May 31, 2003
Who has who trained?
Question of the day:
Have we trained our cats or have the trained us?
I think Akira has figured how to see through the mini blinds. He will reach up and pull them apart to look outside. In doing so he knows that the noise it makes (aluminum being bent and snapping back) will wake someone up. This will usually mean he will be able to be let out in one of two ways: quickly with a toss if it is anywhere before 5 AM, or having the door opened for him after 5 AM.
That is all for now, going back to sleep until the alarm goes off.
Posted by pykeman at 05:38 AM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2003
Can I go to sleep now?
Ok did the work thing. Done for the week. Got home and found a note from the NW Natural guy. Pilot light on the furnace went out due to it being dirty, needs cleaning. I took the note right to our landlords, who live next door. The landlady, who is like yet another Grandmother to us, saw me come in the door with and asked, “Is that a bill?” “Not yet,” I replied and went on to tell her about the furnace. She says she will call a family friend who used to own a heating company (it's still around, grandkids run it now). Hopefully we'll know tomorrow. We have the luck of the Irish (the landlords are of Irish decent), at least it isn't winter (not 80 degrees like yesterday, but still not winter!).
I took a quick break to watch Adam play another PS One game he as played a zillion times then headed outside to do some “Power Weeding”… AKA me pulling as many weeds as possible until dark or the mosquitos chew me up. I was impressed made several piles that I'll pick up tomorrow morning. I'm planning on waking up at 8 AM… we'll see. Adam has to cut the grass and I'll weed eat the edges. He cuts so much quicker than I do… must be the age/strength thing ;-)
Got that done (9 PM) and then woke Danie up who was out cold in the big chair in the living room. She loves that thing, put the ottoman in front and you have a bed! We still wanted to hit Home Depot for bedding plants for the front. FYI Home Depot closes at 10 PM. We also stopped by Fred Meyers (they close at 11:00) for a new queen size sheet set. Danie just told me that these actually stay in place unlike the ones we were using. That's not bad considering we had 15 mins to shop and buy before they locked the doors :-). She put the new ones on and started rolling around like she does in her sleep. She could be a great QA tester for sheet makers :-)
Um…
I think I can now officially call this work week and a wonderful Friday night of running between Home Depot and Fred Meyers while having Adam in the back seat pointing out monkeys, which Danie could “see” but only because she was tired… oh well… Hope YOU had a great Friday night.
It's amazing when you go back and read something you typed when you are about to fall asleep… I fixed several spelling mistakes, really need to turn on the “Check as you type” feature ;-)
Posted by pykeman at 11:28 PM | Comments (0)
Today's Favorite Line
Just found this in Reader's Digest:
“Failure is not an option. It comes with the software.”
That sound like my daily experience with some equipment at work, especially lately.
It's FRIDAY! Time to go to work and then come home and prepare for Adam's Grad party tomorrow afternoon. Pull weeds, wash windows, kill Morning Glory…
It never ends :-)
Posted by pykeman at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)
May 29, 2003
Ahh the smell of gas...
I'm on my way out the office door and I get a call from Danielle, “I think we have a gas leak.” Oh goody.
Time to go into Saftey Boy mode … “Don't turn any lights on or off,” I tell her. She says that Adam and her were getting headaches. I asked her if it was stronger in one area or another. “It seems stronger in the living room.” The living room? Now that doesn't make sense, we have a range in the kitchen, a furnace and water heater in the basement… but nothing in the living room or garage.
“I'm have to go to class. I've asked Adam to stay outside until you get home,” Danielle says as she interrupts my checklist process. After she hangs up one thought crosses my mind, “Maybe it is the propane tank in the garage.” Call Adam's cell, he can't tell any difference between the two. Ok. “I'll be home soon.” I'm not to concerned as he will be outside and I'm only 15-20 minutes away. (I caught all the lights green :-)
Danielle and Adam had left the doors open so the gas had dissipated. I start checking the three appliances in the house:
- Range: All dials off
- Water Heater: Still see pilot light
- Furnace: Hmm where is the pilot light? It went out. Time to turn the gas off at the furnace and call NW Natural for a re-light.
Call NW Natural. “The technician will be there sometime tomorrow (Friday). Is someone going to be home?” I always love that line. We make arrangements just in case Adam and/or his Mom aren't here. (She's coming for Adam's Graduation BBQ on Saturday - She's Hosting :-)
So sometime tomorrow we will have the furnace re-lit. Thanks to Mother Nature we don't have to worry about heat for the next few days! Had to be at least 80 degrees today.
Anyways time to go clean house for the party and get Adam off the Game Station ;-)
Just in case you are wondering here is what to do incase of a gas leak in your home (I didn't find this on my gas company's website… then again I'm lucky to find my bill on their site :-/):
What to do when you smell gas inside your home or building:
#: Leave immediately. Do not use electric switches, your own phone, or anything that could cause a spark. (Pyke's comment: that means don't turn anything on or off like the fan on the furnace with the pilot light that is out ;-)
#: Go immediately to a neighboring home or building and call the Emergency Service/Gas Leak Hotline.
#: Leave all repairs to properly equipped and trained utility technicians. Never try to repair a gas leak yourself.
That is all for now. Exiting Saftey Boy mode
Posted by pykeman at 07:16 PM | Comments (0)
May 28, 2003
Are you color blind?
What did I do tonight? Found out that Adam can't be an electrician… “Is that the red wire or green wire?” Thanks to Danielle's “color blindness test” (A.K.A. blotches of oil paint on paper), which then progressed to ink botch tests, we have found out that Adam has a red-green color deficiency. (We really didn't rely on Danie's “test”, continue reading for acutal tests we found online)
You'll know what to do if he becomes a bomb technican and you see him in your neighborhood. :-)
We knew that he was color deficient but wanted to confirm it in case he wanted to try the Job Corps' Electrician program, it requires a color “blindness” test. Oh well maybe he can try the culinary program. I told him color doesn't matter when you are the chef. Have you tried my “Cajan” BBQ Chicken Breasts? They have just the right amount of blackness and dryness. ;-)
Actually we used some great sites:
Ishihara Test for Color Blindness
Color Vision Testing Made Easy
Color Vision Deficiency Test <- This one was the most helpful.
Posted by pykeman at 09:51 PM | Comments (0)