Hood

I've been looking for something for, oh, about thirty years. No, you read that right. Thirty years.

You see, a long, long time ago, there was a used book sale in my hometown. Since I was not much older then than the Neatnik is now, I do not remember all of the particulars in sharp detail but I clearly remember bringing home a huge box and a couple of paper grocery store bags overflowing with books and only leaving a lonely Lincoln in payment.

Picture me. All of about nine years old rooting around in a box of books, digging for buried treasure. And I struck gold in the form of two cloth-bound volumes, printed circa 1943: The Robe and Robin Hood. I read the covers off of both of those books, literally. I was luckier with The Robe: there were two copies. Alas, there was but one copy of Robin Hood.

I loved that book so much! I read it and reread it over and over so many times that I had whole chapters memorized. It is entirely possible that I devoted more hours to that book than to all of my required fourth grade schoolwork.

Don't tell Neatnik that last bit, okay? Our little secret? Cheers.

Eventually, the poor book wore out. Pages were missing, the front cover dangling by a few stray threads.

I tried to find it in the library and in the book stores. Every place I looked I found Pyle's version but that was not the one I had owned and I considered it a poor substitute for the "real thing".

Finally, today, decades later, I found the book. The author was Henry Gilbert. Some folks over on Library Thing scanned their covers and amidst them all I saw my cover.

It was like coming home after a long, weary journey.

Read online

In which trek is busy

Oh, my. I just stopped by the blog and realized that it has been over a week since my last post. Busy blogger. I have been blogging, but like the past few semesters, it has been getting the class blogs up and running for my computer literacy students. The class blog is the repository of pretty much everything for these students. I post homework assignments, test dates, lab hours, and other helpful stuff there. The most important stuff are the due dates of assignments and test dates. The most helpful stuff are the step-by-step tutorials which are always loaded with screenshots.

On Monday, I wrote three blog tutorials. Tutorial the first was a fairly short four-screenshot post on how to hyperlink, making sure that the displayed text is all user-friendly instead of merely the outrageously long URL of a news article.

Tutorial the second was also very straight-forward: a seven-screenshot instruction page on how to add and populate a blogroll in Blogger.

Tutorial the third was the biggest: an eleven-screenshot deal delineating the steps needed to be taken in order to download, work on, and upload homework files.

As you can see, a lot of blogging.

Between my own back to school requirements and the Neatnik's, I've been kept very busy and have had little time for much else. Take yesterday for example.

I was up at 6:15. I bolted breakfast so that I would have some time to go over a few last minute details before my morning lecture. I got Number Guy and Neatnik out the door and had just about half an hour before I needed to leave.

Three hours of class later, I tried to get home for lunch. A closed road meant traffic was rerouted and it took me three times as long as normal for my commute.

Did I mention that the students were a wee bit needy and that I stayed 15 minutes over?

A quick lunch, an hour of homework grading, and then I was off to the school to help coach cross country. After that, we stopped at the chiropractor's office where Neatnik did homework and I suffered.

From there we made our way to the tae kwon do school because, while normally I don't like the Neatnik having two after school activities on the same day, colored belt testing is this Friday and she needed to earn her last two belt stripes.

While the kids practiced, I slipped over to the store to pick up a few staples, arriving back in time to see Neatnik test for her stripes. She beamed at her success and it was worth it.

Back into the car to take her home and provide her with sustenance and myself with anti-inflammatories for the back pain.

Right after dinner, Neatnik was shunted off to the shower and I was back to grading programming projects. Number Guy tinkered with his computer. Post-shower was time for revisiting science, social studies, and religion notes since I am pretty sure there are tests later this week. Half an hour of reading, prayers, hugs and kisses and Neatnik was off to dreamland.

And I was still grading assignments.

Back to school is truly a busy season.

Glog

We are all aware that blog is a portmanteau of web log but did you know that there is such a thing as a glog? Yes, blog peeps, today I bring you a glog post!

Saturday, September 11th, 2010
chez trek

8:26am: First Attempted Customer arrives. Inform FAC that town ordinance prohibits garage/yard sales from beginning prior to 9 o'clock. He continues to ask questions about weed wacker and edge trimmer as we continue to set up other goods. Tell him again that we can't do business until nine. FAC leaves and says he'll come back later.

Yeah, right. For the record, no, of course he never returned.

8:45am: Slightly Early Collector Dude arrives. SECD wants to know if we have any baseball cards, coins, military memorabilia, or musical instruments. I admit that I have a Guild acoustic guitar. Retrieve said guitar from house. Take a look/listen. We kill enough time that I can sell him the weed wacker for three dollars. He takes our phone number to call back if his brother is interested in the guitar.

The garage sale permit from the town cost ten dollars. We sold the weed wacker for three. Only need to make seven dollars more in order to break even.

9:12am: Older couple pulls up. Man gets out of car. We'll call him Gun Guy. He looks at the three Revereware pieces we have on the table. Says his girlfriend (still in car) wanted him to check them out. Asks price. We bring the pans to the car because she's barely mobile even with her canes. She's interested he asks her if she really needs them. They leave.

Tagged him GG because he asked if we were selling any guns and told me that he had two guns in the trunk of his car. Happy to see their tail lights.

9:20am: Group of four shows up. Incredibly Cheap Woman asks how much for the iron. We tell her two dollars. She replies, "One dollars?" "No, two dollars." We go through the same song and dance number with the Revereware pans and a couple of Pfaltzgraff serving dishes. ICW piles all of it in her arms and asks, "How much?" "Ten dollars for all." "One dollars?" "No." They leave.

Number Guy and I had an interesting discussion at that point regarding how pegged the needle on the weird-creep-o-meter was.

9:28am: Starting to wonder if we should have dropped the 30 bucks on the one day print/online newspaper ad. Also trying to figure out the under-over on whether or not the rubberneckers crawling past the yard are going to trigger a chain-reaction ending in a spectacular multi-car collision and how many vehicles would participate in said meet-and-greet.

Luckily, we live only ¾ of a mile from the first aid station. Of course, our small section of suburbia relies on a purely volunteer crew so response time is increased...

9:35am: Wow, this glog is a really good idea! It gives us something to do while waiting for people to actually stop rather than merely slow down to a crawl as they drive on by us.

9:41am: Ice Cream Loving Guy inspects the ice cream maker carefully.

9:42am: ICLG returns to his truck and leaves with all of his money and none of our stuff.

9:48am: Neatnik is bored. We detail her to write "WELCOME!" on the driveway in chalk. Looks good.

9:56am: Check it out: that woman is banging a uey she's sure to stop!

9:57am: Our hopes fall. U-turn Woman coasts past us, guns the engine, and roars away.

10:02am: Yay, Fry Lady buys a skillet for a dollar!

After a full hour of officially conducting a garage sale, we need only six dollars in sales to reach the break even point.

10:05am: Taxi Driver turns around for a second look. Parks in front of twin sized bed for sale. Solid maple and priced to go. Which is what he does next.

Apparently whomever TD was text messaging about the bed was not interested.

10:25am: Discuss cross country training and scoring methods for peewee cross country team. Regale Number Guy with stories from yesterday's practice session.

10:31am: BIG SALE!! Couple With Two Boys buy Neatnik's old compact stereo and speakers ($5), a blue kid's bike ($5), the iron and two suitcases ($3). Toss in the training wheels for free.

The fiver from the stereo went into Neatnik's piggy bank. The other eight dollars were balanced against the remainder of the yard sale permit fee. Hey, we're in the black by two bucks!

10:42am: Is it lunch time yet?

10:45am: Demonstrate playpen disassembly and packing for transport to Family of Three. FoT takes it ($10) and a pair of baby blankets ($1).

10:49am: Woman by herself shows up while taking the playpen apart. She chooses a pair of receiving blankets for a dollar. Then she selects a suitcase for another dollar. Then she buys a brace of bowls for a buck. Dribble Purchase Woman departs happily.

It was at this point, in the black by $14 that we realized that people stop and buy stuff at garage sales when they see that other people have stopped and are buying stuff. It was almost like watching some sort of second-hand competition. People buy to keep other people from getting stuff.

10:52am: Bailey the Jack Russell Terrier arrives with her dad. Allow Neatnik to pet her. BtJRT's dad departs with the bed frame, leaving us with eight dollars.

10:53am: Send Neatnik to wash hands.

10:56am: There goes another pot for another buck.

11:16am: Car doors disgorge Family of Five.

11:22am: FoF leaves with Neatnik's toy drum ($2) and the pedals from my new bike ($4).

11:35am: Watchtower Lady asks after the guitar. She asks for a phone number to contact us later. She is on a missionary route with the other Watchtower Ladies.

11:37am: Number Guy recycles the Watchtower left by WL.

11:48am: Want ice cream.

Ate a pear instead. Core resembled a rubber chicken. Still craving soft, vanilla ice cream.

12:09pm: Number Guy sends tired, cranky Neatnik for a nap.

12:10pm: Number Guy leaves to let friends' dogs out while they are away for the day.

12:12pm: Visibly Pregnant Couple take the super-wide, adjustable, mesh fabric baby gate ($3) and Neatnik's outgrown swim vest ($1). Try to sell them on crib. VPC already have one. Wish them well.

12:13pm: Mother and daughter inquire after Legos and attempt to buy Neatnik's vacated lawn chair.

12:18pm: Very quiet. Decide to conduct field research. Is the Kindle as glare-free in direct sunlight as Amazon claims?

12:22pm: Well, whaddaya know? It is.

12:29pm: Please, someone come buy this stuff so we don't have to put is back into the garage.

12:51pm: Woman Who Lives on Puddle Path is interested in the crib.

12:56pm: WWLoPP says if the crib doesn't sell by end of day, she'll buy it for $25. Decide that I'd rather Freecycle it or donate it than sell a $600 crib for $25.

1:03pm: Edge trimmer taken ($3) by a Very Non-Descript Fellow.

1:05pm: Vintage Electronics Guy carts away the ancient stereo tuner for a dollar.

The same amount we paid for it at a garage sale years ago.

2:14pm: Two stuffed animals = two dollars for Neatnik's piggy.

3:01pm Man with a Limp and a Lisp tries to buy my lawn chair out from under me.

3:07pm: Incipient Grandma invests two dollars in a knitted baby blanket and demonstrates a lot of interest in the crib for when the new grandchild might sleep over her place. Promises to check with Very Pregnant Daughter to see if a drop side crib is okay with her.

It seems that VPD has serious safety issues.

3:29pm: Big, honking, white pickup truck's driver stops to yell an inquiry after tools. Sorry dude.

4:11pm: Very Enthusiastic Lady is interested in the crib. Requests phone number to call us back after she checks with her brother.

4:13pm: Biking Tie-Wearing Dude buys old Casio soundbank keyboard for five dollars. Somehow manages to hold it steady in one hand and steer bike with the other.

4:17am: Last Customer of the Day expresses interest in the crib and high chair. Departs with two wooden baby gates. Leaves two dollars behind.

6:11pm: Speak with WL on phone. She requests model name so she can research going prices on Internet.

6:29pm: VEL calls and asks to pick up the crib on Sunday at four.

Total Saturday profit: $45 for trek and Number Guy and $9 for Neatnik.
Predicted $75 in crib sale this afternoon.

Edited, Sunday, September 12th:
4:43pm: VEL and Son and Daughter-in-Law have a new crib for the baby to arrive! We've got go-out-to-dinner cash :o)

Still pending on guitar possibility.
Need a nap.

Let's avoid this for another six years. By then, all of this will have become a blur.

In which trek asks smart what?

I placed an order with a major online retailer back in early August. This particular item is getting to be pretty popular and the specific model in question was on backorder.

That happens sometimes when a manufacturer (a) announces major improvements over the previous model and (b) drops the price significantly.

Have to wait for item to arrive. Understood. Delayed gratification. I'm a grown up. I can live with that.

...fast forward to last weekend..

There was an email in my inbox stating that my order had shipped. The seller's website has tracking information.

Has anyone out there ever had a package delivered via SmartPost? I learned last night that a package can be picked up by FedEx but delivered to your doorstep by your regular postal worker and that this is supposed to be less expensive than shipping directly with either carrier.

Smartpost.

According to the tracking website, my package departed from FedEx before I got out of bed yesterday morning. The facility in question is only a 45 minute drive from here.

I just accessed post office's tracking website and was told

"The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on September 09, 2010 to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date. Delivery status information will be provided if / when available. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later."

While copying and pasting that quote, I heard our mailbox being opened.

My package was sitting atop our mailbox.

SmartPost?

In which the Brownies try technology

We interrupt the last Weekly Wednesday Wrap-up of the summer to bring you a special news bulletin...

Are you currently or have you previously been a scout leader? If you are, then you know how much planning, organizing, scheduling, and time is involved. In order to take some of the pressure off of Neatnik's troop leader, some of us moms have volunteered to assist the Brownies in earning some of their Try-It badges. To earn a Try-It badge, a Brownie needs to complete four (of five or six possible) activities within a particular topic.

I volunteered to run a two-fer: Computer Smarts and Point, Click, and Go.

Yes, I know. Nobody is surprised at the Try-It activities I chose.

Think of it as a dry run against the onset of the fall semester.

We worked on the badges this morning. The full troop was not available so I had only half a dozen scouts but that worked out really well. First off, I explained about online safety and I had the girls print and sign an Internet Safety Pledge. Then we talked about parts of the computer, the difference between hardware and software, used a search engine, and wrote the beginning of a story using a story starter before slipping over to play an online game.

All in all, I think I spent an hour or so in preparation and we spent just over an hour in the lab this morning. Time well spent.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.