The Second Saturday This Week
Jul. 4th, 2005 12:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
howeirdIt sure feels like it. I got some things done which yesterday's adventures prevented.
Started off the day, as usual, in front of the computer. My chair has sunk itself into the plastic carpet protector so well that it's even harder to glide around than when I just had carpet. I'd tried double-decker plastic sheets, but that was even worse.
Home Despot
So as soon as I was dressed and ready, I took myself to Home Depot. I had measured, and the ideal would be a 4-foot square piece of 1/4-inch or so lumber. Since my car is not big enough to hold such a thing, the plan shifted to a set of four 4-foot by 10-inch shelving boards, which I would stick together with carpenter's glue.
Pulling into the HD in Sunnyvale, I was kind of shocked to see at least two dozen "day laborers" hanging around outside. I suppose HD is not going to complain - people are more likely to buy if they know there's cheap labor available to assemble, install, plant, etc. what they have just bought. It just bothers me to see my neighborhood become a part of the Third World.
It took a while to find the aisles I wanted. HD stores its lumber in an order which I have never been able to comprehend. Shelving boards were too expensive - $15 and up per. Then I found 4-foot by 2-foot peg board, which would have been perfect had it not been perforated. $4 each, and I only needed 2.
Found some beautiful pieces of poplar, 10-inches wide, 20 feet long. Or thereabouts. The sign said "we cut this for you". Unfortunately there was no "we" to be found.
Back below the pegboard was exactly what I had in mind for Plan A. 4'x4' planking. They called it something odd like "Advance board" - something with an A. Seeing it in person, it looked like it just might fit into the car. It wouldn't be hard to put it on the roof, push comes to shove.
I waited in line for 20 minutes for the opportunity to buy this. There were only two registers open, and of course everyone is taking this weekend to do home stuff. The self-check lane distracted me for a bit, but they neglected to arm those with the gun-shaped bar code readers, and I wasn't about to try to swipe this board over the machine. It would break something.
Got it to the car, it did not fit in any of the doors, but it was easy to bungee it to the roof, using the handles above the windows as anchors.
Driving home was an adventure - as soon as I hit 30 mph, the board wanted to sail. When I noticed this, I also noticed that some idiot in a pickup truck was tailgating me. I had half a mind to accelerate and let the board punch another hole in his head, but I'm already paying enough for insurance.
Took back roads home, at 25 mph. Luckily there was little traffic, and most of the roads are 2-lane in each direction.
The board went upstairs without a problem, and fit just right. And as soon as I sat down in the chair, one of casters came off. The plastic sleeved holding it in place broke. A little tape let me shove it back in again.
Mostly Boring
The rest of the day was spent in front of the TV, the computer, and nibbling a minimum amount of food. I decided to try starting the 1200-calorie plan, sort of. There is still stuff in the fridge I don't want to throw away, like an already-cut cantaloupe, some 1-cup servings of sugar-free/fat-free chocolate pudding, a few bags of frozen beef curry. Some hot dogs. Some frozen 1-cup bags of pre-cooked whole grain pasta. Bread, bagels, corn, peas, chili con turkey, and so on.
Went to Starbucks, had a decaf latte. It cured my low blood sugar, which surprised me because I thought it was just coffee and milk. Must have sugar in it - I'll have to look it up, and if so, avoid it in the future. The people-watching was outstanding. Much eye candy, some cute non-crying children, and one fellow who was doing a splendid job of Passing. Had me fooled till I saw his hands, and took a close look at his face.
Around 6:30 I went to meet a friend in Sunnyvale. We agreed to meet at the parking lot behind Macy's. I was way early, and went inside to pretend to shop. They are having a major sale. I was in the housewares section, and saw just the little non-stick pan I need for the diet. 50% off. Less than $10. I'll go back tomorrow and buy it. And also look for a food scale while I'm there. I looked at their kitchen knife sets, but 50% off on those is still too expensive. I'll look again tomorrow when I have time, I can really use a good cleaver or a 12-inch chef's knife. The one I have can't hold its sharpness for more than a day. I've only had it since 1978, I think.
Hooked up with the friend at 7, hung out till 8, walked back to the car by way of Murphy Ave, which was lined with all kinds of youngsters waiting to get into a club. I hope it wasn't over-21 or over-18 night, because a significant number of the girls in line were no way out of high school.
Phoney Stuff
At home I called Mom & Dad, checked in with a friend, used my bluetooth headset on the new cell phone. It worked fine - had not used it before.
Fish Story
While I was on the phone, I noticed what looked like brine shrimp swimming around both sides of the Betta tank. The male Bettas on each side chased them a little, but they weren't eating them. On closer inspection, they were baby Bettas. And the mommy was dead (which often happens with Bettas - the male wraps himself around the female and squeezes the eggs out, and if that doesn't kill her, trying to protect the babies from Dad usually does). I was very surprised, I had not seen an egg nest of any size. The timing tells me they mated while I was in Iowa.
On the list for tomorrow:
Started off the day, as usual, in front of the computer. My chair has sunk itself into the plastic carpet protector so well that it's even harder to glide around than when I just had carpet. I'd tried double-decker plastic sheets, but that was even worse.
Home Despot
So as soon as I was dressed and ready, I took myself to Home Depot. I had measured, and the ideal would be a 4-foot square piece of 1/4-inch or so lumber. Since my car is not big enough to hold such a thing, the plan shifted to a set of four 4-foot by 10-inch shelving boards, which I would stick together with carpenter's glue.
Pulling into the HD in Sunnyvale, I was kind of shocked to see at least two dozen "day laborers" hanging around outside. I suppose HD is not going to complain - people are more likely to buy if they know there's cheap labor available to assemble, install, plant, etc. what they have just bought. It just bothers me to see my neighborhood become a part of the Third World.
It took a while to find the aisles I wanted. HD stores its lumber in an order which I have never been able to comprehend. Shelving boards were too expensive - $15 and up per. Then I found 4-foot by 2-foot peg board, which would have been perfect had it not been perforated. $4 each, and I only needed 2.
Found some beautiful pieces of poplar, 10-inches wide, 20 feet long. Or thereabouts. The sign said "we cut this for you". Unfortunately there was no "we" to be found.
Back below the pegboard was exactly what I had in mind for Plan A. 4'x4' planking. They called it something odd like "Advance board" - something with an A. Seeing it in person, it looked like it just might fit into the car. It wouldn't be hard to put it on the roof, push comes to shove.
I waited in line for 20 minutes for the opportunity to buy this. There were only two registers open, and of course everyone is taking this weekend to do home stuff. The self-check lane distracted me for a bit, but they neglected to arm those with the gun-shaped bar code readers, and I wasn't about to try to swipe this board over the machine. It would break something.
Got it to the car, it did not fit in any of the doors, but it was easy to bungee it to the roof, using the handles above the windows as anchors.
Driving home was an adventure - as soon as I hit 30 mph, the board wanted to sail. When I noticed this, I also noticed that some idiot in a pickup truck was tailgating me. I had half a mind to accelerate and let the board punch another hole in his head, but I'm already paying enough for insurance.
Took back roads home, at 25 mph. Luckily there was little traffic, and most of the roads are 2-lane in each direction.
The board went upstairs without a problem, and fit just right. And as soon as I sat down in the chair, one of casters came off. The plastic sleeved holding it in place broke. A little tape let me shove it back in again.
Mostly Boring
The rest of the day was spent in front of the TV, the computer, and nibbling a minimum amount of food. I decided to try starting the 1200-calorie plan, sort of. There is still stuff in the fridge I don't want to throw away, like an already-cut cantaloupe, some 1-cup servings of sugar-free/fat-free chocolate pudding, a few bags of frozen beef curry. Some hot dogs. Some frozen 1-cup bags of pre-cooked whole grain pasta. Bread, bagels, corn, peas, chili con turkey, and so on.
Went to Starbucks, had a decaf latte. It cured my low blood sugar, which surprised me because I thought it was just coffee and milk. Must have sugar in it - I'll have to look it up, and if so, avoid it in the future. The people-watching was outstanding. Much eye candy, some cute non-crying children, and one fellow who was doing a splendid job of Passing. Had me fooled till I saw his hands, and took a close look at his face.
Around 6:30 I went to meet a friend in Sunnyvale. We agreed to meet at the parking lot behind Macy's. I was way early, and went inside to pretend to shop. They are having a major sale. I was in the housewares section, and saw just the little non-stick pan I need for the diet. 50% off. Less than $10. I'll go back tomorrow and buy it. And also look for a food scale while I'm there. I looked at their kitchen knife sets, but 50% off on those is still too expensive. I'll look again tomorrow when I have time, I can really use a good cleaver or a 12-inch chef's knife. The one I have can't hold its sharpness for more than a day. I've only had it since 1978, I think.
Hooked up with the friend at 7, hung out till 8, walked back to the car by way of Murphy Ave, which was lined with all kinds of youngsters waiting to get into a club. I hope it wasn't over-21 or over-18 night, because a significant number of the girls in line were no way out of high school.
Phoney Stuff
At home I called Mom & Dad, checked in with a friend, used my bluetooth headset on the new cell phone. It worked fine - had not used it before.
Fish Story
While I was on the phone, I noticed what looked like brine shrimp swimming around both sides of the Betta tank. The male Bettas on each side chased them a little, but they weren't eating them. On closer inspection, they were baby Bettas. And the mommy was dead (which often happens with Bettas - the male wraps himself around the female and squeezes the eggs out, and if that doesn't kill her, trying to protect the babies from Dad usually does). I was very surprised, I had not seen an egg nest of any size. The timing tells me they mated while I was in Iowa.
On the list for tomorrow:
- Find a pet store & buy an isolation tank for the baby Bettas
- Buy baby food for them (it's liquid)
- Macy's - shop for a pan, a scale and a cleaver
- Target for kitty litter
- Hook up with my party and go to the symphony concert/fireworks at Shoreline Park
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