This may explain quite a lot about my time in Milwaukee.
May 2009 Archives
My local library has been where it is for about 12 years. And for as long as I remember, there has been a used book store right next to it.
I feel sort of sorry for them. They have a big sign that they keep updated with catchy sayings. But like the fortune cookie sayings that you add "in bed" to, to make better, the library can always one-up the used book store.
Today's sign said, "Take a Cheap Vacation: Read A Book."
(Hanging my head in shame.)
I bought a new suitcase.
On Ebay. Should be here in a few days.
At 41, I'll finally own matching luggage.
I'm not exactly sure when the idea to go to Spain this year came about. But it seems to me it was last fall when Shea was bringing home 100s consistently in Spanish.
I wanted to go to Rome, and because (hide your eyes pumpkin) she had a crush on a guy from school with German heritage, she was interested in going there.
She started learning German.
Last week I booked the airplane tickets. Yesterday I set her to work finding hotels.
We/she converted US dollars to Euros, and I gave her the budget for the trip. And asked her to read the hotel reviews. She came up with five hotels in Berlin to choose from.
I asked her to do the same for Rome and Madrid, but she got distracted by her friend, and then by going over to her friend's house, so she stopped with the hotels in Berlin.
Seems she also distracted herself with the calligraphy Sharpies I got her. She left me the red one, with a note that said it was for me, she loves me, and she signed her name, with "aka: pumpkin."
Too cute.
Definitely my kid to be distracted by writing instruments.
At one point (she was on my computer) I asked her to open up another window, because it was tedious to watch the unnecessary shuffling. She said she couldn't. I asked why. She said it doesn't work with (whatever app she had open.)
I said yes it does.
She said no it doesn't.
I said I do it all the time. "You see that little e there? Click it."
She did, and voila a new window opened up.
One of these days she will remember what I do for a living.
"Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome."
Thanks to her influence, we are spending virtually the exact same amount of time in each place. She did have a concern last week that Germany would be short-changed.
Then she asked me how my Italian was coming along. Not happy with my answer, she signed me up for the online course the same place she's been learning German.
Maybe I can just sing Con Te Partiro for my supper, so to speak.
Speaking of which, I can't find my Romanza CD.
And just a few more days to wait until Big Whiskey comes out.
I was in the lobby of the building I was working in yesterday, heading to the elevators. As I turned a corner, there were two women standing there. One had one of her legs stuck out, and her pants leg pulled up to reveal a pink patch of skin up near her knee. The other lady asked what happened, and I think lady one was about to answer.
As I was right there, I stopped with them, pulled up my right pants leg, and said, "I can beat that."
They both recoiled in horror. Not sure whether it was from the big bruise I gave myself by scratching, or all the patches where the blisters were that haven't 100% healed yet.
I could probably get away with saying it's road rash from where I took a spill on my Ducati. (Because I have matching road rash-ish marks from my elbows to the first knuckles on both hands. But I wore long sleeves this week.)
The ladies were really funny. The whole exchange lasted about 15 seconds. I fessed up and said it was just healing poison ivy, and went back to work.
It was nice to have only a two-day class this week. It was a small group, and the training room was high tech. They had an electronic whiteboard. Except I kept trying to erase it with my hand like I do on a regular whiteboard.
As we were packing up yesterday, one of the guys said he knew I wasn't an IT person even before I told them I wasn't because when they asked a question, if I didn't know, I went straight to the manuals.
He said IT guys would have continued to push buttons until it either worked, or blew up.
It seemed I was checking out of the hotel as soon as I checked in. I stayed at the Hilton downtown, right across from the Toyota Center. Nice hotel. Very big. Starbucks in the lobby. Half and half in the room. Less than two miles from where I was working.
I think my Nuvi has the swine flu. She's been acting funny lately. I'm used to her recalculating, but the other day she told me to turn left about six times in a row.
I haven't even looked at any other GPS gadgets since I got her. When she's well, she does a fine job, although I know there are probably others out there with a thousand enhancements. It may be time to retire her and get a new one.
One thing I have no desire to get is an electronic book reader. Not sure why. I guess I like the paper kind more. And can't fathom the idea of an electronic first edition for my bookshelf.
Let's see. I'm done with the prednisone. Thankfully. And I think that I might have had a sinus infection on top of everything else, but the antibiotics took care of it.
Tonight is Shea's 8th grade dance. I'm picking her and a girlfriend up from school, and then will take them to their hair appointments, and to get dressed, and then to dinner, and then to the dance. At least I think that's the plan. It's entirely possible that it has changed, and I'll only find out when I pick them up after school.
Doesn't really matter though. I'm content to be taxi, or bank, or whatever she needs. Her night.
In other news we've got our tickets booked for our trip later this summer. I wound up reversing the itinerary though because there were better flight choices that way. So we're going to start out in Italy and finish in Spain.
I had more than enough frequent flier miles for the tickets - business or first class the whole way. I just had to pay taxes which came to 71 bucks and change.
We've got a lot of blanks to fill in, but that's part of the fun.
I bet she starts packing at least a month in advance though.
On to the yard. I have many, many thistles that are competing for a size award in the back yard. I am a little scared to go back there without a Tyvek suit on. But I have to.
I've got two pots of lantana, and two dianthus that need to be planted, but to do that I'll also have to walk through the back yard to get the top soil for the planters.
I'm already considering full-body microdermabrasion or whatever is done to reduce the appearance of scars. I scar easily. I don't ever want poison oak/ivy/sumac again.
Please, and thank you in advance.
There are likely many other things I've missed here, but for now I'm going to go play.
We cube infinity at my house. Banillion is also a word. Specifically when writing or saying how much Shea or I love each other. Been doing it since she was tiny.
She's not tiny anymore. She's 5' 8".
She is brilliant and scatterbrained. Kind to animals, good with words, and can take down an adult with a well-placed pinch.
She's got a knack for languages and shows signs of wanderlust.
She moves between incredible precision and vague generalization as it suits her.
She remembers things to astonishing detail and repeatedly forgets that she has homework.
She'll kiss me in public, but under duress.
She has been amusing me since birth. But now she can wear my shoes.
Every day with Shea is Mother's Day.
I love you kiddo. Banillion Infinity Cubed. (Times ten.)
Now after looking at the entry with the pictures I realize you can only see half of the picture. So click on the link for the post down under recent entries. You can see the whole thing there.
Note to self - don't embed the pictures.
For all intents and purposes, the inside work on my house is done.
Unfortunately, I don't have too many before pictures. But when I decided to move in, the house was all carpet except for the foyer and the kitchen. The walls and ceilings had recently been painted the exact same color of white. (At my request. To start fresh.)
While my furniture was enroute from Milwaukee, I had hardwood laminate put in from one end of the house to the other. Closets, laundry room, everything. I love it. It's incredibly durable and cleans up with a damp rag.
This is the den. It got paint, a new ceiling fan, and a new mantle. I took out the fireplace insert/blower, and took down three large decorative (?) beams off the ceiling.
(The spots in the picture were on the camera lens.)
The least used room in the house needed the most work. The kitchen walls had several layers of wallpaper on them, the cabinets had the inside of the frames cut out and for doors there were country-style fabric curtains. There was no door on the laundry room, a very old ceiling fan over the kitchen table, and an industrial-style flourescent fixture on the opposite side of the kitchen.
Patch, sand. Patch, sand. Patch, sand, and finally paint. Then repaint because I didn't like the first color I chose.
You may recall I took the wainscoting that was on the kitchen walls before (under a chair rail) and made new cabinet doors out of them. Three new light fixtures, all new appliances, doors on the laundry room.
I have not figured out yet what to do with the kitchen countertops. The window over the sink needs to be replaced too I think.
I have five versions of this next picture - all equally bad. Couldn't get the light slash flash combo to cooperate. But you can get the idea. Enrique Iglesias, John Denver, Andrea Bocelli, Les Miserables, and some singer there on the right hand side.
They are on one wall in my foyer.
The picture of Dave is the one my mom would cover when she came over. Same picture I said I would replace with a picture of me and Dave. Until then, this one stays.
And the last one for now is my room. It was after I took the picture that I noticed the paint on the arm of the rocking chair. The piece of furniture on the right is my linen closet. Haven't found the right thing for the wall over the bed yet.
(Not a fan of rugs. In case you were curious.)
