Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Day 2


1.  Clean up the kitchen.  And the rest of the house.  Remember when there was that big switch, where you weren’t supposed to fold and roll your outdoor gear, but rather, it was better to stuff it into the tiny bag?  Try to get that going with clothes.  

2.  Figure out what the dream that I had last night means: 
I was helping put together land management plans for dog owners.  I’ve owned dogs at times in my life, and I love dogs, but lets be clear, I’m not particularly knowldgable, so this was that dream, the one where you’re supposed to know something and you don’t.
Anyway, I was explaining the tax benefits of creating a plan (yeah, I know), and one man said, “I’m not doing it.  My dog is so good, so smart and faithful, and I already get too many benefits just having him in my world. I am absolutely not taking advantage of him just to get a tax benefit.”  He got a little choked up, and then so did I because obviously, this person was purely decent, and I felt humbled.  I felt as if I had told a movie buff that the reason they should see A Clockwork Orange is because the popcorn is really good.
But my job was to help people make these plans, and the tax benefit was the only tool in my kit, so even though I was crying, I pretended I wasn’t.   I muscled ahead, giving my spiel about The Program through my tears.  It was awkward, and then some people started arguing, “That is NOT a stream.  Our dog can go in there whenever he wants.”  Then I woke up, as people always say at the end of some weird rambling bit. 
3.  Wait for the dishwasher guy.   Again.

UPDATE:  So the dishwasher guy came, and his first question was, “how much soap do you use?”  I know this is the big deal about dishwashers, USE LESS SOAP.  And I’m hip to that, so I told the truth.  “About a teaspoon or less.”

“Hmm,” he said. “What kind of soap is it?” As he said this, he opened the door under the sink, the traditional place where dish soap is kept, obviously wanting to check for himself.  It was fine with me -- I have nothing to hide -- but I also felt like we should trust each other more.  

He located the unlabeled mason jar where I store soap that was purchased maybe 5 years ago. When you use a teaspoon every few days when the machine is working, and then there are several months a year when it doesn’t work, it lasts a long time.  I was glad that he saw the actual teaspoon in there that I use to convey the soap into the dispenser.  

“That soap has already been activated.  Won’t work.”  

I had no idea that dry dishsoap was the kind of thing that, once "activated," and by that he probably means got soggy from the leaking faucet and then dried out again, couldn’t be used.  I guess that's why he's wearing the blue button down shirt and I'm not.  But in my defense, I'm of the mindset that if you’re using less than a teaspoon of something in 7 gallons of water, it’s almost homeopathic.  I use it to be polite, but I don’t think that it matters either way.

Anyway, to wrap this up, the dish washer doesn’t work, I paid him $273, for which he promises to come back with the part and repair it "sometime this month".  (I like to think I was modeling the trust that we should have in our relationship, and next time he asks about soap, he will just take me at my word.)  My favorite part of the whole thing is when he borrowed my phone, and began his call, “Hi Mom.  Can you order a part for me?”   

5.  Make CD’s for the people I love (with music purchased, not stolen, in case you were concerned).  Oh, wait, I have no CD’s.  Buy CD’s.

6.  All that stuff from yesterday's list that didn't get crossed off.

7.  Develop some useful apocalypse skills.




7 comments:

  1. Well apropos of nothing, the second picture on my blog post was taken just east of NE 100th St and W Snoqualmie Rd NE. If you google maps on Sikes Lake Wa, and look diagonally up and to the left, you'll see where NE 100th follows the bend of the river, the giant trench is being dug there. They're pumping water to keep it out of the trench, so we're supposing the job is to better control water in the winter. What is the correct protocol for replying to a question in a comment? Do I reply on my blog and hope you check back, or leave it on your blog, causing confusion for your other readers?

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    1. I like to think you're just adding mystery for the readers...:-) Thanks, I'll go check that out. Curious.

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  2. Wait, now, are you going back to yesterday and DOING stuff from that list? What a concept ... maybe that's why I never get my lists finished.

    I'm with you, I loved the part about the repairman calling his mom to order the part :)

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    1. I just said I'd consider doing stuff from yesterday. I haven't done it, but at least on paper, I haven't given up.... (yet.)

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  3. "I'm of the mindset that if you’re using less than a teaspoon of something in 7 gallons of water, it’s almost homeopathic. I use it to be polite, but I don’t think that it matters either way." It scares me how likely it is that I could have written these exact words.

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  4. love "I use it to be polite". Not sure why, but I am fighting with a poster printer just now and am not feeling very polite towards it at the moment. expletive deleted piece of expletive. at least I know how to spell that now....

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