Please use GoodSearch for your internet searches and select a charity (such as Dominican Sisters of Houston). Thank you.

remembering

Sunday, October 13, 2013

For all you religious communities out there, please know that the time you spend hosting inquirers is not wasted. Though that chapter in my life is practically closed due my continuing negative financial income, please know that the visits to religious communities continue to benefit me. I do look back on those experiences, try recall how I felt and in so doing, hope to center myself. It helps to calm me and put me in a more spiritual state of mind. Mass may be our greatest prayer, but it sure is a busy prayer. The religious communities are "houses of prayer" and I can really sense that in the rhythm of life in the communities.

So thanks. And keep on trucking.

I recommend Laudate app

I recommend the Laudate app. It's available for both Android and iPhone.

Somebody's review here:
http://catholicapps.com/laudate/

I don't use all of its features. Mainly I use the daily readings and the Bible. I can read the Bible in bed at night without having to turn off the lights when I'm ready to call it quits (because the lights are already off). No need to carry around the pocket New Testament; I have the whole New American Bible there in my pocket. Sad to say, though, Soduku gets more attention from me. Still, I open the Bible sometimes.

It also puts some of the Vatican documents at your fingertips. Also some prayers, some in Latin if you're into that. Anyhow, check it out.

So what's your work day like?

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

"Marketplace wants to find out what our listeners do each day to earn a buck. Maybe you're a farmer, an attorney, a teacher or a yoga instructor - we want to hear from people of all walks of life and working in many different fields."


https://www.publicinsightnetwork.org/source/en/marketplace/insight/7b72cafac95a/tell-marketplace-what-your-work-day-is-like

Go ahead ... tell 'em what it's like.

nun's CD tops billboard

Sunday, September 15, 2013

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1303512.htm
hmm... I might check it out

Congratulations to both orders.

portable fan

Friday, August 23, 2013

Honeywell TurboForce HT-900
This portable fan is approximately 10.5"Wx11"Hx6"D

I had been all over town over the past several weeks looking for this fan. I bought the first one at Target and brought it home to see how well it worked and how loud it is. I was quite happy with it. It is not too loud, has a carry handle, easy-access/easy operate three-speed control, and yes I could feel the air. The head swivels up and down but no oscillating option. All for the very palatable price of $16.

I wanted another one. So the following week I returned to the Target where I got it but they didn't have any more; they only had them in white. Same story with the next Target I visited. The next two Target stores didn't have them at all. (The nice thing about working so far away from home is that I can try another store location if the one by my house doesn't have in stock the items I'm looking for. It's like trying another town for your supplies.) The two Wal-Marts I visited didn't carry them. A Home Depot I visited on the way back from a hair appointment was out of them. Finally, I tried the Home Depot by the house and lo and behold, they had a whole stack of these fans. So now I have the second one. Thinking of getting two more...

electrical outlets and switches

Thursday, August 08, 2013

I am slowly changing out the outlets and switches in my house. It is taking longer than I thought it would. I tackle one room maybe once per month if not longer. Even worse is that some of my first attempts resulted in the switches being installed upside down. It works, but it's backwards as far as the on/off operation. (Right, I didn't read the instructions.) At some point I will back track and fix them right side up.

Today I tackled the kitchen. I learned that the kitchen electricals are on three separate breakers: one for the lights, one for the outlets by the stove, one for the outlet by the sink, and one for the garbage disposer & dishwasher switches.

Changing out the light switch was easy enough. Changing out the outlets were a huge pain. The wires were extraordinarily tough to manuever, plus I am having to reach across a counter. I changed out three outlets when I had a realization: except for the lights, all the other breakers involved were 20 Amp breakers. Every switch and outlet I purchased were rated 15A. Arrrgghh! The safety margins are probably sufficient to leave it alone, but I prefer the margins provided by 20A outlets and switches. With the wires being so difficult to work with, I'm guessing that they are larger wires and therefore have been sized to handle 20A.

So I will be undoing my work in the future. Fortunately, we're not using those outlets much right now. A toaster on one, a night light and under counter light on another. I don't have transportation today, so I can't just run out and get my replacements. I think the local store has the gray outlets I want. I'll probably stick with the toggle switches for the diswasher and garbage disposer, though I'll change to gray ones.

So... The breakers for your kitchen are probably the 20A ones. And if you're changing out the outlets and switches, check to see if they should be rated for 20A (matching the breaker), even if your current ones are not. No need to risk an electrical fire. And of course, turn off the breakers, verify no power to your outlets and switches before you begin work on them.

Band of Sisters trailer and nuns on the beach

Wednesday, July 17, 2013



I don't know anything about the film, but it seems interesting enough.

nuns on the beach story:
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/08/19/nuns-find-salvation-in-surf-t-shirts/

Why no product?

Sunday, June 30, 2013

I am irritated that Travelscoot has made zero improvements to its product over the years. It clearly needs improvement. I hear that its seat is uncomfortable, its brakes are inadequate, and that its front-end is too light making it prone to flipping backwards.

Equally irritating is that there is no competition against this product, hence allowing it to go on as-is. Why is it that in a world that cranks out new models of bikes, trikes, and scooters (not the medical ones) yearly, that there is not another model that improves on the concepts of the TravelScoot?

plumbing wouldn't fit

Sunday, May 26, 2013

I purchased a new faucet kit for the bathroom sink. I spent just about all day today trying to install it. The kit includes a drain. I had never removed a drain before. It took a while since I didn't know when I was doing it right. But I got it eventually.

I dug around and couldn't find my plumber's putty or teflon tape. Long story as to why this is, and I'm not going to go into it. Off to the hardware store. At the hardware store, I started reading the instructions on the plumber's putty packaging and it said not to use on plastic. My new faucet kit is plastic where it meets the sink, so apparently plumber's putty is not the way to go. No wonder the instructions suggested silicone sealant. So I got the silicone sealant.

I got back home and continued installing the new kit. I took it slow, trying not to screw up anything. I got to the last part, which is to connect the p-trap. I connected the p-trap, but it wouldn't tighten around the drain "tailpiece." The p-trap was working fine and it did fit fine on the old drain, so there is no reason I should have to replace it.

I knew the cone taper gasket was loose on the new plastic tailpiece but had hoped that after tightening the nuts, the looseness would be gone. Not so. By loose, I mean that the slip nut and gasket would just fall off of the tail piece due to gravity. I went to the hardware store in search of a smaller gasket. I picked up the smallest size offered for the gasket, took it home, but it was no tighter. LESSON 1: Take that cone taper gasket with you to the store. Try it on the various standard drain tailpieces at the store and you'll find out what size that gasket is.

I went back to the hardware store where I got the faucet kit. If this is an odd size, perhaps it's a common problem and they would have the "fix" or adapter. The guy at the store gave me LESSON 2: there are only TWO sizes for the tailpiece; it's either 1-1/2" or 1-1/4". There are NO other size in a house. My gasket is already for a 1-1/4" tailpiece; they don't make it smaller.

So he opened a new package of the faucet kit I purchased, and I proceeded to show him my problem. Lo and behold, my gasket fits the tailpiece just fine! Apparently I have a defective tailpiece in my kit and I'm going crazy trying to get a gasket to fit it.

Then I ran off to an evening Mass and the store was closed by the time I got back home. So hopefully tomorrow I can just exchange the tailpiece. I don't want to take apart everything and exchange the whole kit ... and have to reinstall and wait for the silicone sealant to cure.

Note to self: top to bottom, the assembly is drain tailpiece, p-trap slip nut, cone taper gasket with taper facing down

cute toy

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Meet Trumpette Howdy Bouncer Cow. I saw several of these when I happened to be in the store named High Fashion. Who knew they had toys? I didn't buy one, but they were really cute. Yes, Natty, apparently they come in purple. Go ahead, look 'em up. Looks like you can get costumes for them too.

Happy Easter 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter to all. The victory has been won. We have only to enter into the victory.

May all have hope and more of it. With Jesus, there is always hope!

Pax Christi.

moving into Holy Week

Saturday, March 23, 2013

For Lent, I had given up sweets as much as I was able. What gave me the most difficulty is the avoidance of sweet drinks. I'm not a fan of drinking water. I've been resorting to substituting: tea that I can drink if sweetened with honey, and Metamucil. Yes, Metamucil. I'll take the orange flavored fiber drink just to have something other than water.

At work, we have a variety of drinks available to us at no cost: numerous choices on coffee, teas, and hot chocolate. Believe you me: I will be CELEBRATING Easter.

On another note, in anticipation of the person I'm sponsoring becoming baptized and joining the Catholic church, I have acquired a lovely crucifix for a gift.

http://www.zieglers.com/antique-silver-crucifix-style-ro62152-size-13-3-4/religious-articles/crucifix-crosses/
It really is a stunning piece in real life.

Unlike my previous venture to acquire a crucifix, the same store now had a better selection of them. This one grabbed my eye very quickly, though I did browse the selection before settling on this one. There were some other quite desirable ones, but their prices were beyond my budget.

A crucifix is a good gift for a newly baptized Catholic, since they are unlikely to have one already.

If the store gets another one of these crucifixes in stock, I would like to get one for myself.

May everyone have a most Holy Week.

 

thanks be to God for a Pope

Friday, March 15, 2013

Habamus Papam!

Our Lord has given us a Pope.

Waiting for the papal election results is something akin to waiting for a baby to be born back in the old days, when you don't know what to expect.

This post is delayed because I've been pretty tired and couldn't log in at 2am Thursday morning. My groggy brain couldn't figure out why I couldn't access my blog.

Anyhow, God bless our Pope.

I like St. Francis of Assissi too. I like St. Anthony of Padua more, though. Yes, I am rambling. I'm tired.

Somehow I am reminded of the movie The Shoes of the Fisherman. Maybe I'll watch it again soon.