Kingfisher Cove

About 75% Lazy

I've had my head in a book most of the day.  ("Dead at Daybreak" -- it's OK.  Rather odd because it takes place in South Africa and is written by a South African and so the English is strange.  Not only the spelling, but it just reads odd.  But it's a compelling mystery, even if the Afrikaaner politics are a bit over my head).  I continued to attack those dreaded baskets, changed the cat litter, and did some grocery shopping.  But other than that?  Lazy Relaxing.  I'm in this fight within myself:  Get shit done/relax because you won't be able to come next Monday.   

Basically, I do need to "get shit done" so that the parade of potential housecleaners coming this week to give me an estimate don't run off in horror.  Or charge extra.

Saturday -- Not in Paradise

It’s a dreary and rainy Saturday here in Washington. This is after a day in the early 70s yesterday, all sunny and bright. What a difference a day makes. But that’s the way it is here. Native Washingtonians get bored with heat waves (and rain waves). I’m actually pretty glad it’s icky on account of JDub having to work this weekend. Otherwise, I’d be pouting and thinking about the blue water and songbirds at Harstine.

So Nate and I are hanging out, trading barbs. He is one barb kind of guy! Quick on his feet, that’s for sure. I do believe he’d make a good attorney, but he’s really not interested in going to school for years and years on end. And then there’s the reputation (of being a snarky attorney). (Also the fact that there aren’t the funds for him to attend school for years and years on end….)

JDub just got home, and it is immediately nap time, since he was up at four-f’ing-thirty this morning.

As for me, I’m attacking those baskets I mentioned yesterday, and I’m contemplating starting a new book. Hmm. I have some choices:

The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly (which I've been using as a mouse pad because my wireless mouse has been acting up and won't work on the table anymore.  Also, Margaret didn't like this book.  Hmmm.  Amazon reviewers gave it 4-1/2 stars, so I'll just have to give it a try).
White Ghost Girls, by Alice Greenway (5 stars)
The Two Minute Rule, by Robert Crais (4-1/2 stars)
Dead at Daybreak, by Deon Meyer* (4-1/2 stars)
Kingfisher Scream, by Anthony Fox* (no Amazon reviews on this one -- written in 1981)

*My mother-in-law passed on these two books to me, the latter for obvious reasons (however, they “chitter”, they don’t scream!)

Watching Paint Dry, I Mean, Waiting for Floor to Dry

Not one of those uber-exciting days to record for the world my 35 daily visitors to read about, that's for sure.  (Yup, 35.  Used to hover around 75.  I almost relate to Bush's decline in the polls!)  I. Refuse. To. Take. It. Personally.

Mostly, I don't know where this day went.  But one fairly constructive item I did achieve was Mopping the Dungeon (also known as the godawful laundry room).  The need was dire and the reality was extremely unpleasant, which is why I kept putting it off.  I really do like my new mop I bought for this abysmal task, though.  It's one of those Mr. Clean ring-out styles with a scrubber pad, and it definitely did the trick.  That and beastly hot water and PineSol.  And now you are enlightened!

If anybody were to drive up in our driveway right now, they'd probably just back up and leave pronto, tires squealing.  I had to move out several heaping baskets of dirty laundry (to get to the floor) and that plus a pile of old rusty car motors scream "White Trash" in a manner that no photos from a trailer park tornado aftermath could ever capture.  But I can't move them back (the laundry baskets) until the floor has dried.  Then, people, it's time to attack those heaping baskets!   I would have attacked them earlier?  Except, I knew I had to do the floor first.  And like I mentioned, I kept putting that off. 

I sense time closing in on me!  Things I gotta do before I head back to work, because I won't be doing them when I do.  I just hate chores on weeknights (when I'm working), and we're coming up to the season where we'll likely be at Harstine every weekend we possibly can.  Except for these next three weekends.

JDub and I will resume being ships passing in the night (and morning) once I return to work.  I'll be up and outa here before he's even awake, and I'll be asleep and snoring once he gets home.   That was pretty depressing, and it's been very nice to have these three months to be able to spend our mornings together (plus I wait up for him at night).   And...it sounds like his 2nd shift management job will become permanent, which means he'll likely have it for at least a year or so before a possible 1st shift management position becomes available.  He puts in enough extra hours, though, that he can fairly regularly get off work a little early, especially Friday nights. 

I received my Empire Falls DVD today!  However, I'm going to save it until our next trip to Harstine.  It'll be hard!  I'm just dying to see it!

P.S.  Last night's spaghetti disappeared in a heartbeat!  I had about three little bites!  It was nummy.

Not Especially Dorky, But a Little Too Brassy

Me thinks I over-did the highlighting.  I guess I was a little freaked out at how dark the original hair color turned out, so I over-compensated with the highlights.  Which wouldn't be so bad, except I don't like the brassiness.  I look like a damned trumpet.  (Or tuba).

I'll give it a few days and see if it tones down some.  Otherwise, I'll probably do something different.  Like, re-color it, damage it completely, and start my new job bald.

Actually, I'm really surprised it turned out like this.  The "streaks" I'd brushed on weren't all that gobbed up or close together.  I mean, the idea was highlights.  Maybe I left it on a little too long.

~~~~~

The biggest spider I've ever seen just scared the living crap out of me, crawling up the wall directly in front of my face.  I swear, including the tentacles legs, it had to be the size of a silver dollar.  Nate "took care of it" for me (with his plastic ball gun), although the gigantic carcass ended up down where my feet tend to go while I'm on the laptop, and he refused to pick it up.  (He's always had a phobia about spiders, and while I hate them, I don't tend to get quite as freaked out as he does, except for this time).  So I rented a backhoe and scooped the carcass up all by myself, no thanks to my almost-twenty-year-old son.  (He's in showering off after wetting himself). 

[Update:  My kid is truly over-the-top traumatized about this]. 

~~~~~

The spaghetti sure  does look and smell good!  (Nope, I haven't even taken a bite.  I'm not sure why -- well, if I take one bite, I may have to take more than that.  And it's intended for Men With Big Appetites).  I'll have some tonight. 

Hair Color and Spaghetti

I'm doing something different with my hair color today.  It's a new product that's a two-part process.  You do an all-over hair color (which for ash blonde sure did come out dark), and then after you rinse and towel-dry, you brush on highlights.  I'm in the wait-mode for the highlights and then I'll hop in the shower and hope to God I come out looking beautiful not dorky. 

Naturally Nate arrived home from school while the first-stage glop was slathered all over my head.  Nasty comments were fast and furious. 

"You look like the cat jumped up on your head and dumped a load.  Sort of smells like it, too." 

Unfortunately, I couldn't chase him around the house and pin him to the floor and tickle him until he peed his pants because he's too fast and strong anymore I would have gotten glop all over the place.

~~~~~~~

JDub's famous spaghetti sauce has been simmering on the stove for hours.  A couple of guys on his crew are celebrating their 20th anniversary with Da Airplane Company, so tonight is a spaghetti and pizza party to commemorate their longevity.  (I should say, "ability to ward off all the layoffs over the years").  Anyway, I'll cook up the noodles and mix it all together in the crockpot, and I'll head over there this evening to serve it and help out.  It should be kind of fun. 

As long as my hair doesn't look dorky.

Happy Hump Day

Listening to the Mariners game on TV (can't see it from the dining table), and we're doing quite well tonight!  Gosh, it's frustrating because we haven't been doing well, and yet we have a good, solid team.  They just haven't been hitting on all cylinders.   Now and then they shine, but not often enough.  I really miss our old manager, Lou (Pinella).  He'd get so damned riled up and trot out to the field and kick up dirt and kick bases and yell and scream at the umps and be ejected and then the team would light up and (often) win.  I believe he did it for show.  (Well, he probably did have a bit of an anger problem, but everyone saw through it as a motivator for the team).   While he'd be out there screaming at the ump, the filled-to-capacity Safeco Field fans would be shouting "LOU! LOU! LOU! LOU!"  We loved the guy.  He had passion.  Don't sense that with this new guy.  Which may or may not be a bad thing -- it's still April, after all.

Oooh!  Mariners won!  Beat the White Sox, 5-1.  Yay!

I reckon you're looking forward to me getting back to work so I have more interesting things to bitch talk about.  I refuse to go into detail of cleaning bathrooms, et. al.  I mean, eeww.

But.  I will miss this down-time I've had for these three months.  It's been healing, it's been rejuvenating.  And... I still have a week & a half to go!

Just Had to Share This

Oil Company's Math Doesn't Add Up

Seattle - So, even the Texas oilman who sleeps in the White House says something seems screwy.

Of course, President Bush may just be responding to his worried Republican colleagues. They're concerned about how much the high cost of gasoline will hurt them come the November elections.

Be that as it may, the president has ordered an investigation into the possibility that the price of gas is being rigged.

Maybe that investigation could shed some light on the following:

Back in December, oil was around $65 a barrel. That put gas around $2.00 a gallon around here.

Okay, so now oil is up at $75 a barrel -- an 18% jump. The way I figure it, that should put gas at $2.36 a gallon.

But what about the mumbo-jumbo about how expensive it is switching over to a "summer gas blend", you ask? And don't forget the hand-wringing over Iran and Nigeria.

Do you honestly believe that would account for tacking on an EXTRA 50 to 70 cents TO EVERY SINGLE GALLON OF GAS WE BUY?

I believe that as much as I believe I can flap my arms and fly home tonight.

I don't care what his reasons are. I'm glad the President has finally ordered an investigation.

And when it's over, I hope to see the oil industry with its corporate butt nailed to the courthouse wall.

~~~~

More later (maybe), but it's finally time for a shower now that I finally finished my incredible book!   

[I've also ordered the 2-part HBO mini-series DVD which stars Ed Harris , Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward , Helen Hunt, Phillip Seymour Hoffman -- and tons more amazing actors!]

Three Days in Paradise

First, just so you know. Our wiener dogs are utterly spoiled rotten. Here’s proof:

It’s leftover shrimp scampi, angel hair pasta, and green beans from our dinner Saturday night. Granted, two weenie dogs shared the goods, but lord almighty. Benefits? No stinky garbage bag, no space taken up in the (little) camping trailer fridge with leftovers that would ultimately grow green spots (we hate leftovers), and two Very Happy and Satiated Weenie Dogs. Belches abounded.

We had a stunningly beautiful weekend.  I swear, there wasn’t a single wisp of a cloud anywhere in the sky the whole time. The birdfeeder was totally bone-dry-empty when we arrived Friday night.  I filled it first thing the next morning, and we saw several birds partake throughout the weekend. Also, Chipper, our resident little red squirrel, hung out and teased Bailey. It makes me nervous because Bailey is quite the hunter dog (she disappeared Friday night, making us very concerned, until we discovered she had a mouse cornered behind the trailer) – and I would just be sick if she actually caught Chipper. I know from experience (with mice) that all it would take would be a swift shake/bite of the neck and Chipper would be a gonner. But besides being cute, Chipper is also quite bright. And we are convinced that he truly does tease the dog! On a couple of occasions, that little guy would perch on a branch above Bailey and scold her, and she would actually tuck her tail and retreat.

We spent a lot of time on the deck.  We'd have an evening fire and a morning fire!   We both read a lot, too.  JDub's rediscovered the joy of fiction and he completed one book and started another while we were there.  As for me, I'm reading another of what I would call "The Best Book Ever".  Oh. My. God.  "Empire Falls"  by Richard Russo -- it's a Pulitzer prize winner, which doesn't always mean that I'll like the book (sometimes too stodgy or even over-written for my taste), but this is the perfect example of what I feel that a Pulitzer should mean.   If you loved "Fried Green Tomatoes", or "Cold Sassy Tree", I believe you'll love "Empire Falls."   It's not a southern novel (takes place in Maine), but the small-town setting and the amazingly ten-dimensional characters, and the laugh-out-loud humor will make this a novel you won't be able to forget.  I still have a little ways to go, and I'm going to be sad when it's over!  These people have crawled into my psyche and I will miss them.

So I have sunburned shins (from wearing my capris) and JDub has a sunburned head (from being, uhm, bald).  This was as a result of sitting out on the deck in the morning sun reading and sipping coffee and listening to all the birdsong.  Sigh.  It was truly a heavenly weekend.  It'll be about a month before we can head back down.  JDub has to work these two upcoming weekends, and then the following weekend is Mother's Day -- as well as my mom's 70th birthday!   Also, JDub's dad turns 80 in May.  (And in June, Nate turns 20 and I turn 50!  Wow!)  (Gulp).

When we came home, there was a large manilla envelope on the table (mailed to me) from my new company with a thick packet of all kinds of HR stuff for me to read over and forms to fill out.  I also have a few (unpleasant) household tasks to address before I head back to work -- having to do with our remaining cat who is not well, but I'll spare you the details.   I'll want to get the housekeeper set back up and I certainly don't want her to have to deal with those....details.

And finally, I just had to mention this.  Nate called me while we were at Harstine and told me about how very well his date went!  (I was so tickled -- and touched -- that he did that).  They went to an early movie (the new Denzel Washington flick that he said was astoundingly good), and then afterward they were hungry, and I thought he was going to say that he took her out to dinner.  But no, they came back to the house and cooked something to eat here.  I said, "What did you cook?"  (Because the kid can cook).  And he said, "Hot Pockets and blueberry muffins."  Huh?  He said they had a blast.  Watched TV, talked and talked and talked, and then he took her home shortly after midnight.  (Yes, I wonder what else went on, but I really don't want to know).  I said, "Do you think she likes you?"  And he was all, "Yeah."  I said, "How do you know?"  And he said, "I just know."  And so I didn't ask any more questions.

OK, That's Done

Phase 4 of this interview process went very, very well.  In fact, all four phases have gone very, very well.  I'm certain now that I will be offered the job -- the gal I talked to today told me she will recommend me.  What a neat gal she is!  We really connected, and she's just a gas!  I sense some potential new friendships brewing.

I learned that the 45+ miles-away office visit a couple of times a week will most likely be less often than that, but that mileage is paid, and hours are flexible to accommodate travel.  They all do a little traveling now and then because there are several offices within the region.  Everyone's issued a laptop that can be docked at the various offices, and the technology is top-notch and telecommuting is an option as well.  I'm feeling quite jazzed.  The people (all women!) I've met so far seem to be bright and interesting and friendly.  I can't help but be a little skeptical because that's generally been the case with every job I've started out with until you get to actually know the people.  Even Micrmngr Boss Bitch came across as pleasant during the interview process.  I guess you just take things as they come and hope for the best.  My gut is telling me this is a good thing, and a good company.  HOWEVER.  I have no idea about compensation as yet.  I guess that's discussed once a formal offer has been made.  That part is so awkward and bizarre in the job search.  It's really the Number One issue with everybody -- right?  What does the job pay?  I mean, we don't work out of the goodness of our hearts -- our efforts need to be fairly rewarded.  At least a range should be made clear from the get-go, so that nobody's time is wasted with all the hiring process.   My understanding has always been that it's in very bad taste to bring up the subject until the employer does.

~~~~~~~

But I'm relieved that's over, and now I can focus on our 3-day weekend at Harstine!  The sun has broken through the clouds, and we're possibly looking at 70+ deg. on Sunday!  Woohoo!  Right now?  Life's really good.  Even for Nate.  He actually has a date tomorrow night with the young lady he's so twitterpated about!

~~~~~~~

Update:  GOT IT!!!

Compensation is totally adequate, PLUS, I don't start until May 8th, so I'm on VACATION, BABY!

Holy Crap, This is Getting Ridiculous

Phase 4 of this marathon job interview ordeal has now begun.  WTF?  At any rate, I am now meeting the Corporate Marketing Director for coffee tomorrow morning.  It's supposed to be a "casual" affair (Fridays are casual days).  I spoke with her on the phone, and she seems really personable and I was told that everyone really likes me, etc. etc.  That's all well and good, but jeeze, put me through it!  The company is employee-owned, and I'm guessing that they are really diligent as to who they "invite" to join the ownership.  That's probably understandable.

But that's not my real issue here.  The HR gal called me and besides asking me to meet with this Marketing Director, also asked if I'd be willing to travel to another town -- a good 45+ miles away from where I live -- twice a week for this job.  I let her know that it didn't thrill me a whole bunch, but I'd consider it.  I suppose if the compensation is adequate, it might be worth it.  But we haven't even broached that subject yet.  And that compensation would certainly need to be ADEQUATE.  Jeeze, 45+ miles each way, twice a week?  With today's gas prices? That increase about 10 cents/gallon per day?  JEEEEZUZ.