Back To Work

Back to work today after 11 days off. I was already behind, and now it's worse. Even moreso, given that I was slapped with some busy work that will continue on into tomorrow.

Beth's Back!

I picked Beth up at the airport after her Caribbean cruise.  Great to have her back!

New Black Belt

I've been working with Alex, a candidate in our Tae Kwon Do system. Today he had an awesome test and earned his first degree Black Belt!

Kids - GRRRR!!

I had the kids do 4 loads of laundry so I could take them to the laundromat to dry, since the dryer motor is broken and I had ordered a new one.  I got back from the laundromat at 10:20 pm, and on a whim checked to see the shipping status of the motor, and found that it had been delivered at 5:43 pm.  And the very same kids who were doing the laundry for me knew that the box had arrived.

GRRRR!!!!!

Beginning of a Long Weekend

Sang at Vespers tonight, the first service in a long weekend of services for the consecration of our new diocesan bishop.  Tomorrow there will be a very long liturgy with the consecration, and Sunday the bishop will be serving at our church.

             

When Stuff Is Broken

Today I push-mowed a fraction of our grass for 90 minutes. When I say "a fraction" I'm meaning something like 20%, tops. That's because the tractor is broken (only firing on 1 cylinder.)

The other thing is that I hit the laundromat to dry 4 loads of laundry since the dryer is broken. I really hate to say it, but it was almost easier than if it had been done here.

TKD Camp Day 2

I'm exhausted, but only slightly bruised, after the second day of TKD camp. Arrived home to find the clothes dryer broken, adding to the task list for the rest of the week. I need to find a way to spend the whole week there next year.

Day 1 of TKD Camp

Completed Day 1 of TKD camp. Hurt left glute or muscle just below left butt cheek. The noise of the frogs from the nearby river is incredible!

Tractor Woes

Got the tractor tuned up, fixed the mower deck, changed the air cleaner. Only to find out that only 1 cylinger was firing. Changed out spark plugs and wires. I think this could be the end.

Shortened Father's Day Bike Ride

After a Father's Day afternoon nap, I decided on a 20 mile bike ride, going the opposite direction than I had previously ridden this course. I was about 15 miles into it, coming up a major hill and riding better than anticipated, when I blew a tire. Replaced the tube but the tire's sidewall had blown. Fortunately, Stephen was available to give me a Father's Day lift home!

How To Get Stuff Done

Yesterday I got a lot of bathroom cleaning done.  But today I didn't finish it.  However, I did catch up on the dishes, make the church bulletin, Tweet with a workout friend, do a nice run, TKD patterns, and Ab Ripper X, transport Andrew all over the place, make a good dinner, and play Super Scrabble with Faith.  Also got the little kids doing 1 load of laundry off their floors per day with instructions to put non-fitting stuff into a separate pile.

Dance Recital

I love the annual Hampton dance recital. And not just because my daughter is in it. Carol Nover does a great job with the girls, not only with teaching them to dance but also, it seems, with being a friend to the girls, especially the older ones as they near graduation. It's neat to see, especially as part of a community rec program.

Getting Packed

Getting Beth packed up for her cruise. Actually, I'm mostly staying out of the way and keeping the snide comments to a minimum. TRYING to keep the snide comments to a minimum. I take her to the airport tomorrow morning.

A Brand New Baby Camera!

Today we received a cute new little digital camera, a Canon SD1200IS, into our family. It joins a Nikon D70, Canon S400, an Olympus C2100UZ, and at least one other Olympus which we can't find. Plus, in the film camera department, a Canon AE-1 and an Olympus Stylus Epic.

Foxes 0/2 vs Cars

Second dead baby fox on McCully Road today. Some people's kits...

Counting Pennies Instead of Collecting Dollars

Our top managers are expending all their energies keeping every last nickel and dime within our grasp. There's nobody left to figure out what we need to do to bring the dollars in.

Take Out ALL The Garbage

How hard can it be for a 16-year-old honor roll student to take out all the garbage every week? Do certain garbage cans erase themselves from memory? Does the garage door freeze itself closed so that its contents can compost there for months on end?

We'll see how well the memory's contents unlocked after the ultimatum that an incomplete job would result in no more graduation parties this summer.

Persistence

"Our feet are still big. We haven't found all the ways of shooting them yet."

First 5K Race in 9-1/2 Years!

Tonight I ran my first 5K race in 9-1/2 years, the Riverview Park 5K. Home of the Allegheny Observatory, it was beautiful place for a race, and it was a nice evening. I ran it in 23:54, which I'm pretty happy with. I'm a little unhappy with finishing in 4th in my age group, just one place out of the hardware!

Iron City Brewing Loses Its Way

Today was a sad day in Pittsburgh. According to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, One of America's Great Newspapers, Iron City Brewing, formerly known as Pittsburgh Brewing, will be leaving its home in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh and moving its brewing operations to Latrobe, at the former Latrobe Brewing plant, now owned by City Brewing of La Crosse, Wis.

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh Brewing lost its way some time ago, when it forgot to brew good beer. Sure, I'm happy to have an Iron City or IC Light, but, let's face it, they're not at all good beers.

I was excited for Pittsburgh Brewing a few years ago when they introduced J.J.Wainwright's Select, an all malt beer. There was nothing frilly about it. It was just a very good basic all-malt beer. And then they got rid of it and started making something called J.J.Wainwright's Evil Eye, which was crap. They got rid of the best beer they'd made in decades and replaced it with crap.

So we're sorry to see Pittsburgh Brewing go, and we're especially sorry for the hard-working Pittsburghers who will lose their jobs. But Pittsburgh Brewing still needs to find its way back to brewing good beer.

Buzzcuts

I only do one kind of haircut - the buzzcut. But I do it well, and it has been much better since I got the right clippers for job about 6 months ago. Take it from me - the RiteWalCVS brand don't cut it. I got Oster Fast Feed clippers and Oster T-Finisher trimmers, which I also use to trim around my beard.

I gave a buzzcut today which was probably a better haircut than the professional one I paid for this afternoon.

House Trek III: The Search For Socks

The search for my socks took a westward turn today, and many rotting corpses were found in a large burial mound of clothing otherwise known as the floor of a kid's bedroom. Sanitation measures are currently underway, with the outcome uncertain.

The Terror, by Dan Simmons

Today I finished The Terror, by Dan Simmons.  It's a novel based on what might have happened to the doomed Franklin Expedition.  It's one of the most unusual books I've read in a long time.

Where Were The Prayers?

Today was Pentecost Sunday in the Orthodox Church, and we have a service called Pentecost Vespers. Vespers would normally be served in the late afternoon or early evening, but Pentecost Vespers usually takes place at the end of the Pentecost Divine Liturgy, or shortly thereafter. Our church has it after coffee hour.

The Pentecost Vespers service is a little bit different than the normal Vespers service in that it includes 3 beautiful and somewhat lengthy "Kneeling Prayers" which represent the first time that we have knelt since before Pascha (Easter).

So, we have it arranged so that only the people who really want to be there for the service are there. But each year the kneeling prayers get cut shorter and shorter. I used MS Word to do a word count and we did exactly 16% of the prayers! There was barely enough time to get down on our knees before it was time to stand up again. It's hardly worth attending.

Thrifty Shopping

Hit the Goodwill store today. Got 3 pairs of pants and a brand new suit, new with tags and perfectly fitting jacket, for $24! That was considerably less than the 2 belts I bought at Macy's afterwards.

In the afternoon I went on a 20 mile bike ride. So tired afterward that I had a drink, a snack, and a nap!

Blackberry Blogging

Today I figured out how to post to my one-line journal (which has rarely been just one line) from my Blackberry!

RIP David Carradine

I was saddened today to learn of the death of actor David Carradine. He died in a Bangkok hotel room of an apparent suicide. Carradine's role of Kwai Chang Caine in the Kung Fu television series is what gave me my initial interest in the martial arts. I didn't start studying Tae Kwon Do until 25 years after the series ended!

Slovenliness Is Loveliness

On of my college freshman classmates opined that slovenliness is loveliness. I've certainly adopted the slovenliness part but I'm still searching for the loveliness. My disorganizational tendencies drive me nuts sometimes!

Confession

Choir practice tonight.  They had it early so people could go home and watch the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals, Game 3.  I went shopping at Kohl's after practice and had the store to myself!

I'm Plumb Leakless

Took a day of vacation today and successfully did the permanent installation of the new (used) water softener.  Only 1 resolder required!  Couldn't find my propane torch and had to buy a new one.  This pretty much guarantees that I'll find the old one soon.