Shared Office Etiquette 101

If you're going to eat something that smells like fart before its even processed through your body, out of consideration for those who share your office space, kindly eat it elsewhere!

Happy Friday!

Good to know

To prevent my car from spontaneous combustion I opted to stay a little further behind this truck than usual.

Easy Rider

Its taken a little time but Jackson has finally figured out how refreshing a rolled down window can be. When I first tried to show Jackson how awesome the fresh air is he was a bit hesitant, but now that he has figured it, anyone sitting in the passenger seat or even the driver's seat is a mere step ladder to the open window. Now that's one happy little dog! And, doesn't he look heavenly with the sun rays shining down on him : )

Everyone is happy when its warm and sunny outside and you're cruising with the windows down!

Finished Tile

D & D Tile finished our tile backsplash this past Friday and it looks great! Really ties the room together, does it not?

Kitchen update

Yesterday we had D&D tile (The Mosaic Guys) install our tile backsplash. They are returning today to finish up the grout, and I can't wait to get home to see the finished product. Even though the pictures below show an unfinished product, it already looks pretty good. We stacked, opposed to staggered the matte white 2x4 subway tiles and accented the backsplash with semi-random lines of black/gray/charcoal glass tiles with little white swirlies. Pre-installation Jonathan was a little concerned that the glass tile accents were not going to work with the kitchen, but we both agree that they look fantastic. They help tie together the black/white theme of the kitchen and bring just enough pop to the design to catch your attention. Nothing too busy, just a little something extra.



One thing this remodel has taught me is how to be flexible. The near completion of the kitchen remodel has made us realize that our kitchen has definitely benefited from a few last minute detours from our original design plans. A few months back, following quite a bit of back and forth we had decided to have a white stone countertop installed in the kitchen. However, after learning of "additional installation costs" in excess of $700, which would top our already tight budget, we decided to go with our initial choice of butcher block, and it looks terrific. Not only did it save us about $2,500+ but the butcher block brings a great amount of natural warmth to the kitchen and has worked much better for the overall design than the cold white stone would have. In addition, the first range hood we ordered was stainless steel, but thanks to a shady online business and an order that was inexplicably delayed for months, we canceled the order and found an awesome matte black hood that works better with our kitchen design.

We still have some decisions to make about shelves and molding, but hopefully by the end of April we'll be able to consider the kitchen... completed!

Happy Friday

Just in case you were wondering, Rage Against the Machine is a very appropriate way to start the day.

More home improvements to come... stay tuned.

Work quote of the day

Male supervisor: "I'm glad I could get it up for you"

Female employee: "I'm glad you could get it up for me too".

The tragedy being neither of the computer nerds involved realized the blatant innuendo of their comments. Just continued discussing computer parts sans chuckle, smile or comment, and I wasn't about to be "that guy" and bring it up. Hyuck hyuck, no pun intended.

Off the wagon

I think Toby may have "a problem".

Mom's visit

A few Saturday's ago, my mom arrived after a 12+ hour drive down from the the lovely island of Alameda, CA. The ginormous truck she was driving came packed with all kinds of goodness, like the much anticipated stacked washer dryer unit, a sweet poang chair,and some slightly scary family "heirlooms". I was really excited to see my mom, and quite relieved that I would no longer be making weekly trips to the sketchy Laundromat.

Unfortunately, Jackson didn't seem to share our excitement for my mom's arrival. After an initial sniff and grumble and then an eventual bite, we found out Jackson was a bit more aggressive than expected. It was reminiscent of a bad infomercial, there we stood, shocked and dismayed at our wild animal's unruly behavior. Luckily for us, and Mr. Jackson, my mom has considerable experience with dogs and working with them using many of Cesar Milan's amazing dog whisperer methods. I kid you not, given a few days of one on one time my mom was able to whip Mr. Jackson into shape. We are still working with him every time someone comes over but since her visit he plays better, he has learned words (toy, bone, treat), he has learned a "sit" command and overall seems to enjoy a little more structure and having more of an established role in the pack.

To the left are some pictures of Mr. Jackson as well as an awesome mosaic my mom completed during her stay in Phoenix.

Sappytown

For the last two weeks the Winter Olympics has brought tears to my eyes on a nightly basis. You name it, ice dancing, down hill skiing, snowboard half pipe, even bobsledding brings about uncontrollable eye moisture. And, these tears are not patriotic, no, they appear for American teams, German teams, Canadians, you name it, I'll cry over it. Its now to the point where I can't talk when the Olympics are on because my voice breaks, giving away the emotion I'm trying unsuccessfully to control. This level of emotional devotion may make you think I have some freak affinity for the winter Olympics, but this isn't the case in the least. The last time I was aware the Winter Olympics were taking place was when they were in Salt Lake, back in 2002, and I'm pretty darn sure I didn't watch any of the coverage.

Yesterday during my drive into work the mere mention of the Canadian ice skater, who recently lost her mother, started to get me chocked up. In a futile attempt to prevent pre-work tears I changed the station. Little did I know, the sweet melody of Cyndi Lauper would also bring about a case of the vapors. Its so pathetic I can't help but laugh as tears form.

After a night sans Olympics, and avoidance of any Olympic news coverage I was relieved when Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" managed to get my Friday off to a tear-free start.

Mine now

For my own well being I decided it was best to let demon Toby sit in the new chair.

Late 20’s + Ear Infection… honestly?

Day 1: I tried to pretend it was only an ear ache, and that with some tender love and care it would go away.

Day 2: My middle ear was now swollen to the point that I could only hear muffled noises out of my left ear. If I was daring enough to endure the pain to open my jaw wide enough to shove in some food, all sound was lost as I crunched on my cereal. Time to see a Dr.

Following the slightly insulting comments of “must be pretty bad if you came to a Dr. for an ear ache”, the nurse took my temperature. Her awesome comments continued when she informed me that my temp was 99.5, “indicating that there really was something going on”, “not to say we didn’t believe you”. Good to know they were expecting a lying hypochondriac. A good 10 minutes after the nurse left the Dr. came in prepared for a weight loss program speech since the nurse had added an extra 100 lbs to my chart. Awesome attention to details. After some obligatory chatting the Dr. shoved something in my ear already sensitive ear, and jostled it around to the point that my left eye was watering uncontrollably. As if the first time wasn't bad enough, after a little diagnosis chatter she decided she needed another look. Yes, indeed it hurt worse the second time, but thanks for the extra effort.

Since I am now the proud owner of an HSA insurance plan (aka, I pay every dime until I hit my premium of $1400) after she recited the "tests" she wanted to run on me I asked her how much they cost. I could hear the thought-hamster-wheel loud and clear. Post "ums", "uhs" and blank stares she finally admitted she had no clue how much they cost. I didn't care too much that she was ignorant of the cost she imposes on the patient, so as she climbed onto her "I’m a conservative" soap box and explained to me the "problems with health care", my admiration for the view from the 25th floor grew. Her mentioning of the disconnect between Dr.'s, Pharmaceutical companies and patients didn’t help the fact that, as a Dr. with no concept of how much medical tests cost, she was only contributing to the problem. I opted to hold off on the blood draws.

At this point she wrote a prescription down on my trusty chart and walked out of the room. She returned a good 10 minutes later to inform me she had done some research to find out the price of the tests. Super, couldn’t you have done that on your own time, instead of mine? She then told me she was going to “write up the prescription”. Surely this should have taken 30 seconds while she scribbled it on a little pad and sent me off on my now in more pain way. No no, not at this state of the art office. I had originally appreciated the fact that this office was predominantly electronic, but when it took them 15 minutes to type up my Rx, and print it out my appreciation for the technological efforts had faded.

When I originally scheduled the appointment I was asked, if I'd be making this Dr. my primary care physician. Odd question to ask of someone who hasn't even met the Dr., but I said yes to move on with the appointment set up. I suppose they gave it their all, but after an hour plus long appointment that resulted in my left ear becoming numb to deal with the pain from the assault/inspection I have a funny feeling I won’t be returning any time soon.

Goober

I wonder what kind of day its going to be when on the way to work I almost start crying while singing the non David Bowie version of Major Tom? Honestly, Major Tom?

Easy Rider

If you ride with three feet long, black leather motorcycle streamers are you more bad ass than the rider without? Sure they’re black, instead of iridescent rainbow, but honestly, a streamer is a streamer. And, call me crazy, but aren’t gratuitously lengthy streamers a hazard on a motorcycle? Not only might I feel a little silly if my streamers started slapping me in a cross wind, but what if they got stuck in engine parts, or started snaking over to other cars? Perhaps I should stop being cynical and find it refreshing that in a state where people take their guns to Starbucks and The Good Egg, there are still rebels out there rocking the streamer. Or, perhaps I should not linger by the bad ass streamers and mind my own.

Hairy Hupps family update

Jackson has been in our home for close to a month now and is doing great. He is fantastic with the kitties, and despite Toby’s nightly “I’ll show you who’s boss” pre-kitty-dinner bats, the cats seem well adjusted to him. Sydney continues to hiss when she hasn’t realized where Jackson is sleeping until she is stepping on him, but otherwise life is back to normal in the Hupp house.

Jackson, being quite the cooperative little dog, has been known to sport a sweater on chilly days and rock the bandana on celebratory days like Superbowl Sunday. I don’t think I’ll be outfitting him with accessories on a daily basis, but he is just so darn cute and content with whatever you dress him in that he may steadily acquire a small wardrobe. Perhaps I can take my sewing to a whole new level to include canine fashion.

Cat lovers and middle children, worry not, even though we have a new addition, I continue to take plenty of photos of our kitties. All hairy Hupps share equal camera time. Here Sydney is displaying her attention to good nutrition and the importance of daily fruit intake, and below we have the ever watchful eye of Mr. Toby, supervising from the comfort of his hidden kitty perch. His eye may appear closed, but don’t try to get away with anything… he is a sneaky little bugger.

Delicious

When a living room that contains two kitties and a young dog goes silent, something isn't right. Before I started to survey the room for what might be going on the smell of a strangely potent cat poopy hit me. Strange, I thought, that smells mighty powerful. As I continued to turn around I started to hear an ever so subtle chewing noise. Soon enough my eyes met what the cats were both staring at with complete and understandable disgust. Mr. Jackson had drug out what he was considering an excellent treat, a fresh cat nugget. I think he understood my disgust when I said no because unlike his usual m.o. he dropped his morsel.

Next time you think its cute when a dog gives you a little kiss and happens to lick your lips, just think about what else those little doggy lips have been around. Yeck!

Buzz Killer

Besides salmonella and the nasty sensation you get when you bite down on a blob of unexpected gristle, I dare say orange seeds are the un-welcomed party crashers of the food world. When eating a pomegranate you should expect to work for your food, but three seeds in a wedge of orange that is half the size of my pinkie is down right rude.

Arf, arf

Check out our new furry addition, Jackson.

After careful consideration of our kitties and our budget we decided to rescue Jackson from a less than healthy home. His previous owners were told he is a purebred Jack Russell, but you can definintely see that he has a dash of Chihuahua to him. He is around 12 – 13 pounds which we’ll find out for sure when we take him to the vet for the dreaded neutering appointment. Welcome to the family, get comfortable, then SNIP! A little harsh for the second week, but it needs to be done, so why prolong the wait.

Toby is still a little unsure of Jackson and isn’t really happy with his existence, but he is steadily adjusting. Sydney on the other hand is either good about ignoring him, or potentially not too aware of his presence. Love her dearly but she isn’t always the brightest bulb in the box. I think she continues to hiss more at Toby than at Jackson. Both cats are back to hanging out with us in the living room and roaming about the house without fear, which is a great sign. At least once a night, perhaps during a bout of crankiness, Toby likes to challenge Jackson with a few swipes, which Jackson finds very entertaining. We truly believe that Jackson only wants to play and is not acting maliciously, but we’re not foolish enough to think this behavior is ok and leave them unsupervised. Its going to take time, but hopefully sooner rather than later, they’ll be content with some form of mutual avoidance.

Backyard Water Feature

“Sam, there’s water pouring out of your house…” Mom Caetano, December 27th (day of the family dinner for 10 being hosted at our house)

After I washed a few veggies my mom came in from the back door and informed me that a pipe below the kitchen window was pouring water. Bizarre. She returned outside to view the pipe but this time, when I turned on the water, unlike before, nothing happened. Thinking perhaps it was just a freak occurrence we returned to our prep work.

After peeling the sweet potatoes, to keep the sink clear of debris I ran the garbage disposal. Much to my displeasure I then heard the distinct sound of water and sweet potatoes grounds plopping onto the rocks about 3 feet below the kitchen window. I went outside to scope out the issue and was greeted by a lovely little pile of sweet potatoes skins and a nasty little puddle of water.

It turns out that nearly everything that was getting washed and/or ground up was shooting out of the pipe protruding about 2 inches from our house. Awesome. Enter the faint music of honky banjoes playing in the back of my mind. For a quick fix, since we really didn’t need a ton of water messing with our foundation, we slid a container beneath the hole, as seen here. Delicious, I know. And yes, sliding a plastic container under a food shooting pipe did make those white trash banjoes play a little louder.

A few days later Jonathan contacted our plumber, the amazing Larry Nicely. Larry explained that the pipe needed to be capped with a specific plumbing device and informed Jonathan on where to buy it and how to install it. Excellent. Food was no longer shooting out of the house; however, now our sink was refusing to drain. Fortunately, that very day, Larry was able to make it out to our house with his trusty plumbing snake and resolve the issue completely by removing 3 clogs of god knows what. Ah, the joys of home ownership.

Note to all who paint

And no, I don't mean those who do so artistically. This message is for those who either saw it done on HGTV and thought "I could do that", or those who are "simply" painting a room for a change in appearance. Do not, under any circumstances paint before you've had a cup of coffee, or red bull, or whatever it is you drink/eat to start your day.

Following 9 hours of sleep I thought I was in good enough shape to tackle the first item on my to-do list before I had my cup of joe. It was simple, all I had to do was slap a coat of paint on the three sided sink base in the guest bath. The grey that had been painted on the day before just didn't look right so a reapplication of "cotton whisper" was in order. With a bit too much haste I slapped on what I thought would be the first and only coat. Things were not going very well, which should have been my indicator, but instead I forged forward and like a fool just kept thicking he coat. Mistake two, I walked away.

My scolding coffee was continuing to cool to a drinkable temperature, so I decided it was a good time to check on my work. To my chagrin I returned to a paint job that was damn near oozing off. I had applied the paint so thick that it was forming ridges within the layer where the still wet paint was starting to run over the base layer that was starting to adhere to the gray. Its a bit hard to explain, and by no means was I going to take a picture of this colossal failure, but it looked horrible. Still not in the right frame of mind I thought it would be a good idea to ever so lightly run the brush across the job and "smooth it out a little". Again, I knew better and knew I should have stopped right then and there, but no, this quick task wasn't going to get the better of me, I could fix this, you'd see.

Whats that you say, bad idea number three? After my crap attempt at fixing the issue the paint looked even worse. No worries, I thought, the required second coat will undoubtidly cover up my egregious errors.

At this point the cup of cooling coffee was mocking my denial of its addiction. After a few sips I returned to the scene of the crime and like an ass applied the second coat. Mind you the first is still not fully dry and already looks like I applied it with my left hand with only one eye opened. Talk about bad to worse. Not only was my paint not applying well, but it was pulling up the old paint and excentuating the platus and valleys I was foolishly thinking I could hide.

I may have been foolish, but I'm no fool. It was time to throw in the towel and start anew. Thanks to the clever person who invented the paint scraper I was able to scrape off all three layers with ease which returned me to the proper starting point of the primer layer. Despite the fact that my 8 minute task had become an hour long process it was oddly refreshing to remove my errors and be able to start fresh.

After taking the time to gather the right tools for going about the painting process in an acceptable manor, I ran out of paint after only the first coat. Such is life. If you're a "do it yourselfer" please learn from my experience and, for the sake of your sanity, feed the monkey on your back before you start a project.