Trivial (or not so trivial) stuff that makes you happy.

[Torsten]

Hey Delvo, I totally get the "political and car-salesy" reference. That aspect of management brought me to the brink of depression on more than one occasion. I quit my job in industry and went consulting, looking for something with more job satisfaction. I've been fortunate in finding interesting projects over the years, and now I have made the conscious decision to only do work that is fun or lets me explore new places.

I never made a Biltmore stick, but I've made a few other tools, usually to obtain weird measurements for research projects. A D-tape, reel-tape, inclinometer and increment borer were the tools for cruising, but I haven't done any production cruising in over 25 years. Today, if I need to measure tree heights I use a Vertex, but still use a Suunto inclinometer for laying out a grade. Still in the "make you own tool department", I've been experimenting with making anaglyphs from the 200 megapixel digital aerial photos that are now available, georeferencing them, and then loading them onto a tablet. It's cool to be able to get a stereo overview without having to bring along paper photos and a stereoscope. (I trained myself to use a stereo pair without the scope, but I've become far sighted over the years and that doesn't work so well anymore.) If I had your holiday dilemma, I'd pick a new place, and compare them afterward.

jokergirl:

[PetersCreek]

The smell of fresh sawdust.

I ripped out the lower stair case in our house on Saturday and roughed in a new one. This gave me a chance to put the new table saw through some of its paces after I converted it to 240 VAC that morning...even if it was just a bit of construction grade lumber. Angled cuts on spacers for the stringers. Done. Dang, I'm out of 2x4s but there's an extra 2x6. Ripped it. I wound up putting a good bit of sawdust into the cetrifugal dust extractor...and a bit on the floor when I forgot to turn that on.

[Solfe]

Still on track for graduation fall 2015, despite a side track of two one year certificates I didn't need and a return to work full time.

[Solfe]

[snip]...and that a dune movie sucks no matter who makes it...[snip]

lol!

[Buttercup]

Five minutes ago (6:53 a.m. MST), was standing inside our mesh door when a hummingbird zips in just to my right. It hovered there a few seconds, as if greeting me (good morning!)...then zipped away.

[Trebuchet]

You may recall that in December of 2012 I fell off my roof and got hurt. Recovery went pretty well, right through last summer, and I was able to compete in two pumpkin hurling events. In the fall and winter, however, things started to go bad. The weather was less conducive to doing things outdoors, there wasn't much daylight, and I became a bit depressed and inactive. My back and leg started hurting more again, so that by February I could barely make it 100 yards to the mailbox and was taking the stairs only when I had to, and then 1/2 step at a time. Not good.

At the beginning of March I decided I needed to go to the doctor and got a referral to Physical Therapy. They started me on an exercise regimen, which I have faithfully done every day since. I also started watching what I eat a little more closely, as I had gained a lot of weight through nervous eating.

Not long after starting the therapy, I pulled a new pair of jeans out of a shopping bag and discovered I'd bought the wrong size, too small in the waist and too long. I decided to keep them anyway. This morning, I tried them on again, and while they are still tight, I can wear them! That made me very happy. (Still too long, of course, I haven't gotten any taller!)

The biggest change has been in my attitude. I feel so much better now. I just hope I can keep this up next winter when it gets dark and rainy again!

[LookingSkyward]

Really good to hear, Treb! Great perseverance!

[Trebuchet]

A couple of annoyances yesterday:
1. I have a little project I'm working on, for which I bought a board of MDF for a critical appearance piece. Either the manufacturer or Lowes put a large sticky label on it, wrapping around the edge so it left adhesive on both sides. Adhesive that I had difficulty getting off even with acetone, which did a better job on the primer. Grrr.
2. While fitting the board to the project I discovered I'd placed one of the mounting points for it 1/8 inch off center. I can work around that, but it's annoying.

Why posted in this thread? Because I was working on a fun project, outdoors, on an absolutely lovely day. Making progress despite the glitches. And grinning the whole time! Happy!

ETA: I just realized I left out the best part. While working, I heard the sound of a radial aircraft engine and looked up. I hear that sound a lot at the vacation house because there's steady seaplane traffic, mostly DeHaviland Beavers, from Seattle to Victoria BC that goes over. They fly at low altitude, because looking at the scenery is half the point of the trip. Anyhow, on this occasion, I looked up expecting a Beaver, or perhaps a pair of them because of the sound, and saw a B-25! Cool!

[Buttercup]

Cookies.

Love 'em.

Just about any kind.

[jokergirl]

I walked past a coffee shop I frequent regularly today, and one of the baristas yelled "Hey! You're the one with the hat, right?"
Apparenly I had forgotten my hat in my past-boring-meeting haze last weekend and they'd luckily found it and kept it for me. I hadn't even realised it was missing, that's how confused I was after that meeting. I'll have to take them some chocolates and/or tips later this afternoon.

[Trebuchet]

I had to make an unexpected trip from the vacation house (Port Townsend, WA) back to the main place (Everett) because I'd forgotten my medication. That was annoying. On the way back yesterday, however, when I hit the ferry dock in Edmonds, the sun was shining but not too warm, I got straight onto the ferry, and, because the tide was extremely low, the beaches were covered with children. Happy, happy, children. Apparently they'd emptied the schools and took them to the beach. Lovely!

[Trebuchet]

I walked past a coffee shop I frequent regularly today, and one of the baristas yelled "Hey! You're the one with the hat, right?"

I'd say you were the one WITHOUT the hat!

[Buttercup]

Orange sherbet.

Especially "Push Ups"...but I'm having difficulty finding those, so bought a small tub of the stuff.

[danscope]

We used to get something called a "Creamsicle" , which had orange sherbet(?) and vanilla icecream .
Now, I see a drink by that name: Ingredients:
•1 ounce vanilla or whipped vodka
•1/2 ounce triple sec
•Orange juice
•Half and half
Preparation:
1.Pour the vodka and triple sec into a mixing glass filled with ice.
2.Fill with equal parts of orange juice and half and half.
3.Shake well.
4.Strain into a collins glass filled with fresh ice.
Not bad on a hot day.

And I used to love an orange Julius

[Buttercup]

Creamsicles are good. Those are still being sold locally. And raspberry too.

There was an Orange Julius at our mall, in the 1990s. Miss it.

And I've got a bowl of orange sherbet right here on the desk (cat's come to check it out).

[Gillianren]

I had to make an unexpected trip from the vacation house (Port Townsend, WA) back to the main place (Everett) because I'd forgotten my medication. That was annoying. On the way back yesterday, however, when I hit the ferry dock in Edmonds, the sun was shining but not too warm, I got straight onto the ferry, and, because the tide was extremely low, the beaches were covered with children. Happy, happy, children. Apparently they'd emptied the schools and took them to the beach. Lovely!

There is nothing like a sunny day in Washington, is there? I've gone on campus to Evergreen the last few days, and "Let's Have Class Outside" is in full force, it seems.

[Inclusa]

I always thought of blocking tumblr due to the large number of inappropriate sites on it; finally I do it with a blocksite addon!

[slang]

Pods! The season has started! Ñora very mild pepper, in this case. The Spanish dry them, then when they're used, they deseed, rehydrate, and scrape the meat from the inside of the skin. Can't wait to try that.

[Noclevername]

I went out to dinner with Mom tonight. I had sushi. It was delicious, and I'm just full enough, and we had a good time.

[Gillianren]

The water bottle I mentioned as lost in the "annoys" thread turned out to have fallen out of my bag into the car, not onto the parking lot.

[Hlafordlaes]

I like how I can cite imperfections in the early universe as being an enabler of our existence, that imperfections in genetic transcriptions led eventually to us, and that, all in all, imperfection rules!! ...as a preface for making yet another excuse to my darling wife about my shortcomings.

OTOH, were she a member here, I'm sure she would put that in the "things that really, really annoy me" thread (since there is no Arsenic and Old Lace thread.)

[jokergirl]

Sun! Warmth! Lush greenery! It's actually warm enough that I had to catch myself twice not to take a pullover when going outside because it was too warm for even a long-sleeved T-shirt!

...I've been living in Sweden for too long.

[Swift]

Sun! Warmth! Lush greenery! It's actually warm enough that I had to catch myself twice not to take a pullover when going outside because it was too warm for even a long-sleeved T-shirt!

...I've been living in Sweden for too long.

Don't be alarmed; give it a couple of months and this problem will correct itself. I'm guessing by about November, things will be back to normal.

[Tog]

The Memphis Bell is in town this weekend.

It was the first bomber to complete 25 missions and retire, crew intact, for the US in World War Two, and she's still flying.

[Noclevername]

Belle.

[NEOWatcher]

The water bottle I mentioned as lost in the "annoys" thread turned out to have fallen out of my bag into the car, not onto the parking lot.

Did you bother to search?
Years ago, I lost a hubcap. At the time, I retraced my route (since I had to go that way for something else anyway) to see if I could find it along the way.
Days later, I ran across it while mowing my lawn.

[Gillianren]

I left the mall when it was dark. I tried looking under the car, but I didn't see anything. The next time I went to the car during the day, there it was!

[Trebuchet]

I once lost a rather odd little cooler I carried my lunch in. I couldn't figure out what happened to it. About three months later I had occasion to visit the factory part of the airplane plant and saw one just like it sitting on a table. Then I remembered last having visited that area on my way out of work one day, while carrying the cooler. It was right where I'd left it.

On another occasion I mislaid the lidded plastic cup I drank water out of. Again, several months later, I happened through a part of the office I didn't usually visit and saw it sitting on a windowsill. It was mine, all right, still had my initials on the bottom. And a whole ecosystem living in the remaining water inside. I probably could have had some new species named after me but I dumped it and washed it in the dishwasher. Then I thought better of it and just threw it away.

Both times I was quite amazed that the people working in those areas hadn't just gotten rid of the abandoned items.

[jokergirl]

Don't be alarmed; give it a couple of months and this problem will correct itself. I'm guessing by about November, things will be back to normal.

Months? Think days.

(that should go into the bugs thread.)

[redshifter]

I love the pure joy my dog exhibits when taking her on walks/runs. I've also taken her to a local green belt close to my house a few times, now she knows where it is and gets very excited when we get close. Then when we get back to the car from walking through it, she doesn't want to get in