Category: LiveJournal

Small Plates Day

Yesterday, I flew to Chicago to visit judiang. Though we arrived on time, the train to Roosevelt took forever. And since Judi had misplaced her cell phone, there wasn’t a way to tell her when I’d arrived (though it wasn’t long before she showed up in the lobby).

We then raced to the Indian place she liked, though the bus also took forever (slow day for public transport) and we arrived 15 minutes before the buffet shut down. So we filled our plates and got our kheer (rice pudding) and had a leisure lunch while the restaurant cleared up the lunch buffet. (We weren’t even the last to arrive – Vernon Dursley and his wife showed up with friends… Well, I thought it looked like him.)

We returned to Judi’s flat to veg & nap. And when Judi awoke, she had a brilliant idea. Ice cream followed by fireworks. Hell yeah! Then I improved upon by recommending the Navy Pier Death March. So we did just that. We took our time walking in the 140% humidity (no, really!) to Navy Pier, then went to Haagen Dazs for shakes (she got strawberry, I got caramel). We then waited for the fireworks.

While waiting, several yachts were mooching about near the pier, several covered in drunk people. On one, a big fat bastard took his shirt off for us on the pier, then turned around, pulled his pants down and mooned us. Um, no thanks. Judi, thankfully, was oblivious and I didn’t draw her attention to it.

Fireworks were excellent (and this is something they do ever Saturday and Wednesday at Navy Pier in the summer). We wound up with a great spot (apart from the terrestrial moon). Sure, we had pondered going on one of the night boat tours, but they were sold out of up top seating. I recommended Judi return to Navy Pier in a week and get on said tour.

We took the bus back. I noticed that we could have walked the way back in less time and for less money, but we got to sit in air conditioning.

elsaf was originally going to join us today, but had to delay her departure indefinitely. So Judi and I opted for Dim Sum for brunch. Mmmm, Chinese tapas! We also stopped over at Target to pick up a few odds & ends, and managed to walk home before the Big Storm hit. (Having had one of these in Ohio recently, I’m beginning to think they are following me.)

We had another relaxation/nap time whereupon I discovered Elsa had texted me a couple of times to say she was able to come along later today. Woo! So she’s on the road to join us after all. *big cheer*

Judi’s next brilliant idea (she’s been full of them this trip) was time at the pool. I wasn’t too sure at first – the storm had cooled things off a little – but we went and had a lovely time. And her next idea was a topper to that. How about we walk to the Spanish tapas place, Valencia?

This we did. We had a lovely variety of Spanish dim sum, including the duck confit which is ambrosia, and the crepe rellena (crepe with goat cheese, spinach, apples, and pine nuts) which is vegetarian ambrosia. We both had the spicy mango margarita, which I didn’t think was all that strong, but Judi did. And then having finished mine, realized that maybe I’d drunk mine too fast. But I followed it with a mojito anyhoo. And I think I’m nicely drunk now. Oh, dessert was their crema con chocolate (creme brulee with bittersweet chocolate).

I am full and happy. And, apparently, drunk.

Memorial Day Weekend – a month late…

judiang and elsaf often come down to Ohio for Memorial Day Weekend and we hang out at mom & dad’s cottage at the Lake. This year, Elsa’s schedule didn’t work out to let us do that. But when she finally got a Saturday off, we made plans to hit the cottage. So that’s what we did this past weekend.

Judi flew in Friday night and I picked her up. We had dinner at Panera on the way to the cottage and it wasn’t long after we arrived that we crashed. Saturday morning, we had bagels with a smear (which we bought from Panera the night before) for breakfast. Then for lunch, we went to New Bremen for Italian food at La Piazza. For me to learn YET AGAIN that La Piazza is NOT open for lunch on Saturdays. (I’m pretty sure I’ve taken her there for lunch before, but she’s still never eaten there…) So we went to the coffee shop down the street and had a nice lunch there.

Elsa arrived in the afternoon and I later grilled a burger (for Elsa) and hot dogs (for Judi & me). Elsa had brought along some German potato salad she’d made, plus we had store bought slaw and baked beans. We had a nice evening catching up and chatting about this, that, and the other.

Sunday was Movie Day. We went to Bob Evans for breakfast, then to the 11am showing of Brave (so only $4.75 for the tickets – 2D). We all enjoyed the movie. It’s a great mother/daughter movie, but it’s more than just that. We had Coldstone Creamery ice cream for lunch, then checked on the kitties (and I showed off my new ceiling monsters to the girls). The cats were sort of kind of getting used to the fans. (Indeed, they’re now OK with the fans in the Off state.)

Our return to the Lake saw us having much relaxation time. Elsa did a butterfly cut on a whole chicken and I marinaded it for a couple of hours. Then we grilled it and had it, fresh grilled corn on the cob, and grilled asparagus & onions. All very tasty. We spent the evening by the fire then followed up with a double bill of Puss in Boots and Beauty and the Beast. Animated films for the win!

Elsa made pancakes & sausage for us for breakfast on Monday. Then we relaxed, did a little bit of cleaning (I returned later to vacuum), and, sadly, headed out. I got Judi to the airport on time (with a McDonald’s lunch in the car) and we all arrived safely in our homes.

I’m glad the girls were able to come down for a visit at the Lake, even if it was shorter than any of us wanted. And best of all, I’ll be seeing them again this weekend, but in Chicago this time. Woo!

Ceiling Monsters

One of my major tasks for this summer was to buy & install (or rather, have installed) ceiling fans for my house. And as of today, this has been accomplished!

I checked out several places looking for ceiling fans that I liked and wound up buying 4 fans from Menards. Hunter’s 54″ Brighton and Turn of the Century’s Brigham (52″) & Camden (2 of the Camden, both 42″). The Hunter went into the “dining” room. The Brigham in my bedroom, and the two Camden’s in my den and library. Also bought a remote for the bedroom since the fan is above my bed. (Total cost, $326.51.)

I talked with someone at the contractor desk at Menards and he recommended John Borcher for the ceiling fan install. A few calls with Mr. Borcher and we were set. He arrived this morning (before 8:30am) with Cliff and with his grand-nephew. The nephew is between 7th & 8th grade and enjoyed the toys in my house, but he also helped out the gentlemen from time to time (and got a bit of ribbing from them too when he was distracted by the interesting things in my house).

They did a nice job getting the fans up. The Hunter had tons of pieces, and getting the remote into the Brigham made that process longer than necessary (and a wire that unhooked that was unnoticed until the fan was completely up – that was an issue too). But they were gone before 1:30pm and I had fans in my house – woo! Cost for installing 4 fans? $260. Total cost for my house upgrade, less than $600! Nifty!

There is a drawback to my new fans which I hadn’t even considered, however. The poor kitties spent the morning under the bed thanks to the strangers in their house (though Lucy popped out twice) and now refuse to come out because OMG!!!! There are Monsters on the ceiling!!!!!!!!

Poor Lucy has been out twice since the fans were up and all she does is run through the house looking above with this look of sheer terror on her face. (Yes, I’m anthropomorphizing here…) Linus won’t even get out enough to see the new Ceiling Monsters. *sigh*

I do hope the kitties realize these new additions to their house are not monsters but instead will help keep us cool in the summer (and maybe reduce our cooling bill). I especially hope they realize this before they die of thirst or poop/pee under the bed. (I’ve at least gotten food to them and I think they finally ate some of it.) Maybe tonight in the dark it won’t seem as scary to them.

Now We Are Six

Although I’m not sure when the actual birth date of my kitties is, the vet & I agreed several years ago to officially declare June 15th their birthday.

So, Happy 6th Birthday Kitties! According to WiiFit today, that makes them equivalent to 40 year olds! Eep! But they’re my babies! Anyhoo, I took some photos to celebrate their special day.

Linus in Repose
Linus in Repose

A Load of Crock?
Lucy – a Load of Crock?

I Pity da Fool!
Linus – I Pity da Fool!

Lucy, the Kitty Loaf
Lucy, the Kitty Loaf

Riding Free!

Today I gave my new bike (and consequently myself) a decent workout. Some of my (now retired) co-workers have been getting together during the biking months to ride the bike trails in Miami County, and I was able to join them today – woo!

I tried to find a (cheap) bike mounting system for my car and Wal-mart (of course) had one that was guaranteed to work with any car! I discovered that “any car” doesn’t actually include my car. So I wound up borrowing dad’s truck today to get my bike (and me) to Tipp City where folks were meeting.

There were 9 of us in the party, and I wasn’t the only newbie. The other newbie was another retired friend who borrowed a bike from one of the regular riders (who subsequently borrowed a spare bike from her uncle-in-law, also on the road trip with us). We rode the bike trail from Tipp to Troy and then back again with a few short stops and one, alas, accident. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured (though the other newbie was one of the victims – she was able to complete the ride with us with no issues, and her borrowed bike was just fine) and we completed the 16 mile round trip in good health & spirits.

I loved the ride. Sure, my butt’s not quite used to the seat yet, but every time I hopped back onto my bike, I realized how much I loved riding it. So yay Cannondale Adventure 4!

As a reward for the trip, we ate at Sam & Ethel’s Restaurant (not Sam & Ella’s, thankfully) where I had second breakfast.

PS: GIP – new “riding” icon! (Also, thinking of another one, too.)

Puny Poultry Days

After the lovely flowers of the Lost Creek show and the enormity of the Yellow Springs Street Fair, the Versailles Poultry Days was a bit of a wash. 🙂

It was hotter’n hell today (and summer’s not even here yet!) so that might have reflected a little on our attitude. We were mostly there for the food (like you do).

They really have the food lines down pat. We purchased a ticket for the chicken meal at one booth, then stood in line for the chicken meal. It was a very short wait. You get 1/2 a chicken barbecued with the Miss Chick marinade, a small bag of Mike-sells Potato Chips, a single serve apple sauce, and orange drink (so-named for the color, not the fruit, I suspect. Contained 0% fruit juice. It said so on the label!)

After the yummy lunch, I bought a lemonade shake-up that was inexpensive, large, but not sweet enough. It was refreshing, however, and did contain actual lemon! We cruised the craft tents, but nothing really appealed (except the booth selling kettle corn – mom and I each bought a large bag). I think we were probably there just over an hour. Quite a contrast from the other festivals of the weekend. Dad figures we need to get to at least 2 more festivals to make up for the non-event that this one was. Still, the chicken was very tasty.

Before the fun and excitement of the Poultry Days, I took my bike for a ride this morning to buy donuts for the folks and I. It was only about 10 minutes there and 10 minutes back and I didn’t squish the donuts – woo!

I was riding my new Cannondale Adventure 4. My original plan was to buy one of Trek’s women specific design comfort bikes, but while at the Family Bike Shop of Troy, I tried out a nifty green bike by Cannondale. I did some research and read good stuff about Cannondale and the Adventure 4 (a 2010 model), returned to the shop for another test ride, and wound up buying the bike. They had it built for me the next day (Friday) and I’ve been riding it ever since. Did I mention it was GREEN? 🙂

This bike will remain at my folks’ place since they are near the bike trails that go all over the place. I’ll keep my old bike at my place for P. Hill rides. My first big ride will be on Wednesday with friends – woo!

Festivals & Fairs: Summer has begun!

Last weekend was the Troy Strawberry Festival. To me, it signifies the beginning of festival season (with Oktoberfest in Minster signalling the end). Since the Adams Street bridge is out (they started construction right after last year’s festival), they couldn’t really hold the festival on the levy like usual, so they held it in downtown Troy.

It was nice, although a bit smaller than usual. My favorite vendors were there, however. I got my strawberry lemon shake-up from the usual lot, and lunch wound up being, for the third year running, a pork chop sandwich (bone-in). Damn good pork chops. I also sampled a strawberry pizza (not a good one, alas), strawberry empanada (tasty and not too sweet), strawberry smoothie (yummy), and strawberries on cheesecake (very nice).

Yesterday was the start of the Lost Creek Garden & Antique Show and mom wanted to get there early to have a good selection of flowers to choose from. Went to her favorite vendor first and she picked out 4 things (which the deer will probably eat, alas!) At another vendor, I bought a hypertufa filled with hardy succulents, which I shall endeavor to not kill. We also had supper there (chicken salad sammich, doritos, cookie, water) and sat on logs to eat.

Today’s Grand Adventure (TM) was visiting the Yellow Springs Street Fair. Usually when we attend it, we can park in Yellow Springs. This year, I think just under 4 billion people were there, and they brought their 3 billion cars with them. Thankfully, there was a shuttle service from Young’s Dairy, so, after going through town & back again, we parked at the shuttle lot & took a blue school bus to the Street Fair.

Despite the crowd, we were able to see most of the booths at the festival. We wound up having lunch from Jeet India‘s booth at the festival. Jeet is where I get my Indian Fud when I go to Fairborn for my Doctor Who Magazines at the Bookery Fantasy. Mom and I had saag paneer, dad had chicken tikka masala, and we all had vegetable samosas and naan with our meals. Very yummy. Once again, we sat on (or near) the ground. (We did this at the Strawberry Festival too – we’re getting good at getting up off of the ground.)

After we returned home, mom and I spent some time at the pool. (We were also there yesterday, before we went to the Garden show.) I used my snorkel and snorkel goggles – woo! I bought them as a birthday gift for me this year, but today was my first time to use ’em. It took awhile of breathing through the mouthpiece to get over my initial panic, but I spent several minutes swimming underwater – twice! I shall have fun practicing this over the summer.

Tomorrow’s Grand Adventure (TM) is the Poultry Days Festival in Versailles (pronounced ver-sales). So I suspect we’ll be having fun and food again tomorrow. Oh, and maybe tomorrow I’ll post about my new bicycle!

Tweaks & Geeks

Well, I think I’m nearly there with regards to my Ubuntu 12.04 install. 3 years ago, I first built this PC and stuck Ubuntu 9.04 on (along with Win7 RC). I haven’t regretted the switch to Ubuntu, but getting it “Just So” has reminded me of much of the hassles I had the first time around.

If you’re curious on whether I was able to save the data on my 640GB HDD or not – well, I wasn’t. I wound up using GParted to set it as an NTFS drive, but this wiped the data. No matter, I reformatted the drive, named it the same as my original data partition (TrinaStuff, of course), and copied the data over from my backup. (Yay for backups! I really need to get that setup with this new system!) So all is well in that regard.

I think I finally have the look the way I want it (enough purple to satisfy, but not overwhelmingly so). I’m using Gnome 3 shell since I just didn’t care for Unity. (I use an older Unity on my netbook and it’s ideal for that.) I had to add minimize and maximize buttons next to the close buttons (and switch them to the right side). I added my little weather extension so it sits next to my date & time. I re-enabled the startup sound (which is off by default in 12.04) cuz I need those drums, man! Got the NTFS filesystem (where my data is saved on the 640GB drive) so that I can delete to the trash can. Is there any way to tweak a new system without using Google? Heh.

A few things I’ve not been able to do yet. I can’t seem to get a verbose boot to work. I wanna see stuff that goes on. That’s why Linux is better than Winders, man! Nothing hidden! 😉 I can’t find a way to sync my (old Windows Mobile 5) phone to Evolution. Synce, the program I used to use, hasn’t matured with the OS. So now I’m contemplating an Android phone (Galaxy S3, perhaps?) I’ve got GMail set up with my current calendar & contacts just ready to go for the upgrade. As mentioned before, I haven’t set up backups yet, though I’ve installed LuckyBackup, the program I used before. So almost done!

Here is a snapshot of the current look, with a few windows open to see the overall look. (Wallpaper from the BBC’s website.)

Screenshot from Ubuntu 12.04

Upgrading to SSDs

I have been contemplating, for quite awhile now, getting two SSDs to run my two operating systems on. And to start out my summer, I have finally Done the Deed. Woo!

I ordered two 128 GB Crucial SSDs from NewEgg and they arrived a few days later (and of course, the price dropped right after I ordered ’em). They are so teeny tiny! They’d fit nicely in a laptop, but I was putting them into my PC. (Used Scotch brand Removable Mounting Squares to stick ’em in. Well, one sticks, the other hangs cuz my power cables are a bit limited ATM.)

I started by putting a fresh install of Ubuntu 12.04 onto the first SSD. I’ve been using 10.04 since it came out, and 12.04 is the next Long-Term Support version. Installation was quick and easy and I soon had my first SDD ready for prime time.

I decided for Winders to try the cloning technique that the Transfer Kit (which came with the SSD) recommended. Only to discover that with the software they provided, you couldn’t clone a partition onto the drive. (My HDD had been partitioned to an Ubuntu partition of 70GB, a Winders partition of 70GB, and the remainder of the 650GB drive for data.) A bit more searching online and I found a free software that let me clone onto the SDD from just the partition.

So now I had Windows 7 on SSD, but the master boot record was screwed up on it. A bit of googling helped me figure that out, and soon I was booting into Winders. I immediately tested World of Warcrack (the main reason I have Winders on my PC) and it worked.

Today I’ve been getting e-mail & browser settings working on the new Linux install – e-mail was a bit tougher to do, but when I decided to stick with Evolution rather than switch to Thunderbird (the software that Ubuntu 12.04 ships with), it got a lot easier.

Now I’m working on spreading out the data partition of my old HDD onto the entire drive. Winders Disk Mangler has done it – sort of. It’s funny, in Windows you see that the drive is now 650GB, but in Disk Mangler, it’s in 3 pieces. All of them are labeled as drive D:, but Ubuntu has had issues seeing it. Hoping a bout with CHKDSK might cure it. (If not, I do have the drive backed up onto my external backup. I’d just prefer it to work outright.)

Regardless of how the CHKDSK goes, my two new SSDs are working great (and very fast – they’re not even as fast as they can be since my motherboard is only 3GB/s while the drives are 6GB/s). Yay for new technology! 🙂

DC Photos

As I promised back on the 18th of May, here are some photos from my weekend in Washington DC with mom. Our time on the National Mall was… extensive. Mom swore to dad that I was trying to kill her again (the previous time was on our cruise when we took the hellish hike). Dad e-mailed Amy that I had taken mom on a DC Death March. Amy responded to him “Oh no! I sent Trina the link to dcdeathmarch.com as a joke!” Heh, my family!

Me in DC
Me in DC
I’m in DC standing next to a giant metal flower. Like you do.

Arlington Cemetery
Arlington Cemetery
A blue jay pays his respects to one of the fallen.

The White House
The White House
’nuff said.

Washington Monument
Washington Monument
It’s tall & pointy!

First Lady's Garden
First Lady’s Garden
Beautiful garden near the Capitol and the American Indian Museum.

Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Am I the only one who thinks of Logan’s Run when I see this statue?

Non-reflecting Pool
Non-reflecting Pool
Time to Photoshop some water into this picture!

My trip partner
My trip partner
It’s me mum! Really though, it’s my older sister – she can’t be old enough to have had me!

Artomatic: Beaker!
Artomatic: Beaker!
Beaker is my muse! by Jenn Bock

Artomatic: Who, M.D.
Artomatic: Who, M.D.
Who, M.D. by A. T. Tribby (always great to see other Doctor Who fans out there!)

Artomatic: Peep Dioramas!
Artomatic: Peep Dioramas!
The Peeps dioramas were BRILLIANT at Artomatic. If you’re in D.C. while it’s still going on (till June 23rd!), be sure to go to the 9th floor of Artomatic to see them all. If you can’t read the text under each segment:
“What people who enter the WaPo Peeps Diorama Contest think Peeps are.”
“What scientists think Peeps are.”
“What kids think Peeps are.”
“What Just Born thinks Peeps are.”
“What Peeps think they are.”
“What Peeps really are.”