What are you doing these days?

[amaysngrace]

2 hours ago, Happy Lemming said:

  Now I have to figure out a place to pre-rinse the dishes prior to loading them.  Maybe on the back porch with a hose??

Know what I would do?

Pizza and paper plates.  

[Happy Lemming]

2 hours ago, amaysngrace said:

Know what I would do?

Pizza and paper plates.  

Yes... I'm going to try to utilize paper plates as much as possible, but there is only so much pizza one can eat. 

 

[Happy Lemming]

2 hours ago, amaysngrace said:

Today?  Taxes 🤮

Who me??  I did my 2019 taxes back in February.

I did work on my 2020 estimated taxes about 2 weeks ago, so far... so good. 

I'm right on schedule for my 2020 taxes.

[Angelle]

Getting ready for another lockdown, most likely, since a lot of people aren't doing their part. My life won't change much, but it's still annoying. We were doing really well, and now we're on New York State's quarantine list. 

[amaysngrace]

I’m getting federal and state refunds this year!  I put it off because I swore I’d owe but not this time! 

[Happy Lemming]

12 minutes ago, amaysngrace said:

I’m getting federal and state refunds this year! 

YEA!!  Refunds are GREAT!!  I hate having to write a check upon completion of the return. I mean after paying all year long the last thing I want to do is part with even more money.

[Happy Lemming]

I've finally got the durock cement board down on the second half of the kitchen countertop.  I had to square up the existing countertop first, then glue and screw down the durock board.  Tomorrow I can start setting the granite tile.  I'm looking forward to completing this project and putting my kitchen back together.  Living without a kitchen sink is more difficult than I thought it was going to be.

[sothereiwas]

On 7/15/2020 at 9:16 PM, amaysngrace said:

I’m getting federal and state refunds this year!  I put it off because I swore I’d owe but not this time! 

It's fun when it happens but all it means is that you floated the government an interest free loan from the time those funds were withheld until now.

[Tamfana]

Streaming Chicago Blackhawks training camp scrimmage.  It's so soothing.   

[sothereiwas]

Worked on the shop (organizing and cleaning), fixed a simple breakfast for the fam (hash browns, sausages, beans) and then started a new print project. Just now I went a little crazy and ordered an new software defined radio that should have both RX and TX, so that will be fun I guess. 

Later I'll boresight a couple rifles and take the family out to the farm to play/practice casting with their new fishing poles if things go to plan. 

Plan to take the evening off. 

[Piddy]

Just replaced a crappy recessed kitchen ceiling with fluorescent lights with a nice tray ceiling with a knock down ceiling finish, crown molding and led recessed lighting.  Came out beautiful.  

[Happy Lemming]

10 hours ago, Piddy said:

 led recessed lighting.

Yes... the more I work with LED lighting the more I like it.  Compact, easy to install and very energy efficient.  I especially like the canless (recessed) LED lighting, you can put them anywhere with minimal effort.

Edited July 22, 2020 by Happy Lemming

[Piddy]

12 hours ago, Happy Lemming said:

Yes... the more I work with LED lighting the more I like it.  Compact, easy to install and very energy efficient.  I especially like the canless (recessed) LED lighting, you can put them anywhere with minimal effort.

These had the cans and we used 4000K, 6 inch led (bright warm light) which is best for kitchens.  We have white appliances and a stainless steel sink.  The 4000K led really brings out the brightness of the white and stainless steel and makes everything sparkle.  We also put a dimmer switch in.

We also had the wiring in place where there was a ceiling fan in the middle of the (now) tray ceiling.  We took that out and put a 12" flush mounted led light and set it to 4000K to match the four 6 inch led recessed lights.  Looks fantastic.

Next up either Quartz or Granite counter tops.  Probably with a white base and gray veining.  That should really sparkle.

 

Edited July 22, 2020 by Piddy

[Ruby Slippers]

I'm getting into a groove lately. My groceries lately have been 95% fresh fruits and vegetables, and all this healthy juicing is having a terrific effect on my physique and mind.

I'm pretty much over the sadness of the breakup 6 weeks ago, so now I can look back fondly on the many absolutely sparkling and other-worldly times we had together. One of my best friends told me last night that her on-off boyfriend of 3 years contacted her a week ago asking to get back together, since their last breakup 9 months ago. He hasn't dated anyone in that time, has been seeing a counselor to work on his issues, has taken significant steps to improve the issues that were troubling them and him. It's so cool to see the powerful positive effect that my friends (and I) have on the men we love. She's so cool and strong - she identified that one particular issue is still there, calmly and lovingly communicated that she can't try again now because of that, and he basically said she's right, he's going to keep working on that, and maybe things will be different in about 6 months. "You are a goddess!" I had to tell her  

I'm getting to a point of emotional resolution with my thoughts and feelings about my ex. It would be nice if he gets in touch so we can communicate those and make our peace. But I can resolve things in any case, which feels good.

I'm in a terrific groove with work. I have a very high level of freedom and independence. I've made an action plan for the rest of the year, and as long as I make my monthly deadlines, my boss is totally cool with whatever I do and however I want to work. I feel so incredibly lucky, almost in a dream state to be doing such cool, interesting work for such a great salary. My Roth IRA is performing like a champ, having grown by almost 6% in just a few weeks. 

Now that my diet is in great shape, I'm ready to get back to more regular workouts. Those have been sporadic lately. And I'm thinking about getting back to playing and possibly writing music. I have a beautiful full-size, fully weighted keyboard/e-piano just waiting to be loved up. I have an old guitar that's a little warped, but it hit me that with my new job and salary, I can afford to buy a really nice new guitar if I want to. Many creative ideas are swirling in my mind - just need to focus in on the ones I love the best.

I'm also thinking about perhaps volunteering somehow. My area is a hot zone right now, but perhaps I can do virtual tutoring/mentoring or something like that. I've started looking at the options.

[Fresh_Start]

49 minutes ago, Ruby Slippers said:

It's so cool to see the powerful positive effect that my friends (and I) have on the men we love.

Well you've piqued my interest.  Mind if I borrow one of you for awhile?

51 minutes ago, Ruby Slippers said:

so we can communicate...and make our peace.

This is the best way to go about life and relationships, in my opinion.  I do it too.  Most people will disagree with it, but most people also disagree with going out to dinner on a first date.  I like my way better. 😏

[BC1980]

I had an interview via Zoom yesterday. It's for a more conventional Monday-Friday job than what I'm doing now. Right now, I work Friday-Sunday 12 hour shifts. I'm over it at this point and always feel like my schedule is opposite everyone else's. I'm tired of missing things like birthdays and going to church. The job is for a faculty position at a community college, so I'd get the summers and holidays off. It would involve work outside of the office, but I'm ready to try something new. I've been at my current job for 9.5 years, and it's gotten stale. 

I've been thinking about making a move for the past couple of years, but COVID has pushed me to move on. Last week, the hospital decided to shut down half of the beds on our floor and have us take turns going to one of the COVID units each day. I'm not scared to work with COVID patients, but the floor is poorly run and the care given is not good. There is barely any staff, so the patient load is not reasonable. I dread having to go to work Friday, and I don't like feeling this way with no end I'm site. 

[Ruby Slippers]

Good luck with job search, @BC1980!

I'm feeling so energetic today. I rearranged my living room to get rid of the TV, which I never watch, put the coffee table next to a window so I have more prime plant real estate, rearranged the plants in a more feng shui kinda way, and moved my keyboard/piano into the living room! Now it's just sitting there waiting for me to come play.

Hopefully my energy is still strong this evening, as I'm feeling inspired to go for a run.

[amaysngrace]

I went to Cape May on Sunday with a couple friends, my one friend has a house there, and we walked into town and ate dinner outside.  It felt normal.  Most people weren’t wearing masks, we weren’t either, and people who wore them looked ridiculous.  One teenage girl held her breath walking past us on the street. I guess she should have worn a mask. 

Last night I went up to Atlantic City.  It’s not normal there at all.  The boardwalk was dead, the streets were dead, and there are so many tables outside that just sat empty.  Of course three people being stabbed in Tropicana the day before probably didn’t help much to bring in any crowds. 

[BC1980]

A few days ago, I went out to eat at a restaurant for the first time since Match. I felt normal again too. We sat outside, and it actually felt pleasant. The Yankees play tomorrow, and I'm so ready for sports to return. 

Edited July 22, 2020 by BC1980

[Realitysux]

Where I live, we have to wear a mask by law. Unless I am home or at work, I have a mask on. I have some stylish reusable masks but they hurt my ears so the disposable ones I have are more comfortable. I was at Walmart the other day and I pulled my mask down to talk to someone and I was confronted by the employees and told to put my mask on. 

[Happy Lemming]

12 hours ago, Piddy said:

Next up either Quartz or Granite counter tops.  Probably with a white base and gray veining.  That should really sparkle.

Yes... I went with Granite.  I did some research and it seemed all the articles mentioned Granite as the most durable.  The white with gray veining sounds beautiful.  I went with a standard gray granite, as it was on sale. It looks traditional and I'm beveling the edges with a classic 45 degree cut, which seems the most appropriate for granite.

It actually looks quite nice, so far.  I'm about 75% done with this kitchen countertop project. 

I haven't figured out what's next after the kitchen, maybe I'll tear out the guest bathroom and re-do that.  Although, I might wait until the pandemic is over to work on that.  I'm going to need a new vanity, sinks, controls and maybe a tub which will require quite a bit of shopping.  I'm still a bit worried about going into all of these stores to acquire the necessary supplies.

[Ruby Slippers]

I went for that jog, and it was so nice.

Then I came home to an online message from this very cool and smart history professor who wants to chat. He's out of state, but I don't really care, as I'm not in dating mode, he's pretty recently single as well, and a cool pen pal perfectly fits the bill right now. We have a lot of random things in common, are exchanging music and writing friendly "love letters". I've been wanting exactly this. I'm not up for dating and my area is a hot spot right now - so this is just what the doctor ordered 😄

Edited July 23, 2020 by Ruby Slippers

[sothereiwas]

I put a few projects to bed recently, so I'm leaning into a couple more; long term, because it's a pretty big task, I'll be working toward getting my new workshop/office space finished out. Then I will be able to move the workstations, 3D printers, office printers, computing racks, and so on out of the bonus room. 

In a related but independent set of tasks, I'll be stepping up my LAN topology here. I've pushed my consumer grade equipment about as far as one could reasonably expect, going as far as reflashing some of it with custom firmware to extend capabilities. I'll be replacing that stuff with small office gear as time allows, and repartitioning some of the VLANs and so on. 

Also, I've converted a few firearms to cash recently, at a 200% or more profit due to the current market conditions. So that's nice. 

[greymatter]

17 hours ago, amaysngrace said:

I went to Cape May on Sunday with a couple friends, my one friend has a house there, and we walked into town and ate dinner outside.  It felt normal.  Most people weren’t wearing masks, we weren’t either, and people who wore them looked ridiculous.  One teenage girl held her breath walking past us on the street. I guess she should have worn a mask. 

 

People who are wearing masks to do to protect others. Why do you think they look ridiculous?

[sothereiwas]

People wearing masks in some contexts do look goofy. More than once I've seen people wearing masks while driving in their car with the windows up, alone in the vehicle. That's ridiculous looking. People spaced out along the river fishing, wearing masks. People in swimming pools, wearing masks. These are things I've seen.