Dishwasher Saga

We bought an LG dishwasher in spring 2009 because the one that came with the house totally sucked. The installer did have to cut out the old one and sort of cram the new one in place. It was lovely and wonderful until it stopped working last winter sometime. This left kids to do dishes by hand, which meant they were often not cleaned well or cleaned at all. Finally, it was time for a new dishwasher.

I’m just going to have to break down the timeline for this adventure.

July 7
We go to Lowe’s to buy a dishwasher. I looked at models online, so we go in informed. They are having a big Fourth of July sale, so the dishwashers are $200-$300 off. We settle on a KitchenAid.

July 17
It’s ten days before the installation company has an opening. They come in the morning on a Tuesday. The dishwasher does not fit, height-wise. The installer suggests looking ADA models.

The old dishwasher is taken away, which means anything going down the sink on the disposal side is likely to end up on the cupboard floor. This makes dishwashing by hand really interesting.

~July 20-25
We return to Lowe’s to look at possible alternative dishwashers. There are a few models marked as ADA, but neither us nor the employees can tell what makes a dishwasher ADA-compliant. They are not any shorter. 

Lowe’s scours the valley for a shorter dishwasher and finds one at Sears out in Sandy or someplace. But 34 inches tall is apparently industry standard. We decide to try to squeeze some more height out of the kitchen.

Glenn clears away all the flooring from the dishwasher space. The allotted space itself is enough, but the floor is an inch high, and there’s a lip on the bottom of the counter that is about a quarter inch down.

I’m worried that it won’t be enough, but we schedule another installation. Since I’m going out of town for a week, it will have to wait until I get back.

Aug 6-9:
The installation is scheduled for August 6. They end up really behind that day and end up coming on the 9th. The floor is still too high for the dishwasher to fit. The dishwasher needs to sit on the floor and slide into its space.

~August 18-20
Glenn then goes out of town for a week. He buys a circular saw to clear out a foot or so of kitchen floor. This reveals all the layers of the floor. It’s like an archaeological find. Linoleum was laid on the subfloor. Then particle board and another layer of linoleum was placed on that. Then a wood floor was placed on that. The wooden boards, already a bit warped, now come really loose.

~Aug 22-23
We attempt a third installation of the dishwasher. It fits! The dishwasher is incredibly quiet and cleans very well. A cycle takes about three hours, which is somehow more energy efficient.

We can use the disposal again and remove all the buckets from under the sink. The floor is in a hideous state. I look up ugly floor contests (where you get a free floor job if you win), but one just ended in August. I don’t see any others.

July Trip: Exploratorium & Beach

The day after Raging Waters, Tuesday, we took it easy and went to see “Incredibles 2” in downtown San Mateo. Mom bought us tickets. We originally aimed for a 1:40 show, but the only seats left were way up front. The last several movies we’ve been to were way up front, and we were kind of tired of it. So we got seats in the back for 4:40. 

Not only was there stadium seating, but all the seats were luxury, large seats that came with movable trays, recliner, and seat warmers. You couldn’t even see the rows in front of you. I guess theaters are having a hard time competing with home theaters, especially since many patrons don’t know how to shut up for a show. The movie was pretty good.

Wednesday we all (including parents and James) went to the Exploratorium, so we took two cars. I can’t believe I drove in San Francisco. It has a new location along the wharf. I got some good pictures of the view. Corin had a blast there, touching everything and playing all the games. It was a challenge to keep track of him. We spent nearly all day there and then had dinner at McDonald’s in Foster City.

This toothpick sculpture of San Francisco
took about 40 years to build.

Toy Taxidermy: insides of toys

Corin at the bubble station

Thursday we went to the ocean because Sara really wanted to, and Dad came along. We went to Poplar Beach in Half Moon Bay. I read a good chunk of my book while the kids got in the freezing water and built sandcastles that got demolished by the rising tide. 

Dad accidentally got his feet wet, shoes and all. He asked why I wasn’t out with the kids. “First, I’m not insane. Also, I’m not a tourist.”

I changed into sandals but hated the feel of sand in my shoes, so I went barefoot while reading. I hate sand! I got a bit burned on my foot and on my knees. I used sunscreen everywhere else. I don’t think Caelan used any sunscreen, so he came out pretty red.

Friday we returned to Colfax. I brought a few heirlooms back with me and James’s Solarquest game. We left around 1 but still had heavy traffic most of the way. It took two hours to go sixty miles.

We went to Colfax Park for a while, and then for dinner we had hot dogs and s’mores by the pond and the Hall cousins joined us. Everyone watched “National Treasure 2” while I made popcorn and lunches, finished packing, and took a shower. 

I took out the figurines Grandma Thatcher had given me (I had them wrapped in my pajamas), and Corin was totally freaked out by them. He said their eyes were creepy and that they were going to come to life during the night. During my shower, he hid them under the bed. Wow. He almost made me creeped out, too.

Saturday Rose Maree made donuts again, and we drove back to Utah. It was long, and there was some squabbling. The Redding wildfire left a smokey haze that we followed all the way into Utah. One thing that’s more boring than Nevada scenery is no scenery! The horizon was solid white for most of the drive. We got home at twilight.

August Books

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
Do not read the blurb for this book. It gives away about three-fourths of the story.

This is borderline grimdark, I think, which is something I don’t usually like because I’m sensitive to the kind of brutal violence that goes with it. It’s also a story that parallels Asian (particularly Chinese) culture and history, which is really cool.

The story starts off with some common fantasy tropes: an orphan escapes a slavish home life to go to school and discovers uncommon powers thanks to a quirky mentor … and so on. Lots of it reminded me of The Name of the Wind, Red Rising, and Grey Sister.

The second half of the book is quite a departure from the first half. There are completely new characters introduced with the old ones getting shunted off to the background. Rin’s personality disappears when it’s needed most. She’s making crucial, difficult decisions that have far-reaching consequences, and I needed to see her personality clearly as she gradually gave in to hate, rage, and vengeance.

I did really enjoy the lack of romance for once — we have men and women who are able to be good friends. That was refreshing. The writing is very smooth and fluid.

There is a lot of brutal violence, including infanticide, torture, child/infant torture, and rape. There is some occasional strong language.

* * *

The Star Gate (Space Cowboys #1) by Dean C. Moore
To be honest, I didn’t like this one that much. It has more to do with personal preference than any fault of the book’s.

The book is really long, which becomes wearying. It consists of video game-style fights mixed with hard science fiction theorizing. All the people are suped-up so much that they’re immune to death, so they have fights with each other and with aliens and die and “respawn” and die and “respawn” over and over. The fights were for entertainment value and didn’t create any suspense or sense of doom. The characters never settle down enough to get to know them personally, so I never connected with any of them.

When they’re not fighting, the characters are working out complex science problems and theories. This was all very smart, very thought-out stuff but just started feeling long after a while.

This is the start of a spin-off series, and I haven’t read the other books. I got the feeling the characters were easier to know in those books. I also wasn’t sure what the time period was. At first I thought it was the near future, but then it seemed like the far future. There are a lot of references to current and classic sci fi movies and films.

The writing is solid and competent, the imagination is there, and I expect the author will enjoy a fruitful writing career. It just wasn’t quite my thing.

There is lots of violence, sometimes graphic, and occasional strong language. I received a free copy from the author. I had the option to review.

                                                       * * *

The Encylopedia of Music
I found this at the thrift store for $3 in excellent condition, so score! It’s a reference book, not exactly meant to be read straight through, but I did anyway. It has glossy full-color pages with lots of pictures. It’s really beautiful.

It covers the general history of music, history of the instruments, and then gives biographies of the major composers in chronological order. (I was surprised they gave Tchaikovsky four pages. He’s generally considered the Justin Bieber of classical music.) History and culture also influenced all aspects of music, which was interesting. I was naturally most interested in my instruments and my favorite composers.

It focuses mostly on Western music because that’s the only music that was written down and preserved through the centuries. So much has been lost around the world because it wasn’t recorded.

It’s a British book with British spelling and punctuation. (I don’t like that punctuation.) Some musical terms are different between British and American English: semitone = half-note and beater = mallet were the most common ones. It was kind of cute to see how the writers lamented the lack of British composers through the ages and made sure to give lots of page time to the ones who showed up.

* * *

White Knight (The Dresden Files #9) by Jim Butcher
This story is well structured. There’s a crime mystery with personal stakes involved: women are being murdered, and Thomas becomes a suspect. He’s actively avoiding Harry, so the case is personal. Then there’s the road discovery filled with clues and setbacks and then a final big, huge climax. The creatures de jour are mostly White Court vampires and ghouls. I’m not sure what ghouls look like. Something like this:



They’re definitely unpleasant.

It’s not until the end we find out exactly what Thomas has been up to:


This is a fine addition to the Dresden Files collection. The language here is stronger than previous books, with about ten instances of the f-word.

* * *

The Guns Above (Signal Airship #1) by Robyn Bennis
This is a pretty typical steampunk story in my experience so far. The dialogue is fun; sort of a subdued Terry Pratchett style.

“Well, I expect you’ll manage,” the general said. “The ship’s Mistral. It’s a new design.”

Josette’s enthusiasm was momentarily checked, for the general had said the two words every airman dreaded: “new design.” Army flight engineers were forever searching for new and more efficient ways to get airmen killed. When they’d collected enough of them, they put them together in a devious package called a “new design.” But she took heart. At least he hadn’t said “revolutionary new design.”

After a sip of tea, the general went on. “My advisors tell me that it’s quite revolutionary.”

But most of the book is about battles. They’re good battles and well written. I just tend to zone out during fight scenes and battles in both books and TV. It’s just me. I think it’s because they usually lack dialogue and don’t advance the plot very quickly. (I find Brandon Sanderson’s action scenes engaging and brilliant.)

The characters are all fun, although the moronic general is very annoying. (He’s supposed to be.) He reminds me of General Melchett:

Bernie really grew on me, and Josette is my daughter’s middle name.

There’s no romance (YAY!!) but may be in later books. This one had an unrequited crush and an enemies-to-friends arc for the MCs. The editing was really good in some parts and really sloppy in others. I kept stumbling over misplaced commas, which completely interrupted the flow of the narrative.

There’s some rare strong language; no sexual content or graphic violence.

* * *

Moving Pictures (Discworld #10) by Terry Pratchett
I’m not exactly reading these in order. It’s fine. This is a totally fine book to start with in the world of Discworld. I was sad that Death makes only a tiny appearance in this one.

Alchemists have discovered the technology of moving pictures. If you have seen Twoflower’s camera, you have an idea of how it works. The book pokes fun about all the tropes of Hollywood, such as typecasting, advertising, and Lassie. There’s something sinister lurking behind it all, though, and the plot gets really weird. I think it’s all setup for a final punchline: A giant pretty woman climbs a tower while holding an Ape.

Some fun bits:

Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened.

The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door, the scream of fire engines, or the realization that today is the Monday which on Friday night was a comfortably long way off.

A dog’s wet nose is not strictly speaking the worst of the bunch, but it has its own peculiar dreadfulness which connoisseurs of the ghastly and dog owners everywhere have come to know and dread. It’s like having a small piece of defrosting liver pressed lovingly against you.

She was a beefy young woman and, whatever piece of music she was playing, it was definitely losing.

July Trip: Raging Waters

Note: I am a big chicken. I am not an adrenaline junkie. I need to gradually ease myself into things like heights and speed.

how the world sees a water slide

how I see a water slide

* * *

Monday the 30th kids and I went to Raging Waters in San Jose. I had directions from Google maps written out, and I borrowed Mom’s GPS. I should have stuck to the old-fashioned directions; the GPS misled me. We drove around a while looking for the place.

I went on that purple slide that empties into the Lazy River.

We rented a locker and put on tons of sunscreen. I soon realized I wouldn’t be able to walk around barefoot on the rough, hot ground and so kept my sandals on as much as possible. The girls went to the water slides while the boys and I started with the child pool. The water was chilly, but I forced myself to go in and get used to it. The child pool had a wide slide with water pouring down it. It was about 10 feet high and at a 45-degree angle. It took a long time to gather my courage, but I finally went down it. It felt so high and so fast. A group of 10-year-olds was surrounding me, cajoling me and encouraging me to do it.

The slide looks higher from the top!

After some more sunscreen, the boys and I went over to the Lazy River. I was lucky enough to get an inner tube, and Corin eventually got one, too. Caelan disappeared after a while. I dried off while lazily floating around. We must have been there nearly two hours. Then we met the girls for lunch (Caelan showed up) and waited in line for 45 minutes at the one concession stand. (Mom gave me $40 in cash for lunch, and we used nearly all of it on three chicken-and-french-fries meals.) It was so hot and uncomfortable in the line. Even with a shirt on, my shoulders felt like they were burning.

Lazy River

After lunch the boys and I went over to the other parts of the park. We were at the pirate ship playground for a little bit and then went into the wave pool. The boys got life vests for that. The water there was freezing even after total immersion. We couldn’t stay too long because of that.

the cold wave pool

Corin had to pee, anyway, and we discovered that his swimsuit had ripped, right down the crotch. We walked all the way across the park to the bathrooms with Corin trying to ... maintain some dignity. We left Caelan at the Lazy River. Corin went to the bathroom, and I found him a swimsuit at the shop. I was relieved when it was only $12.  

We went back over to the Lazy River to join Caelan, but none of us had any luck finding a free floatie. Then they announced the park was closing soon, which was a surprise. So I went on a simple water slide with Jaelyn. I hemmed and hawed for a while, chickening out a few times, and finally went on. I had to scream for part of it, but it was kind of fun. I really needed to make myself go on it a few more times.

top of the purple slide

July Trip: Weekend in San Mateo

After arriving in San Mateo, we all walked over to Ryder Park and spent about an hour there before having pizza for dinner. I got a good sunburn on my arms. Then we started watching season 2 of “Community” on DVD, which has become a new favorite show. Sunday I woke up early with a killer migraine that needed an injection. Changing altitudes inevitably does that to me.

Asistimos iglesia en espanol. El barrio ingles y el barrio espanol se enfrenton juntos para las reuniónes jovenes. Recibimos teléfonos principales para la reunión sacramenta. Mis hijos no entenden espanol. Pude entender el orador primero bien, pero no entendí el segundo. Él tenía un acento de Puerto Rico. Me gusta el acento de Colombia.

After church Mom and I played some duets on the flute. I had arranged some Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and other music as duets. We hadn’t done that in a long time!

Caelan at Ryder Park

Caelan and Sara

Jaelyn

Caelan and Corin

July Trip: Crossing Nevada

Friday, July 27, I drove with Jaelyn, Sara, Caelan, and Corin across Nevada to Colfax. Glenn and Deven stayed behind. I was nervous about driving all that distance by myself, but I managed.  I gave all the kids their own lunch sack filled with junk food. I took half a caffeine pill to stay awake. I listened to some Broadway while on a caffeine high. I drove about 85 mph most of the way, and we didn’t stop often. 

We stopped at what looked like a new rest stop on the salt flats not far from Wendover. The kids walked out onto the salt flats and tracked a ton of salt back in the car. I was surprised to see a tour bus arrive at the same time. A bunch of people got out, wandered onto the salt, and then back on the bus. 

We got to Colfax in a record 8 1/2 hours. The kids blamed Glenn for all the previous trips taking longer. It was mostly their fault, really.

Saturday morning the kids made donuts with Grandma Hammer , and we took some with us to the Bay Area. There was serious smoke from fires around Sacramento. We hit some traffic but made it to San Mateo without incident in the late afternoon.