Got my car back, two days early

Monday, July 16, 2012

Someone canceled an appt at the dealership, and they snuck my vehicle into the slot. So I walk the couple of miles out there, in 98 degree heat, arrive soaked through with sweat and rescued my steed. The tests they did made it seem like it was a battery issue, so a $150 solution, rather than the ~$500 alternator plus battery plus ??? that was mentioned as a possibility, so that's nice.

Unfortunately, the mechanic couldn't give me a definitive "all's well", more like a, "we took care of the immediate issue," drive it around a couple of weeks, and let us know if anything else goes wrong. Bit of a seed of doubt there. But hey, I'm mobile again.

Of course, 20 minutes after I get home, I get word that the only thing I needed to get to tomorrow is cancelled. Shouldn't be a problem coming up with alternate things to do, need to go find me some boxes to continue the packing process.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SEASONS__CHANGE 7/17/2012 10:02AM

Glad to hear that you have your car back and don't forget to log in those fitness minutes packing... Report Inappropriate Comment

BLUE42DOWN 7/17/2012 1:17AM

Hooray. Hopefully that is the solution. Problems like that can be such a mess (I had a car once that went through two batteries and two alternators before someone else found a short in the starter.) Report Inappropriate Comment

The end of Fitchburg days

Sunday, July 15, 2012

As mentioned, moving soon from the current apt. in Fitchburg, over to the east side of Madison. I'll miss living across from McKee Farms Park, which until this spring would have been more of a generic statement than a real one. But I've actually used the space this spring/summer, going for a number of walks, or just going over there with a book and sitting scummy pondside in the middle of a hundred degree day, surveying the wide expanse of crispy brown grass. I've been over there far more than the sum total of the first two and a half years I've lived next to it.

Mapping out the walks on this site's route mapper, which is surprisingly agile, the basic route is approximately three miles, a 45-60 minute trip depending on the day, and how often I stop to engage in a staring contest with a rabbit in the brush.

It appears that where I'll be going is about a mile away from Olbrich Park on the Lake Monona shoreline (and if anyone is able to divine the song that just flitted across my brain from that phrase, I'll be highly, highly impressed). That's a fave park of mine in town, for the Botanical Gardens, and from playing frisbee there over the summers (though it's not is use this summer, and I don't know how long parks are rested for). So I expect I might wander over there and...wander. Looking forward to it.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

EJRANVILLE 7/16/2012 10:08AM

Hope you enjoy the new place and surroundings. Always fun to explore new areas! Report Inappropriate Comment

Well, I was going to go to Milwaukee

Saturday, July 14, 2012

But I was low on gas, and so I stopped at Speedway, after passing by the BP station I usually stop at, after passing by the Mobil station that I stop at if I don't choose the BP. And I fill up at the Speedway, which I've only done once or twice in the three years I've lived just down the road, and I go to start the car for the journey down I-94, aaaaand....nothing.

Car won't start. Fortunately, that gas station I never stop at happens to be about 50 yards from a dealership. But it still took me two jumps starts to get there. And unfortunately, it's not just a (realtively cheap and same day fix) bad battery, it's something that requires further study, possible bad alternator, $500 worth of repairs. Fun stuff.

But I'm amused at how instead of heading right out on the highway (just on the other side of the intersection from where I stopped), I did stop at that gas station. Could have been far worse, or more annoying anyway, if I'd lost power after having gotten out onto the highway, or if I'd made it to Milwaukee and got stuck there. At least here, I was able to walk home, and call it exercise, to boot.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll take a nap. I forgot to grab a hat out of the car before I left it in the dealership's hands, and the sun beating down on my scalp too a bit out of me. I was thinking of continuing on, another couple of miles and walking to the movie theater again, but the second thoughts are winning this battle.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SEASONS__CHANGE 7/15/2012 11:17PM

Sorry to hear about a sucky day and the car situation. Another unexpected obstacle that you faced, dealt with and moved on. Love your attitude and strong coping skills... very rare talent to have. Report Inappropriate Comment

KING_SLAYER 7/15/2012 3:14AM

A little Divine intervention perhaps (if you're into that sort of thing), stopping at the station that was so close the dealership. Whatever the reason, you got a little unexpected exercise out of it and possibly will have something fixed now that may have been a bigger burden later. Great attitude about the whole situation, by the way. Report Inappropriate Comment

Flipping the mental coin

Thursday, July 12, 2012

How likely am I to fit in those size 34 waist jeans at any point soon? Is there any hope of ever using the 33 waist dress pants for myself again?

It's the pre-preparation process for moving that has me pondering these precious proposition, perusing pants I haven't put on in perhaps 5 years, and wondering whether perchance, I may probably be able to parade down the street and not split a seam any time soon?

Problem I have, I don't quite know how much space I will have for storage when I move. And, being the packrat I am, I have a lot of stuff. One pass through the closet, and I didn't really weed out very much to discard or donate. With so many of my articles of clothing, there's a recallable story behind the acquisition of that t-shirt, or the purchase of those pants. Ok, maybe not so much the pants, but a lot of my t-shirts are of various bands I like, so I'm loathe to get rid of most of them, even if I'm old (if not mature) enough now to look askance at wearing some of them out in public.

I have declared the pants a lost cause for the most part. Even if I do shrink the waist enough to fit into them soonish, I'll just buy some cheap new ones. The average price for jeans I've purchased in the past ten years probably being south of 10 bucks, that won't break the bank, and besides, belts will help bolster the life of the currently comfortable pairs. Keeping the dress pants though, they're pretty spiffy looking.

So far, I've filled one trash bag with donatable threads, and will likely have another by the time I get though this first pass. A decent first step, I guess.

The perusal of the book shelf went far less well. I wanna keep 'em all (waaaaaah!).

I have a surprising number of Stephen King books for not really considering myself much of a fan of his. I have a great number of Harry Turtledove books, too but that's far less surprising. And I have a bunch of Lincoln Child/Douglas Preston Agent Pendergast novels, but those are surprising only because I didn't realize I had them on the shelf. Things get lost when you place books in multiple rows, and never go spelunking to see what goodness might lay behind the stuff you liked well enough to display in the first rank.

I did take a bunch of items off the shelf and place them into a box, but I suspect that plan will have to be altered, because the box is already too heavy for me to pick up, and it contains only about 30% of the books off my shelf. Multiple, smaller boxes is the way to go, methinks.

Today's (well, Wednesday's, anyway) exercise, then, consisted largely of moving stuff around, with intermittent stretch breaks, playing a random Coach Nicole sparky vid and moving along. Got a decent sweat going bringing things down from shelves, etc, and I suspect I'll be sore tomorrow. Since I kicked up a fair amount of dust, disturbing things that in some cases haven't been touched in three years (and yes, I am wondering why I'm insistent on keeping those items...self-awareness doesn't always translate to action), here's hoping I don't sneeze the night away.

And maybe tomorrow, I'll accomplish some other stuff that's been on the far edge of the plate for a while. We shall see.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CATHOLICCORGI 7/14/2012 11:16AM

As I have downsized, upsized downsized, and moved to an even bigger place, I have learned to de-clutter! This house looks empty to most people, but my DH and I have only the things we love the most or most efficient for us. One thing I did was take pictures of things that I was sentimental about... things that I wanted the "feeling" I got when I looked at it... the memory was more important than the object. So, I now have pictures of things on a disc and when I want to "feel" the emotion, I use it as a screen saver for awhile, or just loking at the pic gives me a great smile! This really works! Also, I donated a lot of books to my local library to resell. My book collection is down to one tall case now. I figure I can always go to the library and read a book again. The ones that truly are important will never go anywhere. I am a book lover, and although I like the electronic idea, there is NOTHING that replaces the feel and smell of the printed page! My DH and I cut our special T's into squares, too. I took a fleece throw and sewed them to the top of it... instant T-throw! LOL! May not look professional, but it is warm and makes us smile! One idea on the clothes, turn your hanger backwards, if you wear something you can then turn it right. If after a week or so you see you haven't worn it, it goes. I do this every time I "change" seasons(it's a woman thing! LOL!). If I didn't wear it the whole season, I donate it or toss. I now have the one item in rule, one item out. Just keep to your SPARK basics! If you find the packing/deciding is getting too overwhelming, break it into chunks and set a timer for 15 minutes... do what you set out to do, and when the timer rings, you have permission to quit. Do three sessions, then rest a session. It will be progress, yet you won't be going in different directions. You can focus on anything for 15 minutes! Report Inappropriate Comment

SEASONS__CHANGE 7/13/2012 3:11PM

Later on tonight, when the dust settles, take a nice long hot bath to relax and soothe your muscles. Big, life changing moments heading your way and some very exciting ones. One never knows what awesome things are just around the corner. Report Inappropriate Comment

KING_SLAYER 7/12/2012 5:27PM

The t-shirt quilt is a good one. Just make sure you get the special backing material to place the t-shirts onto or else the shirt squares will not last! My mom is a longtime quilter, teaches it at the local junior college. She has done t-shirt quilts before, that's how I know about the backing. Definitely ask an experienced quilter how to go about doing it before yous tart cutting your shirts up! Gotta leave seam allowances and stuff like that :) Good luck with the books, they are always hard to part with. But you could check with a local library or book mobile to see if they would take them. (If you can let them go that is). Report Inappropriate Comment

RANDOMLY_HONEST 7/12/2012 6:14AM

For the band t-shirts, what I did was cut them up into squares so the image/logo showed, and then sewed them into a giant quilt. It's pretty easy to do, even with basic hand-sewing, there's no fancy techniques. That way you get to keep your memories, in much less space. If you don't feel like sewing (or can't get anyone to do it for you), just cut out the images and keep those - you can display them in picture frames, or just keep them as reminders. It takes up much less space than the whole shirt. Report Inappropriate Comment

MAMAWALMART 7/12/2012 2:05AM

Report Inappropriate Comment

EOWYN2424 7/12/2012 2:03AM

I have too many books too! Report Inappropriate Comment

Feels like being on a treadmill sometimes

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Not in a particularly good place regarding the weight loss journey, the alternate view of the past two months' weight change has taken hold of me, and I can't shake that perception, despite your (much appreciated!) efforts. And taking my mind off it entirely for a couple of days seems to just reinforce the perception when I do consider it again.

Not to sound whiny, not looking for sympathy there, just laying out what's on my mind.

Couple other things on my mind, but one issue seems to be resolved, the "where am I going to live after this month" item. Wasn't doing so hot in figuring out a roommate/finding a place on my own, but it seems that acquaintances (read: best friends in town) are fine with me claiming a space in the house they're renting starting at the en of the month. The final weekend of July will be a monster moving experience, but at least that's resolved. A bit ambivalent about it, in that I feel that I might be imposing a bit, and they're not saying anything just because they are such good friends. And then there's the issue of my being allergic to their (otherwise great, and gorgeous) Aussie shepherd, but I think being forewarned and armed with allergy meds, I should be ok there. Will let you know, in a rueful manner, if I find out otherwise!

Laziness won out on Monday, as an intended trip to the gym never happened. Used watching the Home Run Derby as an excuse, as Prince Fielder was out there representing my Detroit Tigers. He won the whole thing, in rather impressive fashion, splashing 7 of his 28 bombs in the fountain pool at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium. But that ended around 10 pm, leaving a couple more hours in which I could have made it to the gym, but I didn't. Did pick up my 15/20 lb weights and my rainbow of resistance bands to do random strength-y things. I did work up a sweat, and logged 15 minutes of exercise, but somehow, although I know everything does count, it doesn't feel like it counted enough.

I did play ultimate yesterday, and managed to run around without hurting myself. Not claiming victory over my balky left calf/achilles until I manage to get through a couple of league games at full speed, though. The game yesterday wasn't exactly a full intensity contest, as I didn't get out there until about an hour after folks had started playing, and the heat, even if it was 15-20 degrees less than it had been for the prior week, had slowed the pace of the game down a bit. Since I play slower than most people, that wasn't entirely a bad thing for me. :)

In other random whiny news, the onion rings I tried to make for dinner are having their revenge. Got a batter mix from the store, whipped it up (super easy, just add water!), chopped up mushroom and onions, dipped 'em in, and tried baking rather than frying. That made the batter rather doughy, so while tasty enough, the onion rings and mushrooms weren't quite the success. In addition, I left the rings in the oven a bit longer to try to induce some crunch, so some of the batter just stuck on to the cookie sheet I was using (heck if I know if that's the correct vessel, but it's a go to for pretty much everything I place in my oven). In try to clean it afterwards, I was prying at bits of it with my fingernails, lifting off a bunch at a time. One such smidgen refused to move easily and in trying to extricate it from the pan, a hard baked edge slipped under the fingernail, and into the soft tender flesh of my right index finger. Now, under other circumstances, no problem, but as it so happens, the index finger of your dominant hand seems to be involved in pretty much everything you do with said hand. And so, sore fingertip persists. Boo hiss.

I got my revenge with a scouring pad, oh yesss... (insert evil laugh here)

And speaking of evil, or approximations thereof...what happens when black metal underpinnings meet jazz current interests?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0nQjeqC68g
("Catharsis", by Ihsahn)

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SEASONS__CHANGE 7/11/2012 3:29AM

Glad to see that things are coming together for you, except your baking skills, lol ((joking)) Whenever, I bake something in the oven on a cookie sheet, other than cookies, I'll place aluminum foil to cover the bottom and the sides and spray some original PAM cooking spray so the food doesn't stick to the foil. This has been a very stressful month for you and a couple of life changing moments. I'm currently in one myself. Love your positive attitude through all of this and in a month or so, you'll get into your groove. Keep that chin up buddy. Report Inappropriate Comment

KING_SLAYER 7/10/2012 5:33PM

Grats on finding a place to live, even if it's not completely ideal. Just try to be the best roommate that you can be so you don't feel like such an imposition, keep your door closed at all times so the dog doesn't wander in your room, that should keep your room pretty much dog hair/dander free and be easier to spend tie in their (given the allergy). I'd say don't sweat feeling like you had a lazy day because you didn't go to the gym. Sounds like you did get in some exercise and that's better than nothing. I was all dressed and ready to go to the gym Monday morning and ended up not going due to a medical condition I have that was flaring up and I couldn't stand the thought of being in public. So needless to say, I ended up staying home. We all have those days where for one reason or another we don't do what we planned to do. So just don't make it out to be a bigger deal than it is. Cut yourself the same amount of slack that you would for a total stranger. Report Inappropriate Comment