Last week was same ol', same ol', but the weekend was almost non-stop. We took our friend's Dan and Denise out to dinner as thanks for all the things they help us with and then we hung out with them all evening, visiting and watching a movie. Saturday morning we did chores and had a slight argument over plans. We were supposed to go to our nephew's birthday party, but Andy forgot about this and invited his dad and brothers over to help him with his next beer brew. I let him know how I felt about that and then decided to just go to the party by myself.
When Mike and Anne got here, Andy told them about the situation and they insisted he come with me and reschedule beer brewing for the next day (hehe). Apologies were made both ways and plans were changed. However, when Andy told his other brother and dad that they needed to do it the next day instead, they all got huffy with him. I felt bad about that, but in the end everyone agreed to come back the next day but Mike and Anne. They had other plans.
Our little nephew is so cute! We all gave him "monies" and the little guy made out with about $20 in change! That's nice earnings for a four year old. He loves change and loves his bank. Grandma and grandpa gave him a new bank and he wasn't sure about switching to the new one until uncle Kenton showed him how to use the new one. We were all teasing him about borrowing money, and we all got the same response, "Um, no." Until he got frustrated and then it was, "I said No! No. No. NO!" hehe
Somewhere in the middle of the party, a thing called a hoppy taw got mentioned and my sister and I were at a total loss as to what it was. Everyone in the whole room was shocked we didn't know what it was. I guess it's a rubber disk that you use as a marker to play hopscotch with. Apparently we were deprived as children as we used a white rock to not only draw the hopscotch board, but then we used the same rock as a marker to play. LOL Learn something new(old) everyday I guess :)
We had fun at the party and we were both glad we went even tho we didn't stay long. I wasn't feeling great and Andy had been dealing with a headache.
Sunday, I got up planning to just do a little yard work and then my normal Sunday chores. I went out and put weed and feed on the front lawn and then spread grass seed all over the back and then set the sprinklers up and went in. I went back out a little while later and sprayed all the cracks in the driveway, sidewalks, and fence lines with Round Up. It was really hot and this little bit was about all I could muster. I went back in and sat down to play Skyrim for a bit and then do the laundry.
Before I could get the laundry going, John and Mitchel showed up and then the boys got the brew started. Right after that, my mother-in-law showed up too. I got the first load of laundry started and then she and I got talking about the back and what I would like to do with it and before I knew it she was out there pulling weeds. Then I was out there doing it with her. Before I knew it we were trimming trees too! I couldn't let her out do me lol.
I managed to talk Andy into getting another couple loads of laundry done and then he came out and got after me for not stopping. He knew I was hurting. We finally quit and we all sat on the deck for a while visiting and drinking cold, wonderful, best water ever! I was soooo thirsty. It was really nice to have them all over and to have help doing some yard work. It was very rewarding.
I managed to finish getting the laundry clean, if not folded, but none of my other Sunday chores got done. The tank needs some plant management and a water change and the litter box needs cleaning and the plants need watering, but it had to wait.
I'm hurting badly today and have been fighting fatigue all day, but I made it thru the workday and got some more grass seed spread in the back to cover the ground we weeded and got it watered again. I got the house plants watered and the furnace filter replaced so we can turn the AC on, but that's it. Been a bum all evening otherwise.
Tomorrow is going to be a very, very busy day at work. I hope I won't hurt as bad tomorrow.
Welcome to the Dork Side
Monday, April 23, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Symphony
A few months ago, um well, maybe last summer, we were talking with Jason and Elizabeth and we all decided we should go to the symphony together. I have never been, but have always enjoyed classical music. Andy has too.
A few weeks ago the boys got together and made dinner plans and didn't tell us girls what they were, Andy wanted it to be a surprise. I guess Jason told Elizabeth tho and they went there last week to try it out as they had never been, so Andy fessed up and told me a few days before. We had reservations at Naked Fish. We had only been there twice before, but they have the best, most delicious food I have ever had. They have a sushi bar and a full kitchen. I was very excited to hear that's where we were going.
About a week ago, I started stressing about what to wear. I don't usually do fancy and don't have anything I felt would be appropriate to wear. My friend Kristie and I were going to go shopping to find something for me, but then I ran out of budget. Wednesday, I was so worried about it, Andy called in his mom. I was a bit worried about this as well as she and I don't always see eye to eye on fashion, but I knew she knows fashion better than me. So Thursday night, I headed over to her place.
It actually ended up being really fun and she and I had a great time. She had several dresses for me to go thru to borrow one. She ended up giving one of them to me as it didn't fit her very well and I really liked it. She's so much shorter than me I was worried, but a lot of what she had me try on, fit nicely. The one I ultimately ended up borrowing, I wish I could also keep. I love it. Andy really liked it too, it showed off my boobs I guess lol. It was also very comfortable to wear. She also let me borrow some jewelry, but threatened me with my life if I lost them. She got them in Ireland. We went to Shopko after our little dress up party, so I could get new shoes as well, and then stopped for frozen yogurt after.
When Saturday came, I was all set and ready to go. I even got butterflies from excitement. We had such a good time. Dinner was delicious and we had such great company as well. Andy and I had sushi of course and Jason and Elizabeth had some items from the kitchen as well as a bit of sushi. It was all delicious.
When we were done eating, we walked thru City Creek over to Abravanel Hall. I'd never been inside. They have this really big, really cool glass art piece in the lobby. We took pictures in front of it, but they are on Andy's phone and he won't give them up. I couldn't take mine because I had no pockets and no purse that I could get away with using with the dress I was in. Unless I can sneak his phone, no one will see them. He's so silly sometimes.
I loved the symphony! Seeing music played live is just awesome in every sense of the word. It's so different than just listening to it. You get to feel it. I have loved classical music since the first time I ever watched Looney Toons, and fell in love with it again in high school. My Architectural Drafting teacher would play classical music whenever we all needed to concentrate on a project or take a test. I loved it. As an adult, I'll listen to it from time to time when I need to find my center, usually to make it thru a bad day. Anyway, they did a Mozart piece first and then Beethoven's Eroica. The pianist that played for the Mozart piece fit the part perfectly. He had the longer, wild, white hair that I always think of when picturing a serious piano player and he was very animated. The conductor was also very animated and it made everything all the more enjoyable.
One thing I found interesting, and kind of funny, were the pauses between pieces. The whole place was really very quiet and still while the music was being played, but as soon as there was a pause, everyone in the whole place started shifting and clearing their throats. All at once. The acoustics in that place are amazing, and every little thing could be heard and not just from the stage. It made me giggle.
Overall it was a wonderful experience and now I know what everyone means about going to the symphony. Its so worth it.
A few weeks ago the boys got together and made dinner plans and didn't tell us girls what they were, Andy wanted it to be a surprise. I guess Jason told Elizabeth tho and they went there last week to try it out as they had never been, so Andy fessed up and told me a few days before. We had reservations at Naked Fish. We had only been there twice before, but they have the best, most delicious food I have ever had. They have a sushi bar and a full kitchen. I was very excited to hear that's where we were going.
About a week ago, I started stressing about what to wear. I don't usually do fancy and don't have anything I felt would be appropriate to wear. My friend Kristie and I were going to go shopping to find something for me, but then I ran out of budget. Wednesday, I was so worried about it, Andy called in his mom. I was a bit worried about this as well as she and I don't always see eye to eye on fashion, but I knew she knows fashion better than me. So Thursday night, I headed over to her place.
It actually ended up being really fun and she and I had a great time. She had several dresses for me to go thru to borrow one. She ended up giving one of them to me as it didn't fit her very well and I really liked it. She's so much shorter than me I was worried, but a lot of what she had me try on, fit nicely. The one I ultimately ended up borrowing, I wish I could also keep. I love it. Andy really liked it too, it showed off my boobs I guess lol. It was also very comfortable to wear. She also let me borrow some jewelry, but threatened me with my life if I lost them. She got them in Ireland. We went to Shopko after our little dress up party, so I could get new shoes as well, and then stopped for frozen yogurt after.
When Saturday came, I was all set and ready to go. I even got butterflies from excitement. We had such a good time. Dinner was delicious and we had such great company as well. Andy and I had sushi of course and Jason and Elizabeth had some items from the kitchen as well as a bit of sushi. It was all delicious.
When we were done eating, we walked thru City Creek over to Abravanel Hall. I'd never been inside. They have this really big, really cool glass art piece in the lobby. We took pictures in front of it, but they are on Andy's phone and he won't give them up. I couldn't take mine because I had no pockets and no purse that I could get away with using with the dress I was in. Unless I can sneak his phone, no one will see them. He's so silly sometimes.
I loved the symphony! Seeing music played live is just awesome in every sense of the word. It's so different than just listening to it. You get to feel it. I have loved classical music since the first time I ever watched Looney Toons, and fell in love with it again in high school. My Architectural Drafting teacher would play classical music whenever we all needed to concentrate on a project or take a test. I loved it. As an adult, I'll listen to it from time to time when I need to find my center, usually to make it thru a bad day. Anyway, they did a Mozart piece first and then Beethoven's Eroica. The pianist that played for the Mozart piece fit the part perfectly. He had the longer, wild, white hair that I always think of when picturing a serious piano player and he was very animated. The conductor was also very animated and it made everything all the more enjoyable.
One thing I found interesting, and kind of funny, were the pauses between pieces. The whole place was really very quiet and still while the music was being played, but as soon as there was a pause, everyone in the whole place started shifting and clearing their throats. All at once. The acoustics in that place are amazing, and every little thing could be heard and not just from the stage. It made me giggle.
Overall it was a wonderful experience and now I know what everyone means about going to the symphony. Its so worth it.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Updates
The black out on the tank did almost nothing. The staghorn algae is mostly gone but that's it. The other three kinds are still going strong. On to plan B, a different cleanup crew.
The 10 is cycling nicely, but erratically. Nitrites showed up almost on schedule, but so did nitrates. They aren't supposed to show up yet. I added some plants and have Co2 running in it. I'll be moving the Co2 back to the 50 and put the air pump back on the 10 and hopefully that will get it back on track for now.
My dreaded, dreaded, poor, pathetic lawn. It is once again time to try and tame it. This year I not only bought weed killer, but I bought grass seed too! I get intimidated by that every year, or run out of money or time or both or all three, but this year I have it. I will be spraying weed killer over the next couple of days, then I have to wait four weeks to lay the seed. That sucks since I will most likely miss the rains, but putting the seed down first and waiting four weeks to spray really isn't an option. The weeds would be out of control and most likely choke out the seed. So I'll spray now, put down fertilizer in about two weeks and then seed two weeks after that, and about two weeks after that, we should start seeing a much better lawn. Let the battle begin!
Somewhere in the middle of all of that, we will also be borrowing a tiller and trying our luck once again at gardening. I have two jalapeno plants, a tomato plant, and some basil already and plan on planting thyme, rosemary, corn and maybe zucchini or cucumbers and some squash as well. Ooh, and maybe some strawberries. If all goes well and it turns out better than the first time I tried, I'll try onions and garlic next year and maybe some lettuce.
What we call the summer popularity season, has also begun.
We planned a bbq, just because, with the Huz's side of our family a few weeks ago for this past weekend. Then we get invited to my brother's in-law birthday party, then we get invited to a party for a friend, then we realized it was Easter. We stuck with the bbq since it was planned first and had to cancel on both parties. The bbq was perfect. Good weather, good food, and good company and it doubled for family Easter time.
This happens to us a lot on weekends in the summer. Many people inviting us to do many things on the same day. Thus the popularity season name. We don't mind tho, it always works out.
Sunday we went to Easter brunch with friends. Again the food and company were good.
Overall, we had a pretty good weekend.
Next weekend is shaping up to be just as busy :)
We also got roped back into playing World of Warcraft. They are running a promotion right now that if you get a friend to come back that has been gone for a while, you can get a cool mount for one of your characters and they can get a free expansion and some free levels and a few other perks. Dan talked me into signing back up (Andy told him he would have to pay for a month of my account tho) so he could get the mount. Well, after I was back in, Andy decided maybe he should play again too. So I sent him an invite so I could get the mount :)
We haven't decided yet if this is good or bad or how much we'll actually play yet. We both feel like total noobs again. Our friends that we play D&D with and went to Sunday brunch with, also play and are going to be moving characters to our server, so we'll have more people we actually know to play with. That should be fun.
The 10 is cycling nicely, but erratically. Nitrites showed up almost on schedule, but so did nitrates. They aren't supposed to show up yet. I added some plants and have Co2 running in it. I'll be moving the Co2 back to the 50 and put the air pump back on the 10 and hopefully that will get it back on track for now.
My dreaded, dreaded, poor, pathetic lawn. It is once again time to try and tame it. This year I not only bought weed killer, but I bought grass seed too! I get intimidated by that every year, or run out of money or time or both or all three, but this year I have it. I will be spraying weed killer over the next couple of days, then I have to wait four weeks to lay the seed. That sucks since I will most likely miss the rains, but putting the seed down first and waiting four weeks to spray really isn't an option. The weeds would be out of control and most likely choke out the seed. So I'll spray now, put down fertilizer in about two weeks and then seed two weeks after that, and about two weeks after that, we should start seeing a much better lawn. Let the battle begin!
Somewhere in the middle of all of that, we will also be borrowing a tiller and trying our luck once again at gardening. I have two jalapeno plants, a tomato plant, and some basil already and plan on planting thyme, rosemary, corn and maybe zucchini or cucumbers and some squash as well. Ooh, and maybe some strawberries. If all goes well and it turns out better than the first time I tried, I'll try onions and garlic next year and maybe some lettuce.
What we call the summer popularity season, has also begun.
We planned a bbq, just because, with the Huz's side of our family a few weeks ago for this past weekend. Then we get invited to my brother's in-law birthday party, then we get invited to a party for a friend, then we realized it was Easter. We stuck with the bbq since it was planned first and had to cancel on both parties. The bbq was perfect. Good weather, good food, and good company and it doubled for family Easter time.
This happens to us a lot on weekends in the summer. Many people inviting us to do many things on the same day. Thus the popularity season name. We don't mind tho, it always works out.
Sunday we went to Easter brunch with friends. Again the food and company were good.
Overall, we had a pretty good weekend.
Next weekend is shaping up to be just as busy :)
We also got roped back into playing World of Warcraft. They are running a promotion right now that if you get a friend to come back that has been gone for a while, you can get a cool mount for one of your characters and they can get a free expansion and some free levels and a few other perks. Dan talked me into signing back up (Andy told him he would have to pay for a month of my account tho) so he could get the mount. Well, after I was back in, Andy decided maybe he should play again too. So I sent him an invite so I could get the mount :)
We haven't decided yet if this is good or bad or how much we'll actually play yet. We both feel like total noobs again. Our friends that we play D&D with and went to Sunday brunch with, also play and are going to be moving characters to our server, so we'll have more people we actually know to play with. That should be fun.
Friday, April 6, 2012
So Frustrating
Of all the apartments we have lived in, we have accidentally left the car unlocked on occasion with no incidents. Until we bought a house. Last year, or maybe the year before I guess, I left the car unlocked by accident. Unfortunately, Andy left his wallet insert and his keys in there. They were gone in the morning and the car was strewn with papers from the glove box and an apple was left on the seat with a bite out of it. The cops were no help. We bought a club for the car and replaced all the locks on the house and put security on Andy's credit.
I have become obsessed with locking the car, even to the point of annoying the crap out of my Huz. He usually has the keys, and we haven't bothered yet to get another set. Anyway, the other night Andy realized he had left his phone in car and went out and got it (so happy he did, although if he hadn't, the car would have still been locked). He apparently forgot to re-lock the car after getting it. Yesterday morning there were papers all over the car again and the passenger door was left slightly open. At first all we thought was taken was a charge cable and a cigaret lighter adapter for it. They left our dice bags and a couple other things that I thought was strange. The cable and adapter are cheap and easily replaced, no big deal.
Until I sat down at my computer last night and spotted my ipod cable. GAH! MY IPOD!!! I usually keep it in my purse, but I was going to take it down and trade it to my cousin for a more up-to-date ipod and I put it in the glove box so I wouldn't forget it. Well, I decided not to trade it after all, but failed to put it back in my purse. It's gone. It was in a neat little case too. I hadn't used it in months because I only used it for audio books at work and haven't been able to listen to books at work with my new duties, but I am still upset at my stupidity. We never leave valuables in the car. Not since that first break in anyway. I don't know why I never put it back in my purse.
This is the third violation of our cars. A few things have vanished from the carport as well (wish we had a real garage). Nothing is safe if it is outdoors, even with the carport being fully lit all night long.
Oh well I guess. One more reason to really dislike where we live. I really wish we could sell and move. Sigh.
EDIT: Okay it just feels like someone has gone thru our car the only two times we've left it unlocked. It has been left open two or three times that I am aware of at the house and not been touched. I still don't trust this area at night.
I have become obsessed with locking the car, even to the point of annoying the crap out of my Huz. He usually has the keys, and we haven't bothered yet to get another set. Anyway, the other night Andy realized he had left his phone in car and went out and got it (so happy he did, although if he hadn't, the car would have still been locked). He apparently forgot to re-lock the car after getting it. Yesterday morning there were papers all over the car again and the passenger door was left slightly open. At first all we thought was taken was a charge cable and a cigaret lighter adapter for it. They left our dice bags and a couple other things that I thought was strange. The cable and adapter are cheap and easily replaced, no big deal.
Until I sat down at my computer last night and spotted my ipod cable. GAH! MY IPOD!!! I usually keep it in my purse, but I was going to take it down and trade it to my cousin for a more up-to-date ipod and I put it in the glove box so I wouldn't forget it. Well, I decided not to trade it after all, but failed to put it back in my purse. It's gone. It was in a neat little case too. I hadn't used it in months because I only used it for audio books at work and haven't been able to listen to books at work with my new duties, but I am still upset at my stupidity. We never leave valuables in the car. Not since that first break in anyway. I don't know why I never put it back in my purse.
This is the third violation of our cars. A few things have vanished from the carport as well (wish we had a real garage). Nothing is safe if it is outdoors, even with the carport being fully lit all night long.
Oh well I guess. One more reason to really dislike where we live. I really wish we could sell and move. Sigh.
EDIT: Okay it just feels like someone has gone thru our car the only two times we've left it unlocked. It has been left open two or three times that I am aware of at the house and not been touched. I still don't trust this area at night.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Darkness Begins
As I have mentioned before, I have an algae outbreak in my tank. I have added Co2 to help the plants grow more to compete for nutrients, but it isn't helping as much as I would like. The algae that is growing is apparently unappetizing to my current cleanup crew and I am having trouble finding additions to my cleanup crew that would find it appealing. I need nerite snails and amano shrimp, but the closest fish stores don't carry them. So the next stage if the battle begins. I removed the Co2 (since the plants don't use it in the dark, I don't want it to gas the tank and kill the fish), put the air stone back in, gave the fish a really good meal, and covered the tank with all our old towels. Now I just have to cross my fingers that the plants and fish survive the next couple of days without too much trouble. The purpose of this is to deprive the algae of the thing it needs most (more than any of the plants I put in there on purpose), light. This is a tried method that supposedly works well, so wish me luck.
If all goes well, when I take the towels off in couple or three days, all the algae should be white or pink and be well into it's death throws. Then maybe the plants will be able to get a better hold and take over as they should. I sure wish fish would eat in the dark, hope they'll be okay with empty bellies for a few days. At least the cherry shrimp will be happy. They love the dark.
Denise will have to survive one Monday without her tank time with Baggs, sorry Neese.
I also got my 10 gallon going finally. I went to Petco the other day and fell in love with a betta there. I can't put one in the 50 as the likely hood of him fighting with the gourami is pretty high, so I decided I really needed to get it going so I could bring a betta home the next time I fall in love with one.
I could make the 10 cycle much faster than the 50 by stealing filter media from the 50's filter, but I was too lazy to open the filter up on Saturday to do so. Its a pain. I did fill the 10 with water from the 50 and will be putting plants in it from the 50 as soon as the black out is done, and that should speed it along.
Before I get a betta tho, I need to use this as a quarantine tank. I need two more otos and six more lemon tetras (as soon as I find somewhere else to buy them, grrr) to fill out my stock in my 50, but I've gotten paranoid about getting sick fish and killing off all my current fish. The new fish will go in here first until I know they are healthy, then I can put them in with the rest. If I do happen to get sick fish, then I can medicate them without medicating my healthy fish as well.
Anyone know where to get lemon tetras? I no longer trust the source for the ones I have, and no one else has heard of them. Sigh.
Well, for a post that was simply going to be about blacking out my tank, it got lengthy. Until next time.
Bye
If all goes well, when I take the towels off in couple or three days, all the algae should be white or pink and be well into it's death throws. Then maybe the plants will be able to get a better hold and take over as they should. I sure wish fish would eat in the dark, hope they'll be okay with empty bellies for a few days. At least the cherry shrimp will be happy. They love the dark.
Denise will have to survive one Monday without her tank time with Baggs, sorry Neese.
I also got my 10 gallon going finally. I went to Petco the other day and fell in love with a betta there. I can't put one in the 50 as the likely hood of him fighting with the gourami is pretty high, so I decided I really needed to get it going so I could bring a betta home the next time I fall in love with one.
 | ||
| I can't put fish in yet, so I thought the no fishing sign was funny |
I could make the 10 cycle much faster than the 50 by stealing filter media from the 50's filter, but I was too lazy to open the filter up on Saturday to do so. Its a pain. I did fill the 10 with water from the 50 and will be putting plants in it from the 50 as soon as the black out is done, and that should speed it along.
Before I get a betta tho, I need to use this as a quarantine tank. I need two more otos and six more lemon tetras (as soon as I find somewhere else to buy them, grrr) to fill out my stock in my 50, but I've gotten paranoid about getting sick fish and killing off all my current fish. The new fish will go in here first until I know they are healthy, then I can put them in with the rest. If I do happen to get sick fish, then I can medicate them without medicating my healthy fish as well.
Anyone know where to get lemon tetras? I no longer trust the source for the ones I have, and no one else has heard of them. Sigh.
Well, for a post that was simply going to be about blacking out my tank, it got lengthy. Until next time.
Bye
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