Last Day of August

We got another good week of what qualifies as Cool Weather down here.  I was able to get some stuff done in the garages, which always makes me happy.  I hung the bike racks and put some other racks.  I'm glad I talked myself out of moving the lumber racks because that would have been a PITA.

There's still about 10% that could/should go away but I will take it for now.  One morning I need to just take everything on the floor out to the driveway and put it back in whatever order makes sense.  I want to epoxy the floor but for now, that's a pipe dream.  

Nightingale started her job at the VA this week.  Because she has to be there so early, she gets up and gets ready and packs moose and squirrel's lunch for school.  Now that orientation is over, she literally leaves just as we get up.  We have also moved the wakeup time from 7:30 to 7 am...ish.   Boris has no trouble getting up early, but Natasha hates mornings.  Our cat Ryder does his best to mitigate this by gently purring next to her.

The kiddos have been great.  Very helpful and cooperative in eating breakfast (as in telling me what the F they would like to eat), getting dressed, brushing teeth, and out the door just before 8 am all this week.   

This was also the week that my in-laws decided to visit Michigan, so we were flying without a parachute.  We had to watch their purse dogs, who are old and have health issues.  When they stay here, we have to move our cats' food dishes to the top of the washing machine.  They also need to go outside to do their business every 3-4 hours which makes it tough to sleep through the night.  

A Perfect Month

I managed to get 10K steps every day for August, something I don't know if I have achieved ever before.  The two weeks Nightingale was between jobs and the kids were at school were the easiest; I'd hit 10K before noon most days because we were purging and organizing.  I even hit the 20K one day and could have hit it more if I really wanted to.  Back in my running days, I would have hit the top steps that the app tracks, and maybe when the weather gets even cooler, I will attempt a short run to see what I got.

But there were also days where I was trying to get the last 2K just before bedtime as well, just not as many as most months.  Now are these quality steps?  No.  But every little bit helps.  

Now that I have achieved the Perfect Month, I'm gonna try and relax on the steps.  But I do have to find a way to lose some weight.  

My LinkedIn Diet

 Last Wednesday I decided to take advantage of the option in the settings of my LinkedIn account and "take a break" from LinkedIn.  What this does is log one out of LinkedIn and make your profile invisible to searches.

and it was necessary.  LinkedIn is one of the 6 or 7 places I browse constantly, looking for new content.  Not to mention hope for a new job.  but unfortunately, the possibility of a new job is gone while I live in Miss.  And honestly, my No-Name Software Skillset isn't getting any sharper.  I'm not likely to re-enter that sphere ever again.  

I only plan for this LinkedIn diet to last until after Labor Day.  It's a slow time of year anyway and I doubt I'm missing anything besides the cagey recruiter who wants to see my cards before telling me anything useful.

About that weather

 Remember how I said 

"It won't get cool enough to work on the garden for at least another month but we need to get that done too.  Right now we have bags of mulch and dirt sitting on the driveway."

As it turns out, The Weather gods gifted us two wonderful, relatively cool (70s to low 80s) days this week.  We were able to finish the garden and clear up that driveway space.  I am also able to start my project of organizing the detached garage.

Last year, I installed some racks to store the lumber more neatly.  I was thinking of moving those to the other side of the window and putting bike racks in their place.  Upon dwelling on it for a few weeks, I think it might be better to leave them alone and just put the bike racks closer to the garage door.  Less work and it makes the back of the garage more of a work area.  

So far we have organized the linen closet, and a back bathroom closet, and culled a lot of kids' clothes.  Next up is purging the toys they no longer play with.  That will likely take the rest of this week.  Then we tackle the pantry and the office.  We have a few sit-down and research projects too like getting cheaper car insurance.

The End of An Era

|Two quick factoids to mention.  First, the kids went back to school last Thursday and this is the end of their first full week.  They are Third Graders now.

Second, I have lived here for two years.  We loaded U-haul #1 on July 31st and came down here with the kids.  I think we brought the cats on the second trip.  Nightingale was able to join us on October 1st.

Now for the really big news

In May of 2022, Nightingale took a contract remote job with Big Pharma.  The work was glorified data entry but she hoped it would lead to an opportunity to come on board FTE.  The timing was good because my contract gig was about to end.  While I did get another gig, it was short and I haven't found anything since.

Today is Nightingale's last day.  She gets two weeks off and then starts her new gig at a Veterans Administration Hospital.  The pay is substantially better but will require her to go into the office.

Since moving down here we have not been unemployed at the same time.  We had planned to spend October of 2021 exploring Memphis but then I got a contract job.  

We have big plans for the two weeks off. We hope to purge, purge, purge.  We also hope to organize, organize, organize.  I know her goals are ambitious and it will be my job to help keep them in check and avoid scope creep.  It will be better to have a few finished items than to have more unfinished ones before she goes back to work.

If there is any time left, we will start the framework on some home upgrades.  I'm thinking of tackling what we call the kids'/guest bathroom.  I believe I can sand, prime, and paint the vanity a better color than the 80s dark faux wood.

Part of that is predicated on it getting cooler so I can organize the detached garage and then use it as a workshop to paint the doors.  And eventually, maybe do real furniture flipping.

It won't get cool enough to work on the garden for at least another month but we need to get that done too.  Right now we have bags of mulch and dirt sitting on the driveway.

I'm also thinking of epoxying the detached garage, assuming I get it organized enough that moving things out of it is easier.