Housing update. Final.

Sigh. I just asked for a 12 month lease. I'll sign it tomorrow.

No, that's not what I wanted. Yes, I want to move. But since my lease is up today, and I didn't have the energy to move, I had to choose among the remaining options.

They were: an $80 rent increase (six months), a $65 rent increase (nine months) or a $50 rent increase plus $600 in my pocket now. (12 months) All the rent figures are plus tax.

I asked to have the $600 incentive pro-rated across the term of the lease, as I have done in the past, but that option is no longer available. I'll have to manage it myself.

At least that's one decision off my mind.

How do you spell "Home?"

Many years ago an advertisement asked, "How do you spell relief?" The manufacturer wanted the public to associate their product with relief from digestive distress.

I am enjoying relief from another kind of distress. I am finally sitting in front of my computer desk, with my laptop connected to (almost) all of its peripherals. (I have to reboot to pick up the last one.)

The remodel is done, the recovery is not. Aside from fighting fatigue and a sinus infection that got totally out of control, I have to start over in my kitchen. The new cabinets have a different layout from the old; I lost four drawers and about 40% of my shelf space.

But I'm back at my computer. Ahhh!

It may not be obvious why this is a big deal. After all, I do use a laptop.

I also use a port replicator, aka docking station. I have been unable to use my card reader (for photos of the work in progress), my scanner, my printer or my external hard drive. For much of the time I didn't have Internet access. I have had to use the built-in keyboard and touchpad, instead of a standard keyboard and my lovely five-button mouse. I also have been working perched on a wooden bar stool, instead of my ergonomic task chair.

The relief is significant.

I was gone only an hour!

Last night I went to have another of my free birthday meals for dinner. While I was eating it began raining. No big deal.

I finished eating early enough to use the back entrance to my apartment complex. (It is closer to my parking space, but closes at 10pm.) As I made the turn my first thought was, "We don't have shrubs there." Then I realized that a large tree had fallen across the driveway. I was able to drive around one end.

As I continued to my apartment I realized that I had missed some serious storm activity. A stop sign had blown over, and the ground was littered with palm bark. Palm bark??? We don't have any palm trees!

I took my new camera to shoot some photos of the damage. I'm still getting used to the settings; I'm not happy with the results, but I was soaked to the skin and the camera was getting wet, so I quit.

I may try again in the daylight tomorrow.

By the way...as far as I can tell there was no damage to people, animals or property, other than the tree.

Update: I just saw a story on the news about the storms last night. There was record-breaking rainfall in some places. Tempe actually was at the bottom of the range; the city east of us received more than 3". A government office there is closed, after a retaining wall burst and flooded the building with mud. One man was trapped by a falling tree, but it landed on his prosthetic leg; he was fine once bystanders lifted the tree.

If I had been asked what I wanted for my birthday, ...

I would not have included a car battery on the list. I should have.

Last night I needed to run some errands. I didn't expect an adventure.

When I turned the key in the ignition I heard the dreaded click. I had had no indications that the battery was failing. The car ran just fine the night before.

I will admit: it had occurred to me, sometime in the last three months, that my battery was more than three years old. I didn't give it much more thought at the time.

Until June 2007 I had road service coverage under the extended warranty on my car; I called a toll-free number, someone came and helped me. I knew that had expired.

I walked to the apartment office to see if we still had road service as a benefit. The provider had changed, but the number was on the door. I called and was told someone would be there within an hour.

I walked back to my car and phoned a friend, warning her that I might hang up with no notice. We talked for a long time, long enough that I became nervous. It was 8:30 and I still hoped to buy a new battery before Checker closed at 9:00.

The company called back; I needed to let the driver through the gate to the apartments. Because I was on my cell phone instead of my house phone I could not open the gate using my phone, so I walked over to use my pass card. The company had told the first driver that I lived south of Baseline; this was a second driver.

He had my car running by 8:43. I wanted to go to Checker, even though another auto parts store was closer, because that's where I bought the battery that failed.

I reached the store at 8:53. I had taken no time to charge the battery. Several times during the three-mile trip my lights had dimmed. At University I signaled a left turn, braked, turned, signalled a right turn and pulled into the parking lot. All of my dash lights went out, my radio went off and my car died as I pulled into a parking space directly in front of the door. Two employees were leaning on the wall; they did not appear pleased to have a customer.

I explained that I had just had my car jump-started, that I had bought the battery there, that I was unable to find any paperwork and that I didn't remember how long the warranty was. I asked if they could check the battery.

I'll condense the rest of the story. The battery tested bad, it was still under warranty, I received a $37.50 credit for a battery that cost me only $50 three years ago, I paid a total of $40 for a new, 84-month battery. I was on my way, too late to run several of the errands for which I left home, but safe.

I've decided to skip my birthday.

Not for long, just ten days or so.

The apartment remodel is next week. I have specific things to accomplish this week; ignoring my birthday will allow me to get more done.

Next week there's a Diamondbacks Family Friday game that I'm considering. (Entry, hot dog, drink and a pass to the zoo for $15 per person) There's also a twilight tour (see Calendar) at Deer Valley Rock Art Center that I've been looking forward to. Both of those are after the remodel, when I'll be able to relax and enjoy them.

This week won't be all work and no play. I ended up with a total of four free birthday meals at local restaurants; three of them are even healthy! Using them this week will let me spend more time preparing for the remodel and less on routine housework.

Also, several online photo sites have holiday pricing on prints through Saturday. I want to select and edit photos from the last few months so that I can get the prints on sale.

Red, white and blue

Ok. This isn't the most flattering picture ever taken of me. Let's call it, "Before." (Before what? That's a different post.)

After shooting and posting fireworks photos I wanted to try my new camera out in some other settings. I went to our city government complex, where there are trees and buildings and sky, and I could experiment with objects at various distances from the camera, without actually exerting myself much.

This camera has a delay function but not a remote control. To shoot this photo I had to press the shutter release, then run in front of the camera, try to remember where to stand and pose. This is the best of the batch.

I should, perhaps, mention that it was a sunny day, but I was standing in shadow to avoid squinting.

My photos of other things came out better.

I see fireworks....

My sister bought me a new camera for my birthday; it was waiting for me when I returned home last night.

This camera has more built-in program settings than I have ever seen on a camera, including one for fireworks. Of course, I had to try it.

The results would have been better if I had arrived more than one minute before the show started. I took my tripod, but forgot that I need to attach an adapter to the camera. I had the adapter in the car, but no time to attach it, once I realized I had a problem, so I had to shoot holding the camera.

Even so, I'm pleased!

Update on the toe

The groundhog didn't see a shadow. Or something.

For the last three weeks I have worn rigid soled shoes or slippers constantly, except while sleeping or showering. I have passed the six week mark since the injury, at which my doctor said my toe should be healed.

It isn't. Today I wore a different pair of sandals, just to watch fireworks and eat dinner. My toe was sore when I got home, and is more red than it has been in weeks.

Six more weeks of Teva clones, anyone?