Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) got lucky when they called my house the other night, asking if we have any old clothes they could take off our hands. I have an entre wardrobe of clothes that used to fit me, before the great clothes shrinkage occurred. I allowed as how I would be deighted if they would come by and relieve me of those unexpectedly small shirts and slacks and suits that I used to wear, back when they were larger.
I no longer wear suits. Haven't for years. But I did keep a couple that haven't been subjected to the great shrinkage, just in case I need to impress a would-be client.
Normally, we would have dropped off the clothes at a Goodwill station just up the street from us, but I'm guessing that PVA is experiencing a very big upsurge in people who need their help, so all those little-person's clothes will be put to good use, I expect.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Really, Really Bad Taste
Crap! Someone has actually done it...they've made a tequila that I simply cannot drink. My world is now topsy-turvy and my life is upside down. It's like magic happpened, but in a very, very bad way.
I took my wife to a very nice "California style" Mexican restaurant for lunch today. It's a fantastic place, with truly wonderul food, salsas that are out of this world, and an ambience that's sort of..."trendy upscale Mexican from California."
After eating our meals (she had an exceptional dish of camarones al mojo de ajo; I had carne de la diabla), the waitress asked if it was a special occasion (most people apparently ordered their more reasonably priced luncheon plates). We told her that tomorrow is my wife's birthday and she immediately volunteered that she'd like to bring her a tequila shot ("but it's fruity, not strong, you'll love it"). Neither my wife nor I wanted to insult her by saying "fruit-flavored tequila is a sin against man and nature," so we sat silently.
The waitress brought back a tall shot of tequila and a wedge of lime. My wife tasted it and twisted her mouth into what I can only describe as a contortion of agonizing pain. "This is HORRIBLE!" she exclaimed. I tasted it and, yes, it was a sickeningly sweet, foul-tasting mess. The wedge of lime helped eliminate the nasty, nasty flavor, but did not make it disappear. This stuff tasted like a pre-digested mixture of passion fruit and bad apples and corn syrup and mouthwash. Oh my god it was horrendous!
We have no idea what brand, nor what "flavor" this bad batch of pure evil was, but we both pledged then and there to avoid anything like it forevermore.
Tomorrow, I'll take my wife out for a veritable feast at a restaurant neither of us are familiar with. I hope our mouths can feel cleansed of that poisonous swill by then.
I took my wife to a very nice "California style" Mexican restaurant for lunch today. It's a fantastic place, with truly wonderul food, salsas that are out of this world, and an ambience that's sort of..."trendy upscale Mexican from California."
After eating our meals (she had an exceptional dish of camarones al mojo de ajo; I had carne de la diabla), the waitress asked if it was a special occasion (most people apparently ordered their more reasonably priced luncheon plates). We told her that tomorrow is my wife's birthday and she immediately volunteered that she'd like to bring her a tequila shot ("but it's fruity, not strong, you'll love it"). Neither my wife nor I wanted to insult her by saying "fruit-flavored tequila is a sin against man and nature," so we sat silently.
The waitress brought back a tall shot of tequila and a wedge of lime. My wife tasted it and twisted her mouth into what I can only describe as a contortion of agonizing pain. "This is HORRIBLE!" she exclaimed. I tasted it and, yes, it was a sickeningly sweet, foul-tasting mess. The wedge of lime helped eliminate the nasty, nasty flavor, but did not make it disappear. This stuff tasted like a pre-digested mixture of passion fruit and bad apples and corn syrup and mouthwash. Oh my god it was horrendous!
We have no idea what brand, nor what "flavor" this bad batch of pure evil was, but we both pledged then and there to avoid anything like it forevermore.
Tomorrow, I'll take my wife out for a veritable feast at a restaurant neither of us are familiar with. I hope our mouths can feel cleansed of that poisonous swill by then.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Sushi Star
My favorite wife had a stress echocardiogram done this morning; she has an odd malady of her heart (congestive heart failure) that has kept her cardiologists alert since the 1960s. After the test, she called me to ask if I wanted to join her for lunch. Well, of course!
So, we went to Sushi Star, a place that opened last November; we've never been there before. We got a lunch special (8 California rolls and 8 Spicy Salmon rolls), plus an order of unagi (fresh-water eel, cooked...4 pieces!) and an order of maguro (tuna) sashimi. My god, it was good! We both were astonished by how good it was and how inexpensive (a relative term when talking about sushi). We spent about $31 for the meal, including their iced green tea. That's an outageous price for lunch, I realize, but it was for my wife, for god's sake! And her birthday is on Saturday, so it's OK to do an early splurge.
We decided then and there that this place has instantly become our "special occasion" lunch joint. It's not too far from the office (and will be closer when we move at the end of August) and the prices won't break us unless we go more than once every two months.
I cannot get over how much I love sushi. I just wish it weren't so trendy and popular; I'd like the price to drop into the upper atmosphere at least.
So, we went to Sushi Star, a place that opened last November; we've never been there before. We got a lunch special (8 California rolls and 8 Spicy Salmon rolls), plus an order of unagi (fresh-water eel, cooked...4 pieces!) and an order of maguro (tuna) sashimi. My god, it was good! We both were astonished by how good it was and how inexpensive (a relative term when talking about sushi). We spent about $31 for the meal, including their iced green tea. That's an outageous price for lunch, I realize, but it was for my wife, for god's sake! And her birthday is on Saturday, so it's OK to do an early splurge.
We decided then and there that this place has instantly become our "special occasion" lunch joint. It's not too far from the office (and will be closer when we move at the end of August) and the prices won't break us unless we go more than once every two months.
I cannot get over how much I love sushi. I just wish it weren't so trendy and popular; I'd like the price to drop into the upper atmosphere at least.
I See Through the Window Pain
As we were leaving our house yesterday morning, I noticed that one of the large windows on the side of the house seemed to have a "frost" of water vapor across the very large pane of glass at the bottom. This is one of the many windows that we had replaced a year or two ago to the tune of $10,000 or thereabouts.
Today, after work, I took a close look at it. Sure enough, it's a fog between the double panes. Damn! Now, I'll have to go looking for the guy who sold and installed the windows. I hope he's easy to deal with and fair. I'm not in the mood for a hassle. It would prove to be a very bad day for the guy if he decided not to make good on the window. I wish him well. I really do.
Today, after work, I took a close look at it. Sure enough, it's a fog between the double panes. Damn! Now, I'll have to go looking for the guy who sold and installed the windows. I hope he's easy to deal with and fair. I'm not in the mood for a hassle. It would prove to be a very bad day for the guy if he decided not to make good on the window. I wish him well. I really do.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Witness to Safety
Not being a parent, I've not had the experience of watching someone close to me mature in front of my eyes. But during the past year, I've had an experience that I suspect is a bit like it. I have been watching a young woman who works for us mature in some surprising ways, or so I've been thinking.
This young woman is the unmarried mother of a mixed-race child. She has been very private since the very first days of going to work for us. Initially, she struck me as a very bright, but rather uneducated and "country<" young woman who was not at all trusting of other people. She has been quite the introvert during much of the time she has worked for us.
But her behavior has changed during the course of her employment. Early on, when she accompanied me to client events to handle registration, she was very reserved, quiet, and aloof. A friend of hers, a young woman about her age, would visit her but her visits were after hours and our employee made no effors to introduce us. I was fairly she was gay, but I didn't say a thing about it. I expected, though, that if she was, she would have been comfortable telling me, because of some comments I always make during employmenet interviews.
I tell everyone I interview that I have very liberal views and that we are extremely welcoming of diversity of all kinds. I warn interviewees that if they have any prejudices against people because of race, sexual orientation, sex, etc., etc., they would not be comfortable working for us and we would not want them on our staff.
Recently, she accepted an invitation to have dinner with my wife and me and she brought along her partner. While nothing was ever said about their relationship, I got the impression that our employee was beginning to feel more at ease with us. During the past few weeks, I've noticed that she has become much more open, more demonstrative, and she laughs much more easily.
As I started writing this, I thought I was going to write about witnessing her becoming more mature. But the more I think about it, I think what I'm witnessing is someone who is simply feeling safer in her environment. And while that's very good news, it makes me so sad that she must have felt a need to be secretive because of the prevailing attitude in this part of the country.
This young woman is the unmarried mother of a mixed-race child. She has been very private since the very first days of going to work for us. Initially, she struck me as a very bright, but rather uneducated and "country<" young woman who was not at all trusting of other people. She has been quite the introvert during much of the time she has worked for us.
But her behavior has changed during the course of her employment. Early on, when she accompanied me to client events to handle registration, she was very reserved, quiet, and aloof. A friend of hers, a young woman about her age, would visit her but her visits were after hours and our employee made no effors to introduce us. I was fairly she was gay, but I didn't say a thing about it. I expected, though, that if she was, she would have been comfortable telling me, because of some comments I always make during employmenet interviews.
I tell everyone I interview that I have very liberal views and that we are extremely welcoming of diversity of all kinds. I warn interviewees that if they have any prejudices against people because of race, sexual orientation, sex, etc., etc., they would not be comfortable working for us and we would not want them on our staff.
Recently, she accepted an invitation to have dinner with my wife and me and she brought along her partner. While nothing was ever said about their relationship, I got the impression that our employee was beginning to feel more at ease with us. During the past few weeks, I've noticed that she has become much more open, more demonstrative, and she laughs much more easily.
As I started writing this, I thought I was going to write about witnessing her becoming more mature. But the more I think about it, I think what I'm witnessing is someone who is simply feeling safer in her environment. And while that's very good news, it makes me so sad that she must have felt a need to be secretive because of the prevailing attitude in this part of the country.
Monday, June 23, 2008
A Nicely Welded Insurance Overture
Good news at the office today. Our new PEO's insurance options will allow us to pay less for insurance per employee, while simultaneously giving them better coverage than they had AND they will no longer have to make a contribution toward their own insurance! Talk about win-win! That's a benefit of leaving Gevity.
I welded a nice frame yesterday, 4 feet by 2 feet, made of 3/4 inch square tubing that I cut using a chop saw, making perfect 45 degree angles for the corner joints. Then, I cut and welded together the pieces to make an octagon. I learned (thugh admittedly I should have already known) that the cutting angles for the pieces of the octagon are 22.5 degrees each. Next week, I'll probably finish welding seams, I'll create a couple of more shapes to complement the octagon, and will assemble the pieces into a trellis of sorts which I'll attach to our fence after painting or otherwise finishing it.
I won't try to write much about my bizarre dream last night, except to say that somehow, in one's dreams, one can be in a crowded Chinese market, with no English spoken by anyone, and just simply KNOW that one is in New York. And one can attempt to find a NY subway train near the Chinese market, only to have a very attractive but utterly mute American woman make some very suggestive overtures in an attempt to keep one's mind off the train.
I welded a nice frame yesterday, 4 feet by 2 feet, made of 3/4 inch square tubing that I cut using a chop saw, making perfect 45 degree angles for the corner joints. Then, I cut and welded together the pieces to make an octagon. I learned (thugh admittedly I should have already known) that the cutting angles for the pieces of the octagon are 22.5 degrees each. Next week, I'll probably finish welding seams, I'll create a couple of more shapes to complement the octagon, and will assemble the pieces into a trellis of sorts which I'll attach to our fence after painting or otherwise finishing it.
I won't try to write much about my bizarre dream last night, except to say that somehow, in one's dreams, one can be in a crowded Chinese market, with no English spoken by anyone, and just simply KNOW that one is in New York. And one can attempt to find a NY subway train near the Chinese market, only to have a very attractive but utterly mute American woman make some very suggestive overtures in an attempt to keep one's mind off the train.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Food & Metal
I woke up just before 6:00 am today. Just as I was starting to make my coffee, I heard my wife's voice. "Do you want to go out for breakfast?" Yes! Of course! Why wouldn't I?! My wife wasn't able to sleep much last night, she said, so she was wide awake.
So, we went to Nikki's, an old-style cafe just a mile or so from the house. We had breakfast with other early-risers, including a couple of motorcyclists who were already there when we arrived. Their two big sleek Harley's were parked a long way from the door, no doubt to keep them safe from drivers who park as close to the door as possible. We had a nice breakfast got back home just a few minutes ago. My wife announced she was going to try to get some sleep, so she went into the bedroom.
As for me, I've got to go find a metal/welding supply store downtown so I can get my supplies for my welding "project." Tomorrow's the day I start on it.
So, we went to Nikki's, an old-style cafe just a mile or so from the house. We had breakfast with other early-risers, including a couple of motorcyclists who were already there when we arrived. Their two big sleek Harley's were parked a long way from the door, no doubt to keep them safe from drivers who park as close to the door as possible. We had a nice breakfast got back home just a few minutes ago. My wife announced she was going to try to get some sleep, so she went into the bedroom.
As for me, I've got to go find a metal/welding supply store downtown so I can get my supplies for my welding "project." Tomorrow's the day I start on it.