Year: 2007

56,000 Specks of Pine Pollen

We were going to eat our usual bagel at the Atlanta Bread Company, then it changed to Waffle House, but because we had some time to spare before our trip to the Columbia Airport we opted to dine at the local IHOP. Pigs in a Blanket for me and Eggs Benedict for her. I had OJ and Donna stuck with water.

Meal Cost: $15.44
Tip: $2.56
Spent Today: $18.00
Year to Date: $710.83

We weren’t flying anywhere from Columbia, but we were escorting a women who was. She works for ASCO in Florham Park, NJ and is contemplating making the same move Donna and I made 18 years ago, i.e. transferring down to the Aiken plant. She has been been here since Thursday interviewing and looking at houses. The job here, I think, is pretty much hers for the asking, all she has to decide is if she wants to make the leap.

After dropping Joan off at rental return lot at CAE we heading around to the other side of the airport to take a photo of the Columbia AMF (Air Mail Facility.) We of course had a line up of other Post Offices in the vacinity to take photos of as well, ten total, truth be told. Two others in West Columbia, the one in Cayce, three in downtown Columbia and the three we didn’t get in Lexington the other week.

Normal temps this time of year is lower seventies, but today broke an all time record as we hit the 90 mark. It was already almost 80 by the time we started picture taking and the pine pollen was so thick it looked like a yellow fog. As we drove, we could look at the other cars around us and see pollen rooster tails behind them!

Yellow Haze<— Incredible Simulation of the atmospheric conditions around midday in the SC midlands.

Plan B became forget the Columbia and Cayce POs and get the 2 West Columbia ones and because Lexington was on the way home, we’d get those three as well. This worked out nicely because when the day started there were 94 POs in the gallery and this would make a nice even 100. Plan B hit a major snag when the 900 block of North Lake Drive in Lexington held nothing other than a Shell gas station and a Hardee’s. Crap, looks like we would finish the day one shy of the century mark.

In the beginning of this quest I was skeptical of taking pictures of the Postal Service’s Contract Postal Units (AKA CPUs), figuring they wouldn’t have any signage marking them as Post Offices, but so far, of the 4 we passed, all had a big sign out front and had posed to have their portraits taken. Plan C was born. Aiken has a CPU, maybe, just maybe, that would be 100. Sure enough, after covering most of the western side of the state on Post Office safaris, photo number one hundred was taken just a little over a mile from number one.

On the way to the airport this morning, somewhere close to Couchton, the Emperor passed by the 56,000 mile mark.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 95

Nimrod Lane

Nimrod LaneWe went for a nice long walk in Hitchcock Woods this morning and boy was it crowded. We saw 4 people on horses and three people walking their dogs. One of our favorite pastimes while walking is to make up elaborate histories of people who have trails named after them. Mrs. Knox, Mr. Fletcher, Willie Barton, etc. This “lane” is named for the great Civil War General Beauregard Nimrod who died in 1864 while either defending Aiken from the vile northern aggressors or from friendly fire after berating the beloved company mess sergeant because he felt his grits were undercooked.

From Ask Yahoo:

The American Heritage Dictionary offers two distinct definitions of a nimrod — either a hunter, or a person regarded as silly or foolish. The dictionary goes on to explain that the second meaning probably originated with the cartoon character Bugs Bunny. The wily Bugs used the term in its original sense to refer to dithering hunter Elmer Fudd, whom he called a “poor little Nimrod.” Over time, however, the “hunter” meaning got dropped, and the “dithering” connotation stuck.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 94

Finally Friday

Enchanted Ceiling AgainIn what I’m sure is a futile effort, I California Dusted off the Miata and cleaned the tables and chairs on screened porch of pine pollen. We hope to have breakfast out there tomorrow, we’ll just have to see how much of the pollen returns. Because the ASCO parking lot is surrounded by pine trees we usually have a good indication when the pollen is done, because all the currently yellowy branch ends become plain tan, and at today’s morning walk there was still plenty of yellow.

Finished up the GD&T training this morning , handed in my test and didn’t even wait for it to graded. Who cares, not like it matters, I’m not getting college credit for it. I probably will get a certificate for my cube wall though.

We had the afternoon off and I spent it trying to use the Gallery software to use for the post office picture. I installed it and a couple hours later uninstalled it. I did monkey with the look a little, but there is so much crap displayed that I didn’t want, I tired of trying to root out in the files were they were so I could disable them.

As predicted yesterday, I fell from the top spot of the office pool. I correctly picked only half of last night’s winners and fell into a 5-way tie for third. Go Florida, Wisconsin, North Carolina & Georgetown.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 92

Too Early

This is our early to work week, so we can get tomorrow afternoon off. The down side to these hours, besides having to get up an hour early, is we are up an hour early. This morning Donna didn’t want her usual breakfast, she wanted some Biscuit and Gravy from Hardee’s, but Hardee’s isn’t open until 6 o’clock and by that time we should be on our way to work not ordering breakfast at a “fast food” place.

To make up for not eating out for breakfast we ate out for dinner. Maria’s Mexican Restaurant again, but this time we didn’t bother with the tacos, we just split an order of Carrnitas. I had iced tead and she had water.

Meal Cost: $11.88
Tip: $2.12
Spent Today: $14.00
Year to Date: $692.83

Tonight and tomorrow will separate the men from the boys in the office Tourney Pool. Right now I’m leading the pack to win bragging rights, but the Sweet Sixteen is right about where I start to drop from the top levels to the mid-pack where I usually am.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 92

Cholesterol Skirmish Setback

Went to see Mr. Doctor today to go over my latest lipid profile. Ooops, looks like I did a little back sliding in the last 6 months. My total number was up by 30 points and the bad stuff was up by 20. Not only that, my triglycerides were up a chunk as well. (latest numbers on top)

  Chol HDL LDL Trig
Goal <200 >31 <100 30-150
03/05/07 195 39 123 167
09/19/06 167 37 103 135
04/06/06 168 37 106 126
12/08/05 182 35 120 137
07/28/05 177 30 113 169
06/17/05 164 31 85 238
05/06/05 174 27 108 194
01/10/05 176 33 110 167
09/21/04 209 24 131 271


There are a few reasons for this: 1) I was a real slug this winter, once the weather turned cold I stopped roller blading altogether. B) Even though my appointment was today the blood was drawn in mid Girl Scout Cookie binging. iii) My weight is up by about 5 pounds since September [see 1 & B for explanation.] Doc wants me to double up on the Red Yeast Rice and come back in 4 months.

Of course 2 heaping plates full at the Chinese Buffet at lunch is probably not helping matters either. Lunch buffet with water to drink for both of us.

Meal Cost: $11.98
Tip: $1.02
Spent Today: $13.00
Year to Date: $678.83

It is officially spring. Not just because the vernal equinox has passed and not because the Bradford Pear trees blooms are turning to leaves and the dogwoods are flowering, but because we rode to work with the top down at 6 o’clock in the morning and didn’t feel cold. Oh yeah, another sign that it is spring is the pine pollen whipping around the company parking lot doing it’s middle east dessert sandstorm impression.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 92

Just Cancel It

Turns out I may be able to avoid bouncing a “check” to the IRS after all. The other day I told my tale of woe to one of our accountant s who does taxes on the side and she recommended that just mail in a payment using Form 1040-V. This way when the payment gets there they will credit my account, so that when the attempt at an electronic transfer fails the money would already be there. I might just avoid the penalty that way. I figure, what the heck it is worth a shot.

While hunting around on the IRS website looking for the forms I stumbled on a page about Pay Taxes by Electronic Funds Withdrawal and there near the bottom is a procedure for canceling a payment in cases sort of like mine:

Taxpayers can call the Treasury Financial Agent, Customer Service, at 1-888-353-4537, toll-free, to cancel a payment or to report problems such as bank closures, lost or stolen bank account numbers, closed bank accounts or unauthorized transactions. Customer Service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Dude, the solution is just a phone call away. I’d better get on it so I can mail Uncle Sam a real check…

Started down, went up, went down, up again, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 92

Non-Feature of Size Post

Feature Control FrameI am stuck all week for full mornings in a class on GD&T which they swear is an intermediate level course, yet uses the same book and covers the same ground as the one I went through in 2004. It’s only use might be as a refresher course, but we don’t really use GD&T to its real potential. And if we did we wouldn’t need a refresher course. Usually I would say that lousy time spent training is better than a good time working, but this is the exception to the rule.

I have started to rename the photos in the Post Office Gallery so that the newest ones will display first. This might take a while to complete, maybe if we take a weekend off from taking pictures of them I can get it ready for the next batch of new ones. I really need a different gallery software that will allow viewing of files by different tags: zip code or town name or date taken… I know you can do that on Flickr (and I may post them there too), but I like the idea of having total control of how they are presented. I’m taking suggestions.

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 88