Checking In

A catch-all, catch-up post

There are 1,126 posts filed in Checking In (this is page 20 of 113).

Paying the freight

It was a difficult decision to add advertisements back to MT.Net after flirting with them last year. I don’t want to tart up my blog too much but yet if there were a way I could make money by blogging I figured it was worth a try.

I’m not making bank by any stretch but I was delighted to discover that for the month of November this blog paid for itself for the very first time. My advertising revenue exceeded my hosting costs.

Don’t count on me quitting my day job anytime soon but at least I’m cash-flow positive!

Update 12 Dec: Math is hard. I got the monthly and overall balances mixed up. Turns out I made $15 last month from web ads, not $35. It’s a start, though, right?

Oakwood North progressing

The Oakwood North subdivision is progressing nicely, though the schedule is quite aggressive. The first two homes are due to be built by February, which doesn’t leave a lot of time. Crews have cleared and graded the property and septic lines have been installed. The cut-through has been cleared and work has now begun to connect the Edmund Street end to State Street. A crew was working yesterday on a wall on the back of the second lot. I assume this is part of the temporary retaining pond but it could be a drop in elevation (the tree protection area is right behind it).

A huge pile of tree debris remains on the property. I heard the tree stump grinder, a huge machine, was busy working on the pile when the cutter surface shattered, sending metal shards flying. The contractor has been working to repair this machine, causing a many-day delay in removing the debris.

This week, KB Home put up its sign at the edge of the property, announcing the subdivision. Strangely, the sign is angled towards Edmund Street rather than State Street, where it would gain more visibility.
Continue reading →

Busy week

Well, last Thursday I caught some kind of cold thing and the massive cold front passing through that day squeezed my sinuses something fierce. My body went berzerk over the weekend and I wound up missing a day and a half of work. I swear the stuff I’m dealing with must be Gulf War Illness (GWI) and I intend to get things checked out as soon as I can.

Anyhow, in spite of my being knocked for a loop earlier this week, I managed to help get Little Raleigh Radio over the first FCC hurdle in its quest to get an LPFM license. The filing window was supposed to be Thursday but got extended until Friday. Ours got filed Thursday evening and it looks good.
Continue reading →

Barilla boycott

Bigotry is apparently not a hot seller

Bigotry is apparently not a hot seller


Spaghetti was on my shopping list Saturday but though it was right in front of me I couldn’t bring myself to buy pasta from the homophobic company Barilla. This photo I took at Costco told me two things:

  1. Costco continues to sell pasta from Barilla.
  2. Costco customers apparently know better.

Slinging groceries

I received the most unexpected compliment Saturday afternoon at Costco. I had just finished deftly emptying my cart at the checkout line when the gentleman in line behind me spoke up.

“I can tell you’ve done this before,” he said as he and his wife smiled in admiration.

It took me a moment to parse what he had just said. Then I grinned and shrugged my shoulders.

“Yeah,” I said, “I used to work in retail and I guess it shows, huh.”

I’d been swiftly pulling out items that somehow went together (like refrigerated items). The hours I spent running a register as a teenager at Dart Drug have stayed with me, I guess. There was a method to it, a rhythm I would get into that became very Zen-like. I loved the physical nature of being a cashier, the challenge of speed and accuracy, the unconscious awareness of where everything is on the counter and how I could simply trust my hands to know where they were going.

Then some bozo would show up in line with a dozen coupons and a checkbook and I’d be cursing and wishing I was somewhere else. Ah, those were the days!

Wow, I can’t believe I just waxed nostalgic about such a shitty job!

Hallie plays in the orchestra

Tonight we attended Hallie’s first concert with the Ligon Philharmonic Orchestra. She was playing 2nd violin for a few fun Halloween pieces, with 69 other students on stage.

It was a wonderful performance and quite a showcase of the talent at Ligon. We enjoyed every minute of it!

I’ve got gobs of video I’m working to upload. Be patient!

Pilot in the making?

Travis is protective of our flight simulator

Travis is protective of our flight simulator


Our son Travis had his checkup yesterday. The doc reports that he has exceptional eyesight. I found this interesting since all the kid talks about is planes, planes, and more planes. When he’s not doing his homework (or building planes with his Legos), he’s watching YouTube videos about aviation. He was also flying my flight simulator quite often.

He’s begged me for flight lessons before. He’s even asked if lessons were a birthday gift. I’ve hemmed and hawed but if he keeps showing such strong interest and has the ability and determination, I might not be able to avoid it.

Kelly might think otherwise, but Travis could be on his way to becoming a pilot. A pretty good one, too, I’d bet.

Magic parent moment

Yesterday afternoon I was doing my best to finish up some work while at home. My son Travis needed attention, though, as he had a math assignment he needed to finish. To his credit, he went right to work at it once he got home but soon became stumped and frustrated.

He asked me to read his assignment to him and I did, though it drew more responses from him saying it was okay if he didn’t understand it. Knowing Travis, though, I knew he would get this assignment as it involved managing money. He is very money-aware and the problem’s scenario involved keeping a balance sheet for family savings.

As I explained the problem to him and pointed out how to fill out the balance sheet, he hopped into my lap. Soon I was gently stepping him through the problem, marveling at the light bulb coming on in his head as he figured out what was being asked. Suddenly, the once insurmountable math homework was easily conquered and Travis was happily flying the flight simulator that once had to wait. We spent the rest of the evening happily crashing Cessna Citation-X’s into the ground.

I’m no dummy, I’m getting old and my kids are growing up fast. The opportunities to have my kids hop into my lap while we work on homework are becoming fewer and farther between. It was a real treat to help Travis over his frustration and get to play parental hero one more time.

Labor Day lake visit

Yesterday the family packed up some snacks, supplies, and the dog and drove up to Lake Gaston to visit our family friends, the Naylors, at their lakehouse for the day. We had a nice ride around the lake on their pontoon boat, stopping in a cove to go for a quick swim before returning to their house. Storm clouds were approaching by that time so we stayed inside and caught up. It was a wonderful visit with wonderful friends.

On the way back those storm clouds continued darkening and 45 minutes into the drive home the bottom absolutely fell out. I spent a good 15 minutes driving through very heavy rain! It reached its fiercest when we neared Franklinton but never completely ended. By the time we got into Raleigh we were hitting large puddles all along Atlantic Avenue and Kelly saw Crabtree Creek nearing the top of the bridge at Hodges St. Fortunately for us it stopped raining almost exactly as long as it took us to unload the major things from the car.

At some point yesterday afternoon I developed a raging headache which continued through dinner and never let up. Driving in a heavy rain did little to relieve it, too. I got home and decided the only thing that could make me feel better was a shower and bed. I was asleep by 10 after 9. I feel better now, though.

Getting the zombie band back together

As a family we’ve participated in some fun events over the last few years. I’ve mentioned our musical performances as “The Highlanders,” where we’ve played at a few recitals. That’s been fun and I’ve kinda missed the chance to play. I’ve been kicking around the idea of just inviting my neighbors over for regular jam sessions.

This week, Travis’s piano teacher told us that she was working on another gig for the Highlanders, this time playing at some event. I don’t have the details but I think it’s fun to think about!

Yesterday, we got contacted by our friends over at Mordecai Historic Park. They’re lining up zombies already for their Haunted Mordecai Trolley and wondered if we as a zombie family would be willing to perform again. One of the chosen dates is Halloween and another is Travis’s birthday, which would be hard to pull off, but the other, the 19th, at least would work for us. Both kids were enthusiastic about the idea.

I’m so glad we have these quirky opportunities to be total hams together.