I have seen a lot of movies this summer -- the last Harry Potter movie, Green Lantern, the latest Pirates of the Carribean, Captain America, Cowboys and Aliens (yuk!), and others. But the one I saw most recently I must rank as the best, and considering what a huge Harry Potter fan I am, that is something. And it is (tah-dah!) Conan the Barbarian.
When I was a teenager, I read all the Conan books the 2nd hand bookstore had, and loved them all. The Conan movies of 30 years ago, starring the Governator, were entertaining, but this new version is marvelous. It captures the essence of the books far better. Too bad it has so much nudity, which makes it off limits to kids.
I live. I love. I slay. I am content.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Sewage and Angels.
Last Friday, everything seemed to be settling in for one last relaxing weekend before school starts. On Friday afternoon, I was looking forward to coffee out and dinner with friends. I had about an hour to relax before leaving home, so I decided to start my first load of weekend laundry while I watched some TV. Both the washer and the TV are in my basement, in separate but adjoining rooms. Normally, I can hear the washer while watching TV, but it's not so loud and to interfere with the show. However, this time, when the washer was draining its wash water, I heard the water much more loudly than normal, so I went to investigate. Sure enough, it was overflowing. I stopped the washer, but decided to not worry about it further that evening, as I did not want to sacrifice my evening out. So, like Scarlette O'Hara, I decided to think about it tomorrow.
The next day, I called my favorite plumber. He came over and declared it a sewer line problem, and said he did not have the equipment to clean out sewer lines, but recommended someone named George. He did locate my sewer access, which was also in the basement, in a small room next to the laundry room that also has my furnace. He expressed doubts that George could get his equipment around to the back of the furnace. But he said "Call George today so you can get on his list." None of this sounded encouraging. In the meantime, I was to not let any water go down any drain in the house. He also pointed out that the water that overflowed had probably been contaminated with sewage, and the laundry room carpet should be ripped out and disposed of.
Evidently, the sewer had been partially clogged for some time... not enough to interfere with small amounts of water draining, but when the tub or the washer drained, some water would spill over. Some noodle-brain had put shag carpeting in the laundry room, with a thick pad, which had acted like a giant sponge. So, the carpet behind the washer had gotten wetter and wetter, but I had not noticed it. Normally, I am not in the basement when the washer is running, so I had not heard it until last Friday. Now, when investigating further, I can feel that a large area of the carpet in front of the washer is also damp.
I called George, and got an answering machine, so I left my name and number. In the meantime, there was work to do.
I purchased a small plastic basin to do my dishes in so that I could dump the water out the back door. I rigged up a way to use the toilet without actually using the toilet (which I won't go into because it's probably not legal). I used a friend's shower. That left the laundry.
The partially washed load from Friday was squeezed out and put in the dryer. When it was dry, I loaded it into the car with the rest of my laundry for transport to the local coin laundry. I pulled into the parking lot and realized I had forgotten my soap. Drove back home, got the soap, went back to the laundry. I sorted and loaded my clothes, added the soap, and discovered I did not have nearly enough quarters. The place did have a change machine, but it was broken. So, I left my clothes, got in my car, and went to a local car wash that did have a working change machine, obtained a bunch of quarters, and went back to the laundry. My clothes were still there! I started the machines, and tried to settle down with a good book. But, the laundry is small, and there were two small children, about 9 and 10, chasing each other around the place, screaming, and hitting each other, and complaining loudly to Mom that "He hit me!" or "She hit me!". Mom would scream back that they should settle down and shut up, but of course she was ignored. However, I was able to wash and dry my clothes.
On Sunday after church, I went into the office and did more course prep, as I was not sure how the week would unfold. Then I decided that I really needed to tackle removing the carpet from the laundry room. The room is not big, about 8 by 10 I would guess. But the carpet had been glued in, not tacked, as if it were a giant floor tile. I had to use a box knife and some clippers to get the thing into pieces small enough for me to actually lift. Also, a putty knife was needed to scrape it off of the concrete. I worked for hours. By about 9:30, I had managed to remove about 3/4 of it. The rest was in a strip on the north wall, most of which was actually under the washer and dryer. But I was exhausted and decided to finish it another day.
Monday morning, my luck changed! George called early, and said he could be there before noon. Classes had started, but on that particular Monday my first obligation was not untill the afternoon, so that sounded great. At about 10 am, George and his assistant arrived and went right to work. With some wiggling and lifting, they were able to get their equipment around the furnace, and started working. They were in and out of the laundry room, also, using the washer to drain large amounts of warm water down the sewer as part of the process. It turned out the problem was tree roots, but they were soon dispatched.
As they were doing the final water drainage test, one of them said "Would you like us to rip out the rest of this carpet for you?" Wow! Would I ever! I had been dreading that, especially moving the washer, as they are not light. So these guys moved out the washer and dryer like they were toys, borrowed my box knife, cut up and ripped out the carpet in very short order, and hauled it out to the trash. They whole process took about 10 minutes, max.
I have seen pictures of angels, but I have discovered they don't all look like that. Sometimes they come in the form of skinny, dirty men that smell like sewage.
The next day, I called my favorite plumber. He came over and declared it a sewer line problem, and said he did not have the equipment to clean out sewer lines, but recommended someone named George. He did locate my sewer access, which was also in the basement, in a small room next to the laundry room that also has my furnace. He expressed doubts that George could get his equipment around to the back of the furnace. But he said "Call George today so you can get on his list." None of this sounded encouraging. In the meantime, I was to not let any water go down any drain in the house. He also pointed out that the water that overflowed had probably been contaminated with sewage, and the laundry room carpet should be ripped out and disposed of.
Evidently, the sewer had been partially clogged for some time... not enough to interfere with small amounts of water draining, but when the tub or the washer drained, some water would spill over. Some noodle-brain had put shag carpeting in the laundry room, with a thick pad, which had acted like a giant sponge. So, the carpet behind the washer had gotten wetter and wetter, but I had not noticed it. Normally, I am not in the basement when the washer is running, so I had not heard it until last Friday. Now, when investigating further, I can feel that a large area of the carpet in front of the washer is also damp.
I called George, and got an answering machine, so I left my name and number. In the meantime, there was work to do.
I purchased a small plastic basin to do my dishes in so that I could dump the water out the back door. I rigged up a way to use the toilet without actually using the toilet (which I won't go into because it's probably not legal). I used a friend's shower. That left the laundry.
The partially washed load from Friday was squeezed out and put in the dryer. When it was dry, I loaded it into the car with the rest of my laundry for transport to the local coin laundry. I pulled into the parking lot and realized I had forgotten my soap. Drove back home, got the soap, went back to the laundry. I sorted and loaded my clothes, added the soap, and discovered I did not have nearly enough quarters. The place did have a change machine, but it was broken. So, I left my clothes, got in my car, and went to a local car wash that did have a working change machine, obtained a bunch of quarters, and went back to the laundry. My clothes were still there! I started the machines, and tried to settle down with a good book. But, the laundry is small, and there were two small children, about 9 and 10, chasing each other around the place, screaming, and hitting each other, and complaining loudly to Mom that "He hit me!" or "She hit me!". Mom would scream back that they should settle down and shut up, but of course she was ignored. However, I was able to wash and dry my clothes.
On Sunday after church, I went into the office and did more course prep, as I was not sure how the week would unfold. Then I decided that I really needed to tackle removing the carpet from the laundry room. The room is not big, about 8 by 10 I would guess. But the carpet had been glued in, not tacked, as if it were a giant floor tile. I had to use a box knife and some clippers to get the thing into pieces small enough for me to actually lift. Also, a putty knife was needed to scrape it off of the concrete. I worked for hours. By about 9:30, I had managed to remove about 3/4 of it. The rest was in a strip on the north wall, most of which was actually under the washer and dryer. But I was exhausted and decided to finish it another day.
Monday morning, my luck changed! George called early, and said he could be there before noon. Classes had started, but on that particular Monday my first obligation was not untill the afternoon, so that sounded great. At about 10 am, George and his assistant arrived and went right to work. With some wiggling and lifting, they were able to get their equipment around the furnace, and started working. They were in and out of the laundry room, also, using the washer to drain large amounts of warm water down the sewer as part of the process. It turned out the problem was tree roots, but they were soon dispatched.
As they were doing the final water drainage test, one of them said "Would you like us to rip out the rest of this carpet for you?" Wow! Would I ever! I had been dreading that, especially moving the washer, as they are not light. So these guys moved out the washer and dryer like they were toys, borrowed my box knife, cut up and ripped out the carpet in very short order, and hauled it out to the trash. They whole process took about 10 minutes, max.
I have seen pictures of angels, but I have discovered they don't all look like that. Sometimes they come in the form of skinny, dirty men that smell like sewage.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Tempest in a Teapot
This is a small school in a small town, and there is seldom anything newsworthy here. Recently, there was a front page story in the local paper about the return of a runaway dog because there was nothing else going on. (No, I'm not kidding. I couldn't make up this stuff.)
However, all this changed about 2 weeks ago. As far as I can piece together, from news articles and campus information, this is what happened.
Prior to Aug. 3. It is discovered that college enrollment numbers have been "padded" due to folks being added to the rolls that were not actually students, but people here for meetings, seminars, etc. There were other questions raised, such as the approval of an increase of scholarships to athletes who had been paid cash under the table last fall. And, probably there were other problems of various sorts uncovered, also.
Wed., Aug. 3. Meeting between our college president and state Chancellor for higher ed. Chancellor asks president to resign. They talk about it, but president did not immediately say what he would do. Chancellor asks pres. to call him the next day to discuss it further.
Thurs., Aug 4. President does NOT contact chancellor. Chancellor tries to contact president without success. Someone tells the local paper about what is going on.
Friday, Aug. 5. Local paper has banner-headlined article that college pres. has been asked to resign.
Both the chancellor and the paper try to contact president. No luck.
Saturday, Aug. 6. Local paper has front page article that president is missing. Later that day, president resurfaces and issues a statement that he has done nothing wrong and he has no intention of resigning. He also says he has hired a private attorney.
Sunday, Aug. 7. Local paper publishes president's statement. Also, the state highway patrol sends a trooper to the president's home with a letter from the Chancellor conveying an "intent to dismiss." President is prohibited from setting foot on any Univ. property except his own home. He is also instructed to turn in his keys, Univ. credit card, and laptop. Evidently, the procedure for firing a college president is that first he is notified of intent to dismiss, then is given a certain number of days to request a hearing.
Monday, Aug. 8. President turns in the stuff he is supposed to turn in.
Wed., Aug. 10. President formally requests a hearing.
Tuesday, Aug. 16. An acting president has been appointed, someone who is a VP at a large university on the other side of the state. He will be here on the 22nd.
Wed., Aug. 17. At our regular pre-school campus-wide faculty meeting, one of our deans speaks to us. Back in July, our PR person quit unexpectedly, and this dean was asked to also be the PR spokesman temporarily until a new one could be hired. He told us at the meeting, "I said yes because I thought..It's only a couple of months. What could happen?"
Thurs., Aug. 18. All employees get an email from lawyers from the State Board, saying they will be contacting persons on campus to set up interview appointments. They are finding people to testify at the president's hearing. The hearing will be public, but probably too far away for me to attend. Darn!
Fri., Aug. 19. As of today, I have not heard of a specific time or date set for the hearing, but the general sense is that it will be mid to late Sept. Also, the faculty hears through reliable sources that the president will not be allowed to come back, regardless of the outcome of the hearing. It's just a matter of finding out how much cash it will cost the state. This particular faculty member is quite relieved!!
However, all this changed about 2 weeks ago. As far as I can piece together, from news articles and campus information, this is what happened.
Prior to Aug. 3. It is discovered that college enrollment numbers have been "padded" due to folks being added to the rolls that were not actually students, but people here for meetings, seminars, etc. There were other questions raised, such as the approval of an increase of scholarships to athletes who had been paid cash under the table last fall. And, probably there were other problems of various sorts uncovered, also.
Wed., Aug. 3. Meeting between our college president and state Chancellor for higher ed. Chancellor asks president to resign. They talk about it, but president did not immediately say what he would do. Chancellor asks pres. to call him the next day to discuss it further.
Thurs., Aug 4. President does NOT contact chancellor. Chancellor tries to contact president without success. Someone tells the local paper about what is going on.
Friday, Aug. 5. Local paper has banner-headlined article that college pres. has been asked to resign.
Both the chancellor and the paper try to contact president. No luck.
Saturday, Aug. 6. Local paper has front page article that president is missing. Later that day, president resurfaces and issues a statement that he has done nothing wrong and he has no intention of resigning. He also says he has hired a private attorney.
Sunday, Aug. 7. Local paper publishes president's statement. Also, the state highway patrol sends a trooper to the president's home with a letter from the Chancellor conveying an "intent to dismiss." President is prohibited from setting foot on any Univ. property except his own home. He is also instructed to turn in his keys, Univ. credit card, and laptop. Evidently, the procedure for firing a college president is that first he is notified of intent to dismiss, then is given a certain number of days to request a hearing.
Monday, Aug. 8. President turns in the stuff he is supposed to turn in.
Wed., Aug. 10. President formally requests a hearing.
Tuesday, Aug. 16. An acting president has been appointed, someone who is a VP at a large university on the other side of the state. He will be here on the 22nd.
Wed., Aug. 17. At our regular pre-school campus-wide faculty meeting, one of our deans speaks to us. Back in July, our PR person quit unexpectedly, and this dean was asked to also be the PR spokesman temporarily until a new one could be hired. He told us at the meeting, "I said yes because I thought..It's only a couple of months. What could happen?"
Thurs., Aug. 18. All employees get an email from lawyers from the State Board, saying they will be contacting persons on campus to set up interview appointments. They are finding people to testify at the president's hearing. The hearing will be public, but probably too far away for me to attend. Darn!
Fri., Aug. 19. As of today, I have not heard of a specific time or date set for the hearing, but the general sense is that it will be mid to late Sept. Also, the faculty hears through reliable sources that the president will not be allowed to come back, regardless of the outcome of the hearing. It's just a matter of finding out how much cash it will cost the state. This particular faculty member is quite relieved!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)