I didn't mean to wait until it was 100 degrees outside ...

... to clean my garage but that's what I did. I can't tell you what came over me. Clean The Garage has been on my Projects List for five years. Essentially, ever since we moved in and were in a rush to just get everything in, loosely organized, not on fancy racks or shelving systems. We just wanted to be able to get the car in the garage on day one but it was essentially a mess. 

I guess I was moved by the slow and endless summer days. I can only do so many Sudoku puzzles, am I right? Just as I let out a sigh to start yet another puzzle, I closed my laptop, stood up, and walked to the garage, pulled by an unknown force - a force so great as for me to avoid further avoidance.

With an eye on the weather, I've been putting off doing anything in the garage because it's only cooled to 90 degrees. I'll let that sink in: It's cooled to 90 degrees. I've been waiting for a day when the morning temps are less than 90 to vacuum out the car or, for that matter, anything else.

I didn't perform miracles out there but I found a lot of empty boxes and packing materials for "just in case" - in case we need to return something. Or send something. "Just in case" hasn't happened in five years so I think we're safe.

I also have a hamper full of golf balls, a garbage bag full of other garbage bags, swim goggles that no one is going to wear anymore, a couple of empty water bottles that we could fill in an emergency but were now pretty dusty and have probably degraded to an unsafe level (microplastic-wise), two toilet seats, and a bag of wine corks. 

Decisions were made.

I've already delivered packing materials to the local Postal Store to be re-used, a trip to Goodwill has been organized and scheduled, plastic bags will be dropped off at the grocery store for recycling, plastic bottles were squeezed into an already full recycling bin, and a trip to the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store is scheduled. (Anyone need some used golf balls or kid-size swim goggles before they get donated?)

I was dusty and sweaty but I'm not done by a long shot. I don't think I was out there for more than an hour or so. Too hot. But I made a dent and I feel good about that.

It's going to be over 100 degrees all week. Not ideal for cleaning the garage. But, really, it's not ideal for anything.

This could be embarrassing.

It's not entirely my fault. Hubby decided we didn't need such a large recycling bin so he had the garbage people swap out our rather large recycling bin for a smaller one. This has proved to be more challenging than I thought it would be. It also emphasizes how much waste a household can produce when you see it filled to the rim.

One of the problems is all the cardboard that comes with delivery of goods. (I mean Amazon. Let's be real.) With our larger bin, Hubby regularly ignored the mandate to break down boxes and tossed them in fully intact. Of course, we had the room so it was rarely a problem (although I couldn't help myself from pulling them out and breaking them down anyway). 

Leaving them intact isn't remotely possible with the smaller bin. All the boxes must be broken down or the week's recycling simply won't fit. Even the smallest box, when broken down to lay flat, makes a difference. What's more, I flatten all the plastic gallon jugs from our bottled water. That also makes a huge difference. (I really need to finish cleaning the water line in my refrigerator and stop buying plastic-bottled water.)

What's more is our garbage pick-up day is Friday. In the past, when we had too much recycling to fit in our bin, we'd put the overflow cardboard in our neighbor's bin and it would go out with their trash. But they've rented out the house so now we can't do that! Not only that, if we leave for any given weekend our bins remain unemptied until the following Friday.

It's no problem if the garbage bin or the yard waste bin are not emptied weekly. There's very little waste in those bins on a week-to-week basis. But it's a very real problem if the recycling bin isn't emptied so long as the neighbor's house remains rented which is exactly our current situation.

Last weekend we were out of town and our bins didn't get emptied. Luckily, I had a cardboard box that had yet to be flattened from a recent delivery of wine. I pulled out all the cardboard that was in the recycling bin and stacked it neatly in the cardboard box and found I had a lot of room leftover for even more cardboard not to mention more room in the bin. I think I can put the box out on the curb next to the recycling bin on the next pick-up day (tomorrow) and the garbage guys will take it.

However, what was left in the recycling bin after all the cardboard was sorted out was an embarrassing amount of wine bottles. It occurred to me that those wine bottles are going to make a huge racket as they are dumped into the truck outside my house Friday morning! They probably make a lot of noise every Friday but at least there was cardboard in the bin to muffle sound somewhat.

Now I have two weeks worth of wine bottles in a bin with no cardboard. (It's true I drink a lot of wine but I had help, people. I didn't drink all of it!) There are still those flattened gallon-sized plastic jugs in there. Maybe those will help soften the sound.

Or maybe people a mile away will hear it!

Do you think I could park the bin in front of your house tomorrow morning?

Little Nervous

I just signed up for my first water aerobics class at the old folks home senior center 55+ community gym and I'm a little nervous. The last time I signed up for a class it was Pilates and I got my ass kicked by a bunch of 90 year olds old people contemporaries. I was sore for days.

There's no reason for me to be nervous. I'm in relatively good shape (I thought). I'll probably know nearly everyone in the class. I just don't want to look like a doofus.

Which is a dumb because I am a doofus. You should see me dance! Or see any candid photo of me. Or just see me lol.

Oh well. Here I go. (I wonder how long convalescence recuperation recovery will be this time.)

Speaking of co-ops

I've often thought of running one out of my garage. Buying in quantity usually saves money assuming you can store and use everything you buy. Think about bottled water, eggs, paper products. Even meat. How about products that live on the shelf of your pantry, or on those tiny shelves in your refrigerator doors, that you bought because you needed a tablespoon of it for a recipe three years ago?

In a perfect world, I would post what I buy and what I paid for it. Perhaps there would be a website or an email chain where anyone could buy or sell what they have at cost. There is no profit motive here. Just a desire to pass along savings. 

There are some things I would give away. Like the other half of a bunch of cilantro that would otherwise go bad in my fridge because I've already used what I needed. I know it only cost me a dollar but if someone else can use some, we can avoid waste.

I have a similar idea for small tools like a drill or a ladder. I don't need these things all the time but it would be nice to have access to them when I need them. Like a lending library. In a perfect world, this particular library would have a small pickup truck for moving things like the aforementioned ladder, or large purchases that might not fit in a standard car.

Or maybe even a "second car." We don't really need two cars. But every once in a while a second one comes in handy. 

Since I don't live in a commune, most of these ideas wouldn't work. However, I have had the opportunity to share coffee, strawberries, and dates with neighbors just by reaching out and seeing who is interested. So that's something.

Here's another something. I was going through my checkbook and noticed that I had shared some dates with neighbors last year in August which means we can be on the lookout for fresh dates in a couple of weeks.

Who wants some?

Housecleaning Co-op

OK. Clearly, I'm bored.

I've been cleaning my own house lately and by "lately," I mean not even two months. Most of my life (and nearly all of my married life which pretty much covers the same timespan), I've hired someone to clean my home. I've been lucky in that the people I've hired have been extremely good at what they do for the most part. The house gets clean but every once in a while there's some minor damage to a wall, a vase, a barstool, sheetrock. It happens.

Even when I retired a few years ago, I kept my housecleaning service. But after I came home one day to find that a toilet seat had been broken, I decided it might be time for me to clean my own house.

So far, it hasn't been too bad. I mean I thought it would be harder on my aging body but I don't do it all at once so it seems wholly manageable. Plus, it gives me something to do and, in some respects, I actually do a better job than the people I hired. Mostly, it comes down to the details. Small stuff that I wouldn't expect anyone else to do for what I was paying.

I find that I mostly clean while Hubby is away doing whatever it is he does. I have no trouble imagining that I could easily become resentful if all I was doing was cleaning house and all he was doing was sitting in a recliner. But when he's away, I don't mind busying myself with some housecleaning. Plus, I feel good about the results. Results I can see. An accomplishment, if you will. Items crossed off the list.

But, here's what I'm wondering. Would it be more fun - can I use that word in this context? - fun or more sociable if there was a housecleaning co-op? What if a group of people got together to clean one of the co-op member's houses, each person taking a job they either like (or are good at) or otherwise dislike the least? The job would be over in an hour and then in a couple of days, they could clean another member's house and so on. 

But if it's all done in an hour, what will I do for the rest of the day?

Hm... What if wine was served?

Has anyone actually stopped on a dime?

And, why? 

In the continuing quest to slow aging, drink coffee.

 MSN | Coffee found to have startling effect on aging, says new study

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Safe cautioned. 

 Can I volunteer to be a test subject?

Accidentally Finding Something to Do

I need to wipe down all the countertops in my laundry room. I spilled some coffee beans in there and I picked up as many as I could find but the counters have a speckled pattern to them so I'm not sure I can see them all. Plus, they probably need a good dusting anyway.

(Ask me later why there's a coffee grinder in my laundry room.)

PRO TIP: Remember to take the lid off the coffee grinder before attempting to pour coffee beans into grinder.

Follow me for this and other housecleaning tips.

I wasn't wearing my Apple watch during my workout. Does it count?

It wasn't a marathon by any means. Not even a half marathon. It was just some pushups and sit-ups with a few squats, a plank, and stretching. But I did it which is what matters, right?

Please feel free to validate me here as my watch will not do it.

Make a List

To motivate myself, I made a list.

My mom's strategy for making a list is to start with a couple items you've already completed. That way, you get to cross a couple of things off the list right away giving yourself an immediate sense of accomplishment and the confidence to conquer the rest of the list.

I'll put that on my list.

I made a list of things to do that day. What works best for me is to make the list when I have only a limited amount of time to complete all the tasks on the list. That helps me to prioritize, focus on what's truly important, and get motivated. They can be completely mundane things (chores, errands) but that's the beauty of it. It's hard to get motivated to do some of those things except when you can make a game of it:  a challenge, if you will, to cross things off the list and beat the clock. At the end of the day, I feel accomplished despite the list's mundane nature.

Now I have a new list which elevates the game. With a renewed sense of purpose, I made a list of larger tasks such as repainting the baseboards, shampooing the carpets, replacing weather strips, cleaning the refrigerator's water intake line. Here's the beauty of this list: I now do the mundane tasks on the previous list automatically so as to avoid the list of larger projects. By practicing work avoidance, I actually get stuff done. Pretty tricky.

Somehow I've decided that I need to organize some persona documents. This is so time consuming, that all lists are being avoided.

But that's sort of the point, isn't it? I've accidentally given myself something to do.

(It got pretty dicey there for a minute. I actually talked to a recruiter the other day. That was terrifyingly close to actual work.)

It's June 13 and I'm bored already.

Yesterday, I actually said these words: I get to do laundry tomorrow.

That's how desperate I am.

Summer's are long here. Long and hot. If you need to do anything that requires you to go outside, you've got to go first thing in the morning. After that, you're just stuck inside. For example, this Tuesday it will be 100 degrees outside by 10 in the morning. (Today, it was 11 a.m.)

I'm sure I can find things to do around the house but the fact is, I don't. I'll stare at a computer or table screen and my mind turns to mush, my energy is sapped, and I'm not motivated to do anything. Thus, I look forward to days when I have something to do.

Like laundry.

Everywhere else is fine.

 

A Math Problem Even the Kiddos Will Like

(No trains are involved.)

Which is the better deal:

• 12 six-inch Giordano's Deep Dish Pizzas from Costco for $125?
• Three 10-inch Giordano's Deep Dish Pizzas from Costco for $95?

Hubby and I were faced with this dilemma recently. Notwithstanding there's no way 12 six-inch pizzas would fit in my freezer, we were compelled to figure out which was the better buy. Hence, we set out to conquer the question using math. (And you can, too!)

First, we calculated the total area of the pizzas in inches. The small pizzas were 9π square inches each (area = πr² where r=3 or half of the diameter of six inches and π =3.14159). Multiply that by 12 pizzas and that's a total of 108π inches. The large pizzas were 25π square inches each x 3 = 75π  total square inches.

 75π     =235.619 (3 large pizzas)                $95 

108π    =339.292 (12 small pizzas)            $125

The price of the large pizzas is $0.40 per square inch while the price of the small pizzas is $0.37 per square inch.

Another way to look at it is the total area of the large pizzas is 69.4% of the total square inches of the small pizzas but the price of the large pizzas is 76% of the small pizza price. Either way, that would make the small pizzas the better deal.

But, we only eat half of the large pizza. Half of a large pizza is only 12.5π square inches while a single 6-inch pizza is 9π square inches. 

   9π      =28.274          (1 small pizza)

12.5π    =39.27            (1/2 large pizza)

A small pizza is only 72% the size of the amount of pizza we would normally eat. That means, we might need to heat two small pizzas for every half of a large pizza. 12 small pizzas would yield 6 meals at a total of $20.83/meal ($125/6). Three large pizzas would also yield six meals but for a total of $15.83/meal ($95/6). That would make the large pizzas the better deal.

What about the crust to toppings ratio? 

The circumference of the pizza (the crust) is calculated as πd where d=the diameter. As discussed before, the pizzas were 6 and 10 inches in diameter. (Their respective radii were 3 and 5.)

Area (the good stuff in the middle)              πr²          πrr             r   

        Circumference (crust)                          πd   ⁼     π2r     ⁼     2

3/2 is the area to circumference ratio of the small pizza while 5/2 is the area to circumference ratio of the large pizza. There's more middle stuff in the larger pizzas while the smaller pizzas have proportionately more crust. Unless you really like a lot of crust, the larger pizza again looks like the better deal.

Ultimately, Costco sold out of all pizzas before we could come up with a solution.

So, if we take a train to Chicago and it leaves at 4 am traveling east at an average rate of 54 miles per hour and the pizzas are shipped to a western destination, where would we have to disembark to eat the pizza?

Just kidding. The best deal right now on Giordano's pizza is from Giordano's Pizza. 

But, you have to buy 6 10-inch pizzas for $170 which is ....

I did it!

I survived another Tax Season. This, without running out of chocolate which was a very real concern.

When interviewing for this job, I was asked how I manage the stress of getting through a tax season. My answer was, "Coffee and chocolate." It may have sounded glib but I was being serious.

Shortly after I was offered the job, I took an inventory. I had plenty of coffee but there was a very real possibility that I would run out of chocolate. And, during a time when it would be virtually impossible for me to go out and get more. In fact, it would be virtually impossible for me to leave my desk to do anything. The success of this tax season was at risk for a total meltdown.

Without intentional rationing, I reached April 15 with chocolate leftover. In fact, I still have one lonely piece left as a momento. And, in the end, I enjoyed the seasonal gig. It was one of the best tax seasons I've had (outside of the A Team which can never be replaced). I learned a lot of new things and (virtually) met a lot of new people and while parts of it were very stressful, management's leadership made for the softest landing in April that I've ever experienced.

To be honest, I kind of miss it and I would do it again. Assuming I get that chance, I need to take advantage of this time off to re-charge, re-organize my personal life (which, left untended, became a slight mess), and to strengthen my in-person relationships.

And get more chocolate.

Work: Day 1

Wait. I have to do this for five days?

In a row?

10 weeks to go. 

Where did the grass come from for Super LX and other questions.

Q: Where did the grass in Levi's Stadium, site of Super Bowl LX, come from?

A: West Coast Turf in Livingston, CA. 

Q: Where the hell is that?

A: About 10 miles southeast of Turlock. (Does that help?)

Q: When was the grass for Super Bowl LX planted?

A: 18 months ago.

Q: How many square feet of sod was sent to Levi's Stadium from Livingston?

A: 80,000 square feet in 570 rolls with each roll weighing about a ton.

Q: How did it get there?

A: 32 trucks.

Q: How far did it travel?

A: 100 miles.

Q: How long does it take from harvest to delivery, unrolled onto the field?

A: Less than 24 hours.

Q: Where did West Coast Turf originate before expanding to Livingston?

A: Indio, CA.

Q: Who are some of West Coast Turf's other clients?

A: The list is extensive but it's very likely you're familiar with West Coast Turf even though you didn't know it.

Q: How can you read more about grass?

A: I thought you'd never ask!

• SFGate: NFL tears up entire 49ers field ahead of of Super Bowl
• Los Angeles Times: Rain-soaked field gets turf trucked in from Southern California to repair it in time for NFC championship game between Cowboys and 49ers
• West Coast Turf

While Supplies Last

My local Costco still has Assorted Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares for sale which is significant because they are not available all year long. This assortment usually comes out during the Christmas shopping season and consists of Milk Chocolate squares, Milk Chocolate Caramel squares, Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel squares, and Dark Chocolate Mint squares.

The bag says the serving size is two squares. Yippee! And, there are about 24 servings in each container. I wonder why "about." Are there sometimes 23? Or 25? I guess it depends on how many one eats at a time. I only eat one so I guest that means there are about 48 chocolate squares per bag.

There are about 73 days left until April 15, not counting weekends. So I could be working anywhere between 73 and about 85 days in the coming weeks (if you include the weekends).

Meaning, there is no way one bag of chocolate will get me across the finish line.

I better get two.

And, soon. They're on sale for about twenty bucks ($19.99 while supplies last).

Back to Work

For real. I'm going back to work starting next week doing what I did before. Taxes. (Different company.)

I literally applied for this gig voluntarily which is insane. Why would anybody do that?

Why would I do that? I guess, at the heart of it is boredom. I've be out of the work force for three years and I've enjoyed it. Treasured it, actually. While I thought I would write more (I clearly haven't), I did read more and walked more (having completed several half marathons). I picked up knitting and baking and I spent a lot of quality time with my grandkids whom I absolutely adore.

On the other hand, summers can be long and boring here in the southern California desert. When it's 90 degrees outside at 6 am, you just can't go outside for much of anything. That's when I order my groceries online because leaving a car in the sun for even a few minutes drives up the car's interior temperature well above 100. Door handles are too hot to touch. Seatbelt buckles are a hazard. There's not much to do unless you can do it inside where it's air conditioned.

It's not bad for short periods but for months on end, it can get a little tedious. A summer job or a part time job would be great solutions where I'd have something to do and could earn a little money.

But tax preparers are in demand in the Spring. So, what started as a search for something to do turned into a full time job (albeit a seasonal one). Go figure. The job will end just about the time I'll want to find something to do indoors.

I think I'll enjoy the work if I can manage the stress. Knowing there's an end date helps. (The gig is only 10 weeks long.) I've already reached my half marathon goal for 2026 so I can scale that back until next winter. The job is paid hourly and I will be working from home. For those reasons, I'm hoping it will be flexible enough that it won't interfere with my time with my grandkids.

And if it doesn't work out - if it doesn't make me happy - I don't have to do it. That's the beauty of it. Also, gobs of stress does produce some funny material for me to write about so I may end up writing more after all.

Wish me luck.

(I already have a supply of chocolate on hand and plenty of coffee.)

Monday Morning Walk

This is what my walk looked like this morning:

If you are using an Apple Watch to record your workouts (running, walking, biking), you can use your phone to see a map of the route you took.

1. Open the Fitness app on your phone.

2. Scroll down the the section labeled Sessions. Click on the (>) located to the right of "Sessions."

3. Scroll to the workout you want to review.

4. Scroll until you see the map. Click on the word "Map" or the map itself to enlarge the view. From there you can share the map via text or email or you can save the image to your phone so you can post it on your blog! 

5. You can close the map view by clicking on the X in the top right corner. That will bring you back to your session's Workout Details. There is a lot of information you can review there.

Have fun and get outside! 

Obsessed much?

I've been thinking about this. For a long time. 

I think you will have no trouble concluding that, yes, I am obsessed.

When I first rolled through this intersection (below), it occurred to me that the sign that pointed to Quartzsite, Parker, and Yuma had most of the hard-to-find letters in the classic roadtrip game, Alphabet - the one where you look for letters of the alphabet on signs or other vehicles.

The next time we drove through that intersection, I snapped a picture of the Quartrzsite, Parker, Yuma sign. In the background there was another sign, this one for Carl's Jr. Charbroiled Burgers and Drive Thru.  In that one snapshot, I had all but three of the letters to complete the Alphabet game. (I posted a that picture here.) I was missing F, W, and X. 

That got me to thinking: Does a place exist where one can find all 26 letters of the alphabet in one, outdoor location?  

Luckily, we were due to go through that intersection again in a couple weeks. I just knew they all had to be there on that corner. We were in PhoeniX after all, traveling on I-10 West.

Here's a video as we exit the freeway, heading west on I-10:

It's a little fuzzy but on the right side of the intersection is the Quartzite, Parker, Yuma sign I posted before with the Carl's Jr. sign in the background. Then, I swing left, where you can see the sign for I-10 East, I-10 West, and AZ 95 North.

That gave me the W.

If you look closely at the video, you will note the truck that turns in front of us is hauling for HeartLand Express.

That gave me the X.

Then, right at the end of the video, I zoom in. In the background are a couple of billboards. The yellow one on the right is for some king of car protection. At the bottom in a read area it reads, "RV and Off Road" giving me the F.

There you go. All 26 letters.

But I still wasn't satisfied because if the truck hadn't rolled through I would still be one letter short.

So I took another video. (If we haven't already arrived at "obsessed," I think I can say we have arrived now.)

In this video, we are approaching the intersection from the north and the first sign you see points the way to Phoenix and Los Angeles. There you go! I have the X!

From there, you will see the I-10 West sign, the Quartzite, Parker, Yuma and Carl's Jr. signs, finally followed by the Off Road sign.

Ta dah! All 26 letters! 

But not from one vantage point. The search continues.