HALLWAYS

Not the hallway the event occurred in  

The other day I was walking down a hallway at work and I saw a co-worker at the other end of the hall walking toward me. I smiled and waved.

Then continued walking very awkwardly and self-consciously down the hall. When we got close enough to exchange pleasantries we said hello again.

It seems excessive. Two hellos for one encounter?  Should I have held off on the wave and just said hello? Should I have waved and forgone the hello (this seems rude).

Anyway, welcome to a glimpse inside of my head.

THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY

What I thought was going to be a 3-day project quickly morphed into a 3+ week project. And I'm not talking about a few hours here-and-there each weekend. I'm talking about 8+ hours of work each Saturday and Sunday for the past few weeks.

Our backyard was a hodge-podge of landscaping styles.  Almost like the previous owner let the sales at the store dictate what would be done to the yard.

Mulch on sale. Perfect! We'll put some here.
Red rocks on sale. Excellent. Let's put 'em next to the mulch.
River rock on sale. Wonderful. I know the perfect spot--next to those red rocks we just put down.

Whatever was being purchased was always done in bulk. I thought the rock/mulch/whatever else border was only going to be about 2 inches thick. I was quickly proven wrong. It ranged from 4-6 inches in most areas, with 6 being the dominant depth.

It took about 2 shovel fulls of rock to realize my timeline was incorrect and I had embarked on one helluva job.

So we ordered a 15 yard roll-off dumpster and a walk-behind skid steer. I thought this would do it. Nope. Filling the dumpster just scratched the surface. And now, I had to return the machine and the dumpster was full.

So I took to the shovel and wheel-barrow. I'm now the proud owner of a huge pile (15ish more yards) of various rock and mulch piled in the corner of my yard. Removing this is part of Phase II, which will happen later...much later.

The project was a truly team effort. Without the help of J and my mom (who came in from IL armed with work clothes, shovels, and experience) this project would be far from done. Just proves that "many hands make light work".

15 yard dumpster filled to the brim

The work-horse

Adding the border. That pile of mulch/rock was my nemesis.

Buying in bulk was the only way to go. 4 of these bad boys were needed.

Had the skid-steer. Might as well take out the flower bed we've always hated.

New arrangement. Pretend you can see 4 more flower pots.

Rocks out. Border finished. Top soil and mulch added. Getting ready to place the sprinklers. 

Gotta leave a walk-way for Blu. Once the grass comes in this will be removed. 

Don't judge the uneven stones. This is temporary. 

HAPPY TUESDAY???

It is when Friday Club gets moved to a Tuesday.

GENIUS IDEA: WORTH THE READ

My old pair of boots have had enough. The interior lining is shot, the insoles were removed years ago, and they're now about as comfortable as concrete. And even though "waterproof" is stamped into the leather they keep my feet as dry as flip flops. 

So, after my wife (repeatedly) suggested that I pitch them and get a new pair, I've started thinking about the possibilities of getting some new boots. 

If you know me, you know I do an absurd amount of internet research. Even for things that I have no intention of buying. For example, a few years back my father-in-law was in the market for a new grill. 

I had zero intention of getting a new grill (not to mention no money) but I took to the interwebs. After hours and hours of searching, I found the exact grill that I would purchase, assuming I was in the market. That summer I immersed myself in grills, and by the end of it all, I was a self-proclaimed expert. Wasted time? For sure. Fun? Marginally. Time sucking? 100%. I can't help it, it's how my brain is wired. 

So, back to the boots. I've been researching boots a lot lately. And as with any on-line research, I have a system. 

Step 1: Look for a style and look that I like

Step 2: Dive into the reviews. And I'm not talking about looking at the first couple. Nope, I'm talking about a deep dive...page 5 and beyond. 

Step 3. Determine if reviews are trust-worthy.  All 5 and all 1 stars are dismissed. I figure those are either interns for the company slinging the product in question or the flip-side. The interns of competitors trashing the product. 

I find the best reviews are 3-4 star with enough information to know that the person has actually used to product. 

Example of a review I wouldn't believe: 

These boots are warm. 

Example of a review I would believe: 

"They are warm until about 30 degrees if you're working, but if you're sitting still in a deer stand your feet will be cold".  Or, "These are only waterproof if you don't step out of your boat too far from shore. Once water comes in over the top of 'em your feet are going to get soaked."  

So, this got me thinking. Why can't I virtually try on shoes? I can do almost everything else through my computer, why not this? 

I'm calling it the virtual shoe and here's how it would work. I'm imagining a boot similar to those you get when you have a broken foot. It has a USB cord and attaches to your computer. You then select the type of shoe you're looking at. Then, the footbed contours to the exact specifications of the shoe you're looking at. BAM! You're trying on the exact shoe you're looking at on-line.  

How would it know all of these specs? Well, I'm glad you asked. The shoe manufactures would provide this information to the software company that sells the virtual shoe. So, it would be constantly updated with the newest styles. Then, you could try the footwear on in your living room and order with confidence. 

Seriously, can someone please get on this? 

FRIDAY CLUB ON A MONDAY???

Sometimes Friday Club gets moved to Monday. Sometimes a club member ends up in the ER. (Don't worry momma, this isn't my wrist).

Get better soon.

WEEKEND RECAP

Happy Monday fellow web-dwellers. Actually, is it?

You don't need to read this blog to know what happened in Orlando and you don't need my two cents on this tragedy. Maybe I'll write about it some other time, but right now, I'm tired of thinking about it.

So, with that, I'm going to bore you with a list about what I did this weekend. Not because I think what I did is that important or even holds a flame to what happened, but because sometimes you need to think about the trivial for a minute...to let your brain take a breather.

• Anniversary dinner (5 years, WAHOO!!)
• Yard work
• Mountain biking
• Hammock shopping
• Birkenstock shopping
• Movie watching (non-documentary)
• Two documentaries
• Laundry
• Birthday party for a neighborhood bar
• Put in some sprinklers

There you have it. 48 hours in 10 bullet points. 

As you were. 

1,930 MILES LATER

It's not often I look forward to driving back to Illinois. Sure, I don't mind going back, but I prefer to fly. When flying isn't an option, the drive is typically dreaded.

This dread of driving has nothing to do with the people, or events, we're traveling to see.  It has all to do with the geography. Eastern Colorado and western Kansas are ugly, the car seems to travel for hours and never move...leaving you in a void and ugly wasteland that goes on forever. Worst of all, the route cuts through some of the most tornado-prone areas of America.

For most, this last part would be a blip on the radar. Something you think about only when you see the funnel cloud on the horizon. But for me, this might as well be a death sentence. Tornadoes are one of 3 things I'm terrified of (clowns and snakes make up the other part of the list. And, on a side-note, I saw 3 snakes while back in Missouri..thank God I didn't see a clown or my system would have shut down.)

You might be asking, "Since you couldn't fly and thanks to the weather forecast, knew you had a better than average chance of running into some serious storms, was the trip necessary?"

Well, yes. My mom was retiring and we where having a party for her. And when you have a mom as awesome as mine you make the trip, regardless of the number of fears you have to face.  So, we did.

Don't get me wrong, it took some time to get my head wrapped around this drive. But in the end, I was looking forward to getting started and on the road because I knew what awaited in Illinois.

We left Denver at 2:45 a.m. and in just under 12 hours we made it to St. Louis. This was our stop for the night and worked out perfect as it allowed me to see my in-laws. It was great to see them and, as is the case more times than not, many laughs were shared over good food and a few brews.

The next morning we headed to L-town and got ready for the party. It went off without a hitch. This is where I need to give a huge shout-out to my sister and brother-in-law, aunts, uncles, friends that seem like family, and my mom's co-workers. Everyone pulled together and we were able to have a great party. Without those mentioned, the party would have been really lame and might not have happened at all.

I'm also happy to report the party was kept a complete surprise. So much so, I was nearly certain my mom was going to drop my sister's baby and faint when we yelled surprise. She didn't do either, which is good, but was totally blown away.

The party was a huge hit. I got to catch up with people I haven't seen forever both at the party and thanks to a BBQ my buddy's hosted on the following day. I'm very lucky to have friends willing to take the time to come out...but that's a whole other post.  Best of all, my mom was happy.

When it was all said and done, we had stopped at 7 gas stations, listened to the entire second season of the Serial podcast, saw snakes, saw zero tornadoes and clowns, and drove nearly 2,000 miles.

What a weekend.