Steven Harper's Blog, page 60
October 6, 2018
The Great German Exchange
I've been absent from this blog for several weeks now. No sinister reason-we were just extremely busy with the Great German Exchange.
Nameless High School has a long-running exchange program with a high school in Germany, the Moericke Gymnasium in Esslingen. Every other year, a group of students from Germany stay with families in America for three weeks in the fall, and a group of students from America stay with families in Germany for three weeks in the summer.
This year, as an unofficial German teacher, I got heavily involved with the planning and execution of the Germans' visit under the gimlet eye of KL, the main German teacher at Nameless. At home, we'd recently moved Max's room to the basement, which means we have a guest room with its own bathroom, so I volunteered to host one of the visiting teachers. Originally, the teacher was supposed to be a biology teacher named Jan, but he hurt his back just before the exchange, and a physics teacher named Christina took his place.
It was a fast and furious three weeks! KL took a big bus to the airport, where she met the students and their two teachers. They arrived at Nameless High School to a crowd of teenagers, parents, and even the marching band, who played the school fight song as the Germans alighted from the bus.
Christina and I hadn't had much time to do more than exchange a few emails, so I knew little about her. She turned out to be a tallish, brown-haired woman in her 30s, very pretty, who was a little reserved at first but quickly became more outgoing. Her English was heavily accented but perfectly understandable, rather like my German. I took her home and installed her in the newly-decorated guest room, which she liked very much. I'd made a big supper of roast beef and potatoes in the slow cooker, and it was waiting for us when I got home. Darwin, Max, Christina, and I enjoyed a good dinner while we got to know each other a little. Christina was a wonderful guest, who quickly integrated herself into our lives. Every morning, we got up and had either a German-style breakfast of rolls, cheese, and lunchmeat, or an American-style breakfast of eggs, French toast, or pancakes. Then we headed to school, where Christina and Sybille (the other teacher) handled anything that needed doing with the German students. After school, we drove home together and figured out what else we wanted to do.
We had a number of little adventures through the three weeks. We held ad a welcome potluck dinner at the school (the cleanup took forever), and then the German and American students all took off for a three-day trip to Mackinaw Island and Traverse City. (I didn't go on that one, though.) After they got back, the German students began attending classes with their American counterparts, and the teachers looked in on various classrooms.
The rest of time was filled with activity. I showed Christina around Wherever, and we went shopping at the nearby mega-mall. We tried to go to a cider mill, but it rained on us, and we had to content ourselves with piping hot cinnamon donuts and fresh apples. We also attended the a local carnival, where Christina distinguished herself by winning several games in a row and collecting a set of little stuffed animals. By sheer coincidence, a friend of Christina's named Vanessa had only last month moved from Germany to a town nearby to start a new job (what are the odds of that?), so Christina was able to visit with her too. Christina's boyfriend Timo came over for a week as well, so between me, Darwin, Christina, Timo, and Vanessa, there was a lot of socializing! We ate Mexican and Chinese and sushi and palled around town.
One of the Saturdays was our social group's monthly Texas Hold 'Em poker game, and we brought Christina with us. She was more or less familiar with the rules, but had never played in a real game before, so the two of us did a little pre-game play one evening to solidify the process for her. Then we went to the game.
Christina destroyed everyone.
Well, everyone except for me. I did decently at first, then lost several hands and was sure I was going to fall out. Then I started winning, and kept on winning. Christina, meanwhile, steadily accumulated a bigger and bigger pile of chips. In the end, it came down to the game's host (a skilled player who usually won huge), Christina, and me. Then, by sheer luck, the River turned up a card that completed an inside straight for me. That wiped out the host, leaving Christina and me. We declared the game a tie.
Christina and I also spent considerable time in the kitchen. It turned out that Christina likes to cook, so for the first time in my life, I was sharing a house with another foodie! In addition to the roast beef dinner, I made ratatouille with challa bread for her and Timo and Darwin. Christina showed me how to make spaetzle with cheese and bacon, a major favorite in Germany, and then showed me how to make schniztel. We had a wonderful time with that!
We took another field trip, this time to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. The students got a tour of the Modern Languages Building and got to sit in on some German classes, had lunch in a U of M cafeteria (and dorm food these days is pretty damn good), and participated in a scavenger hunt around downtown Ann Arbor. After that, we trundled over to the kitchen of Tammy Coxen (of Tammy's Tastings fame https://www.tammystastings.com/ ), where Tammy conducted for the students a wonderful workshop on creating party dips. Europeans are generally unfamiliar with these, and many Americans don't know how to make them from scratch, so it was a fun learning experience for everyone. The students were sorted into tables, each pre-set with ingredients and a recipe for one kind of dip. The students chopped and mixed and blended until we had nine types of dips for everyone to try--and samples to take home. It was a big hit for everyone!
Meanwhile, I also got to reconnect with Sybille, the other German teacher. She and I have known each other for years, starting back when I hosted her at another exchange. Since then, she's gotten married and now has a young son. David (her husband) and Bennie (her son) came on the exchange, and we all got to hang out with each other. It's always a treat to see Sybille again and note how our respective families are changing.
At last, it was time for the German students to board the bus to head away. It took a long time to board everyone because there were so many hugs and tears. This year was a great exchange. Everything went smoothly, with no major explosions or problems to solve.
And this summer, we Americans are heading to Germany for our turn!
comments
Nameless High School has a long-running exchange program with a high school in Germany, the Moericke Gymnasium in Esslingen. Every other year, a group of students from Germany stay with families in America for three weeks in the fall, and a group of students from America stay with families in Germany for three weeks in the summer.
This year, as an unofficial German teacher, I got heavily involved with the planning and execution of the Germans' visit under the gimlet eye of KL, the main German teacher at Nameless. At home, we'd recently moved Max's room to the basement, which means we have a guest room with its own bathroom, so I volunteered to host one of the visiting teachers. Originally, the teacher was supposed to be a biology teacher named Jan, but he hurt his back just before the exchange, and a physics teacher named Christina took his place.
It was a fast and furious three weeks! KL took a big bus to the airport, where she met the students and their two teachers. They arrived at Nameless High School to a crowd of teenagers, parents, and even the marching band, who played the school fight song as the Germans alighted from the bus.
Christina and I hadn't had much time to do more than exchange a few emails, so I knew little about her. She turned out to be a tallish, brown-haired woman in her 30s, very pretty, who was a little reserved at first but quickly became more outgoing. Her English was heavily accented but perfectly understandable, rather like my German. I took her home and installed her in the newly-decorated guest room, which she liked very much. I'd made a big supper of roast beef and potatoes in the slow cooker, and it was waiting for us when I got home. Darwin, Max, Christina, and I enjoyed a good dinner while we got to know each other a little. Christina was a wonderful guest, who quickly integrated herself into our lives. Every morning, we got up and had either a German-style breakfast of rolls, cheese, and lunchmeat, or an American-style breakfast of eggs, French toast, or pancakes. Then we headed to school, where Christina and Sybille (the other teacher) handled anything that needed doing with the German students. After school, we drove home together and figured out what else we wanted to do.
We had a number of little adventures through the three weeks. We held ad a welcome potluck dinner at the school (the cleanup took forever), and then the German and American students all took off for a three-day trip to Mackinaw Island and Traverse City. (I didn't go on that one, though.) After they got back, the German students began attending classes with their American counterparts, and the teachers looked in on various classrooms.
The rest of time was filled with activity. I showed Christina around Wherever, and we went shopping at the nearby mega-mall. We tried to go to a cider mill, but it rained on us, and we had to content ourselves with piping hot cinnamon donuts and fresh apples. We also attended the a local carnival, where Christina distinguished herself by winning several games in a row and collecting a set of little stuffed animals. By sheer coincidence, a friend of Christina's named Vanessa had only last month moved from Germany to a town nearby to start a new job (what are the odds of that?), so Christina was able to visit with her too. Christina's boyfriend Timo came over for a week as well, so between me, Darwin, Christina, Timo, and Vanessa, there was a lot of socializing! We ate Mexican and Chinese and sushi and palled around town.
One of the Saturdays was our social group's monthly Texas Hold 'Em poker game, and we brought Christina with us. She was more or less familiar with the rules, but had never played in a real game before, so the two of us did a little pre-game play one evening to solidify the process for her. Then we went to the game.
Christina destroyed everyone.
Well, everyone except for me. I did decently at first, then lost several hands and was sure I was going to fall out. Then I started winning, and kept on winning. Christina, meanwhile, steadily accumulated a bigger and bigger pile of chips. In the end, it came down to the game's host (a skilled player who usually won huge), Christina, and me. Then, by sheer luck, the River turned up a card that completed an inside straight for me. That wiped out the host, leaving Christina and me. We declared the game a tie.
Christina and I also spent considerable time in the kitchen. It turned out that Christina likes to cook, so for the first time in my life, I was sharing a house with another foodie! In addition to the roast beef dinner, I made ratatouille with challa bread for her and Timo and Darwin. Christina showed me how to make spaetzle with cheese and bacon, a major favorite in Germany, and then showed me how to make schniztel. We had a wonderful time with that!
We took another field trip, this time to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. The students got a tour of the Modern Languages Building and got to sit in on some German classes, had lunch in a U of M cafeteria (and dorm food these days is pretty damn good), and participated in a scavenger hunt around downtown Ann Arbor. After that, we trundled over to the kitchen of Tammy Coxen (of Tammy's Tastings fame https://www.tammystastings.com/ ), where Tammy conducted for the students a wonderful workshop on creating party dips. Europeans are generally unfamiliar with these, and many Americans don't know how to make them from scratch, so it was a fun learning experience for everyone. The students were sorted into tables, each pre-set with ingredients and a recipe for one kind of dip. The students chopped and mixed and blended until we had nine types of dips for everyone to try--and samples to take home. It was a big hit for everyone!
Meanwhile, I also got to reconnect with Sybille, the other German teacher. She and I have known each other for years, starting back when I hosted her at another exchange. Since then, she's gotten married and now has a young son. David (her husband) and Bennie (her son) came on the exchange, and we all got to hang out with each other. It's always a treat to see Sybille again and note how our respective families are changing.
At last, it was time for the German students to board the bus to head away. It took a long time to board everyone because there were so many hugs and tears. This year was a great exchange. Everything went smoothly, with no major explosions or problems to solve.
And this summer, we Americans are heading to Germany for our turn!
comments
September 11, 2018
Fake Service Animals
Today I was in the grocery store, and this woman had with her a fluffy little dog on a leash. The dog had a red vest on that said, SERVICE ANIMAL. When I passed in the aisle, the dog rushed over to me and sniffed my leg, then tried to jump on me.
"Fluffikins, no," the woman said in a voice that had no authority whatsoever.
The dog ignored her and tried to jump on me again. I almost kicked it.
This dog was in no way a service animal. Not only was it not big enough to do anything, it was badly-behaved and not trained for anything. I hate people like this. They make life even more difficult for people with real service animals.
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"Fluffikins, no," the woman said in a voice that had no authority whatsoever.
The dog ignored her and tried to jump on me again. I almost kicked it.
This dog was in no way a service animal. Not only was it not big enough to do anything, it was badly-behaved and not trained for anything. I hate people like this. They make life even more difficult for people with real service animals.
comments
September 5, 2018
The Fourth Utility
We know the utilities as gas, electricity, and water. They're heavily regulated by the government and you have to be =way= behind before they can cut you off. They also have to hook you up, no matter how bad your credit rating might be. This is because these days, gas, electricity, and water are necessary for the basics of life.
But a fourth utility is emerging. The Internet.
These days, you can't apply for a job without Internet access. ("Apply at our web site!") You can't communicate with your doctor. ("Check the patient portal for your test results.") The machines in your house use the Internet. (CPAP machines, refrigerators, medication timers, Siri, Alexa, the television.) Most communication takes place over the Internet. (Who uses a cell phone to actually CALL anyone?) It's extremely difficult to live without Internet.
Case in point: the Wherever School district.
Yesterday, I arrived at work and learned that the school's Internet was down. I sighed. This happens at least twice a month. Everything in a school system was built by the lowest bidder, which means we have cheap-ass everything, including Internet equipment. At least twice a month it goes on strike, and we're stranded for hours.
Without Internet, I can't take attendance. I have no grade book--the district requires all grades to be recorded in their on-line program. I can't access my network drive, which means I can't get to my lesson plans or anything that goes with them. I can't even make copies, because the copy machines have login codes for every teacher, and they're checked through the Internet. No Internet, no login codes, no copies. Our phones are Internet-based, so the phones are dead. Our email server was down. I couldn't even read email, let alone send it.
Worst of all, the heating and cooling system is Internet-based. The thermostats for each building are actually located in Oklahoma, and you change the heating and cooling settings through the Internet. When the Internet goes down, we have no heat or AC.
As Tuesday progressed, the building grew hotter and hotter. By sixth hour, we were roasting in my classroom--and my windows face north! It was a hot day out, you see, and when you pack 35 teens in a room, the temperature goes way up.
Additionally, it was awful trying to teach. I'm heavily computerized in a district that itself encourages computer use. Through some technical wizardry of my own, I managed to access an old, cached version of some of my lesson plans, which helped. But later, my seniors are writing essays, and for that they need to get on Google docs. (If you think I'm going to read 70 hand-written essays scribbled by teenagers who were never taught proper penmanship in elementary school, you can think again.) No Internet means no Google docs.
I later learned that the Internet outage wasn't confined to Nameless High School. It affected the entire school district. Last night's storm had damaged a critical piece of equipment, and a replacement wasn't expected to arrive until tomorrow afternoon. Eep.
At the end of the day, the announcement came. School was canceled for Wednesday. The reason wasn't the lack of computers, but the lack of AC. Wednesday was expected to be in the 90s, and it would be simply too hot in classrooms built for AC. (My windows, for example, open only a little.)
No Internet means no school. Internet has become our fourth utility.
comments
But a fourth utility is emerging. The Internet.
These days, you can't apply for a job without Internet access. ("Apply at our web site!") You can't communicate with your doctor. ("Check the patient portal for your test results.") The machines in your house use the Internet. (CPAP machines, refrigerators, medication timers, Siri, Alexa, the television.) Most communication takes place over the Internet. (Who uses a cell phone to actually CALL anyone?) It's extremely difficult to live without Internet.
Case in point: the Wherever School district.
Yesterday, I arrived at work and learned that the school's Internet was down. I sighed. This happens at least twice a month. Everything in a school system was built by the lowest bidder, which means we have cheap-ass everything, including Internet equipment. At least twice a month it goes on strike, and we're stranded for hours.
Without Internet, I can't take attendance. I have no grade book--the district requires all grades to be recorded in their on-line program. I can't access my network drive, which means I can't get to my lesson plans or anything that goes with them. I can't even make copies, because the copy machines have login codes for every teacher, and they're checked through the Internet. No Internet, no login codes, no copies. Our phones are Internet-based, so the phones are dead. Our email server was down. I couldn't even read email, let alone send it.
Worst of all, the heating and cooling system is Internet-based. The thermostats for each building are actually located in Oklahoma, and you change the heating and cooling settings through the Internet. When the Internet goes down, we have no heat or AC.
As Tuesday progressed, the building grew hotter and hotter. By sixth hour, we were roasting in my classroom--and my windows face north! It was a hot day out, you see, and when you pack 35 teens in a room, the temperature goes way up.
Additionally, it was awful trying to teach. I'm heavily computerized in a district that itself encourages computer use. Through some technical wizardry of my own, I managed to access an old, cached version of some of my lesson plans, which helped. But later, my seniors are writing essays, and for that they need to get on Google docs. (If you think I'm going to read 70 hand-written essays scribbled by teenagers who were never taught proper penmanship in elementary school, you can think again.) No Internet means no Google docs.
I later learned that the Internet outage wasn't confined to Nameless High School. It affected the entire school district. Last night's storm had damaged a critical piece of equipment, and a replacement wasn't expected to arrive until tomorrow afternoon. Eep.
At the end of the day, the announcement came. School was canceled for Wednesday. The reason wasn't the lack of computers, but the lack of AC. Wednesday was expected to be in the 90s, and it would be simply too hot in classrooms built for AC. (My windows, for example, open only a little.)
No Internet means no school. Internet has become our fourth utility.
comments
September 3, 2018
A Weekend in the Kitchen
This weekend I had an urge to mess around in the kitchen. Feeling only slightly guilty, I cranked up the AC so the oven wouldn't roast me alive and made:
--an apple pie (came out a little messy but still delicious)
--home made vanilla ice cream to go with said pie (also creamy and wonderful)
--home made raspberry sorbet (tart and smooth)
--mushroom soup for lunch (I spilled lemon juice into the saute pan with the mushrooms, so the soup came out strangely tangy, but it was still good)
And a whole mess of dishes!
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--an apple pie (came out a little messy but still delicious)
--home made vanilla ice cream to go with said pie (also creamy and wonderful)
--home made raspberry sorbet (tart and smooth)
--mushroom soup for lunch (I spilled lemon juice into the saute pan with the mushrooms, so the soup came out strangely tangy, but it was still good)
And a whole mess of dishes!
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September 1, 2018
Murder on the Orient Express: A Very Late Review
I finally got around to watching Ken Brannaugh's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS on DVD. It got mixed reviews when it was in the theaters. I fell on the side of those who enjoyed it. I was watching it to see what Brannagh would do with this famous story. Darwin, it turned out, didn't know the book or previous movie at all and had no idea who the killer was, so he watched to see a murder mystery, and it was interesting to hear his speculations on the outcome.
But none of the reviews, even the laudatory ones, talked about the care and balance put into the screenplay and shooting. Let's take a look.
The theme of the movie is balance and symmetry. When the world is going properly, we get symmetry. When a crime goes unsolved, the world is thrown out of balance. In the opening scene, Poirot orders two boiled eggs, and he despairs when they aren't exactly the same size. Then he solves a crime and stops an innocent execution. That done, he boards the Orient Express, where we watch the train crew precisely placing every conceivable object in its correct place with utter precision. Poirot receives his breakfast--two perfectly-matched boiled eggs. Symmetry and balance are restored!
(By the way, I very much liked the lush cinematography of the equally lush setting as we board the Express.)
But later--a murder! Immediately afterward, an avalanche derails the train, and it goes cockeyed on the tracks. Symmetry is lost! Poirot must restore order. Right after he uncovers the real story of what happened, we get a shot of the train landing back on the tracks with a big CLUNK. Symmetry is restored! I love a good theme, well-presented.
The cinematography itself reflects the symmetry and balance theme. The beginning shows us Poirot nearing the end of an investigation. He solves it, but an official in a suit asks for him to come onboard the Orient Express to deal with another crime. The official's tie is crooked (out of balance--crime, you know), and Poirot asks him to straighten it before reluctantly agreeing to the trip. Poirot walks the length of the Orient Express on the inside, and the camera follows him by peering through the windows from the outside. This scene is masterfully shot as one long take. (Did you notice when you saw it?) The scene ends when he arrives in his room. The end of the movie is a mirror-image of the beginning. Poirot has just solved a crime, and he leaves the train by once again walking its length. This time, however, the camera follows him with one long take on the inside--a mirror image of the previous shot. Off the train, an official asks him to come to Egypt (a reference to DEATH ON THE NILE) to investigate a crime. The official's tie is crooked, Poirot asks him to straighten it, and off he goes to the next investigation. The entire movie is a mirror image of itself--balance and symmetry.
Another theme is the idea of cracks. A crack in a painting provides Poirot the solution to the first mystery case. The symmetrical eggs are cracked and eaten. The frame containing a photo of Poirot's tragic lover cracks when the train derails. Another well-presented theme.
If you watch the show, look for this stuff. It makes movie-watching even more fun!
comments
But none of the reviews, even the laudatory ones, talked about the care and balance put into the screenplay and shooting. Let's take a look.
The theme of the movie is balance and symmetry. When the world is going properly, we get symmetry. When a crime goes unsolved, the world is thrown out of balance. In the opening scene, Poirot orders two boiled eggs, and he despairs when they aren't exactly the same size. Then he solves a crime and stops an innocent execution. That done, he boards the Orient Express, where we watch the train crew precisely placing every conceivable object in its correct place with utter precision. Poirot receives his breakfast--two perfectly-matched boiled eggs. Symmetry and balance are restored!
(By the way, I very much liked the lush cinematography of the equally lush setting as we board the Express.)
But later--a murder! Immediately afterward, an avalanche derails the train, and it goes cockeyed on the tracks. Symmetry is lost! Poirot must restore order. Right after he uncovers the real story of what happened, we get a shot of the train landing back on the tracks with a big CLUNK. Symmetry is restored! I love a good theme, well-presented.
The cinematography itself reflects the symmetry and balance theme. The beginning shows us Poirot nearing the end of an investigation. He solves it, but an official in a suit asks for him to come onboard the Orient Express to deal with another crime. The official's tie is crooked (out of balance--crime, you know), and Poirot asks him to straighten it before reluctantly agreeing to the trip. Poirot walks the length of the Orient Express on the inside, and the camera follows him by peering through the windows from the outside. This scene is masterfully shot as one long take. (Did you notice when you saw it?) The scene ends when he arrives in his room. The end of the movie is a mirror-image of the beginning. Poirot has just solved a crime, and he leaves the train by once again walking its length. This time, however, the camera follows him with one long take on the inside--a mirror image of the previous shot. Off the train, an official asks him to come to Egypt (a reference to DEATH ON THE NILE) to investigate a crime. The official's tie is crooked, Poirot asks him to straighten it, and off he goes to the next investigation. The entire movie is a mirror image of itself--balance and symmetry.
Another theme is the idea of cracks. A crack in a painting provides Poirot the solution to the first mystery case. The symmetrical eggs are cracked and eaten. The frame containing a photo of Poirot's tragic lover cracks when the train derails. Another well-presented theme.
If you watch the show, look for this stuff. It makes movie-watching even more fun!
comments
First Week
The state of Michigan added five days to the school year without adding money for it, so the school year now starts the week before Labor Day instead of the week after. (And my salary didn't go up to take the extra days into account.) However, here we are--first week!
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This year, I have two sections of English 9, two of English 12, and a section of mythology. This is much better for me than last year, when I had three 12s and one 9. When I collected an assignment from 12, I got smashed flat, and I tended to put off grading my 9 homework because I "only" had one section, and there were so many 12 papers to grade. Now it's more balanced, with two each of 9 and 12, and I like it a lot better.
Interestingly, my day ramps up slowly. I have first hour prep, which I like. It's nice to start the day out quietly and slowly. And if something happens that makes me a few minutes late for work, it's not a problem. Then I have mythology, which is a mellow class, behavior-wise. Myth students are almost always well-behaved because they =want= to be there. Then I have a section of seniors, but it "only" has 25 students in it. They're a little more boisterous, but relatively mature. Next comes a much bigger section of seniors--35 students. This class gets louder still because they're so big. After that come two sections of freshmen, all very talkative and harder to keep on task. Sixth hour has 35 freshmen in it. So my day starts quiet and gets louder and louder.
The first week is always exhausting. Not only are we shifting from the slow pace of summer to the fast pace of a school day, but I also have to do a lot more talking than usual. Giving speeches for five hours a day wipes you out, believe me. I'm glad for the long weekend!
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August 21, 2018
The Water Man
Our house is on a well, to my eternal despair. The water is noticeably hard, and it stains our fixtures. And it's undrinkable. It tastes like well water in a bad way, and some days, it's even salty. I cope by filling jugs with water from work and hauling them home to use for drinking.
Darwin and I have advocated for our neighborhood to be hooked up to city water and sewer, but every time we bring it up, every single other person in the area howls bloody murder. City water is SO expensive! It isn't safe! And it's expensive! Did we mention that it's expensive?
Darwin ran a cost analysis, and learned that between the cost of maintaining a wellhead, a water softener, and a septic field, putting everyone on city water would be a slight savings. He pointed this out to the neighborhood, and of course, everyone scoffed. What does a city manager know about such things? It's EXPENNNNSIIVVEE! Everyone knows that!
It's some weird-ass knee-jerk response around here. Well water is best water! Septic tanks are better than sewer! Dagnabbit!
I finally called a water company to come over and have a look at our water softener to see if anything could be done. The water man examined our softener and said the settings were wrong. He corrected them and said our water quality would improve.
Meanwhile, he test our water for solids. We had 750 parts per million of solids in our water. The FDA recommends under 400, with a target of under 200.
"No wonder your water tastes bad," the water man said.
I had him install a new filtration system for the kitchen water. It diverts the water from the faucet through a set of filters that remove 99% of the solids and stores the filtered water in a tank until we want to use it. He installed a new faucet fed just from that tank, and ran a line to the refrigerator for the ice maker as well.
The difference is incredible. No salt taste or mineral taste. Just good, clean water.
comments
Darwin and I have advocated for our neighborhood to be hooked up to city water and sewer, but every time we bring it up, every single other person in the area howls bloody murder. City water is SO expensive! It isn't safe! And it's expensive! Did we mention that it's expensive?
Darwin ran a cost analysis, and learned that between the cost of maintaining a wellhead, a water softener, and a septic field, putting everyone on city water would be a slight savings. He pointed this out to the neighborhood, and of course, everyone scoffed. What does a city manager know about such things? It's EXPENNNNSIIVVEE! Everyone knows that!
It's some weird-ass knee-jerk response around here. Well water is best water! Septic tanks are better than sewer! Dagnabbit!
I finally called a water company to come over and have a look at our water softener to see if anything could be done. The water man examined our softener and said the settings were wrong. He corrected them and said our water quality would improve.
Meanwhile, he test our water for solids. We had 750 parts per million of solids in our water. The FDA recommends under 400, with a target of under 200.
"No wonder your water tastes bad," the water man said.
I had him install a new filtration system for the kitchen water. It diverts the water from the faucet through a set of filters that remove 99% of the solids and stores the filtered water in a tank until we want to use it. He installed a new faucet fed just from that tank, and ran a line to the refrigerator for the ice maker as well.
The difference is incredible. No salt taste or mineral taste. Just good, clean water.
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Oh, the Humidity!
This summer has been horribly humid, far more than usual. The kitchen floor has a thin film of water on it all the time. In the basement, the pump closet that stores the water softener has a puddle in it. It's not a leak--it's condensation that drips off the tanks. The tanks have so much water on them, you can skim your hand over them and make a splashing sound.
It's awful! In winter, it gets so dry that your lips crack and nose bleeds, and in summer, you swim instead of walking.
To cope, I bought a new dehumidifier--a large one--and installed it in the basement. It filled up right quick, and had to be emptied every hour for a while. But now? The puddles have dried up, the tanks are barely damp, and you can feel the dryness in the air. In fact, the basement is now dryer than the upstairs!
There needs to be a little more balance, here.
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It's awful! In winter, it gets so dry that your lips crack and nose bleeds, and in summer, you swim instead of walking.
To cope, I bought a new dehumidifier--a large one--and installed it in the basement. It filled up right quick, and had to be emptied every hour for a while. But now? The puddles have dried up, the tanks are barely damp, and you can feel the dryness in the air. In fact, the basement is now dryer than the upstairs!
There needs to be a little more balance, here.
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Bad Neighbor?
What with one thing and another, we ended up with a LOT of cardboard, packing materials, and other detritus. (Cleaning out the basement will do this to you.) Both our recycling bins were full to overflowing, and the big trash container was piled high.
Last night, we were finally able to haul it all out to the curb. Whew! But then I realized I hadn't changed the cat box. I did so, and ended up with a bag of used litter that totally wouldn't fit into the trash container. Not a hope. I stood out there in the summer darkness, wondering how to handle this. I didn't want to leave it for a week. The smell would get worse and worse.
My eye fell on my neighbor's trash container. Well, why not? I trotted over, lifted the lid, and dropped the bag in.
A bit of movement from something large caught the corner of my eye, and I started a little. My first thought was, "Crud! My neighbor is in the yard!" Then I saw it was a deer. It was staring at me. Caught!
"Boo!" I said, and it bounded away. I went back inside, kitty litter neatly disposed of.
Am I a bad neighbor?
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Last night, we were finally able to haul it all out to the curb. Whew! But then I realized I hadn't changed the cat box. I did so, and ended up with a bag of used litter that totally wouldn't fit into the trash container. Not a hope. I stood out there in the summer darkness, wondering how to handle this. I didn't want to leave it for a week. The smell would get worse and worse.
My eye fell on my neighbor's trash container. Well, why not? I trotted over, lifted the lid, and dropped the bag in.
A bit of movement from something large caught the corner of my eye, and I started a little. My first thought was, "Crud! My neighbor is in the yard!" Then I saw it was a deer. It was staring at me. Caught!
"Boo!" I said, and it bounded away. I went back inside, kitty litter neatly disposed of.
Am I a bad neighbor?
comments
Weighty Matters
The workouts continue at the gym. Both of us are seeing interesting results. Darwin is getting thick, ropey veins on his arms, the sort that makes nurses and phlebotomists clap their hands with joy. For some reason, I'm not getting them, even though I lift just as often as he does. Maybe my skin is thicker.
Darwin is getting some very nice definition. (Yow!) So am I, actually. My sleeves are tighter. When I stand with my arms at my sides, my arms press against my chest (and vice versa). Pretty soon I'll develop the gunslinger walk all the pro lifters have. :)
But the most telling moment came two days ago. I went shopping for a dehumidifier to clear the damp from the basement. I asked a clerk for directions and she sent all the way back to the farthest corner of the mega-store. There were three or four models, and like most Americans, I picked the middle on. It's a little over three feet tall and built like a mini-fridge. I suddenly realized I hadn't grabbed a cart. I sighed. My choices were to go all the way to the front of store, grab a cart, come all the way to the back of the store, and push the dehumidifier all the way to the front of the store again; or I could carry the thing to the front.
I pulled it off the shelf. The thing was HEAVY. I could feel it. But I was lifting it with ease. No trouble, no strain. As I carried it to the cash register, I kept expecting to get tired or feel strain. Nope. It was no trouble at all. At the register, the clerk asked if I wanted to cart to carry it out to the car. "No, thanks," I said, and carried it off.
Real world applications to the gym! :)
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Darwin is getting some very nice definition. (Yow!) So am I, actually. My sleeves are tighter. When I stand with my arms at my sides, my arms press against my chest (and vice versa). Pretty soon I'll develop the gunslinger walk all the pro lifters have. :)
But the most telling moment came two days ago. I went shopping for a dehumidifier to clear the damp from the basement. I asked a clerk for directions and she sent all the way back to the farthest corner of the mega-store. There were three or four models, and like most Americans, I picked the middle on. It's a little over three feet tall and built like a mini-fridge. I suddenly realized I hadn't grabbed a cart. I sighed. My choices were to go all the way to the front of store, grab a cart, come all the way to the back of the store, and push the dehumidifier all the way to the front of the store again; or I could carry the thing to the front.
I pulled it off the shelf. The thing was HEAVY. I could feel it. But I was lifting it with ease. No trouble, no strain. As I carried it to the cash register, I kept expecting to get tired or feel strain. Nope. It was no trouble at all. At the register, the clerk asked if I wanted to cart to carry it out to the car. "No, thanks," I said, and carried it off.
Real world applications to the gym! :)
comments
