After 12-13 years, I am back to mowing a lawn.
I must say, lawnmowers have changed since then - self propelled now actually means self propelled.
Made an excellent roulade - thanks to Alton Brown.
Got my electricity bill - it was most excellent to see I had a -$60 balance. This means that next month will be free as well.
After 2 days of running the air conditioning, I found that they forgot to connect the condensation drain. I've got a soggy floor. Gotta go to Lowes tomorrow and pick up some PVC, connectors, cement, and pipe cutters.
I hope I can get the flowers I got 2 or so weeks ago planted before they die. Of course, this means another weekend filled with digging.
That's all for now - time to get ready for bed.
Whew, working on the lawn is hard work... or maybe rather I have let myself get way too far out of shape.
Got a wheelbarrow, lawn mower, spreader, grass seed, and fertilizer with crab grass killer.
Used the barrow to move all the bricks out of the garage, and was able to finally clean up the garage. Yeah, I have a garage now!
Spread grass seed over the entire lawn, so maybe in a week or so, it'll fill up the bare spots and grow over the dead stuff. Maybe by summer I'll have a lawn. So far, the majority of the greenage is crabgrass. After a few weeks of hopefully new grass growth, I'll lay out the fert/crab grass killer.
Will resume the excavation and planting on the flower beds along the steps in the front over the weekend.
Rant:
I am sooooooooo tired of people whining about the U.S. going to war with Iraq.
Enough already. Diplomacy has been going on for 12 years. 12. This is not something that has been happening for 5-6 months. There has already been 16 U.N. resolutions for Iraq to dismantle it's WMD. The U.N. inspectors have been working for 6 years, then were kicked out of Iraq. This is not a regime that is disarming. This is a regime that is blatantly ignoring the U.N.
France says give it more time - the inspectors have already been working on this for 6 1/2 years!!!! How much more fucking time are you going to give them?!
Look, as much as no one wants to admit it, the bottom line is that there are times when force is the only option. The people who say the President fails if this is not resolved by diplomacy: are you that naive, or that stupid? Ok, Mr smarty pants - how do you deal diplomatically with someone who will not make any concessions, and who's goal is to have the things and ideals that the U.N. will not allow? Diplomacy only works when both sides can agree to concessions. Saddam is not willing to give up anything. As much as you feel that the administration will fail, you have to face it - war is the final diplomatic tool.
The U.N. made the decree (notice the U.N. - not the U.S.) that Iraq is not to have any WMD. It's been 12 years and 16 resolutions. Saddam is making a mockery of the U.N. If the resolutions are not enforced, then the U.N. has no legitamacy. It might as well admit it's a farce and pack up it's bags. And Saddam knows this and is taking full advantage of the situation.
Stop your bitching - there is only so much Bush can do when dealing with a spoiled stubborn infant. Why don't you spend your time more creatively and come up with a plan?? And, please, don't go stupidy feeling that the inspectors need more time. Contrary to what you may think, the inspectors are not detectives. Their function is not to go root out what is there. Their function is to make sure that Iraq is properly and completely dismantling it's weapons. That's it. It does not take 6 1/2 years. Iraq says this is my list, and the inspectors say, we'll watch you dismantle it. The inspectors do not need more time - Iraq has already shown that it is not willing to divulge it's arsenal, and is not willing dismantle it. Giving Iraq more time is just letting Saddam sit and wait.
I'm not pro-war, nor am I pro-Bush, but I do realize that there are times when force is the only answer left, and any hesitation in using it shows weakness. Now, as much as I'd like to live in your utopian world where leaders are cognizant of their subjects, this is not yet the world we live in. Not everyone in this world shares your views, nor does everyone follow your utopian mindset. There exists rulers who don't care at all for it's subjects, and could care less what the U.N. says. Deal with it.
Catch up:
Bitched to Comcast - got $103 in credits.
The p's were here last week. Got some funky pasta scoop with timer and temp sensor. Got a set of utensils for the grill. And, got a garage door opener and installed it with dad - only took a day and a half. Got bunches of garden books.
Beginning front and rear area improvements. Made a design for the back patio and garden - plans include a herb garden, a mini veggie garden - onions and peppers, a rock garden, and a raised flower bed along the edges. Bought some garden tools, top soil, and flowers to plant in the front. Since I need to regrade the lawn along the steps, I decided to make the edges a flower bed.
Once the front is complete, I'll take the excess sand and deposit it in the rear to even that out in preparation for the patio. Will also have the immediate area that I worked by resod.
Tribulation number 3
Ok, so I got Digital TV service on Saturday. I am still getting Encore and Showtime thru the digital receiver, but lost HBO and Cinemax on the analog side of the channels. So, I'm getting 1 or 2 premium channels above what my service is for. This can make up for the troubles I've had depending on how long I retain Showtime.
I noticed that my other TV's (which are picking up the analog signal) still get HBO and Cinemax.
So, my internet connection went out on Sunday. Troubleshooting, I came to the conclusion that they did not have my MAC address loaded into their DHCP server. I call during lunch today, and was told that when the order for my Digital TV service went thru, they canceled my internet service. I can get my connection re-established sometime tomorrow.
I called after lunch to make a formal complaint against the quality of service. They accepted that the $50 install charge for the internet was in error and removed that. They're giving me $20 for each no show - a total of $40 - and he included another $12.95 to make my first month of service entirely free. While I don't entirely agree with that, getting Showtime, HBO, and Cinemax - a $20-$30 value per month - free may just do.
Now, we'll see if somehow my TV service gets canceled or they don't properly bill me for one or the other.....
Tribulation number 2:
The cable was buried yesterday. This morning, I called to re-order TV service. I explained my story, and was transfered to some special customer service group. I re-explained my dealings with Comcast, and they setup a Digital TV order and scheduled an appointment for 2-5 today.
I stayed home in the afternoon, and watched as 2, then 3, then 4 went by. At 4:30, I called to confirm the appointment, and got an automated message saying that my appointment was scheduled for 2-5pm Thursday, March 6th. Ok, I was not going crazy. 4:50 comes by, and I call their office. I'm told that they are still on track for that appointment and that a dispatcher would call me if they are running late. Ok, 5 rolls past, then 5:30. Still no show. I called at 5:50 to tell them that not only did no-one arrive, but no-one bothered to call me.
They politely apologized and state that the only time they have available is 8-11 am on Friday. I said, great, not only did I have to give up half a day for a no-show, but now I've got to cancel the 3 meetings I have tomorrow morning in order to be here. She says that won't be necessary, and they could come in the afternoon - to which I tell her that I need to make up for the half day of lost work tomorrow. We scheduled for Saturday morning. I asked to talk to a manager, but due to the hour, none were available (they close at 6, which it was 5:58).
I went to the webpage and filled out the survey giving Comcast a failing grade. I also sent an email to the service department explaining what has happened in the last two weeks, and expressed that their quality of service is unacceptable, and how disappointed I was that they could not even extend common courtesy to their customers. I have a feeling that that email will disappear.