Thunder of Wade

I was just heading out the door to run some errands on Saturday and nearly ran into a woman coming around the back corner of my house.  I said hello and she asked if I was the new owner.  I said I was and she told me that she was the mother of the previous owner and was wondering if they had left any pots behind.  Since we were outside, I thought she meant flowerpots, then I realized that she was talking about cookware.  I thought for a moment, then confirmed I had seen some in a cabinet.

She told me that they were missing them and since she was in the neighborhood, she thought she’d stop by.  I said I would go look for them and invited her in  – which she quickly and uncomfortably declined.  I guess it follows that she wouldn’t want to go into a strangers house, but… whatever.   [Technically speaking, this would have actually been her former house, since the guy that owned the place before grew up there]

I went back inside, found 3 pots and a colander, and brought them back out.  She looked at the stack and asked if I had a bag that she could carry these in since she would look pretty silly carrying a stack of pots.  I went back in yet again and found a bag, then loaded them up for her.  She thanked me and went on her way quickly.  And by quickly, I mean that she was four blocks away by the time I locked up the house and got in my car.

I guess I weirded her out a bit with the invite inside, but she weirded me out a little too.

It’s also weird that the prior family didn’t contact me – they have my email and phone number – if it was really a big deal.   I don’t doubt that she was who she claimed to be, but it was odd.   I would have liked to talk to her about the house, but she was gone very quickly.

I guess it’s just as well that I had already tossed the fuzzy bunny slippers that I found in the dining room cabinet.

I hit the pool today at lunch time – first time I’ve been back in a while.  In fact, I stopped going when my former room-mate got sick.  Too much going on and too tired to put forth the effort to get in there and get in my laps.

I only did 20 laps today, but I felt pretty good and even threw in a butterfly lap – not my strongest, but it still counts.

It was weird… I was almost dreading it, but once I got into in the laps went by pretty quickly.  I may not be Namor, but I gave it a good showing.  And still looked reasonable in my speedos if I do say so myself.

So, back to the rule:  “If the pool is open and I’m at work – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – I’ll swim”

I started up a new google doc for the occasion and dutifully recorded my laps.  I don’t really have a goal per say, but I want to get back to doing at least a mile and maybe more if I swim after work or on the weekend.

And the best part?  I didn’t drown.  Not even once.  🙂

One of my friends at work recently got a promotion and a new office.  The previous occupant was known for not personalizing the office at all – which always stuck me as odd since we’re all pretty much stuck in the building all day and the walls are boring.

My friend had only been in that office a short time and hadn’t had any time to do anything with it either. So,I decided to help.

I took myself to Walmart and bought the most ridiculous poster I could find for an adult male – Justin Bieber.  Looking as close to a thug as he could.  Which is to say, not at all.
The next morning, with a little help from another co-worker, I hung the poster in my friend’s office so it would be the first thing he would see when he came in.  We quickly turned out the light and snuck out.

Later that morning, I stopped by his office and commented that I was hurt that he had so quickly taken down my gift since it was nowhere to be found.

He grinned and told me it made his morning to see that when he came in and he really appreciated the spirit in which it was given – but that he couldn’t live with himself if he kept it up in his office.

Instead, he told me, that with help from one of his also devious friends he took the poster and hung it behind the blinds of the former occupant’s new office for him to find.  When the curiously closed blinds are opened – Bieber.

I thought the “paying it forward” was excellent.  I found out later that a picture of the poster had been added to a facebook page and that revenge had been vowed.  I think there’s still a lot of traffic to be had for that poster and we haven’t seen the last of it.

Many years ago, I helped my room-mate at the time move his mother and grandmother from New York to Ohio.  I became friends with them and they eventually ended up on my side when I kicked my room-mate out for not paying his rent.  They actually wondered why I waited so long and have officially adopted me as their own.  Which is funny since I’m the whitest white guy from Illinois and they are a pair of feisty black women from the Bronx.

I’ve blogged about them before, referring to them as my Former Roommate’s mother and grandmother since I don’t like to use names in blog – usually to protect the guilty.
I’ve now got my own place so this would make them my former, Former roommate’s…

You see how silly that gets.

So, I’ve decided to refer to them as the Ladies from New York.  They seem worthy of a shared title and in any case I want to stay on their good sides.  Even in their 60’s and 80’s, I would advise that they not be crossed.

So, the Ladies wanted to see my new house and I thought it would be nice for me to take them out to dinner as well.  A few weeks ago, on a snowy evening, I picked them up at their apartment.  They were a little disconcerted by the snow and debated about turning back, but I convinced them that I had no worries about driving in Ohio in the snow.

We went to my house first and though neither appreciated the stairs, they both thought it was a great house and a really good deal in a good neighborhood.  Trust the Bronx natives to notice the neighborhood first.

We then went to Applebee’s for dinner and they both marveled at the quantity of food they got.  We all had a nice time and they got to go boxes as we left.  I took them back to their apartment with a promise to stop by at a later date to work on their DVD player and VCR.

Last evening, after my car issues finally got sorted out, I went back over to get things set up.  While I was working on the cabling, the younger decided that she needed to run across the courtyard of the apartment complex to help her neighbor with something.  She didn’t exactly run, but she moved too quickly.  This was the one that was in the hospital with heart problems not that long ago and she over-exerted herself.  When she got back she was nauseous, very weak and short of breath.  Her mother helped her as best she could and chastised her for going too fast.  I tried to stay out of the way until she was settled and it was clear she didn’t need a trip to the hospital.  We talked for a bit and she said that she was “done”.  I shook my head and told her she just needed to shift her gears down a bit and take it a little easier.  She smiled and agreed that was a good plan.  I finished my work and explained the set up.  They were both a little confused by it – an A|B switch for the VCR and DVD since we didn’t have enough ports – but I’m convinced they’ll figure it out once they use it.

I’m glad I can do these little things for them.  And hey, a little good karma never hurts.

After work on Monday, I got in my car and started it up – and the check engine light came on.  I guess that told me that I was done with the drive cycle.   So, I took it directly to the mechanic and he looked at it for a bit, but then told me to come back the next day so that could work on it more.  I left, feeling cranky.  Or… more cranky than usual.

Today, I went into work and left at 11:00 to get the car looked at it again.  I took myself for a walk and got something to eat – then settled in for a wait.   Around 2 o’clock they finally gave up – the diagnostics were not matching the physical evidence.  My car is apparently very stupid.   Which I knew.

Fortunately, he didn’t charge me.  Which was pleasantly surprising.   Armed with the vague idea of a waiver and receipt from the last time my car was looked at, I went back to the echeck after work.

The first guy I talked to looked at the receipt and said that it should be fine but that I would need to talk to his manager.   He then vanished – to be replaced by a guy who said my car had no data and I would need to drive it around and get it fixed.  I told him that I had already done that and had a receipt for repairs that didn’t fix the problem.  He was surprised at this revelation and left.  From the other end of the repair area, another technician told me that my car had failed the test.  I explained to her what was going and the second guy came back and they directed me to park my car and go into the office.  It’s now 4:45 and I have a feeling that the office closes at 5.

I park my car, hurry in, and wait for the manager to see me.  She looks at the receipt, says this should be okay, but that she would need for me to pop the hood so she could take a look.  So, we go out to my car, I pop the hood and she looks around in there, then pronounces it good and we go back inside for her to print out the waiver.

Now, the mechanic only replaced the fuel pressure sensor – which rests on top of the fuel tank.  By looking under the hood, she was nowhere near the actual repair.   But I didn’t tell her that.  Frankly, if she whipped out a car of pink spray paint and said she needed to paint a Hello Kitty logo on my hood before she could give me the waiver, I would have offered to shake the can for her.

So, waiver in hand, I head over to the BMV – which is still open.  I wait in line for about a minute, then get called to the desk.  She takes the paperwork, has me sign a form, updates my address and hands me the sticker for my registration.  I was almost in disbelief that it came down to this.  I asked her if there was anything else and she said I was done.  I walked out of there feeling like I’d just gotten a golden ticket and was headed for the chocolate factory.

I put the sticker on my car tonight and breathed a deep sigh of relief.  All that hassle and effort for a tiny sticker.  And it wasn’t even scratch and sniff.  If it was, I’m pretty sure it would smell like victory.

So, I got up bright an early – well, for a Saturday, at least – and headed to the mechanic.  Two and a half hours later I’m out of paper to fold, cranky, and poorer.  It “appears” to be the fuel pressure sensor and now that’s been replaced.

With the Check Engine Light now off, I blissfully head over to the echeck station, wait in line, then present my papers.  Yes, it really felt like some kind of military checkpoint.

But, oh no, there’s no data. It had been cleared by the mechanic.   So, since I’d failed the data-sucking test the last time, I am required to pass that test before I can get my clearance.  The technician gives me a sheet of paper with some websites that will tell me how long I have to drive my car before I get enough data built up for a successful test.

So, I go home, swearing like it was my native language.  To the internet and  – oh ho – the websites are no good.  Two are actually bad URL’s (nice job on updating your paperwork, E-check) and the rest are useless.   I call the number on the paper for some suggestions on other sites to find out the “drive cycle” for my car and – of course – the office is closed on Saturday.  The recording gives me another number to try and that office is also – helpfully – closed.

I call the mechanic and he give me some vague answers and then says he’ll call me back once he’s done some checking.   When he calls back, he has a website for me to check that  – surprise – has nothing useful.   Other than to tell me to check my user manual.

So, I check the user manual and it suggests I drive the car “a couple of days”.   Does that mean around the block or to Florida?

Instead, I split the difference (sort of) and drove around town a bit, running some errands.  I guess I need to figure out some kind of road trip for myself tomorrow to see if this will finally build up some indefinite amount of data.

Here’s what I’ve learned today:

1. My car has no freaking idea what’s going on with itself and clearly cannot be trusted.

2. I’m running out of “free” tests and will have to start paying for them.

3. If the light comes back on – I’m screwed.

Time to get back to my laundry, get some food in me, and listen to some music while I try to reduce my level of cranky.

Let me start off by saying that I’m a big fan of the enviroment.  I recycle, try to conserve energy, and I’m really looking forward to composting my grass clippings.  That being said, I freaking despise the Ohio e-check.  Here’s the scoop:

1. My car is a 2000 cavalier and has to be checked every two years, prior to getting my registration renewed.   The test involves plugging this into a computer at the testing center and downloading the emissions information.  Note that if the car was older than 1996, they would do a different/manual test.  Also note that if the Check Engine light is on, it will fail the download.

2. I went to the e-check station and as I pulled up I told the guy that the light was on, that I’ve had it diagnosed as a “fuel cap” issue, that I’ve replaced the “fuel cap” twice with no resolution, and could they do the manual test?  He replied, in a kind of “why is your brain so stupid?” manner and informed me that the computer determines the test.

And they we proceeded anyway.  Another, much friendlier, staff person gave me the printout at the end of the test and told me that I passed.  I was elated.  Or at least very happy/relieved.

3. The next day, printout in hand, I went to the BMV.  The clerk at the desk looked at that and said, “This says your car failed the test”.  I told her that they told me the opposite and she said I would need to go back and have them check and print again.

4. Back over to the echeck station, I told them what had happened.   The person I talked to apologized that the other staff person had told me wrong and they could get me a card to get a temporary tag.

5. On my way back over to the BMV, I realized it was a lost cause.  The card would help get a temporary tag – not a sticker that I need – and would require me to present my title – which I don’t carry around with me.  I went in anyway, confirmed that it wasn’t going to work, and was advised that I should save everything to avoid a fine for being late on down the road.

6. When I got home, I got an appointment to get my car looked at yet again on Saturday.

Now, if they had done the manual test instead of relying on my car to keep track of it’s own emissions, they my registration would be done at this point.   Also, the whole thing is based on air quality in this county.   Which is not the fault of the cars – it’s the history of industry in the area.  Fortunatly, the echeck station and the BMV are pretty close to where I live and work.  I’m hoping that the “repair” (which might be just turning off the dang light) gets things done so I can wrap this up before my birthday.   Or I should just sell the car and start riding the bus.  Thank you, state of Ohio, for complicating my week.

We had a pretty good sized snow recently and while I managed to ignore it when it was coming down – sort of – it eventually attached enough of my attention that I decided to shovel the driveway that I share with my neighbor when I got home from work.

I got sort of bundled up and grabbed my shovel – and started to work.   Except that the driveway is brick.  And I would have had better luck trying to scoop up corn with a pitchfork.  Every couple inches… BLAM!  I hit a brick.  I cleared the areas in front of the garages since they were slabs, but I was getting cold and going nowhere fast.  I was working the bricks again when my neighbor came home and said,

“You don’t need to do that,”

And then, like magic…

“I have a snowblower,”

It was some of the best news I’d  heard all winter.   I said I would go ahead and clear the steps and our sidewalks – he thanked me and then noticed that I’d done in front of  his garage as well.

I think it was a good thing that I had made the effort – shows a “good neighbor” kind of thing – but I am very relieved that he’s got the rest covered.

I finished up the shoveling I was going to do, then went inside and fixed myself a scalding hot cup of tea.  My fingers eventually stopped hurting from the cold and I found myself almost looking forward to the next snowfall.

Almost.

My sister called me this morning and had some big news.  My niece went poop in the potty!  I can’t recall ever having been so excited about someone pooping before. They were both pretty excited too – my niece especially so since she got a sucker as a reward.   My sister is planning on saving those for the “major events” and using M&M’s when my niece goes pee in the potty.

As a side note, apparently Mom toilet trained me in a day using M&M’s – so, it works.  Though, I was clearly gifted.

Buoyed by their success and with gift cards in hand, I headed out to get started on my projects.  First stop was Lowe’s for curtain rods, detergent (apparently, I have an HE washer), a new shower head, and plastic for the office window.  Next, Best Buy for a new game.  I had a gift card and the game I wanted was on sale – and it included a bonus game.   Sweet!

Then, Bed Bath and Beyond for curtains.  I wandered around that section for awhile before I conceded that I was totally out of my element.  I found a clerk, expressed my ignorance, and got set on the right track.

For the record, I skipped going to books a million.  You should be proud of me.   A quick stop at Wendy’s and then I was on my way home.

I ran into some trouble with the curtains – the existing holes in the wood were too small and I ruined a couple screws trying to make them work before getting out the drill.  Then I realized that the doecorative bits on the ends of the curtain rod wouldn’t really fit in the space I had.  I left them up anyway and you can’t really see them.

Then, plastic for office window.  I’ve put this up before, but never with a window so drafty.  The wind actually made the plastic billow out  – and this is with the windows “shut” – and it didn’t do quite according to plan.  I’ll try again with the dryer tomorrow and see if I can get better results.

Finally, the shower head.  I got the old one off okay and went to put the water saving one on and… it didn’t fit.  Apparently, I need an adapter.   Looks like I’m going back to Lowe’s tomorrow.

In and among the projects, I also did some laundry.   Since this was the first load I’ve done since I’ve been here, I felt the need to encourage the washer as it started off.  I also said some nice things to both the washer and the dryer every time I went to check on them.  It must  have worked – my clothes are clean.   Ummm… yeah.

So, a little Imogen Heap and then it’s off to bed for me.  More work to be done tomorrow.

We had Christmas at my sister and brother-in-law’s house this year.  They had plenty of room and my parents stayed there as well.  It was a long drive after a long day of work, but well worth the trip.  My niece  – who is almost two – was so much fun.  She’s starting to put together sentences and its really neat to watch her learn new things.

Christmas morning was good and she started to get into the presents – which was a good thing since she  had a lot to open.  We mostly just hung out and enjoyed the long weekend.  My sister wasn’t feeling well part of the time and she had more company coming in from out of town, so, my parents and I left early to give her a break.

I’m off this week and have been working on the house some more – just trying to get things organized and sorted so I can  have company.   I’m hoping to catch up with one of my workers so he and his wife (who helped me get started on this adventure) can see the place once it’s all set up.    I’m also hoping FMR’s mom and grandmother can stop over and see the place.   I they’ve been joking that they want to move in – but I think the stairs would give them pause.

Well, I’ve been getting to bed early as much as I can this week – about time for me to hit the shower and then  hit the hay.