What I Learned Today

It's one thing after another. Woke up this morning to an especially cold house and found the heat not working. Checked the heater for anything obvious that someone who knows nothing about heaters might be able to correct. Wiggled a loose switch and heard the pilot come on and decided that the problem must be a simple but potentially dangerous electrical problem. Went upstairs and the heat was off again. Housemate grumbled and emailed landlord before going to work. I fiddled with thermostat a bit later and the heat finally came on. Then the theory changed to "must be a bad thermostat... and potentially dangerous electrical problem with switch as well.

Fortunately, our landlord reacted very quickly and got their Heating/AC man out to the house ASAP. Because the heater was now working, I was imagining them seeing the heat on and leaving without taking a look. Another TV-repairman type moment.

John Austin, the technician got to the house and let me tell you, it was a pleasure to meet him. Very patient and knowledgeable about his work - and he looks like David Tennant.

He went over the entire system. Found the missing pocket for the never-used air filter, which I immediately bought and installed today, and gave me a lesson on heating units and their maintenance, most of which I'll probably forget by tomorrow morning.

He also took apart the thermostat and pointed out the presence of batteries that needed replacing. We've always had the little hard-wired round thermostats so we never heard of thermostats that needed batteries.

painting and waiting

The painter is finally here to repair and paint the two upstairs rooms. I'm stuck at home as long as he's here working.

In other news, there is a very unfortunate leak in the laundry room downstairs from a broken waste water pipe.

Also, my behind is so cold today that I think I will not lose this constant chill until Spring arrives.

Presidents Day 2010

This national holi-Monday has been exquisitely motionless. No work today. No packages could be mailed for MMD because the post office was closed. Banks were all closed today a well. No need to go to the grocery store, outside of looking for discount-priced Valentine chocolates, because we handled all of the grocery runs and other errands yesterday.

The Winter Storm 2010 that they were predicting for last night and today never materialized. The temperature was 40 degrees when I first stepped outside this morning and the forecast has been changed to warm(ish) and partly cloudy with no rain for a few days. The way things have been going here, they may change the forecast again by morning.

The mercurial forecast means that the house is in a state of chaotic limbo because the painter keeps rescheduling for the next day and then canceling again when he fears bad weather and icy roads. The furniture in my office is staying shoved into the center of the room. We've gotten tired of moving the bedroom furniture in preparation for the painter that never shows up.

The only lasting sign of the snow last week are the giant snowballs in two of my neighbors yards. Looks like they gathered every inch of snow in their respective front yards and rolled it into enormous stacks of snowballs, never adorned to be proper snowmen but at the proper 2 or 3 boulder height. Instead, there are big dirty globs of mud, dead leaves, and ice sitting in their front yards.

Tonight's plans include leftover greens and beans for dinner and watching No Reservations on the Travel Channel.

waiting for a little snow

Snow is coming. It's too warm to stick around but everyone is in a panic regardless. The only thing to fear really is the snow/slush refreezing into a nice slick sheet of ice overnight lows with forecast low temperatures in the 20's. I think today should be now worries. Not planning on a milk and bread run.

We are almost finished with repairs from water damage and clean up from the roof being replaced on the house. The last step is the painter coming in to remove stains from the walls. First, he was scheduled to come in Thursday. Then our landlord phoned to tell us the painter had moved our date to Friday. Last night and this morning we moved heavy furniture to the center of the upstairs rooms to be painted and moved smaller objects to the other office and basement. Painter was supposed to be here at 8:30 a.m. and our landlord phoned at 8:30 to say the painter is not coming today because it is already starting to snow/rain a bit where he lives, which is apparently a long distance out of town. So, I can go into work earlier than planned again today and we'll have to return the large furniture to their spots in the bedroom tonight and move them back in again on Monday morning, just in case.

Weeks like this only work because I am underemployed now and can be home whenever I need to. Perhaps the universe knows this and after next week the universe will allow me to have a new full time job.

I prefer to get up late and go to bed early

I need more sleep than the average person. When I had a get up early and stay up late schedule, I was always able to work in a long nap in between.

Beaker's Ballad

list of top sad songs

What songs would you choose as the saddest you know?

Something I can never have - NIN
Spider - Oingo Boingo
Dirt Clod - Kelly Hogan
Numb - The Cure
Hey Jupiter - Tori Amos... See More
St. James Imfirmary - Cab Calloway
Nothing Takes the Place of You
Mood Indigo - Duke Ellington
Gloomy Sunday - Elvis Costello

cassoulet and 401k

Went to the monthly Potluck dinner on Saturday night. This month was at the GothFather's cottage in Conyers. At first, I wanted to make mushroom bourguignon but that was what I made last time I brought food to his house so I decided to change things this time and try a new cassoulet recipe. I made Jamie Oliver's Quick Cassoulet, which I found online. I had not tried his recipes before because Oliver has a reputation for being a bit bland. The cassoulet was good and, while not the star of the dinner, it was reasonably well received. The mess that it made of my oven was extraordinary. I really should have taken a photo of the splattered oven the next morning because I will try to avoid making such a mess in the future.

Sunday, I met friends for brunch and Monster had the oven cleaned when I got home. For that, I am quite grateful because I was not looking forward to filling my evening with oven cleaning. I had put off and then forgotten to start the oven cleaning procedure in the morning because the oven cleaner was, for reasons unknown to me, in the shed with Monster's bits and bobs. I texted him to please locate the oven cleaner in the shed and put it in the kitchen while I was at brunch. He then made the next logical step and started cleaning the oven himself and when I got home, that task was finished. Last night's dinner was leftover cassoulet and baguette.

My uncle phoned with a job opening he heard of at an office near me for a position digitally retouching and processing photos for school portraits. Sounds like a very easy job that is hopefully quite close to home. Question is whether I can get an interview and if they will offer me a full time position. The pay is a fraction of what I've made. It pays less than anything I've made hourly in the last 15 years, but I'll take anything I can get at this point if it will provide regular hours, health insurance, and the usual benefits. The lack of money might also be more than made up by the prospect of less time spent driving and less wear on my car than working farther from home and full employee benefits, including 401k and paid vacations. But it really must be a full time gig for me to be able to take it. If I can get a foot in the door. Fingers crossed.