Get the party started

Finally, the year has begun. Well, in the sense that I have stuff to do.

Currently in the midst of a two-week jam-packed scheduling marathon.

House-focused lately.

Replacing the furnace filter.

The radon guy left this contraption in the basement to detect for radon.

It's part of the Davenport DREAM Project.

The city will help with radon mitigation and the asbestos abatement

from the siding of Screaming Pines.

The application I sent in back in August has finally resulted in 

a signed contract and a plan to rehabilitate the house.

More on that later.

I took a class at Comm U this year about Medieval Living.

What it was like to live in the Middle Ages.

Taking notes.

On weapons and war day, the instructor brought in a bunch of weapons 

and some armor.

No one else wanted to try on the armor.

But I did!

The instructor banged on the helmet and sliced me with a knife, but

the chain mail protected me.

It is heavy. Kinda feels like a weighted blanket.

On the last day, some students brought in foods made with

Medieval recipes. The instructor brought in the lentil stew.

The cucumber and onion salad was surprisingly good.

Another student brought in the beet salad, which I also enjoyed.

The onion dish was seasoned with what can be described as Christmas

seasonings (because that's what people had available to use at the time) and

was also very nice. I'm not much for onions, but I actually enjoyed these.

And the sourdough bread and mustard egg was a nice addition.

Maybe I'll try cooking up some Medieval recipes myself.

More adventures in home ownership.

My toilet started to leak.

This valve thing wasn't stopping the water from

flowing into the tank. In addition to being really annoying

and loud, it's wasting water. I had to fix it.

And this isn't something I'm willing to call a plumber for.

I can fix this. Looks like it just needs to be replaced, right?

Toilets really aren't that complex.

I found a video online of someone replacing this part, and

it isn't too hard. I went to the hardware store, found the right part,

and headed home to repair the problem.

Say hello to the new part.

Now, how to get it into the tank...

First had to shut off the water and drain all of the water out of the tank.

I used a paper cup and a sponge to get the small amount leftover out of the tank.

New flapper.

I'd replaced this when I moved in, but the new valve included a flapper,

so it got replaced too. 

The hardest part of this whole process was to get the plastic nut off of the 

old valve. I had to resort to the rubber band trick to get a grip enough

to get it to turn.

Perhaps I should invest in an adjustable wrench. 

The vice grips worked, but it wasn't really the best tool.

After some old-fashioned brute strength, I got the nut off,

and was ready for the next step.

Plastic nut off, ready to remove the old valve.

Thank you for your service.

Now get out.

New valve installed, floaty thing adjusted, flapper hooked up to the lever, 

ready for a test flush.

It works!

The whole process took me about 40 minutes and the part was $20.

It's been a month and it's still working great, so I consider it a success.

And, this may or may not be related to the leaking toilet,

but this was a fun bill to get in the mail.

My water bill is never really high anyway, but it's nice to have a month off. LOL

Woohoo!

I ordered a king cake from New Orleans.

Oh, yeah, that's the stuff.

Snickerdoodle flavour. So yummy.

Have a few pieces left in the freezer. Might break them out for Easter.

Gotta practice. Have a lot of notes to learn.

The Quad Cities Symphony performed Stravinsky's Rite of Spring

for the February concert. So good. And one of my favorite pieces

and composers, so had to get myself there for the show.

The first half was a premier of a piece by Angel Lam that

included dancers. I enjoyed it. A wonderful night at the symphony.

At long last, the old black swimsuit that I've been wearing for far

longer than any swimsuit should be worn has been retired.

I found a new suit that fits well and is comfortable.

And I bought four of them (they were on sale for cheap, SCORE!)

so my swimming needs should be covered for a while.

Cooking up some veggies and lentils.

Lunch for the week.

First gig of the year.

Mardi Gras service.

One of my clarinet students was selling Girl Scout cookies.

I bought a couple boxes.

The Samoas are my favorites.

Mmmm, Samoas and wine.

Classy.

From my Valentine.

Lovely 😍

My Dad had given me some small milk bottles full of quarters.

I had some down time, so I counted the quarters.

Each bottle had $45 in quarters.

Holy mackerel!

Zuri thought that counting quarters was boring, so she took a bird nap.

City Hall!

The DREAM Project brought me in to sign documents

It's really real now.

I get to start making decisions about new siding colour and

roof colour and what the mailbox will look like.

And the asbestos will be taken away, and the roof will get fixed 

(the roof is being fixed as part of the insurance claim, not this program, 

but it's all getting done at once)

A real dream come true.

Got a ticket to see Toto at the Capital Theater downtown.

Thought this shirt was appropriate. 😁

Show was pretty good. I know more Toto songs than I thought I did.

Great musicianship and very entertaining.

And they had us sing along with Africa for a closer.

Because they knew that's what the crowd wanted.

Watched the Figge Museum change colours on my walk back to the car.

Quite randomly, I ran across this David Bowie marketing cutout.

It was very affordable, so I snagged it.

I love the Outside album, which is what this was meant to promote.

Wonder how it was supposed to be displayed? Only part of his face.

Pretty cool piece though.

Fighting off a cold. I took some sick time from

work to make myself feel better.

Made a pot of Egyptian tea.

It's very minty, but tasty.

The tea I bought from the tea and spice shop in Aswan.

I was given this box of random DVDs. 

The more I looked through it, I realized that it wasn't just

a box of junk. Some actual good movies, and a few I'd been

meaning to watch. So, it'll be fun to go through these.

I've been living in these fleece leggings.

I got a pair last year, and bought a second pair after I'd decided

that I like them. Perfect for winter weekends. Comfy and very warm.

And they wash out well, without losing softness.

The fleece inside is thick and cozy.

So, if you're tired of seeing me wear these all winter, I'm not

really that sorry. 

First show of the year.

Company, by Stephen Sondheim.

A musical look at relationships in New York.

And today, the Chamber Music Recital.

Where we finally performed the quintet pieces we've

been working on for a month.

The recital went well.

A really good collection of ensembles and music selections.

Judging clarinet solos at a local junior high school.

Practice your solos, kids!

Trio gig in Iowa City. 

In the middle of the solo judging, quintet rehearsals, and Company rehearsals.

It's been a very busy week.

With one more very busy week to go before I can get a break.

Vinnie the Clarinet. Snuggled into my coat while waiting for

our turn in the program.

Protect your wooden instruments from sudden weather changes!

A dentist visit and a trip to Milwaukee was also crammed into the past few weeks,

but I'll leave the Milwaukee details for the next post.

See ya later!