January 2009

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Planning for February

January 23, 2009 in Kitchen by melissa | 1 comment

Compared to the last time we had our $56 in February adventure, I am doing a LOT more planning. I think a big part of this is experience. I know what’s coming, and we need to be prepared for it.

One of the things I’ve been planning is exactly HOW we’re going to measure our $56. Back in 2005, I put the cash in an envelope and used it to pay for everything, and certain things were free (mainly things that were replenished on an annual basis). This kept us from buying in bulk, but, in retrospect, too many items were “free” just because I hadn’t used them very often before that month.

This year, food will be paid for as it’s made. For example, last week I bought over 3 pounds of ground beef at the store at $4.16 a pound. I used some, and wrapped up the rest into 8oz packets and stuck them in the freezer. Now, if I want to use one of those packets to make chili or something during February, I’ll just take it out of the freezer and pull $2.08 from the envelope.

Technically, we will not be living on $1’s worth of food (each) per day. We’ll be living on an average of $1 a day, because it’s better for our health and my sanity. I cook food in bulk and we eat a lot of leftovers, I honestly don’t know how I would do this experiment if I couldn’t cook in bulk. I have a spread sheet I’ll probably post towards the end of February that shows how much everything we use costs. It started as such a small little sheet…

The other thing that’s changing this time around is what constitutes as “free.” Last time, olive oil was free because the gallon I buy lasts the entire year. However, at $32.95 a gallon, I can work out that olive oil costs about $0.26 per fluid ounce, or $0.13 a tablespoon. So this is no longer free. There are two categories that are free:
1. Spices (which I just don’t go through very fast)
2. Reused Food (frying oil and home made stock)

The frying oil has been filtered and sits in a glass jar waiting for me. If I have to add oil to this for something I’m frying, then that oil is paid for just like everything else. I try to make as much of my own stock as possible, especially ‘leftover’ vegetable stock. I keep a bag in the freezer of the vegetable peels, onion ends, herb stems, mushroom stem cut offs, etc that I’ve set aside while cooking a meal. When the bag fills up, I put everything into the crockpot, fill it with water and add some peppercorns and a bay leaf and let it simmer over night. Then it cools during the day and I freeze it into 1 oz ice cubes and stick those in a bag until I want to use them. Since this is a perpetual process, and I’ve already paid for the vegetables, I’m going to keep it up throughout the month.

Finally, I’m going to try and plan out our meals for the entire month of February before January ends. Our portions for breakfast and lunch are very consistent thanks to the way I pack those meals, so I think I’ll be able to do it. I already have some ideas.

Alexandria Watches the Inauguration

January 20, 2009 in Alexandria by melissa | No comments

Chad and I did not end up going to the National Mall like we thought we might. The pictures of Sunday’s crowd and the below freezing temperatures kept us out of the district. Luckily, the City of Alexandria had other options for us.

We started walking in the cold towards Old Town a little after 9 am. We saw the people waiting at the metro stop and thought: I hope they’re not heading towards the Mall. As we went down King St., we were surprised at how few people there were. We stopped and got a paper on our way to Market Square, which, at barely before 10 am, was practically empty!

01 - 10 am seat stakeout

Then we headed over to the Torpedo Factory to see if it was open yet. No such luck. However, we did walk over the the waterfront to see the little harbor had frozen! In search of warmth, we finally found all of the people. They were in Starbucks. Of course. Chad got a coffee and I had some very very hot tea, and we went back in to the now open Torpedo Factory to see how it was set up.

03 - in the torpedo factory

It was also practically empty. They had a screen setup and a projector was streaming Fox over the Internet. The few people who were there were getting the free cocoa and cider ready. We decided to head back over to market square so we wouldn’t be dependent on a shaky internet connection to watch the event.

We were still early enough to be able to get a good seat on the side of the (empty) fountain. Then we waited with the other people there, watching Katie Couric and the rest of the CBS team try to fill the empty spaces in their coverage with little stories. When the local news came on to announce metro closures, the closing of the 14th Street Bridge and the closing of the Mall, we were very glad we chose to watch the inauguration in Alexandria. There were plenty of people there, enough to make it feel like a celebration.

The people there watching with us were awesome. Especially Sonia from St. Louis. She was awesome. She and her group got Chad to play photographer for them, and unfortunately, one of the ladies was very afraid of dogs. Alexandria is not the city to be in if you’re afraid of dogs. There are just too many of them wandering around (leashed, of course, but definitely given their own right of way). She ended up having to watch just a few feet away from a (thankfully) mellow German Shepard.

There was clapping every time someone from the new administration showed up on the screen, and complete silence whenever anyone spoke. By the time it was over, there were cheers and hugs all around, and everyone was very happy. Especially Sonia from St. Louis.

23 - Sonia from St Louis

At first I was a little disappointed in myself for wimping out about going to the Mall. Then I realized (rationalized, justified) that by staying in Alexandria, I was completing a circle. I helped the people who live in Old Town Alexandria (almost overwhelmingly) vote for President Obama, so it seemed right to celebrate his inauguration with them. Besides, it was also nice to be able to go to Fontaine for crepes when the ceremony was over. =)

More site updates

January 19, 2009 in Updates by melissa | No comments

Hey! Look up there! There’s a little link in the navigation bar that says “Photo Gallery.”

I finally decided on zenphoto (version 1.2) and spent a good part of today moving files and doing some other basic site maintenance that you shouldn’t have noticed. Basically, I’ve updated my versions of Wordpress (version 2.7 now), my Tarski Theme (2.4) and Twitter for Wordpress (version 1.9.2). These were basically painless. Unlike the great photo migration.

Hopefully, the new system with zenphoto will make things run more smoothly as it uses fewer resources than my old menalto gallery. I have things mostly migrated, but I’m done with sorting albums and trying to make things look neat. Ugh. Too many hours in front of the computer!

Potential Enumerators

January 8, 2009 in Alexandria, Updates, Work by melissa | No comments

I started thinking about the 2010 deciannual US Census back while the presidential election was in full swing. There was plenty of talk about which states would stay blue or red or which might swing in November according to the people there. I kept thinking: “well, we don’t really know who’s where.” We can see trends in demographics, but I think that there will be some surprises once the 2010 census numbers are finally published.

So I was looking for information on the 2010 census and how it would take place, when I discovered that I could be a part time census taker. Interested, and maybe a little bored, I called the number and left a message expressing my interest. Someone called back and scheduled a time for me to come in and take the Census Takers test. I went on Tuesday.

The test was held at the Virginia Employment Commission – the same office where people file for unemployment and look for help finding a new job. The place was packed. I had arrived right on time for the test, and my heart sank a little when I saw the Great Big Line of people waiting for…I don’t know, a number or something. I looked around for the signs my appointment setter told me would be there, pointing the way to the testing place, and I couldn’t find them. I found the end of the line though, and overheard a woman saying something about a test. I asked her if it was the census taker test. She said that if I was there to take a test, then I should just go on through and not wait.

I went to the front of the line and asked the man behind the desk: “Census?”
“Around the corner,” was his reply.

I breathed a sigh of relief and found the testing room. Two recruiters were chatting with the other 5 or so people who were. The room slowly filled to about 15 people, and Sandy and Dustin started the session. The first thing they asked us to do was to find where we lived on a big map, then provide the block number. They primarily want people to work in their own communities. The people in the room covered every age, race, gender and (I think), economic background. There were some immigrants, retirees, and a national park ranger. Sandy said that they had been getting a lot of calls from people wanting to apply.

The explained the position (a census taker is called an enumerator), and the pay (in our area, it’s $15/hour for an office clerk and $20/hour for an enumerator), when we might get a job offer (sometime in the next couple of months), term of employment (usually 10 weeks, but sometimes they hire people permanently), and some restrictions (you can’t just apply for office work, you have to be willing to be an enumerator or they won’t consider you for any position). Sandy went over the applications with us and we filled it out per her instructions.

Then out came the tests. Twenty eight multiple choice questions in five sections that I don’t exactly remember. We had 30 minutes to complete the test – I think I took about 20. There was a section that tested clerical skills (alphabetizing and the like), one that tested reading skills (a bit like the SATs), a section that tested simple math that you didn’t really have to do the math for, since the answer was a little obvious according to where the decimal lay. There was a section that included some map reading and one that tested how well you would be able to follow directions to fill out a form.

Sandy had a thick piece of paper (or thin poster board) that she would place over each test so she could quickly and easily grade the tests and tell people if they passed or not. She whispered congratulations to the test takers and gave them a pamphlet called: “What Happens Next…Now that you’ve applied for a 2010 Census job.”

I missed one question. I started to leave and was out the door and in the hall when I turned around, went back in the room, and waited until everyone had left to ask my question:
“Can you tell me which one I missed?” I asked, “it might drive me crazy otherwise.”
They can’t re-open the test booklets once they’ve been closed, but they could tell me that I missed question 10. I can’t even remember what section that questions was in, but since it hasn’t driven me crazy yet, I think it doesn’t matter.

So now I’m waiting for my call from the US Census Bureau. I know how important the census is, and I think this might be an interesting way to meet my fellow Alexandrians.

What Heidi Needs

January 5, 2009 in Updates by melissa | No comments

My BMW 323is is 10 years old this year. On Thursday the check coolant light came on for the third time in three days. When I opened the hood to look at it in the sunlight (as apposed to the dim lights of the garage), I could see the coolant I’d added over the past day sprayed over the radiator and the engine. Uh oh.

Chad and I were out running errands, and luckily, we were by the mechanic I had been wanting to try out (Martin Motor Sports in Alexandria). Luckily, one of the mechanics happened to be there to help a friend out with his car. The second thing he said to me was “sounds like you need a new water pump.” They weren’t officially open, but I was able to drop the car off.

I just got off of the phone with the owner, Gary Martin. He told me what I needed, and none of it was a surprise:
- Water Pump and Associated Hoses
- Replace hose for Windshield Wiper (hasn’t worked for a couple months)
- Oil Service (light just turned on)
- Replace the emissions intake boot
- Replace some of the original hoses for the power steering (it’s been making power steering noises for about a month)

*sigh* I had a feeling all of this was coming, and frankly, I’m glad there’s nothing unexpected there. Such are the joys of owning a 10 year old car. It’s not going to be cheap, but it’s still cheaper than having a car payment. That, and my repairs still cost less than that crack in the engine block in Blue (Dad’s ‘74 2002 tii).