Week 13

I've been thinking lately that since I am feeling better, I want to return to more genealogy work. I've been fiddling some with Family Tree, understanding the new interface and cleaning up a lot of the database. Unfortunately, leetllama is dead and neither Peter or I want to pay what it would take to revive it. I have a vague feeling that I have the whole thing backed upon my network drive, but I am not able to connect to it, so that is another problem I need to work on. I have all the content, but all the pictures are up in leetllama somewhere.

So, for the first time, I moved Casimir off leetlama, and he is now living on blogspot. I am still hoping to recover the StorCenter so I can easily move the pictures over; otherwise I will have to figure out where all the pictures are in the blog and what they are supposed to be. The good thing about moving to blogspot is that it makes changing the format much easier. I'm still not happy with what I have, but it's a start.

I'm calling in the Lumpkin's Jail crew to see if they can find bottom.

Week 12

This week was the first time I used the E-ZPass lane on the tollway. E-ZPass is a system where high-tech transponders in your car allow you to whiz through the tollbooth without slowing down, automatically recognizing your vehicle and deducting the toll from your prepaid account. Unfortunately, I had neither a high-tech gadget or an account.

I had not been through the Powhite tollbooth since it had undergone renovation. A long stretch of Jersey wall that was not there previously separates those with E-ZPasses from those who must pay with cash. This Jersey wall was not there before. I thought the wall was for cars getting off on Forest, and expected to be able to merge down the road. My expectations were wrong.

As I realized what was happening, I also remembered the stark sign I had passed warning of up to $500 fines for something, which I had a sinking feeling was for being in the wrong lane at the wrong time. Being a good citizen with an aversion to large fines, and even though it meant I would be late for a doctor's appointment, I found an exit several miles up the road and turned around to settle things with the Toll Lady. Unfortunately, the Toll Lady said not only would I have to call in to talk to the Toll People, but I would have to pay the toll now that I was going north. 70 cents. So I did that, went several miles up the road and headed back south, this time being careful to stay to the right of Jersey. A new Toll Lady was happy to relieve me of another 70 cents.

I dutifully called and pleaded my case to the Phone Lady. She asked my license plate number. "Did this violation happen at 3:12 PM?" I neglected to check the time, but that sounded about right. "Were you driving a C230 Mercedes Benz?" I realized I wasn't going to be able to claim it was a case of mistaken identity, so I told Phone Lady I wanted to pay. "Credit or debit?" Credit, of course. "70 cents will be deducted from your next credit statement." I don't think I have ever used a credit card for such a small amount, or spent so much time trying to get through a tollbooth. There was nothing E-Z about this at all.

I think I'm going to have to reconsider this resolution thing next year.

Week 11

I attended my first my first college tournament game, as well as my first championship game in a college tournament. To top it off, it was also my first time observing my team winning a college tournament. It was quite a bit of fun, although Darien may have had the better time because: 1) our team had the cute uniforms; 2) the pep bands were exhilarating, and possibly more fun to watch than the game; and, 3) our coach is a heart-throb. I should have gone into coaching.

Cowabunga, woman!

Week 10

I had my car hit while it was parked near VCU following the snowstorm. This isn't the first time it has been hit, or even the first time it has been hit while standing still, minding its own business. But this is the first time a car of mine has been hit twice in the space of one month. It still has the smell of fresh paint from the last repair job, for Christ's sake. To add insult to injury, this is also the first time I have had a car that was hit twice at the same location, this being the same intersection where I had that little run-in with a Porsche.

I think I'm going to tape a measuring tape on the refridgerator next to the counter so I can tell better if the pile is going up or down.

Week 9

We hosted George on his first visit to Richmond. We drove him around to some of the sites to help him better understand Richmond for his consulting work here, then toured the log house. On the way to dinner at Tarrant's Cafe, we pulled up at a stop light and the motorcyclist behind us turned out to be Gabriel. Getting honked at by my son on a motorcycle was another first. We invited Gabriel to dine with us, then he invited Rachel. At Tarrant's, we ran into John U. celebrating his birthday with his wife, yet another first. (That is, running into John at a restaurant, not he celebrating with his wife.) Thank God he was only with his wife. That would have been awkward.

Mmmmm ... I'm squinting hard, trying to discern progress on the counter project.