The guys from BGEHome came yesterday and installed my new HVAC system. It's a little bigger than the old system, I hope the HOA doesn't complain (I have a fenced in back yard so what do they care anyway, right?). They also installed a programmable thermostat. I'm sure that will be much more useful in the wintertime, but it's fun to play with now. I think I'm so used to it being hot in my house I got cold when it was still 78 degrees! Needless to say, I slept very well last night. Kitty did too. Although I had to kick her out this morning since she was scratching my bed. I guess I'll have to get some stuff for that. I don't mind her on the bed, I just mind when she uses it for a scratching post--and completely ignores the other three scratchers I have in the bedroom! Time to pull out some catnip for them I guess. That sort of helps.
Not much going on this week. Tomorrow I'm going to work in the yard until I'm tired or it's too hot, and then I'm going to go into my cool house and clean up the basement. Yeah, one of those goals I blogged about but haven't done much with. It's been too hot in my house. Yeah, that's it. Too hot.
The other good news is that tonight I have a handyman coming over to fix my garbage disposal. We're just going to replace it, it's really not worth it to me to try to fix it at this point. I came home from vacation and it wouldn't turn on. So I've been living with it for three weeks because I just couldn't get myself motivated enough to take care of it. So I'll be able to cook again--don't ask me why I couldn't cook just because my garbage disposal wasn't working--it has something to do with not being able to put the vegetable scraps down the sink. Someday I'm going to have to figure out how to put a compost heap together. Yes, I've read the instructions online, but it just seems like a bother to get it started. And then take care of it. I don't have a garden at the moment anyway.
I also managed to make myself call the doctor. I have an appt next Friday morning. I've been getting all sorts of things taken care of this week. Yay for me!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
A Day of Remembrance
July 23, 1982
A day I don't even remember. I was in transition between Jr High and High School (we had 3-year schools, elementary included 6th grade), going from being the top of the class to being nothing at all. I worked at the movie theater that summer, the same one my Dad and two of my brothers worked at. Lots of popcorn to be had. And there was a cute boy too, but I no longer remember his name.
This is the day that Vic Morrow lost his life. He was the star of the first segment of The Twilight Zone movie. The director decided to do this really stupid stunt with the real actors instead of stunt people. Vic and the two children he was carrying were killed by a helicopter in a tragic accident.
Why is this important to me now? Well, Vic Morrow was one of the two stars of Combat! which is my current focus. In trying to find out everything I could about the show, I found out a lot about its two stars, Vic and Rick Jason (I had an earlier post about Rick). I somehow managed to fall for this guy who was always the underdog, always cast as the villain. Except for in Combat! where he got to be the guy everyone turned to whenever they needed something.
His fellow actors always described him as a very generous, giving actor. They all loved to work with him. The producers of the show not so much, since Vic had a tendency to do what needed to be done on the episodes he directed, no matter how long it took. He was apparently quite difficult for the management to handle. But he watched out for his fellow actors and used his power for good. (I got most of this from the combatfan.com website, but there are articles and commentaries on the DVD's and other things out there too.)
It's probably a very idealistic fantasy that I've produced about him, romanticising someone who can't defend himself anymore.
It just makes me sad that I missed out on many of the Combat! actors--at least three of them are gone now--just because it took me so long to find them. Not that I even knew what I was missing.
And the movie Vic died for wasn't even that good.
But 5 seasons of Combat! surely were. Love you, Vic, wherever you might be.
A day I don't even remember. I was in transition between Jr High and High School (we had 3-year schools, elementary included 6th grade), going from being the top of the class to being nothing at all. I worked at the movie theater that summer, the same one my Dad and two of my brothers worked at. Lots of popcorn to be had. And there was a cute boy too, but I no longer remember his name.
This is the day that Vic Morrow lost his life. He was the star of the first segment of The Twilight Zone movie. The director decided to do this really stupid stunt with the real actors instead of stunt people. Vic and the two children he was carrying were killed by a helicopter in a tragic accident.
Why is this important to me now? Well, Vic Morrow was one of the two stars of Combat! which is my current focus. In trying to find out everything I could about the show, I found out a lot about its two stars, Vic and Rick Jason (I had an earlier post about Rick). I somehow managed to fall for this guy who was always the underdog, always cast as the villain. Except for in Combat! where he got to be the guy everyone turned to whenever they needed something.His fellow actors always described him as a very generous, giving actor. They all loved to work with him. The producers of the show not so much, since Vic had a tendency to do what needed to be done on the episodes he directed, no matter how long it took. He was apparently quite difficult for the management to handle. But he watched out for his fellow actors and used his power for good. (I got most of this from the combatfan.com website, but there are articles and commentaries on the DVD's and other things out there too.)
It's probably a very idealistic fantasy that I've produced about him, romanticising someone who can't defend himself anymore.
It just makes me sad that I missed out on many of the Combat! actors--at least three of them are gone now--just because it took me so long to find them. Not that I even knew what I was missing.
And the movie Vic died for wasn't even that good.
But 5 seasons of Combat! surely were. Love you, Vic, wherever you might be.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Incidents
My life seems to be a series of incidents lately. Let me fill you in...
The Kitty Incident
Yesterday morning I let Kitty out as I am wont to do when the weather is nice. Because it was nice I had the windows open. About ten minutes after letting her out, I heard the distinct noise of two cats tangling, then the mournful sound of a cat crying. I hurried outside, then around my house and down the street. Kitty has tangled with one of the neighborhood cats before, so I wasn't surprised to see the grey cat slinking away. Kitty came out from underneath one of the cars, and allowed me to pick her up, although she was hissing and claws were extended. She really hates that other cat. Both were fine, though, no visible damage. I made Kitty stay inside the rest of the day, though.
The Harry Incident
My friend Shannon and I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Saturday morning. We went to a 10:45 show, then to lunch afterwards. I really enjoyed the movie, I felt it was faithful to the book even though there's no way all the stuff from the book could be put in the movie. It occured to me that Harry and his friends followed the same basic principle that is encouraged in my church--no dating until 16. Ok, so maybe there was some dating before that in the books (Harry and Cho and Valentines Day anyone?), but there's definitely some hormones raging in the 6th year. It was very cute, I thought, and very well done. I also liked that it got the PG rating again. Not a lot of violence, though there is a lot of sadness at the end (and I won't spoil it if you haven't read the books). I prepared for the movie by watching all the previous movies, and now I've decided to re-read books 5, 6, and 7. Just because. I find if I read a book right before the movie, I don't enjoy the movie as much. I spend the whole time going "they missed that, they didn't put that in." So now it's time to re-read the book for my comparison:D
The Air Conditioning Incident
My air conditioning is broken. It broke before I went on vacation, actually, but I really didn't have time to deal with it then. So I waited until I got back home. I called BGEHome, mostly on the recommendations of several friends, and they were very good. The repairman came out, looked everything over, and told me I could replace the coil (the part that is broken), or I could just replace the whole system. Given that after January 2010 I will no longer be able to get parts for the 10-year-old system, and that it's about $1700 to just replace the coil, I decided to bite the bullet and get a new system. The salesman came over, measured everything, and on Thursday this week I get a new HP/AC system. Should be a lot cheaper for my electricity, I get a tax rebate, and a new programable thermostat. Never did get around to installing the one I bought at Home Depot last December. Oh well, don't have to worry about it now. In the meantime, they loaned me a window AC unit that keeps me nice and cool during the night. Kitty's not sure what to make of it, though.
The "Savior of the World" Incident
My friend and his daughter were in a production of "The Savior of the World" in Silver Spring Stake. It was really good. They both did fabulous, and I even got to sit by his wife and 4-year-old son for the performance. I love being able to go to things like this.
Well, that's all I can think of for now. Hope things are going well for you!
The Kitty Incident
Yesterday morning I let Kitty out as I am wont to do when the weather is nice. Because it was nice I had the windows open. About ten minutes after letting her out, I heard the distinct noise of two cats tangling, then the mournful sound of a cat crying. I hurried outside, then around my house and down the street. Kitty has tangled with one of the neighborhood cats before, so I wasn't surprised to see the grey cat slinking away. Kitty came out from underneath one of the cars, and allowed me to pick her up, although she was hissing and claws were extended. She really hates that other cat. Both were fine, though, no visible damage. I made Kitty stay inside the rest of the day, though.
The Harry Incident
My friend Shannon and I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Saturday morning. We went to a 10:45 show, then to lunch afterwards. I really enjoyed the movie, I felt it was faithful to the book even though there's no way all the stuff from the book could be put in the movie. It occured to me that Harry and his friends followed the same basic principle that is encouraged in my church--no dating until 16. Ok, so maybe there was some dating before that in the books (Harry and Cho and Valentines Day anyone?), but there's definitely some hormones raging in the 6th year. It was very cute, I thought, and very well done. I also liked that it got the PG rating again. Not a lot of violence, though there is a lot of sadness at the end (and I won't spoil it if you haven't read the books). I prepared for the movie by watching all the previous movies, and now I've decided to re-read books 5, 6, and 7. Just because. I find if I read a book right before the movie, I don't enjoy the movie as much. I spend the whole time going "they missed that, they didn't put that in." So now it's time to re-read the book for my comparison:D
The Air Conditioning Incident
My air conditioning is broken. It broke before I went on vacation, actually, but I really didn't have time to deal with it then. So I waited until I got back home. I called BGEHome, mostly on the recommendations of several friends, and they were very good. The repairman came out, looked everything over, and told me I could replace the coil (the part that is broken), or I could just replace the whole system. Given that after January 2010 I will no longer be able to get parts for the 10-year-old system, and that it's about $1700 to just replace the coil, I decided to bite the bullet and get a new system. The salesman came over, measured everything, and on Thursday this week I get a new HP/AC system. Should be a lot cheaper for my electricity, I get a tax rebate, and a new programable thermostat. Never did get around to installing the one I bought at Home Depot last December. Oh well, don't have to worry about it now. In the meantime, they loaned me a window AC unit that keeps me nice and cool during the night. Kitty's not sure what to make of it, though.
The "Savior of the World" Incident
My friend and his daughter were in a production of "The Savior of the World" in Silver Spring Stake. It was really good. They both did fabulous, and I even got to sit by his wife and 4-year-old son for the performance. I love being able to go to things like this.
Well, that's all I can think of for now. Hope things are going well for you!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Goals
Kristen inspired me with blogging about her goals, so here are mine.
I've created a few over the last several weeks to replace the ones I haven't been working on from New Years (and prior to New Years). A lot of this has come with the realization that I'm where I want to be, doing what I want to do--so now what? I no longer have major responsibilities at church (for me, showing up every Sunday and playing with small children is not major, its fun), work is going well (except for that I'm really, really tired of writing documents, reading documents, and going to endless meetings discussing said documents), and even my tv schedule has calmed down. Like I said, now what?
The big, over-arching goal is to put my house in order. I've been letting a lot of things slip for far too long for me to want to admit. So now it's time to put the house, the yard, and me in order.
For the house, I intend to go through every room, spend at least a half hour at a time until it's straight. I may have to have a yard sale or several trips to Goodwill/Salvation Army when I'm done.
For the yard, I really need to get the weeds out of the back yard. My wonderful patio from last year is kind of lost with all the greenery. So evenings and Saturday mornings I need to spend some time out there.
For me, I'm going with lifestyle changes. I'm taking a break from Weight Watchers right now--I had to admit to myself that I haven't been following the program for probably a year, and if I'm not going to follow it, I need to not pay for it. So I'm going with morning walks for exercise and watching my portion sizes--but I'm also not restricting what foods I'm allowed to eat. I'm going for healthier foods, but eating a 4-oz bag of my favorite potato chips is not 'forbidden' anymore. I think this will help me not have to eat the 10-oz bag just to satisfy the craving. We'll see.
Along with all of this is getting my financials under control. I still struggle with buying whatever I want when I want it, instead of budgeting properly and getting what I want when I can afford it--and by that time maybe it's not something I really want after all. Today, of course, I found out that I need to get my air conditioner/heat pump replaced. That should be fun.
Wish me luck!
I've created a few over the last several weeks to replace the ones I haven't been working on from New Years (and prior to New Years). A lot of this has come with the realization that I'm where I want to be, doing what I want to do--so now what? I no longer have major responsibilities at church (for me, showing up every Sunday and playing with small children is not major, its fun), work is going well (except for that I'm really, really tired of writing documents, reading documents, and going to endless meetings discussing said documents), and even my tv schedule has calmed down. Like I said, now what?
The big, over-arching goal is to put my house in order. I've been letting a lot of things slip for far too long for me to want to admit. So now it's time to put the house, the yard, and me in order.
For the house, I intend to go through every room, spend at least a half hour at a time until it's straight. I may have to have a yard sale or several trips to Goodwill/Salvation Army when I'm done.
For the yard, I really need to get the weeds out of the back yard. My wonderful patio from last year is kind of lost with all the greenery. So evenings and Saturday mornings I need to spend some time out there.
For me, I'm going with lifestyle changes. I'm taking a break from Weight Watchers right now--I had to admit to myself that I haven't been following the program for probably a year, and if I'm not going to follow it, I need to not pay for it. So I'm going with morning walks for exercise and watching my portion sizes--but I'm also not restricting what foods I'm allowed to eat. I'm going for healthier foods, but eating a 4-oz bag of my favorite potato chips is not 'forbidden' anymore. I think this will help me not have to eat the 10-oz bag just to satisfy the craving. We'll see.
Along with all of this is getting my financials under control. I still struggle with buying whatever I want when I want it, instead of budgeting properly and getting what I want when I can afford it--and by that time maybe it's not something I really want after all. Today, of course, I found out that I need to get my air conditioner/heat pump replaced. That should be fun.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
July... what happened to June?
Greetings,
So I'm finally comnig back to the blog after a bit of an absence. I went on vacation for two weeks, and of course couldn't be bothered to blog, although I facebooked quite a bit. And went through my email. After all that I was kind of tired so I would go to bed.
I spent the first part of my vacation actually working. We had a meeting for my satellite mission in Redondo Beach, California. We stayed at the Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club. I would just like to say that if I am ever in a position to have a honeymoon, this place is on that List. It was fabulous. My room faced the harbor, and the seals would come in at all hours and bark for us. I loved it. Many people did not like to hear the seals, but I did. I even caved and bought the seal they left on my bed each night (a stuffed one). My excuse is that part of the proceeds goes to help the seals. It was wonderfully relaxing--I think I spent most of my time there (when I wasn't at my meeting) sleeping!
My sister Dus picked me up on the last day of the meeting, and we went to her house. Apartment. Whatever. It's cute and small and absolutely stuffed with books and movies. My kind of place. We watched a lot of movies, mostly on DVD. She had quite a few I hadn't seen. We also went to the movies. We saw The Proposal at the Arc Light in Hollywood. I absolutley adore that movie theater. Apparently there's opportunity to see tv and movie stars there, although there weren't any that day. Afterwards we went to The Grove--kind of an outdoor shopping mall. I got the cutest skirts! I wore one on Sunday, I may wear the other this coming weekend. We also went to see UP. I really liked this one too (see reviews to the side). This was in a normal, AMC theater, though. I had some passes, so it was free for us :)
After about 5 days of movie overload, we got back in Dus's Honda CRV (it wants to be silver but it's only aluminum) and drove to Southern Utah. We met up with our sis Beckie on the way, in Barstow, and took Malena with us for a while. We switched kids at a rest stop and had Bonnie the rest of the way. We even ran into a thunderstorm. In Las Vegas. 400 miles of empty desert and where does it rain? Where there's the most traffic, of course!
The purpose of this trip was to go to our family's very first Andersen Family reunion. My dad and his kids. All 9 of us. Well, 8. Mike didn't come. We found out when we got there that he had a job interview on that day, and since he's been out of work for over a year (just temp stuff, really), it was a good thing. Two brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law weren't able to make it, and I do have a couple nieces on missions, but for the most part everyone was there, at least for part of the time. Even the great-grand-kids were there! Ok, so there's only two of them (so far!), so it wasn't too hard, but it was so great to see everyone! yes, I have pictures, but not with me! I took a lot of casual shots.
The first full day there (Thursday) we went up to Zion's Canyon. They've closed the canyon to traffic and will now make you take a tram all the way up and back. It was so cool that my whole family took up an entire bus all by itself! Ok, there were like 4 people there that we weren't related to, but it was great. Collin made me sit by him (he's Beckie's 4-year-old), which of course I was happy to do. As we rode up, I got that special feeling in my heart that I only get when I'm surrounded by my family. I love them so much.
We were supposed to go to the temple that evening, but only three of my sisters made it. I think one of the things that really worked was that everything was optional. One major activity was planned per day, meals were assigned to family members, and everything was kept low key.
The next day (Saturday) we went to Overton, NV, where my Mom is buried. We went to the cemetary, then drove around to various places. It was sooo hot!! Dry heat my foot--after 110 degrees it doesn't matter if there's humidity there or not. My head got sunburned! I felt kind of bad for Nancy tho, my dad's second wife. She came, and she was a sport, but she really isn't a part of our family. Having us ask Dad about Mom and how they met and stuff, that had to be hard for her.
That night we had our 'family meeting' where some things were decided, but Kathy suggested we all go around the circle and tell what's going on in our lives. It was fun. Afterwards I stayed to watch Bolt in my brother Glen's back yard. I hadn't seen it before, and I really liked it.
Sunday some families had to return to their homes, but some of us stayed for church and a final dinner. I was about burned out, so when Dus was ready to leave I went with her (we were staying at a time-share in St George--Glen lives in Ivins, over the hill from St George to the West).
Monday Dus and I went with Kathy and her kids to go Letterboxing. Thats' this thing, kind of like GPS cacheing, only older. Someone will leave a box with a book and a stamp (usually home made) somewhere near where they live, then post directions on how to find it on letterboxing.com. Then other people go find the boxes and put their stamps in the book and put the letter box's stamp in their books. Kathy let me use one of her stamps (she has a big one and a small one) and a blank piece of paper. We found two stamps around St George. It's a good way for someone to give a little background on their territory to someone else. It was alot of fun. I'm thinking maybe I know what to give Kathy for her birthday (now that it's past--oops!)
Dus and I finally returned to her apt in CA, and the next day she dropped me off at LAX. It was a good trip, but I was ready to come home. Kitty was happy to see me, too. I think. She hasn't scratched me yet, so that's a good sign.
I'll try to get some pictures up soon, I promise!
So I'm finally comnig back to the blog after a bit of an absence. I went on vacation for two weeks, and of course couldn't be bothered to blog, although I facebooked quite a bit. And went through my email. After all that I was kind of tired so I would go to bed.
I spent the first part of my vacation actually working. We had a meeting for my satellite mission in Redondo Beach, California. We stayed at the Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club. I would just like to say that if I am ever in a position to have a honeymoon, this place is on that List. It was fabulous. My room faced the harbor, and the seals would come in at all hours and bark for us. I loved it. Many people did not like to hear the seals, but I did. I even caved and bought the seal they left on my bed each night (a stuffed one). My excuse is that part of the proceeds goes to help the seals. It was wonderfully relaxing--I think I spent most of my time there (when I wasn't at my meeting) sleeping!
My sister Dus picked me up on the last day of the meeting, and we went to her house. Apartment. Whatever. It's cute and small and absolutely stuffed with books and movies. My kind of place. We watched a lot of movies, mostly on DVD. She had quite a few I hadn't seen. We also went to the movies. We saw The Proposal at the Arc Light in Hollywood. I absolutley adore that movie theater. Apparently there's opportunity to see tv and movie stars there, although there weren't any that day. Afterwards we went to The Grove--kind of an outdoor shopping mall. I got the cutest skirts! I wore one on Sunday, I may wear the other this coming weekend. We also went to see UP. I really liked this one too (see reviews to the side). This was in a normal, AMC theater, though. I had some passes, so it was free for us :)
After about 5 days of movie overload, we got back in Dus's Honda CRV (it wants to be silver but it's only aluminum) and drove to Southern Utah. We met up with our sis Beckie on the way, in Barstow, and took Malena with us for a while. We switched kids at a rest stop and had Bonnie the rest of the way. We even ran into a thunderstorm. In Las Vegas. 400 miles of empty desert and where does it rain? Where there's the most traffic, of course!
The purpose of this trip was to go to our family's very first Andersen Family reunion. My dad and his kids. All 9 of us. Well, 8. Mike didn't come. We found out when we got there that he had a job interview on that day, and since he's been out of work for over a year (just temp stuff, really), it was a good thing. Two brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law weren't able to make it, and I do have a couple nieces on missions, but for the most part everyone was there, at least for part of the time. Even the great-grand-kids were there! Ok, so there's only two of them (so far!), so it wasn't too hard, but it was so great to see everyone! yes, I have pictures, but not with me! I took a lot of casual shots.
The first full day there (Thursday) we went up to Zion's Canyon. They've closed the canyon to traffic and will now make you take a tram all the way up and back. It was so cool that my whole family took up an entire bus all by itself! Ok, there were like 4 people there that we weren't related to, but it was great. Collin made me sit by him (he's Beckie's 4-year-old), which of course I was happy to do. As we rode up, I got that special feeling in my heart that I only get when I'm surrounded by my family. I love them so much.
We were supposed to go to the temple that evening, but only three of my sisters made it. I think one of the things that really worked was that everything was optional. One major activity was planned per day, meals were assigned to family members, and everything was kept low key.
The next day (Saturday) we went to Overton, NV, where my Mom is buried. We went to the cemetary, then drove around to various places. It was sooo hot!! Dry heat my foot--after 110 degrees it doesn't matter if there's humidity there or not. My head got sunburned! I felt kind of bad for Nancy tho, my dad's second wife. She came, and she was a sport, but she really isn't a part of our family. Having us ask Dad about Mom and how they met and stuff, that had to be hard for her.
That night we had our 'family meeting' where some things were decided, but Kathy suggested we all go around the circle and tell what's going on in our lives. It was fun. Afterwards I stayed to watch Bolt in my brother Glen's back yard. I hadn't seen it before, and I really liked it.
Sunday some families had to return to their homes, but some of us stayed for church and a final dinner. I was about burned out, so when Dus was ready to leave I went with her (we were staying at a time-share in St George--Glen lives in Ivins, over the hill from St George to the West).
Monday Dus and I went with Kathy and her kids to go Letterboxing. Thats' this thing, kind of like GPS cacheing, only older. Someone will leave a box with a book and a stamp (usually home made) somewhere near where they live, then post directions on how to find it on letterboxing.com. Then other people go find the boxes and put their stamps in the book and put the letter box's stamp in their books. Kathy let me use one of her stamps (she has a big one and a small one) and a blank piece of paper. We found two stamps around St George. It's a good way for someone to give a little background on their territory to someone else. It was alot of fun. I'm thinking maybe I know what to give Kathy for her birthday (now that it's past--oops!)
Dus and I finally returned to her apt in CA, and the next day she dropped me off at LAX. It was a good trip, but I was ready to come home. Kitty was happy to see me, too. I think. She hasn't scratched me yet, so that's a good sign.
I'll try to get some pictures up soon, I promise!
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