It rained a lot here on Saturday, so I took advantage of the soft soil and removed a trashcan full of unwanted vegetable matter from my backyard flowerbeds. The two big beds are now beautiful and bare, ready for some fall prep work and the eventual spring planting, compost pile, and garden.
I can't believe I spent several hours this weekend weeding. I hate weeding, probably because it used to be imposed as a form of punishment. While pulling out clumps of grass from the future compost pile site, I was reminded how a weed is really anything that grows where you don't want it to. About ten feet away, I am trying to get grass to sprout.
I won the battle with the master bath. About a week after I moved in, the bathtub/shower became extremely clogged and drainage amounted to but a trickle. I tried several treatments of Liquid Plumr gel, and then stepped it up to a bottle of industrial Draino, all to no avail. Mind you, this is not my hair that has blocked the drain, which made this particular chore grosser and more annoying. I was just about to schedule a plumber to come by and snake the drains. This would have involved shelling out at least $70 taking a half day off from work since none of them work on weekends or after 5. Instead, during my fourth trip to Home Depot in two weeks, I decided to give "Instant Power Hair and Grease" a try.
Instant Power Hair and Grease is a scary product. It is sold in a black bottle that is further protected by a heavy duty plastic bag. The warning labels, which give the impression of being there for more than liability reasons, promise certain death if the product is misused, or even possibly if properly used: "only open on a level surface;" "may generate toxic fumes;" "if product comes into contact with clothing, immediately remove clothing and wash affected area for 15 minutes." Basically, Instant Power Hair and Grease is concentrated lye in liquid form. Scary, but it worked. The stuff burned right through the clump of someone else's hair, and my drain is now unclogged.
Yay America, yay chemical companies.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Domesticity
What is happening to me? I spent most of the weekend doing yard work. On Saturday, I dug 50+ feet of trenches to install flowerbed barriers. Then I raked and prepped the giant dirt clod that is my backyard in order to sow some bermuda grass. I dropped $100 I don't have on flowerbed lining and grass seed, and I still had to borrow most of the tools to complete the task.
In the past two weeks, I've been to Home Depot twice, Lowe's twice, and Sear's once. My many trips to the kingdoms of Home Improvement are due mostly to the previously mentioned yard work and me being in the market for a new range.
The range I have now could be described as "vintage." The markings proudly proclaim "Super GM Frigidaire Cookmaster," and my best guess dates it to somewhere around the mid-60s. The current range can also be described as a piece of crap, since the oven is broken, one burner doesn't work, and it takes forever for the electric coils to heat and then cool. But maybe I'm being too harsh, since if it really is from the mid-60s, it has lasted a long time for an appliance.
But I need a new range, and the search for one consumes my freetime. I was just about to buy one this afternoon, but then I thought it might be a good idea to have a plumber come and look at what I think is the gas connection in the kitchen to tell me it is okay to get a gas range. I think I'm gonna go for the Maytag MGR4452B, like that means anything to you or like it meant anything to me a week ago. Translation: low-mid level gas range, $400 on sale at Home Depot, excluding installation ($100) but including delivery after the mail-in rebate and you get a $25 gift card for future purchase of grass seed or other things for your home you don't really want but sort of need.
At least I can say I was hip on Friday night. I met up with Teenymeany to hear two good bands play at a place in Deep Ellum. Once the show was over at the late hour of 12:30, I went promptly to bed since I had yard work to do.
In the past two weeks, I've been to Home Depot twice, Lowe's twice, and Sear's once. My many trips to the kingdoms of Home Improvement are due mostly to the previously mentioned yard work and me being in the market for a new range.
The range I have now could be described as "vintage." The markings proudly proclaim "Super GM Frigidaire Cookmaster," and my best guess dates it to somewhere around the mid-60s. The current range can also be described as a piece of crap, since the oven is broken, one burner doesn't work, and it takes forever for the electric coils to heat and then cool. But maybe I'm being too harsh, since if it really is from the mid-60s, it has lasted a long time for an appliance.
But I need a new range, and the search for one consumes my freetime. I was just about to buy one this afternoon, but then I thought it might be a good idea to have a plumber come and look at what I think is the gas connection in the kitchen to tell me it is okay to get a gas range. I think I'm gonna go for the Maytag MGR4452B, like that means anything to you or like it meant anything to me a week ago. Translation: low-mid level gas range, $400 on sale at Home Depot, excluding installation ($100) but including delivery after the mail-in rebate and you get a $25 gift card for future purchase of grass seed or other things for your home you don't really want but sort of need.
At least I can say I was hip on Friday night. I met up with Teenymeany to hear two good bands play at a place in Deep Ellum. Once the show was over at the late hour of 12:30, I went promptly to bed since I had yard work to do.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
disenfranchisement
About two weeks ago, I submitted a request for a voter registration application from the Texas Secretary of State's website. The application took a few days to arrive from Austin
Yesterday I received in the mail a "notice of incomplete information on voter registration application." The notice had seven boxes checked on all the various ways I failed to fill out the form correctly, such as not answering the citizenship question and not providing my driver's license number. I'm pretty sure I know how to fill out a form, and I am pretty sure those questions weren't asked on the form I filled out. The last check box was the most interesting and explained my six other reasons for failing to fill out a form correctly: "you used an old voter registration application. The law has changed and now requires additional information on the new form."*
Recall that I requested my application from the Texas Secretary of State; it doesn't get more official than that. And they are sending out old applications that people are filling out and sending in to their various county election departments eight weeks before the mid-term elections. To the credit of Mr. Bruce Sherbet, the Dallas County Elections Administrator, they notified me ofmy the Texas Secretary of State's mistake in about a week. But what if I didn't submit the old form until late September? Too bad, you missed the 30 day deadline for voter registration.
Perhaps this was an honest mistake, but to me it is totally inexcusable that the Secretary of State is mailing out old voter registration applications that are no longer being accepted. The whole thing stinks like Katherine Harris's week old eyeliner or Ken Blackwell's dirty moustache.
*Yes, I am well aware of the Help America Vote Act and the new requirements. In fact, I used to work in the congressional office that helped draft and negotiate the legislation. So there, Mr. Sherbet.
Yesterday I received in the mail a "notice of incomplete information on voter registration application." The notice had seven boxes checked on all the various ways I failed to fill out the form correctly, such as not answering the citizenship question and not providing my driver's license number. I'm pretty sure I know how to fill out a form, and I am pretty sure those questions weren't asked on the form I filled out. The last check box was the most interesting and explained my six other reasons for failing to fill out a form correctly: "you used an old voter registration application. The law has changed and now requires additional information on the new form."*
Recall that I requested my application from the Texas Secretary of State; it doesn't get more official than that. And they are sending out old applications that people are filling out and sending in to their various county election departments eight weeks before the mid-term elections. To the credit of Mr. Bruce Sherbet, the Dallas County Elections Administrator, they notified me of
Perhaps this was an honest mistake, but to me it is totally inexcusable that the Secretary of State is mailing out old voter registration applications that are no longer being accepted. The whole thing stinks like Katherine Harris's week old eyeliner or Ken Blackwell's dirty moustache.
*Yes, I am well aware of the Help America Vote Act and the new requirements. In fact, I used to work in the congressional office that helped draft and negotiate the legislation. So there, Mr. Sherbet.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
morning commute
On Wednesday's 5:57 AM* train**, I had the misfortune to sit in front of two frumpy middle aged women and one frumpy middle aged man who might as well have been one of those women. You know the type: chatty office busy bodies. For fifteen minutes, they talked about whether BJ enjoyed his vacation, whether someone had to have a more invasive cancer procedure, and made stupid jokes about how yogurt isn't food.
I really wanted them to shut up, not just because of their inane conversation, but because their inane conversation was taking place loudly around me at 6 AM on a weekday. Why can't they stare blankly ahead in silence like most of the other morning commuters?
Thankfully, I had my iPod with me and popped it in my ears. I could still hear them, so I turned the tunes up, long-term ear damage be damned.
*The only way I'm going to work out regularly is if I go before work to a convenient location. The downtown Y has a pool and a decent weight room, so the Y it is at ass crack o'clock.
**Yes, I take public transportation downtown in this commuter unfriendly city. The DART is working out pretty well, and it is free. Other factors contributing to me choosing the park and ride/train/walk combo over driving were: (1) I'm a pinko hippie tree hugger; (2) I'd have to pay for parking; and (3) I hate traffic jams and driving in traffic. Along with my cleaner energy choice electricity provider, I feel morally superior.
I really wanted them to shut up, not just because of their inane conversation, but because their inane conversation was taking place loudly around me at 6 AM on a weekday. Why can't they stare blankly ahead in silence like most of the other morning commuters?
Thankfully, I had my iPod with me and popped it in my ears. I could still hear them, so I turned the tunes up, long-term ear damage be damned.
*The only way I'm going to work out regularly is if I go before work to a convenient location. The downtown Y has a pool and a decent weight room, so the Y it is at ass crack o'clock.
**Yes, I take public transportation downtown in this commuter unfriendly city. The DART is working out pretty well, and it is free. Other factors contributing to me choosing the park and ride/train/walk combo over driving were: (1) I'm a pinko hippie tree hugger; (2) I'd have to pay for parking; and (3) I hate traffic jams and driving in traffic. Along with my cleaner energy choice electricity provider, I feel morally superior.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Whew....
I've been pretty busy this past week and a half. I'm back in the good ol U. S. of A. I spent the rainy Labor Day weekend unpacking my crap, and my house looks strangely empty with all the mismatched crappy furniture I had in my apartment and group house over the past 5 years. But order will come.
I even started the jobby-job, which is going well even though all I did was administrative stuff and take long lunches the first few days.
I'd write more, but I have to get up early tomorrow and be a productive, tax-paying citizen for the first time in 3 years. Sometimes this "adult" thing feels more foreign to me than Brazil or Asia. I don't know if I can make it 2 years.
I even started the jobby-job, which is going well even though all I did was administrative stuff and take long lunches the first few days.
I'd write more, but I have to get up early tomorrow and be a productive, tax-paying citizen for the first time in 3 years. Sometimes this "adult" thing feels more foreign to me than Brazil or Asia. I don't know if I can make it 2 years.
Hong Kong II
My last two days in
Man Mo Temple
Victoria Harbor as seen from the Peak
Hong Kong island at night, as seen from KowloonMacau
I went to Macau two weeks ago this Thursday. Macau is the former Portuguese colony 65 km by boat from Hong Kong. I always imagined Macau as a Portuguese-speaking Chinese backwater, and maybe it was at one point, but the Macau I saw was much more urbanized and bustling than I expected.
Although the street signs were in Cantonese and Portuguese, almost no one spoke Portuguese and responded in English when I opened my boca to falar some português. Macau, with its winding cobblestone streets in the older areas and plazas, felt more European than Hong Kong.
Downtown Macau
Also, there are quite a few Portuguese forts, churches, and public squares. The coolest were the ruins of St. Paul, whose original 17th century structure burned down in the mid 1800's.
Macau's economy is based on tourism, and a gigantic portion of that comes from casinos that are increasingly styled after those in Las Vegas. There are direct flights between Macau and many mainland cities, and ferries to Hong Kong run every 15 minutes.
Fake volcano casino, Fake Arab palace casino
Although the street signs were in Cantonese and Portuguese, almost no one spoke Portuguese and responded in English when I opened my boca to falar some português. Macau, with its winding cobblestone streets in the older areas and plazas, felt more European than Hong Kong.
Downtown MacauAlso, there are quite a few Portuguese forts, churches, and public squares. The coolest were the ruins of St. Paul, whose original 17th century structure burned down in the mid 1800's.
Macau's economy is based on tourism, and a gigantic portion of that comes from casinos that are increasingly styled after those in Las Vegas. There are direct flights between Macau and many mainland cities, and ferries to Hong Kong run every 15 minutes.
Fake volcano casino, Fake Arab palace casinoMacau had some of the best food I had on the trip. My first day I had potato-onion soup and oxtail curry with rice for lunch. Even though I wasn't hungry for dinner, I still downed a half chicken cooked in the galinha africana style, which is a sauce made from coconut, peanut, and peppers. Super delicious.
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