I had to wait two weeks for the insulation company to schedule my job, but finally today was the big day. I was nervous – all the other house repairs hinge on this one. I kind of knew something would go wrong. A young guy from the crew checked in with me a couple times, first … read more Uphill and alligators
Tag: 2014
Scrap heaps
I waded into a quagmire today – and spent six hours in it. It’s been five weeks since the plumbing went to hell, and the pile of wet carpet and water-damaged stuff on the lower deck is starting to stink. Gypsum dust coats everything in the basement and a lot of the main floor, from the drywall cutting for the … read more Scrap heaps
List oppression
Some days, when the to-do list is long, I end up feeling that I’ve accomplished nothing. I didn’t finish that research project. I didn’t write that column for the local newspaper. I didn’t respond to three of my friends. I didn’t catch up on my blog posts. I didn’t mail those packages to my sisters. … read more List oppression
My clutter, my self
I had written “toilet paper” on my list a couple days ago. Today I was clearing some shelves in the basement, and discovered a package of 20 rolls. Must have put it there in some misguided attempt to reduce clutter under the sink in the main floor bathroom, where we usually keep the toilet paper. Clutter … read more My clutter, my self
One of those days
More than once, during the 18 phone calls I had today, my brain gave out. It just stopped working. I continued to take notes and make verbal responses, but my brain wasn’t making sense of the sentences that were being spoken. I had to write the words down verbatim and hope that my notes will be … read more One of those days
Self-Publishing School: A review
It only took a couple days before I got that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that said: ‘You’ve been had.’ Self-Publishing School was not what I’d hoped. After less than three weeks, I asked for a refund. I did get the refund, so I wasn’t fleeced. I did get started on two … read more Self-Publishing School: A review
Money money money
The real reason that I have been delving into Census data was not to torture y’all with quizzes, but to help student journalists learn how to report on income inequality. If you want to know more about the practical steps, check out the post on the NewsNumbers.us site. A small percentage of people at the … read more Money money money
America’s houses
If you took yesterday’s Census quiz, maybe you’d like to know the answers. They’re at the bottom of this post. If you didn’t, it’s not to late to go back now and take it before you see the answers: Census quiz on American society Don’t feel bad if this quiz was a struggle for you. … read more America’s houses
Fun with the census
Do you live alone? Well, you’re not alone. About 28 percent of Americans live alone. That was just one of the interesting facts I learned while playing around with census numbers this week. I had so much fun, in fact, that I made a little quiz. Here it is – take it! Be sure to … read more Fun with the census
Presentation skills
It was a poor presentation, and I didn’t even realize it until Tom reached for a chip. I’d spent 40 minutes to make a very small bowl of pate out of the giblets from the whole chicken I was roasting for dinner tonight. Then, rather than present it on one of the many lovely serving dishes we have, … read more Presentation skills