Another this and that

The work to do at work is piling up. It struck me as sort of an odd juxtaposition that people are expected to work harder after getting notice that they are losing their jobs. I'm doing it, I will do it, and I was pondering what my motivation was. One would think there'd be a motivation to coast. But I feel like I am a professional, I feel like I owe it to my boss, I feel like if I can do this last push, that I can look back and know that I did my best in that job.

So, I've got four manuscripts to write in six months, along with data analysis for two, and some lab work... It is a busy time. Life in Cubeville is not always conducive to the flow of writing, so I'm going to see if I can work from home some when it's time to do a lot of that. Depends on the day, but the sounds and smells can be a distraction.

It's almost time to plant vegetables. Almost. I think I'll set out my seedling tray because it's supposed to be nice today. They really limped along this year. Didn't die, which I take as progress over last year, but failed to thrive for the amount of care I thought I gave them. I've seen several blog posts about people planting things in zip lock bags, maybe I'll try that next year. Thankfully, I can punt and get what I need at the garden store, but still would like to see if I could get my determinate tomatoes to grow. They are pathetic little things still.

I took the van in yesterday for several smallish repairs. I like that I have the kind of relationship with them that when the weakening back hatch pistons made it so the hatch bumped the mechanic on the head, they replaced them. I happily paid. Not sure we've worked out the hot engine thing, but we'll see. They fixed a couple of leaks, and I'm happy to report that my transmission fluid is as clean as you'll find anywhere now. The mechanic also showed me how the second battery works. A previous owner put a second battery in, plus a couple of cigarette lighter outlets, and although I could see the wiring, I couldn't tell what was hooked up to the second battery. Turns out it's always on, directly hooked up to the main battery, which is charged by the alternator. He suggested, and I agree, that they could put a switch in that can cut the power between the batteries, so that I could use the power of the second battery only, and not worry about having enough power to start the van at the end of the trip.

So, I'm thinking about where we'll go this summer, and that's fun. I thought maybe the Wildflower Festival in Crested Butte, or maybe the Black Hills before school is out. Perhaps a trip out to see my brother, and I have a pipe dream of driving this thing to the Pacific Ocean, but it will likely remain a dream.