Straight Up Working

Not much going on yesterday in terms of deep thought. It was a more just get shit done kind of day. Drove around the morning shipping out some orders, shipping out stuff we sold on eBay, checking on my parents house, and picking up some stuff at the hardware store before my 20% coupon expired. Even while driving I relied on the pop radio rather than my typical NPR or podcast which usually invokes thought. 

I spent the afternoon taking down the studs between our kitchen and dining room. It’s awesome to see it all open. Putting in the beam between the kitchen and living room will be the greatest change, but I have to wait for a hand from my father before that. 

Jessica got home. We grabbed some burrito bowls from Moe’s Southwest and rented the accountant from a Redbox to watch.  The movie was good. That’s about all. Wish I had more thoughts to provoke but some times the mind needs to rest too. 

Work on Fleek

My morning begin in a suit and ended in a celebration.

I had organized a cross-brand presentation to a prominent urban school for a full partnership program.  They were pumped.  They were ready to sign.  Not only were they ready to sign, but they were ready to help us turn it into a full district partnership.

It’s a nice feeling when your the one who got the ball rolling.  Not that I did anything special or had any special skills, I was just lucky.  My cold call was met by a cold meeting with the right person.  I said the right things and it snow balled from there.  Not only was I winning business for myself but for our other 3 business units.

For me, I just like to win. What this will actually mean for my pocket is yet to be determined, but the fact that there was a process that was followed and the school saw the value in what we offer it is a great feeling.  Especially if we can make the difference in the lives of even a handful of students it will pay in dividends.

The weather was great again and I was riding high, so I text Jessica and asked her if she wanted to have a picnic.  We met at the picnic tables outside her work for a late lunch.  I picked up some salads and iced teas.  I brought Mollie, the yorkie, to visit her mama too.  I thought, I should do this more often.  It was a nice break and I have to think she equally enjoyed it.  Sometimes it’s the smallest of things that can mean the most. I think I’ll probably do that a few more times.

Spring Has Sprung…. hopefully

It’s seems as if yesterday finally started spring weather, but here in New England one can never be sure. 

I started the morning with a little laundry and a little more demo in the kitchen but the nice weather outside was calling to me. So after removing one cabinet from next the stove I headed out. 

I had three tasks in mind. First to dig up some perennials that were taking over one of our planting beds and were awkwardly placed. I have no idea what type of plant it even is but I was sick of them. So I re-organized the bed and hopefully as it all matures later in the season everything will be spaced nicely. 

Second was to separate an expanding hydrangea and plant it on its own to fill a gap in the bed nearest our deck. This makes me a little nervous. I hope it takes and I don’t kill the plant. I probably should have done a little research but the weather had me motivated to work. 

Last I have a brushy area that just wildly grows with weeds, saplings, forsythia, and rabbit briar. I cut all the saplings down with a hand saw and started digging out roots. I don’t really have a plan of the area once cleared but seeing it grow wild every year drives me crazy. I have lots of idealistic designs for the area like a chicken coop, a bundle of blueberry bushes, or maybe a water feature. In reality I’ll probably plant grass and call it a day. 

At this point it was getting wicked hot and needed a break. It was about noon and I was thirsty as hell. For some reason I was craving an ice cold iced tea. Something about a pregnant wife having cravings for random things is highly contagious. So I took a quick shower and got ready to head out with Jessica for some errands. A trip to Baby’s R Us to plan what we might need on a registry and a trip to Agway for a reusable dumpster bag for the kitchen demo were on the list of stops. But before that, a pit stop at Dunkin for the largest unsweetened iced tea they had. I polished it off in minutes. 

Riding with the windows down is the greatest feeling after a long, cold winter. Our errands got completed, had a little lunch at Ruby Tuesday, and did our grocery shopping done.  There is something calming about completing the mundane tasks in life. They take little deep thought and I get to just enjoy everyday life with Jessica. Great weather, great company and a great ride. Sunday done right.