greatbear: (jeff and me)
Today Jeff and I had one of our most productive errand-based type of day. He started earlier than I, going to work as usual while the sun itself was still snoring away. I got up before the dogs bothered to squirm about in the bed to get me up, whereupon Jeff came home and took me to one of my myriad doctors for more jamming of needles and chemicals into my spinal column. After that, we headed up to the auxiliary courthouse building to get our marriage license. We got a bit confused because the building didn't look right, and I tried in vain to get my now-worthless smartphone (Thanks, Obama Verizon!) to work, making me frustrated and beating it on the dash. We stopped at Wendy's for a breakfast/lunch (it was lunch as far as food type) while I waited for the several reboots of the phone in order to get more details of where to go. After the meal, we headed back to the sprawling government building, where we found the marriage license department first off. The process was remarkably easy and quick, aided by every one of the office staff genuinely happy and congratulatory over and above courteous and helpful the entire time. As we finished up in the last minute, and gave our thank-yous among the well wishing, it really started to hit us. Both of us were trying and failing to hold back happy tears as we left the building.

From there, it was to the Mall in Columbia (Don't call it The Columbia Mall), for wedding and vacation clothing. I'm not fond of clothes shopping at all, but today, buoyed by our almost giddiness, we had fun with it. Bonus points for both of us getting smaller clothes this time as well (I haven't worn a 34 waist in probably 34 years). I managed to get some loud shirts and shorts for vacation(s) among more sensible stuff, and had an uncharacteristically good time doing so. We were also there for giftage for the wedding "crew", but our initial idea had gotten way too expensive and impractical when we inquired about the personalization. I'm way too practical, and our initial idea did kinda fly in the face of the practicality, and it hit with the force of a slushball in a heavy winter snow when we got specifics. We discovered that several very unique stores had opened in an outside area next to the mall and we went exploring. We hit the jackpot. I told Jeff that I think we just found our "practical gifts" and his face lit up like mine. The deal was done, and we pick up the goodies tomorrow. I have a neat idea for personalization too.

From there we put the final monies down on the wedding cake and cupcakes, plus another gift addition for the "crew." The bakery came up while I was making small talk on the operating table at the doctor's, as the x-ray tech and the doctor were familiar with the place, and the tech told me of the little, slightly run-down little convenience grocer in the same area that had good deli salads. So, I wrapped up the day by picking up some of the homemade macaroni and potato salad before heading home. The salads accompanied some mega tuna melts I made on the panini grill/press in an effort to give Jeff a break from cooking. We ate our dinner on the deck, continuing the nearly non-stop talking and planning and still frustrating things that still need taking care of. The next couple weeks will be insanely busy. I hope my back can withstand the rather serious labor I'm about to put it through (hence the trip to the doc today) as the deck, house and gazebo get pressure washed, the front door, frame and sidelights replaced, deck repairs, house and yard cleaning, landscaping and other stuff to make our paradise just that for our big, big day.

Outside the courthouse I attempted a selfie of us. I botched it in my nervous glee, and a couple going in for their license, despite taking our pic with the phone, didn't manage to do it right. so this is what we have.



As the cool kids say, shit just got real.
greatbear: (old graybeard)
In a first, I went to PA to help out Jeff's parents without Jeff. It was strange to have time spent up there without him. I had other reasons as well. ;)

His dad's lawn tractor was acting up and in need of a blade drive belt. I had ordered the parts a while ago and took them along with tools and stuff Friday evening after a day spent running errands. I also gave him my old wood lathe, which he seemed happy to get. I didnt have any extra chisels, though. Grizzly Industrial was having it's huge tent sale on Saturday, and I had wanted to go up anyway to pick up some goodies. A nice convergence in the big sale and my weekend to go up was a cool welcome. Saturday morning Jeff's dad and I headed up, actually arriving before the official start. The parking lot was quite full, and a line at least 400 feet had already accumulated. I guess Grizzly's boasting of the one-day event drawing thousands was not an exaggeration. After getting in line and still 20 minutes before opening, the line began to stretch around the corner and along the front of the building. The showroom/warehouse is huge, with a corner of it dedicated as the showroom. This 'small' corner of the building is bigger than a large supermarket. With all these people showing up, and a first come-first serve free-for all awaiting, I actually wondered if there would be scuffles or outright fights over the bargains. While in line a representative from the place was handing out flyers with sale prices, discount coupons and instructions on how to 'work' the tent sale. Despite the crowds, things went remarkably smooth. I focused mainly on things I was more in need of at the moment. I lucked out.

I found a Porter-Cable electric pressure washer to replace my 25-year old worn out one. Issue with it? Discontinued, and was missing the soap tank. Big deal, I can use the soaping attachment from the gas powered ones I have. It was less than half the original price. Verdict? SCORE! Other people were eyeballing the thing as if it were fresh meat at the leather bar.

Needed a milling vise. Found lots, but settled on a 4-inch swiveling unit. Issue? The lead screw was bent slightly, but did not interfere with operation whatsoever. Originally $120, bought for 10 bux. Score!

Needed a machine tool lamp. Had been looking at a gooseneck fluorescent model, but did not want to pay the 60 dollars for it. Found one minus the cord for 20. Score!

Wanted one more simple miter gauge with a clamping arrangement to use among all the woodworking machines. Found one supposedly with a warped slide bar for 10 bucks. An easy fix at home and it was as good as new. Another score.

Jeff's dad shows up with a big ol' grin on his face. He managed to find an 8-piece woodturning chisel set to use with his new lathe. Issue? Missing one gouge chisel. 7 pieces for a mere 15 bucks. Verdict? Timely score.

My main reason for the trip was to pick up a monster 12" bench grinder. Conflicting info I got between the catalog and the website indicated the thing might be discontinued. Upon writing up the order, I discovered it was indeed discontinued and I got the last one. Score!

I picked up a stand for the grinder, some buffing supplies and a few other trinkets and got in line to pay. There were 14 cashier windows working, and I was still waiting more than 45 minutes to finally pay for and pick up my stuff. A woman was pushing a refreshment cart full of sodas and such for the people waiting. A really nice touch. It seems the people running the place are used to this sort of thing. There were 15 cashiers in a building outside just for the tent sale. Amazing.

I got loaded up, drove back to the parent's homestead, loaded the truck with a bunch of used, free dimensional lumber to be used for making raised garden beds here at home, among other things. I managed to thread the new belt through the six pulleys on the tractor without disassembling anything or using any tools, countering what we were told to do, in about 5 minutes flat. A happy dad then took the tractor for a test drive and mom, dad and I headed out for an early dinner. I drove home shortly after, unloaded everything (the grinder by itself was about the same as carrying a pair of [livejournal.com profile] aadromas at once) with Jeff seeing everything upon coming home and basically giving me the "Ho-lee hell!" expression. I told him how much I saved, etc. The rainy evening was spent sizing up and fixing the bargains, all of which are good to go. Jeff headed out to get groceries , I stayed home because we always seem to spend more when I go along. Still, Jeff came home with a haul (Me: Ho-lee hell!), but told me how much he saved, had coupons, etc. We are so alike, yet so different at the same time. lol

Today I did mostly cleanups and other sorts in the garage and basement. The weather is (again) cold and nasty and my old body reminds me of it's age. This week, aside from earning my paycheck I will be working on the trailer to get it all ready for the season. I think I have everything needed now. I seriously need a vacation.
greatbear: (fuzzy)
I am sometimes a complete, absent-minded idiot. Winter is settling in here at the Aragegay of Ayhemay. Earlier I had bought antifreeze for the travel trailer, plus had planned on emptying two fountains here plus winterize my pressure washers. This weekend it got nasty cold, complete with snow and big time winds. It dawned on me that I had not taken care of these winterizing tasks that kept slipping my mind. Tonight I had taken some stuff to put in the trailer and it dawned on me, there's still water in all these things. And, yes, it's frozen solid everywhere. I am hoping that no damage has occurred to the plumbing and pumps in the trailer and the pressure washer. If the weather does not warm up a bit in the next few days I will have to run the heater in the trailer up to insane levels to drain it all and hope that nothing got damaged. I doubt I will be very lucky.

I notice this sort of dumbheaded forgetfulness happening a lot lately. I must be getting old. I am also pretty much distracted these days too, which does not help. I seem to have a screwed up perception of time. The days and months just fly by. I need to figure out a way to keep from feeling that all the days are just run together.

I stopped at the local Best Buy today, which I had not been inside of for a while now. I was with a friend of mine who was after a cordless phone for his ailing mom, so I hitched along for a ride. We both walked into the newly remodeled store and noticed the corner area that had now been made for musical instruments. Since we both played together many years ago and shared the same huge interest in music gear, we figured there was going to be a bunch of entry level stuff there. Wrong-o. They has everything from the expected Fender Squire hundred dollar starter guitars to 2900 dollar Les Paul Customs. Marshall stacks, Fender Twins, Taylor acoustics, Pro Tools audio workstations, pro DJ gear, drum sets, mixers, PA systems... it was all crammed in there and then some. The prices, for a brick 'n' mortar place, were fairly competitive. WTF! There were even jam rooms and most of the stuff available for playing. One of these days we'll have to return when we have time to play around with the goods. And I have my mind on that set of Mackie studio monitors again. Arrgh!

The xmas tree is up in the house and Jeff started decorating it today. We'll finish it off tomorrow evening and we'll do some outside decorating during the week. If it werent for Jeff, I would not bother with all that just for myself. Still, it's nice to do it, even though the holidays are more of a bother for me than anything festive these days. I'm trying.

Yesterday I was going to install my replacement garage door opener. That got thwarted when it started snowing. Since I had to park a bunch of stuff outside while I did the work in the building, the snow would have made everything wet. So instead, I sat by the woodstove in the living room and assembled the actual opener from all the included pieces and waited till today to put it in. I have it all installed save for the sensors, controls and wiring. I can do that tomorrow or later in the week. I need to do a bit of adjustments to the door itself to balance it again as well. If this new opener works well, I will get a matching one for the other door soon enough to replace the other, nearly 20 year old unit. I want to get a matched set if possible. The way things get updated and changed so often, it might not be long for that model.

I hope these next few weeks at work will be mostly stress free before the holidays. I need some sanity and some time off. It'd do my old body good.

Oops!

Aug. 4th, 2008 12:04 am
greatbear: (headsmash)
*Note to self*

While researching and perusing online shopping sites, do not 'add item to cart' as a means of finding it later on. Especially if it's an expensive piece and it gets overlooked while ordering small odds and ends. It will end up being an expensive present to one's self at an inopportune time.

Eeep.

I've been slowly assembling an uber file server as some of you are tired about hearing by now. While at work I often peruse sites and compare prices, research stuff, etc. Thing is, when I come home, the items I select at another PC while not logged in do not show up at home, so I end up going through a clickfest to find it again. Often I will mail myself links to click up later. This time, I logged in an added a power supply so I could find it later. But rather than add to a 'wish list', I added it instead to the shopping cart. Saturday night I was collecting a bunch of small stuff that I've been putting off (case fans, media readers, a fan control, stuff in that vein). I tossed these myriad cheap items in my virtual shopping cart and checked out. Since my account info is already on file, it only takes a couple click to finish. I was too lazy to even check the total before submitting the order. Well, I guess I am getting my bigass power supply as well. Who knew they processed orders on the weekend?

Newegg.com makes things far too easy. At least that power supply is the one I narrowed down to in the end. I was holding off on buying more PC stuff since the MINI needs new (expensive) tires, the Strat (my Dodge Stratus) suddenly needs a new (expensive) ECU right at the time the emissions test is due, and several other things need to be addressed ahead of 'toys' like computers and such. I guess my bank account is used to being bitchslapped these days.
greatbear: (forearms)
Spent a fairly relaxed weekend up in PA with Jeff's 'rents. And Kodi. And, for the first time in a while, Kodi again tossed his doggie biscuits all over Jeff a mere ten minutes from our destination. Perhaps this would not have happened had we not been delayed due to trees being blown into the roadways by a storm that got into town about a half hour before us.

It was also our first visit in quite a while, so we needed to make up in the way of Mother's and Father's Day presents. At our past exploration of a new Best Buy in Columbia (which is basically the same as the old one, which is the same as every other BB you'd wander into), we spotted a Westinghouse digital picture frame. We thought it the perfect gift for his mom, so I loaded it with some of the nicest and most memorable shots I have taken over the year of his family members. Turning the thing on, you are greeted with a configurable slide show of pictures on a very bright and sharp 8 inch diagonal LCD. It was an instant hit! I was later presented with a stack of pictures to be scanned and put into the frame. The thing even does video (actually, more like silent movies. No sound. But that's kinda a good thing here).

We got his dad a pressure washer. He wasted no time trying it out. Another hit. More Gerberra daisies for the front of the house and some other trinkets were bought while wandering about in Lowes.

Went out later that Saturday to do some shopping for the new trailer and to see Shrek 3. We liked it, but it's clearly the weakest of the three flicks.

Got back today and futzed around the house and the trailer. This week, the evenings will be spent doing chores, working on the yard, the truck and whatnot. More busybusy stuff. But we are making nice progress I think.

The trip up and back was accompanied by my new portable GPS, a Lowrance iWAY 600C. This little bugger rocks. In addition to the usual 2- and 3-D maps, it has detailed US waterway charts and topographical overlays, and satellite imagery to boot. It's like Google Maps in a box. Plays mp3s and Ogg Vorbis audio files, and can display photos on it's incredibly bright and sharp 640x480 screen. It seriously kicks ass, and can be used in anything that moves. It's waterproof too. Highly recommended, especially if you are a geek like me.

Off to bed, it's gonna be a long week.
greatbear: (a-list)
When Jeff moved back here he was presented with a 10% savings card for Home Depot, among other goodies He gave me the card saying "Here. Your kinda store, not mine.". I pondered the use of the coupon, figuring it would be best used on a big-ticket item. Well, tonight was the last day to use it before it expired, and I decided that it's time to replace the washer and dryer. My dryer has been patched up so many times it's not funny. About 5 belts, electrical terminals that kept burning up, a new idler, etc, etc. It's making a ton of racket now and taking forever to dry clothes. The washer is newer, and I will probably connect that as a second machine if I feel the need. Anyway, since Expo Home Center is part of Homo Depot, and a cursory glance at the papers that accompanied the card said it would work there, tonight I went over and selected a set by LG, front loading, extra capacity, stainless steel, yadda yadda. Got all through the paperwork and signing this and that, and when I got to the cashier's desk, I was informed that the card was not usable there. Sure enough, in the fiiiine print. Damn. The helpful and kinda cute cubbish salesman suggested that I take my paperwork with me to HD and place the order there. It's a two mile drive at best, and I was not losing the 200 dollar savings.

At the Depot I discover that they have the same set, with the washer 200 dollars cheaper and the dryer $50 less. Sweet. In addition, with each appliance purchased in that time frame, I could get a gift card as a 'rebate' for each unit, a hunnert dollar card for the washer, and 75 for the dryer. w00t! Another 175 bucks off. Ten dollars off of each of the two drawer/pedestals on top of that. Plus the 10% card at 200 bucks. Total discount for driving two miles? $645.

My Mom would have been proud. She taught me well. And she loved a good bargain.

I've also discovered a 'secret' between Expo and Home Depot. A lot of the highfalutin items on display at Expo can be ordered at HD. Well, that really was not too much of a secret to me, but I was not aware of the price differences. The salesman at HD clued me in on the fact before we even began the ordering process. Watching their selection/ordering system in action, it's the same at both places. I think I will have some fun during my upcoming home improvements.
greatbear: (fuzzy)
Been busier than a one-armed paper hanger lately. Lucky for me, the back trouble was apparently just a slight strain. By Friday I no longer needed any painkillers to be comfortable. Took Kodi for his third installment of Puppy School in the evening. He does pretty well I guess, and gets his excitement quotient to boot. If he would only do as well with his homework as he does in school.

Saturday rolled around and I spent it all day in the garage working on Jeff's truck and a couple side jobs. The truck needed work on the transfer case, new door hingepins and intake manifold gaskets. The gaskets took the longest, and had me bent over under the hood for several hours. If my back had healed, I sure put it through qualification tests soon enough. It passed.

Sunday I decided to do something different, so I climbed into my truck and went shopping in the snowstorm. A typical shopping trip for me, the auto parts store, Wal-Mart (ugh, during a lapse in judgement since it's next to the parts store), McDonalds for lunch and an extended wandering around Home Depot. I have a 10% discount card expiring at the end of the month that I should use on getting a new washer/dryer. My current washer is fairly new, but the dryer has been patched up more than a farmer's pickup truck to keep it going, and it's about to fall apart soon. I wont know how to act with a matching washer and dryer for the first time in my life.

Came home and cleared all the driveways and walkways of the winter mess so it would not end up like the concrete-like mess of the previous week that I took a couple spills in and impossible to remove without Ma Nature's help in melting it away.

Jeff has been under the weather this weekend and needed to work on Sunday. He took time off today to get some rest, but I think Kodi had other ideas.

This is shaping up to be a busy week. On Friday, Jeff and I are going to head to Pittsburgh for a conference he has to attend. While he does his chef and dietician duties, I will try to stay out of trouble. I could use the time off to do something different.

I've had lots of posts to make, but really not feeling it lately. Dunno what's up with that. I'm content with reading when I can for now. I'm also way behind in replies.

Holidaze

Dec. 18th, 2006 10:29 pm
greatbear: (half awake)
Today after work I braved entrance into the belly of the beast and did the little bit of holiday (boooyaaah!) shopping that I needed to do. While a tad crowded, it was not insane (by Columbia Mall standards, at least). Even had dinner in the eatery as I watched the people do their thing. And in this sea of capitalistic, purpose-minded humanity, I felt that inescapable hollow feeling that has been accompanying me like Pig-Pen's dust cloud. I toughed it out, made the best of the opportunity, even escaping into the coolness of the Apple store for a while. Found nothing I needed (read: didnt already have) in the tool section of Sears. Spied a kiosk for Vonage, and I felt the urge to hurl boxes at stupid people. Resisted the pull of Cinnabon. Cast a derisive sneer to the Aberzombie and Bitch twinkdrone standing near the entrance. Could not even get near the pet store to pick up a little something for Kodi (shhh, it's a surprise) because of the crowd fawning over the menagerie for sale.

Tis the season, I guess.

I guess I will make it. Does not mean it wont hurt.

I can't wait until next year.

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Phil

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