Thursday, July 9, 2009
being a Thien
Most people might think that gravestone rubbings are morbid, but today I did one. Yes, I found my great great great grandfather's marker. The lettering was so faded, that I thought, 'If I don't do a rubbing this trip, we might never be able to read this again!' So in German...here lies J.H.Thien, founder of Thiensville, WI, without whom I would not be. I thought it was really neat. We also went to the village and lurked about the millrace and dam that he (had) built. Dear daughter was bored out of her wits, but I tried to impress upon her that most people do not know even the names of their ancestors let alone the things that they did. We are very lucky in this respect. We also got to see the civil war relics from a different great great grandfather who was a captain in the Ohio cavalry. The best part was seeing a one-hundred-fifty year old hard-tack biscuit. Looked like you could still eat it! I never cared much for history before, but I have figured out that the real appeal is in how it relates to yourself, personally. I am totally absorbed by my personal history. I can understand how general history is interesting in how we get to be the way we are. So now I have a grave rubbing, a land sale plat map and a few pictures, but the big picture is in my head.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
brief checkin before checking in
It is late Wednesday, and I will be getting up in 6 hours to fly to Chicago to visit my stepbrother, his wife and their adorable children. This is the first leg of a multi-city, multi-relative tour. my suitcase only weighs 40 pounds and has my mother's family history scrapbook in it, which for me, is a coup! we will be gone for three weeks, but hope to find laundry along the way. Otherwise, i will not smell very nice. daughter's suitcase is small, stuffed, but not very heavy, which is perfect. I resisted using a big bulky suitcase, but since I am the one heaving it up, down and sideways, i think size is a consideration, as much as weight. I am using a new jansport with nice turquoise targets on it, hating those ubiquitous red or black bags everyone else seems to have. Okay, dear daughter's is red, but I didn't buy it, it was a hand-me-down. One fact of life is that the more you weigh, the more your clothes weigh, and the heavier your luggage is. between that and the size of airline seats, there is enough reason to lose some of my pounds. It is a battle that is at a stalemate right now.
I was hoping for a big fireworks display for the 4th, and my kin assure me that their tiny town will deliver, but I am a little disappointed that we are not going downtown or someplace bigger. With small kids, though, I can see why they don't want to this year.
also, I am anxious about the weather. It has been so hot in Gainesville - 95 every day, muggy, and now finally getting some rain. Dear d has gotten used to being very warm, and if it is noticeably cool, there will be much complainage. Yet, i packed clothes for us for cooler weather. So if it is not cool, I will be the one complaining. You really cannot win if you have a big body and a small suitcase.
I was hoping for a big fireworks display for the 4th, and my kin assure me that their tiny town will deliver, but I am a little disappointed that we are not going downtown or someplace bigger. With small kids, though, I can see why they don't want to this year.
also, I am anxious about the weather. It has been so hot in Gainesville - 95 every day, muggy, and now finally getting some rain. Dear d has gotten used to being very warm, and if it is noticeably cool, there will be much complainage. Yet, i packed clothes for us for cooler weather. So if it is not cool, I will be the one complaining. You really cannot win if you have a big body and a small suitcase.
Friday, May 15, 2009
My baby is six
My dear little girl is a very grown up six, as of yesterday. I am reminded of how far she has come whenever I look at my computer screen-saver and see her little baby face and how much she has changed and grown. B loves to see her baby pictures, and she will sit at the computer with the arrow keys going back and forth between photos of herself.
We went to Magic Kingdom yesterday, since the birthday person can get in free. Then, they get a large button to wear so that everyone knows its their birthday. It was amazing to see how many people had been born on May 14th! Disney sure knows what its doing with this guest promotion. It was hot, but not crazy hot. It rained promptly at 4pm. And it really wasn't too crowded - we never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride. Space Mountain was closed for refurbishing but we rode the other rollercoasters thrice each. I had the worst headache ever on the drive home, but the day was worth the pain. Bri had a great time and she was wished 'Happy Birthday' by every cast member. We ate cheeseburgers twice and ice cream. I was so proud of her because she walked miles and miles in the heat with almost no complaint, didn't even whine about anything, and she knew what she wanted to ride and in what order.
I had to rush back to Gville last night because today was her Kindergarten play, "How does your garden grow?" She had the first speaking lines, and she said them well. She wasn't that much into the singing, but the whole thing was so cute, it was a really great experience. We had cupcakes for her classmates in the afternoon. Of course we bought fairies with her birthday money (the only thing I said 'no' to was the $65 tinkerbell dress).
In some ways, she is still so little, though. Today she said that she was 'almost' a teenager, and I had to tell her she was less than half way there (thank goodness). She is blissfully naive about love and sex and truly does not understand why most stories have a love-interest theme. She dresses with care and modesty by natural inclination. Her favorite play is imagination stories of her own making - she rather resents rules imposed by parents, adults, gravity and other realities. She is brave enough to pet a hissing cockroach if someone else is holding it, but not enough to catch her own lizard. She dearly wants to pet a squirrel, duck, and sparrow, and doesn't understand why she cannot. She can say "DUUUuuuuh" with the best of them, but doesn't perceive that she has learned to read and write this year; that she couldn't do it last year. She is old enough to type a document on the computer about her favorite things! She wants to be so many things when she grows up: a kitty vet, a writer, a home decorator, a nurse, a ballet instructor, a kindergarten teacher.
She is my baby, but not a baby. She is growing, and so fast, too. It is so amazing, this process of growing up. I love seeing it this close up. Motherhood is amazing.
We went to Magic Kingdom yesterday, since the birthday person can get in free. Then, they get a large button to wear so that everyone knows its their birthday. It was amazing to see how many people had been born on May 14th! Disney sure knows what its doing with this guest promotion. It was hot, but not crazy hot. It rained promptly at 4pm. And it really wasn't too crowded - we never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride. Space Mountain was closed for refurbishing but we rode the other rollercoasters thrice each. I had the worst headache ever on the drive home, but the day was worth the pain. Bri had a great time and she was wished 'Happy Birthday' by every cast member. We ate cheeseburgers twice and ice cream. I was so proud of her because she walked miles and miles in the heat with almost no complaint, didn't even whine about anything, and she knew what she wanted to ride and in what order.
I had to rush back to Gville last night because today was her Kindergarten play, "How does your garden grow?" She had the first speaking lines, and she said them well. She wasn't that much into the singing, but the whole thing was so cute, it was a really great experience. We had cupcakes for her classmates in the afternoon. Of course we bought fairies with her birthday money (the only thing I said 'no' to was the $65 tinkerbell dress).
In some ways, she is still so little, though. Today she said that she was 'almost' a teenager, and I had to tell her she was less than half way there (thank goodness). She is blissfully naive about love and sex and truly does not understand why most stories have a love-interest theme. She dresses with care and modesty by natural inclination. Her favorite play is imagination stories of her own making - she rather resents rules imposed by parents, adults, gravity and other realities. She is brave enough to pet a hissing cockroach if someone else is holding it, but not enough to catch her own lizard. She dearly wants to pet a squirrel, duck, and sparrow, and doesn't understand why she cannot. She can say "DUUUuuuuh" with the best of them, but doesn't perceive that she has learned to read and write this year; that she couldn't do it last year. She is old enough to type a document on the computer about her favorite things! She wants to be so many things when she grows up: a kitty vet, a writer, a home decorator, a nurse, a ballet instructor, a kindergarten teacher.
She is my baby, but not a baby. She is growing, and so fast, too. It is so amazing, this process of growing up. I love seeing it this close up. Motherhood is amazing.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Spring Break driving adventures
Did you know that there are over 50 billboard signs for that stupid South of Border along I-95 (southbound) in North Carolina before you actually hit Dillon, SC? That place is so cheesy, my daughter and I may just have to visit before she grows up too much. I will have to see if we are allowed to climb the sombrero tower before I commit to staying there, though. It is a comfortable drive from our town to Dillon in one day, so it is within the realm of possibility...
We took the scenic route north when travelling to (almost) Trenton, and it really was pretty. I found this road that is basically an interstate highway, but almost nobody is on it. Sorta like the Suncoast Parkway in Florida - sadly underutilized. In North Carolina the roadside forests were draped with wisteria in full bloom. The medians were congested with daffodils. I found a buffet in Cheraw, SC that had some tasty fried chicken. I could tell that it used to be a Quincy's because it had the same layout, food warming islands and color scheme as our town's old Quincy's. However, the drive north went poorly after Charlottesville, Virgina (where UVA is). What is it with university towns and their absolute inability to build enough roads to handle traffic?!? (see Gainesville, Morgantown, etc). There were roads, but each one was filled to the maximum, peppered with useless traffic signals designed to slow the progress of those on the main road. When I finally got north of the worst of it, I was in this very pretty rolling hills, and frustrated by other slow drivers. Then two cars zoomed past, and I attempted to keep pace with them. Now, I did not want to drive only 62 in a 60 mph zone, but neither did I think it was a good idea to drive 72, either, as I soon found out when a Virginia state trooper pulled over both cars just a mile ahead of me. I was going about 68 and deciding the locals were not slow for no reason, after all. So I made the decision to get back on the interstate rather than continue on the slower byways. Wouldn't you know I found a large truck center near the last few miles? So many semis on these little country roads. I was glad to get back on the highway even if I did have to skirt DC. The two good things about it: Snow flurries in Virgina and taking the high-occupancy-vehicle lane exit to 495 which had a super-fun roller-coaster dip right off the exit ramp. "Do it AGAIN!" yelled my daughter. Wish I could, baby, maybe next year...
We took the scenic route north when travelling to (almost) Trenton, and it really was pretty. I found this road that is basically an interstate highway, but almost nobody is on it. Sorta like the Suncoast Parkway in Florida - sadly underutilized. In North Carolina the roadside forests were draped with wisteria in full bloom. The medians were congested with daffodils. I found a buffet in Cheraw, SC that had some tasty fried chicken. I could tell that it used to be a Quincy's because it had the same layout, food warming islands and color scheme as our town's old Quincy's. However, the drive north went poorly after Charlottesville, Virgina (where UVA is). What is it with university towns and their absolute inability to build enough roads to handle traffic?!? (see Gainesville, Morgantown, etc). There were roads, but each one was filled to the maximum, peppered with useless traffic signals designed to slow the progress of those on the main road. When I finally got north of the worst of it, I was in this very pretty rolling hills, and frustrated by other slow drivers. Then two cars zoomed past, and I attempted to keep pace with them. Now, I did not want to drive only 62 in a 60 mph zone, but neither did I think it was a good idea to drive 72, either, as I soon found out when a Virginia state trooper pulled over both cars just a mile ahead of me. I was going about 68 and deciding the locals were not slow for no reason, after all. So I made the decision to get back on the interstate rather than continue on the slower byways. Wouldn't you know I found a large truck center near the last few miles? So many semis on these little country roads. I was glad to get back on the highway even if I did have to skirt DC. The two good things about it: Snow flurries in Virgina and taking the high-occupancy-vehicle lane exit to 495 which had a super-fun roller-coaster dip right off the exit ramp. "Do it AGAIN!" yelled my daughter. Wish I could, baby, maybe next year...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
getting back into it
I am finally getting back into the groove after Spring Break and this yucky cold we passed around. Also, I have been wasting my computer time by watching old Survivor seasons on YouTube - it is great fun catching up, and I have seen both season 1 and 2 now. The house chores seem to just pile up, so I made a dent by vacuuming the porch (really the best way to remove the layer of pollen and cat dirt) and bleaching the skylights until I am dizzy and my nose-hair curls.
I have also made the decision to remove a bicycle from this household. This is a major hurdle for me. I am in love with bicycles. I love to ride them, build them, tune them and dream about new parts. Much of my money I earned as a laboratorian was sunk into bicycles, so for me to give one up feels like giving up the whole hobby. But realism prevails. Realistically, I cannot keep this one bike going - it uses special rubber elastomers as shock absorbers. This rubber rots in the Florida heat, so I need a continual supply to keep riding this bike. There is no way to engineer around it (its a pro-flex). The last time I bought the elastomers (three years ago) they were 20 dollars each (I need two), and the bike store said they only had two left and no new supplier. I didn't buy the last two, figuring someone else may need them. Realistically, I have not even gotten much use of the last two I bought. So I have decided to disassemble the bike, scavenging the parts I can for my old bike, and tossing out the old frame. I would recycle the steel frame, but I don't know how or where. You can't even recycle old baby carseats, except if you live in Denver. It is a disposable society. I have fought it long enough, though. I don't even want to give the bike away, because the recipient would just have the same hassles and headaches. That is no gift! So it is an end to my multi - bike era.
I have also made the decision to remove a bicycle from this household. This is a major hurdle for me. I am in love with bicycles. I love to ride them, build them, tune them and dream about new parts. Much of my money I earned as a laboratorian was sunk into bicycles, so for me to give one up feels like giving up the whole hobby. But realism prevails. Realistically, I cannot keep this one bike going - it uses special rubber elastomers as shock absorbers. This rubber rots in the Florida heat, so I need a continual supply to keep riding this bike. There is no way to engineer around it (its a pro-flex). The last time I bought the elastomers (three years ago) they were 20 dollars each (I need two), and the bike store said they only had two left and no new supplier. I didn't buy the last two, figuring someone else may need them. Realistically, I have not even gotten much use of the last two I bought. So I have decided to disassemble the bike, scavenging the parts I can for my old bike, and tossing out the old frame. I would recycle the steel frame, but I don't know how or where. You can't even recycle old baby carseats, except if you live in Denver. It is a disposable society. I have fought it long enough, though. I don't even want to give the bike away, because the recipient would just have the same hassles and headaches. That is no gift! So it is an end to my multi - bike era.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
update on phone and fan
The ceiling fan works! "It Blows!" said my dear husband. The up side is that I got it finished while daughter was at school, it moves tons more air than the old fan, and it is prettier too. The down side is that halfway through the install, I ran out of cuss words I was so mad. Seriously, when the best you can come up with is "Get in there you fucking fuck-face fucker," you need to either take a break or grab a thesaurus. Also, I have aches in my forearms and shoulders from wielding a screwdriver above my head for so long. Still it was worth it to flip the breaker and see it purr to life (rather than spark, arc-weld to the light fixture and explode). No I didn't peek into the attic. By the time I was finished, I had 15 minutes before I had to get my daughter and I spent it looking up stuff for my phone on the internet.
So that brings me to my phone. After extensive googling, and reading countless posts in obscure forums (fora?), I found a solution to getting my pictures and videos off my phone and onto my PC, and for putting an electronic book from my pc on my phone. It actually worked, and I am so pleased. I am still looking into getting new ring-tones. I want "The Path of the Wind" from Totoro to be one of my ringtones, and I wouldn't mind paying for it as long as I could guarantee that it would work. Any advice in this area is welcome. I also want new games and that one memo app, but those are looking not very likely at present. I tried to put tetris on there, but it didn't work, so I may try variations of the same program and see if I can make it go.
The ebook was the most successful task. Not only did I get it to load, and was able to read the book on the phone...but I also found the coolest website for electronic books, which I am adding to my links list on this blog. If you have thought about getting books, particularly classics, and want to download them instead, please check out Project Gutenberg!
So that brings me to my phone. After extensive googling, and reading countless posts in obscure forums (fora?), I found a solution to getting my pictures and videos off my phone and onto my PC, and for putting an electronic book from my pc on my phone. It actually worked, and I am so pleased. I am still looking into getting new ring-tones. I want "The Path of the Wind" from Totoro to be one of my ringtones, and I wouldn't mind paying for it as long as I could guarantee that it would work. Any advice in this area is welcome. I also want new games and that one memo app, but those are looking not very likely at present. I tried to put tetris on there, but it didn't work, so I may try variations of the same program and see if I can make it go.
The ebook was the most successful task. Not only did I get it to load, and was able to read the book on the phone...but I also found the coolest website for electronic books, which I am adding to my links list on this blog. If you have thought about getting books, particularly classics, and want to download them instead, please check out Project Gutenberg!
chore list
I have a new cell phone and it is pretty cool, but of course I want to make it cooler. I am able to program it to remind me of things using a calendar function and what they call a 'to do' list, but I cannot really write an actual list under 'to do'. I want to be able to write a list. Oh, sure I could get a piece of paper... Its just that I have twenty seven pieces of paper, all of which are to-do lists that I start, then shuttle from one flat surface to another, occasionally checked off, and usually not completely cleared, then filed away, then re-started. If I have a phone to-do list, I am a) not killing trees, b) always carrying it with me and less likely to lose it, and c) don't have to keep re remembering what things I need to be doing. So, I have found an application for this very thing for my k630i, but I don't know if it will work (and therefore worth the 12 dollars) because I actually have the chinese knock-off version of the phone. I have more investigating to do before I buy the app. My dear husband was so helpful in suggesting that they probably do make an app... in Chinese! I'm sure they do, and what good does that do me?
Most of my to-do's involve house improvement chores. I am currently contemplating the ceiling fan in the computer room. First I am going to have to turn off all of the computers, internet cable modem, firewall, etc in order to play with the circuit breakers, because it is not clear which breaker is going to be correct for de-powering the fan. Then I am going to have to work fast, because dear husband will not be happy to come home and find a half-wired ceiling fan and all his computer capability shut down.
The sink project did turn out to be rather involved, but that is typical for home improvement. Why does it always take three times longer and involve fourteen trips to Home Depot before you can fix something. Do contractors actually think along the lines of, "Yeah, lets plumb this house with mobile home pipes so when they replace the sink, they will have to saw off the old drain and buy a new coupling."?!? I would love to hunt the plumber down and kick him in the shin, the cheap bastard. At least home depot is filled with wise, nice men on Saturday nights! At least the sink works, now.
Painting. I have to paint the outside of the house. I mean it is really overdue. I have to paint the eaves (my sprayer was a birthday present two years ago - still in shrink wrap). I need to buy a case of caulk because there are miles of gaps that need filling. Oh yeah, and I should probably replace two windows before-hand so I won't need to re-paint when I am done.
And, I have rearranged furniture so that I can get up into the attic (my personal horror), because we have been in dire need of applying more insulation up there since we bought the place. I fear and loathe the attic. I have to do it soon, too before it gets too hot. If I were to make a horror movie it would be about a florida attic in the late summer...filled with roaches. UGGHHH! insert shudder here. Actually, we have had enough cold spells this winter to make me believe that the attic won't be that bad, now. But I do have to start soon. Maybe I will peek into it today....
Most of my to-do's involve house improvement chores. I am currently contemplating the ceiling fan in the computer room. First I am going to have to turn off all of the computers, internet cable modem, firewall, etc in order to play with the circuit breakers, because it is not clear which breaker is going to be correct for de-powering the fan. Then I am going to have to work fast, because dear husband will not be happy to come home and find a half-wired ceiling fan and all his computer capability shut down.
The sink project did turn out to be rather involved, but that is typical for home improvement. Why does it always take three times longer and involve fourteen trips to Home Depot before you can fix something. Do contractors actually think along the lines of, "Yeah, lets plumb this house with mobile home pipes so when they replace the sink, they will have to saw off the old drain and buy a new coupling."?!? I would love to hunt the plumber down and kick him in the shin, the cheap bastard. At least home depot is filled with wise, nice men on Saturday nights! At least the sink works, now.
Painting. I have to paint the outside of the house. I mean it is really overdue. I have to paint the eaves (my sprayer was a birthday present two years ago - still in shrink wrap). I need to buy a case of caulk because there are miles of gaps that need filling. Oh yeah, and I should probably replace two windows before-hand so I won't need to re-paint when I am done.
And, I have rearranged furniture so that I can get up into the attic (my personal horror), because we have been in dire need of applying more insulation up there since we bought the place. I fear and loathe the attic. I have to do it soon, too before it gets too hot. If I were to make a horror movie it would be about a florida attic in the late summer...filled with roaches. UGGHHH! insert shudder here. Actually, we have had enough cold spells this winter to make me believe that the attic won't be that bad, now. But I do have to start soon. Maybe I will peek into it today....
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