Tidbits of the last week
Mar. 24th, 2009 11:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fenchurchI have a library card!! I'm rather embarrassed to admit that I haven't had one in over ten years (since we moved into this house), which just boggles my mind because I used to practically LIVE in libraries. Part of the reason it went so long is that we really do have a lot of books already (seriously, we have our own library here in the house -- in fact, I think we may have more fiction than our local branch has on the shelves) and another part was that I'd gotten so horrible about returning books on time, I didn't want to deal with late fines anymore. However, our local library system is well into the 21st century and, as I mentioned, our local branch has a relatively small number of books on the shelves... and a large section set up for requested books, CDs, DVDs and the like. Even better, there are ebooks and audiobooks available for download -- something I'm much more likely to use. I'm rather excited about this... and stepping into the local library branch felt a bit like running into an old friend.
I have to admit, I really really want a Space Invaders Piggy Bank. It looks just like the old tabletop game! And it actually works!! So cute!!!
We got FiOS!!! We've wanted to switch over for ages, but since we run our own servers here out of the house, we had to have all the hardware ready for the switchover, and then we needed to work out exactly what sort of service we were going to get. In the end, we got a business FiOS connection and kept our residential phone line on the old copper. I'm not unhappy about this, because it means we'll have phone service even if the power is out for more than a few hours.
But oh.... the speed! 20Mbps, baby! It's so, so sweet. I can so clearly remember spending quite a bit of money (even with my SysOp discount) to get a 9600 baud modem... and how screamingly fast that seemed compared to my old 2400. I used to sit and watch file transfers, just to see the bitrate... so the speeds we can get nowadays just blow my mind.
Still no FiOS television, but word is it might become available here within the next few weeks. We're already on the waiting list. I'm going to miss DishNetwork, but we can get a much better deal on HD channels through Verizon -- even though it does mean losing our east coast feeds of some of the superstations (if BtVS was still on the air, there's no way we'd be changing).
Last week, we started getting organic produce deliveries from Mother Nature's Organics. We'd originally signed up to get deliveries every other week, doubting that we'd eat all that food before the next delivery... but after the first batch, I emailed them and changed to weekly. I've done a bit of a checking and the price about breaks even with what I'd pay in the store (possibly a bit better, since I wasn't able to find organic versions of everything in the grocery store), they try to provide local produce whenever possible and they include a number of recipes using the items they're delivering. The other nice thing is that it's getting us to try some new vegetables and fruit... I mean, I'd had blood oranges in things before, but I'd never just eaten one. Now I'm a bit of an addict! Very yummy! And I ended up tossing the kale into several things this last week, which added some fun texture and, I'm sure, extra nutrition. I'm rather excited about this service. If anyone on my flist in the Seattle area decides to give a try, let me know... I've got some coupons for $5 off your first order.
Tonight was the Pinewood Derby at Cub Scouts... and wow, what a difference a track can make! This year they decided to splurge and go with the guy with the newer track... it was a thing of beauty (in fact, he's got a slideshow of the track in action out on his website)! Metal and fully computerized... it kept very accurate track of finishing times and calculated what the speed of the cars would be if they were "full-sized." We ended up finishing the racing within half an hour, leaving the last half hour for awards... unlike with the old wooden track where we were often still racing over an hour after we started. I can't wait for the Raingutter Regata in May, though... I've still got the dragon-themed boat I made way back when I was a Webelos den leader and I can't wait to give it a try again.
Today I actually started adding strength training to my exercise routine. I know! I know! I should have done it ages ago... but the equipment was a bit intimidating (even with the instruction I'd gotten from a trainer). I really liked how I felt after I was done, so I'm guessing I was doing it right... I keep wondering how I can take my workout to the next level without simply adding more time and I think this will definitely help. Also thinking I may have to try swimming sometime soon (which means I need to buy a new suit since my old one simply falls off now when I try to wear it). I think my shoulders are healed up enough they can deal with it.
Despite the fact that it's been pouring rain today and clearing out our insanely high levels of cedar pollen, I was on the verge of an asthma attack this evening. Not quite bad enough that I felt I had to use my rescue inhaler, but getting to a point where I was ready to do it anyway, just to make it easier to breathe. Instead, I bought a Mountain Dew on the way home from Cub Scouts... and it's worked like a charm. I'm likely to be awake for the next few hours, but I can breathe (and I didn't have to use my inhaler, which would have had me jittery and awake for most of the night, and very likely throwing up (in other words, not fun)).
And in the realm of the weird, the whole kerfuffle about the change in Facebook's interface actually made it onto our local news tonight. Huh.
I have to admit, I really really want a Space Invaders Piggy Bank. It looks just like the old tabletop game! And it actually works!! So cute!!!
We got FiOS!!! We've wanted to switch over for ages, but since we run our own servers here out of the house, we had to have all the hardware ready for the switchover, and then we needed to work out exactly what sort of service we were going to get. In the end, we got a business FiOS connection and kept our residential phone line on the old copper. I'm not unhappy about this, because it means we'll have phone service even if the power is out for more than a few hours.
But oh.... the speed! 20Mbps, baby! It's so, so sweet. I can so clearly remember spending quite a bit of money (even with my SysOp discount) to get a 9600 baud modem... and how screamingly fast that seemed compared to my old 2400. I used to sit and watch file transfers, just to see the bitrate... so the speeds we can get nowadays just blow my mind.
Still no FiOS television, but word is it might become available here within the next few weeks. We're already on the waiting list. I'm going to miss DishNetwork, but we can get a much better deal on HD channels through Verizon -- even though it does mean losing our east coast feeds of some of the superstations (if BtVS was still on the air, there's no way we'd be changing).
Last week, we started getting organic produce deliveries from Mother Nature's Organics. We'd originally signed up to get deliveries every other week, doubting that we'd eat all that food before the next delivery... but after the first batch, I emailed them and changed to weekly. I've done a bit of a checking and the price about breaks even with what I'd pay in the store (possibly a bit better, since I wasn't able to find organic versions of everything in the grocery store), they try to provide local produce whenever possible and they include a number of recipes using the items they're delivering. The other nice thing is that it's getting us to try some new vegetables and fruit... I mean, I'd had blood oranges in things before, but I'd never just eaten one. Now I'm a bit of an addict! Very yummy! And I ended up tossing the kale into several things this last week, which added some fun texture and, I'm sure, extra nutrition. I'm rather excited about this service. If anyone on my flist in the Seattle area decides to give a try, let me know... I've got some coupons for $5 off your first order.
Tonight was the Pinewood Derby at Cub Scouts... and wow, what a difference a track can make! This year they decided to splurge and go with the guy with the newer track... it was a thing of beauty (in fact, he's got a slideshow of the track in action out on his website)! Metal and fully computerized... it kept very accurate track of finishing times and calculated what the speed of the cars would be if they were "full-sized." We ended up finishing the racing within half an hour, leaving the last half hour for awards... unlike with the old wooden track where we were often still racing over an hour after we started. I can't wait for the Raingutter Regata in May, though... I've still got the dragon-themed boat I made way back when I was a Webelos den leader and I can't wait to give it a try again.
Today I actually started adding strength training to my exercise routine. I know! I know! I should have done it ages ago... but the equipment was a bit intimidating (even with the instruction I'd gotten from a trainer). I really liked how I felt after I was done, so I'm guessing I was doing it right... I keep wondering how I can take my workout to the next level without simply adding more time and I think this will definitely help. Also thinking I may have to try swimming sometime soon (which means I need to buy a new suit since my old one simply falls off now when I try to wear it). I think my shoulders are healed up enough they can deal with it.
Despite the fact that it's been pouring rain today and clearing out our insanely high levels of cedar pollen, I was on the verge of an asthma attack this evening. Not quite bad enough that I felt I had to use my rescue inhaler, but getting to a point where I was ready to do it anyway, just to make it easier to breathe. Instead, I bought a Mountain Dew on the way home from Cub Scouts... and it's worked like a charm. I'm likely to be awake for the next few hours, but I can breathe (and I didn't have to use my inhaler, which would have had me jittery and awake for most of the night, and very likely throwing up (in other words, not fun)).
And in the realm of the weird, the whole kerfuffle about the change in Facebook's interface actually made it onto our local news tonight. Huh.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-25 12:50 pm (UTC)