Notival

I made the drive back from Oklahoma yesterday. It was nice and easy. Not too much traffic so it went well. It was mostly uneventful, with a small exception.

As I was driving South on 75, I saw something on the North side that caught my attention. This was outside of McKinney still, so pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, on the Northbound lane a truck and a car had pulled over onto the shoulder and about four individuals were standing in between the two vehicles. I figured someone had had car troubles and the other was helping out. Instead, what I saw was four people standing between two cars, and then one of the guys lunged at one of the others and hit him right in the face. And then the fight was on. Unfortunately, I was traveling at 70 mph the other direction, so I did not get to watch the outcome.

I just could not, and still can not, figure out why they would be fighting on the side of the road. If it was a case of road rage, why the Hell did they pull over in the first place? And it's not like there was a lot of traffic to really get fussy about. Idiots. I would not have been surprised if they rolled out onto the highway into the path of a truck.

The rest of the evening was uneventful.

Played some racquetball last night with Zero. We played last Tuesday as well. It was the first time we had played since last May when I was found to have the blood clot. Racquetball was something that the doctor explicitly forbade me from doing while I was on the blood thinners. But it is good excercise, so we are playing again. After last week, I was a little sore, but not hurt. Last night though, I hit the wall hard once, and now my shoulder is actually bruised. I think I hit a seam in the wall, because there are distinct lines in my shoulder.

After we had played four matches, we were about to play one more and a couple guys asked if we wanted to play doubles. So we did. We arent very good, and they were much better than us. And one of them hit me right in the back with the ball. It hit it hard too. This morning, I have an oval shaped bruise on my left shoulderblade about the size of a flattened ball. It stung like a bitch last night. Now it is just sore from the bruising.

In random news, when I left work yesterday, I was still on the fifth floor of the parking garage, where I always park, when I saw a rabbit just hanging out. A young rabbit. I stopped the car and thought about catching him. But it didnt really want to be caught. That, and i wasnt exactly sure what I was going to do if I did catch it. I was more curious about what it was doing up where it was. It is a solid half-mile of concrete ramp to get to the fifth floor. Not something i would have expected a rabbit to do.

Maybe a hawk picked it up and dropped it there on accident.
Maybe a hawk picked it up again later, cuz I didnt see it today.

Zero has upgraded his blog to MT 4. Upgrading is always a hassle. But I think the last time i did it was over there years ago. So I am probably overdue. I also need to remember to renew my domain name. It is going to expire soon, and Id hate for someone to snag it from me. Though, I can't imagine for what they would want it. Except maybe to try to sell it back, which would be a fruitless endeavor for them, as I wouldn't buy it back.

Ninsi went to Tulsa for the weekend to visit her mom. So I was left to my own devices. And my devices left a lot to be desired. Everyone was busy this weekend, and I did not want to go to the Ren Faire, since I may be going this coming weekend instead. I spent most of the weekend reading. Bought a book on Thrusday, and finished it on Sunday, I think.

Probably going to Waxahachie this weekend. And things are shaking up at work a bit. Some reorganizing going on. It'll be a could months before we see how that all falls out. Im not sure if anything will change for me, or if everything will. There's not a lot I can do but keep on doing what Im doing. Which is what I'll do.

Also, trying to figure out how the insurance works so it will reimburse us for the bills for Ninsi's hand is really stupid annoying. I was so hoping it would be easy. But no. It's a pain in the ass.

Grand Prairie has a minor league baseball team now. They started playing this week, and the home opener is tomorrow. Ninsi and I went up a month ago and bought tickets to opening night. While there, she filled out an application, hoping to get a job behind the bar in the restaurant. They called last night, and want Ninsi to be a beer girl. So she's going to do that. She's officially a wench now.

I also now have a spare ticket to the game.

We put in our low-ball bid on a 15 year old truck yesterday. I went fairly low because I dont *need* a truck. I just could use one about 4 times a year, and that just isnt often enough to spend a lot of money on one. But it is a blind auction, so I just gave a number. If I get it, go me. If not, then it isnt a big loss. Im not sure where I would actually keep a truck anyway. The City will not let me just park it on the grass, and the gate is too small for a truck to fit through in order to park in the backyard. So, if I do accidentally wind up with a truck one of these days, I will have some logistic issues to hammer out.

Looks like we're heading to teh Ren Faire early Saturday. We have to go in the morning because the wife has wench duties to perform on Saturday night. And Sunday night. And Monday night. I hope she makes good tips.

My dreams of being a truck owner were shattered today. Last week, I put in a bid on an old truck in a blind auction. I wasnt really expecting to win, but it would have been nice to get a full size truck fairly cheap.

The bids were due on Friday, and today, Ninsi called the office and found out that the winner had put in a bid that was three times greater than ours. They bid closer to what the truck was actually worth. I didn't come anywhere near it. I did not want to though. I wouldnt mind having a truck for hauling stuff around, but I will not pay very much for it, since I probably won't use it more than 5 times in a year.

Yesterday we went to the Scarborough Ren Faire with Reptile and his wife. We were there a few hours and it was pretty much as I remember it being last year. And the year before. I really don't see a reason for going more than once every other year. Turkey legs are good to eat, but not worth the drive and price of admission by itself.

They need to get new talent.
I need to find another cheapass truck to try to buy.

Got a call from the Squid Mama over the weekend. Apparently, Friday night, while doing a back hand-spring, the Squid broke her hand. They had got a temporary cast put on Saturday and were waiting to see a specialist this week.

The initial doctor said it was a broken finger, and probably pulled ligaments. Which would require surgery, and possible spell and end to the cheerleading career. They were supposed to go Monday, but I guess could not get an appointment. So, on Tuesday, they went to see the specialist. It was confirmed as a break to the middle finger, but no other damage. The Squid is now in a brace and will be a cheerleader again as soon as it is healed.

She is still going to cheer camp next month and most of the Summer. Then volleyball after that. She should be coming down here for a short visit towards the end of June.

I was hoping to get a copy of the X-Ray and post it, but I haven't been able to yet. I'll be sure to put it up once I get a copy, if I can finagle one.

Our neighborhood has a lot of dogs. And most of our neighbors see fit to let their dogs just run around freely. Ninsi and I keep our dogs in the fence. We dont let them run around. Maybe because our dogs are each 5-10 times the size of most of the neighbors chihuahuas and terriers. And maybe because one of our dogs might think the little dogs were lunch. And it is a lot easier to keep track of them if they are in the yard. And we aren't as open to random liability from someone that is afraid of dogs.

Anyway, most of our neighbors do not keep their dogs in their own yard. And the other dogs often wander through our front yard which makes Barley and Luna go nuts. Yesterday, I opened the front door, and two chihuahuas were laying in the front yard. As if it was their own. So, I picked up a rock and threw it at them. I missed, badly. Why was I so far off the mark? Because Im not a caveman and have not developed good rock throwing skillz.

However, I do have good sling shot abilities. So today, I purchased for myself a new slingshot. And ammo. Next time a dog is in the yard, they will run out yipping.

I thought about getting a bb/pellet gun. And may still do that later this Summer. But, Im not looking to kill or seriously hurt any of the dogs... yet. Yes, I know, I could kill a small dog with the slingshot. But it's less likely. Plus, the bb gun would have the same problem as the paintball gun. It makes a noise that the neighbors can here.

The slingshot is silent, and thereby, much more suited to my purposes. I'll be sure to inform if/when I actually use it.

Yesterday was Memorial Day (observed), so no work, and no school. We made it a mostly relaxing weekend. I mowed the yard and killed a bunch of weeds. And we went out Saturday and Sunday night. Good times all around.

Im not sure if it was a statewide thing, or just a Lowe's, but they were having a tax-free day for any Energy Star appliances bought. And Lowe's specifically was giving an additional 10% off said items. So, if you were looking to buy a new refrigerator or washer/dryer, this weekend would have been the time to do it. Tax free, plus ten percent is a pretty good deal.

I have been wanting to get a programmable digital thermostat for some time, and since they are also Energy Star, Ninsi and I went to Lowe's to get one. I looked at the flyer online, and found the one that I wanted specifically. When we arrived, I found what I was looking for, and they had two left. And one that was a slightly upgraded version. However, all of them had already been opened, and put back on the shelves. It looked like they had been bought, taken home, and brought back. I asked someone if they could find me one that was unopened, and that person said he'd send someone to help. They never did. Another random Lowe's employee walked by, and I told him I wanted one that was unopened. Because I wasn't going to pay full price for one that was in the condition of these. He looked at them, and said he'd try to get me 50% off of one. He was gone less than a minute and said it was approved. So I bought the upgraded version that was orginally $70 for only $35. And still no tax. ;)

One thing Ninis noticed when looking at the small pamphlet I had picked up was that all of the new thermostats "contain no mercury." It's been phased out as a health and environmental danger. First thing we did when we got home was install the new thermostat. It took a little longer than it should have, but it wasnt hard. So, now we have a nice new programmable digital thermostat, which should result in some lower electric bills for the Summer.

The other neat thing is that when I took off the old analog thermostat, the first thing I see is two vials of Mercury (Hg) that is used for regulating temperature. I dont know what Im going to do with it, but I cant just through it away, because it is just too cool to not keep. And anyway, throwing it away would be a violation of code, Im pretty sure, since it is toxic. So, I guess I have to keep it.

Hopefully, I wont soon be blogging on the ills of Mercury poisoning.

I want to make a rain barrel, or two. Our water bill last month was more than ten dollars above the normal. Not that ten dollars is a stellar amount of money, but it does mean we used a whole lot more water than we normally do.

I expected it to some degree, namely because I have been watering a lot more, trying to get the front yard to grow properly. I've put out quite a bit of new grass seed, and it requires lots of water. I do not water the back yard, but I have a tree and some plants that need watering. So, overall, we used a few hundred extra gallons.

To help mitigate our lawn and garden water usage, I want to make a couple rain barrels for capturing rain water off the roof, and then I can use that to water stuff. They are simple to make, and not uncommon. The city of Grand Prairie actually sells a kit, that includes the barrel, for $30. So I think I might buy two of those. What I can't figure out though, is how I will get the barrels back to the house. A Fifty-five Gallon barrel is not going to fit into my car. I would have better luck getting it in the Mustang with the top down.

Of course, if I could find some food-grade 55 G drums somewhere that I did not have to pay for them, then I would be able to make the barrels for a lot cheaper. It will probably take over a year to recoup the price of the a barrel if I actually do manage to lower my tap usage.

It's expensive to be green. At least at the start.