The Weekend Plans Post: Fall Back
Every spring the government rips an hour from us all. We wake up bleary-eyed to an alarm clock going off extra early and stagger into work thankful that we’re not one of the increased car accidents or increased heart attacks from the change. We spend the next week recuperating from the unexpected theft of a precious hour.
Then, thank goodness, every autumn the government reluctantly gives us the hour back. We get an extra luxurious hour in bed the following Sunday. Waltz into work an hour late on Monday and discover that we made it in on time. Sure, we have to eat lunch an hour later than we’re used to and go home an hour later than we’re used to… but that extra hour in the mornings?
It’s almost as sweet as not having to experience jet lag at all.
But *THIS* weekend is the weekend that we get our hour back. And we can sleep in. Get that extra blanket out of the closet. Put it on the foot of the bed. Be extra warm and toasty this Saturday night because we get back to the good part of the year.
And, as such, this weekend will be spent luxuriating. I had a talk with Maribou about expectations for Saturday and we hammered out that we had to do some banking and we had to go out to breakfast to the place that has the best huevos rancheros in town and then, after that, not leaving the house. Sure, there are chores we’ll have to do but the errands can wait until Sunday and laundry is one of those things that can be done while in the basement between episodes of the show we’re watching or when the game I’m playing is paused.
This weekend is devoted to *NOTHING*. And then? Getting an extra hour for it.
So… what’s on your docket?
(Photo is DSC04021-02 by Suzy Hazelwood. Used under a Creative Commons License.)
We are coming up on what my wife has referred to as ‘social season’ in the Dwyer household. We are hosting events three weekends in a row in November, including Thanksgiving. So we have undertook a million small projects to get the house looking a bit nicer. This included trying to reclaim our youngest daughter’s bedroom and bathroom, now that she is away at college. Coats of paint, intense scrubbing, carpet cleaning (seriously, teens are gross). Everything was on track until my boss asked me to go on a unplanned work trip next week. Now I am scrambling to finish those projects this weekend so the house will be ready for party number one. Fun!Report
Alas, I’m grading a lot this weekend, but the end of the semester is within my sight, so it’s not too bad. The local game store is having its annual auction and I have a few things to put up for sale. I’ll probably start RedDead and the new Assassin’s Creed during the break between semesters.Report
Opera season is back again, and tonight we go see The Flying Dutchman. We do not have much planned for the rest of the weekend. I bought a copy of The Witcher 3 during the Steam Halloween sale, so I might get it downloaded and try to get some time in.Report
Open houses, open houses, open houses.
One thing I’ve discovered about SF is that there are a lot of houses that stay in the same family for generations (maybe I mentioned this here last week, I can’t remember). One house we saw was built in 1925. The most recent occupant lived there from her childhood until her death at 92 in 2017. She had no children and never married. The house is now owned by two step-sisters or the children of step-sisters (the story got confusing at this point but they were the closest in intestate succession) and is for sale in probate. You see quite a lot of these houses on the market in SF, places where the resident died or got too old and now the family is selling the house.
Coincidentally or not, a lot of these houses were never really updated since their construction date. The 1920s house needed a completely new electrical system, a new heater, and probably new pipes too. That’s too much work for us. We can handle updating a kitchen and a bathroom but not an entire house.Report
Oh my word yes. I don’t even care that it means driving home in the dark some days, the fact that I can drive to work as it is getting light makes so much of a difference to me. Going home in the dark seems normal and OK; driving to work in the dark feels like way too much. (I go to work at 7 am – I don’t have to be here before 8 but I like that extra hour to get caught up on stuff before office hours or classes begin). Also I get up most days around 4:30 to work out and it’s a lot harder this time of year, but will be easier come Monday.
I gave no exams this week (for a change) so I have no grading I have to do right away. I give an exam Monday so that will change next week…
Plans for this weekend are minimal: I intend to at least start the couple of quick Christmas-gift projects I am making. Sunday afternoon is a surprise birthday party for someone so I intend to go to that.
I am doing a “big grocery run” (which involves an hour’s drive, but gives me more choice and nicer stores) this afternoon and maybe hit the craft store and the Ulta while I’m at it.Report
Opening day for Black Powder season. We get most of our deer during this time before the punters from NOVA come out with their fancy regular rifles* and scramble all the deer patterns. Plus the weather is usually perfect for being in the woods.
Saturday, before the time change takes effect is *the* perfect day for a morning hunt…sunrise is 7:45… feels like you’re waking up at noon. After we adjust for a week, the next Saturday sunrise is at 6:45. Booo. Bad sun. wait.
*full disclosure, I have a fancy muzzle loading rifle.Report
Serendipity!
A co-worker is buying his first firearm and there are arguments over what his first firearm should be. The two finalists are:
A: A nice little 9mm CZ 75 B.
B: A used Mossberg shotgun
My argument was that his first gun should be a muzzle loading long rifle.Report
The 9mm is more fun for plinking, but the Mossberg is more versatile. I got my Mossberg 500 in 1993 and it has been with me on hunts for deer, turkey, quail, rabbit and waterfowl.Report
Heh, I’m not really a pistol fan myself (I do have a revolver for farm chores ‘n such). I might feel differently if I were in combat.
The Shotgun is definitely a better first choice as Mike notes above. That said, unless you really are looking for versatility in hunting you probably won’t practice with your shotgun as much as you should. I find shooting shotguns rather unpleasant.
But yes, nothing focuses the mind and indicates seriousness of purpose better than a single .50 calibre shot. So, bully on your muzzle loading advice. He could even get a conceal/carry version. 🙂
The Tompson-Center really is a great rifle that has engineered all the issues out of using muzzle loading black powder. I (often) use it during regular season as well.Report
Oh, that’s a thing of beauty.
The mirror reflection of the portable typewriter.Report
I think George Orwell wrote about a farm like yours.Report
Trigger alert…er, so to speak.
My husband just killed one of our meat rabbits with a 22 handgun.
They have their place for farm chores.Report
You have no idea. 🙂Report
My vote for the Mossberg. I have one and it’s a versatile workhorse. Not to mention, if you are willing to give it a good cleaning afterwards, you can buy 12 gauge ‘firework’ rounds.
Currently, I have my eye on (read: saving my nickles for) one of these.Report
I always marvel at how much darker it feels on those morning hunts after the time change. Sadly, I think I am going to skip deer season. I have been on a mission to get our freezer emptied of wild game that has been lingering for too long. It will be painful when the last of my 2017 deer is gone, but it will just get me more motivated next year.Report
I know the feeling… its colder too. Like the sun is a little put-out by this whole bi-annual slight we’ve orchestrated.
We kept extra lamb this year and we’re about lambed out… which is saying a lot for a half-Greek. Still, Thanksgiving (lamb) is coming, and Christmas (lamb), and New Years (lamb), and Easter (lamb)… so, of course we’ll have to restock.
Venison Loin served mid-rare is our preferred “steak.” Seriously, the 4-yr old is even a little disappointed when the steak is beef and not venison. We have some fatback left over from this year’s pig… so I’m determined to try a smoked venison sausage again this year – we’ve never gotten them to work so far… but this year will be different.Report
There’s a party at the Casa Piena di Hippy tomorrow. There’s a batch of cider to bottle. Also there’s snow to shovel – looks like it’ll be a decently heavy snowfall by evening.
At some point on the weekend, we’ll do a walkthrough at our tenant’s house to check for maintenance things that need doing. She’s a great tenant, but maybe she doesn’t want to be a bother – so she doesn’t complain about small things like a dripping tap or a door not closing properly or something. So we figure going through the house once or twice a year helps us keep tabs on non-catastrophic issues.
I’m 90% certain there’s something I’m forgetting.Report
Running between son’s karate tournament and daughter’s robotics competition tomorrow. I’m going to need that extra hour…Report
And now we don’t get that extra hour of sunlight fading our fabrics.Report
Speaking of fallbacks, I’m going to be spending a bit more time at Hamilton airport than I was planning this morning.
I flew up to Hamilton yesterday to attend my sister’s wedding (which was lovely), and the plan was to fly back to Wellington at 8:00 (about and hour ago as I type this).
But the plane had some kind of mechanical problem (before we boarded fortunately), so now they’re going to put me on a bus to Auckland so I can get a 2:30 flight home from there.
This is going to delay my return home by about 6 hours, but that’s how it goes I guess.Report
Jaybird has bribed me into going to the bank on our day of rest (Saturday) by offering to take me to my favorite breakfast place afterward (horchata! creamy fruit salad! if I am intemperate, a breakfast burrito I don’t actually have room for and will regret later! very good times). Then nothing but home chores ALL FREAKING DAY as he mentioned, and no weird exceptional twice a year ones either. Seriously I think this is the first day I’ve had so little planned in about six months.
Sunday will be errands/chores/phone calls and Jaybird’s mom’s for dinner and the Outlander premiere at my friend C’s that night.Report
Yesssssss Outlander!!!!Report
I went to Costco, King Soopers, and Wag N Wash.
If I have to leave to run an errand on Sunday, it’ll be for something else entirely.Report
I am really looking forward to this season of Outlander because it will cover a period of American history that is dear to me, however this is one of those shows where I typically wait until the season is over and binge. I may get to spoiler-phobic and end up watching weekly.Report
Saturday we pick up one of the Aunties from the airport for a visit. Sunday I fly out to Lisbon, Portugal for a 3 day division meeting. My wife was supposed to be coming with me, but she hurt her knee and canceled, since she is still getting around real slow (no fun walking around hilly city streets and museums with a bum leg).
That is why the Auntie was flying in, to watch Bug for a week. Now she just gets to visit for a week (and still watch Bug, since my Wife is off to work before Bug goes to school, and doesn’t get home until after her’s home). I don’t fly home until Friday. So if I’m quiet this next week, ya’ll know why.Report
The wife is doing her annual Food Provision pickup, which is when her half lamb comes in and her special stores from many of the local farms are set aside for the locals. Or something along those lines. I, on the other hand, am putting up the storm windows. It is also the final push for one of my business projects, so I am sure I will be fielding a few calls and last minute changes and tracking down some clients to make sure that they are happy.Report
Tonight my kids were at a friend’s house so their dad and I ate dinner at a restaurant they hate and now I’m laying in bed drinking Apothic Red. Been a rough week.
The rest of the weekend I’ll be momming, maybe go to a movie, shop for basketball shoes for my little little, take the big little for a haircut, and, of course, work on the perpetual laundry pile.
And yes, Sunday night is Outlander night!Report
A quick trip to Vegas and back thanks to accumulated Southwest Points and my Lady Friend’s employer. They got her a Nice Room at a Nice Hotel for a conference, and she got a day and a half free so I’m going to see one of the Cirque shows and have a nice steak dinner with the Lady Friend and see a lot of damn sunshine. And then the next day eat Eggs Benedict at the hotel café and get on a plane back to the Northwest and return to make up some time I lost on my billables total today goofing off because it turns out to take two and a half hours to get your hairs cut in Portland if you haven’t made an appointment in advance (but, I look great).Report