He is Too Old

You know you're starting to age when staples of your youth start to get to you. For example, winter used to be one of my favorite seasons. Nowadays, when I have to pay for electricity to heat a house, it kind of just bugs and wears on me. Don't get me wrong, if winter had quietly gone out along with Punxsutawney Phil three weeks ago, I'd probably still be singing its praises. And like my wife likes to point out, once it starts getting hot again I'll just be complaining about sweating too much. This winter though just seems to be dragging and I'm not sure how many more sub-freezing days I can take. Literally sub-freezing as the mercury seems to usually hover around the 20s on any given day.

It's not all bad, though. I have my bike back from the shop with a new front tire (the previous one, although not past its prime quite yet, inexplicably kept losing air for no discernible reason; it was easier to just replace the dang thing rather than take chances that it would just continue deflating) and it's a joy to get back on two wheels for the work commute. It's funny that you would think biking in winter would seem worse than walking; in fact I've found that I have more energy when I bike in the cold than if I walk. The last few months I've been without it I have of course been hoofing it to work, and most mornings (when it is usually the coldest) I found myself feeling more drained than if I'm coasting in on the bike. It's nice to be back to normal.

Likewise, winter has pretty much killed any hope I had for working on outdoor projects that are still in limbo. I know I mentioned earlier about using my garage as a mediary for fence work, but the last few months have just been so doggone cold I haven't even wanted to be close to the outside for any reason. The long and short of this is I haven't gotten any work done on the fence this winter. Boo. However, the good news here is that I basically have certified the fence as Ready for Painting, as this is the wife's job (she volunteered). Once the greatness that is Spring arrives, we'll be outside armed with paint sprayers and mini-rollers to coat the fence in pristine white Kilz (yes, that's the name of the stuff; I suppose it "Kilz all stuff that's not painted!"). While the gates are not 100% ready yet, we can paint the existing fence (which in all honesty is actually about 90% erect at this point) and the gates separately which will let me hang them when they're done and painted. Since I have fancy wrought iron hardware for the gates this actually works out. So winter has done me one favor I suppose; it's just been a bummer to have an unfinished fence.

The winter has given plenty of opportunities inside, however. I have several projects going on right now concerning our computer, the home theater setup, and what I hope to become our home "library" (an odd offshoot room of our house that used to be the former owner's business office; we've since converted it to a much cozier style room with a bay window). This sunroom has always been a bit of the joke of our house, as shoddy construction and terrible decor have pretty much left it as "that room" and mostly forgotten. Since redoing the windows however I have some more plans for it that will hopefully make it much more comfortable and inviting as a bit of the "reading room." It doesn't help that it was the only room listed in our disclosure as having copious lead paint; we long ago painted over that but its kind of cemented the room as a bit unfriendly. With the finishing work I have planned for it I hope to remove that distinction.

Whilst I speak of getting old, there was an interesting trip down memory lane a few weeks ago at my dad's house. He's retired now and in the fun process of sorting out stuff from his storage closets. Along the way he came across lots of old books and toys and such from my youth. The other Saturday my brother and I (along with the podling) stopped in to help haul some stuff and also decide if we wanted to keep any of the old digs. While my daughter hardly needs any books, I nevertheless took a few choice selections as well as a few stuffed animals and such. We couldn't bear to part with the Legos, and I also scored an Atari 7800. Should have some fun with that one (Solaris FTW!).

Blog on.

Lament of a Stomach Virus

Last Wednesday I was over at a friend's watching the end of the Super Bowl that I missed. I had my daughter with me and all was well. Then came the broccoli. Up from the little one's mouth. And again. And again. About four times total, I think. She seemed neither worse for the wear afterward, a little tired but not terribly upset that she had just upped an entire dinner's worth of the green stuff. It was, upon reflection, her first actual toss since becoming a toddler as her only previous vomiting occurred as the constant upchucking of an infant (and that hardly counts). She pretty much was tuckered after that and snoozed in my lap for about an hour. The next day wasn't too bad for her, and then all hell broke loose.

Thursday night my wife got sick. Noodles decorated the trash can. I got home a little late that night, tried to take care of her and fell asleep. Then a terribleness awoke me at a little past two in the morning and I had to take a knee. Two knees, actually. I stumbled down the stairs in the dark and barely made it to the bathroom. There such stuff that shall not be named came out of me from both ends. My wife and daughter felt better after throwing up. Me, not so much. Pain came after that. As far as I know I still have an appendix, but if it ever decides to give up the ghost I imagine now I'll know what it feels like. I ate saltine crackers without the salt and drank water for two days. I think I actually lost five pounds. It was without a doubt the worst sickness I can remember having in many years.

I don't succumb to much illness. The regular sneezing and coughing and all that is usually lost on me for whatever fortunate reason. (I thank vitamin C for that.) Throw a stomach virus at me though and apparently I drop to my knees in submission just like the next person. It was pretty horrible, enough so that being "better" now is still feeling a little strange. I got a good look at all the patterns on our shower curtain that faces the toilet let me tell you.

But that's all in the past now. Onward! One neat thing we're doing at home right now is a "time of use" program with our electric company. They are using it as a pilot program this year for those that wanted to sign up for it. Basically it means there are "peak" hours of electric use during the weekday that you are charged a higher rate for depending on what season it is (winter or summer). All other times of day (including weekends and holidays) are considered "off peak" and you are charged a much lower electric rate. The idea is you shift your highest electric use to these off peak times to not only save money but I imagine lighten the load a bit off the grid. In our case it was a no brainer as we already do laundry on weekends, schedule the thermostat settings, etc. An additional OC measure I'd like to take is set up a timer on our water heater to shut it off during the peak times and overnight. I will prevail against wasteful electric use!

A few other projects going on around the house that I will detail as they happen. Fence updates will occur and other such things, and the podling is always useful fodder for blog entries. Until then.

Blog on!