I had one of those weird conversations I have sometimes with my spouse where I ask a question such as, in this case: "Hey, can I get rid of those giant blown out speakers we don't use and the giant annoying cabinet that the record player is perched upon? And can we get rid of those extra fish tanks that no one on Craigslist apparently even wants to pay $10 for? Because, really, we have a small house and a lot of unused crap."
The answer was, "Yeah, my mom is having a garage sale this weekend and we'll haul the fish tanks over there. And those speakers are junk. The record player is fine, though."
So, because Jon has been sick this weekend, running a fever and having a sore throat and running to the potty, I've been rather bored on this long weekend and yet not wanting to inflict anything possibly infectious on the rest of the people I know so we didn't really do anything for three whole days.
Which was nice!
But, since I have some sort of ants in my pants, it was also boring.
We took the fish tanks to the garage sale.
Then I proceeded to toss the junk speakers and cabinet out in the lawn to await trash day.
I hear, "Hey! Where did the speakers and stuff go?"
I told him I asked him about getting rid of the stuff and that he gave me the okay.
"I did? I don't remember."
"Yeah, in the same breath that you said we were taking fish tanks to your mom's garage sale."
"Was I playing my video game?"
"No. You were cooking."
"Oh. I kind of thought since I didn't remember that you wouldn't either and just forget to get rid of that stuff."
"No. I'm not going to forget getting rid of crap we don't use that doesn't really work."
Does anyone else ever have these conversations or is it just at my house? I'm not ruling out the possibility that my house is some sort of black hole for strange and unpleasant happenings.
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On another note, my backyard now looks like a used appliance store. We replaced our broken stove with another used stove. Broken stove went to the backyard. We replaced our dying washing machine with a less dying washing machine. Mostly dead washing machine went to the backyard. And, today, Jon's dad found us a used dryer at a yard sale...so, guess what, broken dryer went to join its buddies in the backyard. There is also an air conditioner out there and at least one other air conditioner that needs to join the scrap heap.
I'm really hoping his dad will stop by with his scrap trailer and just take it all at once. Too many Jeep trips and waiting in line at the scrap yard for all that.
I'm also hoping my neighbors will tolerate my backyard appliance center graveyard (at least for a while) and not complain to the Township. Thus far, they've been super tolerant of our broke-ass redneck ways.
I would also like to clean out the shed and other random junk around the house. But, most of it is in smaller chunks than say, an appliance.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Cell Phone Commits Suicide (Among Other Things)
The "adventures" of last week.
Tossed cell phone in washing machine (it had apparently decided to go for a swim). However, it never did dry out properly and fried itself in protest when I turned it on to try and call someone, deep sixing all known phone numbers as its final act of revenge.
Jon's "new" phone he bought off of Ebay from some less than stellar human being had been refurbished, and badly...as the charging port ended up no longer able to charge so...he left an email for the seller and they have decided to return our money and include return shipping in the refund. No fight, no discussion. Turns out that particular scumbag has had this happen in the past.
Thus, we were phone-less most of the week, which, because we only have one car created some logistical issues about who was picking whom up when.
Investigated many cell plans. Decided, not surprisingly, on the cheapest. Ended up with Metro. It will be okay, I think. We don't travel that often as we don't have the funds. Two phones, I got the smallest "free after rebate" smart phone I could get as it needs to be in my pocket...and Jon got a larger one. So...$49 bucks a piece for two new phones (actually new) that will be refunded once I mail in the rebates...no contract, got to keep my old number (nice because I finally, after 4 years remember it) and am rid of Verizon...who has somehow decided it is okay to charge people $60 a month for a single line....ummm...wow...I was considering keep them just so Jon could have a Metro and use all the text and data and stuff and I would have better coverage until I found out what highway robbers they are. Our bill with Metro will end up being the same as our Verizon bill was and with more things, and no overages. So that's nice. I can text. And people can text me. I probably will owe Verizon some money, shouldn't be much. I think we ended at the very end of the billing cycle. And I never renewed our contract...we've been out of contract for....2 years? Something like that. They kept sending me "get a new phone!" propaganda in the mail.
It was an expensive trip to the phone store, though. Two phones, two cases, two insurances...(just until we see how we end up doing with the big glass screens...and then we can cancel it..you just can't add it later.) The guy was super nice and gave us 35% off on cases and such...and told us we can cancel the insurance if we want and that my plan can be lowered since I won't be using so much data as Jon (who gets bored at work and will be using lots) but that for the rebate just for this first bill the plan needed to be higher. So in the end, to save $50 I had to spend an extra $10...and yeah, I want that $40 difference. Plus taxes. Whatever. I have a phone that works, and since we are driving a potential mechanical breakdown, I kind of need a phone.
Otherwise, the sun is finally out today! After all this rain lately I'm so ready for there to not be rain. Unloading trucks in the rain sucks donkey dick. Wouldn't be so awful but its also been fairly chilly, as in, I've relented and turned the furnace back to the "on" position at night.
I planted all the clearance tulip and iris bulbs I bought at TSC after the ground had already frozen to concrete last fall. $1 a bag for 6 bulbs in a bag. Even if some of them don't survive, a good deal.
This morning I did a load of laundry and am lazing around wondering why that fan I bought at Meijer doesn't actually move any air. I can fart harder than it blows. I guess I'm not supposed to be using it to dry laundry, but since its cold out and I don't have a dryer, that's what's happening.
Tossed cell phone in washing machine (it had apparently decided to go for a swim). However, it never did dry out properly and fried itself in protest when I turned it on to try and call someone, deep sixing all known phone numbers as its final act of revenge.
Jon's "new" phone he bought off of Ebay from some less than stellar human being had been refurbished, and badly...as the charging port ended up no longer able to charge so...he left an email for the seller and they have decided to return our money and include return shipping in the refund. No fight, no discussion. Turns out that particular scumbag has had this happen in the past.
Thus, we were phone-less most of the week, which, because we only have one car created some logistical issues about who was picking whom up when.
Investigated many cell plans. Decided, not surprisingly, on the cheapest. Ended up with Metro. It will be okay, I think. We don't travel that often as we don't have the funds. Two phones, I got the smallest "free after rebate" smart phone I could get as it needs to be in my pocket...and Jon got a larger one. So...$49 bucks a piece for two new phones (actually new) that will be refunded once I mail in the rebates...no contract, got to keep my old number (nice because I finally, after 4 years remember it) and am rid of Verizon...who has somehow decided it is okay to charge people $60 a month for a single line....ummm...wow...I was considering keep them just so Jon could have a Metro and use all the text and data and stuff and I would have better coverage until I found out what highway robbers they are. Our bill with Metro will end up being the same as our Verizon bill was and with more things, and no overages. So that's nice. I can text. And people can text me. I probably will owe Verizon some money, shouldn't be much. I think we ended at the very end of the billing cycle. And I never renewed our contract...we've been out of contract for....2 years? Something like that. They kept sending me "get a new phone!" propaganda in the mail.
It was an expensive trip to the phone store, though. Two phones, two cases, two insurances...(just until we see how we end up doing with the big glass screens...and then we can cancel it..you just can't add it later.) The guy was super nice and gave us 35% off on cases and such...and told us we can cancel the insurance if we want and that my plan can be lowered since I won't be using so much data as Jon (who gets bored at work and will be using lots) but that for the rebate just for this first bill the plan needed to be higher. So in the end, to save $50 I had to spend an extra $10...and yeah, I want that $40 difference. Plus taxes. Whatever. I have a phone that works, and since we are driving a potential mechanical breakdown, I kind of need a phone.
Otherwise, the sun is finally out today! After all this rain lately I'm so ready for there to not be rain. Unloading trucks in the rain sucks donkey dick. Wouldn't be so awful but its also been fairly chilly, as in, I've relented and turned the furnace back to the "on" position at night.
I planted all the clearance tulip and iris bulbs I bought at TSC after the ground had already frozen to concrete last fall. $1 a bag for 6 bulbs in a bag. Even if some of them don't survive, a good deal.
This morning I did a load of laundry and am lazing around wondering why that fan I bought at Meijer doesn't actually move any air. I can fart harder than it blows. I guess I'm not supposed to be using it to dry laundry, but since its cold out and I don't have a dryer, that's what's happening.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Hello, Oscar the Grouch
What a beautiful morning outside. I wish I cared. This weekend has been such a drag.
Friday night was a bust as I gave my phone a bath in the washing machine. I still have it in some dried peas. There is still moisture inside the front flip screen. (Yes, I am a dinosaur, but I really don't want a smartphone because I will just break it. My job is hell on phones and so am I.) It did turn on yesterday then I returned it to the peas so maybe all will be well, who knows.
Then Jon dropped a bomb that he and his mom and I go out to dinner. I wasn't feeling particularly awesome because my body declares nuclear war on me monthly so I stayed home. I just wasn't going to be good company.
Funeral yesterday where people wore tee shirts of the deceased and an unknown Pastor made ludicrous remarks about his faith and everyone else's. He left me argumentative and a bit angry. Why mention that he is a Baptist if the next statement out of his mouth is that it doesn't matter what denomination of Christianity a person belongs to? Why try to convert people at a funeral? Also, I can't think of a more miserable location than the Local Eagles club. Brown seventies plastic paneling on the walls, an incessant drip drip drip coming from behind the bar, weird ceiling tiles with random things poking out and an indescribable smell that I can only think of as "old" plus "old cigarette" plus "formaldehyde"? Yes, I really want to be trapped in this room with a bunch of people who didn't even want to see each other (Jon's family is highly dysfunctional, to put it mildly) for I think --two hours of preacher babble. This man went on forever.
Then to top it all off, Jon brings his friend Levon over. Usually, this is fine, but apparently, shortly before Jon arrived at Levon's house, he'd sucked down a case of beer or something, so by the time they got over to our house Levon was obnoxiously drunk. Obnoxious. Loud. Unsteady. Loud. Levon is not by definition loud at any other time. We went out to dinner at some place I can only describe as Subway for tacos. Oh, the food was really good, but you line up at a counter and they cook your food in front of you and toss it into a burrito or whatever and you freeze in the dining room because every table apparently is near an air conditioning vent and its not warm enough in Michigan yet to even turn air conditioning on. We ate and came back home and Levon wanted to go back to his house, which was fine, because he still had a pint of vodka with him he was nursing and I have to say, I really prefer quiet drunks.
Jon then went out "for a little while" to see other friends. This turned out to be 8 hours. Spending all this time at home alone with no transportation available really really sucks. Plus my phone is marinating in washing machine water so I'm afraid to use it to call and say, hey, come home, I'm lonely.
Today, well, apparently we have the required Mother's Day Dinner out of the way...which is good because I really don't want to pretend to be enjoying myself. Unfortunately, this stupid holiday will make actually going anywhere and doing anything enjoyable out of the question because I hate crowds. I'd like to go to the zoo but unfortunately it is nice outside and not raining so it will be packed with hordes of ankle biters and their mothers.
I still have oodles of chores to do that I really don't want to do. I forgot to buy any form of cat litter so the litter box is extra stinky. I really thought I had some equine fresh left. The dishes are piled up, the washing needs done, and the vacuuming and blah blah blah. I need to mow the yard. I like mowing the yard, but today I am crabby and feel I've been cheated out of my weekend.
I just want to find some nowhere and take a nice relaxing walk in the woods with dogs unleashed and no people or cars. That's how I always used to de-stress. That is an option now closed to me, as I don't live anywhere near a nowhere or a woods.
I get tired of going outside and being barked at by the neighbor's dogs, or having my dogs bark at random people...or being observed in my fish bowl yard smack in the middle of town. Be nice if my fence was 12 feet tall instead of 4 and made of wood instead of being cyclone fence.
Jon is doing his part to get us out of here by religiously playing the Mega Millions, but our luck, well, its not the kind of luck anyone would want.
Friday night was a bust as I gave my phone a bath in the washing machine. I still have it in some dried peas. There is still moisture inside the front flip screen. (Yes, I am a dinosaur, but I really don't want a smartphone because I will just break it. My job is hell on phones and so am I.) It did turn on yesterday then I returned it to the peas so maybe all will be well, who knows.
Then Jon dropped a bomb that he and his mom and I go out to dinner. I wasn't feeling particularly awesome because my body declares nuclear war on me monthly so I stayed home. I just wasn't going to be good company.
Funeral yesterday where people wore tee shirts of the deceased and an unknown Pastor made ludicrous remarks about his faith and everyone else's. He left me argumentative and a bit angry. Why mention that he is a Baptist if the next statement out of his mouth is that it doesn't matter what denomination of Christianity a person belongs to? Why try to convert people at a funeral? Also, I can't think of a more miserable location than the Local Eagles club. Brown seventies plastic paneling on the walls, an incessant drip drip drip coming from behind the bar, weird ceiling tiles with random things poking out and an indescribable smell that I can only think of as "old" plus "old cigarette" plus "formaldehyde"? Yes, I really want to be trapped in this room with a bunch of people who didn't even want to see each other (Jon's family is highly dysfunctional, to put it mildly) for I think --two hours of preacher babble. This man went on forever.
Then to top it all off, Jon brings his friend Levon over. Usually, this is fine, but apparently, shortly before Jon arrived at Levon's house, he'd sucked down a case of beer or something, so by the time they got over to our house Levon was obnoxiously drunk. Obnoxious. Loud. Unsteady. Loud. Levon is not by definition loud at any other time. We went out to dinner at some place I can only describe as Subway for tacos. Oh, the food was really good, but you line up at a counter and they cook your food in front of you and toss it into a burrito or whatever and you freeze in the dining room because every table apparently is near an air conditioning vent and its not warm enough in Michigan yet to even turn air conditioning on. We ate and came back home and Levon wanted to go back to his house, which was fine, because he still had a pint of vodka with him he was nursing and I have to say, I really prefer quiet drunks.
Jon then went out "for a little while" to see other friends. This turned out to be 8 hours. Spending all this time at home alone with no transportation available really really sucks. Plus my phone is marinating in washing machine water so I'm afraid to use it to call and say, hey, come home, I'm lonely.
Today, well, apparently we have the required Mother's Day Dinner out of the way...which is good because I really don't want to pretend to be enjoying myself. Unfortunately, this stupid holiday will make actually going anywhere and doing anything enjoyable out of the question because I hate crowds. I'd like to go to the zoo but unfortunately it is nice outside and not raining so it will be packed with hordes of ankle biters and their mothers.
I still have oodles of chores to do that I really don't want to do. I forgot to buy any form of cat litter so the litter box is extra stinky. I really thought I had some equine fresh left. The dishes are piled up, the washing needs done, and the vacuuming and blah blah blah. I need to mow the yard. I like mowing the yard, but today I am crabby and feel I've been cheated out of my weekend.
I just want to find some nowhere and take a nice relaxing walk in the woods with dogs unleashed and no people or cars. That's how I always used to de-stress. That is an option now closed to me, as I don't live anywhere near a nowhere or a woods.
I get tired of going outside and being barked at by the neighbor's dogs, or having my dogs bark at random people...or being observed in my fish bowl yard smack in the middle of town. Be nice if my fence was 12 feet tall instead of 4 and made of wood instead of being cyclone fence.
Jon is doing his part to get us out of here by religiously playing the Mega Millions, but our luck, well, its not the kind of luck anyone would want.
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