I Need A Nomex Jumpsuit?
I'm pleased to report that I managed to sleep my way out of the grip of the creeping crud which was attempting to take over my lungs earlier this week and managed to get back to work yesterday and put in a full day with a reasonable level of concentration and clarity.
When I first arrived in Tulsa about a month ago I really hadn't considered certain issues relating to the dangers of working in and around equipment in oil refineries.
Oh sure, I've spent most of my professional career working around hot dangerous stuff like steam boilers in paper mills, power plants, chemical plants, and other industrial facilities, but virtually ZERO time around places containing high pressure hot fluids which are FLAMMABLE.
Thus the realization of the realities of working in a refinery.
At work yesterday we wandered over to the warehouse in our complex where they stored the "safety gear" and when I left the building I had in my possession a hard hat, two kinds of safety glasses, gloves, and finally...
a Nomex jump suit...
...made out of the same material NASCAR drivers and Air Force Fighter Pilots wear when doing their jobs.
A fire proof suit of clothes.
When I told my buddy Rusty about the new clothes he quipped that I could have probably used such attire several times before in my life.
Episodes dealing with an ex-wife and a former business partner come to mind come to think.
So any way...the beginning of my second month (first full time month) of employment as "Lead Structural Engineer" finds me busy with training and processing a light work load as I settle into the position, and on that note it's time to get back to some productive work looking at fun things like National Engineering Design Code issues I'm dealing with this week.
Regards Y'all...
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
New Frames
Finishing Year's Old Products
I'm in the process of coming back up to speed after spending part of a week recovering from the results of what I call the effects of "burning the candle at both ends."
This moving stuff has taken it's toll on me...getting everything into boxes and back out of boxes...and then some sort of malady grabbed me on the airplane or somewhere in Houston and I'm just now able to stay awake long enough to get something done.
Late yesterday the girls convinced me come out of the house...getting out of my PJ's and putting on clothes and shoes and wandering over to Hobby Lobby to look at some stuff they needed for decorating, and in the process I took some original pen and ink drawings and some watercolors I had done a few years ago and in the end I found myself committing to buying a bunch of frames and matts for about a half dozen things to hang on the wall here in the new house.
I think that it's really cool to have art work hanging on the wall which originated in my mind and was produced by my hand.
I guess I'll go now and get ready to head back to work and try to catch up with everyone and get some drawings out the door.
Regards Y'all...
I'm in the process of coming back up to speed after spending part of a week recovering from the results of what I call the effects of "burning the candle at both ends."
This moving stuff has taken it's toll on me...getting everything into boxes and back out of boxes...and then some sort of malady grabbed me on the airplane or somewhere in Houston and I'm just now able to stay awake long enough to get something done.
Late yesterday the girls convinced me come out of the house...getting out of my PJ's and putting on clothes and shoes and wandering over to Hobby Lobby to look at some stuff they needed for decorating, and in the process I took some original pen and ink drawings and some watercolors I had done a few years ago and in the end I found myself committing to buying a bunch of frames and matts for about a half dozen things to hang on the wall here in the new house.
I think that it's really cool to have art work hanging on the wall which originated in my mind and was produced by my hand.
I guess I'll go now and get ready to head back to work and try to catch up with everyone and get some drawings out the door.
Regards Y'all...
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Public Appearences Yield Fun Maladies
Creeping Crud Won't Come Or Go Completely...
One thing I know I'm going to miss about living and working at home most of the time in the recent past was the lack of contact I managed to have with the "General Public."
Sure, I went out to the stores and to bars and restaurants a number of times a week and we traveled a little--usually compressed into a few weeks at a time several times each year--but now my new current lifestyle and work situation requires I get up every day and go to an office, and spending at least eight hours of my time outside my primary residence five days a week has apparently already taken it's toll to a degree.
When I came back from Houston last Thursday night I felt fine after sitting in a classroom and on an airplane with several people that were noticeably hacking and coughing a bit.
Saturday and Sunday I dutifully continued my month long push through the process of moving and getting things into and out of boxes, and then finally Monday morning I had to admit I had something going on in my chest and if I didn't slow down and rest a little I was going to end up at the doctor's office...something I haven't had the time to find one of yet here in Tulsa.
I finally ran home from the office mid morning yesterday after another false start after going in to my desk to check e-mail and gather up my computer and some job files, and then I proceeded to come home and sleep most of the day under the influence of Robitussin, get up in time to go to dinner, and then I slept from 8 PM to 5 AM last night...
...another NINE HOURS.
Since I usually can't sleep more than four to six hours in a row since I turned the age of about 40, I actually wish I could distill whatever is in being sick into a formula I could take which would allow me to sleep just a precious 8 hours each and every night.
Fortunately my work load is rather low right now since I'm still in training mode, and everyone but me is out of the office this week in meetings and sales calls, so I'm not on the critical path for ANYTHING and I can lounge around here in my pajamas consuming a few medical leave days and get back up to full speed before things get moving again.
All of that said, it's time to collect my thoughts, take another dose ofsleeping syrup Robitussin and lay back down for a while.
If you don't hear from me within 24 hours...someone please call 911...
One thing I know I'm going to miss about living and working at home most of the time in the recent past was the lack of contact I managed to have with the "General Public."
Sure, I went out to the stores and to bars and restaurants a number of times a week and we traveled a little--usually compressed into a few weeks at a time several times each year--but now my new current lifestyle and work situation requires I get up every day and go to an office, and spending at least eight hours of my time outside my primary residence five days a week has apparently already taken it's toll to a degree.
When I came back from Houston last Thursday night I felt fine after sitting in a classroom and on an airplane with several people that were noticeably hacking and coughing a bit.
Saturday and Sunday I dutifully continued my month long push through the process of moving and getting things into and out of boxes, and then finally Monday morning I had to admit I had something going on in my chest and if I didn't slow down and rest a little I was going to end up at the doctor's office...something I haven't had the time to find one of yet here in Tulsa.
I finally ran home from the office mid morning yesterday after another false start after going in to my desk to check e-mail and gather up my computer and some job files, and then I proceeded to come home and sleep most of the day under the influence of Robitussin, get up in time to go to dinner, and then I slept from 8 PM to 5 AM last night...
...another NINE HOURS.
Since I usually can't sleep more than four to six hours in a row since I turned the age of about 40, I actually wish I could distill whatever is in being sick into a formula I could take which would allow me to sleep just a precious 8 hours each and every night.
Fortunately my work load is rather low right now since I'm still in training mode, and everyone but me is out of the office this week in meetings and sales calls, so I'm not on the critical path for ANYTHING and I can lounge around here in my pajamas consuming a few medical leave days and get back up to full speed before things get moving again.
All of that said, it's time to collect my thoughts, take another dose of
If you don't hear from me within 24 hours...someone please call 911...
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Off To A Bumpy Start With Our ISP
Please Tell Me Cox Communications Isn't Just Like Comcast...
So most of my long time blog readers will probably remember I had a love/hate relationship with Comcast Cable over the past ten years or so beginning in Atlanta, then later on St. Simons Island and finally ending this month in Knoxville when we turned off the signal and headed west.
When we arrived here with our stuff almost the very first thing I did was crawl around in the floor while the movers were unpacking the truck connecting up a Television and the cable modem to make sure we had a good working signal.
We did.
But then we slowly noticed that the Internet speed here more or less totally SUCKS, and what is really weird is that I let the Cox Communications sales guy talk me into getting the "super duper warp speed" Internet because it was free until the end of the year and if I wanted to I could step back to standard cable January 1st if I wanted.
Right now if it gets any slower and I stepped back I'd be going to two Dixie cups and a length of string I guess.
Any way, we drove downtown on Sunday to turn over the keys to my temporary condo housing and when we left about 2:30 PM we had Internet and Cable, and we came back about 4 PM guess what?
No Cable...
And NO INTERNET!
Out friend Ski said that she noticed a Cox Communications truck outside on the street, and after doing a little calling we discovered that-after over a week of service--THAT THE IDIOTS HAD COME BY AND DISCONNECTED OUR SERVICE BECAUSE THEY HAD AN OPEN WORK ORDER TELLING THEM TO TURN IT OFF FROM THE PREVIOUS TENANT.
On Sunday afternoon.
And then guess what?
Since it was LATE on Sunday afternoon, they couldn't get back around to turn our service back ON...
the service which had been working just for 8 days...
UNTIL MONDAY MORNING.
Fortunately they were here a little after 8 AM so I was the only one suffering withdrawal symptoms from the lack of information.
Any way, that's my excuse for the silence here on the blog...that and being busy as heck unpacking and now fighting off a little bit of a cold or other form of creeping crud.
Time to get some reading and other stuff done...Regards Y'all...
So most of my long time blog readers will probably remember I had a love/hate relationship with Comcast Cable over the past ten years or so beginning in Atlanta, then later on St. Simons Island and finally ending this month in Knoxville when we turned off the signal and headed west.
When we arrived here with our stuff almost the very first thing I did was crawl around in the floor while the movers were unpacking the truck connecting up a Television and the cable modem to make sure we had a good working signal.
We did.
But then we slowly noticed that the Internet speed here more or less totally SUCKS, and what is really weird is that I let the Cox Communications sales guy talk me into getting the "super duper warp speed" Internet because it was free until the end of the year and if I wanted to I could step back to standard cable January 1st if I wanted.
Right now if it gets any slower and I stepped back I'd be going to two Dixie cups and a length of string I guess.
Any way, we drove downtown on Sunday to turn over the keys to my temporary condo housing and when we left about 2:30 PM we had Internet and Cable, and we came back about 4 PM guess what?
No Cable...
And NO INTERNET!
Out friend Ski said that she noticed a Cox Communications truck outside on the street, and after doing a little calling we discovered that-after over a week of service--THAT THE IDIOTS HAD COME BY AND DISCONNECTED OUR SERVICE BECAUSE THEY HAD AN OPEN WORK ORDER TELLING THEM TO TURN IT OFF FROM THE PREVIOUS TENANT.
On Sunday afternoon.
And then guess what?
Since it was LATE on Sunday afternoon, they couldn't get back around to turn our service back ON...
the service which had been working just for 8 days...
UNTIL MONDAY MORNING.
Fortunately they were here a little after 8 AM so I was the only one suffering withdrawal symptoms from the lack of information.
Any way, that's my excuse for the silence here on the blog...that and being busy as heck unpacking and now fighting off a little bit of a cold or other form of creeping crud.
Time to get some reading and other stuff done...Regards Y'all...
Sunday, November 13, 2011
My Day Off On A Ladder
Putting In Brighter Bulbs...
A couple of things finally hit me yesterday--a Saturday--when many if not MOST working people were taking a day off from their jobs.
I personally didn't have the opportunity to enjoy any such luxury because I still have about half of my possessions sitting in boxes in my office and garage, and there's a nearly infinite number of other things needing doing around here as we settle into our new home in Oklahoma and they (the things needing doing) are not going to get done all by themselves.
My first realization was this:
WE HAVE FOUR TOILETS IN THIS HOUSE.
Seriously, I had been confused for a while because the real estate ad said "three bathrooms"...but when the dust settled and I walked around and counted toilets...each of the three bedrooms had dedicated bathrooms, and then there's a half bath off of the kitchen in the hallway leading to the garage so the actual total is FOUR toilets.
FOUR TOILETS.
After living for five years in a house with only a full bath and one half, it's sort of interesting being able to just turn around, take a few steps, and take care of business without having to plan the event and have a map and make a trip across the property to accommodate my physical needs.
And Pat's already begun the process of buying a new assortment of lovely decorative toilet brushes with integral holding containers...
...so each toilet has it's owntoothbrush brush residing nearby for cleaning purposes.
The next revelation came in regard to the CEILING HEIGHT in this house...or more specifically... the realities of accessing the ceilings most 9' and some 10' and 12' high in different spaces and...
all having things like ceiling fans and recessed can lights which will need maintenance in the coming weeks and months.
The project at hand yesterday was to replace all of the 65 watt bulbs in the ceiling can lights in the living room, kitchen, and master bathroom with higher wattage bulbs and install dimmer switches.
Problem was, I had a 20' extension ladder only good for leaning up against stuff while climbing, and then I had a little 5' A-frame step ladder which was just asking me to climb it to it's top so I could fall off and break my neck or leg.
So of course a trip to Home Depot was in order, and then after returning home I had to haul my butt up and down my new 8' step ladder about fifteen or twenty times, and then I got to wander out to the breaker panel out in the garage and find out that things were actually pretty well labeled so I could turn off the electrical power to various circuits in order to install dimmers...
and at the end of the day I was tired but had avoided electrocution.
All and all a good productive day I'd say...and now it's time to plan the next Home Depot trip for Sunday, and try to spend the day with my feet on the ground instead of up on a ladder rung if possible.
Hope you all have a LOVELY SUNDAY...Y'all...
A couple of things finally hit me yesterday--a Saturday--when many if not MOST working people were taking a day off from their jobs.
I personally didn't have the opportunity to enjoy any such luxury because I still have about half of my possessions sitting in boxes in my office and garage, and there's a nearly infinite number of other things needing doing around here as we settle into our new home in Oklahoma and they (the things needing doing) are not going to get done all by themselves.
My first realization was this:
WE HAVE FOUR TOILETS IN THIS HOUSE.
Seriously, I had been confused for a while because the real estate ad said "three bathrooms"...but when the dust settled and I walked around and counted toilets...each of the three bedrooms had dedicated bathrooms, and then there's a half bath off of the kitchen in the hallway leading to the garage so the actual total is FOUR toilets.
FOUR TOILETS.
After living for five years in a house with only a full bath and one half, it's sort of interesting being able to just turn around, take a few steps, and take care of business without having to plan the event and have a map and make a trip across the property to accommodate my physical needs.
And Pat's already begun the process of buying a new assortment of lovely decorative toilet brushes with integral holding containers...
...so each toilet has it's own
The next revelation came in regard to the CEILING HEIGHT in this house...or more specifically... the realities of accessing the ceilings most 9' and some 10' and 12' high in different spaces and...
all having things like ceiling fans and recessed can lights which will need maintenance in the coming weeks and months.
The project at hand yesterday was to replace all of the 65 watt bulbs in the ceiling can lights in the living room, kitchen, and master bathroom with higher wattage bulbs and install dimmer switches.
Problem was, I had a 20' extension ladder only good for leaning up against stuff while climbing, and then I had a little 5' A-frame step ladder which was just asking me to climb it to it's top so I could fall off and break my neck or leg.
So of course a trip to Home Depot was in order, and then after returning home I had to haul my butt up and down my new 8' step ladder about fifteen or twenty times, and then I got to wander out to the breaker panel out in the garage and find out that things were actually pretty well labeled so I could turn off the electrical power to various circuits in order to install dimmers...
and at the end of the day I was tired but had avoided electrocution.
All and all a good productive day I'd say...and now it's time to plan the next Home Depot trip for Sunday, and try to spend the day with my feet on the ground instead of up on a ladder rung if possible.
Hope you all have a LOVELY SUNDAY...Y'all...
Friday, November 11, 2011
Why Do Two Hunded Fifty Dollar A Night Hotels...
Insist On Charging An Extra $15 A Day Each For Parking And Internet Service?
I'M HOME FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS!!!
I'm also not that really interested in going back again any time soon if I didn't have to...
...but I'll probably HAVE TO since a number of our Customers and our Corporate Offices are in Houston.
Regardless, I'm home tonight to my girls and I rapidly running out of steam after about 30 hours of classroom time and travel since Tuesday morning, so I guess I'll go now and reserve the rest of my pontifications and travel horror stories for later.
Regards Y'all...
I'M HOME FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS!!!
I'm also not that really interested in going back again any time soon if I didn't have to...
...but I'll probably HAVE TO since a number of our Customers and our Corporate Offices are in Houston.
Regardless, I'm home tonight to my girls and I rapidly running out of steam after about 30 hours of classroom time and travel since Tuesday morning, so I guess I'll go now and reserve the rest of my pontifications and travel horror stories for later.
Regards Y'all...
Thursday, November 10, 2011
You Couldn't PAY Me...
...To Live In Houston, Texas
For those of you who have been living somewhere under a rock or otherwise not paying attention, Houston holds the position of FOURTH largest city in the United States.
That statistic in and of itself was probably intriguing to me when I was stumbling around our lovely planet at the age of 21, but today at the age of 52 it just doesn't do a dang thing for me except make me want to run away screaming.
I didn't have to rent a car on this trip because I'm staying at a hotel ($150 per night) across the interstate from the Galleria Marriott ($300 per night) where my training class is being held, but on the shuttle ride from Bush International Airport Tuesday night and the subsequent Taxi rides since I'm determined that the impossible has happened since I was last in this City about ten years ago.
THESE FREAKING PEOPLE HAVE BECOME EVEN MORE ARROGANT AND RUDE IN THEIR DRIVING STYLE!
Walking on the sidewalk--even those adjacent to side streets and the Interstate Access Roads--is something akin to strolling along on the grass by the entrance to "Pit Road" at a NASCAR track.
That said, it's time to get ready to head over to the conference room for day two of the RISA training class, then drag my luggage on back to the airport in time to catch a flight back to Tulsa.
Feel free to meet me at the new house for a night cap about 10 PM if you're in the area.
Regards Y'all...
For those of you who have been living somewhere under a rock or otherwise not paying attention, Houston holds the position of FOURTH largest city in the United States.
That statistic in and of itself was probably intriguing to me when I was stumbling around our lovely planet at the age of 21, but today at the age of 52 it just doesn't do a dang thing for me except make me want to run away screaming.
I didn't have to rent a car on this trip because I'm staying at a hotel ($150 per night) across the interstate from the Galleria Marriott ($300 per night) where my training class is being held, but on the shuttle ride from Bush International Airport Tuesday night and the subsequent Taxi rides since I'm determined that the impossible has happened since I was last in this City about ten years ago.
THESE FREAKING PEOPLE HAVE BECOME EVEN MORE ARROGANT AND RUDE IN THEIR DRIVING STYLE!
Walking on the sidewalk--even those adjacent to side streets and the Interstate Access Roads--is something akin to strolling along on the grass by the entrance to "Pit Road" at a NASCAR track.
That said, it's time to get ready to head over to the conference room for day two of the RISA training class, then drag my luggage on back to the airport in time to catch a flight back to Tulsa.
Feel free to meet me at the new house for a night cap about 10 PM if you're in the area.
Regards Y'all...
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Houston
Back In School...
I just flew to the Texas Gulf Coast last night (boy are my arms tired) to attend a two day class on some Finite Element software I'm using these days in the new job.
The result was a seventeen hour day yesterday, so you'll have to excuse the light blogging for the moment.
Class starts this morning at 7:30, so I guess I'll go now and get ready for class.
Regards Y'all...
I just flew to the Texas Gulf Coast last night (boy are my arms tired) to attend a two day class on some Finite Element software I'm using these days in the new job.
The result was a seventeen hour day yesterday, so you'll have to excuse the light blogging for the moment.
Class starts this morning at 7:30, so I guess I'll go now and get ready for class.
Regards Y'all...
Monday, November 07, 2011
More Shakin'...Rattlin'...and Rolling...
Whaaaaaaattttttt??????
Well, we slept through another 4.0 earthquake between 3 and 4 AM this morning, then about 8:45 tonight we were sitting here digesting our Pizza Dinner and we had another one preliminarily reading 4.7 on the Richter Scale.
The 4.7 was noticeably less powerful than the earlier 5.6 because each increment on the Richter Scale is logarithmic and thus an increase of 1.0 offers an amplitude ten times larger and releases 31.6 (the square root of 1000) times as much energy in the process.
That said, we've had a 4.6 on Saturday morning, a 5.6 on Saturday night, a 4.0 on Monday morning, and now for good measure a 4.7 tonight...
ADDING IT ALL UP, THAT'S A GRAND TOTAL OF 28.9!
OK, maybe it really doesn't work like that, but the executive summary is that we've apparently had 4 of the top five earthquakes in modern recorded Oklahoma history since I've been here over the past FOUR DAYS.
And now I have to go batten down the hatches because we have a line of severe thunderstorms moving this way out of the southwest from Oklahoma City.
Oh, and I have to pack to fly after work tomorrow to Houston, TX for a two day class returning Thursday night.
I hope my girls and house is still here when I get back.
Looks like it's going to be an interesting time here in the Midwest.
Regards Y'all...
Well, we slept through another 4.0 earthquake between 3 and 4 AM this morning, then about 8:45 tonight we were sitting here digesting our Pizza Dinner and we had another one preliminarily reading 4.7 on the Richter Scale.
The 4.7 was noticeably less powerful than the earlier 5.6 because each increment on the Richter Scale is logarithmic and thus an increase of 1.0 offers an amplitude ten times larger and releases 31.6 (the square root of 1000) times as much energy in the process.
That said, we've had a 4.6 on Saturday morning, a 5.6 on Saturday night, a 4.0 on Monday morning, and now for good measure a 4.7 tonight...
ADDING IT ALL UP, THAT'S A GRAND TOTAL OF 28.9!
OK, maybe it really doesn't work like that, but the executive summary is that we've apparently had 4 of the top five earthquakes in modern recorded Oklahoma history since I've been here over the past FOUR DAYS.
And now I have to go batten down the hatches because we have a line of severe thunderstorms moving this way out of the southwest from Oklahoma City.
Oh, and I have to pack to fly after work tomorrow to Houston, TX for a two day class returning Thursday night.
I hope my girls and house is still here when I get back.
Looks like it's going to be an interesting time here in the Midwest.
Regards Y'all...
Living In Internet Hell...
Either Cox Communications' Internet Sucks Else There I Something Wrong On My End Of This Equation...
So I let the lovely "sales representative" talk me into a cable system upgrade (which I can't use right now because I can't find most of my cables and TV associated crap) and also some silly version of their "super dooper pooper ultra freaking high speed" Internet services which is "totally free between now and January 1, 2012.
After that I'll have to either cut back on the services or stop eating because I'll have to stop buying toilet paper because I can't afford either, but I digress.
So this morning my "super dooper pooper ultra freaking high speed" Internet Service is running at...
You ready?
If not get ready...
T H E SPEED OF ....
S M E L L.
The speed of SMELL
Got it?
I've unplugged and rebooted the Cable modem and the wireless router has been completely out of the equation pretty much the whole time because as I said before I either can't find my computer equipment else I'm too busy and distracted to set any of the system up...
but DAMMIT...
this "sooper dooper ultra high speed" Internet stuff pretty much SUCKS right now because I have things to do and people to meet and talk to and I'm not sitting here at 4 AM screwing around and improving my health.
Is it just ME?
So I let the lovely "sales representative" talk me into a cable system upgrade (which I can't use right now because I can't find most of my cables and TV associated crap) and also some silly version of their "super dooper pooper ultra freaking high speed" Internet services which is "totally free between now and January 1, 2012.
After that I'll have to either cut back on the services or stop eating because I'll have to stop buying toilet paper because I can't afford either, but I digress.
So this morning my "super dooper pooper ultra freaking high speed" Internet Service is running at...
You ready?
If not get ready...
T H E SPEED OF ....
S M E L L.
The speed of SMELL
Got it?
I've unplugged and rebooted the Cable modem and the wireless router has been completely out of the equation pretty much the whole time because as I said before I either can't find my computer equipment else I'm too busy and distracted to set any of the system up...
but DAMMIT...
this "sooper dooper ultra high speed" Internet stuff pretty much SUCKS right now because I have things to do and people to meet and talk to and I'm not sitting here at 4 AM screwing around and improving my health.
Is it just ME?
Hanging Out With My "Old Ladies"
I'm Swimming In A Sea Of Estrogen...
OK...now I've REALLY gone and done it out here, Ladies and Gentlemen.
As if it wasn't enough that I live on a daily basis as the single male in my household with a very strong minded woman about a decade my senior and my little miniature female long haired Dachshund--Missy the Turbo Pup--who truth be known really runs things everywhere I am...
Nooooo Sir Eeeeeee....
Before we even loaded the truck in Knoxtown I went out and bought a ticket on an airplane thereby paying to FLY YET ANOTHER EVEN OLDER (YET BEAUTIFUL) WOMAN INTO THE STATE from the Georgia Coast last week to come help Pat unpack and decorate our new house...
and she finally arrived from her Daughter's house in Oklahoma City where she'd been visiting since last Wednesday to our place here in Tulsa yesterday morning.
Since then I've pretty much just been in charge of things like "shucking and jiving" and "toteing and fetching" and handling breaking down boxes and putting giant wads of packing paper and bubble wrap and peanuts into giant black trash bags and hauling them out into the garage.
Right now there is no room for the new Audi Q7 in my garage...A THREE CAR GARAGE for goodness sake!!!
Meanwhile, and continuing thinking and speaking of things not fitting into my garage right now...I have not ONE but TWO GPS systems...one built into the dash of the 2007 Q7 and another Garmon C330 vintage about that same time period and they both refuse to acknowledge that my house and street in my neighborhood exist on the planet.
Can't get there from here...no matter where "here" is on any given journey and where "there" is...AKA HOME.
With that issue at hand, and since the old Chevy Suburban is still sitting in Knoxtown waiting for the auto transport company to come by and pick it up...
I'm afraid after Pat and Ski and Missy the Turbo Pup deliver me back to the real world at work later this morning that there is a good chance that I'll never see any of my girls again because that will be somewhere in Texas or Kansas or Arkansas looking for "Home" because my FREAKING GPS'S CAN'T FIND MY HOUSE.
Then again I could go online and update the portable Garmon unit with a new map by paying for a download...
I guess that you will have to excuse me while I get out my wallet and credit cards and do just that so I can get a ride back home this afternoon.
Regards Y'all...
OK...now I've REALLY gone and done it out here, Ladies and Gentlemen.
As if it wasn't enough that I live on a daily basis as the single male in my household with a very strong minded woman about a decade my senior and my little miniature female long haired Dachshund--Missy the Turbo Pup--who truth be known really runs things everywhere I am...
Nooooo Sir Eeeeeee....
Before we even loaded the truck in Knoxtown I went out and bought a ticket on an airplane thereby paying to FLY YET ANOTHER EVEN OLDER (YET BEAUTIFUL) WOMAN INTO THE STATE from the Georgia Coast last week to come help Pat unpack and decorate our new house...
and she finally arrived from her Daughter's house in Oklahoma City where she'd been visiting since last Wednesday to our place here in Tulsa yesterday morning.
Since then I've pretty much just been in charge of things like "shucking and jiving" and "toteing and fetching" and handling breaking down boxes and putting giant wads of packing paper and bubble wrap and peanuts into giant black trash bags and hauling them out into the garage.
Right now there is no room for the new Audi Q7 in my garage...A THREE CAR GARAGE for goodness sake!!!
Meanwhile, and continuing thinking and speaking of things not fitting into my garage right now...I have not ONE but TWO GPS systems...one built into the dash of the 2007 Q7 and another Garmon C330 vintage about that same time period and they both refuse to acknowledge that my house and street in my neighborhood exist on the planet.
Can't get there from here...no matter where "here" is on any given journey and where "there" is...AKA HOME.
With that issue at hand, and since the old Chevy Suburban is still sitting in Knoxtown waiting for the auto transport company to come by and pick it up...
I'm afraid after Pat and Ski and Missy the Turbo Pup deliver me back to the real world at work later this morning that there is a good chance that I'll never see any of my girls again because that will be somewhere in Texas or Kansas or Arkansas looking for "Home" because my FREAKING GPS'S CAN'T FIND MY HOUSE.
Then again I could go online and update the portable Garmon unit with a new map by paying for a download...
I guess that you will have to excuse me while I get out my wallet and credit cards and do just that so I can get a ride back home this afternoon.
Regards Y'all...
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Spring Forward...Fall Off Back
There's A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On...
As most of the people that know me in real life know, as a rule I generally try to stay off of the TV News and out of mention in the Newspapers--local and national--because I'm not good enough at anything in particular to warrant glowing, positive mention on video or in writing.
This means if you see a photo or video of me on the 6 PM TV news or I am written about by the press, generally something bad has happened.
That said, although I personally didn't make the news or the news papers in the past couple of days, since we relocated cross country this week the area here in and around TULSA, OKLAHOMA certainly did get the Headlines by having a 4.7 earthquake (third strongest on record) at around 2 AM Saturday morning...
...followed more than 70 aftershocks afterwards...
and then...
as a grand finale...
at a little after 11 PM last night while I was soaking in my new giant bathtub after a day spent opening boxes and looking for my computer stuff...
WE HAD A RECORD, NUMBER ONE OF RECORDED HISTORY, 5.6 EARTHQUAKE WHICH ALMOST SLOSHED THE WATER OUT OF MY BATH TUB.
The good news is that the way the quake moved there was little or no damage except at the epicenter about 70 miles to our southwest (and possibly some new cracks in the corners of our sheetrock walls), but the bad news is that little Missy the Turbo Pup and Pat are looking at me wondering what the heckI have gotten them into.
I did a little digging around in the online scientific literature on quakes and found that the state of Oklahoma is actually very seismically active--averaging about 500 minor quakes a year--but the geological structure is very different from places like California and the New Madrid fault line in Illinois.
The quakes we have here are compression/extension and slip fault line quakes which happen more frequently but possess much less energy that the ones which occur in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
So I guess that in the end we'll go back to worrying about getting blown away and having our roof torn off by tornadoes rather than having our roof fall in on us from a quake.
Time to get back to unloading boxes I guess.
Regards Y'all...
As most of the people that know me in real life know, as a rule I generally try to stay off of the TV News and out of mention in the Newspapers--local and national--because I'm not good enough at anything in particular to warrant glowing, positive mention on video or in writing.
This means if you see a photo or video of me on the 6 PM TV news or I am written about by the press, generally something bad has happened.
That said, although I personally didn't make the news or the news papers in the past couple of days, since we relocated cross country this week the area here in and around TULSA, OKLAHOMA certainly did get the Headlines by having a 4.7 earthquake (third strongest on record) at around 2 AM Saturday morning...
...followed more than 70 aftershocks afterwards...
and then...
as a grand finale...
at a little after 11 PM last night while I was soaking in my new giant bathtub after a day spent opening boxes and looking for my computer stuff...
WE HAD A RECORD, NUMBER ONE OF RECORDED HISTORY, 5.6 EARTHQUAKE WHICH ALMOST SLOSHED THE WATER OUT OF MY BATH TUB.
The good news is that the way the quake moved there was little or no damage except at the epicenter about 70 miles to our southwest (and possibly some new cracks in the corners of our sheetrock walls), but the bad news is that little Missy the Turbo Pup and Pat are looking at me wondering what the heckI have gotten them into.
I did a little digging around in the online scientific literature on quakes and found that the state of Oklahoma is actually very seismically active--averaging about 500 minor quakes a year--but the geological structure is very different from places like California and the New Madrid fault line in Illinois.
The quakes we have here are compression/extension and slip fault line quakes which happen more frequently but possess much less energy that the ones which occur in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
So I guess that in the end we'll go back to worrying about getting blown away and having our roof torn off by tornadoes rather than having our roof fall in on us from a quake.
Time to get back to unloading boxes I guess.
Regards Y'all...
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Date With Reba Last Night
And The Ground's Shaking Here In Tulsa
The good news this morning is that the movers managed to show up a little after 9 AM yesterday and off load all of our stuff into the appropriate rooms in the new house by about 2 PM.
By 5 PM we realized how we had been basically running on adrenalin for the past week and were ready to collapse on the bed or sofa, but we couldn't because I had earlier bought second row center stage tickets at the BOK Center (Bank of Oklahoma Center) located a few blocks from my downtown temp condo to see Reba McEntire.
I'm really not a modern country music fan...being more of a Hank Williams Sr./Johnny Cash sort of old school guy, but let me tell you...
Reba is one CLASS ACT and she puts on one HECK of a show.
When the music finally stopped a little before 11 PM we wandered back over to The Cellar Dweller Bar for a nightcap, and came home to the condo and just DIED.
In fact, we slept so hard that we missed the 2:12 AM earthquake measuring 4.7 which occurred between Tulsa and Oklahoma City...with FIVE additional 3.0+ aftershocks which have occurred since.
Talk about getting an interesting greeting to our new city...
So any way, now it's time to head back over to the new house and face unpacking all of our "stuff" still sitting in boxes.
If you are near Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, feel free to stop by and lend us a hand.
Regards Y'all...
The good news this morning is that the movers managed to show up a little after 9 AM yesterday and off load all of our stuff into the appropriate rooms in the new house by about 2 PM.
By 5 PM we realized how we had been basically running on adrenalin for the past week and were ready to collapse on the bed or sofa, but we couldn't because I had earlier bought second row center stage tickets at the BOK Center (Bank of Oklahoma Center) located a few blocks from my downtown temp condo to see Reba McEntire.
I'm really not a modern country music fan...being more of a Hank Williams Sr./Johnny Cash sort of old school guy, but let me tell you...
Reba is one CLASS ACT and she puts on one HECK of a show.
When the music finally stopped a little before 11 PM we wandered back over to The Cellar Dweller Bar for a nightcap, and came home to the condo and just DIED.
In fact, we slept so hard that we missed the 2:12 AM earthquake measuring 4.7 which occurred between Tulsa and Oklahoma City...with FIVE additional 3.0+ aftershocks which have occurred since.
Talk about getting an interesting greeting to our new city...
So any way, now it's time to head back over to the new house and face unpacking all of our "stuff" still sitting in boxes.
If you are near Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, feel free to stop by and lend us a hand.
Regards Y'all...
Friday, November 04, 2011
We Made It!!!
I Just Hope All Of Our Stuff Does...
Yesterday at about 2:30 PM we arrived at our new home here in the eastern suburbs of Tulsa.
It's considered Broken Arrow as far as the school system is concerned (which is a good thing), but technically it's outside the Broken Arrow city limits as well as the Tulsa city limits but for some reason the US Postmaster assigned our neighborhood "Tulsa" when the dust settled.
So any way, Pat and little Missy the Turbo Pup got to see where they were going to be living for the first time and I got to finally spend a couple of extra hours in the building and I have to tell you we REALLY have a nice home in a nice neighborhood.
The best part of the deal for me is that we will live only 15 minutes from my office and about 20 minutes from the Tulsa airport so my life will be low stress and continue on the path of maximizing my pleasure and limiting the crap like traffic I put up with in Atlanta for 27 years.
Of course Pat will continue to telecommute from her new home office using the Internet so she will be working in her pajamas every day if she wants to, and the Turbo Pup will be in charge of giving everyone a good barking when needed to get things under control in the new neighborhood.
(As an interesting side note, our lot backs up onto a giant undeveloped piece of property and while looking over the fence yesterday I noticed what appeared to be giant hoof prints in the mud and several artifacts which appeared to be "Cow Pies" laying around on the ground. If in fact we have livestock living on the other side of our rear fence it's going to be interesting to see how our little 12 pound Turbo Pup reacts when she sees an animal weighing 1000 pounds.)
The "moving crew" is supposed to show up about 9:00 AM, so I guess I better finish doing my news reading and get some more shut eye.
Y'all have a LOVELY Friday, and wish us luck dragging everything off of the Tractor Trailer...
Yesterday at about 2:30 PM we arrived at our new home here in the eastern suburbs of Tulsa.
It's considered Broken Arrow as far as the school system is concerned (which is a good thing), but technically it's outside the Broken Arrow city limits as well as the Tulsa city limits but for some reason the US Postmaster assigned our neighborhood "Tulsa" when the dust settled.
So any way, Pat and little Missy the Turbo Pup got to see where they were going to be living for the first time and I got to finally spend a couple of extra hours in the building and I have to tell you we REALLY have a nice home in a nice neighborhood.
The best part of the deal for me is that we will live only 15 minutes from my office and about 20 minutes from the Tulsa airport so my life will be low stress and continue on the path of maximizing my pleasure and limiting the crap like traffic I put up with in Atlanta for 27 years.
Of course Pat will continue to telecommute from her new home office using the Internet so she will be working in her pajamas every day if she wants to, and the Turbo Pup will be in charge of giving everyone a good barking when needed to get things under control in the new neighborhood.
(As an interesting side note, our lot backs up onto a giant undeveloped piece of property and while looking over the fence yesterday I noticed what appeared to be giant hoof prints in the mud and several artifacts which appeared to be "Cow Pies" laying around on the ground. If in fact we have livestock living on the other side of our rear fence it's going to be interesting to see how our little 12 pound Turbo Pup reacts when she sees an animal weighing 1000 pounds.)
The "moving crew" is supposed to show up about 9:00 AM, so I guess I better finish doing my news reading and get some more shut eye.
Y'all have a LOVELY Friday, and wish us luck dragging everything off of the Tractor Trailer...
Thursday, November 03, 2011
On Beal Street In Memphis
Good Ribs For Dinner...
So we tossed most everything left over in the form of possessions into the Q7 by late morning yesterday and made it across the state of Tennessee by dark.
Then we called a taxi and wandered downtown to Beal street and had a Bar-B-Q dinner at Charles Vergos' The Rendezvous restaurant, followed by listening to a few a short sessions of live music in a couple of night clubs in the area.
Time now to gather up the luggage and the Turbo Puppy and heading onward west toward Tulsa.
Regards Y'all...
So we tossed most everything left over in the form of possessions into the Q7 by late morning yesterday and made it across the state of Tennessee by dark.
Then we called a taxi and wandered downtown to Beal street and had a Bar-B-Q dinner at Charles Vergos' The Rendezvous restaurant, followed by listening to a few a short sessions of live music in a couple of night clubs in the area.
Time now to gather up the luggage and the Turbo Puppy and heading onward west toward Tulsa.
Regards Y'all...
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Moving... Day Two
Most Of My "Stuff" Is On The Truck
Well, we had another long day yesterday with my "moving crew" forcing all of the stuff sitting around on the main level of the house out the door and into the tractor/trailer we had shoe-horned into the driveway.
Then about 3 PM they realized how much crap I had laying around in the basement and everyone shifted gears into "OVERDRIVE" and they managed to get it all into boxes and out the door so as of about 6 PM the truck was headed to the local transport yard and we were headed to dinner and back to the hotel.
For some insane reason I'm going back over there this morning and slapping some paint on the wall behind the bar and cleaning up a few other details before putting the last stuff in our new/used Audi Q7 Quattro (I forgot to mention we replaced the old Chrysler 300 with a newer used SUV on Sunday) and heading west on Interstate 40 toward Memphis.
My head is SPINNING...ladies and gentlemen, but all for good reasons as Pat and Missy the Turbo Pup and I head west toward Tulsa, Oklahoma...ending a wonderful four and one half year existence here on the banks of the mighty Tennessee River.
Life is full of surprises until you stop living I guess...We're completely amazed at the curve balls being thrown at us every day.
Wish us luck...if you will...and have at least half as much fun as we're having...Y'all...
Well, we had another long day yesterday with my "moving crew" forcing all of the stuff sitting around on the main level of the house out the door and into the tractor/trailer we had shoe-horned into the driveway.
Then about 3 PM they realized how much crap I had laying around in the basement and everyone shifted gears into "OVERDRIVE" and they managed to get it all into boxes and out the door so as of about 6 PM the truck was headed to the local transport yard and we were headed to dinner and back to the hotel.
For some insane reason I'm going back over there this morning and slapping some paint on the wall behind the bar and cleaning up a few other details before putting the last stuff in our new/used Audi Q7 Quattro (I forgot to mention we replaced the old Chrysler 300 with a newer used SUV on Sunday) and heading west on Interstate 40 toward Memphis.
My head is SPINNING...ladies and gentlemen, but all for good reasons as Pat and Missy the Turbo Pup and I head west toward Tulsa, Oklahoma...ending a wonderful four and one half year existence here on the banks of the mighty Tennessee River.
Life is full of surprises until you stop living I guess...We're completely amazed at the curve balls being thrown at us every day.
Wish us luck...if you will...and have at least half as much fun as we're having...Y'all...
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
The Giagantic Tulsa Move-Day One Report
We're Running Like A Herd Of Turtles...
OK...Let's get a couple of things straight here.
First of all, let me state that I'm OLD...i.e. I'm not as young as I used to be...
Therefore, I am also SLOW...because of my age...
Thus anything happening FAST around here is either being shown on the TV else it is being conducted by someone other than myself and Pat.
Little Missy the Turbo Pup does some stuff at a rapid pace every now and then, but still...
That said, my "moving crew" is able to keep up with me because it turns out...
THEY ARE SLOW ALSO.
We spent most of the day yesterday in a combined effort trying to arrange things in boxes ready for packing on a truck...and the good news is that we got most of the upstairs packed after my so-called "moving crew" showed up sometime after 9 AM.
By 5 PM the "moving crew" was ready to go home, and we were ready for a drink and to move over to our hotel room for the evening.
So in the end it looks like today will be spent getting the balance of the stuff in boxes and loading things on a truck. and the actual arrival in the Tulsa metropolitian area will be delayed until Thursday or Friday.
If I have any say over the matter my next move will be to the Cemetery, because this crap is killing me...
OK...Let's get a couple of things straight here.
First of all, let me state that I'm OLD...i.e. I'm not as young as I used to be...
Therefore, I am also SLOW...because of my age...
Thus anything happening FAST around here is either being shown on the TV else it is being conducted by someone other than myself and Pat.
Little Missy the Turbo Pup does some stuff at a rapid pace every now and then, but still...
That said, my "moving crew" is able to keep up with me because it turns out...
THEY ARE SLOW ALSO.
We spent most of the day yesterday in a combined effort trying to arrange things in boxes ready for packing on a truck...and the good news is that we got most of the upstairs packed after my so-called "moving crew" showed up sometime after 9 AM.
By 5 PM the "moving crew" was ready to go home, and we were ready for a drink and to move over to our hotel room for the evening.
So in the end it looks like today will be spent getting the balance of the stuff in boxes and loading things on a truck. and the actual arrival in the Tulsa metropolitian area will be delayed until Thursday or Friday.
If I have any say over the matter my next move will be to the Cemetery, because this crap is killing me...
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Trumpets Versus Trombones and Violins
A Rocket Scientist Faces Uncertainty...
I 'm sitting here this morning trying to decide what to sell and how much to ask if I sell any given item in my upcoming "Carport Sale" of semi-unwanted "Stuff" we don't want to pay to move.
Any Ideas?
I have a bunch of realy weird musical crap...specifically a old Holton trumpet, a Chinese Flugelhorn, and a box full of Horner and Lee Oscar Harmonicas and finally a real Austrailia Didgeridoo made from an Eucalyptus tree which has been naturally hollowed out by termites.
Historically I like musical instruments where you hit a string between frets (the guitar) or push a piston (the trumpet) or blow in a hole (the Harmonica) instead of those weird things like the viola and violin or even the Trombone with it's slide where you have to somehow memorize and hit the place on the dang thing in orde to get a note which is in tune EACH AND EVERY TIME.
I'm definitely going to keep the Harmonicas, but the Trumpet and Flugelhorn are up for bids along with my antique Remington Noiseless Portable Typewriter.
Then there is the carpet shampoo machine and almost the entire living room except for my framed photos and drawings and now at 8 AM I guess we will have a bunch of strangers wandering around looking at our "STUFF."
Just for your assurance, I'll try to avoid killing any members of the "GENERAL PUBLIC" and continue on with our progression to Tulsa.
I 'm sitting here this morning trying to decide what to sell and how much to ask if I sell any given item in my upcoming "Carport Sale" of semi-unwanted "Stuff" we don't want to pay to move.
Any Ideas?
I have a bunch of realy weird musical crap...specifically a old Holton trumpet, a Chinese Flugelhorn, and a box full of Horner and Lee Oscar Harmonicas and finally a real Austrailia Didgeridoo made from an Eucalyptus tree which has been naturally hollowed out by termites.
Historically I like musical instruments where you hit a string between frets (the guitar) or push a piston (the trumpet) or blow in a hole (the Harmonica) instead of those weird things like the viola and violin or even the Trombone with it's slide where you have to somehow memorize and hit the place on the dang thing in orde to get a note which is in tune EACH AND EVERY TIME.
I'm definitely going to keep the Harmonicas, but the Trumpet and Flugelhorn are up for bids along with my antique Remington Noiseless Portable Typewriter.
Then there is the carpet shampoo machine and almost the entire living room except for my framed photos and drawings and now at 8 AM I guess we will have a bunch of strangers wandering around looking at our "STUFF."
Just for your assurance, I'll try to avoid killing any members of the "GENERAL PUBLIC" and continue on with our progression to Tulsa.
We're Having A Carport Sale...
As If I Already Didn't Have Enough Stuff To Do...
So last night we took the neighbors--Danny and Sheila--out to dinner to thank them for their good company in the past 4-1/2 years and for the stuff they are going to do for us in the future like keeping the homeless "occupy Knoxville" crowd from moving into our vacant house before we can rent the place later this winter.
Earlier I drove around West Knox picking up some last minute things at Lowe's and Home Depot before cutting the FINAL BOARDS and hanging the NEW DART BOARD down in the Wee Pub.
That's right Ladies and Gentlemen...all that's left to do in my basement besides moving everything onto a truck on it's way to Tulsa, Oklahoma is a little paint and stain.
It's really sort of sad because I put so much attention and effort into the design and details and I'll hardly have more than a couple of nights to enjoy the finished room before I leave the state pretty much forever.
Now I have to go back down in the basement and crack open some paint cans and swab some paint on a few things, and push some stuff around toward the Carport door in anticipation of having a "yard sale" in my carport from 8 AM to 2 PM today. We have a whole bunch of stuff we don't want to pay to move again, and it's either going to sell on Saturday else go to Goodwill/Habitat for Humanity on Monday.
That said...Regards Y'all...hope you have a LOVELY weekend..
I probably won't but I'll try my best any way.
So last night we took the neighbors--Danny and Sheila--out to dinner to thank them for their good company in the past 4-1/2 years and for the stuff they are going to do for us in the future like keeping the homeless "occupy Knoxville" crowd from moving into our vacant house before we can rent the place later this winter.
Earlier I drove around West Knox picking up some last minute things at Lowe's and Home Depot before cutting the FINAL BOARDS and hanging the NEW DART BOARD down in the Wee Pub.
That's right Ladies and Gentlemen...all that's left to do in my basement besides moving everything onto a truck on it's way to Tulsa, Oklahoma is a little paint and stain.
It's really sort of sad because I put so much attention and effort into the design and details and I'll hardly have more than a couple of nights to enjoy the finished room before I leave the state pretty much forever.
Now I have to go back down in the basement and crack open some paint cans and swab some paint on a few things, and push some stuff around toward the Carport door in anticipation of having a "yard sale" in my carport from 8 AM to 2 PM today. We have a whole bunch of stuff we don't want to pay to move again, and it's either going to sell on Saturday else go to Goodwill/Habitat for Humanity on Monday.
That said...Regards Y'all...hope you have a LOVELY weekend..
I probably won't but I'll try my best any way.
Friday, October 28, 2011
The "Wee Pub"
A Big Giant Room In A Little Package
Well, 2 AM this morning finds me back in my soon to be former basement making sawdust and slapping paint on everything that doesn't already have paint or stain on it's surface.
In an uncharacteristic moment I actually got Kilz primer on the front of my t-shirt...something I rarely do...but working at the pace I'm having to work at accidents will happen I guess.
I'm closing off the area under the new staircase with a plain blank wall, abandoning the idea of building a cozy little booth for two people in that area with a private flat screen TV.
Things will definitely be wrapped up by Sunday in time to put away the tools and construction debris in anticipation of the packing crew coming in Monday morning.
I just hope I get time to have a drink and toss a few darts at least once in my creation before heading back to Tulsa.
Regards Y'all...
Well, 2 AM this morning finds me back in my soon to be former basement making sawdust and slapping paint on everything that doesn't already have paint or stain on it's surface.
In an uncharacteristic moment I actually got Kilz primer on the front of my t-shirt...something I rarely do...but working at the pace I'm having to work at accidents will happen I guess.
I'm closing off the area under the new staircase with a plain blank wall, abandoning the idea of building a cozy little booth for two people in that area with a private flat screen TV.
Things will definitely be wrapped up by Sunday in time to put away the tools and construction debris in anticipation of the packing crew coming in Monday morning.
I just hope I get time to have a drink and toss a few darts at least once in my creation before heading back to Tulsa.
Regards Y'all...
