It's Wednesday - A "Day Off" With a Ton of Stuff To Do

I have a stack of bills to be paid on my desk, an empty refrigerator that needs populating, and 10 audio credits that need to be used up before April. I won't listen to the books that quickly, but I can get them purchased and into my cyber-library within the next week or two. I'm on the final audio book of a 30+ book series, and I'm starting another huge series after this one. I just need to see which book of that second series I left off with in my purchasing and get the next 10 bought and processed for the proper audio file type. I also have bills to cyber-pay. It'll be a busy day all around and DH is in a total frump. 

I have a bunch that needs doing on my "day off", not 
even including the three loads of laundry and making 
the beds that's standard for a Wednesday. My "day off" is 
almost busier than a work day. 

It's a bad time of the year for DH, and adding closing the store to his mix and he's at boiling point all the way. But, he still has time to lie back in the evening and watch the Olympics. Not double-tasking the way that I do with the TV on behind me and me on the computer getting things accomplished. No ... he's kicked back in bed, watching the TV like a slug. *sigh* GRRR

I enjoy "watching" TV, although it's rare for me to actually 
pay a lot of attention to the screen. I'd much rather be 
reading a book. He's a TV addict. Maybe that comes from 
being the third child when I was an only child and had to 
self-entertain. He needs outside stimulation to be entertained, 
I'm happy with a book. 

I can work out some of my frustration in the pool in an hour, but really? For example, I got home last night, ate a quick dinner, and then gathered the trash together to take out to the bins. Today is trash and recycling pickup day. Then I grabbed my tea and went down to the computer to catch up on emails and notifications while listening to the Olympics on the TV behind me. I even watched a little bit of them. He went up to bed, settled down and watched the TV, then came down to yell at me about something I had apparently done incorrectly when I picked up our income taxes last week, and then went back upstairs again. Good grief! GRRRRRR

I'm really tired of getting yelled at all of the time. I understand 
his stress levels are high, but so are mine and I don't yell 
at him. GRRRRRR Retirement isn't looking like it will be 
any fun at all. 

Today I have to ride him hard about getting the shelving photos sent to me. I need to get that file populated ASAP and a "day off" is a great day in which to get some serious computer work done (between a quick run to the framers to get a mis-cut frame redone and another one routed out. I may not get the frames back until next week, but maybe they can have it on Friday. I might be able to take a quick run out there, although I really don't get my Fridays off any more. 

This is my YMCA from the air. Obviously in the summer, when 
the outdoor pool is open. The black square is the main building 
which houses the gym, the building connecting the black roof 
to the pool area is the rest of the gym - basketball court, running 
track, weight room, lots of machines, etc., and the indoor pool. 
It's a big complex with a little bit of family for those of us who 
meet at the front doors every day. 

Enough bitching, though. I have a swimming pool waiting for me to work out my frustrations in, so I'm wrapping this up and heading to the YMCA. Have an excellent Wednesday. Be kind, enjoy the Olympics, and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It's the Year of the Horse - and Olympics, of Course

Happy Year of the Horse. It's Chinese New Year, and we're celebrating (at least in our own ways). I'm a bit off-schedule today. I awakened at 2:00 am instead of when my alarm would go off at 3:00 am. I tossed a bit, but gave up and started catching up on my morning meditation routine. By the time I was finished with that and headed downstairs (since I had extra time, I indulged a bit in some extra "me" time), it was already almost 4:00 am and I leave for the pool at 4:30 am. *sigh*. So now I'm running a little late - LOL. 

This New Year is the Year of the Horse. I was born in 
a year of the Horse, so it's going to be MY year - if I 
can just survive the next few months - LOL. 

I hope you're all enjoying watching the Olympics if it's your thing. We're happily watching as much curling as possible, and a lot of the ski competitions. Basically, we both adore the Olympics, so when they're on, we have it turned on. I don't know, or care about, the medal count, but I'm sure the USA is doing just fine. 

The USA Men's Curling Team is quite young (most of 
them) and they're REALLY good. They're fun as heck 
to watch. Some of the shots they're able to make have 
been nothing less than incredible. Bravo! 

Did you happen to catch the prime time Women's Monobob bobsled run? An absolutely wonderful woman from the USA won that one - and they had done a feature on her earlier in the evening. It was lovely to meet her family - husband and two kids. The kids are both quite young, and they're both completely deaf. So she speaks fluently with her hands to them, while speaking orally to others. Typical woman - juggling multiple tasks at a time - LOL. She finally got the Gold, however, and I'm so very pleased for her. 

Did you know that the Monobob competition is the only 
competition in the Olympics that is restricted to women 
only? I wasn't aware of that either - LOL. Congratulations 
to Elana Meyers Taylor for winning the Gold in this year's 
competition. It's a gorgeous track, I'd love to try it out 
sometime. 

So, I'm wrapping this up, and diving into another day of a million tasks. We have a firm schedule that we need to stick to for closing on time, and there really isn't any wiggle room at all. DH has been working massively hard to get things going - photographing shelving units, cabinets and display cases. Everything has to go. It's a job!! Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Olympics? - Of Course! We're Totally Olympics Addicts

We're entering the final week of Winter Olympics competition. I haven't been able to watch as much as I've wanted to - I've been super busy framing items or generally working in the shop. We're even there on Sundays getting things together, taking photos, and DH working on the inventory in the computer, getting rid of all zero entries (and there's a lot of those). We both love the Winter Olympics, and have had very little actual time to be able to watch them. Still, a week left means lots of fun things to watch whenever I have some time. That's a totally awesome thing.

We were glued to the curling last night - not the doubles from 
earlier - this was the team competition and we totally rocked 
tossing those rocks down the ice sheets. Very well done, USA! 

I've got a stack of bills in front of me. I need to take a quick peek at my checking account balances, and then get onto the computer and get them paid. It's a lot easier and faster to pay things digitally than writing and mailing a check, but I still have to make sure I have enough money in my various accounts for the payments. A minor detail, but an important one - LOL. 

We have a lovely JD Challenger original that 
needed reframing, so I got to work on that 
yesterday afternoon. It's nice to work on a Sunday
 when I don't have to deal with customers and 
can actually spend a few hours on what I 
need to accomplish. 

I started reframing a JD Challenger original watercolor yesterday. It's a BIG piece - very heavy, and he did the original framing himself. That's both good and bad. For some unknown reason, he felt it necessary to triple-mat the painting, and even though he built an extra-deep frame to accommodate it, it's still a VERY snug fit. I'll have some issues with potential cracking in the frame backing when I'm trying to get the nails set for the new minimal backing I purchased yesterday afternoon on a quick run to the art supply store. I had nightmares all night about putting the damned thing back into the frame upside down, so I'd better check that out before fastening everything together - LOL. 

I had four green peppers that needed 
stuffing and baking. They turned out 
great - very tasty. I use non-dairy cheese 
in my salads and cooking, and used the 
last of the cheddar on them. Yummy! 

Oh, and yesterday, Gordon Ramsey would have been proud of me. I had four green peppers in the refrigerator that I needed to get stuffed and into my refrigerator for meals ahead. So I started working on that, and managed to streamline everything together to have it put together and in the oven within 15 minutes. And it's damned tasty! We were going to get Chinese take-out last night, but when I got there to order my Mu Shu Pork, they told me they were working on a HUGE order and it would be 45-60 minutes before my little order could be cooked. I left without food and returned to eat one of the peppers I had made (which is why I can say they're really tasty). 

Italy is doing a fantastic job hosting the Winter Olympics 
this year. The games have been fabulous - exciting, 
entertaining and top-class competition. 

So, I'm wrapping this up and heading to work. Have an excellent Monday, enjoy the Olympics today if you're watching, and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Life and the Olympics Progress - LOL

We're already starting to look into pricing for moving vans (smaller - we're not moving a house). We'll need to move things home, and then leave for the Southwest almost immediately afterward to bring our artwork to the auction house. Shipping costs would be more than the $1000-$1500 the truck will cost us. We'll tow my car behind so that we can drop the truck off in Santa Fe and then, after a few days wandering the Plaza, we'll head back home again. It's not a horrible drive (except in the winter sometimes), but it takes two days if you're going to be relatively comfortable. 

We'll probably rent a truck and tow my car behind. It 
seems that most of the truck rental places have either 
two-wheel or full 4-wheel trailers available for your 
car. I'm 100% in favor of the 4-wheel version so that 
Minnion doesn't get extra wear and tear. I'll check with 
my dealer about their recommendations too, of course. 

I'll check with my dealer, of course, about towing the car that far. We did this with my Subaru when we first moved up here, and there were all sorts of problems because of the car's front wheel drive. I'm not sure about my Mazda, but suspect things have gotten a bit easier since those days. 

Norway won the women's Cross Country Women's Relay race 
over Sweden. It was very hotly contested and beautifully done. 

I decided to blow off the treadmill today and just relax for a bit instead. I was still up at my usual time, but sat and took my time with my morning meditation and phone games before slowly getting up, showering, and turning on the Olympics. Cross country skiing - Women's Long Track. Lovely! It's cloudy over the cross-country track today, which won't help with any topographical changes. 

Malinin fell twice in his final performance last night, and 
ended up in 6th place! Very poor! Mikhail Shaidorov of 
Kazakhstan won the gold medal, so Bravo! Well done! 

I didn't stay up long enough for the Men's Figure Skating. Malinin fell twice, though, so the gold medal was out of reach. In fact, any medal turned out to be out of reach - he fell out of the medals with those two falls. I'm sure he'll be competing in future, but he was off his game when he needed to be point-on. Bad showing! 

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won the Men's Individual 
Gold Medal. Japan won both the Silver and the Bronze with 
excellent performances by Yuma Kagiyama (Silver) and 
Shun Sato (Bronze) of Japan. Congratulations to all 
three skaters - well done! 

But, I'm going to have a leisurely breakfast and watch the finals of the Women's Cross Country Skiing event. The skiiers are about to enter the final lap. What a grueling sport!  I was able to watch the finals of the Men's Skeleton yesterday - one of my favorite events which I rarely get to see because we usually don't have a good competitor in the field. Great Britain won this year in a stunning run! Well done! 

Matt Weston of Great Britain pulled out the Gold Medal in 
Men's Skeleton yesterday with an absolutely almost 
flawless run. It was a thing of beauty to see. Bravo!!

So, I'm wrapping this up and calling it complete. I'll be back on Monday morning. Have a great weekend, enjoy the Olympics if you're watching, and Slava Ukraini. 

Slow Progress is Still Progress

I'm not really sure why I'm running a bit late today, but I am. I had a nice fast-walk on the treadmill, and treadmill days are always a bit later than swimming days, but I'm about 25 minutes late on my schedule and actually have to eat my breakfast and head to the shop. I have three different emails to reply to for Travis, and I need to think about how we can get around some security check-in issues so that he can actually send things to my main email list. I may have to suggest that he send it to me and I then send it onward. It might be the best and simplest solution. 

Travis probably doesn't look anything like this 
any more, but who knows? This is the only photo 
I have of him, from his book. I've spoken with him 
numerous times, and exchange daily emails with 
him several times a day, but I've never really met him. 

I'm generally getting 1-4 emails a day from him, though, and that makes me happy. He's reading what I'm responding and he's working on getting us the best advertising coverage possible. That's what we'll need to have a successful sale, so I'm pleased, thus far. We'll see in the long run, but I'm getting responses and hope to get results as well. 

We have a store full of industrial steel shelving units. Both 
upstairs and downstairs, it's the primary furniture. The 
upstairs ones are holding product, the downstairs ones are 
almost all empty now - we've been working on that for more 
than a year. 

DH and I will be spending Sunday in the store's basement. I have banks of steel shelving down there, some of which are using the incorrect shelves for that type. We'll be switching shelves from one style to another, and finalizing a complete listing of everything we have down there for sale. If necessary, we'll escort a customer down there, but I'm hoping that photos, etc will do most of that sale for us. We also have a bunch of shelves on the main floor, which is where we keep our stock. We'll be selling those shelves also, but whoever purchases them will have to wait to get them until after we're completely finished with the actual sale. 

Slow progress is still progress, but we have to 
do something every day or things won't be done 
on time. We're actually on a schedule. 

So, things are progressing. Slowly ... but that's OK. We still have some time, we don't need to be in a massive rush, we just have to do something to keep the momentum going every day. In the meantime, we can watch/listen to the Olympics, which we're enjoying VERY much. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini. 

Finally Back to the Pool and the Olympics, Of Course

So, a quick post before dashing to the pool. Yesterday I skipped the gym, texting a friend that I was too exhausted from the Olympic Curling mixed doubles finals to be able to swim. They might not understand my love for curling, but I'm quite sure a lot of them are catching whatever they can of the broadcasts. 

The majority of the USA Curling team are from the Duluth 
Curling Club, which is HUGE. We're busy watching the 
men's curling now. 

Last night was figure skating - Ice Dancing. I actually had caught most of that during the afternoon while I was cooking, but it was nice to watch without having to dash back to the stove or pull something out of the oven. I didn't get everything I needed cooked yesterday. I'll still have to pull off my stuffed peppers either tonight or tomorrow night. There was a lot that needed cooking, and my baked fruit was more important than a dinner was. I'm now stocked for another 14-16 days of fruit, so the time was well worth it. 

Chock and Bates pulled out the Silver Medal last 
night in an almost flawless performance. Well 
Done!!!

Do any of you use or work with Facebook Ads? I've never bothered, but apparently it's a very important part of my liquidator's contact weapons. I thought I had given him all of the information needed, but he's still having problems. But ... I'm sure we'll figure it all out. I've never used Facebook for advertising, and I'm not fond of my friends getting notifications like that, but it won't be for a long time and then I can pull back from the ads part of the software and go back to the friends part only. 

I don't really do much with Facebook at all, and have 
never received any Facebook ads to the best of my 
recollection. I can't say they'll be a major splash, but you 
never know. 

But, now I'm going to wrap this up and get to the pool. Missing it yesterday was a good decision- I really needed that extra bit of sleep - but I don't like feeling like a slug in the mornings. Have an excellent Thursday, and enjoy the Olympics if that's your thing. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Olympics and Cooking - It'll Be a Very Busy Day Off

I was up late last night watching the finals in curling at the Olympics. We didn't win Gold, but we did win Silver and that's great. I'm very proud of my Minnesota people. They stepped up to the plate and played brilliantly. 

I am very proud of our Minnesota winners. They played 
brilliantly, and even though they had a couple of rocks 
that simply didn't cooperate, they won Silver. Bravo! 

But, since I was late, I texted my swimming buddy and let her know I was blowing off today's swim. I was still up early, but at 5:00 am instead of the 3:30 am that I use on swimming days. I needed that additional sleep. 

I really don't use Facebook ads to keep in touch 
with my customers, but Travis does, so he needed 
this and that from me. Which I gave him ... but apparently 
it's not working properly on his end. When I want to 
contact my customers via email, I use Constant 
Contact because I want each person I contact to be 
someone who voluntarily signed up with us at the shop. 

I'm trying to figure out what's not working for Travis and our Facebook advertising account. I have the codes that I passed on to him, but for some reason or other, he can't access our Facebook account to be able to post ads to my FB followers. I'll delve deeper into that today on my "day off", but I also have a LOT to do around the house and only one day to get it all done. 

I'm still having my veggie alkagizers at least four days a 
week, usually for my lunches at the shop. It's keeping my 
nutrition at high, and my weight at low. All good! 

I'll start the day out by grocery shopping - I have to make "Ogre Juice", my baked fruit for my breakfasts, and also my meals for the next week or so. I think stuffed peppers seems like a winner for the week. They are easy to make, minimal muss and fuss, and it'll give me the kitchen time I need for my baked fruit, which is a bit more labor intensive. 

I used to make stuffed peppers by hollowing out the pepper 
and keeping it upright. I've switched to half-peppers because 
they cook easier and they store easier in the refrigerator. 

So that's my plan for the day. I'll try to have the Olympics on in the background too - I know I can get it on the downstairs TV, but I'm not sure about the kitchen TV. That reception is quite a bit more limited. Still, one does what one can - LOL. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.