The day started early and it was not something I had planned but necessary. I got an email and a call from work that they needed some more input for some reports. I spent a couple hours on that before I got started on what I really had planned. It never fails that you can ask for things, explain that problems are coming, tell those in charge that special involvement is needed and nothing will be done until it is almost too late and then it turns out to be the people you had warned that are demanding that something be done. That is how it works for us and has for as long as I have been in this current job. Actually I think it is worse now than it was just a year or two ago as we have lost all the people that really cared and knew how to get things done for people that just appear to be there filling a spot. So much for the complaints of the day.
Once I got going in the right direction I jumped on my list of things I had made up yesterday that I knew would be needed done today. You see, I am a character of lists. I have to make lists of the things I want to get done or some, maybe most, will slip through the cracks and just not get done – like some of the people I work with. Ooops thought I was off that topic. First on my list was get the Icom 706 out of the motor home and put on the shop desk. It is supposed to be cold next week and I intend to be doing some radio. I got it hooked up just enough to make sure it would work, and tuned the antenna down on 40 meters, heard some signals and they weren’t too bad but still need to get it hooked up to the computer control and USB modem for digital modes. I tried to find the 10 watt tune plug I had last year but that seams to have disappeared or I places it somewhere safe and forgot where that safe place was? oh well it will turn up after I buy another one.
With the radio on the bench and working, for the most part, I went to item 2 – the loading of the “recycle stuff” to take to the recycle station. We do our part by splitting out the paper, cardboard, bottles, plastic, etc. I actually have some containers in the garage for each to make it easier to haul them off and keep them semi neat. I loaded all the waste cardboard, plastic and newspaper in to the jeep to haul off but today I was also going by the Habitat for Humanity to donate some old appliance that we no longer needed and might find a good home working for someone else.
I guess I was off in never, never land as I was headed to the recycle station as I got a wave from the local police man and it jogged me that I was driving about 4 or 5 mph over the speed limit. Nice that he just flashed his lights and waved at me and I knew what he was indicating and wave back a “thank-you” as we passed. Honest I was glad it was a visual warning and not a paper bill. AT the recycle station today there was a lot of activity. A lot of people are doing their part to help out here. I think I had the biggest load but no matter, it was nice to see others taking the time to separate and recycle.
Next I headed across town to the Habitat for Humanity facility, pulled around back and started unloading my un-wanted stuff and they seemed happy to get it, I explained that it all worked, was not great stuff but would do the job for someone that needed it. I really should try to get involved and work there for a day or more a week when I have nothing else to do. They can always use the help.
Next I decided since I was in the area to check the air in my tires, I had noticed that one looked a little low but on the Jeep it is hard to tell when they are low without using the pressure gauge. Well it had been several months since I last checked them and boy were they way off. The one that looked low only had 15psi and the rest were at about 25 + or –. Got them all back up to 32 and moved on to my next stop. I had to pick up my spare keys for the jeep as the mechanic had forgot to put them under the mat as he planned when I picked it up night before last. I couldn’t find them and didn’t have a chance to call him until last night and I was already home and didn’t want to get back out for that small item.
At this point it was 11:45 and I just had enough time to run out to Barry Sanders Auto to pick up the parts I had ordered for the jeep top. On the way I pasted by the new CNG station where the new OSU buses are being filled and there is hopes that others will start to use the station as it is open to the public. Here are some pics of that new station –
Above you can see some of the OSU vehicles in their own private fueling area separate from the public pumps. Looks just like a regular gas station on the open side.
I got my Jeep parts and then rushed back in town , just in time, to pick up the wife for lunch. Today the pick was Taco Bueno. I know exciting, but the food is decent and it doesn’t take a lot of time most of the time, so we can get in and out and she can still make a stop at Hobby Lobby for “STUFF”.
I dropped her back off at work, then made a run for home, picked up the “ship-to-store” sheet for the Turbotax I had bought online at the Wal-Mart online store. Strange thing, I had gone to the store to pick up the software and found the price to be about 20% higher than the price I had seen online. I had checked online before I went to see if they had the one I wanted or if I would need to order. Supposedly they had it at the store but the price was way higher so last week when I was checking on that, I just came home and ordered it on line and had it shipped to the store. If your buying some things that might be a bit more costly, I suggest you always check the online price first to compare. Let me tell you, this time it was worth more than the cost of driving back and forth, although when we go to Wal-Mart we always have something we are getting and this trip was no exception. I usually do a little price comparison at the same time we go there so it was not a wasted trip. I got my software and back home started loading it on the computer and did some email checks, since I had not really checked them all day, I also did a little cleaning on the “weather computer” to clear out some backup copies and make room on the back up drive – it fills up pretty fast and no need to save copies of stuff multiple times, the latest 2 or 3 are plenty to get back to where it needs to be – I hope. During this last few hours Ryan got the new Airave sprint thing hooked up. We hope it improves our home signals and stops the dropped calls out here.
At 6:15pm we gathered up and made it back in to the wrestling match. Not much of a match against Northern Colorado but it was a bit historic as it was win 1000 for OSU. As I have told several people, that we buy season wrestling tickets and women’s’ basketball to support the teams and because it is cheap entertainment. Cheaper than buying the 25 or 30 movie tickets and there are not that many decent movies out during a season. On the way home we stopped to get lottery tickets. I had read in the paper that today was a special day for Sherrie so I made her use her money to go in and buy the tickets so I had nothing to do with it. We need all the help we can get and her luck is always better than mine and today was supposed to be a good day? will will see how that pays out tomorrow.
Back at the house I was hungry so had a grilled cheese, read some blogs, read a magazine article or two and then shuffled off to bed, fat, dumb, and happy… – WD0AJG