Telephone Line

One of the things we did over the weekend was stop at U.S. Cellular to renew our contract, which was soon to expire. Since we were renewing our contract, we were eligible to upgrade our phones at the reduced promotional prices. I liked a couple of the Motorola phones offered, but Maryanne preferred one of the phones by Samsung. Rather than go with my instinct, we both got Samsung phones. It's a flip phone, which is no big deal, and it has some nice features, like a camera and speakerphone, but I'm not sure how much I like the phone itself. I think I'm going to give it a week or so before I decide if I'm going to trade phones, though. It wouldn't be the first time one of us has traded one phone for another.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Styx: "The Grand Illusion"

Birthday Redux

Today would have been Grandpa A's 86th birthday.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Led Zeppelin: "Misty Mountain Hop"

Birthday

Today would have been Grandma A's 84th birthday.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Simon & Garfunkle: "The Boxer"

Home Improvement

This past week at home has been surprisingly productive considering the reason I've been home is to take care of Sarah. We've had a number of heating contractors come out and give us estimates on a new furnace. Our current furnace is around 20 years old, and is in need of replacement. So far four different companies have been out, and have given us quotes on three different brands of furnaces. I'd like to get the work done before September, as that seems to be time when all of these companies will start getting busy and scheduling will become more difficult.

I was also able to order some home improvement items and even get them delivered. We wanted some different blinds for Sarah's room to better block the light. I wanted to get cellular or honeycomb shades, lined so they would block light. Maryanne wasn't enthusiastic about the idea, but didn't really present any alternatives, so I ordered the honeycomb shades. Maryanne had to concede that I had been right about them.

We also ordered a pad for under the living room rug, to help keep it from moving so much as well as pad it. It works passably well so far; it sticks to the floor nicely, but the rug moves on it a little bit. We'll see how it holds up.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Zombies: "Time of the Season"

Heat Wave

Here it is August already. The summer has passed fairly quickly thus far, my time being occupied by various things for various reasons. Unfortunately it's been a warm summer, meaning I have not gotten much accomplished in our yard. There's much more I'd like to do, and it appears much of it will have to wait until autumn when things begin to cool off.

We are currently in the midst of a heat wave, one of the warmest in quite some time. Things are supposed to return closer to normal later in the week, though, and I'm looking forward to what respite it may bring.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Ray Charles: "What Would I Do Without You?"

Where's the Bubbler?

Your Linguistic Profile:

45% General American English

20% Upper Midwestern

20% Yankee

10% Dixie

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

I was disappointed I couldn't say that I drink water from a bubbler.

Mood: Stymied
Music: Montrose: "I Got the Fire"

Censored

This deserves some attention. It could have some far-reaching effects.

Mood: Concerned
Music: April Wine: "You Could Have Been a Lady"

A Real Pearl

Despite its inconsistencies, I try to read the comic strip Pearls Before Swine whenever I can, just in case I find something worthwhile.

This is worthwhile.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Three Dog Night: "Shambala"

Rightfully Armed

Here's some good news for supporters of freedom and the Second Amendment.

Mood: Pleased
Music: The Beatles: "Taxman"

Questions of Fortitude

The weekend started off in a mildly portentous matter, in retrospect. I came home Friday evening and parked in the street, having discovered Maryanne had not pulled her car far enough into the driveway to leave room for me. In addition, one of the neighbors had parked their car in the street, in front of our house, and I was worried I might not have enough room to park behind the car without blocking our other neighbor's driveway.

When I walked into the house Maryanne promptly asked me why I hadn't parked in the driveway. The nerve! She was the one who hadn't left me enough room and now she's asking why I didn't park in the driveway! When I told her there was no room because of how she had parked she apologized, having forgotten she didn't pull in far enough.

Saturday went somewhat better. The weather was cooperative enough that I was able to get outside and mow the lawn, and I even managed to get a few other things done. There were a number of factors, though, that prevented me from getting more accomplished.

Yesterday's tasks consisted mainly of shopping. However, we did try installing the convertible car seat we got for Sarah, but even with Narf's help we weren't able to get it adjusted properly. Out it came and back in went the infant seat-- for the third time.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Kenny Wayne Shepherd: "I Found Love (When I Found You)"

Idle Hands

When you combine puppets, too much time, and a love of science fiction, you end up with something like this.

Mood: Perplexed
Music: Deep Purple: "Our Lady"

Made in the U.S.A.

Maryanne and I have recently discovered the show Made in America on the Travel Channel. Hosted by John Ratzenberger, it profiles manufacturing companies based right here in the U.S. It has turned out to be very interesting, which is no surprise considering it is produced in partnership with Reader's Digest.

The other night we saw an episode where John visited the Stickley furniture factory in New York. Maryanne remarked how expensive the products were. Seeing the happy workers build quality products in a clean factory, though, and it comes as no surprise. You really get what you pay for with Stickley.

Maryanne fell in love.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Steve Miller Band: "Space Cowboy"

Hollywood Heroes

The other day Maryanne, Sarah, and I were at Narf and Pauline's. They had the local PBS affiliate on the TV, and the movie The Philadelphia Story came on. I'm not that familiar with it, but was pleased to see that it featured such top-notch actors as Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart.

One of the things I happened to remember is seeing Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes comment about Jimmy Stewart: "He was a bomber pilot in WWII and he did it better than he acted."

This could be taken in one of two ways. Either Rooney meant it as a slight against Stewart's acting ability, or a compliment to his piloting skills. I thought Rooney meant the latter.

In fact, on a Google search I found a website that not only relates Stewart's exemplary service in the military, but that of many other celebrities and nobles as well.

They just don't make them like that any more, do they?

Mood: Impressed
Music: Chicago: "Make Me Smile"

Eclipse

This article will certainly make you stop and think about things.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Eagles: "Already Gone"

Road Trip

Last Saturday Narf, Jon, and I drove to Chicago to get some of Leanne's stuff out of storage and bring it to Wisconsin, where it will now be stored in my basement. During this time, Leanne herself was in Ohio, but soon to be in Wyoming.

It was an interesting trip, but in a way fun. It had a "three guys on a road trip without the wives" vibe. Narf was an excellent navigator, and we were able to find our destination rather easily. The toll situation is an awful mess right now, so not only did we have the simple annoyance of having to pay tolls, but the added stress of congestion due to construction at nearly every toll plaza we went through. Have I mentioned my feelings on driving through Illinois?

In a way, it's comforting to know that not only do Chicagoland drivers drive like assholes in Wisconsin, but they drive that way at home, too. This could be caused by anger because gas there is so expensive. We should have gassed up before crossing the border, as I paid $3.18 a gallon when we stopped in Illinois. The fill-up cost almost $75. No wonder my great-uncle Fred is willing to drive to Indiana for gas.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Beatles: "Rain"

Healthy Eats

I found this pretty interesting.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: Queen: "'39"

Ranks

These things are always subjective, but here's an interesting list of guitarists, ranked on qualitative and quantitative criteria such as impact, influence, creativity, versatility, originality, technical skill, and lasting popularity. Let the debates begin.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: MC5: "Miss X"

Suggested Reading

Looking for some interesting reading material? Try this list, consisting of books that have been censored, banned, or challenged at some point in time. Some of the titles should be required reading.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: Iron Butterfly: "Termination"

The End

Here's an amusing look at Armageddon, in flowchart form.

Mood: Amused
Music: Extreme: "Wind Me Up"

Bunnylance

Many people are surprised when they learn I never read any of the Dragonlance novels, but I would still watch this.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: The James Gang: "I Don't Have the Time"