The Wisconsin Martins

This year was the first time that Esther really got the hang of opening presents and seeing what was inside the packages. She had a blast and insisted on helping Christine and I open our presents. A good time was had by all.

Monday through Wednesday (Dec 8-10) were very exciting for us. Justin Staskal came over and ripped out our sink, vanity, light, medicine cabinet, toilet, floorboards, floor, and vent cover. On Monday he put in our new floor and new light. He grouted the floor and installed the new toilet, vanity, sink, and medicine cabinet on Tuesday. He finished up on Wednesday by filling in the drywall and installing new floorboards and a new vent cover. We’re thrilled to finally have a new bathroom.

Monday night I had to stay late at the office. We had some light rain in the afternoon that changed to freezing rain by the early evening. By the time I got to my car (around 6pm) it had frozen to an 1/8” thick sheet of ice. I had to spend 20 minutes chipping it off of the windshields before I could drive anywhere.

Tuesday, Christine was scheduled for her first day back at the pharmacy. Unfortunately, a rather nasty snowstorm moved in Monday night / Tuesday morning and shut down most of the area. The roads were clear by Tuesday evening, but the pharmacy was a dead zone for most of the day. So she stayed home and worked Wednesday afternoon instead.

Earlier this week, I got the opportunity to move out of my cube and into an office. Because it’s a big office, I’m sharing it with someone else. I’m still happy: there will be less background noise, a window (to remind me that it’s time to go home!), and more personal space.

On Saturday, Christine, Esther, and Katya helped me move into my new office. Esther had a blast investigating all of the drawers in my old cube and drawing on the whiteboard in the new office. (Katya slept most of the time.) Afterward, we dropped the girls off with some friends (thanks Mike and Alicia!) and had lunch by ourselves at Old Chicago.

Saturday evening, I worked on some of my personal web projects (I think it’s fun) while Christine and Esther frosted Christmas cookies. I was able to have a nice, long talk with my brother Sunday morning before watching the Packers lose yet again. This week, they guaranteed that they’ll miss the playoffs and finish the season with a losing record. This, just one year after missing the Super Bowl by a field goal.

We had a nice warm temperatures (37, 42) on Saturday and Sunday. That melted most of the snow and ice off of our driveway. We also had a short bit of rain on Sunday afternoon, to help rinse the driveway clean.

We’re all ready to start another week of fun and excitement. See you next week.

P.S. — I just went outside (9pm) and discovered that our gentle rain is quickly freezing into an icy sheet on the driveway. I could skate down it very easily if I wanted to. Hopefully I won’t have to chip my windshield clean again before I can leave in the morning.

On Monday (Dec 1), UPS delivered the new hard drive for my laptop. On Monday night, I installed the new drive and went from a 120GB MacBook to a 500GB MacBook. After I opened up the laptop, I discovered that I’d need a Torx screwdriver to finish the installation. One ice-filled drive to Sears later, I was able to boot up the new drive.

On Tuesday, I gave in to the inevitable and decided that I needed drugs to keep my healthy. I stopped in at Walgreens and bought a pack of Wal-Phed — the largest allowed by law. I think I even managed to be polite to the tech on duty — it’s not is fault that the government treats me like a child every time I get a cold.

On Wednesday I glumly watched 3 inches of snow blanket the region. I worked late, got home at 7pm and went right back out to buy gas for the snowblower. I spent 40 minutes making the gas / oil mixture and coaxing the snow blower to life. After that, it only took 20 minutes to clear the driveway and park my car.

On Thursday we decided to skip the whole make dinner and clean up after dinner routine. Instead, we went out to BrouxNellies and enjoyed their cooking. I had the meatloaf: a perfect meal for a cold winter’s day.

We had more snow on Friday night, so I blew it off the driveway Saturday morning. A good thing too. Christine found a buyer for her old PowerBook G4 and he picked it up Saturday morning. In the afternoon, I watched the girls while Christine went out shopping. She bought Christmas dresses for the girls. She also bought grout — the last thing we needed before getting our new bathroom.

I watched Vertigo for the first time Saturday night. I agree with 90% of the world — it was a great movie. But I still don’t know why Maddy threw herself out of the bell tower. It doesn’t seem to fit her character. I’m sure Hitchcock had his reasons though.

I watched the Packers lose another game on Sunday (Dec 7). Clearly, the defense has been overrated this year.