That's okay ... I think it's tweakable. It took way longer than I'd hoped it was going to ... it did, literally, take all day, and I didn't even get everything done.
But I think that was bad planning on my part. I didn't look through what I wanted to make very clearly before just diving into it. So I saved some of the more difficult complicated things for later in the day, when I could have started them early and had them cooking while I worked on other things. I also didn't combine cooking the same ingredients for multiple meals, but cooked each thing individually - like, I needed so many cups of rice for this meal, so many for that meal - but instead of cooking all the rice at once, I cooked each batch for each meal separately. That was more poor planning, where I could have saved some time.
But I think overall this is a good scheme, which will work out great as I get things sorted out and plan a little better. Now I have the joy of an upcoming week with a bunch of pre-cooked meals in the freezer, and little to do after work - yay!
Plus, once I get the system tweaked, with good planning I can just make double batches of some things, so that I only have to cook those particular meals every other rotation - as little as every four months. That's pretty awesome.
Meanwhile, I seem to have gotten a cold, which last night had me feeling pretty horrible, although this morning I don't feel quite so bad. It just ticks me off, though. I hate being sick, and especially right now - I'm so far behind at work it's downright frightening, and I really can't afford to either miss any work or be slow and unfocused during the day. I'm hitting my Airborne and hoping for the best. Maybe my frozen meal plan will come in handier than I thought this week, as without having to do all that cooking, I can rest more and hopefully recover faster from the stupid cold.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
A New Scheme: It's Cooking Day
In my never-ending slouch towards nirvana, I have cooked up a new scheme (pun intended).
I have been feeling for awhile as if I don't get nearly enough time during any given week to do things I really want to do ... not things I 'have to' do like cooking and cleaning and laundry, but the things I really want to do, like working on my SCA projects, or gardening, or playing music. The reason for this is that, by the time I get home from work, chill for a few minutes, make dinner, then eat dinner, it's usually 7:30 or 8:00. Yes, that leaves me a couple hours before bed (since my wonderful boyfriend is in charge of cleaning up after dinner, so I don't have to do that), but I'm usually too tired by then, or it just feels too late, to get involved in anything much.
On the weekends, Saturday had turned into errand or chore day ... we'd go to the grocery store in the morning, come home and put all the groceries away, and often had some place else we needed to go, or some unexpected house project that needed done. By the time we got done, most of the afternoon was shot, and it was time to start the dinner downward spiral through the evenings.
That pretty much left me only Sundays, and for years I've been trying to make Sundays my one day a week to do nothing I don't want to do - totally devoted to whatever personal projects I'd like to work on. I didn't think one day out of a whole week was too much to devote to such 'frivolities.' But it has never really worked out that way, because all the stuff from earlier in the week that I didn't get done starts piling up, and I feel compelled - with a whole day free - to take care of it on Sunday (knowing I'm not going to have time to get to it during the upcoming week). So I'd end up spending large chunks of Sunday doing laundry, or cleaning or bill-paying.
And the next thing I knew, it was Monday morning and time to start another week, and I'd had no time for the personal projects I'd really wanted to get to. And week after week, they languished. And I was getting angsty from lack of creative outlets.
So ... I have A Plan. The worst time-eating thing during the week - and the only one I really have any power to modify - was dinner. But, we have to eat, and I'm determined to continue to try to have at least semi-healthy meals, so resorting to TV dinners wasn't an option.
I decided to take a clue from our Pennsic meal plan in the past. I made up table /calendar document, and planned out an entire month's worth of meals in advance (actually, two of them, so we can swap back and forth and have more variety). I populated the menu plan with as many meals or parts of meals as possible that can be cooked in advance and frozen, like in Seal-A-Meal bags or whatever works best. Then, for a large number of weekday evenings, all I have to do for dinner is boil a pot of water, toss in a Seal-A-Meal bag (or pop a pan of something in the oven), and wait for it to heat. Way better than spending an hour or more in the kitchen cooking.
There are several nights during the month when I will actually cook a whole meal - because there are some things I'm not willing to take out of our dinner rotation that just don't lend themselves well to being cooked in advance. But that's okay - if I only have to do it once in awhile, instead of every night, it's no big deal. I don't actually mind cooking ... I was just getting frustrated with the amount of my evening it was taking all the time. And even the nights I'm cooking something from scratch (like baked chicken) I can still have other things that are made in advance and frozen (like rice).
That will free up much more of my evenings, to either spend some time on a project, or to get other chores done like laundry or bill-paying, which will then trickle down and free up more of my weekend.
We also shifted our grocery shopping day to Wednesday after work, so we don't have to do it on Saturdays; and I'm going to work on getting any errand-running done on the way home from work one evening, rather than Saturday.
The result should be more free time during weekday evenings, and much more free time on Saturdays and Sundays.
The one tricky part to all this is, all that food has to be cooked and frozen sometime. So I decided to take one Saturday a month and make it 'cooking day,' when I cook and freeze all the stuff I need for the month's upcoming meals. This weekend is cooking weekend, although I had to move cooking day to today because we had other things going on yesterday.
While I don't particularly want to spend an entire day cooking, I figure a couple things. First, it's not really that hard, and it may not even take all day if I'm productive about it. Second, while some things are cooking that don't require constant monitoring, I can still do other things, like sit and work on an embroidery project. And - it's only one day a month, to have all that time freed up throughout the entire rest of the month. So it seems worth it.
So that's my plan ... this is the first month I'm trying it, we'll see how it goes. And on that note, I'm off to start cooking.
I have been feeling for awhile as if I don't get nearly enough time during any given week to do things I really want to do ... not things I 'have to' do like cooking and cleaning and laundry, but the things I really want to do, like working on my SCA projects, or gardening, or playing music. The reason for this is that, by the time I get home from work, chill for a few minutes, make dinner, then eat dinner, it's usually 7:30 or 8:00. Yes, that leaves me a couple hours before bed (since my wonderful boyfriend is in charge of cleaning up after dinner, so I don't have to do that), but I'm usually too tired by then, or it just feels too late, to get involved in anything much.
On the weekends, Saturday had turned into errand or chore day ... we'd go to the grocery store in the morning, come home and put all the groceries away, and often had some place else we needed to go, or some unexpected house project that needed done. By the time we got done, most of the afternoon was shot, and it was time to start the dinner downward spiral through the evenings.
That pretty much left me only Sundays, and for years I've been trying to make Sundays my one day a week to do nothing I don't want to do - totally devoted to whatever personal projects I'd like to work on. I didn't think one day out of a whole week was too much to devote to such 'frivolities.' But it has never really worked out that way, because all the stuff from earlier in the week that I didn't get done starts piling up, and I feel compelled - with a whole day free - to take care of it on Sunday (knowing I'm not going to have time to get to it during the upcoming week). So I'd end up spending large chunks of Sunday doing laundry, or cleaning or bill-paying.
And the next thing I knew, it was Monday morning and time to start another week, and I'd had no time for the personal projects I'd really wanted to get to. And week after week, they languished. And I was getting angsty from lack of creative outlets.
So ... I have A Plan. The worst time-eating thing during the week - and the only one I really have any power to modify - was dinner. But, we have to eat, and I'm determined to continue to try to have at least semi-healthy meals, so resorting to TV dinners wasn't an option.
I decided to take a clue from our Pennsic meal plan in the past. I made up table /calendar document, and planned out an entire month's worth of meals in advance (actually, two of them, so we can swap back and forth and have more variety). I populated the menu plan with as many meals or parts of meals as possible that can be cooked in advance and frozen, like in Seal-A-Meal bags or whatever works best. Then, for a large number of weekday evenings, all I have to do for dinner is boil a pot of water, toss in a Seal-A-Meal bag (or pop a pan of something in the oven), and wait for it to heat. Way better than spending an hour or more in the kitchen cooking.
There are several nights during the month when I will actually cook a whole meal - because there are some things I'm not willing to take out of our dinner rotation that just don't lend themselves well to being cooked in advance. But that's okay - if I only have to do it once in awhile, instead of every night, it's no big deal. I don't actually mind cooking ... I was just getting frustrated with the amount of my evening it was taking all the time. And even the nights I'm cooking something from scratch (like baked chicken) I can still have other things that are made in advance and frozen (like rice).
That will free up much more of my evenings, to either spend some time on a project, or to get other chores done like laundry or bill-paying, which will then trickle down and free up more of my weekend.
We also shifted our grocery shopping day to Wednesday after work, so we don't have to do it on Saturdays; and I'm going to work on getting any errand-running done on the way home from work one evening, rather than Saturday.
The result should be more free time during weekday evenings, and much more free time on Saturdays and Sundays.
The one tricky part to all this is, all that food has to be cooked and frozen sometime. So I decided to take one Saturday a month and make it 'cooking day,' when I cook and freeze all the stuff I need for the month's upcoming meals. This weekend is cooking weekend, although I had to move cooking day to today because we had other things going on yesterday.
While I don't particularly want to spend an entire day cooking, I figure a couple things. First, it's not really that hard, and it may not even take all day if I'm productive about it. Second, while some things are cooking that don't require constant monitoring, I can still do other things, like sit and work on an embroidery project. And - it's only one day a month, to have all that time freed up throughout the entire rest of the month. So it seems worth it.
So that's my plan ... this is the first month I'm trying it, we'll see how it goes. And on that note, I'm off to start cooking.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Tyler's First Event!
Tyler's first event was a wonderful success! This was, by the way, Melee at Roswell hosted by the Marche of Alderford - a really nice little event I'd reccomend to people from our area. It was only a 2 hour drive, very nice camping area, merchants and classes, and of course the Magic Carpet Kavehane and a bardic circle at night. And of course - they allow dogs!
Taking Tyler went better than either Robin or I expected it would. Tyler settled in just fine, as if he'd been doing this all his life. He only had a couple of small barky moments, but was quickly quieted down. He was a trooper, curious, inquisitive, wanting to explore, wanting to sniff and see everything. He really seemed to enjoy himself.
The only time I worried about him was when we went to bed Saturday night, as it was starting to get kind of chilly - I was okay with it, but he was on top of the blankets, and it had been a little drizzly for just a bit earlier, so it was a damp chill. I finally convinced him to get under the blankets, with his head on my pillow, and he cozily slept that way all the rest of the night - so I know he was toasty warm, because I was.
The potential rain turned out to be a non-issue. It drizzled for maybe half an hour to 45 minutes just as Robin was setting up the bardic circle, but it was so light as to really not matter to anyone - had I not had Tyler I'd have just sat in it, as most everyone else did. But I didn't want him getting wet and cold. A merchant had left her pop-up shade fly set up when she put her wares away, and it was only about 30' from the fire bowl, so Tyler and I hung out there until the rain stopped and the stars came out, then relocated back to the fire. I sat with him on a blanket on the ground, wrapped him up in my cloak, and he went to sleep.
The only other rain was after we'd finished packing up and had just gotten in the truck to leave - so no harm, no foul there.
Pictures:
Our little camp set-up.
The Magic Carpet Kavehane - the turkish coffee house / Celtistani bardic hangout.
The proprietors, Lady J and Llewellyn, serve up turkish coffee and turkish delight for a simple price - a song, a tale, or a joke. We heard some wonderful performers. Unfortunately I didn't get any of their names. Harps were abounding this year.
Robin at the Kavehane.
Pictures of Tyler! He didn't have any garb, so his piratey get-up had to do.
Yes, even camping he gets his home-cooked meals.
While I was fixing dinner, he decided to rest up with a nap. It's hard to see him, he's all curled up in a ball.
Around camp. He really liked this bridge for some reason.
But while we were packing up, he let me know he was ready to go - standing at the open truck door looking longingly at the seat. (or maybe it was just the cheese and crackers that were temporarily stashed there ...).
All settled in for the ride / nap home.
And he is now completely passed out in the chair downstairs, having a good long nap ... which is exactly what I'd like to be doing, but I think I'll try to work up the energy to help unload the truck and put our stuff away instead. Ah, the dog's life.
Taking Tyler went better than either Robin or I expected it would. Tyler settled in just fine, as if he'd been doing this all his life. He only had a couple of small barky moments, but was quickly quieted down. He was a trooper, curious, inquisitive, wanting to explore, wanting to sniff and see everything. He really seemed to enjoy himself.
The only time I worried about him was when we went to bed Saturday night, as it was starting to get kind of chilly - I was okay with it, but he was on top of the blankets, and it had been a little drizzly for just a bit earlier, so it was a damp chill. I finally convinced him to get under the blankets, with his head on my pillow, and he cozily slept that way all the rest of the night - so I know he was toasty warm, because I was.
The potential rain turned out to be a non-issue. It drizzled for maybe half an hour to 45 minutes just as Robin was setting up the bardic circle, but it was so light as to really not matter to anyone - had I not had Tyler I'd have just sat in it, as most everyone else did. But I didn't want him getting wet and cold. A merchant had left her pop-up shade fly set up when she put her wares away, and it was only about 30' from the fire bowl, so Tyler and I hung out there until the rain stopped and the stars came out, then relocated back to the fire. I sat with him on a blanket on the ground, wrapped him up in my cloak, and he went to sleep.
The only other rain was after we'd finished packing up and had just gotten in the truck to leave - so no harm, no foul there.
Pictures:
Our little camp set-up.
The Magic Carpet Kavehane - the turkish coffee house / Celtistani bardic hangout.
The proprietors, Lady J and Llewellyn, serve up turkish coffee and turkish delight for a simple price - a song, a tale, or a joke. We heard some wonderful performers. Unfortunately I didn't get any of their names. Harps were abounding this year.
Robin at the Kavehane.
Pictures of Tyler! He didn't have any garb, so his piratey get-up had to do.
Yes, even camping he gets his home-cooked meals.
While I was fixing dinner, he decided to rest up with a nap. It's hard to see him, he's all curled up in a ball.
Around camp. He really liked this bridge for some reason.
But while we were packing up, he let me know he was ready to go - standing at the open truck door looking longingly at the seat. (or maybe it was just the cheese and crackers that were temporarily stashed there ...).
All settled in for the ride / nap home.
And he is now completely passed out in the chair downstairs, having a good long nap ... which is exactly what I'd like to be doing, but I think I'll try to work up the energy to help unload the truck and put our stuff away instead. Ah, the dog's life.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Eventing We Will Go ...
It's time for an impromptu event this weekend! I knew about this a couple weeks ago, but we weren't planning to go - primarily because of having no dog-sitter. Then I found out they allow pets. There was another event in June that allowed pets, but I had chosen not to take Tyler because ... well, I'm not sure, I just was concerned it would be a major pain in the butt. He's never been camping before, and he tends to bark excessively in new surroundings.
But this time, for some reason, I was feeling adventurous. So we decided to go, and take him! Initially we were going to go tonight, but we couldn't pull it together in time, so we're all packed up and leaving very early in the morning, hoping to get there before 9:00 a.m. (and it's about a 2 hour drive).
I'm so psyched! I'm really looking forward to this little event for some reason. Maybe because I've been to too few this year, and because I can take Tyler - instead of having to labor over finding someone to watch him, and worrying about him while I'm gone.
I still don't know how he's going to handle it, or behave, but ... I figure the worst case scenario is that I'll have to sit on a blanket on the ground with him practically in my lap rubbing his belly all weekend. (that always calms him down, so no matter what he's doing, that should stop it) And I can't see the down side of that, me and Tyler having a whole day of serious 'us' time couldn't hurt anything.
But I doubt it'll be as bad as all that. I mean, he's traveled before - he's been to the ocean 3 times now, and always handled the beach quite well. We've been on other numerous small trips. So he's not a total travel novice.
I think we'll end up having a grand time, Tyler included - because he does still love to get out to new places and explore. So I think we're going to have a blast.
Updates, and pictures of Tyler's first camping event, Sunday evening.
But this time, for some reason, I was feeling adventurous. So we decided to go, and take him! Initially we were going to go tonight, but we couldn't pull it together in time, so we're all packed up and leaving very early in the morning, hoping to get there before 9:00 a.m. (and it's about a 2 hour drive).
I'm so psyched! I'm really looking forward to this little event for some reason. Maybe because I've been to too few this year, and because I can take Tyler - instead of having to labor over finding someone to watch him, and worrying about him while I'm gone.
I still don't know how he's going to handle it, or behave, but ... I figure the worst case scenario is that I'll have to sit on a blanket on the ground with him practically in my lap rubbing his belly all weekend. (that always calms him down, so no matter what he's doing, that should stop it) And I can't see the down side of that, me and Tyler having a whole day of serious 'us' time couldn't hurt anything.
But I doubt it'll be as bad as all that. I mean, he's traveled before - he's been to the ocean 3 times now, and always handled the beach quite well. We've been on other numerous small trips. So he's not a total travel novice.
I think we'll end up having a grand time, Tyler included - because he does still love to get out to new places and explore. So I think we're going to have a blast.
Updates, and pictures of Tyler's first camping event, Sunday evening.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
My Little Obsessions: Morocco
Those who know me know that I occasionally go off on these wild tangents of becoming completely obsessed and immersed in some obscure topic for a period of time. These topics can be - and usually are - varied, unrelated, and sometimes downright bizarre.
Often these are mere passing fancies; I become enamored of a topic for a brief period of time (a few hours to a few days or a week or so). Sometimes, the fancy doesn't pass so quickly, and I may stay obsessed with a topic for a few months, but eventually it fades. There are rare few things that stay with me for long periods of time (though there are a few; which usually show up here as categories on the blog).
Right now I'm in the middle of a moderate obsession with Morocco. I am unsure what spawned it, as with many of these things. Well, I can trace it ... just don't know what made "this one" click.
I do an online crossword every morning. Almost every day, while doing the crossword, some clue or answer will be something strange and intriguing that makes me go "Hmm, I'd like to know more about that." And I'll go do a Wikipedia read on it, and if it interests me beyond that, I might do a Dogpile search, and read about it for a few hours, till I've lost interest or learned all I cared to know.
Recently one of the answers was "Africa." I thought, "You know, I've always been kind of mildly interested in Africa, but really know nothing about it." And that was true ... I've always been kind of fascinated with the visions of the great Serengeti plains with their majestic wild animals, or the Sahara desert with its nomadic Bedouins and camels. I loved "Out of Africa." But that was about the extent of my (meager, pathetic) knowledge.
So I went to read up about Africa on Wikipedia, and while reviewing the different areas, ran onto Morocco. "Oh!" I thought. "I'm not even sure I knew Morocco was in Africa. That sounds interesting." I mean, what about Morocco doesn't sound fascinating?
The details get blurry here, but at some point I combined my recent re-enthusiasm for embroidery with my more-recent enthusiasm for things African and particularly Moroccan, and ran onto "My Marrakesh" - a blog which is also linked in my sidebar now, and which is nothing short of fascinating. I found it because Maryam has a passion for Moroccan embroidery (although apparently she doesn't do it herself; just likes to look).
So I am currently completely, madly in love with all things Moroccan, and most particularly Moroccan art and embroidery. I want to spend a month in Morocco. I want to study and incorporate Moroccan embroidery and artistic themes into my own work.
Will I? Who the hell knows. I'm flighty that way.
Although I did do something tonight that I can honestly say I've never done before. I sent an email to Morocco. Through Maryam's blog, I found a link to an antique dealer in Tangier, who had this for sale. Of all the beautiful textiles they offer, I really fell for this one. But they don't give outright prices on this website, they tell you to write for information. So I sent an email to their "international sales agent" (who shares the same last name as the owner, so I assume it's a family business). I'm going to find out how much this beautiful Fez embroidered veil is, and whether or not I can afford it.
If I can't, well, no harm no foul. I'll have corresponded with a dealer in Morocco regarding an embroidery ... and that in itself is pretty darned cool.
Will I remain interested in Morocco past next Wednesday? Will I study and learn Moroccan embroidery? Will I acquire the international Fez veil? Stay tuned ... !
Often these are mere passing fancies; I become enamored of a topic for a brief period of time (a few hours to a few days or a week or so). Sometimes, the fancy doesn't pass so quickly, and I may stay obsessed with a topic for a few months, but eventually it fades. There are rare few things that stay with me for long periods of time (though there are a few; which usually show up here as categories on the blog).
Right now I'm in the middle of a moderate obsession with Morocco. I am unsure what spawned it, as with many of these things. Well, I can trace it ... just don't know what made "this one" click.
I do an online crossword every morning. Almost every day, while doing the crossword, some clue or answer will be something strange and intriguing that makes me go "Hmm, I'd like to know more about that." And I'll go do a Wikipedia read on it, and if it interests me beyond that, I might do a Dogpile search, and read about it for a few hours, till I've lost interest or learned all I cared to know.
Recently one of the answers was "Africa." I thought, "You know, I've always been kind of mildly interested in Africa, but really know nothing about it." And that was true ... I've always been kind of fascinated with the visions of the great Serengeti plains with their majestic wild animals, or the Sahara desert with its nomadic Bedouins and camels. I loved "Out of Africa." But that was about the extent of my (meager, pathetic) knowledge.
So I went to read up about Africa on Wikipedia, and while reviewing the different areas, ran onto Morocco. "Oh!" I thought. "I'm not even sure I knew Morocco was in Africa. That sounds interesting." I mean, what about Morocco doesn't sound fascinating?
The details get blurry here, but at some point I combined my recent re-enthusiasm for embroidery with my more-recent enthusiasm for things African and particularly Moroccan, and ran onto "My Marrakesh" - a blog which is also linked in my sidebar now, and which is nothing short of fascinating. I found it because Maryam has a passion for Moroccan embroidery (although apparently she doesn't do it herself; just likes to look).
So I am currently completely, madly in love with all things Moroccan, and most particularly Moroccan art and embroidery. I want to spend a month in Morocco. I want to study and incorporate Moroccan embroidery and artistic themes into my own work.
Will I? Who the hell knows. I'm flighty that way.
Although I did do something tonight that I can honestly say I've never done before. I sent an email to Morocco. Through Maryam's blog, I found a link to an antique dealer in Tangier, who had this for sale. Of all the beautiful textiles they offer, I really fell for this one. But they don't give outright prices on this website, they tell you to write for information. So I sent an email to their "international sales agent" (who shares the same last name as the owner, so I assume it's a family business). I'm going to find out how much this beautiful Fez embroidered veil is, and whether or not I can afford it.
If I can't, well, no harm no foul. I'll have corresponded with a dealer in Morocco regarding an embroidery ... and that in itself is pretty darned cool.
Will I remain interested in Morocco past next Wednesday? Will I study and learn Moroccan embroidery? Will I acquire the international Fez veil? Stay tuned ... !
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Getting Back To The Routine
Nothing much going on this week. The weekend, however, will be busy. I have Plans. Today Tyler finally gets to go to the groomer (he's about 3 weeks overdue, poor dog - but they were closed for vacations, then I was on vacation). He'll be thrilled. I'm also hitting the laundromat while I'm out, to wash the mega sleeping bag from Pennsic that won't fit in my home washer.
There's a trip to a craft store to get some more embroidery floss; and grocery shopping. And house projects.
We've had a couple of water issues in the past two weeks. There's a spot on the basement wall where, during some torrential rains the first week of Pennsic, there was a bit of water on the wall. This had happened before, prior to our buying the place, but it was relatively cleaned up and we hoped it was resolved (the sellers had little to say about it). Turned out it wasn't, but it also turns out to look like maybe it was just the flashing around the furnace chimney leaking up at the top, causing water to run down the inside of the chimney and seep out around a small metal door in the basement wall that opens into the chimney. Greg patched the flashing leak, and I'm pretty confident that should fix the problem - we'll know after the next Biblical flood. If not, well then, we'll burn that bridge when we come to it.
There was a small amount of water puddling around the main water line where it enters the basement, but I have a feeling that had to do more with condensation than a leak. There was also a puddle of water on top of a capped drain of some sort in the bathroom, which I know for a fact wasn't leaking, but was from condensation, and the basement has been horribly damp in the last month or two. We need a dehumidifier, big time. There was one in the basement, but it was very old, and I remember my dad telling me when he used to run his that they really ran up his electric bill. I was going to hold out to shop around for a newer, hopefully more energy efficient one, but we finally decided it was so bad we'd at least run the old one for a little while. So it's been running, and has helped out a lot.
Then there's the slightly scarier one, there's a new water damage spot on the ceiling of the kids' room, which corresponds with the upstairs bathroom. It's small, and not getting any worse from when I first spotted it. I'm hopeful that it's not too disastrous - while it's going to be in an awkward spot (back in the crawl space), I believe it's accessible, as there is no plumbing upstairs that isn't accessible through the crawl space, so it should be reasonably fixable.
Just have to have time to do all this stuff.
When we bought the house there was some dampness in the living room closet by the front door, which was determined to be from ice dams in the gutter right outside that closet wall. The sellers did agree to have that fixed, and pre-paid a company to do it, but they had to wait till a thaw. We finally called them this month, as it was pretty apparent they'd never shown up to fix it, and we were right - they hadn't. So they're coming out tomorrow - but at least (a) that will get fixed by a professional, with a guarantee, and (b) we didn't have to pay for it.
Sheesh, this house has had some watery issues, but fortunately (knocking loudly on wood) nothing too serious yet. As Greg said when we bought the house, the place is solidly constructed and was always well maintained, so I think a lot of these little things are just from the place sitting empty for more than 2 years, and as we get the maintenance back up to par, I don't think we're going to have any major problems. (more knocking on wood)
As for me, I'll be focusing on continuing to put Pennsic stuff away, cleaning out the dining room (where most of my Pennsic stuff has lived for the last week), and cleaning out the garage. Oh, and cleaning up the Imaginarium, if I can get to it. It's become wrecked over the last few months, because that's where we keep sticking things we don't know what else to do with. But I want to start cleaning it up, because I want to start using it for it's original intention - the craft and hobby area. I have a lot of projects ramping up now, and I want a nice, organized place to work on them.
I'm going to start working on the mold for the Saxon Summer medallions this weekend. I have new garb I want to make (might as well jump on it now while I'm still psyched, before the mid-winter disinterest sets in). We've been wanting to make new sheet wall panels for several years. I want to do some more work on the priate coat embroidery, and I have other embroidery projects I'm really psyched about. I also have Librivox projects lined up, for which I need to tweak the recording studio area - it was giving me grief on the last recording, so I want to rearrange it a little bit before I start any new recordings.
I guess that's enough to start with. So ... that's my weekend. Busy, busy, busy.
There's a trip to a craft store to get some more embroidery floss; and grocery shopping. And house projects.
We've had a couple of water issues in the past two weeks. There's a spot on the basement wall where, during some torrential rains the first week of Pennsic, there was a bit of water on the wall. This had happened before, prior to our buying the place, but it was relatively cleaned up and we hoped it was resolved (the sellers had little to say about it). Turned out it wasn't, but it also turns out to look like maybe it was just the flashing around the furnace chimney leaking up at the top, causing water to run down the inside of the chimney and seep out around a small metal door in the basement wall that opens into the chimney. Greg patched the flashing leak, and I'm pretty confident that should fix the problem - we'll know after the next Biblical flood. If not, well then, we'll burn that bridge when we come to it.
There was a small amount of water puddling around the main water line where it enters the basement, but I have a feeling that had to do more with condensation than a leak. There was also a puddle of water on top of a capped drain of some sort in the bathroom, which I know for a fact wasn't leaking, but was from condensation, and the basement has been horribly damp in the last month or two. We need a dehumidifier, big time. There was one in the basement, but it was very old, and I remember my dad telling me when he used to run his that they really ran up his electric bill. I was going to hold out to shop around for a newer, hopefully more energy efficient one, but we finally decided it was so bad we'd at least run the old one for a little while. So it's been running, and has helped out a lot.
Then there's the slightly scarier one, there's a new water damage spot on the ceiling of the kids' room, which corresponds with the upstairs bathroom. It's small, and not getting any worse from when I first spotted it. I'm hopeful that it's not too disastrous - while it's going to be in an awkward spot (back in the crawl space), I believe it's accessible, as there is no plumbing upstairs that isn't accessible through the crawl space, so it should be reasonably fixable.
Just have to have time to do all this stuff.
When we bought the house there was some dampness in the living room closet by the front door, which was determined to be from ice dams in the gutter right outside that closet wall. The sellers did agree to have that fixed, and pre-paid a company to do it, but they had to wait till a thaw. We finally called them this month, as it was pretty apparent they'd never shown up to fix it, and we were right - they hadn't. So they're coming out tomorrow - but at least (a) that will get fixed by a professional, with a guarantee, and (b) we didn't have to pay for it.
Sheesh, this house has had some watery issues, but fortunately (knocking loudly on wood) nothing too serious yet. As Greg said when we bought the house, the place is solidly constructed and was always well maintained, so I think a lot of these little things are just from the place sitting empty for more than 2 years, and as we get the maintenance back up to par, I don't think we're going to have any major problems. (more knocking on wood)
As for me, I'll be focusing on continuing to put Pennsic stuff away, cleaning out the dining room (where most of my Pennsic stuff has lived for the last week), and cleaning out the garage. Oh, and cleaning up the Imaginarium, if I can get to it. It's become wrecked over the last few months, because that's where we keep sticking things we don't know what else to do with. But I want to start cleaning it up, because I want to start using it for it's original intention - the craft and hobby area. I have a lot of projects ramping up now, and I want a nice, organized place to work on them.
I'm going to start working on the mold for the Saxon Summer medallions this weekend. I have new garb I want to make (might as well jump on it now while I'm still psyched, before the mid-winter disinterest sets in). We've been wanting to make new sheet wall panels for several years. I want to do some more work on the priate coat embroidery, and I have other embroidery projects I'm really psyched about. I also have Librivox projects lined up, for which I need to tweak the recording studio area - it was giving me grief on the last recording, so I want to rearrange it a little bit before I start any new recordings.
I guess that's enough to start with. So ... that's my weekend. Busy, busy, busy.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
As Promised ... Post-Pennsic Wrap-Up
I can describe this Pennsic in one word: WOW.
This is my 8th Pennsic - not an old vet, but been to a few - and this was the best one so far. There were just so many wonderful things.
The weather was grand ... not blazingly hot like normal, only rained a couple times after I got there (once was in the middle of the night, after we'd gone to bed, so no harm, no foul). The combination of the cooler weather and the fact that I seem to have finally learned the art of moderation in drinking at Pennsic enabled me to get out and about a lot more than many past Pennsics - I was waking up at a decent hour, feeling good, and the heat didn't wreck me by noon.
Robin and I spent more time together than we have at any Pennsic yet, which made it especially great.
We had a bunch of new people with us, and they were all awesome. We had two wonderful musicians new to our camp this year. They are part of a group known as Circa Paleo who are currently playing the Great Lakes Medieval Faire. These two were not only phenomenal musicians, but just fantastic people that it was great fun to camp with.
We did a very minimalist trip this year, and it worked out so great. I didn't even start packing till like the day before I was to go, and had little to deal with there or pack up to bring home. It was so liberating. Of course, that plan needs a little tweaking ... because I also showed up with no rum (someone made a town run, fortunately), and not enough food. But I managed, survived, thrived even. As long as I make sure to get more of the essentials next year, I think this minimalist plan is going to serve us well.
It's hard to put into words what all went into making this such a great Pennsic. Those are some of the things, but it's like, the total awesomeness was more than the sum of it's parts. Just really grand.
On to some pictures!
A lot of people with disabilities still like to enjoy Pennsic by way of one of those powered chairs. But I say, if you're going to do it, play the game!
And how do people who are using scooters know where to park them?
One of the things that is so cool about Pennsic is all the neat stuff to see, just walking around. Some people put a lot of work into making it all look great - nice sheet walls, gates, period pavilions for those who can afford them (one of these days!). Here are a few of the ones I liked.
Of course, sometimes it's just funny.
Some other fun shots.
The Shire of Hornwood in their 'shire colors' socks Lady Hannah bought for everyone, as a fun little thing to do on our last night there. She got us (Sea Chameleon) socks too - mine in my colors, purple and green. (for some reason I seem to have lost the picture of our crew in our socks ... bummer).
Hanging out in our camp.
Shepherd, Eve, Hannah, Archibald, and Elsbeth getting ready to attend Aethelmearc Court.
But all good things must come to an end ...
... and it's kind of rough this year. My first few Pennsics, I missed it so much when I came home, I would get serious post-Pennsic depressions and do weird things like continue to use my mug and feast gear for all my meals for weeks afterwards. Then I went through a few years where almost every year when I left, I swore I wasn't going back the following year (though I always did). This one was so great, I'm feeling pretty sad about it being over. The week went so fast ... I don't think I'll resort to using my feast gear all the time, but I do miss it. That's great motivation, though, to start working on all those Pennsic camp projects always percolating in my head, that I have such a hard time getting motivated to do.
I said it's hard to put into words what was so great about it, but I think there are two more things that helped a lot. First, with my getting to go at all being so up in the air, I felt really grateful to even be there, instead of taking it for granted. And second, I'm finally learning not to go to Pennsic with a bunch of expectations, because that always sets you up for disappointment. This year it was more along the lines of just being glad to be there, and accepting whatever happened as just part of the whole experience. My token phrase was that I planned to be all 'bohemian' this year, taking nothing extraneous, taking it moment by moment, and making sure that whatever I was doing was something I wanted to be doing. It sure seemed to work out well.
This is my 8th Pennsic - not an old vet, but been to a few - and this was the best one so far. There were just so many wonderful things.
The weather was grand ... not blazingly hot like normal, only rained a couple times after I got there (once was in the middle of the night, after we'd gone to bed, so no harm, no foul). The combination of the cooler weather and the fact that I seem to have finally learned the art of moderation in drinking at Pennsic enabled me to get out and about a lot more than many past Pennsics - I was waking up at a decent hour, feeling good, and the heat didn't wreck me by noon.
Robin and I spent more time together than we have at any Pennsic yet, which made it especially great.
We had a bunch of new people with us, and they were all awesome. We had two wonderful musicians new to our camp this year. They are part of a group known as Circa Paleo who are currently playing the Great Lakes Medieval Faire. These two were not only phenomenal musicians, but just fantastic people that it was great fun to camp with.
We did a very minimalist trip this year, and it worked out so great. I didn't even start packing till like the day before I was to go, and had little to deal with there or pack up to bring home. It was so liberating. Of course, that plan needs a little tweaking ... because I also showed up with no rum (someone made a town run, fortunately), and not enough food. But I managed, survived, thrived even. As long as I make sure to get more of the essentials next year, I think this minimalist plan is going to serve us well.
It's hard to put into words what all went into making this such a great Pennsic. Those are some of the things, but it's like, the total awesomeness was more than the sum of it's parts. Just really grand.
On to some pictures!
A lot of people with disabilities still like to enjoy Pennsic by way of one of those powered chairs. But I say, if you're going to do it, play the game!
And how do people who are using scooters know where to park them?
One of the things that is so cool about Pennsic is all the neat stuff to see, just walking around. Some people put a lot of work into making it all look great - nice sheet walls, gates, period pavilions for those who can afford them (one of these days!). Here are a few of the ones I liked.
Of course, sometimes it's just funny.
Some other fun shots.
The Shire of Hornwood in their 'shire colors' socks Lady Hannah bought for everyone, as a fun little thing to do on our last night there. She got us (Sea Chameleon) socks too - mine in my colors, purple and green. (for some reason I seem to have lost the picture of our crew in our socks ... bummer).
Hanging out in our camp.
Shepherd, Eve, Hannah, Archibald, and Elsbeth getting ready to attend Aethelmearc Court.
But all good things must come to an end ...
... and it's kind of rough this year. My first few Pennsics, I missed it so much when I came home, I would get serious post-Pennsic depressions and do weird things like continue to use my mug and feast gear for all my meals for weeks afterwards. Then I went through a few years where almost every year when I left, I swore I wasn't going back the following year (though I always did). This one was so great, I'm feeling pretty sad about it being over. The week went so fast ... I don't think I'll resort to using my feast gear all the time, but I do miss it. That's great motivation, though, to start working on all those Pennsic camp projects always percolating in my head, that I have such a hard time getting motivated to do.
I said it's hard to put into words what was so great about it, but I think there are two more things that helped a lot. First, with my getting to go at all being so up in the air, I felt really grateful to even be there, instead of taking it for granted. And second, I'm finally learning not to go to Pennsic with a bunch of expectations, because that always sets you up for disappointment. This year it was more along the lines of just being glad to be there, and accepting whatever happened as just part of the whole experience. My token phrase was that I planned to be all 'bohemian' this year, taking nothing extraneous, taking it moment by moment, and making sure that whatever I was doing was something I wanted to be doing. It sure seemed to work out well.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Lucky 7s?
This is, honest-to-God, the forecast for today for Portersville, PA (the town nearest Pennsic).
Today: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 7am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind at 7 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
(Had that been 70% it would have been even better).
Today: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 7am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind at 7 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
(Had that been 70% it would have been even better).
Saturday, August 1, 2009
A Little Bit Of Stupidity, But Lots Of Good News
What did I say about throwing all sense to the wind? Apparently I got an early jump on it. I decided to night trip last night. I had kept Tyler busy all evening, games, several long walks, brushing, everything I could think of to lavish attention on him. The result was that he got very tired (or very sick of me) and went to bed about 8:45. So I did my trick of setting up the TV for him, turned on the ocean, made sure he was settled in, and headed off to Pennsic, getting there about 10:00.
I don't know what I had in mind, if I even had anything in mind, but what happened was this: I ended up staying up all night, closing the Chalkman with Greg, and Michael, and Millie, and Connor, and some other people who elude me at the moment. Then a few of us went to Gabriel's for a bit, till dawn anyway. Then I decided it was probably time to go, and I went home about 7:00 a.m.
Bad, bad, bad mistake. I almost fell asleep about 7 or 8 times on the way home. The only time I have ever had that much trouble driving home without falling asleep was leaving Pennsic a few years ago when I got off site late, after a day of packing up, and decided to try a different route home, and got mildly lost, so went way out of my way and took far longer getting home than I should have (and it wasn't even that late, it was probably 10:00 or 11:00 at night). I've driven home from places at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning; I've driven home from places at 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning after a few hours sleep. Those weren't so bad. This was a nightmare. Never, never again.
But on the good news side, I did have an awesome good time! It was one of the best nights I've ever had at Pennsic, so all in all (considering I did arrive home in one piece), it was worth it. In fact, I feel like Greg told me earlier this week about how his Pennsic was going - if that one night was all I got, I would consider it worth it. (But that doesn't mean I'm not glad I'm getting more!)
Also good news, Tyler was fine - sound asleep, as he probably had been all night and never even noticed I was gone. I actually had to wake him up to take him outside so I could get him out before I passed out. Unfortunately, then he had to endure going back to bed, because I had to get some sleep. Also unfortunately, I woke up again around 11:00 a.m., which wasn't nearly long enough, and I've been a total train wreck all day.
Meanwhile, after last night I realized there can be no more night-tripping, but I didn't want to only daytrip - I wanted to be able to be there at night at least a couple times. So I went ahead and told my dogsitter we were on, and I am going out tomorrow to stay. But she's coming in the morning instead of the evening, giving me more time tomorrow; and she agreed to an extra day at the end of the week, so I don't have to come home till Saturday. That makes it much more worthwhile.
And the more good news is, the forecast has shifted slightly - now there's only a slight chance of rain on Sunday and Tuesday, and all the rest of the days are supposed to be sunny. Yay!
The place was somewhat wet, but not unbearable yet (at least above the lake; I wasn't down there, but I heard it was worse). The roads were only sloppy in a few places, and otherwise drying out already; part of the parking lot was roped off because cars were mired in mud (they were pulling one out with a tractor on my way through). But the backside of the hill was fine, and I had no trouble parking. The place wasn't as bad as I feared from all the rain we had here ... so if the forecast doesn't change for the worse, things should be fine the rest of the week. And wonder of wonders, it won't be unbearably hot! Sunny and in the high 70s or low 80s - nothing could be more perfect.
So for all that angst, things are looking up. I have a list of about 25 things I have to do today, since I didn't do any of my last minute getting-ready stuff over the last few days, because I didn't know what was going on. I've been forcing myself through sheer willpower (at least now I know I actually have some) to work my way through everything on that list, because I have to get it done, and I can't just sit around feeling miserable all day long. (I did try to take a nap, but for some stupid reason, as exhausted as I am, I couldn't sleep; I'm like exhausted and jittery all at the same time). I'm getting through the list, and should have everything done in time to take off tomorrow morning after the dog-sitter shows up. (She's also staying for the week, not going back and forth, so someone will be at the house; that's cool).
So ... off to Pennsic tomorrow. Post-Pennsic wrap-up next weekend.
I don't know what I had in mind, if I even had anything in mind, but what happened was this: I ended up staying up all night, closing the Chalkman with Greg, and Michael, and Millie, and Connor, and some other people who elude me at the moment. Then a few of us went to Gabriel's for a bit, till dawn anyway. Then I decided it was probably time to go, and I went home about 7:00 a.m.
Bad, bad, bad mistake. I almost fell asleep about 7 or 8 times on the way home. The only time I have ever had that much trouble driving home without falling asleep was leaving Pennsic a few years ago when I got off site late, after a day of packing up, and decided to try a different route home, and got mildly lost, so went way out of my way and took far longer getting home than I should have (and it wasn't even that late, it was probably 10:00 or 11:00 at night). I've driven home from places at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning; I've driven home from places at 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning after a few hours sleep. Those weren't so bad. This was a nightmare. Never, never again.
But on the good news side, I did have an awesome good time! It was one of the best nights I've ever had at Pennsic, so all in all (considering I did arrive home in one piece), it was worth it. In fact, I feel like Greg told me earlier this week about how his Pennsic was going - if that one night was all I got, I would consider it worth it. (But that doesn't mean I'm not glad I'm getting more!)
Also good news, Tyler was fine - sound asleep, as he probably had been all night and never even noticed I was gone. I actually had to wake him up to take him outside so I could get him out before I passed out. Unfortunately, then he had to endure going back to bed, because I had to get some sleep. Also unfortunately, I woke up again around 11:00 a.m., which wasn't nearly long enough, and I've been a total train wreck all day.
Meanwhile, after last night I realized there can be no more night-tripping, but I didn't want to only daytrip - I wanted to be able to be there at night at least a couple times. So I went ahead and told my dogsitter we were on, and I am going out tomorrow to stay. But she's coming in the morning instead of the evening, giving me more time tomorrow; and she agreed to an extra day at the end of the week, so I don't have to come home till Saturday. That makes it much more worthwhile.
And the more good news is, the forecast has shifted slightly - now there's only a slight chance of rain on Sunday and Tuesday, and all the rest of the days are supposed to be sunny. Yay!
The place was somewhat wet, but not unbearable yet (at least above the lake; I wasn't down there, but I heard it was worse). The roads were only sloppy in a few places, and otherwise drying out already; part of the parking lot was roped off because cars were mired in mud (they were pulling one out with a tractor on my way through). But the backside of the hill was fine, and I had no trouble parking. The place wasn't as bad as I feared from all the rain we had here ... so if the forecast doesn't change for the worse, things should be fine the rest of the week. And wonder of wonders, it won't be unbearably hot! Sunny and in the high 70s or low 80s - nothing could be more perfect.
So for all that angst, things are looking up. I have a list of about 25 things I have to do today, since I didn't do any of my last minute getting-ready stuff over the last few days, because I didn't know what was going on. I've been forcing myself through sheer willpower (at least now I know I actually have some) to work my way through everything on that list, because I have to get it done, and I can't just sit around feeling miserable all day long. (I did try to take a nap, but for some stupid reason, as exhausted as I am, I couldn't sleep; I'm like exhausted and jittery all at the same time). I'm getting through the list, and should have everything done in time to take off tomorrow morning after the dog-sitter shows up. (She's also staying for the week, not going back and forth, so someone will be at the house; that's cool).
So ... off to Pennsic tomorrow. Post-Pennsic wrap-up next weekend.
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