Work has been really, reaaaaaaallly slooooooow.
Hardly any deliveries and when there are, not taking a lot of time to do because they are small.
This is always a bad sign - not just for our company but for the outlook on the economy cause' when construction starts plummeting, it seems like everything else tanks right along with it.
Regardless, it also makes for a very long day at work when there is very little to do and all the cleaning projects have been done, leaving nothing but sitting around waiting for something to come up. We pretty much have the new place dialed in at this point.
There was nothing in the system for today when I left yesterday.
Well whatever. I have the refrigerator situation to deal with. But I'm not going to get in a rush about it. The tenants have their refrigerator and I can live on frozen - the low calorie good kind - dinners until I get the situation resolved. Meaning getting another refrigerator. Meaning finding someone that is selling one that is what I am looking for - think big like at least 24 cubic square feet - and can deliver it.
Well, 4 more work days including today til' 9 days off vacation : )
Small group tonight at church. They have asked me like 5 times now if I will come to this one. So, gonna go but leave before it's over and told them as such: if it's gonna be a problem for me to get up and leave before it ends, then I won't be coming. The last request they gave me to come included that they didn't care what time I had to leave and it's no big deal to just get up and go when you need to. Maybe, but when you're the one doing the leaving before a meeting is actually over, it doesn't actually feel like it's not a big deal.
Off to work.
ben
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
My refrigerator is biting the dust. The freezer is still freezing but the refrigerator side is starting to get warm. Gonna lose my food in there. Not the end of the world, just took all the meat out of there and put it in my up right freezer. That refrigerator went through that house fire and I was surprised the thing worked after being exposed to that high heat. I'm guessing the fan quit working. I'm not sure it's worth fixing. A fan motor for the thing is probably at least $100. I good used refrigerator - around $200 if I score, $250 if not. Oh, you can get them for less, I am talking about something decent that isn't 15 years old that still looks good and you won't have to worry about it for a while.
It is, however, the worst time of the year for something like this to happen. What it puts in jeopardy is my planned fishing trip next week. I have the money saved for that trip, I have been saving for it for a while now. It's also the only money I have available to replace it. Note that I am not referring to the tenant refrigerator.
I have options. Not necessarily desirable options, but I can probably get a fridge on payments. Or take out a small loan to get one. I have wanted to try and sell the travel trailer, I think it's time to get on that. Tomorrow - I would do it today but the sun is going down and lighting not good - I will take pics of it - yes I finally found my camera! - and post an ad in Craigslist. I dunno, though, how long it will take to get a buyer for it. I'm not going to take less than I paid for it. Or at least, at first I won't. If it stays on the market too long and no buyers, I will bring the price down.
Umm, but anyway, I don't really want to buy a brand new refrigerator - too expensive. I have always bought used refrigerators and only once did I get a dud - after about 3 months it died. Same with washer and dryers. I just buy them used.
Well, whatever, got some thinking to do.
It is, however, the worst time of the year for something like this to happen. What it puts in jeopardy is my planned fishing trip next week. I have the money saved for that trip, I have been saving for it for a while now. It's also the only money I have available to replace it. Note that I am not referring to the tenant refrigerator.
I have options. Not necessarily desirable options, but I can probably get a fridge on payments. Or take out a small loan to get one. I have wanted to try and sell the travel trailer, I think it's time to get on that. Tomorrow - I would do it today but the sun is going down and lighting not good - I will take pics of it - yes I finally found my camera! - and post an ad in Craigslist. I dunno, though, how long it will take to get a buyer for it. I'm not going to take less than I paid for it. Or at least, at first I won't. If it stays on the market too long and no buyers, I will bring the price down.
Umm, but anyway, I don't really want to buy a brand new refrigerator - too expensive. I have always bought used refrigerators and only once did I get a dud - after about 3 months it died. Same with washer and dryers. I just buy them used.
Well, whatever, got some thinking to do.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
I gotta figure something out here. These "people" living in the shack behind me are spending great quantities of time yelling at their kids. I am talking 2 and 3 year olds here.
Screaming, yelling, that kind of thing. It goes on and on and onnnnnnnn...........
I just sent in an internet complaint. I start with that. Then, when the City of Phoenix's Neighborhood Services department completely ignores my complaint, I can then call Zoning department directly, tell them what's going on and then have them send out their own investigator.
The issue I can get them with is the numerous extension cords that are being used to send power into the structure.
If these people are THAT poor, then they qualify for HUD housing and the City will - or should - direct them in the appropriate direction to get that kind of assistance. I am not without compassion, I just am not going to tolerate this kind of nonsense going on 24 hours a day, completely disrupting my right to "peaceable enjoyment of my property". WHY they are screaming and yelling at little kids that are that young I have no idea...........
I pretty much wrote my heart back to the ex about our son. A person has to find their own way in and through life. Parents can be there to support them - your offspring that is - but let the kid make his own decisions and let him reap the results of it - for good or bad. Not that I wouldn't give some advice if I saw him doing the "jump off the cliff" type of thing where his actions are obviously going to bring him some bad results, but even then, didn't we all have to learn in life from our bad experiences as well as the good ones?
She has not replied to that email. In her view, I'm guessing, she will be thinking I am opposing her and that I am doing it to spite her. In reality, I want what is the best for our kid, but I am not going to be around for him forever, meaning he is going off on his own and eventually he probably won't even be in the same country as I am. Sure, we can email back and forth from just about anywhere on earth, but he's GOT to learn to live on his own, by himself. To coddle him along is doing him a dis-service.
One more week of work and then I get my week off, which actually translates into 9, full, consecutive days of not having to go to work. I really need some serious time off. I enjoy the day off or two here and there, but a good amount of time away from work is definitely called for.
I mean, sans any circumstances that would prohibit it, we are definitely going on the fishing trip. The money out of my change bucket was enough to send it over the top. I was really relying on that being enough to pay for the shortage and it more than surprised me in the amount that was there. I am going to start all over again with it, this time hoping to cash in around Christmas.
Screaming, yelling, that kind of thing. It goes on and on and onnnnnnnn...........
I just sent in an internet complaint. I start with that. Then, when the City of Phoenix's Neighborhood Services department completely ignores my complaint, I can then call Zoning department directly, tell them what's going on and then have them send out their own investigator.
The issue I can get them with is the numerous extension cords that are being used to send power into the structure.
If these people are THAT poor, then they qualify for HUD housing and the City will - or should - direct them in the appropriate direction to get that kind of assistance. I am not without compassion, I just am not going to tolerate this kind of nonsense going on 24 hours a day, completely disrupting my right to "peaceable enjoyment of my property". WHY they are screaming and yelling at little kids that are that young I have no idea...........
I pretty much wrote my heart back to the ex about our son. A person has to find their own way in and through life. Parents can be there to support them - your offspring that is - but let the kid make his own decisions and let him reap the results of it - for good or bad. Not that I wouldn't give some advice if I saw him doing the "jump off the cliff" type of thing where his actions are obviously going to bring him some bad results, but even then, didn't we all have to learn in life from our bad experiences as well as the good ones?
She has not replied to that email. In her view, I'm guessing, she will be thinking I am opposing her and that I am doing it to spite her. In reality, I want what is the best for our kid, but I am not going to be around for him forever, meaning he is going off on his own and eventually he probably won't even be in the same country as I am. Sure, we can email back and forth from just about anywhere on earth, but he's GOT to learn to live on his own, by himself. To coddle him along is doing him a dis-service.
One more week of work and then I get my week off, which actually translates into 9, full, consecutive days of not having to go to work. I really need some serious time off. I enjoy the day off or two here and there, but a good amount of time away from work is definitely called for.
I mean, sans any circumstances that would prohibit it, we are definitely going on the fishing trip. The money out of my change bucket was enough to send it over the top. I was really relying on that being enough to pay for the shortage and it more than surprised me in the amount that was there. I am going to start all over again with it, this time hoping to cash in around Christmas.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Uhhhhhh, wow. Well, I am not really a fan of interjecting my desire for my son's life in what he should do with it. He is a man now, he needs to find his own way. Parents attempting to guide their children in such thing, I believe, really do them a disservice. They aren't your 7 year old son or daughter anymore. If you don't give them the opportunity to find out for themselves - including potential failure and learning from it - I think you are setting the kid up for ultimate fail.
So, the ex writes me a long email about how she feels he should go to a certain ministry to learn about God. I read the entire email and shook my head. "She" feels this and "she" feels that about his life. That's nice, but in a walk with the Lord, each person has to do that for themselves, no-one can walk it for you. Her intent is to tell him that he should go to Teen Mania - which is a good ministry, I am not saying it isn't but I don't necessarily agree it's the direction the Lord has for him right now - and that's that. "She" prayed about it, therefore it should be.
Yeah, maybe it is, but from my perspective, probably not. He is going to school. He is learning Japanese. He is also doing other courses that he feels he wants to end up doing with his life. He feels called to Japan. He is IN school, I mean he went down there and signed up again and it's all paid for. If you are learning a language, to take a year off and go off to a ministry to do something else is not going to be conducive to you learning that language. I am guessing a lot of Japanese actually speak English as a second language. English is taught around the world. But if you are going to minister in the name of the Lord to a foreign land, how much more effective are you that you can speak their language and speak it fluently?
So, I will have a very long conversation with my son when he comes back. The conversation will not be about whether he should or should not go to Teen Mania, the conversation will be about how to seek the Lord and find his direction for your life. We have been having several long conversations in recent times - not because I am forcing myself on him - he actually starts these conversations and I throw in my life's experience. Always easier to learn from someone else's mistakes and observe someone else's successes and perhaps glean something from it. We spoke at length last night before he headed off to his mother's house and then this morning, off to a week long ministry experience in California, all expenses paid for by the Salvation Army.
We have been having some interesting discussions. Especially about the Bible and what it has to say.
_________________________________________
So some suggestions were floated around on how to make the view of those people disappear.
One was to get some oleanders and just let them grow big.
No thanks. It would take too long for them to get that big, number one and number two, I'm not a big fan of those things.
But, it did give me thought that I could just stick 10 foot long 2x4's in the ground and put some sort of material up that would at least temporarily get rid of the view of them - or more to the point - them looking at me.
Or, perhaps, put up large trellises back there and buy a bunch of vines from the nursery and start growing them out of view. Much cheaper than a block wall and eventually it would definitely remove their ability to see me and my ability to see them - which is the point, I don't WANT to see them and I don't WANT them looking over my fence. Not only that, but it would look good. It wouldn't be an eyesore and would actually enhance the aesthetics of my property, not degrade it.
I could also put up an 8 foot chain link fence, cheaper than block and easier to install. Then, get the vines and start growing them on the fence itself. I have that already on the east side of the house and it has done the job of almost entire blocking out the view of those people.
Well, whatever the case, I can't do that right now. Well, I could, skip the fishing trip and use that money on that project instead, but - I am not going to do that. Whatever I end up doing about it, it's going to have to wait. But the seed has been planted. It's time to simply remove their ability to be looking into my back yard. I will be thinking of ways to deal with this situation in the next coming weeks - though the trellis idea really sounds nice, actually. I think 4x8 trellises are something around $20 to $25 each and I would need probably 8 of them. I already did this on the back side of my house. I put in 10 foot 2x4's, cemented them in to the ground and then attached the trellises to the 2x4's. I think planted some vines - but the vines I bought are REALLY slow growing, I gotta get something else for it. But it looks good is the point. They are redwood looking trellises.
Oh, and another thought that crossed my mind is that I could remove the axles off of that 5th wheel trailer and effectively turn it into a permanent structure by putting it on blocks and then dressing the area between the bottom of the trailer and the ground with some skirting. No longer a travel trailer. I don't know that I am going to actually do that, but I bet the city couldn't do anything about it if there was another complaint filed by, who else, the idiots behind me.
Whatever.
Well I was just out there, tending to my fish. The summer monsoon winds are really messing with some of my pond plants : ( They were out there again. Apparently, they have 2 kids - very young kids at that. Maybe 2 or 3 year olds. So, a guy, his wife/girlfriend and 2 kids living in a shack that is about 6 feet wide by 8 feet long. They were making a LOT of noise as well. I'm going to call the city on Monday - I just plain put it out of my mind yesterday - and get it dealt with on the fact of them running electricity into the shack with an extension cord, a definite no-no by the city's Zoning standards. If that doesn't work, I can call CPS and have them check the welfare of those kids and I can call the Neighborhood Services division again and see what they can do.
____________________
Last segment I wrote earlier today, got busy with other stuff, but posting it anyway.
As for the rest of today?
It's cashed.
Later.
ben
So, the ex writes me a long email about how she feels he should go to a certain ministry to learn about God. I read the entire email and shook my head. "She" feels this and "she" feels that about his life. That's nice, but in a walk with the Lord, each person has to do that for themselves, no-one can walk it for you. Her intent is to tell him that he should go to Teen Mania - which is a good ministry, I am not saying it isn't but I don't necessarily agree it's the direction the Lord has for him right now - and that's that. "She" prayed about it, therefore it should be.
Yeah, maybe it is, but from my perspective, probably not. He is going to school. He is learning Japanese. He is also doing other courses that he feels he wants to end up doing with his life. He feels called to Japan. He is IN school, I mean he went down there and signed up again and it's all paid for. If you are learning a language, to take a year off and go off to a ministry to do something else is not going to be conducive to you learning that language. I am guessing a lot of Japanese actually speak English as a second language. English is taught around the world. But if you are going to minister in the name of the Lord to a foreign land, how much more effective are you that you can speak their language and speak it fluently?
So, I will have a very long conversation with my son when he comes back. The conversation will not be about whether he should or should not go to Teen Mania, the conversation will be about how to seek the Lord and find his direction for your life. We have been having several long conversations in recent times - not because I am forcing myself on him - he actually starts these conversations and I throw in my life's experience. Always easier to learn from someone else's mistakes and observe someone else's successes and perhaps glean something from it. We spoke at length last night before he headed off to his mother's house and then this morning, off to a week long ministry experience in California, all expenses paid for by the Salvation Army.
We have been having some interesting discussions. Especially about the Bible and what it has to say.
_________________________________________
So some suggestions were floated around on how to make the view of those people disappear.
One was to get some oleanders and just let them grow big.
No thanks. It would take too long for them to get that big, number one and number two, I'm not a big fan of those things.
But, it did give me thought that I could just stick 10 foot long 2x4's in the ground and put some sort of material up that would at least temporarily get rid of the view of them - or more to the point - them looking at me.
Or, perhaps, put up large trellises back there and buy a bunch of vines from the nursery and start growing them out of view. Much cheaper than a block wall and eventually it would definitely remove their ability to see me and my ability to see them - which is the point, I don't WANT to see them and I don't WANT them looking over my fence. Not only that, but it would look good. It wouldn't be an eyesore and would actually enhance the aesthetics of my property, not degrade it.
I could also put up an 8 foot chain link fence, cheaper than block and easier to install. Then, get the vines and start growing them on the fence itself. I have that already on the east side of the house and it has done the job of almost entire blocking out the view of those people.
Well, whatever the case, I can't do that right now. Well, I could, skip the fishing trip and use that money on that project instead, but - I am not going to do that. Whatever I end up doing about it, it's going to have to wait. But the seed has been planted. It's time to simply remove their ability to be looking into my back yard. I will be thinking of ways to deal with this situation in the next coming weeks - though the trellis idea really sounds nice, actually. I think 4x8 trellises are something around $20 to $25 each and I would need probably 8 of them. I already did this on the back side of my house. I put in 10 foot 2x4's, cemented them in to the ground and then attached the trellises to the 2x4's. I think planted some vines - but the vines I bought are REALLY slow growing, I gotta get something else for it. But it looks good is the point. They are redwood looking trellises.
Oh, and another thought that crossed my mind is that I could remove the axles off of that 5th wheel trailer and effectively turn it into a permanent structure by putting it on blocks and then dressing the area between the bottom of the trailer and the ground with some skirting. No longer a travel trailer. I don't know that I am going to actually do that, but I bet the city couldn't do anything about it if there was another complaint filed by, who else, the idiots behind me.
Whatever.
Well I was just out there, tending to my fish. The summer monsoon winds are really messing with some of my pond plants : ( They were out there again. Apparently, they have 2 kids - very young kids at that. Maybe 2 or 3 year olds. So, a guy, his wife/girlfriend and 2 kids living in a shack that is about 6 feet wide by 8 feet long. They were making a LOT of noise as well. I'm going to call the city on Monday - I just plain put it out of my mind yesterday - and get it dealt with on the fact of them running electricity into the shack with an extension cord, a definite no-no by the city's Zoning standards. If that doesn't work, I can call CPS and have them check the welfare of those kids and I can call the Neighborhood Services division again and see what they can do.
____________________
Last segment I wrote earlier today, got busy with other stuff, but posting it anyway.
As for the rest of today?
It's cashed.
Later.
ben
Friday, August 3, 2012
I'm just going to have to build an 8 foot tall fence there, where that shack is behind me and that's the end of that story. Ummm, so that means gonna have to save up the money for the block. A regular 6 foot tall fence will not blot out the view of them, not with their property being higher than mine and the fact that they are standing on a deck, which shoots them up another at least 2-1/2 feet.
Interesting. I just found an entire section in the city of Phoenix code of things that do not require a permit. I noted that a structure that is less than 200 square feet doesn't need a permit, but at the same time, it does not allow for persons to be living inside of it.
Well whatever. It's Friday and I am just going to go to work, come home and see what happens. These people should be getting the message that I am not going to just sit back and allow them to mow me over, standing their like a doormat with printing that states: Please Trample Me. People that start trouble with their neighbors but, somehow, don't quite correlate that that trouble can and probably will come right back at them - are not very intelligent people.
I can only say that it is a good thing, when this kind of situation is going on, that there is someone here 24 hours a day.
Anyway, time to be off to work.
G'day.
ben
Interesting. I just found an entire section in the city of Phoenix code of things that do not require a permit. I noted that a structure that is less than 200 square feet doesn't need a permit, but at the same time, it does not allow for persons to be living inside of it.
Well whatever. It's Friday and I am just going to go to work, come home and see what happens. These people should be getting the message that I am not going to just sit back and allow them to mow me over, standing their like a doormat with printing that states: Please Trample Me. People that start trouble with their neighbors but, somehow, don't quite correlate that that trouble can and probably will come right back at them - are not very intelligent people.
I can only say that it is a good thing, when this kind of situation is going on, that there is someone here 24 hours a day.
Anyway, time to be off to work.
G'day.
ben
Thursday, August 2, 2012
The long and short of it is that I handed him a copy of the insurance card some time ago to put into the glove compartment of the car. I also warned him a few days ago that that registration is expiring and the car needs to be taken into an emissions testing station before I can re-register it.
This is regarding the old Buick and Caleb driving it after getting back from the summer youth camp. He was pulled over yesterday by a Mesa police officer - the plates had expired as of, yesterday, lol and apparently the insurance card I had for it was not in the glove compartment. Well, the cop told Caleb that the car is not insured, this apparently coming from his database on his computer.
Yeah. The State of Arizona. They screw all kinds of things up all the time regarding motor vehicles and driver's licenses, it's not surprising to me that they don't have the insurance on file, even though it's been sent to them twice now. Caleb got off lucky, though, he only got a warning.
Whatever. Caleb called earlier and was waiting in line. I haven't heard back from him whether it passed emissions or not. It passed with no problem last year after I took it into the shop and had some work done on it, I am really hoping that carries over to today as I really have no spare money to be spending on it.
Well whatever. Paying the mortgage today wasn't so much fun. Like - ouch.
________________________________________________
Wow! Double wow! I walk out of the door on the east side of my house - my little private domain with the ponds and a very nice setup. I'm feeding the fish in one of the ponds when I feel something unnerving. Eyes. I can ALWAYS feel eyes on me. I look up and there is this freaky looking dude in the neighbor wars porch - at the shack - standing there, facing me, arms folded.
Nope. I am not putting up with this kind of shit. WHAT are YOU looking at? "I haven't figured that out yet", spoken in some sort of strange sounding voice as if he weren't all there and an obvious insult.
Who are you and what are you doing back there?
This is my PARENT'S house and I can do whatever I want!
This guy is in his 30's. His face looks like the face of a meth user. He has tattoos going all the way down both arms. He is wearing a muscle shirt and you can see tattoos all over the exposed parts of his flesh, going up to his neck. His hair is hanging halfway down his back.
OH, nice, so you are living with your parents, in a shack that is smaller than the size of my bathroom, in your 30's at least and this is your life? Nice, buddy. I freely admit I pushed his buttons right back after attempting to press mine.
He got mad, of course, but I wasn't listening to any more of his shit and started piling it on. He disappeared. 5 minutes later, Sam - the guy that owns the house - came out, looking over the fence. "Howdy neighbor". I wasn't falling for it this time. I could go into the elongated history of him and his wife making up complete and totally fabricated stories in order to get me into "trouble", but I don't have the time or more importantly, the desire to go into it again on this blog.
I have held back for over 6 years now. I let it all loose today. The hoarding. The cats. On and on.
Yeah, I got past that conversation quickly and went about my business out there - it's my property, I AM entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of my personal property. I will not tolerate some freak of nature standing there glaring at me.
Well, I go into my house. I am in and out a lot. I come back out maybe 5 minutes later. I was repairing a blown water line on the drip irrigation system - it's hot out and the rains a few days ago were good for a few days, but there are certain plants that start drooping if they don't get enough water.
Well, this time, that guy is out there, with Sam and a woman and some other dude out there. This guy starts in on me and goes ballistic. He's yelling, beating his chest like and ape, throwing his fists around and telling me he is going to hurt me and that he shouldn't have "messed with my parents" - on and on. I seriously though the guy was going to jump the fence and try to assault me! I did NOT threaten this man, at all.
Well, I just went into the house, got my cellphone, came back outside and called the police. Gave a full description. Police came to my house first. I relayed the entire event and then they went over there. This guy took off his muscle shirt and put on a long sleeve shirt to attempt to hide his tattoos!
Whatever. These people are not going to intimidate me, they are not going to get away with threatening me and yes, I had my gun in my pocket. Not that I want to use it or even bring it into view, but with this kind of shit going on, I am going to have it available.
This is regarding the old Buick and Caleb driving it after getting back from the summer youth camp. He was pulled over yesterday by a Mesa police officer - the plates had expired as of, yesterday, lol and apparently the insurance card I had for it was not in the glove compartment. Well, the cop told Caleb that the car is not insured, this apparently coming from his database on his computer.
Yeah. The State of Arizona. They screw all kinds of things up all the time regarding motor vehicles and driver's licenses, it's not surprising to me that they don't have the insurance on file, even though it's been sent to them twice now. Caleb got off lucky, though, he only got a warning.
Whatever. Caleb called earlier and was waiting in line. I haven't heard back from him whether it passed emissions or not. It passed with no problem last year after I took it into the shop and had some work done on it, I am really hoping that carries over to today as I really have no spare money to be spending on it.
Well whatever. Paying the mortgage today wasn't so much fun. Like - ouch.
________________________________________________
Wow! Double wow! I walk out of the door on the east side of my house - my little private domain with the ponds and a very nice setup. I'm feeding the fish in one of the ponds when I feel something unnerving. Eyes. I can ALWAYS feel eyes on me. I look up and there is this freaky looking dude in the neighbor wars porch - at the shack - standing there, facing me, arms folded.
Nope. I am not putting up with this kind of shit. WHAT are YOU looking at? "I haven't figured that out yet", spoken in some sort of strange sounding voice as if he weren't all there and an obvious insult.
Who are you and what are you doing back there?
This is my PARENT'S house and I can do whatever I want!
This guy is in his 30's. His face looks like the face of a meth user. He has tattoos going all the way down both arms. He is wearing a muscle shirt and you can see tattoos all over the exposed parts of his flesh, going up to his neck. His hair is hanging halfway down his back.
OH, nice, so you are living with your parents, in a shack that is smaller than the size of my bathroom, in your 30's at least and this is your life? Nice, buddy. I freely admit I pushed his buttons right back after attempting to press mine.
He got mad, of course, but I wasn't listening to any more of his shit and started piling it on. He disappeared. 5 minutes later, Sam - the guy that owns the house - came out, looking over the fence. "Howdy neighbor". I wasn't falling for it this time. I could go into the elongated history of him and his wife making up complete and totally fabricated stories in order to get me into "trouble", but I don't have the time or more importantly, the desire to go into it again on this blog.
I have held back for over 6 years now. I let it all loose today. The hoarding. The cats. On and on.
Yeah, I got past that conversation quickly and went about my business out there - it's my property, I AM entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of my personal property. I will not tolerate some freak of nature standing there glaring at me.
Well, I go into my house. I am in and out a lot. I come back out maybe 5 minutes later. I was repairing a blown water line on the drip irrigation system - it's hot out and the rains a few days ago were good for a few days, but there are certain plants that start drooping if they don't get enough water.
Well, this time, that guy is out there, with Sam and a woman and some other dude out there. This guy starts in on me and goes ballistic. He's yelling, beating his chest like and ape, throwing his fists around and telling me he is going to hurt me and that he shouldn't have "messed with my parents" - on and on. I seriously though the guy was going to jump the fence and try to assault me! I did NOT threaten this man, at all.
Well, I just went into the house, got my cellphone, came back outside and called the police. Gave a full description. Police came to my house first. I relayed the entire event and then they went over there. This guy took off his muscle shirt and put on a long sleeve shirt to attempt to hide his tattoos!
Whatever. These people are not going to intimidate me, they are not going to get away with threatening me and yes, I had my gun in my pocket. Not that I want to use it or even bring it into view, but with this kind of shit going on, I am going to have it available.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
I'm pretty much bound and determined at this point to make this fishing trip happen. Why? Cause' I want to go fishin' on the sea!
Umm, it only made me want to go more after talking with another driver from our company that works for another division today. We were both at one of our company's plumbing stores - he works for fire and I work for waterworks. We run into each other here and there. We started chatting and I told him about my plans to go seafishing. He was all bright-eyed after that and declared he had just gone last weekend.
The dude knows a lot more about fishing than I do. I used to love fishing when I was a kid, but I just haven't done much of it in my adult life. He figured we should go on an overnight trip. Great, but the company I found isn't doing overnighters the week we are going to go. The day I want to go is a 13 hour trip - the entire week has only 13 hour trips. I will continue to look for different sportfishing companies, but I am not going to look forever. An entire day on the ocean will be fun and that's good enough for me.
Anyway, besides suggesting the type of lure I should use - which was good information - he also suggested going to a doctor and getting a patch that you put behind your ear to eliminate any possibility of getting sea-sickness. You know, I am confident that if I were on boats often enough, it would never happen. But last year, when the boat was anchored in very choppy waters around the Coronado Islands, that boat was getting heaved all over the place and I eventually started to feel it. I took a dramamine pill, which helped, but I would rather not have to even think about it.
Oh, and I would think about the company we went with last year, but they raised all of their rates. The overnight rate went up by $40 per person and I am not interested in paying that much money for an overnight trip.
__________________
Nice. I have been dumping change into that big container for months now. All the time, every day: whatever's in there, dump it in there. I handed the thing to my son today and asked him to go and take it to a Coinstar machine and see what happens. I figured at least $100. There was $170 in change plus $85 in bills. I also found the Motel 6 coupon for a free night's stay. Good til' the 27th of this month. Yup, we'll be staying on the 13th and the 14th - I am not driving home after a whole day on the ocean, just like last year, I KNOW I won't want to drive home and will be staying in a hotel.
The end.
Umm, it only made me want to go more after talking with another driver from our company that works for another division today. We were both at one of our company's plumbing stores - he works for fire and I work for waterworks. We run into each other here and there. We started chatting and I told him about my plans to go seafishing. He was all bright-eyed after that and declared he had just gone last weekend.
The dude knows a lot more about fishing than I do. I used to love fishing when I was a kid, but I just haven't done much of it in my adult life. He figured we should go on an overnight trip. Great, but the company I found isn't doing overnighters the week we are going to go. The day I want to go is a 13 hour trip - the entire week has only 13 hour trips. I will continue to look for different sportfishing companies, but I am not going to look forever. An entire day on the ocean will be fun and that's good enough for me.
Anyway, besides suggesting the type of lure I should use - which was good information - he also suggested going to a doctor and getting a patch that you put behind your ear to eliminate any possibility of getting sea-sickness. You know, I am confident that if I were on boats often enough, it would never happen. But last year, when the boat was anchored in very choppy waters around the Coronado Islands, that boat was getting heaved all over the place and I eventually started to feel it. I took a dramamine pill, which helped, but I would rather not have to even think about it.
Oh, and I would think about the company we went with last year, but they raised all of their rates. The overnight rate went up by $40 per person and I am not interested in paying that much money for an overnight trip.
__________________
Nice. I have been dumping change into that big container for months now. All the time, every day: whatever's in there, dump it in there. I handed the thing to my son today and asked him to go and take it to a Coinstar machine and see what happens. I figured at least $100. There was $170 in change plus $85 in bills. I also found the Motel 6 coupon for a free night's stay. Good til' the 27th of this month. Yup, we'll be staying on the 13th and the 14th - I am not driving home after a whole day on the ocean, just like last year, I KNOW I won't want to drive home and will be staying in a hotel.
The end.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
So, upon the advice of a foreman at a construction site, I decided to check out sport fishing going out of Ventura Beach instead of San Diego. I am not married to the idea of San Diego, the reason I would want to go there is because it is COOOOOOOL there. Well, according to this dude, it's cool on the ocean off of Ventura Beach, too.
Well, I did call the same company we went on last year - it's not like we were treated badly or something, it was a good trip out onto the ocean and the deck hands were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Well, the trip we went on last year is still listed on their site - a 3/4 day trip to some islands - but the Mexican Navy apparently has decided to ban all fishing from that area as of last Saturday. Yeah, well I'm not too fond of the Mexican Navy stopping fishing boats to check your papers, anyway. That was a bit unnerving last year to see that - and our boat left out of there about the time they were finishing up with the nearest boat.
We had Mexican fishing licenses, yes, we were legal, but I have had my dealings with the Mexican Army and if it's Navy is the same, no thanks.
So I called a place operating the same kind of thing, only out of Ventura Beach. I asked if beginners/know nothings were welcomed/okay on their 3/4 day trip to which he instantly replied yes, the boat hands are very knowledgeable and helpful and there is also a little training course they give before the boat heads out. Ohhh? Hey, that sounds cool! He then extolled the virtues of their full galley that cooks up breakfast, lunch and dinner, serves beer wine and even mixed drinks, on and on. I asked for a grand total for the tickets, tackle, bait, license and he came up with $100 per person. The other place as at $135 per person.
I'm reeeeeeally trying to make this work. Save $70 on the boat, score. If I can find that coupon, I have a free night's stay at any Motel 6. Yes, I know, probably far beneath most readers, but I don't really care as long as the place isn't noisy all night long and I can sleep. I don't CARE about hard beds, I prefer hard mattresses and I sleep on one. That would be one night's worth for free, second night around $70. $270 so far. Fuel. I know, never pay for a vacation on credit cards, but I am not going to worry about racking up some debt on the Chevron card. I don't use it that much and it would help me make this trip possible. It's going to be at least $100 worth of fuel after all is said and done. So, dump the fuel cost on the card, I can pay it off after summer is over and high energy costs are back down again (my electric bill). So, still at $270 for immediate expenses. Food. I got a can full of coins. I mean, there is at least $100 worth of coins in there. I have been throwing coins in there specifically for the purpose of using it on this trip. There's some green in there, too.
Yup, just dump some green in there here and there but dump ALL coins in there on a daily basis. That can is heavy.
It's a short vacation on the cheap doing something I want to do. They have a daily tally of how many and what kind of fish are being caught on any given trip, the boat I would be going on had a total of 38 anglers yesterday who caught over 500 fish! That's what I wanted to see, that we aren't just going on a sight-seeing tour of the ocean, but that there are actually some amount of fish being caught.
Well, anyway. Get down off of that high. I have just as much a good time attempting to figure out how to make a vacation work financially and seeking out whatever deals I can as I do actually going on the vacation. Sounds weird, but it's a challenge and if I am faced with a challenge that I know I have at least a reasonable change of conquering, I am all over it.
Well, I did call the same company we went on last year - it's not like we were treated badly or something, it was a good trip out onto the ocean and the deck hands were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Well, the trip we went on last year is still listed on their site - a 3/4 day trip to some islands - but the Mexican Navy apparently has decided to ban all fishing from that area as of last Saturday. Yeah, well I'm not too fond of the Mexican Navy stopping fishing boats to check your papers, anyway. That was a bit unnerving last year to see that - and our boat left out of there about the time they were finishing up with the nearest boat.
We had Mexican fishing licenses, yes, we were legal, but I have had my dealings with the Mexican Army and if it's Navy is the same, no thanks.
So I called a place operating the same kind of thing, only out of Ventura Beach. I asked if beginners/know nothings were welcomed/okay on their 3/4 day trip to which he instantly replied yes, the boat hands are very knowledgeable and helpful and there is also a little training course they give before the boat heads out. Ohhh? Hey, that sounds cool! He then extolled the virtues of their full galley that cooks up breakfast, lunch and dinner, serves beer wine and even mixed drinks, on and on. I asked for a grand total for the tickets, tackle, bait, license and he came up with $100 per person. The other place as at $135 per person.
I'm reeeeeeally trying to make this work. Save $70 on the boat, score. If I can find that coupon, I have a free night's stay at any Motel 6. Yes, I know, probably far beneath most readers, but I don't really care as long as the place isn't noisy all night long and I can sleep. I don't CARE about hard beds, I prefer hard mattresses and I sleep on one. That would be one night's worth for free, second night around $70. $270 so far. Fuel. I know, never pay for a vacation on credit cards, but I am not going to worry about racking up some debt on the Chevron card. I don't use it that much and it would help me make this trip possible. It's going to be at least $100 worth of fuel after all is said and done. So, dump the fuel cost on the card, I can pay it off after summer is over and high energy costs are back down again (my electric bill). So, still at $270 for immediate expenses. Food. I got a can full of coins. I mean, there is at least $100 worth of coins in there. I have been throwing coins in there specifically for the purpose of using it on this trip. There's some green in there, too.
Yup, just dump some green in there here and there but dump ALL coins in there on a daily basis. That can is heavy.
It's a short vacation on the cheap doing something I want to do. They have a daily tally of how many and what kind of fish are being caught on any given trip, the boat I would be going on had a total of 38 anglers yesterday who caught over 500 fish! That's what I wanted to see, that we aren't just going on a sight-seeing tour of the ocean, but that there are actually some amount of fish being caught.
Well, anyway. Get down off of that high. I have just as much a good time attempting to figure out how to make a vacation work financially and seeking out whatever deals I can as I do actually going on the vacation. Sounds weird, but it's a challenge and if I am faced with a challenge that I know I have at least a reasonable change of conquering, I am all over it.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Just got home from church - like it's my bedtime now so just a short update. Well, church was a men's meeting and the pastor was sharing his vision of things he would like to see come to pass in the church.
Got home and found George gone - tenant - and informed he had cut his finger and it would not stop bleeding, so he went to the hospital.
Wind storm tore down a large branch off of one of the Sissoo's, and now it appear I will have to cut the other large branch off of it because the one that tore off took a big chunk out of the other branch that was also coming out of it. I dunno the future of that tree at this point.
Vacation week has been approved, week of the 13th - 17th. Whether we go on a fishing trip is still up in the air. Dunno but not stressing over it.
It's been raining here - like real rain, the likes I haven't seen in quite a long while.
Got a raise. 2%. I know, doesn't sound like much but that was pretty much across the board for everyone at my company and - in this economy - any kind of raise is a welcome sight, definitely not complaining.
That's it. No time for more, I gotta get to bed!
ben
Got home and found George gone - tenant - and informed he had cut his finger and it would not stop bleeding, so he went to the hospital.
Wind storm tore down a large branch off of one of the Sissoo's, and now it appear I will have to cut the other large branch off of it because the one that tore off took a big chunk out of the other branch that was also coming out of it. I dunno the future of that tree at this point.
Vacation week has been approved, week of the 13th - 17th. Whether we go on a fishing trip is still up in the air. Dunno but not stressing over it.
It's been raining here - like real rain, the likes I haven't seen in quite a long while.
Got a raise. 2%. I know, doesn't sound like much but that was pretty much across the board for everyone at my company and - in this economy - any kind of raise is a welcome sight, definitely not complaining.
That's it. No time for more, I gotta get to bed!
ben
Saturday, July 28, 2012
I am still up in the mountains. The sun has all but gone, just a faint light left. It started pouring rain 6 hours ago, continued raining heavily for about an hour, lightened up a bit for another half hour but it's still, after 6 hours, raining outside. The ground was saturated to the point of water running down the hill. A good thing for the forest in these parts, it's been so dry that people have refrained from coming up here for fear of forest fires.
I am laying in bed - a very comfortable, queen-sized bed - listening to the pitter-patter of rain drops hitting the RV roof. I turned off the fan so I could listen to it - but that isn't going to last too long, it starts to get stuffy and I can't handle not having air moving around a bit.
I fixed - a temporary job since I didn't have some materials that I didn't know I would need to repair it - the roof today. Early this morning, actually. I put Henry's metal roof goop on there and actually hoped it wouldn't rain. It didn't start raining for about 5 hours after I put that stuff on there, but I went up on the roof just before the rain started falling and it was still soft. Nothing I could do, I knew there was the possibility of rain and I would either fix the thing or not.
But, even after the heavy downpour, not a drop of rain has come out of where the leak was. Note that I went to the trouble of removing layers of white elasomeric roof coating that must have been applied over time. I have found that covering over an old coating of the stuff does much of nothing. You have to go to the trouble of removing the old coating, getting it down to the metal and then starting over.
I made my mom a nice pork chop dinner. She was out of food anyway. Like, time to eat noodles type of dinner. She had forgotten to bring up several pounds of frozen chicken that she was going to use. So, a dinner of salad and pork chops and mashed potatoes and corn was a very welcome meal, apparently.
Well that's it. I'm off to early bed. Getting up early to leave for town so I can go to church in the morning, which doesn't start until 10:00 am.
Ben
I am laying in bed - a very comfortable, queen-sized bed - listening to the pitter-patter of rain drops hitting the RV roof. I turned off the fan so I could listen to it - but that isn't going to last too long, it starts to get stuffy and I can't handle not having air moving around a bit.
I fixed - a temporary job since I didn't have some materials that I didn't know I would need to repair it - the roof today. Early this morning, actually. I put Henry's metal roof goop on there and actually hoped it wouldn't rain. It didn't start raining for about 5 hours after I put that stuff on there, but I went up on the roof just before the rain started falling and it was still soft. Nothing I could do, I knew there was the possibility of rain and I would either fix the thing or not.
But, even after the heavy downpour, not a drop of rain has come out of where the leak was. Note that I went to the trouble of removing layers of white elasomeric roof coating that must have been applied over time. I have found that covering over an old coating of the stuff does much of nothing. You have to go to the trouble of removing the old coating, getting it down to the metal and then starting over.
I made my mom a nice pork chop dinner. She was out of food anyway. Like, time to eat noodles type of dinner. She had forgotten to bring up several pounds of frozen chicken that she was going to use. So, a dinner of salad and pork chops and mashed potatoes and corn was a very welcome meal, apparently.
Well that's it. I'm off to early bed. Getting up early to leave for town so I can go to church in the morning, which doesn't start until 10:00 am.
Ben
Friday, July 27, 2012
Up in the mountains. I almost bowed out of it today as well, I was pretty tired but I forced myself to get everything together, get the dogs in the car and get rolling. Amazing amount of traffic coming up to these parts on the highway. Extremely inconsiderate drivers as well. It is amazing how many drivers will block the passing lane for miles and miles and miles, blocking up traffic 20 cars worth behind them.
Then there was the couple in the BMW. I am going the pace the car can go. My car is loaded with 350 pounds of dogs, 200 pounds of human and at least 150 pounds of stuff in the trunk. It's got a bit of work to do to keep up the speed I want it to. It also heats up a bit while climbing the hills. Meaning? Speed is going up and down, not because I want to do that, but because that's just the way it is. Unlike many motorists in this day and age, however, I will move out of the way of whoever wants to get by me. We went back and forth passing each other until the dude driving that vehicle decided to gun it and take off.
Which bothered me not, whatever. I just want to get here as fast as I can. However, after 30 plus years of coming up to this area and 15 years of sporadically coming up to this property, I have learned the places were Highway Patrol like to hang out. There are hot spots, what I call them, where you can figure they might be and you make sure you aren't pushing the speed limit there. Yup, I saw the lights flashing and then, coming upon it, the car pulled over.
Well, I put in for a week's worth of vacation. August 13th through 17th. I don't know if I am going deep sea fishing again, but that is the only time I can do it with my son. I wanted to take a week off this summer, that's it. Actually, I put it in today and it has already been granted. So, even if I can't do San Diego, I can definitely come up here.
Yeah, I know, that week isn't that far off from now. A bit over 2 weeks. Lol.
Well, I didn't leave until almost 5:00 pm to get up here and then when I got here, spent at least an hour talking with mom - very tired, it's an hour past my bedtime.
G'nite.
ben
Then there was the couple in the BMW. I am going the pace the car can go. My car is loaded with 350 pounds of dogs, 200 pounds of human and at least 150 pounds of stuff in the trunk. It's got a bit of work to do to keep up the speed I want it to. It also heats up a bit while climbing the hills. Meaning? Speed is going up and down, not because I want to do that, but because that's just the way it is. Unlike many motorists in this day and age, however, I will move out of the way of whoever wants to get by me. We went back and forth passing each other until the dude driving that vehicle decided to gun it and take off.
Which bothered me not, whatever. I just want to get here as fast as I can. However, after 30 plus years of coming up to this area and 15 years of sporadically coming up to this property, I have learned the places were Highway Patrol like to hang out. There are hot spots, what I call them, where you can figure they might be and you make sure you aren't pushing the speed limit there. Yup, I saw the lights flashing and then, coming upon it, the car pulled over.
Well, I put in for a week's worth of vacation. August 13th through 17th. I don't know if I am going deep sea fishing again, but that is the only time I can do it with my son. I wanted to take a week off this summer, that's it. Actually, I put it in today and it has already been granted. So, even if I can't do San Diego, I can definitely come up here.
Yeah, I know, that week isn't that far off from now. A bit over 2 weeks. Lol.
Well, I didn't leave until almost 5:00 pm to get up here and then when I got here, spent at least an hour talking with mom - very tired, it's an hour past my bedtime.
G'nite.
ben
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