How's Your Day? Archives

It is one of those days... got a call from my wife that our new kitten knocked an antique oil lamp off the mantle... spilling kerosene all over a stack of borrowed dvds and breaking the lamp. Joy.

 

Coffee maker worked fine yesterday. Woke up this morning, the power light was on, indicating the timer had been set properly, but the water was still in the tank. Bummer. Now to find a new coffee maker.

 

Had a good yoga class and water aerobic class this morning. Deary gray winter day here

 

Today's going better! Although my wife called aboutour daughter's gymnastics class and was freaking out saying how she is too old for the one she's in and that her friend from school is in the older class...ect. As a good husband does I took the hint and called the gymnastics club. As I spoke to them, they waived the transfer fee to move my daughter to the older class, they discounted the class fee by 20% so we didn't need to make up the difference, and then they wished me a good day. It took like 2 minutes! Now I get to go home to a happy wife and girl!

I also have a meeting in another office (same company) for some potentially exciting news...I hope that news doesn't disappoint.

 

well.....

snow turned to ice this afternoon on the drive home. Tires locked up, anti-lock brakes didn't help. I didn't stop before the stop sign. Another car swerved to avoid me, missed, and hit another car. *sigh*

 

That sux.

 

at least nobody was hurt, but it was a long 2 hours at the side of a freezing cold road that was in far worse condition before we got to leave.

 

I'd say! I just got offered a huge promotion. The director of finance for the company has noticed my working habits and is creating a position for me in our largest manufacturing plant in the country (down the road from where I work)! 2 years out of school and they want me on as the accountant of the plant! Man that was a huge surprise! I was not expecting that!

 

Congrats on your promotion!

 

Just went ice skating. Here in Zeeland (in the southern part of The Netherlands, close to the North Sea) you don't get much opportunities to go ice skating. Certainly not on 'natural' ice. We're on an island here, surrounded by salt water which is warmed by the Gulf Stream. That keeps the temperatures up in the winter .

In Friesland (in the northern part of The Netherlands) on the other hand, it freezes much quicker. Pity for them it is going to get warmer soon. If it would be freezing for another week, they might have been able to skate the 'Elfstedentocht' (the eleven cities hike). That's a hike on skates of almost 200 km's through (you guessed it!) eleven cities. In one day. The Elfstedentocht is quite famous over here in The Netherlands. Since 1909 it has only been 15 times that it was possible to ride it. The ice has to have a thickness of at least 15 cm (6 inches) everywhere. That is partly because so many people come to watch. That and the max. 16,000 people that can partake in the hike. Luckily they don't start all at once but in groups of 1,000 skaters, four groups per hour. Believe me when I tell you that there are more people who wish to partake but who just can't due to the limit!

Winning the Elfstedentocht is like winning the Super Bowl -singlehandedly- , or so I'm told. So you can guess it is a biggie over here. The most (in)famous edition of the Elfstedentocht was in 1963, when the temperature was below -18 degrees centigrade (that is about 0 degrees Farenheit), combined with a sharp eastern wind and 20 cm (about 8 inches) of powder snow. Of the 10,000 people only 63 reached the end before midnight... The rest had to stop and find shelter or just go home.


But that is not for me. Firstly beacuse I'm not a member of the Elfstedentocht club (and you only can become a new member when there is place and when two other members think you can successfully partake). And secondly because I'm not physically up to it. Far from that.

Last weekend I couldn't go ice skating due to extra archery training - which is great fun as well! -, but today's the day! So SWMBO and me went to the ice rink in the village (a mere 150 yards from my home). Nice clean and hard ice. And my vintage skates still perform nicely. Pity you don't see them often in use anymore.




And I'm certainly not as fit as I used to be... Back when I was seventeen or eighteen I once skated Sluis-Brugge-Sluis. That is from Sluis in Dutch Flanders to Brughes in Belgium and back: 30 kms (almost 19 miles) in total. But today it is a nice and sunny day, not much wind. Great to be outside for an hour or so, together with SWMBO. What else can a man ask for?

It's a nice day.

 

It's showtime. In 30 minutes we're on, ready to roll

 

break a leg and have fun!

 

Got my door fixed on the truck! Been 4 months since I've driven it. Great to have my wheels back.

 

What was wrong with it?

 

Hinge bushings were shot and the battery was dead, along with needing a new fan clutch. Last weekend we fixed the fan clutch, this week I got a new battery, and today we replaced the hinge pins. Of course, having sat for 4 months, it isn't running too smoothly, but I think it will even out after a little driving about.

 

I'm expecting a case with bluetooth keyboard and an Aeropress, both ordered from Think Geek to arrive any time. Almost painful waiting for the UPS truck. Might need to go pick up base boards for the living room (where I recently put down hardwood floor) just to get my mind off it.

 

I was gifted $50 and I've been instructed to spend it on something "frivolous and fun." I have such a hard time wasting money on myself. I'm thinking about putting it toward a PS3, so I can watch blurays and finally play God of War 3, but the extra $200 still seems a bit steep. I thought about buying one of those home carbonation kits, but the proprietary gas refills are pricey, and the performance gets mixed reviews. I'm pretty much set for shaving stuff, and I just don't know what to do with the cash. I hate to totally blow it on food or something, because I want to get a lot of bang for my dollar. Any advice?

 

http://www.thinkgeek.com/

 

The Think Geek order didn't arrive. Looks like it will show up Monday, when I'm out of town.

When it does arrive, any advice on the Aeropress from owners here?