...so glad it's Sunday.

I had a good day yesterday. I knocked out my three 10-12's in record time and they put another job on me at the end of the day. I did 6 jobs total yesterday. All of them were ladder jobs. I had to put the ladder on the span once, and when it was time to bring it down, I hesitated. I actually had a weird feeling about it, after hitting myself on the head last time, I wanted to just leave the stupid ladder up there. This time I was surrounded by parked cars and the wind was blowing. I was worried about dropping it on a car. I unhooked it from the span, then got it vertical, collapsed it, then I pushed it over sideways in the only safe direction and let it fall. Problem solved.

I had a job to do over in the money neighborhood by Girard Park. The customer is a corporate pilot. He just purchased this old house and has plans to renovate. I told him that I thought the '60s wallpaper was adorable and some of the '60s styles are coming back. Then I told him about my favorite stove: a 1961 Frigidaire Flair Custom Imperial and all that it could do. I was just raving over it. I walked into the kitchen and guess what I saw? Yep. A 1961 Frigidaire Flair. It wasn't as big as my old one, it only had one oven, but there it was. He says he's going to remodel the kitchen and put in new appliances. I told him all about the stove - the temperature controlled burner, the meat thermometer, the oven being stainless steel runs a little hot like a convection oven, etc. He said he would call me if he decides to sell it. He doesn't care for antique appliances. Man, does he even know what he's got? That's a professional cookstove, they don't build them like that anymore. I hope he calls someday, even though I don't have a place to put it yet, I would certainly take it off his hands.

Ahhh, sunrise is beautiful this morning. I'm so happy to be home today. I'm also glad that my desk faces the East. Such a beautiful color in the morning - golden light through the water condensation on my window. It looks awesome. I bet even I look good in this lighting. (har har)

Well, I'm going to put on some shorts and tame my hair a little, maybe brush my teeth... Then again: who am I going to kiss? Kidding.
I'm on my third cup'o'java and I might just get back to working on the truck today.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

It's Saturday...

Yesterday I was working when I got a call from Ms. Doris. She asked if I was in the area, I said no, she had popped a breaker and she couldn't reach it and didn't have electricity. Luckily Chad was nearby so he ran over here during his lunch break to take care of it. Then when I got home she called me and asked for me to come look at something. The dern dogs got into a big fight and it scared her so she tried to break it up. She wound up getting bit or scratched on her foot and she pulled some back muscles heaving the biggest dog out the door. I got her sitting up in bed and I Shanghai'd the new dog Lucky. Lucky is over at my house now.
Megabyte and Spot have told Lucky where he stands in the pecking order. He slept all night with no accidents (Ms. Doris says he's not housebroken). It may be because I get up real early that the dog didn't have to try and hold his pee. But there are no messes this morning. I think I'm going to hold on to this little bugger until arrangements can be made to give him back to his owner. He's a cute little guy, but I really don't care much for small dogs. It is a quick and dirty solution to her dog-fighting problem, though. Just remove the antagonist.

Last job of the day I had to extend that stupid ladder as high as it would go and lay it on the span. That wasn't too bad until it was time to take it down. I got it unhooked and standing vertically, then I released the catches and let it collapse down. Then I went to walk it down. You have to move fast at this point because it is a controlled fall. You have to get to it's balance point quickly or the feet will kick up and it will see-saw over your head. I was walking on treacherous ground so I didn't get to the balance point quickly enough and it started to fall into the road. I bent myself backwards to reach for the balance point and control it down but it hit me on top of the head and my arms were too tired to physically lift it off my head. I think I'm about an inch shorter than I was before. It hurt my back, elbow, wrist, and my head. I didn't drop the ladder though.
That stupid ladder is going to give me gray hairs. I was sore yesterday evening, but I feel ok now, my wrist is the only thing that hurts. Stupid ladder!

I've got one more day of work before I get a day off. Shoot, by the time a day off comes around I need it. I got a 100% on image inspection yesterday. I found out that my hardhat expires in a month. I said "Hardhats have an expiration date?" The inspector said it was good right now, but I won't pass the next inspection with it. Apparently they are only good for 5 years. Who knew? So, I'm going to buy a new hardhat this month. White, with no stickers or embellishments. Gee, they take away all the fun. I was wanting to glue dreadlocks underneath my next one so it's like a wig and a hardhat all in one...

That same last job that I fought with the ladder wound up being fairly labor-intensive. I had to relocate the aerial to a place on the house that was closer to electricity and it had it's cabling painted over on the side of the house and it was very messy. I pulled it all off the side of the house and left scarring in the paint but I changed everything around to the way it should be. The verdict is still out - will the customer try to put a damage claim on me for pulling paint off the house or will she accept it and just have it touched up? The house had been recently painted, but they gobbed the paint over the cables and connectors and I had to peel them off. Some of the cables were cut underneath the house and had to be pulled out, really it was the only way to sort out which cables were good and needed to be made live and which were dead-ends. I spent 'way too much time trying to do a proper job.

Anyway, gotta run through the shower now and go knock down another day.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

So, yesterday was hard but fun.

On Sunday morning I saw the landlady's three dogs headed for the road. Here she came, hobbling down the driveway, tears streaming down both cheeks, trying to chase them down. I went and gathered them up for her and spent some time with her to try and calm her down. We drank coffee while I did my laundry and I started formulating a plan. She has pain medication that she takes in the morning, and it takes her a couple of hours to start getting mobile, meanwhile the dogs need to go out. Also, her first step beneath her door is dangerously low - I mean nearly 18 inches below the threshold and she's had a stroke. I've worried about her falling out the door but didn't know what I could do about it.
Well, I thought I'd tackle what I could, so I bought some treated 2x4's and vinyl lattice and worked all day building her a little fenced-in yard. I skirted one side of her house and fenced across the front and I even made a cool little gate. I had asked Chad to look at the stair-problem. When he got off work I was just finishing the fence and he jumped in and moved the stairs away from the house and built a deck at the perfect height beneath her door. Now she has a transition point between her door and the steps. That solution is perfect, and I don't have to worry about her falling. You should have seen the old lady dancing with joy on her little deck. She was so thrilled with the deck and the fence. Now this morning, all she has to do is let the dogs out the door and forget about them while she makes her coffee and lets her pain medication take effect.
I'm not a fence builder, but I think I did a pretty cool job. It looks good. But mainly I'm impressed with Chad's solution. I would have never thought to do it that way. Ms. Doris and I were both flabbergasted that he pulled such a great solution out of thin air. Pretty efficiently too. It took him all of an hour to get it done. I struggled all day with my fence project.

It was all worth it, now I don't have to worry about the old lady during the day.

I gotta go to work now, you have a great day.
MsAmber

Some Days...

Some days I think my job is easy-cheesy. Othertimes I'm so aggravated I could just spit.

Some days I like who I am and am happy. Othertimes I feel like an alien gypsy who nobody understands.

Some days I'm tired or subdued. Othertimes I'm overly cheerful and chatty and I drive people buggy (especially if they are not "morning people").

Some days I like my house freakishly spotlessly clean and organized. Othertimes the dishes may go a week in the sink or until something green starts growing, and the doghair is so thick around here that you could knit a sock with it.

Some days I feel feminine and paint my nails and shave my legs and put on makeup and stockings. Othertimes I look like I'm trying to be a messy skateboarding mechanic.

Some days I wake up and I'm not in pain. Othertimes my lower back and hips ache or I have a perpetual pinched nerve, usually in the left leg.

Some days I'm confident and cocky. Othertimes I'm so riddled with insecurities and acute remembrances of mistakes past that I more than pass for humble.

Some days are like today.
Wish it would rain some more, since I'm home now.

I have a sore throat and I'm feeling kinda blah. I'll probably go to bed early, I promised to fix a little fence tomorrow. Landlady needs it done, and her wish is my command.

Have a good Wednesday.
MsAmber

Happy Friday.

Ok. So I worked all day yesterday with a big ol' price tag hanging off the back of my khakis. $29.99 original price marked down to $9.88 it said. I did not discover this until I stopped at a gas station to use the restroom around 3. Now I'm wondering why nobody said anything. Lol.

Landlady's son is back. Dern Tweaker. Bummed three bucks off me again. He told his mother that he doesn't know why she likes me, I'm so rude. He's been borrowing my gas can to mow the lawn, but when I'm home he's too afraid to come get it. Yeah, that's right, you just keep on truckin' buddy boy. I'm glad he thinks I'm mean and rude. That will keep him at bay. He was irritating me by knocking on my door every evening to borrow something: Advil, cigarettes, money, etc. And borrow isn't the word, it's not like he's made any effort to repay. No job, lives with his mom, gets drunk and talks random shit. His only redeeming value is that he mows the lawn. Dern tweaker.

Met a customer and his son yesterday. The son reminded me so much of Benjamin at that age. Cub scout, curious and well-mannered, athletic. He showed me his pine-derby carvings and they were magnificent. He made one look just like his Dad's bucket truck, complete with bucket. It was very cool. The kid's name was Austin. It's rare to meet a boy who is so much like Benjamin, it made my heart ache. I wish I could see Ben again someday. I'm sure I will.

I slept like a log last night. I crashed at 9, after I ate a pb&j sandwich with a glass of milk.

I wrestled with Chad in the yard yesterday evening. Now I'm a little sore, think I tweaked my elbow and bruised my hip. But I almost had him... yeah right.

Mock Scarlett O'Hara voice:
"Ah will neva... eat turnips again!!!"

Ha ha ha ha haaaa.
You have a groovy day.
MsAmber

Back to a 5 day workweek.

Yep. Now we're off on Sunday and Wednesday. As much as I regret not having two days off in a row, I'm kinda glad that it's two days on, one day off, three days on, one day off. This will help keep me from getting so tired. This job takes so much energy that I can't imagine I have the stamina to keep it up for 5 days straight without killing myself.

I had a banner day yesterday. I put on my new size 6 polka-dotted skirt with pink blouse and pink shoes and went and had breakfast at Mel's diner. I was a people-magnet. Everywhere I looked there were people looking at me or smiling at me. Everyone said hello, or good morning, or nice to meet you. I went to Alty campers to get the screws put in the ladder rack and the guys there were falling all over themselves to help me, I even caught a couple of them out of the corner of my eyes checking me out. I went to Perry to check my mail and I had a $10 gift certificate for Target sitting in my mailbox. Then I went to Daiquiries Supreme and shot a few games of pool and totally kicked ass. Everyone - ladies included - told me they loved my dress. I did not clean house or work on my truck yesterday. I just went out and looked around. I had a great day.

Well, it's back to work and reality today. But I'm still glowing about yesterday.
I should have bought a lottery ticket.

You have a groovy day.
MsAmber

Tuesday already.

Good morning Hyper. Yes, I cleaned every part of that carb. I used 5 cans of carb cleaner and toothpicks and I think I got every orifice, journal, and hidden air-flow pocket I could find. I'm pretty confident that I got it all clean. Another thing: When I dropped the fuel tank it was full of rust chunks so I cleaned it with water and dumped it over and over again until nothing rattled. I got a bucket-full of rust chunks out of it. I cleaned out the screen with gasoline and a toothbrush, and changed the fuel filter. I set the tank out in the sun until it dried completely before I put it back on. Then I replaced all the fuel hoses. It may be that I didn't clean the fuel tank well enough?

I had a good weekend. I'm going to stop bragging about my weight loss after this one note: I went to Goodwill to buy khaki pants for work. I was thrilled to find that I am a size 6. I can fit into size 5, but they are a little too tight for work. But I'm definitely a comfortable size 6. I've gone from size 12 to size 6. Wooo Hooo! Hard work is paying off. My guess is that I've lost 30 pounds of fat and put on 8 pounds of muscle. Damn, I look good naked. Even my ankles and wrists look different. I had no idea that there was a good body hiding under that.

Well, I have to get off to work now. You have a groovy day, daddy-o.

MsAmber

Saturday again?

The carb rebuild:
I got it all put together and installed on the truck, but when I cranked the truck it filled up with gas - and I do mean filled. So I figured that I might have screwed up the float adjustment. I took it back off and re-set the floats. Put it back on the truck and now it seems as though it doesn't get enough gas. Aaargh.
Besides, I was interrupted several times during the rebuild. I got mad.
As far as I can tell the carb is good. But something is hosed up and I don't know what the problem is. I'm taking a couple days' break from it while I work at my job and I'll tackle it again when I'm fresh. Sure was a lot of springs, valves, and orifices.

Had a nice little phone call from Trans-Tel. Mr. Samples and Mr. Duncan called me and inquired how I was doing and asked when I'll be ready to come back to work because good help is hard to find. That totally made my day! I needed a pick-me-up at the time and it was good to feel wanted. They also want me to send a bag of crawfish to Trans-Tel.

I got very, very mad at Nate and went into the office to tell him to his face that he's a jackass! I said my piece and he listened. Then he sat back in his chair and started laughing. He told me not to worry about being mad at him. He's a big boy and he can take it, that he's not upset about it, and he knows he's a jackass.
Alrighty then.

Otherwise, all is groovy. Speaking of groovy:
I installed cable for an old man - a WWII submariner. I said the word "groovy" a few times without even thinking about it. After the install when I asked him if he was satisfied, he said "Yep, everything's groovy." I laughed and told him I've been waiting all day to hear those words from him. It was funny, situational humor. He had quite the cool collection of hard hats from all over the world. Impressive man.

You have a groovy day!
MsAmber

Carbuerettor Rebuild today.

Work has picked up. It's getting harder to keep up. Six or seven jobs a day, on the run the whole time.
Gosh I feel old.

The official number is 22. Yep, I lost 22 pounds on the "work like a horse and eat once a day" diet. I really need some new pants, all of mine are too baggy. My shoulders, arms, and face are very tan, but my legs are white as a ghost. Also, I am so chewed up by mosquitoes. I betcha I have 20 bites. After I shower, I'm going to get out the anti-itch cream and count them. It's my own fault, really. I leave the door open a lot at dusk and dawn and that's like an open invitation with a neon sign to come in and dine.

I went to bed at 9:00 last night so I automatically woke at 3:30 this morning. I have a lot to get done today. I already started doing the dishes which have been piling up in the sink for a week. I was out of clean coffee cups this morning.

I have to change my bed, run a load of laundry, finish the dishes, and rebuild the carbuerettor. I should probably shower and brush my teeth first.

Well, I gotta get moving.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

I bought a truck. Well, sort of...

I got a good deal on a "fixer-upper". It's a little 1989-1990 Toyota pickup, baby teal blue, five-speed manual transmission. Soon I'll need taillights, windshield, passenger window, and a tire. A little bit of re-assembly to get it running, then one little project at a time to fix it up. I'm hopeful about it - the dash is fine, headliner, floor mats. It's got a couple of little dingers in the body, but the cool part is the odometer says 030000.3. Yeah, seriously. It has not rolled over a million, which is what it would take to get that leading zero. Toyotas are famous for going 250,000 or better. This has a little 6 cyl, and it ran before it was parked. It has a carburettor instead of fuel-injection. I am going to buy the repair manual first thing. I don't really know much about Toyota, but it doesn't look that complicated.
It will be delivered here (towed) by the end of the week.

I got my wringer washer, and scraped it down with a wire brush and hit it with a sanding block. Then I painted it with two coats of rustoleum white primer, then two coats of rustoleum antique white gloss. It's gorgeous and functional.
I've done two loads of laundry in it already.

My little garden is sprouting. I have beans, lettuce, chives, and radishes. In the little starter cups I have 36 banana peppers and 36 cantaloupe. That's only the stuff I have sprouted... Will let you know as I go.

I'm cooking a little dinner right now and kinda watching the news, so this is brief.

You have a great week.
MsAmber

Sunday, May 3, 2009

News Update:
Angelina went belly-up last night. Alpha is still doing fine though.

I've had a freakin' hitch in my neck and shoulder for two days. I'm so stove up I can hardly move and I keep having sharp, painful muscle spasms behind my shoulder.
My handsome, long-haired, shirtless, carpenter friend came over and moved some heavy stuff around for me and put my arm in a sling (looks cool!), and put a wet washcloth in a ziplock baggie in the freezer for me. He told me to alternate cold compress and warm compress. Maybe I'll be able to move my neck by the end of the day.
Handling that stupid ladder yesterday with a hitch in my neck and a weak arm was freakin' dangerous. I'm lucky I made it through work yesterday - I felt like crying a couple of times. I had a fairly bad day yesterday, glad it's over and I have two days to get my arm back working before I have to do it again.

A cool weather front is moving in today. I'm glad. I have both doors open and the windows, to allow some cool breezes through here. It feels to be about 68 or so.

The dogs are doing wonderful. I worked 14 hours yesterday, and both boys managed to hold-it. I hate to make them go that long, but some days just keep on draggin' on. I worked until 9:00 p.m. yesterday. I love my boys.

Dang, the cold compress has worked wonders already, in just 10 minutes I can move my head to the right. The left still needs some work.

I'm finally buying a wringer washer. The laundry around here is getting out of hand. The fella is going to deliver it this afternoon. I'm so excited!
I can't wait.

You have a great day.
MsAmber