Toms Diary

Today’s Business: 2010-04-03

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Set up automatic monthly bill payments for Mom’s medical insurance premiums. IN PROGRESS.

Log

09:00 AM: I’m up. My weight did not change from yesterday. It’s still 173.5 Lbs. See here for a summary of the progress on this goal so far in 2010.

09:05 AM: Read more of the Classics For Pleasure book overnight.

10:30 AM: Added 1300 words to upcoming Tom’s Love Quest posts.

11:15 AM: Heard from [Emmy] this morning. She’s going to the Tamarind Flavor of India place for lunch, to celebrate her birthday.

02:00 PM: Also, [Tad] called to say that the next WPSBC Alumni Association board meeting will be held on Sunday, April 11th, 2010 at 7:00 PM. So that give me a week to get my treasurer’s report ready. No problem; particularly since we generated so few bank transactions since the last meeting.

03:00 PM: iPodded at the pavilion this afternoon. Breezy out there and not quite as warm and sunny as yesterday, but still, very pleasant.

04:00 PM: Recorded audio journal episode: AJE-2010-04-03-15-08, about lording authoritarians and my strong aversion to them these days. For information about my complete audio journal collection, click here.

04:40 PM: Posted the Prism 2008 piece to the Tom’s Love Quest blog.

05:15 PM: Posted the Oh No, Prism Is Back piece to the Tom’s Love Quest blog.

05:50 PM: Posted the Prism Fell And Grabbed My Heart piece to the Tom’s Love Quest blog.

06:05 PM: Posted the Bandwidth Usage: 2010-03 piece to this, the Tom’s Diary blog.

07:20 PM: Spent an hour on facebook; located several new (old) friends from work in Ohio. Now, it’s nap time.

08:30 PM: I’m back up. Beginning the weekly system backups, and reading more of the Classics For Pleasure book.

08:45 PM: [Emmy] is watching the movie: The Ten Commandments on CBS tonight. We may or may not talk therefore.

08:45 PM: The system backups are complete. See details here.

11:00 PM: Read more of the Classics For Pleasure book throughout this evening.

12:15 AM: [Emmy] called back, after the Ten Commandments movie finished, and we conversed for about an hour.

12:30 AM: Inserted more additional ads on the individual post pages of all the blogs. Now, three ads display on each page instead of just one.

01:00 AM: Going to bed now. So have a sweet sleep and enjoy your dreams, or lack thereof, and I’ll catch you tomorrow. Happy Easter, and good night.

Tom

Received Mail and Shipments

Nothing received.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Pay all (4) pending bills. IN PROGRESS.
Set up automatic monthly bill payments for Mom’s medical insurance premiums. IN PROGRESS.

Log

08:15 AM: I’m up. My weight did not change from yesterday. It’s still 173.5 Lbs. See here for a summary of the progress on this goal so far in 2010.

08:50 AM: Put a pork roast in the crock pot for supper tonight; should be done by 5:30 PM or so. I’ll put the seasoning packet in at 4:30 PM.

10:05 AM: Created audio journal episode: AJE-2010-03-30-09-07.

10:17 AM: Posted the Shopping Trip: 2010-02-17 piece, based on grocery receipts from that outing.

10:50 AM: Posted the Shopping Trip: 2010-03-26 piece. This is the outing that [Mentat] accompanied Mom, Debbie, and myself on.

12:28 PM: To the Tom’s Love Quest blog, I added a Shallowness category. There, I placed posts where I deal with that all-too-common accusatory and hostilely disparaging refrain: Men are shallow and superficial if they seek women they find sexually desirable. I do mean to write more on this, as this theme has recurred often throughout my own quest for true love.

03:20 PM: Created audio journal episode: AJE-2010-03-30-14-59.

05:30 PM: Watched the 2010-02-14 and 2010-02-21 episodes of NBC’s Meet The Press news show on the DVR. Nap time.

06:30 PM: I’m up again.

07:30 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless.

09:00 PM: Worked on the upcoming My First Pillow Kiss essay.

10:00 PM: Talked with [Emmy] on the phone.

10:45 PM: Watched a bit of CNN’s AC 360, which covered some scandalous allegations of violence at the top levels of the church of Scientology.

01:30 AM: Posted the My First Pillow Kiss piece to the Tom’s Love Quest blog.

01:35 AM: Heading to bed now. Catch you tomorrow. Good night.

Tom

Received Mail and Shipments

Weekly coupon mailer.
Cable + Internet + Telephone bill (all in one now).
Solicitation for Highmark’s Health Partner program, where you sign up to have a “buddy” to help you strive for your health goals. Not at this time, thanks.
Mom’s PIN for finishing registration on her medical insurance company’s web site.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Pay all (4) pending bills. IN PROGRESS.
Set up automatic monthly bill payments for Mom’s medical insurance premiums. IN PROGRESS.

Log

07:30 AM: I’m up. My weight did not change from yesterday. It’s still 173.5 Lbs. See here for a summary of the progress on this goal so far in 2010.

07:30 AM: Listened to more of the Best African American Essays: 2009 book overnight.

08:30 AM: Posted the Mentat Moving Away Again piece.

04:55 PM: [Mentat] and I watched the 2010-03-21 episode of NBC’s Meet The Press, and the 2010-03-26 episode of NBC’s Nightly News on the DVR.

05:30 PM: Brother’s pizza for supper. [Mentat] and I split a large pie. There were no leftovers. Yum!

09:00 PM: Watched the movie: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. I still love this after nearly thirty years.

11:00 PM: Talked with [Emmy] on the phone.

11:30 PM: Toon the weekly system backups.

12:35 AM: Okay, bed time again. Catch you tomorrow. Good night.

Tom

Received Mail and Shipments

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Pay all (4) pending bills. IN PROGRESS.
Set up automatic monthly bill payments for Mom’s medical insurance premiums. IN PROGRESS.

Log

06:15 AM: I’m up. My weight did not change from yesterday. It’s still 173.5 Lbs. See here for a summary of the progress on this goal so far in 2010.

06:30 AM: Listened to more of the Best African American Essays: 2009 book overnight.

06:30 AM: By the way, this is the three-thousandth post to this blog. I’m striving to reach four-thousand this year.

11:30 AM: Added the Vee and Mentat categories to this blog. They’re located under the People parent category, in the sidebar at the right of most blog pages.

02:30 PM: [Mentat] arrived a little while ago. We’re hanging out through the afternoon and we’ll go shoping and out to eat this evening.

04:45 PM: Leaving for shopping now with Mom and Debbie.

07:30 PM: We’re back home. We’re going to watch the movie: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

10:00 PM: [Mentat] and I finished viewing the movie. Next, I chatted with [Emmy].

11:00 PM: [Mentat] and I reminisced about the winter of 1977. We were trying to remember what songs were out at that time. He had heard an installment of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 from that winter. Recalling hits like Boogie Child, The Things We Do For Love, New Kid In Town, Don’t Leave Me This Way, Do Ya, The First Cut Is The Deepest, Hotel California, Go Your Own Way, Isn’t She Lovely, Maybe I’m Amazed, Dancing Queen, and others brought back all sorts of wonderful memories. Specifically, there was the car wash we ran to raise money for the prom, decorating for it, as well as the prom itself. Those were some wonderful times, and it’s gratifying to know that all that good music is still around and that I own most of it.

12:00 AM: Heading for bed now. My plot will be the office floor tonight, as [Mentat] is using my bed. Catch you right back here tomorrow. Take care, and pleasant dreams.

Tom

Received Mail and Shipments

Credit card statement.
Medicine co-payment bill.
Solicitation from a local chiropractor’s office. Not at this time, thanks.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Pay all (4) pending bills. IN PROGRESS.
Do all pending laundry. IN PROGRESS.
Submit completed census 2010 forms. DONE.
Cancel my last remaining credit card; they plan on beginning a $60 annual charge, just to have the card, even if I do not use it. No thanks. DONE.
Have Mom update her credit card information with her mail order pharmacy, and then pay all current charges she has with them. DONE.
Balance all checking accounts. DONE.

Log

09:00 AM: I’m up. My weight did not change from yesterday. It’s still 173.5 Lbs. See here for a summary of the progress on this goal so far in 2010.

09:30 AM: Listened to more of the Best African American Essays: 2009 book overnight.

02:00 PM: Misc. office work – balancing checking accounts, sorting mail, paying bills, and so on.

03:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless on the DVR.

06:00 PM: iPodded at the pavilion. It’s great to have reliable WiFi signal there.

07:55 PM: Watched the 2010-01-24 episode of NBC’s Meet The Press on the DVR.

09:50 PM: Talked with [Emmy], and we listened to the Penguins Vs. Capitals. The Pens lost, 4 to 3.

10:30 PM: Moved clothes, sheets, and towels through the washer and dryer, and watched a few of my “favorite” scenes from that ABC movie The Day After, which portrayed what going through a nuclear war might be like here in America. This picture still gives me the chills. Yet for some reason, every now and then, I’m drawn back to it; even purchasing the DVD. I taped it when it aired back in 1983. Anyone with a VCR at work recorded it as well. Coworkers who couldn’t see it live arranged with us ahead of time to make copies for them. They returned them afterwards. I think I had two VCRS going that night, and my immediate supervisor ran a couple more besides. Everyone wanted to see this.

12:20 AM: Listened to more of the Best African American Essays: 2009 book; this time, an essay written by a fellow who lost both his mother and father to Alzheimer’s disease, and after his painfully detailed descriptions of his parents’ decline (particularly, his father’s), I’m wholly grateful that no one in my family suffered from this as of yet.

12:30 AM: Okay, that’s a wrap on another day. So I’m going to bed. Lots of paperwork to finnish tomorrow, and I do wish to be refreshed when I tackle those seemingly endless mounds. So good night all, and take care.

Tom

Received Mail and Shipments

Health newsletter (staying healthy) from Mom’s medical insurance provider.
Boscov’s catalog.
The 2010-04 edition of Lion magazine.
Flier from Precious Metal Liquidators. We have no precious metals to sell them however.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Order the meds Mom needs this week. DONE. She needs more N insulin, atenolol, and potassium.
Pay all (4) pending bills.

Log

09:20 AM: I’m up. My weight droped a pound today, to 173.5 Lbs. See here for a summary of the progress on this goal so far in 2010.

09:30 AM: Listened to more of the Best African American Essays: 2009 book overnight.

02:50 PM: Posted the Improving Pavilion WiFi #2 piece.

07:00 PM: Continued researching using my Linksys WRT300N V1 access point / router as a WiFi repeater. I got that going, sort of, though I couldn’t get it to repeat my secured WiFi network, and the version of the dd-wrt firmware I installed on that router yesterday seems a trifle unstable when setting various network parameters. Given these factors, I think I’ll explore other solutions to the weak-wifi-at-pavilion problem; ones that do not involve repeating.

07:30 PM: Added more to the Improving Pavilion WiFi Attempt #2 piece.

09:15 PM: Watched today’s episodes of The Young and the Restless and NBC’s Nightly News on the DVR.

10:15 PM: Talked with [Emmy] on the phone, mostly about President Obama’s healthcare reform bill that was passed today. I’m thrilled.

11:00 PM: Browsed on eBay for WiFi hardware that could facilitate a stronger, more reliable WiFi connection at the pavilion.

12:30 AM: Okay, the garbage is out and I’m going to bed. Catch you again tomorrow.

Tom

Received Mail and Shipments

Newspaper-style coupon and advertisement mailer.
5 digital talking books. Hmmm. I’d better tell the library not to send me so many of these at a time, particularly since they’re in short supply and since one reader who can download them via the Internet and the BARD site.
The 2010-03 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
Offer to switch to DirecTV. No thanks.
Post card from the census bureau, reminding us to complete the forms we received a few days ago as soon as possible. Will do.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Pay all (1) pending bills.
Schedule appointment for Mom with the retina specialists in Johnstown for sometime in April, 2010.

Log

06:45 AM: I’m up. My weight dropped 1.5 pounds from yesterday, to 175.0 Lbs. See here for a summary of the progress on this goal so far in 2010.

08:50 AM: Working the Sump Pump Replacement: 2010 project.

10:05 AM: It’s quite windy. Light rain so far and I believe I just heard a distant thunder clap. Hard to know though if it was really thunder, or the roaring wind in the trees outside the office window here. But no matter. The wind alone is making for some severe weather. Lots of garbage and broken limbs in the yard already.

11:00 AM: Worked the Pink’s PC Problems: 2010-03-10 project.

12:40 PM: Going shopping to get supplies for the Sump Pump Replacement: 2010 project.

02:00 PM: I got back home a little while ago.

03:15 PM: Read more of the Team of Rivals book.

04:00 PM: Worked the Sump Pump Replacement: 2010 project. The new sump pump has been installed. Just a few more finishing and cleanup tasks to complete now.

06:30 PM: Water has reached the pavilion for the second time this year. Sister Jojo and her daughter came by to help us remove moisture-sensitive items from the basement.

09:40 PM: Water has now assumed a position eight feet beyond the pavilion. I’ve moved the lawn mower out of the shed nearby and brought it up to the house and covered it with a tarp. We also brought the other gas-powered tools to the house as well, just in case the water engulfs the shed.

10:30 PM: Talked with [Emmy]. Sounds like she’s getting a cold now.

11:15 PM: Took the weekly system backups.

11:45 PM: The river hasn’t risen appreciably in the past two hours, and the basement is still quite dry. So, I’m headed to bed but will get up early tomorrow morning to see if the water’s edge has moved any closer to the house here. So, take care and have a great night. I’ll see you back here in less than ten hours.

11:55 PM: Read more of the Team of Rivals book.

12:15 AM: Heading to bed. Good night and take care.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

Renters insurance premium bill.
Mom’s medical insurance premium bill for April, 2010.
Credit monitoring report (mine).
Checking account banking statement for the WPSBC Alumni Association.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Pay all (1) pending bills.
Schedule appointment for Mom with the retina specialists in Johnstown for sometime in April, 2010.

Log

07:05 AM: I’m up. My weight read the same as yesterday: 176.5 Lbs.

07:50 AM: Went shopping.

11:00 I’m back home, putting groceries away.

01:00 PM: Set up Mom’s new Vtech cordless phones that I purchased on today’s shopping trip. These have lighted key pads; she had problems using the Panasonic ones I got her for Christmas. So we’ll try these Vtechs. They sound comparable to the Panasonics and they’re $40 cheaper. One drawback I’ve noted is that the Vtechs take specialized cordless phone batteries, whereas the Panasonics take standard AAA rechargeable batteries. But aside from that minor inconvenience, the Vtechs appear to be high fidelity, high quality phones.

02:30 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless.

03:30 PM: Worked the Pink’s PC Problems: 2010-03-10 project. All updates, including Vista Service Pack 1, have been successfully applied.

07:30 PM: I took a walk down past the pavilion to the river, and yes, it’s rising once again. The weather people are calling for lots of rain over the weekend. So, I’ve begun moving some of our possessions up off our cellar floor, just in case the waters come in again as they did back in the fall of 2004. We have far too much to save, should we get four feet of water down there again; there just aren’t enough high places to stow our stuff. Thus, I’m having to pick and choose what to preserve. Tough choices too because I love all my junk; not just this and that. Oh well. Maybe the waters won’t come. Let’s hope.

09:00 PM: Read more of the Team of Rivals book.

10:00 PM: Talked with [Emmy]. The Penguins lost again, 3 to 1 to the NJ Devils.

10:15 PM: To bed with me, because I got up earlier than usual this morning. See you back here tomorrow. Good night, and take care.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

No items received today.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Cat duty. DONE.
Pay all (1) pending bills.
Schedule appointment for Mom with the retina specialists in Johnstown for sometime in April, 2010.

Log

09:30 AM: I’m up. My weight dropped a half-pound from yesterday, to 176.5 Lbs.

10:30 PM: Read more of the book To Kill A Mockingbird.

11:15 AM: [Emmy] called to say good morning.

12:00 PM: Worked the Pink’s PC Problems: 2010-03-10 project. I must confer with her about how to proceed, before proceeding.

02:30 PM: Finished the book To Kill A Mockingbird. Excellent and informative reading!

02:33 PM: Warmest day this year; the temperature on the back porch here is 62 degrees and climbing. The sun is shining as well on a mostly clear afternoon.

03:35 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless on the DVR.

04:05 PM; Further, on this warmest day so far, I took the opportunity to replace a burned-out halogen flood light in the east carport. Looks like the fixture won’t last much longer. In fact, sometimes I wonder why they make the bulbs replaceable in these. I changed thsi holder the last time the bulb failed a few years ago, and this fixture shows the same signs of deterioration; rusted face clips and weakened contact springs. It must be the heat from the 300 watt lamp that’s so hard on these things. Oh well. I’m toying with replacing these with LED dusk-to-dawn lamps later this year. That would solve the heat problem at least.

04:20 PM: Downloaded the following talking books from the BARD site:

Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Adventures of Pinocchio
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Call Of The Wild
Canterbury Tales

05:00 PM: With the weather being so warm, it’s safe to classify this day as the first pavilion day of 2010, and to honor this very special time, I took the iPod touch down there, through the muddy grass. Internet radio works pretty well at the pavilion. But it does cut out frequently if you don’t hold the touch properly. So I might look into how to improve the WiFi reception; either by moving my access point to the attic and then putting a directional antenna on the roof, or putting a weatherproof access point in the pavilion. I’ll have to mull it over to see which solution would be the cheapest.

06:00 PM: Sister Christine called to check in. Nice to hear that she’s recovering from her facial paralysis. She has this week off from teaching to get better.

06:15 Nap time.

07:30 PM: I’m up again. Working the Pink’s PC Problems: 2010-03-10 project. Restoring the Vista operating system from the recovery image on the hard drive..

10:00 PM: Listened to the third and overtime periods of the Penguins hockey game with [Emmy] on the phone. They lost however, 4 to 3.

10:30 PM: Sister Joann called to arrange our shopping trip for tomorrow. We’re going early (at 7:45 AM) because Jojo is taking Mom to the doctor’s tomorrow afternoon. So we’ll get our activities out of the way in the morning.

11:30 PM: Went back to reading the Team of Rivals book.

11:50 PM: Okay, going to bed. Good night and take care.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

Offer for Verizon DSL high speed Internet. No thanks.
Notice of new premium rates from my ex dental insurance company.
Offer for AT&T cell phone service. No thanks.
Mom’s 2010-02 banking statement.
2010-03 issue of Analog Science Fiction magazine.

Today’s Activities

Shower. DONE.
Schedule appointment for Mom with the retina specialists in Johnstown for sometime in April, 2010.
Still fighting my current cold, though it’s almost completely cleared up.

Log

07:00 AM: I’m up. My weight is unchanged from yesterday. It’s still 177.0 Lbs.

07:20 AM: Cooked us both a scrambled-egg-and-pumpernickel-toast breakfast.

08:45 AM: Enabled automatic generation of meta description tags in all blogs. This should eliminate numerous reported SEO errors and encourage search engines to index more of my posts. We’ll have to wait and see if it actually accomplishes that.

10:00 AM: Watched KDKA TV’s Pittsburgh Today Live show.

11:00 AM: Determined the parts and tools required to fix [Emmy]‘s file cabinet drawer, to make it close properly. Heading to Home Depot this afternoon to pick that stuff up.

11:30 AM: Moved [Emmy]‘s Pur water filter from her old faucet to a new one that maintenance installed in her kitchen earlier.

12:30 PM: Watched KDKA TV’s Local News At Noon show.

01:30 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless.

03:00 PM: The bank where the WPSBC Alumni Association’s checking account resides, failed to locate our account! So for the second time, we were unable to add [Tad] (our president) as a signatory. On the first attempt, they determined that [Tad's] Id card had expired and this bank refused to consider it therefore, no matter that [Tad's] picture was prominently displayed on the front, and despite the fact that this picture looked just like [Tad]. While I admit that I could not supply the account number this time (as I did not expect to conduct this business during my current Pittsburgh visit so I left the check book at home), neither could they locate the account by its name, by my name, nor by my social security number. Very strange because I’ve been writing checks as the alumni association’s treasures for nearly six years now. In fact, the business checking account representative that helped us, though her voice was pleasant, obviously was not going to go beyond what she had to, to save us yet another visit later. She refused to search the records for key words like “alumni” or “WPSBC,” or my mailing address. Anyway, by the time we finished, I had grown quite irritated. Thus, I thanked her for nothing, and vowed silently, to move the account to the bank across the street at my earliest opportunity. Now that I’ve cooled off, I still plan to move it.

05:30 PM: Completed a shopping trip after the bank fiasco, to purchase some repair supplies for [Emmy's] dwelling.

06:15 PM: Our supper tonight consisted of trout, vegetable-noodle soup, and Dove peanut butter and milk chocolate morsels for dessert.

06:45 PM: Tightened all screws in [Emmy's] glider rocking chairs. This silenced all squeaks, which had been accumulating over the nearly two years since we bought this furniture.

07:00 PM: Added one long, thick-threaded screw to [Emmy's] file cabinet, to sure up the top drawer. Recently, she’s been unable to close this compartment due to its bottom panel sagging. The piece that had provided the front-to-back strength in the draw had come unglued. This new screw should restore that holding power, and then some. I brought some graphite lubricant home as well for the time when, eventually, the joints in these gliders start squeaking in ways that tightening screws does not quiet.

08:00 PM: Applied nylon sealing tape to [Emmy's] Pur water filter to stop the leaks resulting from moving the filter to the new faucet earlier today.

12:15 AM: Read the Team of Rivals book some.

12:30 AM: In tonight’s SEO report, there were 1569 errors and 7 warnungs; a vast improvement from yesterday. I’ll keep revising the sites until both these numbers are 0.

12:25 AM: Bed time. Catch you later on.

Tom Hesley

May 2012
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