As we tried to sleep Buddy kept crying - I guess he thought Pat's dog, Darby, was still up and it was still time to play. Around 6:30 AM I got up and took him outside to walk. It was very cold! When we came back I shut the French doors to keep Buddy in the office and he layed down in his crate while I continued to doze on the air mattress.
We got up around 7:30 AM. Bob needed to eat a small breakfast with his medicine, and Mom let him have a cup of apple sauce.
Aunt Edie, Cousin Patty, and Patty's kids, AJ, Samantha, and Emma arrived around 9:00 AM.
Mom called everyone to the dinner table at noon. She had a turkey with stuffing, a spiral cut ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cranberry jelly, cranberry salad, brussels sprouts, dinner rolls, corn, French green bean casserole, and deviled eggs. For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake, apple pie, cherry pie, and pecan pie.
We took Buddy out for a long walk after dinner. We went through the woods to the road that runs behind Mom and Bill's house and followed it back through a new housing developement to the waterfront on a tidal creek. Our walk took about an hour and forty-five minutes.
In the evening Mom got out her new electronic Monopoly game. She worked as the banker and played the game with Edie, Samantha, Patty, Bob, and me. We started the game at 8:00 PM. Around 10:00 PM, Mom auctioned off her properties and turned her money back into the bank. She was tired (understandably) and went to bed. One by one each person dropped out of the game. The game ended at 2:00 AM when Aunt Edie owned everything on the board!
When I went to the office I found Buddy curled up on the air mattress! He did not want to get up and lay in his own bed either!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wilmington, NC
We were hoping Wednesday would be a short day because of the Thanksgiving holiday. The phones were certainly quiet!
For lunch Fay and I heated up chicken wings in the ConvoTherm oven. After that I gathered up the trash and took it to the dumpster.
Around 2:00 PM, to get ready for an early end to the day, I got the weekly order report prepared. FER-Orlando did over $220k for the short, three-day week. Barbara Hacker sent the Hollywood report around 2:30 PM and they only did about $65,000 for the week! Craig said that everything is very very slow down south - there is nothing for new business going on down there.
He went out to Darden and returned around 3:00 PM. He said that we could leave because it was so slow and everyone else had already left. I got out of there around 3:25 PM and started home. The traffic on I-4 was already very busy - as busy as rush hour!
When I got home I found Bob relaxing on the sofa. I was secretly hoping that he would have the car packed and ready to go, but it was not to be. However, he had the morning off aside from having to make a trip to Altamonte to look at a new ambulance. After that task he went to find dry ice for the eggs we were taking to Mom's house.
We loaded the car up and it took us a couple of trips down to the garage to get it all loaded up. Next we drove out and looked for a gas station to fill the tank up. When we got onto I-4 we found more heavy traffic and the going was slow.
When we got to Daytona Beach we drove off of the interstate and filled the gas tank. Bobby paid for the first fill-up.
We continued with Bob driving up I-95 North. It was nice that it was dry and not raining, but we were not making good time. We drove into Georgia and stopped at Brunswick to get dinner at Sonny's BBQ. The temperatures were very chilly up here! It took the restaurant about half an hour to get our food out to us. I walked Buddy while Bob waited for the food. We continued north on I-95 with me driving now.
Around 12:30 PM we passed Florence, SC. The outside temperature was around 28F.
The trip down US Highway 74 very cold, dark, and boring. Buddy was sleeping in the back seat, and Bob was hanging in his seatbelt nodding off. We had the CD player singing music and I caught myself nodding off occasionally. I kept trying to keep Bob away too.
Finally we arrived at Wilmington and we went north up US 421 and then on I-140 to bypass all of the stop lights in Wilmington. We arrived in Hampstead around 2:15 AM - much later than I had hoped!
Becky and Bill were up when we arrived and we immediately began carrying our stuff inside and stacking it in the office. Then we sat in the living room talking. Pat heard the noise and she was up soon too.
I brought in the picture frame that I built for them. Bill thought the waxed and limed aspen was actually plastic! Ha! I brought in the Blendtec blender too.
It was after 3:00 AM when we finally went to bed. Mom had an air mattress ready for us in the front office and I set up Buddy's crate in the corner of the office. Mom started the Thanksgiving turkey and we all went to bed to sleep as long as we could.
For lunch Fay and I heated up chicken wings in the ConvoTherm oven. After that I gathered up the trash and took it to the dumpster.
Around 2:00 PM, to get ready for an early end to the day, I got the weekly order report prepared. FER-Orlando did over $220k for the short, three-day week. Barbara Hacker sent the Hollywood report around 2:30 PM and they only did about $65,000 for the week! Craig said that everything is very very slow down south - there is nothing for new business going on down there.
He went out to Darden and returned around 3:00 PM. He said that we could leave because it was so slow and everyone else had already left. I got out of there around 3:25 PM and started home. The traffic on I-4 was already very busy - as busy as rush hour!
When I got home I found Bob relaxing on the sofa. I was secretly hoping that he would have the car packed and ready to go, but it was not to be. However, he had the morning off aside from having to make a trip to Altamonte to look at a new ambulance. After that task he went to find dry ice for the eggs we were taking to Mom's house.
We loaded the car up and it took us a couple of trips down to the garage to get it all loaded up. Next we drove out and looked for a gas station to fill the tank up. When we got onto I-4 we found more heavy traffic and the going was slow.
When we got to Daytona Beach we drove off of the interstate and filled the gas tank. Bobby paid for the first fill-up.
We continued with Bob driving up I-95 North. It was nice that it was dry and not raining, but we were not making good time. We drove into Georgia and stopped at Brunswick to get dinner at Sonny's BBQ. The temperatures were very chilly up here! It took the restaurant about half an hour to get our food out to us. I walked Buddy while Bob waited for the food. We continued north on I-95 with me driving now.
Around 12:30 PM we passed Florence, SC. The outside temperature was around 28F.
The trip down US Highway 74 very cold, dark, and boring. Buddy was sleeping in the back seat, and Bob was hanging in his seatbelt nodding off. We had the CD player singing music and I caught myself nodding off occasionally. I kept trying to keep Bob away too.
Finally we arrived at Wilmington and we went north up US 421 and then on I-140 to bypass all of the stop lights in Wilmington. We arrived in Hampstead around 2:15 AM - much later than I had hoped!
Becky and Bill were up when we arrived and we immediately began carrying our stuff inside and stacking it in the office. Then we sat in the living room talking. Pat heard the noise and she was up soon too.
I brought in the picture frame that I built for them. Bill thought the waxed and limed aspen was actually plastic! Ha! I brought in the Blendtec blender too.
It was after 3:00 AM when we finally went to bed. Mom had an air mattress ready for us in the front office and I set up Buddy's crate in the corner of the office. Mom started the Thanksgiving turkey and we all went to bed to sleep as long as we could.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Typical Day
A "typical day"? What's that? Are any of them typical?
My Monday began at 5:00 am when the alarm clock on Bob's Blackberry telephone began to sound. We snoozed for another 30 minutes, then I got up, pulled shorts and a sweatshirt on, got the harness and leash on Buddy, dropped a scoop of food into his bowl and poured fresh water into his water dish, and then picked up my wallet and keys to go down to the street to walk.
Our apartment, Number 610, is in the back of the building and it wraps around the rear elevators - No. 3 and No. 4. I pushed the DOWN button and waited with Buddy for the car to come. When we got inside I reached over the right control panel and hit the "1" button and after the doors closed told Buddy, "SIT!" He has to sit always in the elevator car. I want him to have this habit so that he does not "socialize" or jump up on other people in the elevator.
On the ground floor we have to pass through two sets of glass doors before we reach the sidewalk on the street. Before we go out the last set of doors we stopped at the doggie duty bag dispenser and I pull one of the black and white plastic bags out of the metal dispenser and carefully fold it up and push it into my pocket next to my wallet.
Now we can go out the last set of doors. I made sure that I went first and then let Buddy come out behind me. You can't let him go charging ahead because he will think that HE is the pack leader! See? All those episodes of The Dog Whisperer are paying off! Ha!
He immediately lifts his leg and pees on the concrete paver block next to the RFID card reader next to the door and then begins wandering around the sidewalk and bushes sniffing.
We walked east down Pine Street to Eola Drive. Here were turned north and walked up to the park. We turned into the park and walked on the sidewalk around the lake. The sun was just getting ready to come up and all of the high-rise buildings were colored very prettily - why didn't I bring the camera?
Buddy did his business in the grass on the far side of the lake. I picked this up and dropped it into a trash can and we continued walking around the lake, past the Walt Disney Amphitheater, and back toward The Waverly on the south side of the lake.
Before we went up the steps toward Central Boulevard, Buddy squatted down on the grass again and left a wet stinky deposit. Fortunately a pet waste bag dispenser was nearby and I was able to scoop up the running mess and drop it into a trash can.
We went up to the street, walked along under the giant old oaks and crossed the street to the front entrance of our building. I pulled my wallet out and waved it at the RFID reader (I keep the RFID card in my wallet) and the glass doors unlocked. We walked across the two-story tall lobby and through motorized sliding glass doors to the elevator lobby. We rode back up to the sixth floor.
As we went down the hall I dropped the leash across Buddy's back and let him walk along next to me down to the end of the hall. This was just a test - during the day when more people are around he will be too excited to stay next to me.
When we got back inside the first thing I did was drop my keys and wallet into a ceramic tray we keep near the front door. Buddy walks over to the carpet and sits down so that I can remove his harness and leash. Then he immediately runs to the kitchen to woof down his bowl of food.
Bob was up by now and in the shower. I had a bowl of Cheerios and a cup of yogurt with a pack of GNC MegaMan vitamins for breakfast. I put BrightHouse Networks Channel 13 morning news on the TV.
Around 7:00 am I get my shower and dress in black slacks and a blue chambray FER shirt for work. I put Smooth Jazz 103.1 FM on the TV for Buddy and tell him to be a good dog and that I will be back later. I pick up my wallet and keys from the dish by the door, pull my watch on and buckle it to my wrist, pick up my messanger bag, and go out the door. I lock the deadbolt behind me.
I got into the elevator and hit the "4" button to take me down to the fourth level of the parking garage. There are card controlled doors into the elevator lobbies in the garage and a card controlled gate (Bob has a garage door opener for this gate too).
My truck is parked in Bob's extra two spaces right behind the elevators on the fourth level of the parking garage. I guess I park two floors directly below the laundry room of our apartment. Bob parks a couple rows closer to the front of the garage in a single space that is closer to the exit.
The drive out of the garage is like going down a long, long, long, long concrete driveway with two-foot-thick concrete trees on the sides! It is dark in the garage and I have the headlights on. When I emerge from the gates onto Pine Street I am blinking from the bright sunlight and turn west toward Roslyn Street.
I drove north on Roslyn and followed it as it turns into Magnolia. I stopped at the 7-Eleven store at Magnolia and Colonial Drive (SR 50) to get my morning Coke Zero and sandwich, then turned right out of the 7-Eleven to go west on 50 to I-4. I got onto I-4 West and drove the five or six miles out to Exit 78 - Conroy Road and to the Quorum Center and FER.
This morning I brought my completed picture frame project with me. I hung this up on the wall next to my desk where I can look up at it often and enjoy it.
Monday was Debbie's day to come in and help while Fay was out on vacation. Debbie showed up around 9:30 am. The erie and strange thing about Debbie being in the office is that while she is there the phones go dead and everything is quiet! She left at 11:30 to take her lunch and "go let my dogs out". As soon as she left I asked Craig why she needed to get her lunch so soon - she just got there two hours before. He had no idea, but he asked me if I noticed how the phones don't ring when she's in the office!! Hahaha!!
At 12:15 I went out to lunch. I drove over to the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) office to have a shut-off arranged for my Metrowest apartment on Dec. 28. Then I got a sandwich and took my hand truck to the garage at the Summit. When I returned to the office Debbie was back.
The afternoon was fairly busy for me, but Debbie had enough time to open Google SketchUp and work on her bathroom remodeling. She kept calling me to her office to show her how to do this or that. I said, "Look, this is how you use this control to do this, but I cannot draw the whole thing for you! You just have to fiddle with it and learn it for yourself." She said, "Well, I have TRIED, and I even watched the video and EVERYTHING already!" Uggh.
Debbie left around 4:00PM. My last hour was fairly peaceful. We ended the day with $168k in new orders - very good for just Monday!
I drove out of The Quorum Center at 5:05 PM. I went east on Vineland Road to LB McLeod. Here I made a right turn and went to the next light at John Young Parkway. I made a right onto John Young and then immediately into the left turn lane to get onto I-4 East.
As always, I-4 was very very busy and it was a little race until I got past Kaley and the traffic was backing up to get on the 408 on ramp. I went past the 408 and got off on South Street. At the South Street traffic light the ramp turns into Garland Avenue. I drove up three more blocks and turned right onto Central Boulevard. From here it is six more blocks home.
As soon as you pass The Waverly you turn right onto Lake Street (right next to the new Publix!) go around the block to the back of the building and pull up the ramp the garage gate. I had to roll my window down and wave my wallet at the RFID reader to open the gate. Then I turned my headlights on and drove UP UP UP UP!
I parked in my space and backed up and pulled in again trying to get as close to the wall as possible so that nobody hits me with their car door. Then I rode the elevator up two floors to six. (Once upon a time you could use the stairs, but now the stairs are locked as a security measure and you have to ride the elevator between floors).
When I opened the door I saw Bob sitting on the sofa and I had to call for Buddy. Bob said that when he came home he didn't see Buddy either. He had to look for him and when he found him he was crouched down on the rug in the guest bathroom shaking! Bob looked around the house for an "accident" but did not find out. The only thing Bob could think of was the cannon the city keeps firing in the park to scare the commorants away - that cannon must be freaking the dog out.
After dropping a scoop of food into his bowl and putting his harness on we rode the elevator down to the street and took another walk around Lake Eola Park. Buddy got some exercise, did his business, and got to "hunt" for cats and squirrels.
We went back into the building through the front door and rode the elevator to the second floor. The mailboxes are on the second floor of the lobby. There was no mail for me, but there was four or five pieces of mail for Bob and/or his father.
We took Buddy back up to the house and then we went back out to find the Dollar Tree Store where we picked up a couple of packs of Christmas cards. I swear, if postage keeps going up, I will have to stop sending cards!
After Dollar Tree we went to Pei Wei for a nice "fast casual" Chinese dinner. I had Orange Peel Chicken and Bob had a salad. I used the chop sticks to handle my meal. Bob requested silverware. The restaurant was packed and there were no clean tables to sit down, so we sat at an outside table. We finished the meal off with fortune cookies.
When we returned home Bob had to work on his paper for his Tuesday evening class and I sat down to read my book, Sun In A Bottle. We were asleep around 9:30 PM.
That's pretty much a "typical" day for me, I guess.
My Monday began at 5:00 am when the alarm clock on Bob's Blackberry telephone began to sound. We snoozed for another 30 minutes, then I got up, pulled shorts and a sweatshirt on, got the harness and leash on Buddy, dropped a scoop of food into his bowl and poured fresh water into his water dish, and then picked up my wallet and keys to go down to the street to walk.
Our apartment, Number 610, is in the back of the building and it wraps around the rear elevators - No. 3 and No. 4. I pushed the DOWN button and waited with Buddy for the car to come. When we got inside I reached over the right control panel and hit the "1" button and after the doors closed told Buddy, "SIT!" He has to sit always in the elevator car. I want him to have this habit so that he does not "socialize" or jump up on other people in the elevator.
On the ground floor we have to pass through two sets of glass doors before we reach the sidewalk on the street. Before we go out the last set of doors we stopped at the doggie duty bag dispenser and I pull one of the black and white plastic bags out of the metal dispenser and carefully fold it up and push it into my pocket next to my wallet.
Now we can go out the last set of doors. I made sure that I went first and then let Buddy come out behind me. You can't let him go charging ahead because he will think that HE is the pack leader! See? All those episodes of The Dog Whisperer are paying off! Ha!
He immediately lifts his leg and pees on the concrete paver block next to the RFID card reader next to the door and then begins wandering around the sidewalk and bushes sniffing.
We walked east down Pine Street to Eola Drive. Here were turned north and walked up to the park. We turned into the park and walked on the sidewalk around the lake. The sun was just getting ready to come up and all of the high-rise buildings were colored very prettily - why didn't I bring the camera?
Buddy did his business in the grass on the far side of the lake. I picked this up and dropped it into a trash can and we continued walking around the lake, past the Walt Disney Amphitheater, and back toward The Waverly on the south side of the lake.
Before we went up the steps toward Central Boulevard, Buddy squatted down on the grass again and left a wet stinky deposit. Fortunately a pet waste bag dispenser was nearby and I was able to scoop up the running mess and drop it into a trash can.
We went up to the street, walked along under the giant old oaks and crossed the street to the front entrance of our building. I pulled my wallet out and waved it at the RFID reader (I keep the RFID card in my wallet) and the glass doors unlocked. We walked across the two-story tall lobby and through motorized sliding glass doors to the elevator lobby. We rode back up to the sixth floor.
As we went down the hall I dropped the leash across Buddy's back and let him walk along next to me down to the end of the hall. This was just a test - during the day when more people are around he will be too excited to stay next to me.
When we got back inside the first thing I did was drop my keys and wallet into a ceramic tray we keep near the front door. Buddy walks over to the carpet and sits down so that I can remove his harness and leash. Then he immediately runs to the kitchen to woof down his bowl of food.
Bob was up by now and in the shower. I had a bowl of Cheerios and a cup of yogurt with a pack of GNC MegaMan vitamins for breakfast. I put BrightHouse Networks Channel 13 morning news on the TV.
Around 7:00 am I get my shower and dress in black slacks and a blue chambray FER shirt for work. I put Smooth Jazz 103.1 FM on the TV for Buddy and tell him to be a good dog and that I will be back later. I pick up my wallet and keys from the dish by the door, pull my watch on and buckle it to my wrist, pick up my messanger bag, and go out the door. I lock the deadbolt behind me.
I got into the elevator and hit the "4" button to take me down to the fourth level of the parking garage. There are card controlled doors into the elevator lobbies in the garage and a card controlled gate (Bob has a garage door opener for this gate too).
My truck is parked in Bob's extra two spaces right behind the elevators on the fourth level of the parking garage. I guess I park two floors directly below the laundry room of our apartment. Bob parks a couple rows closer to the front of the garage in a single space that is closer to the exit.
The drive out of the garage is like going down a long, long, long, long concrete driveway with two-foot-thick concrete trees on the sides! It is dark in the garage and I have the headlights on. When I emerge from the gates onto Pine Street I am blinking from the bright sunlight and turn west toward Roslyn Street.
I drove north on Roslyn and followed it as it turns into Magnolia. I stopped at the 7-Eleven store at Magnolia and Colonial Drive (SR 50) to get my morning Coke Zero and sandwich, then turned right out of the 7-Eleven to go west on 50 to I-4. I got onto I-4 West and drove the five or six miles out to Exit 78 - Conroy Road and to the Quorum Center and FER.
This morning I brought my completed picture frame project with me. I hung this up on the wall next to my desk where I can look up at it often and enjoy it.
Monday was Debbie's day to come in and help while Fay was out on vacation. Debbie showed up around 9:30 am. The erie and strange thing about Debbie being in the office is that while she is there the phones go dead and everything is quiet! She left at 11:30 to take her lunch and "go let my dogs out". As soon as she left I asked Craig why she needed to get her lunch so soon - she just got there two hours before. He had no idea, but he asked me if I noticed how the phones don't ring when she's in the office!! Hahaha!!
At 12:15 I went out to lunch. I drove over to the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) office to have a shut-off arranged for my Metrowest apartment on Dec. 28. Then I got a sandwich and took my hand truck to the garage at the Summit. When I returned to the office Debbie was back.
The afternoon was fairly busy for me, but Debbie had enough time to open Google SketchUp and work on her bathroom remodeling. She kept calling me to her office to show her how to do this or that. I said, "Look, this is how you use this control to do this, but I cannot draw the whole thing for you! You just have to fiddle with it and learn it for yourself." She said, "Well, I have TRIED, and I even watched the video and EVERYTHING already!" Uggh.
Debbie left around 4:00PM. My last hour was fairly peaceful. We ended the day with $168k in new orders - very good for just Monday!
I drove out of The Quorum Center at 5:05 PM. I went east on Vineland Road to LB McLeod. Here I made a right turn and went to the next light at John Young Parkway. I made a right onto John Young and then immediately into the left turn lane to get onto I-4 East.
As always, I-4 was very very busy and it was a little race until I got past Kaley and the traffic was backing up to get on the 408 on ramp. I went past the 408 and got off on South Street. At the South Street traffic light the ramp turns into Garland Avenue. I drove up three more blocks and turned right onto Central Boulevard. From here it is six more blocks home.
As soon as you pass The Waverly you turn right onto Lake Street (right next to the new Publix!) go around the block to the back of the building and pull up the ramp the garage gate. I had to roll my window down and wave my wallet at the RFID reader to open the gate. Then I turned my headlights on and drove UP UP UP UP!
I parked in my space and backed up and pulled in again trying to get as close to the wall as possible so that nobody hits me with their car door. Then I rode the elevator up two floors to six. (Once upon a time you could use the stairs, but now the stairs are locked as a security measure and you have to ride the elevator between floors).
When I opened the door I saw Bob sitting on the sofa and I had to call for Buddy. Bob said that when he came home he didn't see Buddy either. He had to look for him and when he found him he was crouched down on the rug in the guest bathroom shaking! Bob looked around the house for an "accident" but did not find out. The only thing Bob could think of was the cannon the city keeps firing in the park to scare the commorants away - that cannon must be freaking the dog out.
After dropping a scoop of food into his bowl and putting his harness on we rode the elevator down to the street and took another walk around Lake Eola Park. Buddy got some exercise, did his business, and got to "hunt" for cats and squirrels.
We went back into the building through the front door and rode the elevator to the second floor. The mailboxes are on the second floor of the lobby. There was no mail for me, but there was four or five pieces of mail for Bob and/or his father.
We took Buddy back up to the house and then we went back out to find the Dollar Tree Store where we picked up a couple of packs of Christmas cards. I swear, if postage keeps going up, I will have to stop sending cards!
After Dollar Tree we went to Pei Wei for a nice "fast casual" Chinese dinner. I had Orange Peel Chicken and Bob had a salad. I used the chop sticks to handle my meal. Bob requested silverware. The restaurant was packed and there were no clean tables to sit down, so we sat at an outside table. We finished the meal off with fortune cookies.
When we returned home Bob had to work on his paper for his Tuesday evening class and I sat down to read my book, Sun In A Bottle. We were asleep around 9:30 PM.
That's pretty much a "typical" day for me, I guess.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Weekend
We spent a lot of time this weekend getting my house closed up and furniture ready for storage. Bob and I went to my Metrowest apartment and we wrapped my end table in the heavy kraft paper the movers left behind and I taped it up very well. We put a couple of boxes together and continued to pack items.
Out in the garage I continued to work on the wood projects. I rubbed the beveled surrounds down with liming wax again and then glued them down to the frame back. I dropped the 4"x6" glass plates into the frames and let it dry overnight.
I took one of the 6-inch and the one 8-inch chromed reflector out of the electric range and we went to Lowe's to get replacements. Bob also picked up flapper valves for the toilets at his parents' house. I also got a small bottle of "Burned On Grease Remover" that Lowe's kept right next to the reflectors.
At BJ's we got five dozen eggs to take to North Carolina with us. These will help Mom make breakfast for everyone.
We stopped at a couple of different stores seeking a large canvass or nylon duffle bag to pack Buddy's crate into, but we could not find a bag large enough!
Our next stop was Appliance Direct in Winter Garden. Bob had some tax refund money and he wanted to get an over-the-range microwave oven. The first one we saw was a Whirlpool that was listed for $197.00, but we continued to look around the store and found an LG for $145.00. We decided to get this microwave - "in the box" as Sam, the iconic owner of Appliance Direct, would say.
The most upsetting part of this purchase was the salesmen trying, very hard, to sell us the extended warranty. The three-year warranty cost almost as much as an additional oven! I said, "I think we just want the oven today." They were trying to tell us that the oven could die during a power surge during a thunderstorm. Well, I've had a few microwave ovens and I have never seen that happen. If anything is going to go wrong, it will happen in the first year, and the one-year parts & labor warranty will cover that.
After buying the microwave oven we went back home. From Winter Garden we went down Daniels Road to 429. North on 429 to the Turnpike, south on the Turnpike to the 408, and east on the 408 to Downtown. Buddy was waiting for us and wanted to take his evening walk.
Before we went out I started chili with thawed hamburger, diced onion, and chopped celery. We let that slowly simmer while we took our walk. On the way back to the Waverly we stopped at Publix and Bob got a can of red kidney beans for our chili. Buddy kept jumping up against the big windows at the checkouts. The cashier told Bob that the dog missed him!
The rest of the chili was simply a matter of opening cans, dumping into the pan, and simmering. We added green chili peppers, black beans, red kidney beans, and diced tomatoes.
We were tired and I think we were in bed right at 9:00 PM.
This morning we had pumpkin pie and coffee for breakfast. Then we went back to my old apartment to continue packing.
I got to the computer first and I ordered copies of my book about our Peru trip. I am going to give these little books away as Christmas presents. Next I ordered one of Bob's Christmas presents. All of these things will be delivered to me at FER, so I can wrap them up and hide them in my storage unit until Christmas Eve!
Bob worked at the computer on his paper for class while I wrapped my speakers in paper and plastic wrap. Then I wrapped both of the TV's in plastic wrap and wrapped them tightly with tape.
After I had those closed up good I cleaned the stove top and installed the new reflector/drip pans. Then I headed out to the garage.
I rubbed clear beeswax onto my frames and then drilled pilot holes for the tiny screws that hold the turnbuttons down. After those were in place I marked the center of the top of the frame, put the hanger on, and hammered the nails in. After this I cut cardboard into 4"x6" rectangles and put them into the frames. I was hoping that the backs were not pushing so hard the surrounds would pop out of the front!
We went to lunch at McDonalds and then we headed over to SuperTarget to make copies of pictures from my photo album for the frames. Then we went home. We brought all of our loot into the house. The new microwave oven is being stored in the spare bedroom until we are ready to put it up over the range.
I cleaned the glass plates and then put the photos into the frames. They look very nice! Soon I will post a picture here. I am going to take one to Mom and I will take one to work to hang near my desk.
After I got the whites and sheets out of the dryer I put the harness onto Buddy and we took him down to the street. We walked around Lake Eola.
For dinner we had a chicken stir-fry. I made the bed while occasionally stirring the dinner up. Bob's neck has hurt all day and he didn't feel like doing very much at all. I rubbed Icy-Hot into his neck.
After dinner I ran the vacuum cleaner and took a quick shower.
It's hard to believe the weekend is over already! The good news is that this will be a short week.
Out in the garage I continued to work on the wood projects. I rubbed the beveled surrounds down with liming wax again and then glued them down to the frame back. I dropped the 4"x6" glass plates into the frames and let it dry overnight.
I took one of the 6-inch and the one 8-inch chromed reflector out of the electric range and we went to Lowe's to get replacements. Bob also picked up flapper valves for the toilets at his parents' house. I also got a small bottle of "Burned On Grease Remover" that Lowe's kept right next to the reflectors.
At BJ's we got five dozen eggs to take to North Carolina with us. These will help Mom make breakfast for everyone.
We stopped at a couple of different stores seeking a large canvass or nylon duffle bag to pack Buddy's crate into, but we could not find a bag large enough!
Our next stop was Appliance Direct in Winter Garden. Bob had some tax refund money and he wanted to get an over-the-range microwave oven. The first one we saw was a Whirlpool that was listed for $197.00, but we continued to look around the store and found an LG for $145.00. We decided to get this microwave - "in the box" as Sam, the iconic owner of Appliance Direct, would say.
The most upsetting part of this purchase was the salesmen trying, very hard, to sell us the extended warranty. The three-year warranty cost almost as much as an additional oven! I said, "I think we just want the oven today." They were trying to tell us that the oven could die during a power surge during a thunderstorm. Well, I've had a few microwave ovens and I have never seen that happen. If anything is going to go wrong, it will happen in the first year, and the one-year parts & labor warranty will cover that.
After buying the microwave oven we went back home. From Winter Garden we went down Daniels Road to 429. North on 429 to the Turnpike, south on the Turnpike to the 408, and east on the 408 to Downtown. Buddy was waiting for us and wanted to take his evening walk.
Before we went out I started chili with thawed hamburger, diced onion, and chopped celery. We let that slowly simmer while we took our walk. On the way back to the Waverly we stopped at Publix and Bob got a can of red kidney beans for our chili. Buddy kept jumping up against the big windows at the checkouts. The cashier told Bob that the dog missed him!
The rest of the chili was simply a matter of opening cans, dumping into the pan, and simmering. We added green chili peppers, black beans, red kidney beans, and diced tomatoes.
We were tired and I think we were in bed right at 9:00 PM.
This morning we had pumpkin pie and coffee for breakfast. Then we went back to my old apartment to continue packing.
I got to the computer first and I ordered copies of my book about our Peru trip. I am going to give these little books away as Christmas presents. Next I ordered one of Bob's Christmas presents. All of these things will be delivered to me at FER, so I can wrap them up and hide them in my storage unit until Christmas Eve!
Bob worked at the computer on his paper for class while I wrapped my speakers in paper and plastic wrap. Then I wrapped both of the TV's in plastic wrap and wrapped them tightly with tape.
After I had those closed up good I cleaned the stove top and installed the new reflector/drip pans. Then I headed out to the garage.
I rubbed clear beeswax onto my frames and then drilled pilot holes for the tiny screws that hold the turnbuttons down. After those were in place I marked the center of the top of the frame, put the hanger on, and hammered the nails in. After this I cut cardboard into 4"x6" rectangles and put them into the frames. I was hoping that the backs were not pushing so hard the surrounds would pop out of the front!
We went to lunch at McDonalds and then we headed over to SuperTarget to make copies of pictures from my photo album for the frames. Then we went home. We brought all of our loot into the house. The new microwave oven is being stored in the spare bedroom until we are ready to put it up over the range.
I cleaned the glass plates and then put the photos into the frames. They look very nice! Soon I will post a picture here. I am going to take one to Mom and I will take one to work to hang near my desk.
After I got the whites and sheets out of the dryer I put the harness onto Buddy and we took him down to the street. We walked around Lake Eola.
For dinner we had a chicken stir-fry. I made the bed while occasionally stirring the dinner up. Bob's neck has hurt all day and he didn't feel like doing very much at all. I rubbed Icy-Hot into his neck.
After dinner I ran the vacuum cleaner and took a quick shower.
It's hard to believe the weekend is over already! The good news is that this will be a short week.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Orlando, FL
Fay took yesterday and today off to catch up on her "vacation time". She will be out on Monday too. Nancy Baranet came down from Deland to help with the phones today.
Nancy always makes more work when she is with me. "Viiiiinnce, how do you print from this computer? Viiiiince, what is the fax number for Fay's fax machine? etc" and all of the phone calls in the morning were for her - if she hadn't been in there would have only been three phone calls for me to answer.
I went out at lunch to fill my gas tank up. After lunch Evelyn came in to work with Craig on a map project for NAFEM. We are starting to get phone calls from other rep groups about the map Craig set up. This NAFEM is going to become a clusterfuck for Vince and Fay in the office - you watch and see.
Just as quickly as everyone came in, they were all gone again. Now the phones became very busy. Very hectic. I was trying to answer all of these incoming calls, respond to incoming email requests, and get 13 quotes out to Disney as well as create the weekly PO report and get it mailed out.
BTW, FER-Orlando did $257k in new equipment orders this week. Hollywood did $237k. We beat them by 10%!
Right now the dog is laying on his pillows by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom. He likes to curl up right there and look out the windows.
Tomorrow we are going to my house so that I can finish my wood projects and start packing the garage up. I should start moving boxes from the apartment out to the garage too. Doing that will make it easier to load the truck up when I move the stuff to storage.
It was very cold these past couple of days and right now it is 56F. The weatherman said that we can expect temperatures to vary widely over the next few days. I like the cool air, after all the heat and humidity in August, the cool, dry air is refreshing. I think Buddy really likes it too!
Since this is Friday, we will probably watch The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic TV tonight. It is funny to watch Buddy when he hears a dog barking and then he sees the dog on the TV screen. He runs up to the TV and begins sniffing it!
Nancy always makes more work when she is with me. "Viiiiinnce, how do you print from this computer? Viiiiince, what is the fax number for Fay's fax machine? etc" and all of the phone calls in the morning were for her - if she hadn't been in there would have only been three phone calls for me to answer.
I went out at lunch to fill my gas tank up. After lunch Evelyn came in to work with Craig on a map project for NAFEM. We are starting to get phone calls from other rep groups about the map Craig set up. This NAFEM is going to become a clusterfuck for Vince and Fay in the office - you watch and see.
Just as quickly as everyone came in, they were all gone again. Now the phones became very busy. Very hectic. I was trying to answer all of these incoming calls, respond to incoming email requests, and get 13 quotes out to Disney as well as create the weekly PO report and get it mailed out.
BTW, FER-Orlando did $257k in new equipment orders this week. Hollywood did $237k. We beat them by 10%!
Right now the dog is laying on his pillows by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom. He likes to curl up right there and look out the windows.
Tomorrow we are going to my house so that I can finish my wood projects and start packing the garage up. I should start moving boxes from the apartment out to the garage too. Doing that will make it easier to load the truck up when I move the stuff to storage.
It was very cold these past couple of days and right now it is 56F. The weatherman said that we can expect temperatures to vary widely over the next few days. I like the cool air, after all the heat and humidity in August, the cool, dry air is refreshing. I think Buddy really likes it too!
Since this is Friday, we will probably watch The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic TV tonight. It is funny to watch Buddy when he hears a dog barking and then he sees the dog on the TV screen. He runs up to the TV and begins sniffing it!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Orlando, FL
I know it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted here. I haven't been able to use my computer for long stretches of time and it isn't easy to type long missives on Bob's laptop. A lot of things have happened since I last wrote.Buddy and I have moved in with Bob. Anyone sending me a Christmas card this year will need my new address:
Vincent J Thigpen, Jr
322 East Central Boulevard, #610
Orlando, FL 32801
We moved my clothes, food, cleaning supplies, some of my books, and a little bit of my furniture into Bob's house and United Van Lines will be at my Metrowest apartment to box up the rest of my apartment tomorrow morning. After the pack up I need to box up my tools in the garage and get everything ready to move to a storage unit next month.
Bob made room in the walk-in closet for my clothes, freed up half of his dresser for my clothes, we hung additional wire shelves in the laundry room for food and cleaning supplies, and we are still making plans to get my computer installed here.
When I return from Cleveland Range on the second week of December I will rent a storage unit and get a rental truck to move to storage. Also, we will be moving items from Bob's second bedroom to his parent's house in Daytona Beach so that we can convert the bedroom into an office.
After I empty the apartment I have to clean it thoroughly. My last day in The Summit at Metrowest is December 28. I will start paying Bob rent in January and helping him with the utilities then - Buddy and I get to freeload until then! Yippeee!
In other news... we elected the first black man to be president of the US! The FER Test Kitchen remodeling project has been finished and is hosting demos -- I will post pictures of this soon. Gas prices have come back down! We went to the Kennedy Space Center 2008 Space and Air Show two weeks ago.
Bob is at his class this evening. After work I came home and got here around 5:50 PM. The first thing I did was get Buddy outside of his evening walk. On the way back home we stopped at the Publix across the street and I got two pot pies for dinner. We came into the front door of The Waverly and went to the second floor of the lobby to check our mail, and then rode the elevator up here to the sixth floor.
We are planning to drive to North Carolina next Wednesday night to visit Mom for Thanksgiving. Mom is going to have a houseful for the holiday. I am sure it will be hectic. Bob's parents were a little upset that we weren't going to be bringing a special meal to them in the home, but we assured them that Oaktree was making a Thanksgiving meal for them and that the staff would even let them sit together.