skeet's stuff

Ack! It was on my foot!

skeet — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:43:22 +0000

I’ve started a list - well several lists, actually. I need a lot of lists on various subjects to get me through this move. The specific list I’m referring to, though, has two columns: Things I’ll Miss When I Leave Hawaii and Things I Won’t Miss. The fellow pictured above is responsible for a new addition to the negative list. Last night I went into the office to check my email one last time before going to bed. As often happens, I stayed online for a while reading tweets and seeing who had visited my blog. I was kind of settled in and comfortable when I felt a tickle on my right foot. It felt just like Lance does - he likes to nap at my feet when I’m in the office, so I thought he had shifted and a whisker had grazed my foot - until I heard a noise behind me and realized that the beagle was sleeping in the hallway. Ulp! I didn’t want to look. I actually said, right out loud: Please, please, please let it be a cockroach! I brushed it off with my other foot before even looking because I had a bad feeling it wouldn’t be a roach. Good thing I did, too, because if I’d seen it first I might have reacted badly & the sucker probably would have bitten me. I have acute allergic reactions to all kinds of things. I don’t want to find out if centipedes need to be added to that list. I freaked out a little when I saw it (big, bad bug lady that I am!) then ran for a can of insecticide I keep in the utility room. I’ve got several half-packed boxes scattered around the office, so I had to play hide-and-seek for a while before I found my invader again - he was under the little rolling cart right next to the desk. Professional that I am, I know that a split-second burst of pesticide would have done the job, but I abandoned thirty years of experience and training - this guy was in my home, after all. If I’d had guns and Nikon rifle scopes handy I might well have blown a hole in the floor making sure that he was well and truely dispatched. Yeah, I get a bit girly about certain types of many-legged critters, centipedes among them. I didn’t quite empty the can, but I gave him a good soaking, then turned off the light and shut the office door (the air was too toxic to work in there anymore.) I had to hunt for him again this morning - he’d crawled behind a box to die. He twitched while I was taking the picture - I use low toxicity pesticides, so they don’t always kill instantly. He’ll die eventually. In the rubbish can outside.

We don’t usually wear shoes inside our homes in Hawaii. I’ll probably forsake that habit once I move. I think I’ll start practicing today, wearing shoes I continue packing and painting. And maybe coveralls and gloves, too.

Things I Won’t Miss When I Leave Hawaii:

The distance between me and family

Being stranded on the Coast every time something goes wrong on the highway

Centipedes

Technorati Tags: centipedes, Hawaii, insects

Self Portrait Sunday for October 5, 2008

skeet — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:10:18 +0000

That pretty much tells the story of this last week as I’ve been overwhelmed by boxes and tasks and stuff - lots of stuff. I’m really tired and wondering how I’m going to get through this - this is, after all, only week one of totally dedicated effort applied towards moving. So much more still to do. If I finish current tasks later today I”ll pull all of the pictures off of the walls in the living room and hallway before going to bed tonight so I will be ready for painting prep first thing tomorrow. I need to sand all of the baseboards and door jambs, in addition to the usual taping and draping that one must do before painting. I used the wrong trim paint last time around and it’s peeling, so that will have to be addressed before I dip the first brush.

No family phone calls today. I’ve left messages with my son, an aunt and an uncle, but haven’t connected with any of them yet. I was kinda, sorta hoping to hear from my nephew, too. He and his wife were prompt to respond to the unique baby gifts I sent when Lily was born, but I haven’t heard a word since I sent another package a couple of weeks ago. They should have gotten it the same day that Ike rolled through Houston, so I’m .worried that it went astray (they stayed in Dallas that weekend.) Guess I’ll try to call them again in a while, but I’m really, really wanting a teeny-tiny nap right now. Yeah, I think I might do that first. Oh, and I never got around to visiting the Self Portrait Sunday participants last week, so I’ve got two weeks worth of friendly faces to visit, too. Shoot - that’s gonna cut into naptime. I’ll just have to fit it all in somehow!

Technorati Tags: photos, self portrait, meme, moving

Postcards for my clients

skeet — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:03:34 +0000

One of the hardest things about moving is saying goodbye. I let the gals in the Table of Contents know a couple of months ago that I’d be leaving, and am gradually sharing the news with neighbors and other friends. It’s been gratifying to learn that many of them will genuinely miss me. What really surprised me, though, is that one of my clients almost burst into tears when I told her. She’s a warm and friendly person that I’ve done a lot of business with over the years, but I think it’s the situation that brought about my move as much as the move itself that made her so emotional.These are tough economic times in Hawaii and it’s very discouraging for all of us to see so many small businesses folding. The few inspections I’ve had in the last few months have all been for people who were leaving the islands because they couldn’t make a living here anymore, just like me. It’s a sad process to watch and an even sadder one to be overtaken by. The only good thing about business being so slow is that I won’t be seeing most of my clients and having to tell them face-to-face that I’m leaving. That’s an emotional overload I don’t think I could handle right now. They’ve supported me over the years, though, and I do want to thank them for that and give them some referrals so that I know they’ll be in good hands after I’m gone. I think the easiest way to do that will be with postcards. VistaPrint can produce them for me for less than three cents apiece, and using coupon code PC50 will allow me to add fifty free oversized postcards to my order. I’m also thinking about using their mailing service. I’m handling my move by myself and it’s all pretty overwhelming, so letting them take care of that chore will ease free me up for things that only I can do. Once I’ve decided how I want my message worded I can design my postcards online, upload my mailing list and be done with it. It would be nice to have an aloha party and spend an afternoon thanking each of my clients personally, but that’s just not something I have time for now. VistaPrint offers quality design and print services at budget prices, even for smaller orders like the one I’ll need (less than three hundred postcards.) I’ll be keeping that in mind once I arrive at my destination, too, because I’ll be needing professional printing services to help me get the word out about my new business. You’ll know all about it first, of course, but it’s nice to know that VistaPrint can help me with flyers, business cards and all of the other printed materials I’ll need to let folks know that skeet has arrived.

Technorati Tags: business printing, mailing services, postcards, printing

I haven’t been hiding!

skeet — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 07:34:40 +0000

I’m packing for a move. Well, acutally, I’m packing to get a bunch of stuff out of the way so I can paint the interior of the house. I’m getting it market-ready and hope to have it listed for sale in a few weeks. As much as I love living in Hawaii, I can no longer afford it. Work has been scarce, the cost of living is high and it’s time for me to move on.

I’ve been packing non-essentials. Books, games & puzzles, DVDs and videos - things I don’t “have to have.” I’ve packed some of the dishes and kitchen ware that will move with me. Right now I’m using my extra set of dishes and will put them in the last garage sale before the move.

The shed on the carport is filling up with stuff I’ll put in my first garage sale next weekend. It’s mostly stuff that I don’t use at all and have been accumulating in a garage sale pile for a while.

The chances are slim to none that I’ll get any diving opportunities where I’m going, so I’m selling the tanks, wet suit, skin and all of my gear. I’ll put “diving gear, electronics and building materials” on the garage sale signs to draw folks in.

This embarrassing mess was the first chore I tackled this week. The front shed has been a mess since my new room was built a few years ago. They guys doing the work tossed things in every which way and I never quite got around to re-organizing it …

… until this week. Now I can find the tools and supplies I need for repairs, and I’ve got all the paint and painting supplies rounded up. I’m hoping to start painting the entire interior of the house on Monday.

I need to get things organized and get the house on the market quickly, so I’m working at it all day every day. When I need to take a break from the heavy stuff, I find a more leisurely job to do - like wrapping several hundred dollars of coins. I’ll keep them handy until the last garage sale, then put whatever is left (if anything) in the bank.

I hope we don’t get any earthquakes or hurricanes before I’m out of here. I’m cycling the contents of my evacuation kit into the pantry. I’ll try to minimize shopping in the coming weeks by using up stuff that I have on hand. The freezer and pantry are so full that I shouldn’t have to buy much more than dairy and bread. I had Dinty Moore stew from the evac kit for dinner tonight.

Getting the house listed and my stuff moved are my top priorities right now - I’m running out of money and need to get things done as quickly as possible. I’ll try to check in a little more frequently than I have just lately, but I’m not making any promises. It’s just the way things are. Oh, and I will make the time to tell you about where I’m going and how I selected my destination. It’s good stuff!

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, moving, packing, selling my home

BlueEgg Photography gift pack winner

skeet — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:29:51 +0000

Mahalo to all of you who entered the BlueEgg Photography foodie gift pack giveaway. I put all of your names into a list and submitted it to Random.org. Randomness followed and a winner has been selected. Congratulations to Gianna! She’s won a gift pack of BlueEgg Photography culinary notecards, vanilla beans and extract. Gianna’s favorite Blue Egg notecard art is the orchids. Gianna, I’m sending you an email so we can get your prize pack to you ASAP. Mahalo again to everyone who played!

Technorati Tags: BlueEgg Photography, contest winner, giveaway

Tuesday Teaser photo verification

skeet — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:11:52 +0000

Once again I failed to fool you guys. Cass was quickest off the mark and is this week’s winner. She’ll get a linky-love review of one of her many blogs, and will be entered in the monthly drawing for a $10.00 gift card (which will be held any day now.) Congratulations to Cass and mahalo to all who played. I hope you’ll all return next week and try again!

I’ve been doing Tuesday Teasers for over a year now and thought you might be interested in how I put them together.

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Each week I take several cuts of several different photos. What I’m looking for is a puzzle piece that will make you scratch your head for a while, but that you will definitely recognize as being exaqctly what it is … eventually. This week I worked with photos of three different items. I had six photos of the caulk gun from different angles. I selected the one that had the best focus and lighting, and, I thought, the best angle to allow me to “sample” several different areas. I made five different cuts of that photo. After I make the cuts I walk away from it all for a while, then come back for a fresh look and select the one that I think will make the best puzzle. Sometimes I succeed. Sometimes my logic and vision are a little off. Of the photos above, I thought that the two showing the tube of caulk and the one showing the spring were too obvious. That left me with the two photos of the angle where the trigger meets the stationary handle. One seemed too ambiguous, so I went with the other, which showed a smear of caulk to give you an extra clue. Turns out, of course, that y’all didn’t need any help at all - I think you’d all have gotten it just as easily from the other snippet which didn’t have a smear. Sorry - sometimes I’m pretty good at what I do. Sometimes, not so much. The biggest problem with putting the puzzle together is that I know what the item is. It’s hard to dismiss that knowledge and view the piece as you will see it, without foreknowledge. I guess what I’m saying is that it’s pretty much a crap shoot, so I try to be happy that it works out well as often as it does.

Technorati Tags: caulk gun, contest, contest winner, photo puzzle, Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teaser for September 30, 2008

skeet — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:44:47 +0000

Can you identify the item depicted above? Take your best guess and post it in the comments below. If your guess wins, you’ll get a nifty prize. Here’s how it works:

1. Write a comment giving your guess as to what the item is. Be as specific as you can. For instance, indoor “lamp” would be too general as an answer if you needed to identify a lava lamp. Sometimes the brand will need to be specific, as when you identified the Enregizer Bunny and auto company logos. Guess as many times as you want, but put each answer in a separate comment, please!
2. First person to identify the item wins. If more than one person provides the correct answer, time and date stamp will determine who was first.
3. The author of this blog will be the sole judge as to what constitutes a correct answer. Sorry - no hints will be given. I will attempt to respond to your answers at least every few hours, but I am not continuously at the keyboard so please be patient.
4. The contest will end in forty-eight hours, whether or not a correct guess has been submitted.
5. Skeet’s Stuff is a do-follow blog, so you get some link value just for commenting.

What will you win?

1. The author of this blog will write a LINKY LOVE POST (review) about the winner’s blog (commercial sites ineligible.) The LLP will contain the url for your blog plus at least two deep links and will be posted here on Skeet’s Stuff, a ~~PR4~~ ~~PR2~~ ~~PR0 (bah google!)~~ ~~Ha! PR3 blog~~ Hmmmm! PR2 again. Skeet writes good reviews.

2. The weekly winners will be entered into a monthly drawing for a $10.00 gift card from Starbucks or Amazon or a ten dollar payment through PayPal.

3. Drawing for the monthly prize will be held on or about October 1, 2008, and will include all weekly winners for the month. There are five Tuesdays in September, thus the maximum number of people who will be eligble is five.

Comments submitted with commercial links will be deleted. If you would like to market your product, service or website through skeet’s stuff I’ll be happy to discuss your needs and my prices. Please submit your request via email.

Technorati Tags: contests, photos, photo contest, photo puzzle

Self Portrait Sunday for September 28, 2008

skeet — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:55:48 +0000

I’ve been working outside since sunup. I’m hot and sweaty, but I’ve gotten a lot done. It’s a little after ten and I’ve just taken a lunch break. Take my word for it - you don’t want to see my face. Gaze upon my lovely curls instead. Every time I’ve gotten a haircut lately I’ve told the gal it was getting too long for me to manage. She’s not getting it and I need to find someone new. Today I pulled it back in a banana clip to keep it off my neck and out of my face.

Oh, alright! If you insist on seeing more of me, here ya go. My nails rarely grow past the tips of my fingers. I have some problems brought about by fourteen years of nutritional deficiency, thin, brittle nails being one of the least important of them. Every now and then one survives long enough to almost look like a normal, girly nail. I ripped this one this morning while working in the shed. I couldn’t find my nail repair stuff, so I tried to glue it with some nail polish and went back out to work. The polish immediately got crud in it and the nail ripped off anyway. Ah, well - I know I’m girly on the inside, whether anyone else can see it or not.

I’ll go see who else posted to Self Portrait Sunday and maybe check out authorize.net when I take my next break, but there’s no need for you to wait on me. Go on over to Cass’s place and follow the links to all the pretty people!

Technorati Tags: photos, self portrait, meme

Creating a little curb appeal

skeet — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 09:14:01 +0000

My house isn’t really visible from the street. What you see instead in a rather pathetic looking fence over a lumpy driveway, the top of my carport and the tiny garden outside my gate. Not an impressive first impression. It doesn’t help that the mail carrier runs over the front of the garden six days a week and that neighbors or their guests sometimes park there. The plant at the base of the mailbox post is down to just a few crushed clusters. I’ve always known it by its politically incorrect name of Wandering Jew, but I’ve just looked it up and see that it’s also called Inch Plant or Tradescantia zebrina. It grows to moster proportiions in our tropical climate, but it’s no match for a multi-ton vehicle.

I’ve replanted the area several times in the years I’ve lived here, thinking that people would see the plants and change their habits. Since that hasn’t worked I decided to try something that a few neighbors have done to remedy the same problem. The couple who tend the garden above have done a lovley job with a very limited amount of space, and they’ve managed to keep cars from spoiling their efforts.

Rocks that blend in with the landscaping won’t do. I don’t want someone hitting one in the dark and damaging their car, even if they shouldn’t be parking there. I’m not that petty, and besides, folks around here have been known to go to extreme measures to get even when they feel someone has done them wrong. I spent a good portion of my day today hauling volcanic rocks (which are dense with metals and quite heavy) and then painting them.

While the paint was drying (and after the mail was delivered) I planted three dozen bedding plants. I picked them up over a week ago, then didn’t plant them becuase I needed to get the rocks in place. My back has been giving me fits so I had to wait on that. A couple of the plants weren’t looking too healthy in their little two-inch posts, but hopefuly most will survive. These are Arachis pintol “Golden Glory.” I know nothing about them except that they look like peanut plants and should do well as ground cover on our hot, dry Leeward coast once they’ve gotten over their transplant shock and had a chance to spread their roots. They’ll need a lot of watering and TLC for a few weeks, then should fill all available space with little encouragement or attention.

Here’s a little painting tip while we’re waiting for the paint to dry. I wanted to paint all sides of the rocks so I had to wait for the tops to dry, then flip them over and paint the other side. Since I would be using the brush again within an hour or so I didn’t want to bother with cleaning it, but I didn’t want it to dry out either. I wear disposable gloves while painting. Holding the brush in one hand, I used the other hand to peel that glove off and over the paint brush. I put it in the shed, out of the sun, and it stayed moist and pliable until I was ready to use it again. Most any plastic will do - kitchen wrap, shopping bags - I’ve even used bread bags for this. If there’s gong to be a longer wait, put the wrapped brush in the fridge. It will keep for quite a while - at least several days, in my experience.

Late in the day the rocks were dry and I hauled them out front. I may add some others later to make a solid border - I haven’t decided yet. For right now, these will do to keep cars off of the new plants. Unless someone steals them.

Technorati Tags: garden border, gardening, yard work

Shopping the sales

skeet — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:01:04 +0000

I’ve been talking a lot about shopping lately. That’s because we’re rapidly moving into the holiday season and I really, really want to get my shopping done early and my gifts mailed on time this year. If I manage that it will be totally out of character, but I’m working on self-improvement and this is an area where I have a lot of room for growth. I recently mailed a couple of packages that were almost two years late, so, yeah - room for improvement. I’ve started my campaign by mailing my sister’s birthday presents early this year - her birthday is coming up on Sunday and she’s already got her stuff. I need to prove to myself that that wasn’t a fluke, though, thus the early holiday shopping discussions.

The real advantage to getting started early, of course, is that it gives you time to do some comparison shopping and find the best sale prices. I’ve already found a great price on a watch I’ll probably get for my son (he collects them) and have started looking for the other traditional gift he’ll expect from me: a coordinated outfit of slacks, shirt and sweater. I’ll be asking him for a wish list soon, but he’s a procrastinator like his mom, so I may not have that for a while. His list will undoubtedly include some recently released DVDs, though, so I can shop for those without the list. I’m pretty sure he’ll want Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull because: a.) he’s a fan of the earlier Indiana Jones movies and b.) he’s a fanatic about having complete sets. I’ll probably order an extra copy for myself for the same reasons. The DVD will be released on October 14th, but can be pre-ordered now from Buy.com at a very sweet price of $17.99, which is $13.00 below the recommended retail price of $30.99. See what I mean about shopping early to get the best prices? Buy.com is a great place to do that because they have discounted prices on electronics, cameras, games, books, clothing and more - all of the things you’ll be looking at for holiday gifts. We’re not talking knock-offs or Brand X items either - Buy.com stocks all of the major brands. You’ll be starting your own holiday shopping soon if you haven’t already. You really should bookmark Buy.com and check them first for everyday bargains and special sale prices. It’s a great place to stretch your holiday budget.

Technorati Tags: /Buy.com, DVDs, movies, shopping