Then There Was The Swimming Pool

Posted on September 23, 2004 by Frog

Yesterday, we went to PA to attend the memorial service for our friend’s father. For those of you unfamiliar with roads in Virginia, the most direct route for us to take to the town in PA was north on I-95 and then cut over on I-495 (the Capital Beltway) and then pick up some other roads to get to PA. This area of I-95 and I-495 is known as the “mixing bowl” and is currently undergoing an 8-year project to make it better. It is scheduled to be finished in 2007. Personally, it seems like this project has been going on my whole adult life…kind of like the Big Dig for those people in the Boston area. Seriously, there’s a whole population of teens in the Boston area who never knew life before the Big Dig. Scary, isn’t it? I digress.

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I’m Looking for a Hazy Shade of Winter

Posted on September 20, 2004 by Frog

I’m sick of bugs. The gnat population in our yard alone tops 1.2 gazillion. I’m sick of them being in my eyes, drinks and food. I want a cold snap and I want it now.

And, the spiders. Lord have mercy, the spiders. Normally, we have a “live and let live” attitude with the spiders because they eat the other bugs that tick us off (did I mention how many gnats we have). But, I’m sick of walking into spider webs. I’m sick of dead things hanging in my kitchen window.

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Miso and Kale Soup

Posted on September 18, 2004 by Frog

Last night I made Miso and Kale Soup. I don’t think I’ve ever spent my own money on raw kale before. Kale is one of those things that I couldn’t stand the smell or taste of when I was younger. It ranked right up there with Liver and Onions. I still don’t like liver.

I bought curly kale. And, if there isn’t technically something called curly kale then I don’t know what variety of kale it was, but it sure was curly. Curly Kale, say it with me, it’s fun.

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TMCM

Posted on September 17, 2004 by Frog

Recently we went to Acacia for dinner with some friends. Everyone else had coffee after dinner. I didn’t because I actually like sleeping at night. Everyone raved about the coffee and the waiter talked to us about the brand, illy, and how to get some for our very own. He seemed pleased that we use a french press at home. The french press is great for a variety of reasons but it is especially good because it makes about 4 cups of coffee and that’s perfect for us.

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And all of the colors are black

Posted on September 16, 2004 by Frog

If you are looking for a good time the second weekend of October, may I suggest coming to Mechanicsville’s own Steak and Race event. Never heard of a Steak and Race event? Me neither. Apparently there will be steak and lawn mowers that hit top speeds of 65 miles per hour.

The next time you hear me complain about my little town remember this post. We really are just one step away from backwater.

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Girls’ Night Out

Posted on September 15, 2004 by Frog

Last night all of the girls in the family went out for dinner and ice cream, even the smallest girl went with us. We met at the Niece’s house and she was crazy-nut-silly to see all of us. There’s nothing like walking in the door and having someone wriggle and squeal with the excitement of seeing you.

We had a good time at dinner and the ice cream was over-the-top, but very necessary. Never underestimate the power of ice cream.

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That Ring is Beautiful

Posted on September 14, 2004 by Frog

Ever had someone compliment you on your jewelry? Wear one of these and instead of saying “Thanks, it was my mother’s” you can say “Thanks, it is my mother”.

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Who Are You Calling A Geek

Posted on September 14, 2004 by Frog

Did I mention my sister from Florida is in town? She’s here to visit with Grammie and she’s staying with us (she’s the reason I was using that darn vacuum).

Last night we were having dinner at Penny Lane pub and as she and the better-half were talking, I interrupted and accused them both of being such geeks. They answered my statement with a “well, duh” and accused me of the same thing. I guess it’s true. I have the laptop and desktop fired up right now.

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May I Show You My Wires?

Posted on September 14, 2004 by Frog

On Sunday, I was using the vacuum and it cut off on me. I fleetingly had the “YAY, now we can get the Dyson of my dreams” thought but found out the socket was bad not the vacuum. In all we replaced 4 sockets, 3 in one room. Why did we have to do that? Because the wires had melted to the socket and thus shorted out.

Does that sound like a fire hazard or what? If you google aluminum wiring, pages after pages result with bad news.

When we bought our house the home inspection came back with a note that we had aluminum wiring. We changed all the sockets and switches in the house after we moved in thinking we could get away with not paying for a re-wiring job. Ha.

I hate spending money on something like this (although I’d rather spend the money than have my house burn to the ground) because when you do a Home Improvement project you are supposed to be able to step back, wipe the dust from your hands and admire your work. I guess after the electrical contractor finishes the job, we’ll just admire that our house doesn’t explode and burn to the ground when we flip a switch.

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Did You Ever Have To

Posted on September 13, 2004 by Frog

Did you ever volunteer to do something at work because there was something that really got your goat every single time you saw it? If you just said No, I want you to explain–have you just never volunteered to do something that falls into the category of “other duties as assigned” or is there nothing at work that gets your goat?

Anyhoo, I whined about something and volunteered to make it better. A year later I finally got permission to fix the problem. Now I’m afraid that once the MAN discovers yet another one of my hidden talents (believe me, they are legion), I’ll be responsible for fixing this stuff all the time.

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