August 2017 – Turning51

The eclipse

John has better photos of the eclipse that I will post when he gets them to me. But meanwhile, here are mine.

Here we are getting ready for it to start.

Darren wore his “Keep out of direct sunlight” shirt for the occasion LOL

Ugh that beard, I know, I hate it! But he’s fully employed (meaning, no longer interviewing) so he can wear it however he wants now!

You can see behind John that we did have some smoke in the area from wildfires throughout Idaho.

It’s starting!

It’s getting darker and the temperature is rapidly dropping…

Wow! It actually got dark!

OMG!

Stars even came out! I didn’t believe it when John told me they would.

Look, it’s beautiful.

When naming a business…

There are lots of these gas stations in northern Colorado. The owners must have been high when choosing their business name. Apparently anything goes (or kums?) in Colorado.

Police at midnight

I haven’t been told to “move along” by a cop since I was a teenager necking in a car parked at a roller skating rink in Oregon. (Roller skating? Yeah, it was a long time ago. I am THAT old.)

How did this come about? We have a new camper van! It’s an amazing camper van full of modern conveniences. But it does seem to put us in a certain fringe category that we don’t usually fall into. And it didn’t help that we were in Salt Lake County. But let me start at the beginning of the story.

A full day’s drive northwest from Placitas toward Idaho puts one at about Salt Lake City. So I identified a campground in the mountains east of the city and we headed there. But we had hardly started up the forest road when we encountered a huge sign saying the road was going to be closed the next morning for construction! Not wanting to get trapped, we turned around and drove north to the next road going into the mountains.

By this time it was pitch black, past our bedtime, and the forest road was narrow and curvy. We decided to pull off in a large parking and turnaround area, where other cars were also parked for the night. We assembled our bed (first night in the van!) and fell sound asleep.

At around midnight, there was a sudden, loud knocking on our van door and a holler of “Police!” We were startled awake and confused. I remember saying, “Don’t open it unless you know it’s really the police.” And John replying, “I can see his badge.”

The front seat was full of luggage (that had been in the back of the van), so I have a hilarious memory of John laying on his stomach on a pile of luggage, trying to get the window down to talk with the officer!

Apparently there is no overnight camping within the Salt Lake watershed and he was clearing out everyone who was staying along the road that night. He helpfully gave us directions out of the county (run out of the county by the police!) but the county line was well out of our way to the east. So instead, we decided to turn around and go back to the freeway and just keep driving north.

So for 3 hours in the middle of the night we drove north without a clear idea what to do next. But John remembered that his brother had told him that in a pinch, Walmart allows overnight parking for RV’s along the back edges of their large parking lots. So around 3:00 or 3:30 AM we pulled off and parked at the Walmart in Pocatello, Idaho, amidst a number of other vans and RV’s. We fell promptly asleep.

Luckily we didn’t sleep in because at 8:30 AM, Walmart security rapped on our van and apologetically asked us to move along, saying that overnight parking was not being allowed during the eclipse travel period.

Ironically, when the security guy came by, John was in Walmart buying stuff. It had been a long, hard night. So must buy stuff!

Camper Vans and Hail Storms

Our camper van is my favorite possession! I’ve wanted one for many years. Finally, last year on my 50th birthday, John gave me a little toy van with a promise for a real one soon.

After a nation-wide hunt, he found the perfect van. It’s a 2012 Nissan cargo van, with a high roof – it’s 6 foot high, tall enough for us to easily stand up in it. The previous owner had already started the process of converting it to a camper van.

Most importantly, the previous owner had installed 2 large solar panels on the roof and a large pack of batteries under the bed.

The solar panels provide a generous amount of power to run things while the van is parked.

For example, in addition to charging our phones and laptops, we can run lights, an electric cooler, a microwave, an electric hot plate, an electric blanket and even an air conditioner – all while parked with the engine off.

The cooler (for refrigeration of food) runs constantly. The other appliances we turn on as needed. So far we’ve not had any issues with running out of power, although we haven’t needed the air conditioner yet.

The previous owner also installed a ceiling vent and fan, a sink and counter on one side, and a narrow bed on the other side.

John has since significantly expanded the width of the bed with a fold-down section (pictured) and a removable section (not pictured). When assembled, it takes up all the remaining space in the van and sleeps two quite comfortably. When folded down, it reverts to a seating bench. John has also added a significant amount of storage space and has plans for more.

We have also installed a composting toilet, which is a wonderful thing to have. No more searching for non-existent rest stops in middle of no-where New Mexico (and no-where Arizona, and no-where Utah, and all the other unpopulated areas we like to go). No more shitting in the woods in a hailstorm or mosquito swarm. For those of you who don’t backpack, let me tell you, an indoor toilet is one of the greatest inventions of humanity (that and painkillers). Here’s a photo; the toilet is installed at the very back of the van, at the foot of the bed. And the amazing thing? It does not stink!! (By the end of the week our garbage stunk, and the dog stunk, and we probably stunk, but the toilet didn’t!)

Future upgrades we have planned for the van include more storage racks bolted to the walls, larger tires for more clearance when on forest roads, and improved lighting.

Playing “My van is better than your van” on the freeway 😝

I told John that our van may well mark the end of my backpacking days. He laughed. But seriously, why trudge for miles at a snail’s pace with 40 lbs on your back only to sit trapped in a hailstorm in a tent, when you could day-hike with a light pack much farther, and then return to sit out the hailstorm in the comforts of your tiny home? (If you’re wondering why do any of it at all, I can’t help you there. Perhaps it’s an acquired taste.)

What, you think I’m exaggerating about the hail? Well, don’t forget it also comes with thunder and lightening.

Outrunning the lightening in Utah, June 2015:

2 full days trapped in a small tent during almost unrelenting rain, hail, thunder and lightening, Utah, June 2016:

Waiting out the hail and lightening under a rock ledge in New Mexico, May 2017: (He shouldn’t look that happy, right?)

Waiting out the hail under a rock ledge in Colorado, August 2017: (He’s not looking as happy this time.)

Luckily that time we had a van to go back to!

Book report

I once loved fiction. But over the years it became harder and harder to find a book I truly liked. I started reading non-fiction, and not “true life stories” either. I drifted away from stories altogether and nowadays I mostly read psychology books, history books, science books, health books, and even occasionally religious philosophy.

I’m not quite sure why I lost interest in fiction. Partly because it seems like so much of it is deliberately emotionally upsetting. I am overly sensitive. I do not watch TV or go to movies and have not been jaded by countless hours of exposure to high drama. So if a book is advertised as “thrilling” or “riveting” or “stunning” or “astounding”, it’s likely going to be over the top for me.

Nonetheless, I joined a book club in when we were still in Livermore and read the first book. But then I didn’t show up to the meeting because I didn’t have anything good to say about the book we just read. And I was new to the group, so I didn’t want to be the new, critical member. It was a currently popular fantasy book and the bit that really bugged me was the theme of genetic superiority.

The fact that this theme currently popular in our culture make me uneasy. This theme of genetic superiority is found in much of our wildly popular sci-fi and fantasy stories such as Star Wars and Harry Potter, as well as the multitude of similar stories.

In these stories, it is common to have protagonists who are genetically special and superior due to lineage. They are usually in a minority and underdog position in society, but that is only because the masses are stupid and deluded; fearful and misguided in their poor treatment of the chosen few.

I believe that one of the main purposes of civilization is to protect the underdogs; to help ensure that the downtrodden have a fair life, and to limit the power grabs of the privileged. So I don’t mind the promotion of the strength, determination and success of underdogs in these stories. However, I do very much mind the promotion of underdogs who are genetically superior due to special lineage. It reminds me too much of Hitler’s Germany. I would prefer to see stories where ordinary people – with various lineages, both humble and privileged, overcome obstacles, do the hard thing and succeed.

You may think it doesn’t matter – they are just stories. But stories are how we teach our children, and ourselves and each other. We tell stories. Nowadays we watch movies, post on youtube, post on facebook, post memes and funny pictures. But they are all stories, and they all serve to shape our culture.

Why are we teaching our children that to be successful you must have special powers due to genetic superiority?

And why are we teaching our children that huge swaths of generic masses of humanity are basically stupid, misguided, and useless?

Do we think that what happened in Hitler’s Germany could never happen again? Do we think it was only due to one psychopathic leader? Do we imagine that half of the German population was somehow evil and the rest of us aren’t? As long as we believe we are above it all, as long as we believe that it couldn’t happen to us, we will not take the steps necessary to insure that it doesn’t happen again.

Which brings me to my main topic – I would like to recommend a work of fiction that is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It’s called, “All The Light We Cannot See,” by Anthony Doerr. I’m surprised I even bought the book, because it is set during WWII. Therefore, the topic matter is inherently upsetting. But the author is not trying to be sensationalist, and handles the material thoughtfully.

One of the things I like the best about this book is that one of the main characters is a German youth. We get to see the war from his perspective. And it’s fascinating (and scary) to see how basically normal he is – he is not inherently evil, or at least no more than the rest of us.

Turned 51

My bog title is now obsolete! I have turned 51.

Thanks to all of you for the birthday wishes! We have the following winners: (You didn’t know there was a competition did you? Well, there’s always next year.)

Winner of the “Most Unique” birthday card goes to my good friend, Tracey:

Winner of the birthday card with the “Most Potential” goes to John:

Do WHATEVER makes me happy? Seriously? Anything? (hehehehe)

I’m back!

I’m back from our eclipse-viewing vacation! I’ll write more about that soon. I’ve just spent the last 3 days catching up on the most critical of the work I missed while gone (those first couple of days right after a trip are always so brutal). So now I’m going to inundate you with backlogged blog posts 😝

But first let me briefly catch you up on the progress of all the projects.

The rentals: all rented, yay! And we’ve pretty much gotten all the initial repairs and maintenance done. And we’ve put each of them into an LLC. And my spreadsheets are (for the most part) in order. Rent is due in a couple of days – let’s see how they all do! I am not tolerant of late rent.

The remodel: oh god. I really hope I will eventually like that house. Logically, it’s a really nice house. I’m just not feeling it. Like really not feeling it! At the moment I’d rather live in any of our 3 rentals, even though they (logically) aren’t as nice. I really hope that my current distaste for that house is just temporary due to the difficulties of the remodel, and not predictive of how I’ll feel after the remodel is done. Because right now it’s a disaster, and maybe I just lack imagination.

The interior is a disaster zone. And the dark paint on the exterior depresses me. I think that repainting the exterior will help a lot. I sure hope I like the house when it’s done! Because if not, then what?

It’s actually better now that the non-value-added contractor is out of the picture. I’m working directly with the guys doing the work and am a lot more aware of what’s going on, and we’re getting higher quality work now.

Job applications and interviewing: Prior to leaving on vacation I applied for 3 jobs at New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), got called to interview for 2 of them, which I did right before leaving. Then I applied for 2 more with NMED yesterday. I have one more with NMED that I need to apply to within the next few days. I also applied for one at LANL awhile back, and they just called today to arrange an interview for next week.

Coaching clients: all good as usual!! I’ve got them all moved to the evenings, to make room for a potential new job. Also I am chomping on the bit to do a little more advertising (I haven’t advertised in months), but I still feel like I’m a bit too busy. Fielding calls and emails from potential clients is a lot more time consuming than just working with my regular clients. I offer free 20 minute intro sessions for people considering signing up. 20 minutes doesn’t sound like a lot, but it usually takes several emails to get them scheduled, and then half the time they don’t show up (call) because they’re not invested yet. I don’t really like that part. I just like working with my established clients ☺️

The mess in Houston: John’s relatives are all fine! 😊

Oh and – new haircut! I forgot to mention I got a new haircut. I’m really bad at taking selfies, but you get the idea. I took this photo in the morning right after getting out of bed, because I was amazed how good the cut looked without even being styled! I wish the rest of me aged as well as my hair (sigh). I can’t believe I’m posting a photo of me taken when I first woke up. Definitely too old for that.

I had gotten lazy and hadn’t cut it the whole time I’ve been back in New Mexico. So it grew for almost a year. But I knew I’d be interviewing, and also camping. Both good reasons for a short cut.

Ok then, brick?

Remember the fuck tile post? Right. I was not a happy camper. So here’s the newest idea:

Brick floors are very common in rural New Mexico. They have a casual, warm, authentic feel. Here’s an example from the house we are currently renting:

Although even brick comes in too many choices! Different colors, sizes, and levels of hardness.

Some brick are proportional (the width is half the length) so you can do fancy patterns like herringbone or basket weave. Others are not proportional and will only work for the regular “running bond” style like in our rental.

We have a subfloor issue though. You remember the non-value-added (useless) general contractor we had? We asked him to raise the living room floor to the same height as the rest of the floors (it was a one-step-down living room, a dumb idea that was popular in the 1980’s). So he built a wood subfloor, but totally messed up one side of it. It’s not level enough to lay tile, brick, hardwood, or anything on it.

Our brick guy (Sam) says he needs to take it out and completely redo it. Apparently Sam told our general contractor this awhile back, but our contractor ignored him. Grrr.

Sam is going to take out the new (useless) living room subfloor and pour cement rather than build another wood subfloor. That way, the entire downstairs will be on a cement slab.

The total now for overt mistakes (not to mention minor wish-we’d-done-it-differently), but things that simply need redone, is $1,500 (in materials only) for non-matching tile, $3,000 for chocolate colored exterior paint, $2,000 for new interior doors that look identical to the old ones, and now another $1,000 for a living room floor redo.

9 years

I forgot to mention, John and I had our 9th anniversary during all the craziness…last week when we were supposed to be going on vacation to the beach. We had a wild and crazy party here instead. (LOL)