I’ve had a busy day today. I’ve had a steady week at work which is a nice and welcome surprise and I also ran an errand earlier this morning that took about an hour. Errands always make the day go by quicker. So, I just now have had the opportunity to sit down and write a little bit.
I thought I would update you all on the new mattress and the new mower because I’m sure you’ve been sitting around wondering how those two recent purchases have been working out for me. I’m here to tell you, they have been serving me well.
The mattress arrived last Saturday. I had taken the old (26 year old) mattress and box spring off the bed so I could clean under the bed before the new paring arrived. So, when the delivery guys showed up, they didn’t have to take the old one off, they just had to put the new one on. They did haul the old one off to wherever it is mattresses go to die. I’m telling myself it’s someplace that’s environmentally friendly, but who really knows for sure.
The new set is A LOT taller than the old one. I have to put a little pep in my step to even get on the bed. I also moved my ottoman into the bedroom so The Tide can use it as a step. She actually can jump up there by herself, but it’s a bit of a struggle. It takes some extra oomph to get that booty of hers on the bed. So, the ottoman works well. During the day, I move it away from the bed and so far it has worked in keeping her off the bed. I hope it continues to work because she loves to scratch holes in the sheets and if she stays off the bed during the day then I may be able to keep a set of sheets for more than a couple of weeks. The mattress sleeps really well. I hardly move at all during the night and my back isn’t hurting in the morning anymore, which is awesome.
As for the mower, it is also working out really well. I used it for the first time this past Tuesday afternoon/evening. The grass had not been mowed in about a week and a half and so I had my work cut out for me. The bagger on the mower worked beautifully and the mower started up quickly which was a welcome blessing as I hate pulling and pulling and pulling to get a mower to start. It handles really well and the wheels actually work like they are intended to work which is a lot more than I can say for the old mower.
Needless to say, I am thrilled with both of these purchases. Well worth the money spent/to be spent (I financed the mattress) and I look forward to many years of use out of the both of them.
I guess that’s about it for today. Not really all that interesting, but I didn’t want to leave you heading into the weekend without a post. I’m going to the lake with Jackie and the kids and her family tomorrow and I’m so excited! It’s been about four years since we’ve had a chance to get together at her aunt and uncle’s lake house and we always have a grand time when we go. I’m sure I’ll be sore from riding on water rafts being pulled by the boat, but it will be well worth the pain. Hope you all have a great weekend! See you on Monday!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The Scoop On The Floor
Since I don’t have much more to write about today, I guess I can begin telling you my saga with the floor in my back bedroom and the battle with the insurance company. I don’t guess it was really that much of a battle considering I really didn’t have a fighting chance, but it makes for a good story anyway I suppose. So, here it goes.
Back earlier in the year, I noticed the floor in the guest bedroom of my house was soft in some spots. I didn’t think too much about it at first because my house is, after all, around 70 years old. The soft spot got worse, however, and so I called in the experts, otherwise known as my dad and his cronies. Well, first my dad came and agreed that something was definitely wrong and then he called the cronies who said the softening was happening because the sub floor was rotting due to moisture from the ground in the crawl space.
So, I decided to wait until I got back from France to deal with the floor, primarily because I didn’t know how much money I would need while overseas and I didn’t want to worry about not having enough money with me while I was away. Obviously, I’m back from France and the floor has gotten considerably worse. In fact, after I got back, a wet spot was discovered in the floor. The spot is directly behind where my washing machine is on the other side of the wall. So, it looks like I have had a leak all this time although a few months ago I was told there was no leak.
So, I called the insurance company who didn’t want to do anything at first and when I told them the leak was just recently discovered they decided to send an adjuster out. Of course, I had to call the insurance company multiple days in a row because I couldn’t get anyone to call me back, which made me less than happy. My mother also called because she loves a good fight and so after multiple calls from me and one from my mother, they finally set up an appointment for the adjuster to come out.
That appointment was yesterday and my dad was kind enough to meet the man at the house while I was at work. It took all of about 15 minutes for the adjuster to deny the claim because the insurance doesn’t cover rotting floors even if you didn’t know there was a leak.
So, here we are with unfortunately no insurance coverage which is a big bummer. I will have to cover all the expense out of pocket. Fortunately, I received a very generous estimate from a man who attends church with my parents and I will be using his services. Unfortunately, it’s going to take almost every penny left in my savings account. Fortunately, I am blessed with a good job and will be able to replenish that savings account in due time.
Lucky for you, this mini-renovation should make for some interesting experiences resulting in some interesting posts. I hope to get the majority of the stuff out of the room over the next few days; wish me luck! In the meantime, stay tuned for updates on this little adventure.
Back earlier in the year, I noticed the floor in the guest bedroom of my house was soft in some spots. I didn’t think too much about it at first because my house is, after all, around 70 years old. The soft spot got worse, however, and so I called in the experts, otherwise known as my dad and his cronies. Well, first my dad came and agreed that something was definitely wrong and then he called the cronies who said the softening was happening because the sub floor was rotting due to moisture from the ground in the crawl space.
So, I decided to wait until I got back from France to deal with the floor, primarily because I didn’t know how much money I would need while overseas and I didn’t want to worry about not having enough money with me while I was away. Obviously, I’m back from France and the floor has gotten considerably worse. In fact, after I got back, a wet spot was discovered in the floor. The spot is directly behind where my washing machine is on the other side of the wall. So, it looks like I have had a leak all this time although a few months ago I was told there was no leak.
So, I called the insurance company who didn’t want to do anything at first and when I told them the leak was just recently discovered they decided to send an adjuster out. Of course, I had to call the insurance company multiple days in a row because I couldn’t get anyone to call me back, which made me less than happy. My mother also called because she loves a good fight and so after multiple calls from me and one from my mother, they finally set up an appointment for the adjuster to come out.
That appointment was yesterday and my dad was kind enough to meet the man at the house while I was at work. It took all of about 15 minutes for the adjuster to deny the claim because the insurance doesn’t cover rotting floors even if you didn’t know there was a leak.
So, here we are with unfortunately no insurance coverage which is a big bummer. I will have to cover all the expense out of pocket. Fortunately, I received a very generous estimate from a man who attends church with my parents and I will be using his services. Unfortunately, it’s going to take almost every penny left in my savings account. Fortunately, I am blessed with a good job and will be able to replenish that savings account in due time.
Lucky for you, this mini-renovation should make for some interesting experiences resulting in some interesting posts. I hope to get the majority of the stuff out of the room over the next few days; wish me luck! In the meantime, stay tuned for updates on this little adventure.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wednesday Movie Review: The Time Traveler’s Wife
This past week, we DirecTV customers had a few days of free Cinemax, which meant that I recorded a few movies to watch that I missed when they were in the theaters. One of those movies was The Time Traveler’s Wife. Many of you may have already seen this movie, but if not, then maybe you will rent it/download it/whatever it is you kids do these days.
I read this book in anticipation of the movie coming out but didn’t review it here on The Chronicles of Nat. In fact, I may have read it before I started the blog. The book is really an extraordinary novel – it amazes me that the author was able to come up with such a unique story and tell the story from so many different perspectives and time periods. You really have to pay attention when reading the book to know what year it is and which Henry is in the scene. I found the book to be beautifully written and at the end I cried like a baby – it was one of those ugly cries where I had to let my tears dry up for a while before I could continue reading. In my opinion, this was one of the best books I have ever read and I actually wouldn’t mind going back and reading it again, but then there are so many other books out there to read. I remember that while reading this book, I would dream about it each night and that’s always a tell-tale sign that I’m in love with what I’m reading – it consumes my thought.
For whatever reason (probably because I was dating Tony and he would have had no interest in seeing this movie) I never went to see the movie in the theater, even though I remember really wanting to see it. Then, with the demise of the video store, I never had an opportunity to rent the film either; so, when I saw it would be playing on Cinemax during the free preview days, I recorded it.
This past Monday night, I had an opportunity to watch it and I really thought it was well done. As mentioned in the past, it’s hard to get every detail of a book on film and there were many small details and even larger details that were left out of this film; but on the whole, I would have to say this film captured the message and meaning behind the book. I don’t know if it was because I loved the book so much or because I had read the book I knew what was about to happen in the scenes or if I was just overly emotional when I watched this move, but I have to tell you, I cried like a baby through the majority of the film and it brought back so many of the thoughts and feelings I had while reading the book. It made me want to pick it up and get lost in it once more.
I felt as though the love between Clare and Henry was very accurately portrayed on the screen and my heart ached every time Clare’s did. For a book as in depth and as long as this one, the movie played out pretty well, I would say. Just as I did when I read the book, I dreamt about it after watching the movie. Apparently there is something about this story that really touches my heart. If you’re looking for something to watch this weekend, see if you can find The Time Traveler’s Wife. Then come back and let me know what you thought, especially those of you who read the book.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Tuesday Movie Review: The Help
This past Saturday, Erika, Jackie and I, along with two women from church (Ms. Claudette and Ms. Mary Ann) went to see The Help. I reviewed the book here on The Chronicles of Nat back in November of last year. I had borrowed the book from Ms. Claudette and absolutely loved it. It was one of the best books I have read in a long while and I was really looking forward to the movie coming out.
Jackie read the book about a month or so ago and then Erika bought the book last week and read it in all of two days. It’s that good, people. If you haven’t read it yet, please do. It is such a great read!
We went to the matinee and I got a large popcorn. While Jackie ate a little of it, I’m not embarrassed to admit that I did the majority of the popcorn eating. It was exceptionally good for some reason. We settled in to our seats in a theater that was full of mostly women. There may have been a man or two sprinkled in here and there.
The movie was really great, ya’ll. I would recommend this movie as much as I would recommend the book, but please do read the book beforehand if you can. After all, as you probably know, I’m a firm believer in book reading before movie seeing.
This film followed the book quite closely as best I can remember. Erika, who had most recently read the book, agreed that it was close to the book. There were a few things that were left out, but nothing that took away from the story. The book is obviously more detailed, but, as I’ve said before, if the movie makers got every detail of the books correct we’d be sitting in a theater for hours on end. So, I would say they hit the nail on the head when it came to turning this wonderful book into a big screen attraction.
The acting in the movie was quite remarkable as well. Bryce Dallas Howard did a remarkable job as the evil Hilly Hollbrook, Emma Stone was delightful as Skeeter, and Octavia Spencer stole scene after scene as the sass-mouthed Minnie. The movie’s best performance, however, may have been by Viola Davis as Aibileen. Jackie said she should be nominated for an Oscar for her performance and I would have to say I agree. All of these women as well as the rest of the cast did a fantastic job of portraying their characters and on more than one occasion had the audience in tears.
Don’t think this movie is just for women, though. An older man I attend church with said he also saw it last week and he loved it. So, load up your husbands and boyfriends and get down to the theater to see this very powerful, heartwarming and moving film. It’s definitely one worth spending your $10 on.
Monday, August 15, 2011
PGA Tournament - Day Two
Well, I’m sitting here at home on a Sunday night watching the conclusion of the PGA Championship and writing up a post for Monday, which will be today by the time you are reading this. Let me tell you, it’s a lot more comfortable watching at home, but I do miss being there amongst all the excitement because when I cheer at home it just doesn’t seem to have the same effect.
So, Friday was another scorcher in Atlanta. At one point I told my dad that I felt like a Thanksgiving turkey baking in the sun. We left the hotel a few minutes after 9:00 and headed to the parking lot to catch the shuttle to the golf course. Once we arrived at the golf course, we picked up course radios so we could follow along with what was going on throughout the various holes on the course. After much debate and walking back and forth, my dad decided we would watch the par three, hole four and so that’s where we went.
There were grand stands on the green at hole four with a perfect view of the tee box as well. It was one of the best spots we had during the two days. When we first arrived, there was a wee bit of shade in the area and I was extremely grateful for that as I had already soaked through my clothes by the time we reached the stands. Unfortunately the shade vanished after about an hour but the viewing was still great. We brought out sunscreen with us and applied it throughout the day which worked to our benefit I believe because neither one of us got burnt. There didn’t seem to be a cloud in the sky for hours but eventually a few popped up and hid the sun from us for a few minutes on occasion – it was a welcome relief.
We watched Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods and many of the other more popular players play the hole and it was really a lot of fun. I’m a big Phil fan myself and was really thrilled to see him play. At one point I got up for a bathroom break and to get us our second waters of the day. While I was at the port-o-potty location a player and his caddy stopped by for a natural break (as they would call it in cycling). For some reason this really cracked me up because a player and his caddy are about the last people I would expect to bump into at the toilets. After this run in, I walked over to another location to get the waters which was actually beside the permanent toilets that are for player use only and while there I another player came over and asked me if those were the players’ bathrooms. I told him yes and in he went. So, apparently hanging out at the toilets around hole number four is the place to be.
Once all the leaders came through hole four, we moved on to another location – the concession stand up towards the entrance. We each had a hot dog and sat in the shade while we ate. We then decided to go to the grand stands on 17, but once we got there we realized that those stands were for “special people” – in other words people that paid more than we did to be there so we moseyed back on over to 18 to sit in the stands there. Before we sat in the sweltering sun again, I found a shady spot on an unused tee box and we sat there for a while, actually we even laid there for a while.
We eventually went over to the grand stands on 18 and sat under a misting fan. The sun was at our backs and it really was quite comfortable compared to sitting directly under the blazing sunbeams. We watched the same groups come through that we had watched at four. We were thrilled that Tiger didn’t make the cut for the rest of the weekend as neither of us are big fans of his. After Tiger’s group, however, we decided to head on back to the car and head home. We were both pretty tired and didn’t want to be too late getting back home.
We found a Panera in Dalton, Georgia and ate dinner there on the way home. It was so much better than having to eat something from McDonald’s or Wendy’s. I was in charge of finding a spot for dinner and I was really hoping for something like Panera or Jason’s Deli and thankfully I held out long enough until I found one.
We got to my parents’ house about 10:30 and I got home 20 minutes or so after that, took a shower and went straight to bed. It was a really fun two days and I’m glad I got to spend it with my dad.
So, Friday was another scorcher in Atlanta. At one point I told my dad that I felt like a Thanksgiving turkey baking in the sun. We left the hotel a few minutes after 9:00 and headed to the parking lot to catch the shuttle to the golf course. Once we arrived at the golf course, we picked up course radios so we could follow along with what was going on throughout the various holes on the course. After much debate and walking back and forth, my dad decided we would watch the par three, hole four and so that’s where we went.
There were grand stands on the green at hole four with a perfect view of the tee box as well. It was one of the best spots we had during the two days. When we first arrived, there was a wee bit of shade in the area and I was extremely grateful for that as I had already soaked through my clothes by the time we reached the stands. Unfortunately the shade vanished after about an hour but the viewing was still great. We brought out sunscreen with us and applied it throughout the day which worked to our benefit I believe because neither one of us got burnt. There didn’t seem to be a cloud in the sky for hours but eventually a few popped up and hid the sun from us for a few minutes on occasion – it was a welcome relief.
We watched Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods and many of the other more popular players play the hole and it was really a lot of fun. I’m a big Phil fan myself and was really thrilled to see him play. At one point I got up for a bathroom break and to get us our second waters of the day. While I was at the port-o-potty location a player and his caddy stopped by for a natural break (as they would call it in cycling). For some reason this really cracked me up because a player and his caddy are about the last people I would expect to bump into at the toilets. After this run in, I walked over to another location to get the waters which was actually beside the permanent toilets that are for player use only and while there I another player came over and asked me if those were the players’ bathrooms. I told him yes and in he went. So, apparently hanging out at the toilets around hole number four is the place to be.
Once all the leaders came through hole four, we moved on to another location – the concession stand up towards the entrance. We each had a hot dog and sat in the shade while we ate. We then decided to go to the grand stands on 17, but once we got there we realized that those stands were for “special people” – in other words people that paid more than we did to be there so we moseyed back on over to 18 to sit in the stands there. Before we sat in the sweltering sun again, I found a shady spot on an unused tee box and we sat there for a while, actually we even laid there for a while.
We eventually went over to the grand stands on 18 and sat under a misting fan. The sun was at our backs and it really was quite comfortable compared to sitting directly under the blazing sunbeams. We watched the same groups come through that we had watched at four. We were thrilled that Tiger didn’t make the cut for the rest of the weekend as neither of us are big fans of his. After Tiger’s group, however, we decided to head on back to the car and head home. We were both pretty tired and didn’t want to be too late getting back home.
We found a Panera in Dalton, Georgia and ate dinner there on the way home. It was so much better than having to eat something from McDonald’s or Wendy’s. I was in charge of finding a spot for dinner and I was really hoping for something like Panera or Jason’s Deli and thankfully I held out long enough until I found one.
We got to my parents’ house about 10:30 and I got home 20 minutes or so after that, took a shower and went straight to bed. It was a really fun two days and I’m glad I got to spend it with my dad.
Friday, August 12, 2011
It Was Hotter Than Blazes
Well, my dad and I had quite an adventurous day today. We left his house a little after 5:00 this morning and headed to Atlanta for the first round of the PGA Championship. After an hour or so, we stopped off at Hardees to grab some breakfast to go and were soon on our way again.
Once we were in Georgia, we were driving along when all of a sudden there were blue lights in the rear view mirror. My dad thought it was because he was speeding, but it turns out that was not the case. For those of you who are familiar with my dad’s driving, you will not find it surprising that he was in fact pulled over for driving in the middle of the road. Thankfully, he got off without a ticket and promised to pay more attention to the road.
Once we reached the parking lot, we started putting our things in the trunk and getting together what we needed to take inside. I heard the car beeping and asked my dad why it was beeping. He said it was because the door was open. I thought that was a little strange, but didn’t question it. We walked on over to the shuttle and soon arrived at the golf course.
When we were inside, we looked through the store, then we eventually made our way over to the green at 18 and sat there for a while and watched a few groups putt. Then we ate some lunch and headed over to the backside of the course to hole five. We watched quite a few groups come through there. At this particular spot, we were in the blazing sun and it was so stinkin’ hot. There was a nice girl there that shared some of her sunscreen with me. I had applied some twice before I went in but didn’t take mine with me because it is a large spray bottle and I didn’t want to tote it around. I must have looked pretty bad because my dad asked me more than once if I was okay and also when we got our lunch someone asked me if I was okay and again when I went to get some waters. Ya’ll, I may be a Southern girl, but I do not do well in the Southern heat.
After a few hours or so at hole five, we meandered on over to hole nine and stayed there for a few hours. This was a nice spot as we were in the bleachers and there were fans close by. There had also been fans with mist at original spot at 18. The fans were great – good thinking PGA! While we were at hole nine, my dad thought out loud that he may not have turned the car lights off – thus the beeping I had asked him about. He figured that when we got back to the car, the battery would be dead.
We left hole nine around 6:30 or so and headed out to the shuttle and when we reached the car, sure enough, the battery was dead and we had to get a jump from one of the parking lot attendants. We left the parking lot and headed out to eat some dinner at Red Lobster, which was really good and the service was way better than the one in Huntsville.
We finally made it to the hotel about 9:30 and I am now typing this up and chatting with my insurance company about how terrible their customer service is. Again, that’s a story for another day. So, tomorrow we head out for round two of the tournament. It’s going to be another scorcher. Hopefully the sunscreen will hold up. In the meantime here are some photos I took on my phone, photos are not allowed during championship rounds so don’t tell on me!
Once we were in Georgia, we were driving along when all of a sudden there were blue lights in the rear view mirror. My dad thought it was because he was speeding, but it turns out that was not the case. For those of you who are familiar with my dad’s driving, you will not find it surprising that he was in fact pulled over for driving in the middle of the road. Thankfully, he got off without a ticket and promised to pay more attention to the road.
Once we reached the parking lot, we started putting our things in the trunk and getting together what we needed to take inside. I heard the car beeping and asked my dad why it was beeping. He said it was because the door was open. I thought that was a little strange, but didn’t question it. We walked on over to the shuttle and soon arrived at the golf course.
When we were inside, we looked through the store, then we eventually made our way over to the green at 18 and sat there for a while and watched a few groups putt. Then we ate some lunch and headed over to the backside of the course to hole five. We watched quite a few groups come through there. At this particular spot, we were in the blazing sun and it was so stinkin’ hot. There was a nice girl there that shared some of her sunscreen with me. I had applied some twice before I went in but didn’t take mine with me because it is a large spray bottle and I didn’t want to tote it around. I must have looked pretty bad because my dad asked me more than once if I was okay and also when we got our lunch someone asked me if I was okay and again when I went to get some waters. Ya’ll, I may be a Southern girl, but I do not do well in the Southern heat.
After a few hours or so at hole five, we meandered on over to hole nine and stayed there for a few hours. This was a nice spot as we were in the bleachers and there were fans close by. There had also been fans with mist at original spot at 18. The fans were great – good thinking PGA! While we were at hole nine, my dad thought out loud that he may not have turned the car lights off – thus the beeping I had asked him about. He figured that when we got back to the car, the battery would be dead.
We left hole nine around 6:30 or so and headed out to the shuttle and when we reached the car, sure enough, the battery was dead and we had to get a jump from one of the parking lot attendants. We left the parking lot and headed out to eat some dinner at Red Lobster, which was really good and the service was way better than the one in Huntsville.
We finally made it to the hotel about 9:30 and I am now typing this up and chatting with my insurance company about how terrible their customer service is. Again, that’s a story for another day. So, tomorrow we head out for round two of the tournament. It’s going to be another scorcher. Hopefully the sunscreen will hold up. In the meantime here are some photos I took on my phone, photos are not allowed during championship rounds so don’t tell on me!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Did You Already Take The Picture?
After reading the post about all the photos my dad mistakenly took while we were in France, Jackie left a comment that I should post all the photos where I look confused. If you are confused, then let me help clear things up.
The week my dad was with me, he was obviously the one taking my photo and it would often take him more than a minute or two to get the camera focused the way he wanted it, etc. Once he finally got the camera focused, he would take the picture without a 1-2-3 or a ready or anything and so most of the time I’m looking at the camera wondering when or if the photo has been taken. Let’s take a look:
The week my dad was with me, he was obviously the one taking my photo and it would often take him more than a minute or two to get the camera focused the way he wanted it, etc. Once he finally got the camera focused, he would take the picture without a 1-2-3 or a ready or anything and so most of the time I’m looking at the camera wondering when or if the photo has been taken. Let’s take a look:
Standing in a bomb crater in Normandy
At Versailles - this is one of the better ones.
Not really confused, just in a daze - on the subway
Trying to tame my wind blown hair
At the London Eye
As you can see, I look a little confused in almost all of these. Going through these photos with Jackie gave us quite a laugh.
My dad and I are in Atlanta today for the PGA Championship. Unfortunately there is no picture taking but I might try to sneak one in on my phone. Shhh, don't tell anyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
