Happy V.D. everyone!

[bigmacbear]

gmjambear and I have been busy today.

I'm second on-call for work this weekend, but unless either the primary on-call needs to step aside for a bit or all hell breaks loose, usually the second on-call doesn't hear a thing. But we need to be available just in case; that means hanging out at home. So we decided to make the most of it and finish up some tasks we've been meaning to do.

A new requirement of my job is to have a fire extinguisher for my home office, so I can continue telecommuting on a more than occasional basis. Yes, it's rather petty as requirements go, but it's a good idea to have them around the house anyway. So I picked up a couple at Costco and my first task for the morning was to bolt them to the wall; one serving the second floor including the office, and a second serving the kitchen.

Next I checked out the hot tub out back, which has been acting up lately. Turns out it's not only leaking water but also electricity, which was rather a shocking development (pun intended). I'll have to have someone come out and fix it before we use it again.

Then we hauled out our new extension stepladder to change the light bulbs in our foyer fixture, over 12 feet off the floor. I replaced the burnt bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs which are guaranteed for 9 years, so we won't have to do that again for a while. Good thing, too: that stepladder can be a little scary.

I also re-hung a poster in the dining room, hung up a picture of Smokey the Bear (autographed by the artist) by the fireplace, and hung both our diplomas and a bulletin board on the office wall. Now we're planning to fill the staircase walls with family photos and some amazing artwork by a fellow I used to know in Rochester.

Meanwhile, Gary has been busy updating the Internet Movie Database with credits of shows he watches and records on Retro Television Network, a sub-channel of KIRO-DT that shows old series like Run For Your Life, It Takes a Thief, Ironside, etc.

We also decided to go out for dinner, this being Valentine's day and all. Of course, it seems the entire population of Everett had the same idea, and our first choice, the Grand China Buffet, had a long line and a full parking lot. So we went to Chang's Mongolian Grill instead; there was a wait but it wasn't long at all. After dinner we picked up some prints I'd made so Gary would have some family pictures to grace the staircase as well. I think we'll finish that up tomorrow.

Not a bad way to finish up the day, I think.