Archive for the ‘hobbies’ Category

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workin’ from home

Thursday, August 21st, 2008

Is really kind of awesome!  At my new job, we get to work from home as long as we don’t abuse the privilege (i.e., when you have to sit at home during a 6-hour window for a 3-minute service call).

I had to wait for the not-blind blind man to come measure the basement sliding glass door so we can get new vertical blinds put up - which took him all of 37 seconds.  So I left work early this afternoon - which meant I was 2 hours behind on my workday.

But, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I was able to vpn into my work network and remote desktop to my machine.  And work for two hours! 

My tiny little laptop screen isn’t the best thing for juggling a java ide, two web browsers (gotta make my web app work in IE and FF …), an oracle ide, notepad++, and my services manager, but it works well enough.  Especially since now I’ll be able to have a regular-ol’ 8-hour friday tomorrow. 

Posted in nerdly, technogeeky, work | No Comments »

strippin’ in the backyard

Saturday, August 9th, 2008

A few weeks back, I picked up some stripping gloves.  At home depot.  A lovely orange pair, one size fits all.

I finally got around to trying them out today, in the backyard.  With all my basement painting, I decided I didn’t want to continue the trend of painting the breaker box cover the same as the walls.  Because, well, flat paint isn’t the best thing to use for something that people put their hands on.  And also, there were several chips in the paint, making the overall effect look haphazard and lazy.

And so I removed all that paint, with a little help from some pretty serious paint stripper.  And my stripping gloves.  (That just never gets old!)  And an old paint brush.  And a kitchen scrubby.  And some rags.

Once all the layers of paint were gone, I sprayed the cover with some metal-colored enamel spray paint.  Because I don’t mind if metal looks like metal.  

So yeah, I spent my afternoon strippin’ in the backyard.  And the husband is in vegas and missed the whole thing … 

Posted in home improvements | No Comments »

pleeeeeease, can I dry my hair in the baaaaaathrooooooom?

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

We’re coming up on the 3-year house anniversary.  And it’s been 3 years of drying my hair in the hallway.  Because the bathroom outlets don’t work.

They managed to pass inspection just fine - but somewhere between the inspection and my first attempt at drying my hair, they stopped working.  Granted, I blow dry my hair about once every 2 months, so who knows how long it was after we moved in that I discovered it.  Who knows what may have happened.  Malicious sellers?  Careless cable or direct tv installers?  Or maybe my 1875-watt monster of a hair dry made the wires asplode.

So as part of the bathroom remodel, we negotiated in that they would fix the outlet and put in a GFI.  Because it had no such protections.

The electrician is here now, and informed me that the … wire? … is only for 15 amps, not 20 amps as is standard these days for bathrooms.  

He has discovered that our GFI is in the basement utility room.  When it is not tripped, the utility room, porch outlet, and two bathrooms work.  The backyard outlet (never even knew we had one …) and the upstairs bathrooms never work ….

The electrician is going to steal power from the upstairs hall, feed it to the guest bath, and use that to power the master bath.  (With GFI protections, of course.)  He can’t upgrade the wire without tearing up all the walls through the entire house, so I’ll be stuck with a wimpy 15 amps.  That probably won’t power my one-true-love of a hair dryer.  But - at least the husband will be able to shave in the bathroom …

Posted in general complaints, home improvements | 5 Comments »

the biggest shower known to man!

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

So they’ve finished tiling the shower, and it is AWESOME!  We have an 8′x10′ bathroom.  And now a 5′x5′ shower.

I imagine it’ll take some time to warm up the nice big shower in the cold winter months.  I think that’s when I’ll start making the husband get up first in the morning …

Posted in home improvements | No Comments »

back to work

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

I headed back to work yesterday, which is good, because I really like spending money.  And buying stuff.  So a paycheck coming in really helps make that habit work.

Yesterday was filling out forms and learning about benefits and policies.  The boss man chatted at me for a few minutes in the afternoon to talk about what I was going to be doing, but since it was the first time in, well, 17 days that I had pulled myself out of bed before 7 am, it was mostly in one ear and out the other … 

This morning was meeting all the bigwigs and getting computer accounts.  And this afternoon was setting up my computer!  Eclipse and plugins (wtp and subclipse), tortoisesvn, tomcat, all the necessities.  I’m toying with the idea of buying a textpad license, I do so love textpad.  Even if you can’t edit hex in it.

I pulled down the code I’m going to be working on and determined it’s a spring-based web app.  With test code!  It does so warm my heart to see test code.

And, I get a window office!  It’s a 3 person office, but my desk is right in the window.  On the 15th floor.  Overlooking a hotel pool.  So when I get bored, I can look out and see little bitty peoples swimming.  (Seriously bitty - I can’t tell what gender they even are.  Promise.  So I’m totally not pervy.)

There’s no place on my desk for my batmobile, I have cupboards over my desk instead of open shelves like my last desk.  Which really is a shame, the batmobile is awesome.  And a half.  It should be shared with the world.

There’s also no parking garage … which I lamented as I got in my 100 degree car this afternoon to head home.

All in all, though, I’m still glad I took the new job.  :-)  I’m even looking forward to getting in nice and early tomorrow to buckle down and get to work.

Posted in technogeeky, work | 2 Comments »

party time: day 17

Sunday, July 20th, 2008

Alas, tis the last day of my vacation.  It’s a good thing, too, because I am EXHAUSTED.  Between walking all over DC and Baltimore, and painting my basement (NOT as easy as it sounds), my body is sore and quite ready for a nice, relaxing desk job.

Got up early today to attend the baptism (and worship services) of one of the neighbors.  We sat right up front, so the husband got the honors of video taping the little guy’s baptism.  At just 6 months old, he was rather composed and calm for the proceedings.  (The baby, not the husband.  Though the husband was also quite composed and calm.)

Put together my Sunday school lesson (complete with a match game!), then headed off for another 3 hours of church.  And only 2 of my kids showed up, so all my efforts couldn’t be fully appreciated.  Should have gone with hangman, no preparation needed there …

Decided the trim doesn’t need a second coat and put the basement back together, as much as it can be.  Need to buy some bookcases, vertical blinds for the sliding door, a skinnier printer cart, and a couple of comfy fireplace chairs.  After I, um, start getting paid again.

All in all, it’s been a great 17 days - even if my delicate programmer hands are now calloused and scratched up.  A few days at the new job should fix that right up.

Posted in home improvements, life | No Comments »

party time: day 16

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

Up early to go see the new batman flick!  The theater was surprisingly full at 9:30 in the morning.  And they do make popcorn and pizza at that hour.  Most people had the good sense to leave their under-12-ers home, but there were a few young ones in the crowd.  A man in front of us brought his 8 and 10 year old boys - and I have a feeling his wife may be less than pleased when she’s dealing with nightmares for the rest of the week.

But, back to the movie:  it is nothing short of awesome.  And a half.  While Iron Man is my favorite movie of the summer, The Dark Knight is probably the best movie I have seen this summer.  And I have seen A LOT of movies. 

Heath Ledger is brilliantly demented.  The story is full of unexpectedly sick turns, that by movie’s end, had me starting to descend into the crazy, anarchic world that the Joker lived in.  And it’s not a nice place.  There were a few cringe-inducing moments that had me not wanting to look at the screen, but I have a weak stomach when it comes that sort of thing.

So go see it!  But leave the kids at home.

Did some more painting - surprise, surprise.  I think I’ll be able to finish up next weekend …

I am currently enjoying a bowl of apple slices, strawberries and frozen grapes.  And a bowl of cool whip.  And a bowl of caramel.  I love fruit, it’s the perfect thing for dipping in sugar!

Posted in food, home improvements | No Comments »

party time: day 15

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

Laid in bed till after 9 because my feet said so.  Any time I thought about getting up, my feet convinced me otherwise.  Turns out, squatting for 6 hours is tuff on the balls of your feet.  Most especially when you do it barefoot …

Finally got up, put on clean, pretty clothes and headed to AC Moore for some little paint brushes.  For painting in tiny little spaces.  That my fireplace is full of.

Made a 10:45 am stop at McDonalds to pick up a burger, fries and fruit parfait to get my day started off right.

Painted a banister, trim, and fireplace.  Did not finish the trim.

The mail man brought me my new internets!  Oh, happy day.

The bathroom tile man stopped by to see what he was dealing with.  What he is dealing with is a room with no subflooring.  Or shower drain.  Oy.  I gave him a key so he could get started on Monday. 

Papa Johns brought dinner, and I called it an early night.  Didn’t finish the trim or any doors, but 8 hours of painting is plenty.

Posted in food, home improvements, life | No Comments »

party time: day 14

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

Painted from 7:45 am to 11:15 pm.  (Two bathroom breaks, two cheezit/tuna salad/frozen grape breaks.)  The basement is much larger than it looks.  But I got two paints of the purple/gray on, and it looks great.  I painted over an unsanded patch, but I didn’t much care, seeing as it’ll be behind my new bookcases.  Whenever I get a job and make some money to buy new said bookcases.

Fell asleep dreaming of the pattern that paint rollers make when they put paint on the walls.  Seriously.  Because that’s what painting for 16 hours will do to ya.

Posted in home improvements, life | No Comments »

party time: day 13

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

Sat on the top ‘not-a-step’ of my 6-foot ladder and lived to tell the tale. Work on my bathroom started today. And my ceilings now look fabulous.

Day 13 was a much, much better day than the horrible 12. Even if my neck has now failed. I have decided to never paint a ceiling that large again. Ever.

Will be heading to Home Depot later to buy the wall paint, now that I picked a color (I call it purple, he calls it gray) that the husband has agreed to.

And I’m so looking forward to a shower once the bathroom men turn my water back on …

Posted in home improvements, life | No Comments »

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