Live Life Everyday/Projects/Five Million Meters

             I can’t believe the year 2013 is nearly over. It seems like only yesterday people were preparing for the doomsday of Y2K which mercifully never happened. I’m trying to type this out with my Stumpy boy on my lap. He is a bit more compact then my “Little Dagney” was, but is it difficult just the same. An occurrence just happened to me that reaffirms why I never postpone giving this boy or anyone for that matter the attention they deserve.

There was a message on my answering machine from the secretary of my investment guy at Fidelity. I had an appointment with him for a Thursday morning call to check over my holdings. I returned the call and left a message. She just got back to me with horrible news. My investment man’s wife died totally unexpectedly the other night.

I feel so badly… I’ve worked with this man for years and feel a kinship with him even though we have never met in person. I was thinking of him as I placed my order with Amazon this morning. He is the man who tells me it is OK to spend my money! What a loss for him. This is another example to live each day to the fullest.

For over 30 years I’ve shaved using a shaving brush, soap and mug. My current brush has been falling apart for years. There is only a ring of bristles left around the outside, the middle bristles are totally gone. FINALLY I decided to replace this worn out shaving brush. It is the oddball stuff like this where Amazon shopping is a godsend. Researching different shaving brushes I learned there are brushes that can easily set you back over $100.00. The brush I chose had an overall 4 star review and cost $12.99.

You can learn so much of the products by reading the customer reviews. This boy was on a tear and also ordered a brush/razor stand, long handle double edge safety razor, and blades. I was able to use my Amazon “points” so technically this did not take money out of my pocket. What a way to bring in the New Year!  

This was all accomplished before going to the “Y”. I reached a milestone today in that I erged 5555 meters in 27:29.8. This was an easy row, but added to my lifetime meters I broke the 5 million mark.  I did not think I was going to be able to finish out the year passing this mark. All the Holiday Challenge meters really made a difference.

Billy just called and he is having difficulty is getting a truck with a lift for the upcoming move. This instrument is so bulky and heavy using a ramp is out of the question. My schedule is wide open which makes things so easy.

The upstairs project plods along. I need to do some serious purging. I uncovered the table model Victrola which was my entry machine into the hobby bought back in 1965 for $10.00. It has been stored away for decades. I just can’t bring myself to let go with that part of my past. Hell, I use that excuse for all my stuff!

These pictures give an idea of the area size which really is not that big. It is just awkward to maneuver around.

Area for the bed/sitting: The radio on top of the shop vac was a Christmas present back in 1978 from my dad. I told him I needed a radio I could use when doing house projects. For 35 years that radio has seen me stripping paint, refinishing woodwork, painting siding, digging holes, mixing cement, laying brick, etc, etc, etc. It is still working.. just like me!

Storage area: That little door leads to a small storage area where Stumpy found the long lost shutters the other week! The panel on the left is for access to the unfinished attic space. It is hard to imagine this area was totally unfinished until 1994 or so. 

“Hallway” This looks like a

hoarders house! Time to clean and let go of stuff….

I need to get to Homo Depot to get lumber to transform the countertop I have resting on top of two Kraftmaid file cabinets into a worktable. Some 4×4’s will do the job easily. I just wish the weather were nicer for working outside. I’ll be using the circular saw to do a lot of notching which makes a real mess.

Once I get that job done I try and sell those cabinets on Craigslist. I wrote an entry on the history of these cabinets years ago. http://www.opendiary.com/entryview.asp?authorcode=A312826&entry=20023 They have served me well. If I can’t get any money for them, I’ll take them to the Habitat store for a tax credit. I have more than gotten my moneys worth out of them.

Just in writing this entry I realize how intertwined my life is with the things I own….

Time to post this and get some shopping done.