Progress report...

Progress report...  Yesterday, we finished cleaning out the stuff we'd stored at our friend's barn.  We celebrated that accomplishment with a fine dinner at Descanso Junction Restaurant, with Jimmy and Michelle.  Very nice indeed!  I also met the new owners of our house yesterday, and went over some “technical” stuff with them.  They're an ambitious young couple with big plans for renovation and expansion.  We've demanded pictures :)

Today we start on the house, tossing out junk, deciding what we're going to take, and perhaps even some packing...

Terminally cute...

Terminally cute...

Music and science...

Music and science...  No photoshopping or special effects here – this is all real...

Just ran across this commencement address...

Just ran across this commencement address...  It's by Tim Minchin, an Australian musician and comedian whom I'd never heard of before.  It's quite good advice, cleverly and amusingly presented.  It's well worth 10 minutes or so of your time...

Progress report...

Progress report...  Well, at least it wasn't hot yesterday :)  A sort of standing joke between Debbie and I is that we always move in the hottest, most miserable part of the year.  Not this time!  We're more likely to suffer frostbite this time than we are to sweat.  Even here in Jamul it's quite cool – 48°F as I write.

Yesterday was the first day of the “not so much fun” part of our move.  We're going through long-stored stuff, some of it dating back to the '70s.  Much of it has been stored in our long-forbearing friend's barn for the past 15 years, and the local rodent population has built the equivalent of Mexico City amongst it.  So, as you might imagine, a significant fraction of that long-stored trove is going straight into a dumpster.  A significant fraction will be given away, and a remarkably small amount (I'm guessing about 20 cubic feet) will go with us to Utah.  Makes us feel pretty stupid about storing all that stuff, but then again, I don't know how we could ever have predicted where our life would take us.

We got about halfway through our stuff at our friend's barn yesterday, which is faster than I expected that effort to go.  We'll be finished up there either late today or tomorrow sometime, and then we start on our house.  There's less stuff for us to worry about at the house, as much of what's there that we're not taking with us has already been given away, promised to someone, or the new owners are going to take it.  So I think we're actually going to be ready to start packing up the moving truck we're renting by Wednesday or Thursday this week, well ahead of my notional schedule...

Progress report...

Progress report...  We had a nice, relaxed day yesterday, accomplishing exactly nothing.  We watched a movie at home, then drove up to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park to watch wildlife, and finished it all off with a delicious dinner at Descanso Junction restaurant.

Early yesterday afternoon I did something that was a lot of fun: I drove Dionecia B. – our friend, house-sitter, and longtime house cleaner – down to Rancho Jamul Auto Care to pick up the RV we've given her.  It's been there for months getting a myriad of little problems fixed.  At the same time, I signed over ownership to her.  Her radiant visage when she picked up the pink slip was something I'll not soon forget.  I drove behind her as she drove the RV back to her home, to make sure she made it ok – she did just fine.

Today I begin the “moving out” process: going through everything we own, deciding whether we're going to keep it, toss it away (I have a big dumpster positioned to take the junk), give it away to friends, or set it curbside for anyone who might want it to take.  It's amazing how much crap one accumulates after 15 years of living in one place!

Thanksgiving dinner...

Thanksgiving dinner ... was a wonderful thing!  Jim and Michelle had us, Michelle's sister and her husband, and a family friend join them for dinner.  They cooked a mostly traditional meal: brined roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, dinner rolls, green beans, sweet potatoes with cinnamon and nuts, cranberry sauce with pomegranate, and pumpkin or cherry pie for dessert.  We took some leftovers home with us, and we'll enjoy them a little later today.  The food was all great, and there was plenty of it.  The wine flowed freely as well :).  There was much good cheer, friendly conversation, and story telling.  A most pleasant evening, with a group of most pleasant companions...

One of the many things I am thankful for this year...

One of the many things I am thankful for this year ... is Megan McArdle.  Her posts entertain and inform me on an almost daily basis.  Here's the conclusion of her post from yesterday:

There is only one way to do Thanksgiving "wrong," and that is to fail to be grateful for the people you are eating it with, and the many other good people of this great nation who are sitting down at other tables. The rest is a sideshow. And don't be afraid to have another helping of that sideshow, with extra gravy on top.

You betcha I'm going for that extra gravy, Megan.  

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Woke up with my wife and my dogs (and one of our cats :) this morning.  It's already a great Thanksgiving Day for me!  This afternoon, we have dinner with our good friends – even better.

Here's hoping that your Thanksgiving Day is as wonderful as mine...

I'm safely back in Jamul...

I'm safely back in Jamul...  My wife remembered me, as did the dogs.  The cats?  Not so much :)

I'm a little tired for some reason...

All the whipped creamz are mine!

All the whipped creamz are mine!

I have no desire to travel to the South Pole...

I have no desire to travel to the South Pole ... on a tractor or otherwise.  My mom will no doubt be happy to hear that.  But this Dutch woman does want to go to the South Pole, on a tractor.  She is my kind of slightly loony!

Blogging alert!

Blogging alert!  Blogging will be light-to-nonexistent for the next few days.  I'm about to climb into my truck for the drive from Paradise, Utah to Jamul, California.  That will take 14 to 15 hours, assuming I don't run into any traffic disasters, at which point I get to see my lovely bride and my dogs.  Some of the cats might even tolerate my presence :)

Scale model of the U.S. government...

Scale model of the U.S. government...  Watch the whole thing; there are lots of interesting details.  Love the audio effects!

The wisdom of doctors...

The wisdom of doctors...  Via my lovely bride:

So I asked my Doctor, "Doctor, what are we going to do about this dangerous virus from Africa?"

He said, "I don't know, he has two more years in office.

No Obama fan, she :)

Oh, the stupid...

Oh, the stupid ... it burns!

Oh, happy days!

Oh, happy days!  We got enough done today that I can safely go back to Jamul on Wednesday.  I've got a bit of slightly less essential tractor work I'm going to do tomorrow – but no matter what happens tomorrow, I'll be hitting the road for California bright and early Wednesday morning.  I get to see my wife and our animals on Thanksgiving, have Thanksgiving dinner with friends, and then pack our household to actually move up here for real.  Yippee!!!

I took the photo at right this morning, from a field near Wellsville.  I had an appointment with our health insurance agent, whose home office is just a couple hundred yards from where I stood to snap this.  We had beautiful weather today, as you can see...

Rocket Man...

Rocket Man ... bluegrass style!

Kill Bill...

Kill Bill...  An opening skit from Saturday Night Live skewers Obama's executive order Constitutional runaround.  The “Do Not Mock Obama” rules on mainstream media seem to be relaxing a bit.  Via friend, reader, and former colleague Tim B., who watches a bit more TV than I do :)

97% of climate scientists think mankind is causing global warming?

97% of climate scientists think mankind is causing global warming?  Uh, not so much!  50% is closer to the mark.  Doesn't so sound much like “settled science”, does it?  Reader, friend, and former colleague Simon M. passes along this study.  The broadly-quoted 97% meme has been soundly debunked on several previous occasions, too, but it never hurts to pound a few more nails into its coffin...