2.084 empty day is full

Monday 03/01/2021

Today on the Google Calendar was completely empty, nothing scheduled. Hah, but Google doesn’t know about the lined pad lying on my coffee table on which I’ve been noting things I need to do. So after the usual walk, I went to work on them.

First was to spend some time filling out the tax workbook for the tax preparer. We’ve been working with them for decades, and I am so glad I have this simple-minded workbook with hundreds of easy questions to answer — as opposed to actually trying to do the tax return myself. I filled out several sections of it.

Another thing was to spend time reading background materials for the Strategic Planning Committee. I’m going to start abbreviating that SPC because I suspect it will come up often. Today I spent nearly 2 hours making critical notes on a book on MARKET FORCES: Strategic Trends Impacting Senior Living Providers by Jill Johnson MBA. Lots of platitudes. I’m trying to dig out the practical points that could be turned into future objectives.

I just realized I completely forgot about one item I meant to do, to call Menlo Optical and get an appointment to bring my new prescription around. Dang.

After lunch I relaxed into working on the model car and immediately ran into a snag. Probably the two most important panels of the body are the left and right sides of the bonnet. These two panels:

They are flat and right in the middle and an essential part of the look. Any flaw in a flat panel like that will be obvious. Believe it or not I have most of the other panels looking as good (and same color as) this picture. I just finished gluing on the headlights and foglights and the front fenders look that good. But not those bonnet panels. Through a series of rookie mistakes I had messed them up. I tried sanding them down with 3600 and 6000 grit wet paper but they just kept getting worse.

So I decided to strip them and start over. That meant a half an hour soaking them in alcohol (it melts the acrylic paint) and scrubbing the paint off with a toothbrush. And then bringing the spray equipment back to the bathroom from the porch. I sprayed one color coat (fortunately I have some red left) after lunch, and a second coat after supper. Clear goes on tomorrow and hopefully that will do it.

In food-related news, we got an announcement email saying we have hired our new Dining Services director, one Joshua Aranda. This is the guy who will report directly to Rhonda and manage the new food service when Sodexo packs up and leaves in April. Boy, they can’t go soon enough. It is getting more obvious that they just don’t care any more. From tonight’s menu I had ordered “green salad with vegetables”. This consisted of a heap of chopped greens topped by one (1) slice of cucumber and about 8 pinto beans. That was the “with vegetables” part. The main course was polenta with mushroom sauce. That can be a good dish and I think I’ve liked it before, but not tonight. I left most of it and finished with a homemade PBJ.