Win some, lose some...

It took me a while to get going this morning, but eventually I got off my duff and got some stuff done.

Natalie and I managed to manhandle the refrigerator into the garage, where we discovered that the power cord was missing! One trip to Home Depot and a little work with wirecutters, a wire stripper, wire nuts, and electrical tape later, the unit started up when plugged in, but after an hour of operation, the inside of the unit was 0.4°F colder than the ambient air in the garage. (Yes, I did check to make sure the controls were set, as we used to say in the control systems world, "for maximum smoke." No joy.)

So despite the fact that all the stuff under the unit seems to make all the right humming sounds, the unit will likely require repair.

* * *I managed to tap through a 1500-source-word translation after dinner, feeling like a war correspondent filing a story at the height of some battle, given all the firecrackers, cherry bombs, bottle rockets, and other assorted instruments of mayhem that were set off in the neighborhood. The work has been delivered, thank goodness, along with its invoice and re-revised statement.

The other item on my plate right now is just over 12,000 source words, due Monday, in addition to the interpretation work on tap tomorrow and Friday. One of my sessions tomorrow has been cancelled, unfortunately, but I plan on taking my laptop in with me, so I can work on the job due Monday during the dead time.

* * *Shiloh has been a good little dog the past couple of days. I managed the following snap yesterday:


Natalie and I took the dog for a visit to the local Pet Smart today, more for the purpose of socialization than to buy anything. Shiloh got quite a bit of attention from various folks, who were interested, in particular, in her coloring. By and large, she took the experience well, becoming eager to get out of the store at about the same time as Natalie and I.

* * *Dinner on this Independence Day consisted of lamb chops pan-grilled with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic, served on top of risotto rice prepared with sautéd mini-Portabella mushrooms and chicken stock. Natalie also made some tzatziki which went well with the lamb (though I prefer it on pita chips).

The good news? There are leftovers!

My first crew training assignment starts tomorrow at 8 am, so I better boogie off to bed. I need to get up early enough to take care of some chores before taking off.

Cheers...