Continuing with the frozen drain pipe issue from the previous post, the next day Betty called a plumber who told her he would not be able to get there until the following day. Reluctantly, she made the appointment knowing it would cost in the range of $200 to $300. We settled ourselves with this fact and settled in for a non-productive day.
Of course, our non-productive days involve reading, playing games and oft times deep, thoughtful conversations. I guess I should say our non-productive days mean we are not doing housework rather, we are exercising our minds which is productive.
As time passed during our non-productive day Betty suddenly looked at me and said, "Did you hear that?" Which is really a pointless question since I am deaf but rather than point out the obvious I said, "Hear what?"
"It gurgled."
"What gurgled?"
"The sink, it gurgled."
As any dutiful husband would, I rose to inspect the sink. I ran a little water and low and behold, the blockage had broken free which reinforced my theory that it was an ice blockage. To make sure it was free Betty put on the teapot and boiled water to pour down the drain. After quite a bit of water was dumped she called the plumber back and cancelled the appointment. Money saved. Anytime money is saved, I am a happy husband.
Today is Betty's birthday. She has taken it very well as it is one of the milestone birthdays in one's life. No, I am not going to publish how old she is, I am a gentleman and this just isn't done. Besides, I want to sleep in my bed tonight, not on the couch.
To celebrate this milestone I took her to her favorite restaurant, Genghis Khan which serves a fantastic all you can eat Mongolian Barbecue. As usual we stuffed ourselves. We will now be miserable, although happy, for the next few hours.
Happy Birthday Betty and thank you gurgle.
We are now 180 days away from the beginning of our Pairs adventure. :)
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
The Crazy Time
For more years than I can remember, December has always been the crazy time of the year. In addition to Christmas, my wife's birthday is in December; I also have to pay the end of year property taxes. Of course, throughout the month we have our senses bombarded by ads attempting to compel us to buy the gifts that will make our loved ones, well, love us.
Freezing cold weather, seriously it hasn't been above freezing in a week. Snow, which melts then refreezes becoming ice, daily trips to the wood pile to split more firewood. And finally, today I find the drain pipe for the kitchen sink is frozen, not the water supply lines (although they have frozen in the past) rather, the drain line is frozen. Usually I can repair the little things that go wrong with owning a home however, this time I need to call a plumber.
Yes, it is the crazy time.
But, I do have my wife to keep me grounded, keep me sane. For that, I will be forever grateful.
I hope you take the time this holiday season to appreciate the person that keeps you grounded. As Betty always writes in our Christmas cards, "May you receive some of what you want and all of what you need."
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Joyeux Noël et Heureuse Nouvelle Année
Freezing cold weather, seriously it hasn't been above freezing in a week. Snow, which melts then refreezes becoming ice, daily trips to the wood pile to split more firewood. And finally, today I find the drain pipe for the kitchen sink is frozen, not the water supply lines (although they have frozen in the past) rather, the drain line is frozen. Usually I can repair the little things that go wrong with owning a home however, this time I need to call a plumber.
Yes, it is the crazy time.
But, I do have my wife to keep me grounded, keep me sane. For that, I will be forever grateful.
I hope you take the time this holiday season to appreciate the person that keeps you grounded. As Betty always writes in our Christmas cards, "May you receive some of what you want and all of what you need."
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Joyeux Noël et Heureuse Nouvelle Année
Friday, December 7, 2012
Where to go from here?
Since starting this little journal a few months ago Betty and I have accomplished acquiring our passports, buying our plane tickets, renting an apartment in Paris, having frank and candid discussions about what we want to see and do while we're in Paris, learning about the assorted scams and research, research, research.
So, I feel like I'm prepared for our anniversary celebration in Paris, the only problem now is where to go from here.
Admittedly, when I started this blog/journal thing, I thought I would be sharing tips and advice for the first time traveler and I'm sure a first time traveler that stumbles across this blog/journal thing will find a few tips and a smidgen of advice. I've learned it really isn't that difficult to plan a visit to another country; with the magic of the internet it also isn't difficult to research your destination and and plan activities. You can even purchase transportation tickets, museum passes or opera tickets online and have them mailed to your home before you leave. The research can, and does, become addicting. And now I find I must curb this new addiction.
I have realized not everyone wants to hear about my upcoming trip. They are not concerned with learning about Parisians and the cultural differences between us. The possibility also exists that I will begin taking away the excitement of discovering Paris firsthand.
There are many, many topics concerning Paris I could write about, the different arrondissements and the unique and quirky neighborhoods within each one. The flea markets, antique shops and bountiful shopping opportunities. The varied museums, many of which focus on a particular artist, style or time period. I'm sure foodies would enjoy reading about the different restos, bistros, cafés and who could forget the sweets shops.
It's one thing to write about all of this and an entirely different thing to experience it firsthand. I plan on doing both however, how can I possibly discuss the merits of mussels at Léon de Bruxelles or the relaxing walk through the grounds of the Rodin Museum while admiring his sculptures. So, as you can see, I am left with the question, where do I go from here?
The answer? I'm going to change my focus a tad. When I started this journal/blog thing I had no idea what I was doing, I still don't. So, I'm going to take the time to learn more about blogging, how to read the stats. Currently I know I have one follower (thank you Deborah H. from Australia), I also have 312 page views but, how many of these views are people versus web crawlers?
I need to learn this stuff. One thing I have learned is I follow a lot of other blogs, mainly ones that are focused on Paris, and it is difficult to keep up with them all, I'm sure others are experiencing the same. To help organize and track when there are new posts I discovered Bloglovin a site designed to keep you informed when your favorite blogs post something new.
I have also discovered gadgets, one of which is a countdown clock I have placed on my blog to countdown the days until we leave for Paris. So, off I go to do more research and hopefully make this blog/journal thing a little better. The page layout may change, I have considered doing a series of posts on where I live, treating my home town and the surrounding area as traveler might, as a practice/warm-up for when we are in Paris. One thing that will not change is the focus of this blog and that is our upcoming 30th anniversary celebration in Paris, France.
See you next time.
Bloglovin
So, I feel like I'm prepared for our anniversary celebration in Paris, the only problem now is where to go from here.
Admittedly, when I started this blog/journal thing, I thought I would be sharing tips and advice for the first time traveler and I'm sure a first time traveler that stumbles across this blog/journal thing will find a few tips and a smidgen of advice. I've learned it really isn't that difficult to plan a visit to another country; with the magic of the internet it also isn't difficult to research your destination and and plan activities. You can even purchase transportation tickets, museum passes or opera tickets online and have them mailed to your home before you leave. The research can, and does, become addicting. And now I find I must curb this new addiction.
I have realized not everyone wants to hear about my upcoming trip. They are not concerned with learning about Parisians and the cultural differences between us. The possibility also exists that I will begin taking away the excitement of discovering Paris firsthand.
There are many, many topics concerning Paris I could write about, the different arrondissements and the unique and quirky neighborhoods within each one. The flea markets, antique shops and bountiful shopping opportunities. The varied museums, many of which focus on a particular artist, style or time period. I'm sure foodies would enjoy reading about the different restos, bistros, cafés and who could forget the sweets shops.
It's one thing to write about all of this and an entirely different thing to experience it firsthand. I plan on doing both however, how can I possibly discuss the merits of mussels at Léon de Bruxelles or the relaxing walk through the grounds of the Rodin Museum while admiring his sculptures. So, as you can see, I am left with the question, where do I go from here?
The answer? I'm going to change my focus a tad. When I started this journal/blog thing I had no idea what I was doing, I still don't. So, I'm going to take the time to learn more about blogging, how to read the stats. Currently I know I have one follower (thank you Deborah H. from Australia), I also have 312 page views but, how many of these views are people versus web crawlers?
I need to learn this stuff. One thing I have learned is I follow a lot of other blogs, mainly ones that are focused on Paris, and it is difficult to keep up with them all, I'm sure others are experiencing the same. To help organize and track when there are new posts I discovered Bloglovin a site designed to keep you informed when your favorite blogs post something new.
I have also discovered gadgets, one of which is a countdown clock I have placed on my blog to countdown the days until we leave for Paris. So, off I go to do more research and hopefully make this blog/journal thing a little better. The page layout may change, I have considered doing a series of posts on where I live, treating my home town and the surrounding area as traveler might, as a practice/warm-up for when we are in Paris. One thing that will not change is the focus of this blog and that is our upcoming 30th anniversary celebration in Paris, France.
See you next time.
Bloglovin
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