oh & this: 2010/02/09
Posted by MT in 1.Tags: farm, winter
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EDIT: bwahaha! Just checked UPS tracking and they refuse to go down the COUNTY road (this afternoon!). “Emergency conditions beyond our control.”
Welcome to my world, UPS!
Tomorrow, I’ll be on the farm as a forcednopay.
Today, I borrowed the 4×4, which means several gallons of fuel to get to work and back. It’s rather dear.
I almost couldn’t get onto our road, let alone the country road or highway. It’s all fing inches of ice with 2 inches of dry snow on top. Slick!
Two cars flew off the highway in front of me this AM. I caught myself hyperventilating several times during the hour + drive. They’ll probably have got to the highways by my drive home.
Pa Kettle has probably bladed the farm road, although he’s sooooo not supposed to be out in cold air. I’ll either salt / cinder / hack with shovels the road after work or in the AM since I’ve the day off anyway. Normally, I’d wait but Pa Kettle enjoys bossing me around and having me do whatever he says.
I’ll also have to snow-shovel the walkways! If I’m not shoveling shit, it’s snow!
bribery 2010/02/09
Posted by MT in 1.Tags: bribery
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The boss of anotherdept asked if I wanted a freshly-baked (by him!) pastry. I declined twice before saying, “Guess I better have one.”
never look a gift-horse in the mouth but it wasn't this nice
Usually, only the boys get food-bribes; I’ve never gotten one in 13 years!
All I had to do was take the same old shit as ever -different day! The Duchess’ sister always calls situations like that sixes and sevens — not the bribe but the same shit, different day aspect.
I call it a cinnamon roll!
-there’s nothing like walking into anotherdept and people are talking smack about you — LOUDLY; apparently, their boss even thought it was shitty and totally mis-placed. The cause of the whole thing was someone else’s fault but look who gets to eat shit and a cinnamon roll?
mac attack 2010/02/08
Posted by MT in 1.Tags: mac, gratitude, computers, happiness
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I’ve spoken to Brother more in the past three days -which is saying a lot cos we’re quite chatty than I have since possibly uni.
I gave him my old iBook, which needed a new HD. Here’s the thing, I get awfully scaredy at pieces-parts when they come in the hundreds. It’s like maps and stuff. My left brain doesn’t work to begin with -we’ve discussed the Special Test in School and my right brain tries to take over but it’s as if everything in color goes squish and turns into shades of grey. I can’t see where things go, not even following step-by-step instructions.
pieces-parts
I printed out the ifixit.com instructions for it and gave everything to Brother.
Dig: Brother just broke down a ten-year old POS -piece of shit computer a friend gave him to fix two computers at his house. Granted, he dumbed them down with those older parts but now they both work. I’m better at operating systems, networks -not that good, don’t even start to be impressed and software.
Within a few hours, his part was fixed. Then, my specialty was up but I was on the farm and trying to remember an operating system I haven’t seen or used in a couple of years — troubleshooting to a guy who has never worked on a mac before over the phone.
I’ve done better.
happiness
Nonetheless, he’s so freaking happy and proud to own a mac! He’s hilariously ecstatic. I mean, I’ve never heard a PC person this happy to switch over to macs before; although they all end up happy. -as I did but it took me a full year for the conversion process to take hold
It’s good to hear him this happy. Best hundreds-of-dollars “donation” I’ve made in years.
wintry mix, followed by sun 2010/02/08
Posted by MT in 1.Tags: missouri, weather, winter, wintry, youtube
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Ah, Missouri! -just over 1 min. of video shot Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon
Everything that melted Sat/ Sun refroze solid. As I drove down the farm road at 5:15AM today, at 8mph, the car slid sideways down the steepest part. The 12″ piles of un-melted / refrozen snow on either side of the road acted like bumpers, keeping us from the ditch on one side and a ravine on the other.
I only say “fucking” twice. -maybe
blade 2010/02/06
Posted by MT in 1.Tags: farm, winter
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I salted after Pa Kettle bladed. He is not supposed to be doing this (being out in the cold or swinging sledgehammers to “adjust” the blade, even if I carried it for him) but I had not yet received my lesson. -Pa, later yelled at me, unheard, as I drove a couple of circles around a pasture, working the blade.
like the one in the middle
Then, I took a gravel shovel and hacked at ice on the bridge for about an hour. Nothing like clearing a couple of inches of packed ice by hand. The bridge catches run-off and then freezes, as bridges and over-passes tend to do, being colder with no “insulation.” I only had to make a trench so more run-off could in fact run OFF the bridge, rather than creating a skating rink.
Then, I snow-shoveled up around the house.
A few hours later, it got freakishly warm (40F/ 4C) and at least half of the snow-frozen-slush melted. Couldn’t have done before we commenced working on it, could it?
The only blade-coaching that I could make out over the tractor’s engine was,
“You’re going too slow.”
blade
Hang on. Have I ruined anything yet? Then, I’m not going too slow. I had it in 5th and yesssss, I lower & raise the blade slowly. -even stopped to do it the first couple of times
Wished to report that in fact, sister bladed better than daddy. Our road is in tatters now, rather than being in simple disrepair. This is why I kept pushing him to let me have a go: the road must be fixed after spring flooding is over anyway! -after he got hold of it today, more than ever
Now, I’m as qualified as Pa Kettle to ruin the road. It’s too bad there’s no video of me circling the pasture or almost backing up over Pa Kettle when I went to park!
quick update of no import 2010/02/05
Posted by MT in 1.Tags: helium, winter
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That ain't Pa Kettle
We had snow and ice in the AM but a few miles from home, it was all rain — til a couple of hours ago. Pa Kettle rang I don’t know how many times today, giving me updates.
“Don’t try to come home! Park at a neighbor’s farm!”
I told him I’d hike in but he said he wants to try to collect me with the 4×4 “You’ll fall and get hurt.”
It’s icy, mofos!
So, between hassle-y orders at work -not that high of a count but “problem children” and writing another article, I’ve been bu-sy.
I did read up on all my googlereader/ex-Vox blogs, although I hardly commented. Love y’all and be safe, no matter what you’re doing: ice-trucking, Carnival, SuperBool or a splendid weekend.
Flair 2010/02/04
Posted by MT in 1.Tags: fb, flair, metablogging
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The only games I play on FB are Scrabble -which I had already bought on iPhone and then they integrated them! and Uno. The only stoopid app I use is Pieces of Flair.
It makes me giggle.
Here’s one from today. How can you not love that? Oh, and there’s lots of Apple, Star Trek and PANDAS to be found. Love it!
Chaotic talked about metablogging, which is apparently blogging about blogging. I do a fair bit of that.
taken as a compliment 2010/02/04
Posted by MT in 1.Tags: girly-girl
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For all my makeup and skirts, a guy told me today:
“You’re not like most girls. You’re serious.”
No, I’m a huge goofball but I get what he meant and I’ll take that as a compliment, even if it says something about his general opinion of women. -I allow some sexism cos I’m guilty of it, too.
light weight 2010/02/03
Posted by MT in 1.Tags: fitness, powerblocks, st, strength training, weights
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My cheap bastard poor-arsed scheme to get away with not buying larger weight has failed.
What can I say? I AM STRONG WOMAN! -that’s supposed to sound like some Teutonic Wunder-frau
Powerblock U-90 (2.5-90lb per hand)
What I have goes up to 48lb (PowerBlock 24s).
I’ve been there for weeks on lower body and now I’m using them for the larger upper body muscle groups. I’m still a wuss when it comes to bicep/ tricep/ medial delts/ posterior delts but when it comes to rows?
I need more than 48lb.
Think I’ll head over to 2nd Wind Fitness. PowerBlock makes a bigger set (see photo above) but holy crap! Do I really need that? I, I, I…I dunno. That’s just CWAZY. I’m NOT going to need no 90 fing lb per hand.
The cheap scheme was resistance bands. People love them and at 20USD for each (“40lb” and “50lb” equivalents), they seemed like a good deal. Now, I have 40USD worth of tubing in case I ever want to start my own blood bank.
They just won’t do it. They’re fine when you’re fully extended but anywhere less than full extension -in other words, the REST OF THE WAY and they lose resistance fast. They are better than nothing — don’t get me wrong.
I can fake a better ST routine by using the heaviest on hand and focusing on good form, pretending they are heavier. That’s what I’ve been doing. My upper body doesn’t need to move on yet but I progress quickly! -I’m so fing bad-ass
Oh, and my chest is burn-ing from those 48s!
going commando for fitness 2010/02/02
Posted by MT in 1.Tags: commando, fitness, TMI
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Gilda Radner: Jewess Jeans
-remember the old commercial parodies SNL did? That’s Gilda’s bum!
Many years ago, probably the 80s or early 90s, there was a discussion at the gym/ fitness center/ aerobics class about not wearing undies with exercise apparel.
People were deeply amused at my geekiness wearing pants under my biker shorts, leotard, -the 80s! or sweats.
Apparently “everybody” went commando with exercise togs.
I did not then, nor do I now.
A “front-bottom wedgie” is not something I care with which to associate, particularly in public.
I do not wish to be seen in this light. -could say shadow I tried no-pants exercise at home to see why it was better but it was merely uncomfortable. I’m not the only person who is “sensitive.”
Then WHY? Why? Why do people go without underpants when they exercise? -maybe they want you to see
The only -non-pervy answer seems to be so that others can’t see your panty-lines.
I don’t wear thongs for the same reason that I don’t go pants-less with exercise clothing except the discomfort is just, shall we say, a little behind me.
Thongs would mean no panty-lines but again, you’re chaffing another area so people can’t see your drawers? Wear some damned bikinis, already! I’m both comfortable and keeping the world safe from front-bottom wedgies. You’re welcome.
