Category: Random Stuff

Cool and wet, no snow left on most yards, just green grass.

Had a wonderful Christmas Day with the kids and family. Missed my dad, I got the sort of presents he used to get. I’m trying not to dwell on it. But I do miss him, especially at times like this.

Checking out of Chez Sibling today to head back toward Chicago. We’ll have a day to maybe do something in the city museum before flying home. Also some minor things in my mom’s new place before she heads back toward warmer climes. I can count the remaining vacation days in my dwindling supply of Breathe Right strips…

Plenty to do before we leave, gotta get sheets stripped, bathrooms cleaned, and the ever widening debris field from the kids contained.

Pancakes and eggs for breakfast, yum.

n

Another cool and damp day. Story of my life lately.

Also, not a white Christmas.

Opened a bunch of presents last night. Kids were nutso. Very nice dinner, and lots of other desserts. Even some cookies, provided by a neighbor and good friend.

Everything was in place for the jolly fat man to make his visit.

Today the kids will be losing their minds, we’ll all eat too much, and hopefully a good time will be had by all.

Take this day to celebrate what you believe. These are the good old days.

May the peace and joy of the season be with you all,

nick

Cool and wet.

Yesterday got sunny and all the way to 47F here on the shores of Lake Michigan. Well, near them anyway.

Did get a couple of nice locally made tchotcki for the second child to give as presents. Might have to take the first child out today to get her last minute shopping done. It was a nice couple of hours with my little one, culminating in coffee and a smoothie for her. This town is soaking in small town charm.

Last day to get any Christmas stuff in order, second day of Hanukkah, and day after Festivus.

I’d be powering up the AA guns and the AS battery later tonight, if I didn’t have two little ones. I’ll have to settle for putting out the less tasty cocoa and some slightly stale cookies for the fat man. Some blog traditions I just can’t keep up 🙂

It’s clear from looking at the history of Christmas in the US that we have been making it up as we go. Make some new traditions of your own if you want to, and honor some from the past.

Take the opportunity to mark the day in whatever way matters to you. If this is a very tough time of the year for you, please find someone to share your burden- even if it’s just a bunch of grumpy old men online.

All of you reading this have my very best wishes,

nick

Another cold and wet day.

Yesterday was low 40s and most of the snow melted. The backyard is in shadow and still has well worn but adequate snow cover. No sledding though.

It’s a bit weird being here this early. Feels like Christmas should be today. I’m getting some recreational reading done, and the occasional little project around the house.

Food is awesome, but we’re almost out of cookies. Something might have to be done about that.

Meanwhile the world continues to prove that half the people are below average, and most of them have lost their minds.

Slow internet here, so I’m limiting my exposure. Just as well.

I’ll be checking in throughout the day,

n

Cold and wet here, lots of snow melt.

Good day yesterday. All the traditional snow activities for little kids were introduced and practiced. LOTS of homemade cookies were eaten. Wine was consumed (by others) and presents were stacked under the tree. Three huge dogs got their freshly bathed bellies skritched.

A good day.

I hope your holiday preps are happening smoothly, and your lives are where you want them to be.

I need to get the kids out to buy for each other and mom, and we might go see the Star Wars movie. Dunno. Maybe it will snow a bit more. That would be cool.

I also have to add to and rotate out some stocks in my cache here. I was disappointed to see that the Walmart here doesn’t carry the canned Keystone meat anymore. I’ll have to add some other canned foods I guess. The rice bucket is marked 9/17, so that needs replacing. Most of the rest is canned, but any box or pouch meals might need replacement too. It’s winter now, so maybe I’ll be able to find some hand or foot warmers to use as O2 absorbers.

Anyway, stuff to do!

n

Cold here in the Windy City.

Arrived safely. Stopped for dinner. Yummy Chinese food. Ate Christmas cookies. Went to bed.

Today we’ll continue on to Michigan. I hear reports that there might be snow! I hope so. That was one of the main goals- to have the kids playing in snow.

I guess we’ll know soon enough.

I’ll check in later. Don’t burn the joint down…

N

Cold and damp. Again. [well, COOL and damp. 50F and 99%RH]

Yesterday warmed up during the day to the point where shirtsleeves were fine outdoors. Then it got chilly again.

Today I’m scrambling to get packed and ready to go away for a long week.

Got all but one gift done last night. I’ll have to find the time to get the last little one done this morning.

Still so much to do.

n

Cold. Damp. Still/again/of course… [36F and frost on the cars]

Did my volunteer edumacating of the kinder yesterday. It’s really fun and very satisfying. I will point out, I’m like a grandparent. I can spoil them/ get them wound up and then give them back. It’s not something I think I could do every day.

Today should be wrapping up things here around the house before my Christmas trip. Presents, yard work and decor, cleaning, and dropping off presents to my gub store buddies. Oh, laundry and packing too.

I’m having a real internal debate about carrying to MI. I’m not just passing through Illinois on my way there, so I’m not protected by Federal law. I’m staying with my sibling the first night in Illinois. That opens me up to potential issues that I have avoided in the past. No one wants to be the test case. On the other hand, I can provide the locked case, and probably mostly comply. Not having it, and having to drive home if something bad happened would be very unpleasant. There is a lot of bad area between here and there. It will probably come down to whether I have any weight left in my checked bag…

Meanwhile, they world continues on pace for meltdown and realignment. Big trouble brewing domestically too. Virginia is nuts, as Gov. Blackface seems intent on testing the resolve of the population wrt gun confiscation and posse comitatus. There are so many ways this could go wrong I can’t even make a prediction. When I get nervous though, I tend to stack gear and preps. There are many things easily and cheaply available right now, that might not be if things go pear shaped. And there are SO MANY ways things can go pear shaped. I know, we’ve been saying that for a long time and nothing drastic has happened. Just the slow drip drip drip of constraints building and freedoms eroding. One day the icicle falls though.

With that cheery thought, time’s a wasting. Better get the kids out the door and start my day.

nick

Cold and damp this am.

We were threatened with freezing, but I don’t know if we got there. Still haven’t changed the batteries in my weather station, and when it’s cold or cloudy too long, they don’t have enough umph.

Today is my volunteer day at school for the morning, followed with my ham group lunch. I’m going this week as it’s the last I can make before Christmas, and it’s near me and at a favorite restaurant….

Then ebay shipping, haircut?, and decor… followed by packing and wrapping gifts both to take with and to leave here under the tree. I’m not even sure what all I have stacked in the closet. Gonna be down to the wire………

n

Cold and wet.

That brief thundershower yesterday was the front coming in. It went from 60/70s to mid 40s in a matter of minutes. Then it stayed cold for the rest of the day and night. From 85F to 43F in a day. Welcome to Texas!

Ordered a couple of Victorinox Swiss army knives for my daughters. This will be their first knife, and they’ve passed their girl scout knife unit. I picked the Manager multitool style knife, based on Ferfal’s recommendation. I like it. The only thing I don’t like is the lack of a blade lock. Kinda ironic that I bought two new from amazon, when I’ve got a bag full of knives from the TSA seizure store. But I didn’t grab any like this, and I think that they’ll be well served by a small multi bladed knife.

I’ll be out and about, mostly getting a haircut and finishing up at my customer’s house. It looks like my fixes might have been good…. and I’ll be relocating the tv we removed into the mother in law suite/guest house.

I bought a bunch of stuff at auction this weekend. I need to get it listed. And some of the other stuff that’s been sitting around needs to get photographed and put in storage.

The Christmas decor isn’t quite done either.

Tomorrow, I’ve got my science class in the morning, and my ham lunch, which I’ll try mightily to make. It’s the last of the year for me, and it’s the closest restaurant too.

So much to do before departure… and the kids want to take an afternoon and go shopping for mom….

Gah. I had more time when I was working 80 hrs/week.

nick