room and his bathroom and carried his dirty underwear and wet towel to the laundry for washing....and I picked up all of the hangers he had left in his bathroom. His area is now clean enough for the cleaners to clean. Mine is too. My husband transferred himself to his office to stay out of the way. I've gone through my email and I've read several blogs and had my interest tweaked to read The DaVinci Code. Interesting...though I think their little test needs adjusting. He may have been a member of the Priory but the organization was Knights Templar but I guess they did ask which sect. Oh well...no more time to fool around with this. I have a realtor coming and I have to arrange to have all our calls transferred to our cell phone while we're out of the house.
2:48 PM - Our housecleaners came and went. We had someone tour the house so we had to leave. The house smells terrific! It's clean. Really clean this time. I'm just going to sit here and enjoy it until someone else calls and makes us leave.
7:41 PM - No more calls tonight. Tomorrow is another day. My house is clean and my laundry is almost done.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
MANIAC is the acronym for Mathematical Analyzer, Numerical Integrator, And Computer. I've met a few math professors when I was still in school that fit this discription.
Monday, February 09, 2004
House For Sale - Day 6
7:42 AM - The dogs wanted attention at 6 AM. Who needs an alarm clock? My son is off to school and I've made sure his rooms are clean. Actually, he only has one official room but he's spilled into the bonus room and then there's "his" bathroom. I guess he has a three room suite. Poor unfortunate child. I've cleaned up my entire marmalade making mess of yesterday. No-one would ever know that I had make marmalade yesterday. I'm itching to make a batch of my famous multi-grain chocolate chip/raisin cookies but I'm afraid that the minute I start this project a realtor will call. I may try anyway. The luscious smell may sell the house. I can be like Martha and make only a dozen cookies at a time.
11:15 AM - Hah! I made a whole batch of multi-grain chocolate chip/raisin cookies and I made breakfast and I cleaned everything up so only the wonderful aroma of cookies remain. No realtor calls. That could be a good thing or that could be a bad thing. I ate one of the cookies. MMMMM!!!!! Only good carbs, right?
1:03 PM- We've got flyers! Of course, not everything is exactly accurate on the flyer but maybe the inaccuracies will draw people in to see the house. One realtor came in to preview the house and we have another realtor scheduled to preview the house between 2 and 3 PM. We were told that we wouldn't have to leave. I'm going to quickly make some lunch so we can get that out of the way. In the meantime, I've got several pieces of crocheted lace out on my bed "blocking". I hope this doesn't disturb anyone.
2:50 PM - Two different sets of realtors came through to preview the house. All the lights were turned on in preparation for their visit. All the lights are now turned off. My "blocking" is still stretched out on the bed. My son is home from school. Oops! I have to go retrieve the dogs from the garage. I didn't want them barking while the realtors were here.
4:15 PM - A realtor is bringing his client through the house tomorrow after 11:30 AM. This may be a bit tricky. I have a cleaning crew coming in the morning at around 8 AM and I wanted to do laundry. It's even going to be a challenge to get my husband out of bed before the cleaners get here. Supper is in the oven. We're going to have roast beef with broccoflower as a side dish. Let's hope that a realtor doesn't decide to come at just the wrong time. I don't like well-done beef roast.
6:00 PM - OK...that's it of tonight. My roast is just about ready to come out of the oven. The table is set for supper and I've poured myself a nice glass of Shiraz which is supposed to be good for me according to the latest study. Any realtor that calls at this point is going to have to bring their clients through tomorrow.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
CHAOTIC is the acronym for Computer-Human-Assisted Organization of a Technical Information Center.
BOGSATT stands for Bunch Of Guys Sitting Around The Table (Pentagonese for where the important decisions are made).
7:42 AM - The dogs wanted attention at 6 AM. Who needs an alarm clock? My son is off to school and I've made sure his rooms are clean. Actually, he only has one official room but he's spilled into the bonus room and then there's "his" bathroom. I guess he has a three room suite. Poor unfortunate child. I've cleaned up my entire marmalade making mess of yesterday. No-one would ever know that I had make marmalade yesterday. I'm itching to make a batch of my famous multi-grain chocolate chip/raisin cookies but I'm afraid that the minute I start this project a realtor will call. I may try anyway. The luscious smell may sell the house. I can be like Martha and make only a dozen cookies at a time.
11:15 AM - Hah! I made a whole batch of multi-grain chocolate chip/raisin cookies and I made breakfast and I cleaned everything up so only the wonderful aroma of cookies remain. No realtor calls. That could be a good thing or that could be a bad thing. I ate one of the cookies. MMMMM!!!!! Only good carbs, right?
1:03 PM- We've got flyers! Of course, not everything is exactly accurate on the flyer but maybe the inaccuracies will draw people in to see the house. One realtor came in to preview the house and we have another realtor scheduled to preview the house between 2 and 3 PM. We were told that we wouldn't have to leave. I'm going to quickly make some lunch so we can get that out of the way. In the meantime, I've got several pieces of crocheted lace out on my bed "blocking". I hope this doesn't disturb anyone.
2:50 PM - Two different sets of realtors came through to preview the house. All the lights were turned on in preparation for their visit. All the lights are now turned off. My "blocking" is still stretched out on the bed. My son is home from school. Oops! I have to go retrieve the dogs from the garage. I didn't want them barking while the realtors were here.
4:15 PM - A realtor is bringing his client through the house tomorrow after 11:30 AM. This may be a bit tricky. I have a cleaning crew coming in the morning at around 8 AM and I wanted to do laundry. It's even going to be a challenge to get my husband out of bed before the cleaners get here. Supper is in the oven. We're going to have roast beef with broccoflower as a side dish. Let's hope that a realtor doesn't decide to come at just the wrong time. I don't like well-done beef roast.
6:00 PM - OK...that's it of tonight. My roast is just about ready to come out of the oven. The table is set for supper and I've poured myself a nice glass of Shiraz which is supposed to be good for me according to the latest study. Any realtor that calls at this point is going to have to bring their clients through tomorrow.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
CHAOTIC is the acronym for Computer-Human-Assisted Organization of a Technical Information Center.
BOGSATT stands for Bunch Of Guys Sitting Around The Table (Pentagonese for where the important decisions are made).
Sunday, February 08, 2004
House For Sale - Day 5
I was going to give you a blow by blow discription of my day like yesterday but...
7:54 PM - Exhaustion. I got up at 5:30 AM because my dogs wanted to get up at that time. I'm going to have to work on that. Since I had to get up at 6 AM anyway so I could get ready for church, I got up and pandered to their wishes. I washed my hair too. My son and I played with the church orchestra for two services. I rewarded him with lunch out at the Olive Garden. Olive Garden has improved. I was impressed. The salad is still nothing to write home about but the pastas no longer taste like paste. The sause was wonderful. I think I might even decide to add the particular sauce that I had to my recipe file. Black kalamari olives added to a basic marinara along with mushrooms. It was good. I passed on the spaghetti pasta and requested angel hair. I'm glad I did. My son ordered the veal parmigana and it came with the "spaghetti". Ugh. Fat wormlike pasta. Yuck!
After lunch we had to go visit the neighboring mall and Waldenbooks. My son mentioned that he was running low on his favorite cologne...Pi...so we stopped on our way out at the male version of The Perfume Counter at Dillards and bought him a bottle. We also stopped at Target for more necessary stuff like Valentine's Day cards. I bought a box of chocolates and card for my husband.
After we arrived back home, I dove right in on my marmalade making project. Lemon/Lime Marmalade was a bust. Awful! It was incredibly bitter. I only made three half-pints and decided not to waste my sweetener on the rest of the fruit mixture. I had finished making six half-pints of some wonderful tangelo/lemon marmalade when the phone rang. Realtor. I quickly cleaned up my marmalade mess with a batch of the stuff half-cooked on the stove and another two batches waiting. I threw a cover on the half-cooked marmalade and took it off the stove. I returned the 4 cups of measured fruit for the next batch to its brethren in a large enamel pot and threw a lid on this too. Then I hid the jars and lids where they wouldn't offend future buyers of my house. I grabbed the jar lids that were heating on the stove, drained off the boiling water and put them on the shelf in the pantry. Meanwhile my son and husband were turning on every light in the house and were loading the dogs into the car. I then threw all the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and washed down the counters. Clean. My husband ran a vacuum cleaner and we all hopped into the car.
Where does one go when they have to kill an hour? We all went to see the new house. Again. We killed time for a full hour before we returned home. The realtor's card was on the counter. Someone had seen my house.
I turned off all the lights and returned to my marmalade making. This is when I discovered that I'd never turned off the burner that had been heating my jar lids when I'd raced around getting stuff ready to show the house. Ahhhh!!!!! I wonder if the realtor and her clients noticed?
I've finally finished making all my marmalade. It tastes great and it's diet too. I'm going to label it all and hide it tomorrow morning before another realtor can call. After I've had my first cup of coffee. I also need to wash off the stove....again. I have no further plans to make jam, marmalade or anything else messy until after this house sells. Too much stress!
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Acronyms are strange things. I thought I'd share a few with you in the next few days that I found in Uncle John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader.
EGADS - Electronic Ground Automatic Destruct System - Military command given to destroy a missile already in flight.
I was going to give you a blow by blow discription of my day like yesterday but...
7:54 PM - Exhaustion. I got up at 5:30 AM because my dogs wanted to get up at that time. I'm going to have to work on that. Since I had to get up at 6 AM anyway so I could get ready for church, I got up and pandered to their wishes. I washed my hair too. My son and I played with the church orchestra for two services. I rewarded him with lunch out at the Olive Garden. Olive Garden has improved. I was impressed. The salad is still nothing to write home about but the pastas no longer taste like paste. The sause was wonderful. I think I might even decide to add the particular sauce that I had to my recipe file. Black kalamari olives added to a basic marinara along with mushrooms. It was good. I passed on the spaghetti pasta and requested angel hair. I'm glad I did. My son ordered the veal parmigana and it came with the "spaghetti". Ugh. Fat wormlike pasta. Yuck!
After lunch we had to go visit the neighboring mall and Waldenbooks. My son mentioned that he was running low on his favorite cologne...Pi...so we stopped on our way out at the male version of The Perfume Counter at Dillards and bought him a bottle. We also stopped at Target for more necessary stuff like Valentine's Day cards. I bought a box of chocolates and card for my husband.
After we arrived back home, I dove right in on my marmalade making project. Lemon/Lime Marmalade was a bust. Awful! It was incredibly bitter. I only made three half-pints and decided not to waste my sweetener on the rest of the fruit mixture. I had finished making six half-pints of some wonderful tangelo/lemon marmalade when the phone rang. Realtor. I quickly cleaned up my marmalade mess with a batch of the stuff half-cooked on the stove and another two batches waiting. I threw a cover on the half-cooked marmalade and took it off the stove. I returned the 4 cups of measured fruit for the next batch to its brethren in a large enamel pot and threw a lid on this too. Then I hid the jars and lids where they wouldn't offend future buyers of my house. I grabbed the jar lids that were heating on the stove, drained off the boiling water and put them on the shelf in the pantry. Meanwhile my son and husband were turning on every light in the house and were loading the dogs into the car. I then threw all the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and washed down the counters. Clean. My husband ran a vacuum cleaner and we all hopped into the car.
Where does one go when they have to kill an hour? We all went to see the new house. Again. We killed time for a full hour before we returned home. The realtor's card was on the counter. Someone had seen my house.
I turned off all the lights and returned to my marmalade making. This is when I discovered that I'd never turned off the burner that had been heating my jar lids when I'd raced around getting stuff ready to show the house. Ahhhh!!!!! I wonder if the realtor and her clients noticed?
I've finally finished making all my marmalade. It tastes great and it's diet too. I'm going to label it all and hide it tomorrow morning before another realtor can call. After I've had my first cup of coffee. I also need to wash off the stove....again. I have no further plans to make jam, marmalade or anything else messy until after this house sells. Too much stress!
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Acronyms are strange things. I thought I'd share a few with you in the next few days that I found in Uncle John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader.
EGADS - Electronic Ground Automatic Destruct System - Military command given to destroy a missile already in flight.
Saturday, February 07, 2004
House For Sale - Day 4
8:33 AM - I've decided that I'll provide a running account throughout the day if time allows. Right now I'm the only person awake in this household. The dogs are up too...well not really. They went back to sleep after eating their breakfast and running outside in the relative cold of the Chandler morning...38°F. I guess I'm the only living creature aside from assorted unknown insects or arachnids that is awake. I've made the coffee and I'm half-way through my first cup. I started boiling the marmalade mixtures on the stove. The house smells lemony fresh. There have been no calls as yet but it's early. There's nothing really on TV so I may read a book or play Pogo until the other humans in the household wakeup and want breakfast.
10:34 AM - They're up! I've made breakfast and my son is getting ready for trumpet and guitar lessons. I have to remember to retrieve my cell phone from him before he leaves. He borrowed it last night when he went to the basketball game. He played his trumpet for what they call the Pup Band. Still no phone calls about the house. The marmalade is still boiling on the stove. The house smells lemony fresh despite the omelots and toast that I made for breakfast.
12:58 PM - There still hasn't been any phone calls about the house. We've dusted and vacuumed and I'm making lunch.
1:56 PM - I just discovered that the Virtual Tour Of My House is on the web and available for all to see. Anyone want to buy my house?
5:02 PM - We just got back from looking at the new house and running some errands. Before we left we warned our son that he may have to vacate the house if someone needed to come in to see it. When we got back our son was missing, all the lights were on in the house (good boy) and the dogs were gone along with their kennel. There was a realtor card on the kitchen counter. Conclusion? Someone had come to see the house while we were out. Our son just came back. The groceries are all put away. Next?
6:38 PM - OK. That's all for today. I made chicken stirfry for supper...with rice. No-one else has called but I expect that someone will call tomorrow sometime. Probably while I'm at church. My plans for the rest of the night are to curl up with a good book and relax. Stay tuned...more tomorrow.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
The "Arabic" numbering system we use today actually originated in India. It was later brought to Arab lands, where westerners first encountered them and labeled the numbers "Arabic". And we call the indigenous population of North America "Indian" because someone thought they were in India when they first arrived? I hear that the word "kangaroo" means "I don't know" in Aborigine. Someone asked, "What the heck is that strange creature?" and their answer was, "Kangaroo".
8:33 AM - I've decided that I'll provide a running account throughout the day if time allows. Right now I'm the only person awake in this household. The dogs are up too...well not really. They went back to sleep after eating their breakfast and running outside in the relative cold of the Chandler morning...38°F. I guess I'm the only living creature aside from assorted unknown insects or arachnids that is awake. I've made the coffee and I'm half-way through my first cup. I started boiling the marmalade mixtures on the stove. The house smells lemony fresh. There have been no calls as yet but it's early. There's nothing really on TV so I may read a book or play Pogo until the other humans in the household wakeup and want breakfast.
10:34 AM - They're up! I've made breakfast and my son is getting ready for trumpet and guitar lessons. I have to remember to retrieve my cell phone from him before he leaves. He borrowed it last night when he went to the basketball game. He played his trumpet for what they call the Pup Band. Still no phone calls about the house. The marmalade is still boiling on the stove. The house smells lemony fresh despite the omelots and toast that I made for breakfast.
12:58 PM - There still hasn't been any phone calls about the house. We've dusted and vacuumed and I'm making lunch.
1:56 PM - I just discovered that the Virtual Tour Of My House is on the web and available for all to see. Anyone want to buy my house?
5:02 PM - We just got back from looking at the new house and running some errands. Before we left we warned our son that he may have to vacate the house if someone needed to come in to see it. When we got back our son was missing, all the lights were on in the house (good boy) and the dogs were gone along with their kennel. There was a realtor card on the kitchen counter. Conclusion? Someone had come to see the house while we were out. Our son just came back. The groceries are all put away. Next?
6:38 PM - OK. That's all for today. I made chicken stirfry for supper...with rice. No-one else has called but I expect that someone will call tomorrow sometime. Probably while I'm at church. My plans for the rest of the night are to curl up with a good book and relax. Stay tuned...more tomorrow.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
The "Arabic" numbering system we use today actually originated in India. It was later brought to Arab lands, where westerners first encountered them and labeled the numbers "Arabic". And we call the indigenous population of North America "Indian" because someone thought they were in India when they first arrived? I hear that the word "kangaroo" means "I don't know" in Aborigine. Someone asked, "What the heck is that strange creature?" and their answer was, "Kangaroo".
Friday, February 06, 2004
House For Sale Day 3
We've got a For Sale sign. A man came and installed it this morning. I'm not sure when our little tube for the curiousity flyers will arrive or the flyers themselves but I'm sure that we'll be seeing those either tonight or tomorrow. Also a picture of our house is on the web. The virtual reality tour isn't available yet but than I'm told that that takes a bit longer. It's after noon and we haven't had any calls as yet but I wasn't really expecting that the phone would start ringing off the hook. In the meantime, the challenge is to keep the house clean and yet live as normally as possible. I started making orange marmalade and lime marmalade. It takes a full three days to make this type of jam...according to my recipe. I hope that people walking through my house aren't offended by the two large pots of jam fixings. We're expecting at least one of those someones this weekend.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Chameleons really can change color instantaneously, but it's a reaction to fear or to extreme temperature and light changes--it has nothing to do with matching the colors of its background.
We've got a For Sale sign. A man came and installed it this morning. I'm not sure when our little tube for the curiousity flyers will arrive or the flyers themselves but I'm sure that we'll be seeing those either tonight or tomorrow. Also a picture of our house is on the web. The virtual reality tour isn't available yet but than I'm told that that takes a bit longer. It's after noon and we haven't had any calls as yet but I wasn't really expecting that the phone would start ringing off the hook. In the meantime, the challenge is to keep the house clean and yet live as normally as possible. I started making orange marmalade and lime marmalade. It takes a full three days to make this type of jam...according to my recipe. I hope that people walking through my house aren't offended by the two large pots of jam fixings. We're expecting at least one of those someones this weekend.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Chameleons really can change color instantaneously, but it's a reaction to fear or to extreme temperature and light changes--it has nothing to do with matching the colors of its background.
Thursday, February 05, 2004
House For Sale Day 2
It's not noon yet and I have a repair person coming to fix my oven. I have a realtor coming to preview the house for a client coming into town this weekend. I hope she doesn't trip over the repair person. I still don't have a For Sale sign out in the front of my house. We received a notice in the mail that our HOA is having elections for board members. I think I'm going to turn my proxie over to my poor friend who will be remaining in the neighborhood.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
My mother told me this but in case you didn't know, a woodtick is not an insect. Insects have six legs and three body parts. Ticks, on the other hand, have eight legs and two body parts, which according to John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader, classifies them as arachnids, not insects. I seem to recall that my mother told me that they weren't really arachnids either but that they were in a class by themselves? Heh Mom, can you please clarify this for me?...I can't remember. Regardless, woodticks are nasty little bloodsucking creatures which will gorge themselves if left unchecked until they turn into grotesque tan-colored marbles many times their original size at which point they will withdraw, tumble to the ground and stagger off. Yuck! I usually try to stop them before they reach this point. And let's not forget that some of these nasty creatures carry Lyme's disease too.
It's not noon yet and I have a repair person coming to fix my oven. I have a realtor coming to preview the house for a client coming into town this weekend. I hope she doesn't trip over the repair person. I still don't have a For Sale sign out in the front of my house. We received a notice in the mail that our HOA is having elections for board members. I think I'm going to turn my proxie over to my poor friend who will be remaining in the neighborhood.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
My mother told me this but in case you didn't know, a woodtick is not an insect. Insects have six legs and three body parts. Ticks, on the other hand, have eight legs and two body parts, which according to John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader, classifies them as arachnids, not insects. I seem to recall that my mother told me that they weren't really arachnids either but that they were in a class by themselves? Heh Mom, can you please clarify this for me?...I can't remember. Regardless, woodticks are nasty little bloodsucking creatures which will gorge themselves if left unchecked until they turn into grotesque tan-colored marbles many times their original size at which point they will withdraw, tumble to the ground and stagger off. Yuck! I usually try to stop them before they reach this point. And let's not forget that some of these nasty creatures carry Lyme's disease too.
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
The house is up for sale. No phone calls yet. We did have someone come to take a million pictures for the virtual internet tour. We also had someone else take some still pictures for the flyer that will be set out for "drive-by" curiousity seekers. The house is clean and ready to show. Now we just have to wait until someone calls. I wonder if the phone is working? We mustn't be impatient. The For Sale sign isn't even going to be put out until Friday.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Carat for carat, rubies are far more valuable than diamonds.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Carat for carat, rubies are far more valuable than diamonds.
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
As I dusted the house yet again I rediscovered the value of a good feather duster. I'm an indifferent housekeeper at best so I don't often indulge in the dusting process unless there is good reason like the imminent arrival of house guests or placing my house on the market...tomorrow. Visions of French maids in short little black uniforms with cute little white pinafores danced through my head as I raced through the house with my feather duster. I was wearing my usual uniform...bootcut blue jeans with a white shirt and sweater. I did however have a really good feather duster with a telescoping handle. Should anyone ask me if they can borrow my feather duster, the answer is NO! Should anyone steal my feather duster, I will call the cops. I love my feather duster. I'm not Martha Stewart and I certainly am not a domestic goddess. I do however see the value of any item in my arsenal of house cleaning products and hardware that will shorten the load. My feather duster just saved me hours of work. In one fell swoop I was able to knock down all the dust and cobwebs from all my walls, the fans, the furniture, and around all the remaining knicknacks. And I didn't even have to get up on a chair or drag out the ladder. Yes! A feather duster with a telescoping handle is a housekeepers dream. No wonder we keep seeing them on all those TV shows. They work and that sucker is going to get quite the workout until this house is sold...so is the vacuum cleaner.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
The claim that one needs to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day is a myth. According to kidney specialist Dr. Heinz Valtin, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. On the other hand, I happen to like to drink a lot of water so I'll keep on flushing out my system...unless I'm on a road trip where the rest areas are few and far between.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
The claim that one needs to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day is a myth. According to kidney specialist Dr. Heinz Valtin, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. On the other hand, I happen to like to drink a lot of water so I'll keep on flushing out my system...unless I'm on a road trip where the rest areas are few and far between.
Monday, February 02, 2004
Happy Ground Hog's Day everyone! I watched Ground Hog's Day this morning and may watch it again tonight. I really love that movie. I'm not sure I'm too keen on six more weeks of winter but I'm not sure if I need to worry about such things here in Arizona. My ornamental flowering pear tree is just about to blossom which will look really pretty for when the house is on the market.
The Atari is working just fine but the Commodore 64 needs a new part which my husband had found at a local electronics store...not Radio Shack. The saga continues. I saw him polishing off the old movie projector too.
Today was spent washing walls and painting that which wasn't dirt but was something that altered the pristine clean look of the walls, doors and baseboards. I expect we'll be getting a call soon from our realtor, scheduling a time for them to take the pictures for the virtual tour which will be posted on the internet. I will let you all know so you can see my really really clean house. I even polished my copper pots which I use as flour and sugar canisters.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Julius Caesar was not a Roman emperor. In Caesar's time, Rome was a republic and had no emperor. The Roman Empire didn't exist until 17 years after Caesar's death.
The Atari is working just fine but the Commodore 64 needs a new part which my husband had found at a local electronics store...not Radio Shack. The saga continues. I saw him polishing off the old movie projector too.
Today was spent washing walls and painting that which wasn't dirt but was something that altered the pristine clean look of the walls, doors and baseboards. I expect we'll be getting a call soon from our realtor, scheduling a time for them to take the pictures for the virtual tour which will be posted on the internet. I will let you all know so you can see my really really clean house. I even polished my copper pots which I use as flour and sugar canisters.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
Julius Caesar was not a Roman emperor. In Caesar's time, Rome was a republic and had no emperor. The Roman Empire didn't exist until 17 years after Caesar's death.
Sunday, February 01, 2004
My husband has a new toy. Actually, it's an old toy newly rediscovered. When we were packing up stuff...removing clutter from our house...my husband found the old Commodore 64 "computer" in a box stored in my son's closet. He also found the old Atari game. I actually thought that one of my daughters had taken one or both of these treasures when they moved out on their own. Oh well. What is old is new again. He raced out to Radio Shack to buy some kind of missing antiquated cord so the thing will work again. Both things. It's up and running and my husband is playing. Any thoughts I may have had that these pieces of computer history may have been retired permanently from our lives have faded away. I noticed that he's got a huge collection of what appear to be useless wires and cords too. I can't complain too loudly. I do have what he considers a few boxes of useless books.
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
It is a myth that if you touch a baby bird, its mother will abandon it. Whether or not a mother can detect the scent of a human depends on the animal's sense of smell. Birds have a poor sense of smell and would never know from it whether a human had touched their nest. I suppose this is kind of like that age old question, do chickens have lips?
Today's Little Bit of Trivia
It is a myth that if you touch a baby bird, its mother will abandon it. Whether or not a mother can detect the scent of a human depends on the animal's sense of smell. Birds have a poor sense of smell and would never know from it whether a human had touched their nest. I suppose this is kind of like that age old question, do chickens have lips?