New Fridge Blues

Our fridge of 14 years started leaking water. We had the repair man out and he discovered many things wrong and pronounced it dying. Great, so now we have to get a new fridge.

The wife and I went looking. Just like everything these days refrigerators have become complicated. We decided we just want your standard fridge, freezer on top, fridge on bottom, one door each, and no water/ice dispenser in the front. Basically what we have now!

Well apparently we are the only ones in the FloMoPlex that wants such an animal. Oh well, no problem because they can order whatever we want. So we pick out a nice Maytag from Home Depot. The first alarm bell went off when they realized the ice maker had to be ordered separately. This is odd since all fridges come with it installed. But the ice maker model number is specified so its added to the order. We payed the tally, saving tax since it was free tax weekend on all green star purchases.

Yesterday the delivery truck arrives. The two works unload the fridge, take off the packaging and then start looking into a smaller box. After about 45 min the guy informs me he can't install the ice maker, it seems to be the wrong one. He also admits they usually don't have to install ice makers. He also lets me have the install manual so I'm sure not to order the same model again. This manual is 27 pages of many various was to install an ice maker. I never saw him or his partner actually open it. Inside it looks pretty complicated. My personal conclusion is its just beyond them.

Now I have to decide what to do. I had been previously warned that if the order arrives and its not exactly how you want it reject the whole thing. The delivery guy reiterates the same thing. I told him to take it away... :-(

I call Home Depot and they will have to look into it. I'm sure a big mess will ensue. Our punishment for ordering the basic, simple fridge.

Seeing Gold!

LSU won the SEC tournament! They also have an unprecedented 20 game win streak going.

The Tigers will host a regional for the NCAA College world series starting on Friday.

Geaux Tigers!!

Ski Texas!


Bear Fire Ski Resort in Fort Worth, TX

That's right, Fort Worth, TX is going to get a ski resort! I hope it comes through, it looks like a lot of fun.

LSU wins!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They scored the go ahead run in the bottom of the 10th.

Final score was 5-4!

SEC Tournament update: Tigers were down 4-0 in the bottom of the 9th... and have just tied it! Going to exta innings!!

The SEC Baseball Tournament starts tomorrow. LSU finished #1 in the west coming off of a 16 win streak and climbing up the national rankings. LSU will be the #1 seed in bracket 1 and will face South Carolina tomorrow morning at 10.

Geaux Tigers!

Book list has piled up high!! I need to get busy (wish I could have a week on a beach somewhere). Here is the list:

1. The Remnant : On the Brink of Armageddon (Left Behind Series #10) by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.

I had never read this series before. Last fall I came across it in the library and got started. At first it was good but I'm now at the point were I've become bored with it. But I'm 10 books in and don't want to quit! So its on very slow mode... will I make it to #11? Dunno...

2. The Omnivore's Dilemma : A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.

A very eye opening book that has been generating a lot of discussion amongst friends. Basically how our food has been changed into food like substances made out of corn. Very interesting reading I hear so I'm anxious to get to it.

3. In Defense of Food : An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan.

Kind of the sequel to book 2 above. Answers the question of so what do we eat then!

4. 1 Dead in Attic : After Katrina by Chris Rose

Written by a Times-Picayune columnist about the year after Katrina in New Orleans

5. The Barbarian Way : Unleash the Untamed Faith Within by Erwin Raphael McManus

A book my Mom gave me about organized religion.

6. To Own a Dragon : Reflections on Growing up without a Father by Donald Miller

Not really applicable to me but its a Donald Miller book and I'm interested in stuff he writes.

7. Break 100 Now : From Hacker to Golfer in Just 90 Days by Mike Adams, Mike Corcoran (With) , T. J. Tomasi

The on-going quest. So what does an engineer do to improve something? Reads a book! Probably worthless but I need all the help I can get!

Colon continued

They just wont let it go. This morning I go to the lab and this was on the door...

I shall say no more about the colon episode of 2008....

A Journey Through Your Colon

Yes, that is just wrong isn't it. Well that is what was posted all over the place at work this week. Needless to say there was a lot of snickering and jokes going on about this. The guided tour was scheduled at lunch time on Thursday but I didn't make it. However, when I was doing my usual 3:00 walk around the building I came across the colon. It was basically a plastic walled tunnel with two 90 degree turns in it. All throughout it were various signs informing you of all the wonderfulness of the colon.

At one point I came to a blockage and had to duck under it. It suspiciously looked like bubble wrap.


And finally, of course, I came out of the end of the colon (ug). I then texted the co-workers I had made it through. The response, "Did you step in anything? :-)".

This is about the weirdest thing I've seen at work.

Sponor Payoff

I have a friend who works at Nike. Everytime Tiger wins they get free lunch and big hooplas. And that is pretty often! Around here its rare. But it happens. And for this we get to enter a contest to win a blue tooth device.

Kent State - May 4, 1970

A dark day in American history... Four dead in Ohio.

R.I.P

Perri-who?

Coach Miles kicked Ryan Perrilloux off of the LSU Tigers football team. Perrilloux was set to take over the starting quarterback job this year. Apparently he failed a drug test and this is just another problem in a long line of issues Perrilloux has had. It's a real shame, a guy with all that talent and opportunity wasted on bad decisions.

So now the job is split between the red shirt freshmen Jerret Lee and Junior Andrew Hatch.

Its going to be a tough year...

May Day

Today is May Day. This was a celebration I knew nothing of until I moved to the mid-west for a few years. In Ohio they would have a big May Day celebration at the local university. It was suppose to celebrate that winter was over and spring was here. Unfortunately most of the time it was still cold. But it was always a fun festival.

So for you people up north happy May Day!

Golf Lessons

So I finally broke down and got some golf lessons. These seem to help a lot as a start. But last weekend I went up to the Cliff's at Possom Kingdom. As the name implies there is a lot of trouble on this course! Turns out to not exactly be the best choice of courses to play coming right off lessons that have totally revamped your swing! It was scenic but brutal...

Here is one of the tee boxes. Hard to really appreciate what you see here but that is about a 150+ carry from the box to the fairway (shooting at that trap out there). Anything in between is a 300 foot drop into a ravine! Needless to say I fed the ravine...

This was a cool par 3. Hard to see here as well but the tee box is about 100 feet above the hole. I actually birdied this one!! Best shot of the day, perfect swing and ball rolled up to within 2 feet of the hole.
This par 3 killed everyone. Its a 180 yard carry to the green. Nothing between the tee box and green except ravine. I feed this ravine too :-(

Anyway, it was a fun experience but not recommended as a place to test out the new lessons!

Nostril Minstrel

You must see my son playing his recorder with the nostril...

http://hearthomekids.blogspot.com/

A classic. Happy Monday...

Late?!?!?!?!?


This reminder popped up on my Outlook this morning. I have no idea where this came from! 189 weeks late, I guess I missed that meeting! And good thing its reminding me now... oh that crazy Bill Gates.

Marathon




Two guys from work just got back from running the Boston Marathon. It was on Monday. There are 25,000 runners. You have to qualify to do this by running another marathon and submitting your time. These guys did it in about 3 hours and 45 mintues finishing about 9000th! It is quite an accomplishment. Especially when you consider one of them is 46 years old (ouch). I'm in awe and a bit jealous.

Warm!

Finally its really warm outside. You can feel the change to the summer heat coming. Hopefully we won't have to many more bad storms and can get right into it!

The pool is back in full operation and just waiting for the temp to creep up. The traditional May 1 swim data is looking good.

The yard is in full growth now too, so its back to the weekly yard routine.

It is Jackie Robinson Day!

It was 61 years ago today that Jackie played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Hats off to number 42.

Are you kidding me?

It happened this morning. I was on E so I stopped to get gas...

I drive a 2000 Nissan Altima. Its a small 4 door with a 4 cyclinder engine. Since I drive 35 miles each way to work I wanted a commuter car when I bought it 8 years ago. Back then it cost me $15 to fill it up.

I'm waiting and finally the pumper popped. I go to put it back on the pump and there it is. A tank of gas for my car that passes the $50 mark. Unbelievable.


When will the price soaring end and where will it stop?

I can't imagine what people do that drive their suburban's and big SUV's to work everyday.

I have to get my carpool back in action. And I'm thinking I need to have a work from home day.