theodosia | Entries tagged with home

I thought, therefore I twittered:

Took the old microwave, some black popcorn still inside, out to the garbage men. Made sure the other appliances watched.

And a friend of mine said, "Appliance death corn" -- though I like to think that I'm merely encouraging the other appliances to work correctly. The dishwasher has been looking shifty....

WPDesigner.com >> So you want to create WordPress themes huh? ow.ly/ezzf -- the tutorial I'm following, which is sense-making.
WHY why WHY was I so freaked about WordPress/PHP? Or is this tutorial making it look way too easy?
Lunch and post-lunch coma/nap derailed my productivity, but then I didn't get too much sleep last night. Back to being productive!

No, I don't think it's entirely the splendiferousness of the tutorial -- I wouldn't be going so very fast if I didn't have a really great grasp of what the HTML and CSS elements are doing and being able to follow how they work with the PHP/WordPress functions.

All that practice I've been doing with making my resume over in different CSS incarnations, taking my programming class over again? It's all paying off.

Ooops. Almost forgot I have to go to class tonight. Making great leaps and bounds on the WordPress stuff, though. But Java calls!
No sooner had I posted about leaving for class, then I get a phone call and an email message -- class is CANCELED. Lucky I'm running late!
Which means I can continue to struggle with my WordPress theme work. Next to figure out -- how to make pictures show up.

I was just regretting that I hadn't taken any time to go sit out in the backyard, and looking at the clock and realizing that I'd have to take a substantial snack along in order to have something resembling dinner because I'd probably be late even without stopping for dinner, when almost simultaneously the phone rang and I got an email from the instructor.

I'd be all Score! and Whoohoo! but the cancellation is because the instructor's wife had to go to the ER. I'll take just a little bit of joy that I was late, so I didn't actually drive all the way up to Woburn in evening rush hour traffic.

Patio time in the gloaming! I actually shut off the work computer to make myself take a break.

I think on the whole, one of the things about a Real Job with a Real Office is that you end up taking more breaks more often, if only because you have to talk to bosses and coworkers about work stuff, walk a distance to the bathrooms, cafeteria for snacks, et cetera. Even if working at home comes with hot and cold running cats.

Current Mood: creative
Current Music: Terry Snyder - Guys And Dolls

From my current Twitter stream:

07:29 Furnace out this morning, successfully re-lit, but so not how I want to start any day. This time I took pictures. #
08:16 Looking at: The Neon Season - Why I Would Not Have Greenlit Dollhouse tinyurl.com/b3rrff #
08:48 Looking at: my basement_snowman Flickr picture flickr.com/photos/moxie58/3322795706/in/photostream/ #
15:43 interesting interval when my cordless mouse battery ran out, especially figuring out what was wrong. #
19:35 Was an hour late to class, but they were doing basic Intro To Java that I already know, so good timing.... #
21:26 @crysothemis -- have you seen rolcats.com/ ? The mistranslations are hysterical. #

SO not the way to start a morning, but at least the furnace started the first time, and stayed on. It would be much more convenient, not to mention economical, if it would just limp through the rest of the heating season, until sometime say in the summer, when presumably I have a job, so that replacing it doesn't involve quite as much physical and financial hardship.

Of course, I took pictures, both for my own reference (yes, I will write up an illustrated instruction sheet) and just cause it makes it more of an Interesting Experience if you share it with others.

(That's one of the great things about having a blog or journal, because it lets me step back sometimes and be more analytical about a situation or event, even as it's going on. Never Run Towards A Fire applies here, too.)

The snow, it snowed all the day long, and was still snowing when I went off to class, late (because I waited until the instructor emailed me back saying that yes, class was ON) and was probably about 10 inches total, except that it was extremely dry, so it practically BLEW off the car.

Class is now on a bonus module, instead of starting up a new sequence. Because there was a change in instructors last year, a bunch of the curriculum was slighted or skipped, so we've got 36 class hours (about 3 weeks worth) devoted to recapping the middle modules. Which is fine by me, I can use the refresher, because those are the ones that I'm still Incomplete on.

Came home, watched Heroes, which kept my interest -- noticed that Eric Laneuville was directing, and he's good. Also for once they came up with an appealing male lead for Claire... and found an excuse for an Underwater Kiss/Buddy Breathing scene, which amused me no end, given my Due South love.

Current Mood: cheerful

basement_snowman, originally uploaded by moxie58.

This is the culprit, your Honor. (Picture has notes on Flickr.)

Current Mood: annoyed

From my current Twitter stream:

07:41 Dreamed I was visiting England, and told that theft pudding is cant for eating stolen food. There is no such phrase, I just checked. #
07:44 Either it was Thieves Cant or Cockney slang. THEFT PUDDING just sounds like a phrase that SHOULD exist. I kind of marvel at my brain. #
10:43 Damnit, I don't know who's available around here for non-Superbowl activities. feh #
10:48 Learned new computer slang yesterday: CLICKJACKING #
15:43 sorting clothes and pulling some for charity giving! #
16:17 Found a whole bunch of nice sweaters that I'd forgotten I owned. But do I really need 3 black velour sweaters? #
16:26 Reading: Cocktail Party Physics: Skeptic Etiquette -- what to say to the Gullible Friend tinyurl.com/acnx5z #
18:43 just googled the check engine light and my cruise control flashing and it seems to be a common problem for Subarus. I feel a bit reassured #
06:11 This morning I must call the Subaru dealership. I sense $$$ already flying out of my wallet in anticipation. #

I definitely need to do some purging o' the wardrobe, because my drawers are full. I went through them all and pulled all the stuff that I never intended to wear again, and also filled up a rag bag, and I've still got too much stuff. Need to at least pull out all the t-shirts and arrange them into piles of "Great!," "OK!," and "Eh...", and discard some of the Ehs. I didn't count but I must have at least 25 and those are innappropriate-for-work t-shirts, so not nearly deserving of as much drawer space as they take up.

I also have 3 black velour sweaters, which are about two more than I really need.

Watched: one episode of Leverage, two of The Middleman, and select portions of PuppyBowl 5....

Today I have to Do Something about the Check Engine Light, so time to start calling the dealership. Wish me some non-expensive luck, 'K?

Current Mood: anxious

From my current Twitter stream:

07:04 took half a Flexeril last night. is all relaxed and floppy now but with an extra portion of gronnnnnnnnnnk #
07:35 lowers shade to protect her tender eyes from the cold merciless rising sunbeams #
11:48 went to Networking, except that it's next Monday. So I grocery shopped and talked myself out of buying a game at MicroCenter. #
11:50 remembers she bought sourdough bread... should go and eat a sandwich RIGHT NOWNOWNOW #
15:37 finally remembered to get around to following @scifri #
16:27 tinyurl.com/bvxw4m #

Hmmm, not that yesterday was all that special, but Loud Twitter seems to have skipped yesterday and gone straight through to today in updating you. Oh well, you'll just have to live without the updates about my vacuuming the living room and et cetera. Though it IS an achievement that looms large in my life.

I at least TRIED to go Networking, but it turns out that the meeting is the first and third Fridays of each month... and this was one of those near-mythical FIFTH Fridays, so I got out my car and drove over for nothing.

But then I went grocery shopping and got good and healthy Stuff, so it was all happy making in the end, right?

Watched the first episode of Leverage last night, which was slick and light-hearted, and then I watch the new episode of Lost which was vastly improved by having very little Sawyer, and almost no Kate and Jack in it.

Today the prospect of actually getting a job seems nigh unto impossible. I think I need a big old helping of Optimism with a side of Can Do. Tomorrow I'll have programming class, and perhaps getting my hands, and mind, back into coding and Making Cool Things will help some.

Current Mood: dejected
Current Music: "Una Notte A Napoli", Pink Martini

From my current Twitter stream:

07:40 garbage is OUT, despite the Snowpocalypse. #
07:47 Reading: "5 Simple Steps to Clearing the Clutter (painlessly)" (twitthis.com/7j8cof) #
09:44 is amused that #snowpocalypse is now a twitter hashtag -- thanks @matociquala! #
13:50 way behind on getting dressed, and um, other stuff #
13:54 clothing achieved, time to insulate the house #
19:09 #snowpocalypse has changed to slushpocalypse out there. Not necessarily an improvement #
19:44 Watching: YouTube - Her Morning Elegance -- boffo stop motion video!!!1! tinyurl.com/895qrd #
04:43 me, I get insomnia and the urge to start a blog about learning Flash #
06:31 might as well be up for reals now #

I did eventually use a foam-type caulk to seal up all the considerable number of cracks around the cellar door frame, which stopped 90% of the cool breeze that came out of there. Next step is some strip insulation around the door itself, which should take care of most of the rest.

After that I vacuumed quite a bit of cellar floor, which has accumulated all the dust that makes its way down there, and a bunch of spider webs and so on. I feel all kinds of better about the Horrible Basement now.

In the meantime, Snowpocalypse turned into Slushpocalypse, with some serious cat-and-dogging at times. Of course, I had to drive up to Woburn because the programming class I'm retaking was supposed to start... only it turns out, they're behind schedule because of weather delays, et cetera, and the section I'm signed up for is not going to start until Saturday, so aside from meeting the teacher and getting assured I'll have a computer to work with then, it was all for nothing.

The drive could have been worse, though -- despite the buckets of rain, there wasn't much traffic because most businesses and schools had been closed for the rather wet Slushpocalypse.

Current Mood: still wet

From my current Twitter stream:

07:32 still haven't unpacked from last night #
10:10 bfast eaten, tds/colbert watched, now what? #
11:09 Appears yesterday was a good day to travel, today not so much and tomorrow not at all. #
12:22 rereading CORALINE to prepare for movie next week #
16:03 Flying visit to Home Despot got me a door sweep, hacksaw, and insulating strippage for the cellar door. Now... to DO IT #
17:45 Door repair stopped dead by dead battery on electric drill, but at least I know the proverbial Next Step #
07:18 the cats' tails are indignation marks #

The only thing I got from Home Depot that I could put into operation immediately were the special GU10 50 watt lightbulbs for the kitchen sink lights that veejane helped me put in over a year ago (two years?). They've had a goodly run, but three had burned out in the last few weeks, so their Time was Up. Now the cooking prep area and washing up area are lighted like a surgeon's operating table again.

I needed the drill to put holes into the board that's come loose from the lintel on the cellar door. It cracked a while back, so I can see through the crack. Once it's held down, I can use caulk to keep it airtight until a real repairman could replace it. But it seems like a home repair job to start with, and they seem to have reused the kind of concrete board that you use on bathroom walls, so I'm going to have to drill holes to get the nails through. Oy.

In the meantime, it is lightly snowing, with a really threatening looking radar map indicating it's going to keep on snowing approximately until February, but I've got computers, tvs and enough home tasks to keep me busy until then, too.

Current Mood: determined

From my current Twitter stream:

11:38 organized all my bills (2009), started actually sorting 2008 bills and paperwork #
12:18 wants some thing to eat -- could it be lunchtime already? #

Watched ALL of Lost much to my surprise and roommate's extreme boredom, but I was interested enough to stay with it for most of 3 hours (minus commercial time via TiVo).

I made vast and important progress on getting paperwork (mostly bills) from 2008 sorted and put away properly, so Go Team Me.

I'm having cognitive difficulties this AM believing that I've got not only a doctor's appt in 3 hours, but also will be driving to PA right after. Still seems like it should be some comfortable distance in the future, like sometime next week.

At least this time it will be only Mom and me, instead of too many relatives in a one bedroom. Also not having the Death Flu would be nice, too.

Current Mood: temporally confused
Current Music: "Carve Your Name", The Grates

From my current Twitter stream:

08:29 No pain this AM! The best way to wake up, though the cats were still starving and resentful about their defective monkeys. #
08:33 @phoebeacheson -- exactly my reaction. I want to pet it and cuddle it and name the stone George, because my outcome is so good. #
11:21 Looking at: Kidney stone formers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. I'm in good company at least! tinyurl.com/75een9 #
15:16 i think I will take a small nap #
19:11 short nap turned into 4 hour sleep. Never did call PCP #

I think I must have been more affected by the stone than I anticipated. I just woke up late, too, slept through the night AFTER a four hour nap.

Today I get more things accomplished, including calling the PCP. The CT scan showed no more stones, so perhaps they won't want to see me anyway?

And then dealing with the Unemployment people, which is always not-fun, somehow.

PS -- not one email back for any of the jobs I submitted for on Monday. Not surprised, exactly, but SIGH.

Theo's House o' Squee

Cats All The Way Down

June 17th -- The Triumph of the WordPress

Mar 02 -- The Furnace of DOOM

Heaty The Not So Nice Snowman

Feb 1 -- Theft Pudding for dinner AGAIN?

Jan 29-30 -- Just Another Day(s) in Unemploymentville

Jan 28 -- Slushpocalypse

Jan 27 -- Homebody

Jan 21 -- Homebody Time

Jan 14 - Not Much Accomplished

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