I have spent many hours today downstairs here at Casa Bevboy doing laundry. I only took the last load of towels out of the dryer in the last little while.
We slept in something crazy this morning, not getting up until 11. It was like we were drunk or something. Not so much. Nope. We just didn't want to get up. Our cats wouldn't hear of it, once I had fed them.
While the washing machine was doing its thing, I was in my home office, mostly playing with this computer, the one I got from a neighbor who was gonna throw it away last year until I decided to take it off her hands (don't worry; she got a box of comic books for it it in the Fall). I was running the current version of Ubuntu on it. The current version of Ubuntu is more demanding on older computers like this one than I was happy with, so I turned to my old friend Easy Peasy (version 1.6). The kernel is nearly 2 years old now, but there are plenty of updates and it works extremely well.
I backed up the stuff I wanted first. All the songs and stuff. I then blew away the Ubuntu and installed EP. A few hours later, after copying back the songs I wanted and downloading Chromium and other stuff, and installing Dropbox and syncing everything, I have the machine I want again. Nice and fast on this older machine.
Do you care? No. Of course you don't. You just care about reading a fresh blog post every day. Do you have any idea how hard it is to write something every stinkin' day? Do you think my life is so rich with incident that I can find something interesting to discuss seven days a week, 52 weeks a year? No. No, it isn't. Not by a long shot. Don't be so hard on me.
Tomorrow, it will be more of what happened today. Dishes! More laundry! Watching tv! Playing with Newbie! Calling my mother! Telling Patricia I liked what she made for dinner! Getting ready for another week of work! Fun things like that!
See you tomorrow, assuming you can handle the excitement.
Bevboy
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Post 1892 - Storm? What Storm?
I think I'm being punished for the tone of my Thursday post. You may recall I crowed about being off today and not having to go out in what promised to be an epic Winter storm. I wouldn't have to drive out in that crap.
Didn't turn out that way.
The storm? I swear, I seen more precipitation in my shower. The wind? I've experienced stronger winds after I drank two litres of milk in one sitting that one time before I discovered I was lactose intolerant. You catch my drift. It wasn't much of a storm today.
I was at my mother's a week ago and that was a storm. Mom and I got back to her place mid-afternoon, just as the heavy snow was commencing. I was fixing her door handle as the snow was hitting my back and swirling around me (the door had to be ajar in order for me to get a good grip on my task). Yeah. That was a storm.
Today's... weather. That wasn't a storm. Anyone who thinks that was a storm is a wimp. A wimp, I tell you.
Newbie is giving me that look. Time to turn in.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Didn't turn out that way.
The storm? I swear, I seen more precipitation in my shower. The wind? I've experienced stronger winds after I drank two litres of milk in one sitting that one time before I discovered I was lactose intolerant. You catch my drift. It wasn't much of a storm today.
I was at my mother's a week ago and that was a storm. Mom and I got back to her place mid-afternoon, just as the heavy snow was commencing. I was fixing her door handle as the snow was hitting my back and swirling around me (the door had to be ajar in order for me to get a good grip on my task). Yeah. That was a storm.
Today's... weather. That wasn't a storm. Anyone who thinks that was a storm is a wimp. A wimp, I tell you.
Newbie is giving me that look. Time to turn in.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Post 1891 - Off Till Monday
Ha ha! I am off work on Friday. The forecast sounds dire. I will think about you guys, struggling to get to and from work, while I am inside my house resting comfortably.
Trust me. I feel badly about this. I regret deeply that my scheduled day off work happens to fall on a day when the forecast calls for heavy snow, during a Winter when the city makes little effort to put down enough salt or sand or "brine" to keep your car from skating carefree across the street into somebody else's.
Yeah. I feel real bad about that.
Hee hee.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Trust me. I feel badly about this. I regret deeply that my scheduled day off work happens to fall on a day when the forecast calls for heavy snow, during a Winter when the city makes little effort to put down enough salt or sand or "brine" to keep your car from skating carefree across the street into somebody else's.
Yeah. I feel real bad about that.
Hee hee.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Post 1890 - Aftermath
I left my Toastmasters meeting early this evening so that I could go to the Operation Red Nose wrap up party.
It was nice to see my colleagues again. But, what was of particular importance was something that happened as I was eating a small piece of ORN cake. A woman came up to me and said, "Is that you, Bev?" I replied that I was, indeed, the person she was seeking.
I didn't recognize her, but she recognized me.
My first year of volunteering for ORN was 2005. One set of clients we were driving home lived over in Dartmouth. As I was driving their car across the bridge, a chunk of ice became detached from one of the trusses on the bridge and smashed into the front windshield, caving it in. My navigator was showered with glass; the clients in the backseat were in shock. 25 years of driving instinct, the muscle memory, kicked in, and I was able to calmly drive the car over the bridge to the office on the other side, where we reported what had happened. The clients ended up driving the car with the caved-in windshield home that evening. I remember begging them not to give us a donation for driving them home as they were facing a huge car repair bill, and they were not well off. They insisted on donating 20 dollars or so, thanked me personally, and left. I shall never forget them. I hope they're doing well.
This story has been told over and over through the years, by people in Operation Red Nose who want to talk about the quality of the volunteers. It was the first year of ORN, and they wanted everything to go perfectly. Due to an act of God, that was not the case. But because I didn't panic, nobody was injured that evening.
The person who got showered with the glass? My navigator? It was the woman who approached me this evening. Allison (maybe, Alison) has been telling this story for years, about how this guy named Bev remained calm and potentially saved the lives of the people in the car that night, or at least prevented us all from suffering some degree of injury.
It was nice to see her after all these years. I had wondered what had happened to her, and now I know.
Of course, I gave her a Bevboy's Blog business card and urged her to look me up on Facebook. I need all the readers I can get.
After all, we shared something special that evening, and it's something that we can tell our children about.
Wait a minute. I don't have any kids.
Say, Newbie? Have I ever told you about the time I...
Bevboy
It was nice to see my colleagues again. But, what was of particular importance was something that happened as I was eating a small piece of ORN cake. A woman came up to me and said, "Is that you, Bev?" I replied that I was, indeed, the person she was seeking.
I didn't recognize her, but she recognized me.
My first year of volunteering for ORN was 2005. One set of clients we were driving home lived over in Dartmouth. As I was driving their car across the bridge, a chunk of ice became detached from one of the trusses on the bridge and smashed into the front windshield, caving it in. My navigator was showered with glass; the clients in the backseat were in shock. 25 years of driving instinct, the muscle memory, kicked in, and I was able to calmly drive the car over the bridge to the office on the other side, where we reported what had happened. The clients ended up driving the car with the caved-in windshield home that evening. I remember begging them not to give us a donation for driving them home as they were facing a huge car repair bill, and they were not well off. They insisted on donating 20 dollars or so, thanked me personally, and left. I shall never forget them. I hope they're doing well.
This story has been told over and over through the years, by people in Operation Red Nose who want to talk about the quality of the volunteers. It was the first year of ORN, and they wanted everything to go perfectly. Due to an act of God, that was not the case. But because I didn't panic, nobody was injured that evening.
The person who got showered with the glass? My navigator? It was the woman who approached me this evening. Allison (maybe, Alison) has been telling this story for years, about how this guy named Bev remained calm and potentially saved the lives of the people in the car that night, or at least prevented us all from suffering some degree of injury.
It was nice to see her after all these years. I had wondered what had happened to her, and now I know.
Of course, I gave her a Bevboy's Blog business card and urged her to look me up on Facebook. I need all the readers I can get.
After all, we shared something special that evening, and it's something that we can tell our children about.
Wait a minute. I don't have any kids.
Say, Newbie? Have I ever told you about the time I...
Bevboy
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Post 1889 - Home At Last!
No, I didn't go to the gym after work tonight. I had another appointment. After that was over, I picked up Patricia, and we had dinner at the Young Street Steak and Stein. I am getting to the point where I spend more time on Young Street than I do in my home. Not sure if that is something to brag about.
We got home around 7:45. A scant two hours later, I am getting ready to turn in. Newbie is circling the bed like, well, a dog does before it turns in. Am I sure he's a cat? Not any more.
Tomorrow is Toastmasters day. A member who joined just a year ago, Jessica, is leaving the club to move out West. She will be missed.
A day after my gym return, my legs feel pretty good. But don't take my word for it, folks. Come on over and feel my leg at work tomorrow. I think you'll agree it feels pretty good.
Guess that's it for tonight.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
We got home around 7:45. A scant two hours later, I am getting ready to turn in. Newbie is circling the bed like, well, a dog does before it turns in. Am I sure he's a cat? Not any more.
Tomorrow is Toastmasters day. A member who joined just a year ago, Jessica, is leaving the club to move out West. She will be missed.
A day after my gym return, my legs feel pretty good. But don't take my word for it, folks. Come on over and feel my leg at work tomorrow. I think you'll agree it feels pretty good.
Guess that's it for tonight.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Monday, January 23, 2012
Post 1888 - One Down! More To Come!
I am home from my first spin class in 21 months. I feel tired, but pretty good. My goal this evening was to survive the thing, and clearly, I did.
After work today, I drove from my work to the downtown and parked the car on Granville Street, in front of the legislature. I walked to the gym from there. I got to the gym, made sure that the men's changing room hadn't shifted from one side of the place to the other (it might have been embarrassing otherwise!) and changed from my street duds to my gym gear.
The bikes are totally different now from when I was last there in April 2010. Good Life must have sold off or threw out the old, rickety bikes that Nubody's had used for years and years (and years!). The new ones look space age. One thing I don't like, though, is how the handle to adjust the tension of the bike is right there for everyone to see. The higher up it is standing, the higher the tension. On the old bikes, you had to turn a knob, and there was no way for a person to tell what tension level you were at. Those dirty so-and-so's!
I figured out how to adjust the bike to my height and taste. I sat there and stretched my legs until Natasha arrived. She was a spin class colleague from a few years ago when I went regularly! She remembered me. I remembered her because she always wears her hair up. I remembered the hair before I remembered her.
The instructor, Nancy, remembered me as well. She recalled the story I'd told her in 2010 about how, several years ago, when I was donating blood one time, the nurse was shocked to note that my resting heart rate was 50. An Olympian athlete might have one of 35 or 40. When I gave blood a couple of weeks ago, the resting heart rate was 83. I have a ways to go to get back to the good old days.
The class began. Peddling sitting down. Peddling standing up. Tension up. Tension down. Faster! Slower! Faster!
By 6:20, we were slowing down. We did some final stretches and it was over.
I don't know what to say. I won't say I enjoyed my spin class tonight. I'm not a masochist. I will state, however, that it felt really good to be back at it again after so long. It was nice to see Natasha and Nancy again. We all miss John Colpitts, who helped me with my first spin class in 2004 (which nearly killed me), and who died a few years ago. It felt like home again, like a family in the best sense of the word.
I will start slowly and do one spin class this week. I hope to do 2 next week and remain at 2 for a few weeks until I can work up to 3. After I am satisfied with my cardio improvements, I will work on my upper body strength again.
But, baby steps.
I'm committed to this, baby!
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
After work today, I drove from my work to the downtown and parked the car on Granville Street, in front of the legislature. I walked to the gym from there. I got to the gym, made sure that the men's changing room hadn't shifted from one side of the place to the other (it might have been embarrassing otherwise!) and changed from my street duds to my gym gear.
The bikes are totally different now from when I was last there in April 2010. Good Life must have sold off or threw out the old, rickety bikes that Nubody's had used for years and years (and years!). The new ones look space age. One thing I don't like, though, is how the handle to adjust the tension of the bike is right there for everyone to see. The higher up it is standing, the higher the tension. On the old bikes, you had to turn a knob, and there was no way for a person to tell what tension level you were at. Those dirty so-and-so's!
I figured out how to adjust the bike to my height and taste. I sat there and stretched my legs until Natasha arrived. She was a spin class colleague from a few years ago when I went regularly! She remembered me. I remembered her because she always wears her hair up. I remembered the hair before I remembered her.
The instructor, Nancy, remembered me as well. She recalled the story I'd told her in 2010 about how, several years ago, when I was donating blood one time, the nurse was shocked to note that my resting heart rate was 50. An Olympian athlete might have one of 35 or 40. When I gave blood a couple of weeks ago, the resting heart rate was 83. I have a ways to go to get back to the good old days.
The class began. Peddling sitting down. Peddling standing up. Tension up. Tension down. Faster! Slower! Faster!
By 6:20, we were slowing down. We did some final stretches and it was over.
I don't know what to say. I won't say I enjoyed my spin class tonight. I'm not a masochist. I will state, however, that it felt really good to be back at it again after so long. It was nice to see Natasha and Nancy again. We all miss John Colpitts, who helped me with my first spin class in 2004 (which nearly killed me), and who died a few years ago. It felt like home again, like a family in the best sense of the word.
I will start slowly and do one spin class this week. I hope to do 2 next week and remain at 2 for a few weeks until I can work up to 3. After I am satisfied with my cardio improvements, I will work on my upper body strength again.
But, baby steps.
I'm committed to this, baby!
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Post 1887 - The Night Before
It is Sunday night. I am back in the city. Newbie is next to me on the bed, breathing heavily, hinting for me to turn in. I will oblige him shortly.
I am using the new Blogger interface for this blog post. I found the last one sparse. This one is positively Spartan. I hope I can go back to the former layout.
Tomorrow, I return to work after a 3 day weekend. After work on Monday, I return to the gym. I have packed my gym shorts and shirt and towel. I have a water bottle around here somewhere. Very nervous about the whole thing. I have been away from the gym for too long.
Had a very nice weekend with my mother. I know she enjoys having me around, and misses me when I am not there. I miss her, too, for that matter. Even after all these years, I still miss living in that part of the province.
Newbie continues to beckon. This blogger layout is ticking me off more and more. And I'm turning in.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I am using the new Blogger interface for this blog post. I found the last one sparse. This one is positively Spartan. I hope I can go back to the former layout.
Tomorrow, I return to work after a 3 day weekend. After work on Monday, I return to the gym. I have packed my gym shorts and shirt and towel. I have a water bottle around here somewhere. Very nervous about the whole thing. I have been away from the gym for too long.
Had a very nice weekend with my mother. I know she enjoys having me around, and misses me when I am not there. I miss her, too, for that matter. Even after all these years, I still miss living in that part of the province.
Newbie continues to beckon. This blogger layout is ticking me off more and more. And I'm turning in.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
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