Day 199, gym, tidy up, counters, FOPAL, furniture

Wednesday, 6/19/2019

Between breakfast and time to leave for the museum at 10:30, I totally blitzed a bunch of unsorted stuff. Weeks ago I cleaned out the desk by moving all sorts of office and stationery items, also some electronics and things like cameras, into the drawers of a tall narrow chest. Plus there was a big box of office supplies of various sorts. Now I went through all of that.

I populated the two “desk” drawers, shallow drawers at the top of the file cabinet that sits under the drawer-less computer desk, with the usual things, neatly arranged. Back in 1975-77 when we lived in England, we accumulated the cute little tins that the Brits sell candy in. They make perfect little drawer organizers.

I moved often-used printer supplies into the little table the printer sits on. I put lesser-needed supplies and such into drawers in the tall chest, but more rationally organized.

Then I cleared off the plywood counters in the bathroom and kitchenette in hopes the real counters would be installed today — and in fact, just as I was ready to leave, the guys with the counter tops arrived!

I joined the other docent named Dave to lead tours for a group of Berkeley students. Not the usual Comp. Sci. class, rather a group of Swedish exchange students doing graduate studies in management. So older, and not quite as tech-y as some student groups. Older, but not old enough. When I hold up a vacuum tube and say, hands up who knows what this is, not one one hand went up.

The 1401 team was there early and volunteered to give this class their demo when Dave and I finished our tours, so the Swedes got the full deal. They seemed appreciative.

Then I got some lunch, and changed clothes (I didn’t want to wear my fire-engine red docent shirt to FOPAL, and brought a Tee and jeans) and went to sort books. When I signed out at 4:15, I was honestly bushed. I stopped by Tasso street to look for the indoor/outdoor thermometer, but it wasn’t there. It must be packed in one of the 2 boxes I’ve not opened yet — I hope.

On arrival home I found my Corian counter tops installed, but still no sinks or faucets.

There is a possibility that a guy will want to look at and maybe buy the sofa tonight, and I really hope he cancels. I don’t want to go out again. As soon as I had settled in to writing this and relaxing, a man arrived to install the sinks and faucets. Then Harry, the guy who borrowed my old Kodak carousel projector, called to ask if he could come return it. So it’s a three-ring circus around here.

Deborah texted; Tony wants to pick up the sofa. So I grabbed a quick supper and went back to Tasso street. Forgetting to bring the front-door key. Oh, wait, the secret back door key stash is still there, I think. Yup, so I could get in. And now have moved the secret back door key to the bag with the other keys, so that won’t work again.

Tony took the sofa and one chair and the ottoman, but couldn’t or wouldn’t spring another $100 to get the second chair. Off he went and I went home to find both my sinks and faucets in. But the kitchen sink has a slow leak around the trap, so there’s that to fix.

Craig called to set up his formal floor-manager interview with me. And finally it was the end of a long day!

Day 188, scary purchase, transistor, dvr

Saturday, 6/8/2019

One week from right now (9am) I will be preparing for the moving van to arrive. But this morning I did something scarier: committed to a tour in September. I’ve been talking for a while about taking some kind of cruise or tour, probably with Road Scholar, in September, after I’ve been moved to my temporary flat. Where to? people asked, and I casually said, oh, maybe the Greek Islands.

So yesterday I opened up the Road Scholar website and browsed around, and continued doing that this morning, and finally settled on this one: “Island Hopping in the Aegean“. It seemed the best combination of places, dates, and especially price, because single-occupancy wasn’t a huge penalty over double. It took a while to muster the courage to click through the purchase process, and I hesitated a long time before committing and am still spooked by it. But it’s done. Unless I decide to bail in the next couple of weeks, I’m at least financially committed to spending September 6-20 cruising in a small ship around some Greek islands.

It would have been so comfortable to have just said, “nah, I’ll think about it later” and clicked away. I could feel the pull of mental and emotional inertia, like the gravity of a black hole… Some of the impetus to go through with it was that I spent some time yesterday and this morning reading through our New Zealand travel blog. Just ten years ago we did those six weeks in a van around both islands. Funny, an ongoing theme in those blog posts is the constant hunt for internet connectivity. I bet that isn’t such a problem today.

Spent a bit more time completing the documentation package for Katie the Tax. Then left for the Museum, stopping on the way to mail my estimated tax payments. I have to thank the Channing House email list for that. Although I had the envelopes and vouchers ready to go in the “Current Tax Year” pendaflex, with a post-it on them saying “mail before June 15”, I might well have forgotten. But there was an email earlier in the week reminding everyone that the deadline was coming. OMyGod yes! I thought. And wrote the checks and stamped the envelopes.

I wanted to put a return address on them but realized that my return address stamp, which I’ve been using since the 1980s, has the wrong (old) address. So I hand-wrote the 850 Webster return address, and then went online and ordered return address stickers.

At the museum I led a tour for, initially, 25 people, but several dropped off so I ended with about 15. Only notable thing was that someone swiped my transistors! I had two TO-5 transistors in a little plastic box, which I let the group hand around, it makes the comparison to the vacuum tube (which they have handled at a prior stop) much clearer. Today, the little box didn’t come back to me, and when I asked the group at the next stop, nobody had any idea. Bummer.

I went out for supper, then while watching Jeopardy I made a list of all the shows I’ve got subscribed on the DVR. Planning to subscribe to the same ones, or most of them, on the new XFinity DVR after moving in.

Day 181, Docent, Jean

Saturday, 6/1/2019

Two weeks from now is moving day to Channing House. I could probably move now, it the apartment was ready. I only need to repot the wax plants. I have a couple of attractive small hanging pots from Amazon to put them in. I am waiting for them to finish their current bloom, then I’ll prune them and repot them and they will be ready to go. Pretty much everything else is ready as well.

I conducted the noon tour at the Museum today. Had a good crowd, 25 or so, and most hung with me to the end. Later I called Jean suggesting dinner. I want to talk F2F about this wedding trip. She didn’t pick up, so left a message.

I did get in touch with her and we went out to supper. She brought up the wedding trip and said it did seem like too much trouble for the benefit. Excellent.

Day 174, Docent, Concert

Cannabis: At 9pm I took two gel-caps, for a total of 20mg CBD, 5mg THC. An hour along, nothing. And no perceptible change in sleep patterns. I’m becoming disappointed.

Saturday, 5/25/2019

A relaxing time-wasting morning before an 11:15 departure for the museum to lead a tour. Had about 20 people and they seemed entertained. I headed home to spend a few hours playing around before eating a cheese and pickle sandwich for supper and heading right back to the CHM, this time for a concert.

The Saint Michael Trio is a local musical group I had never heard of until someone at Channing House — either a fan or a relative of one of the players — posted on the resident email list. They’ve been performing and educating about music in this area for 12 years. The concert was their annual “gala” performance. The first half was classical works including a Mendelsson Piano Trio. The second half was jazz numbers.

Truth to tell I wasn’t that impressed. In part this was due to the acoustics in the Hahn Auditorium at CHM, which is basically a big square room with a high ceiling. The Trio used minimal amplification, just a couple of mics on stands between the violin and the cello and I’m not positive they were on. A lot of the nuances of the sound were lost by the time they reached me, sitting near the back. Allowing for that, I still wasn’t blown away by the musicianship. They did “In a Sentimental Mood”, a Duke Ellington composition originally recorded by him and violinist Stéphane Grappelli. I’d not heard this before but there were places where I am sure the Saint Michael violinist played the wrong notes, or was late. It wasn’t pleasant listening.

Anyway, home around 10, too late to try out any edible cannabis tonight.

Day 166, grumpy, map, docent

Friday, 5/17/2019

Today’s main activity is to lead a docent tour at the museum at noon. Right after breakfast I decided to follow up on something I’d noted by chance yesterday, that the

Hillbarn theater

is doing Mama Mia, which I’d never seen and should be fun. So I went to their website and tried to buy a ticket. Mostly sold out but there are seats for next Wednesday, fine. Advantage of being a widower (look on the sunny side…) I want only a single seat, and there were some scattered around in the center. Nice. Try to check out. It wants me to sign in or register. Sigh. Register. Wants name, email, address, age(!?), telephone number and of course a password.

You know what? Just sell me a ****ing ticket already! It so irked me I just closed the window and went for my run. But now, writing about it — nose biting for purpose of face spiting? — I went back and filled out their ****ing form and gave them a ****ing password. Nicely they present a menu of emails you can opt out of. Good! Opting outoutoutoutout. So.

Did my run, 37 minutes of jogjogjog and felt good (who’s old? Moi?). Showered shaved dressed in my red docent shirt and sat down to do another little chore I’ve been meaning to do: work out an equivalent to my current

jogging route

but starting at 850 Webster. Go to Google maps and map my present route. It turns out to be 2.6 miles from home to the coffee shop where I usually stop. About 2.4 miles of actual jogging; the tenth mile at the start and the last tenth I usually walk.

Then worked out a route of exactly the same length, but quite different terrain. Well, all flat like the present route, but different scenery. North on Webster street to San Francisquito Creek; follow a curving street along the creek; cross a footbridge into Menlo Park for a loop up Willow Road; cross a different footbridge back into Palo Alto (passing El Palo Alto, the town’s eponymous redwood tree), and down a back street to a coffee shop on University Avenue. Exactly 2.6 miles.

Got an email from Chuck, a slew of

realty disclosure

statements. My goodness there are a lot of different disclosure statements. Lead paint. Carbon monoxide detectors. Earthquake hazards. Some of them I couldn’t see how to fill out. Chuck had sent them as e-signature files, where you try to write your signature using the mouse. Instead I print out all eleven pages, look them over. Sign some obvious ones. Send an email back, need some guidance on these.

Then at 10:30 another email from Andrew, they have only the first of the four-page form that I’ve given them now twice. I get my copy from the pendaflex folder box and stop by their office on the way to the museum to drop it off.

I give my tour to about 15 people, get a round of applause at the end. E-chat more with

Chuck.

Of the two prospects, the Lawyer Lady’s agent has submitted an offer of $2.5M. However that was a misunderstanding. L.L. has just changed agents and the new one was not up to speed, didn’t realize that the latest ad had specified an asking price of $2.9. When Chuck pointed this out, she said she would consult with her client but didn’t know how much higher she could go.

As to the other prospect, the woman who works at Apple, Chuck has not heard back despite leaving several texts and a voice mail to the agent. That agent is a long-time Palo Alto realtor and Chuck thinks it is unusual for her not to respond. However during the showing the other day, she had commented to Chuck about planning a knee replacement operation soon, so possibly there is some health issue. Anyway, we left it that Chuck and I would meet Monday afternoon to talk about the disclosure forms, and hopefully one or both agents would have come back with something by then.

In the evening I combined an errand with supper. Earlier in the day, the

Prius

had popped up a message “Key Fob Battery Low”. Oh! Now, how do I open up the Prius key fob? I’m pretty sure I’ve done it before but don’t remember how. Youtube to the rescue; just click in the search bar and start to type “Prius key…” and “…fob battery replacement” pops up, and there are a dozen videos.

Turns out it is stupidly simple; Toyota did a great job on this design. The key fob contains a physical key that pops out when you press a button. I knew about that and actually used the physical key once when the 12V battery went flat. Turns out, they designed the key blade itself as a tool that exactly fits a slot at the bottom of the plastic fob. You pull the key out, turn it around, and use it as a lever to pop open the case of the fob. And there’s the battery. Nice!

I noted the number and went to Midtown where I bought a pair of the CR1632s and had supper at the Thai restaurant.

Day 160, deck, tour, book sale

Saturday, 5/11/2019

Today was the originally-scheduled day for me to move into CH. Well, hopefully the new schedule of June 15th will hold. One item on my to-do list for Monday is to settle with a mover, one from the list in the CH orientation book.

But this was the day for the museum tour, the scheduling of which has been so fraught because I have not been getting any response from museum paid staff. Thanks to Steve, who took the initiative to email the 1401 docents on Thursday, it all went off very nicely. The students were to arrive at 11:30 and remarkably, most of them were there at that time. Kim and I chatted with the early arrivers about what they were actually studying: they had been lightly introduced to transistors and logic circuits, then machine design, and were currently studying the MIPS architecture. Whoa, that’s a 64-bit RISC machine, quite a step up from learning AND and NOR gates. Anyway, they knew the lingo.

I took the first group of 15 or so, while Kim waiting for the stragglers. When we finished, about 12:30, we led them into the 1401 lab where docents Jack and Bill gave them the 1401 demo, with special emphasis on what developing software was like in the 1960s. Bill remembers working for a bank when the 1401 was first installed, and writing their programs for checking and loans. (He didn’t mention having to work with the OCR check-reader, I forget its model number; must ask him about that.) Anyway the students got a good tour that meshed with their class pretty well, so that was good.

Back home to change clothes and chill for a while. I changed clothes twice, in fact. Out of my white chinos and red “Computer History Museum Docent” shirt, into work jeans. Then I put the oil on the two back stoops. It really only took half an hour to do this. They look much better, not so obviously dried out. But really, they should be sanded down and re-stained. Shameful neglect, but IOMISEP.

I changed to nicer jeans and out again to walk through the FOPAL book sale and see how it was going. Seemed well; people had as usual messed up the neat shelving of the Computer section and it looked as if some had been bought.

Home again and I got texts and then a call from Chuck. Tomorrow he will be showing the house twice, at 5:00 and 5:30. The second is the previous viewer, the Lawyer from Canada who is a single mom and this time will be bringing her daughter. The first is a realtor Chuck knows — he went out of his way to emphasize she is a long-time Palo Alto realtor who is really nice, “some realtors aren’t, but she is” — who is representing a woman who works at Apple and, he says, is the daughter of a well-to-do family. The other realtor told Chuck her client “has the means” to buy in Palo Alto. So. Good.

Day 156, showing, floor meeting

Last night I watched an episode of the New Zealand based crime show, Brokenwood Mysteries, streamed off Amazon Prime. Times past, I’ve used my Sony Blu-Ray player for this. It has the software to handle streaming video from various sources. However, its interface is really clumsy, as well as slow-responding. So this time I just streamed on the laptop. Now, I could run an HDMI cable from the laptop to the TV, and maybe another time I would. However this time I just reclined in my chair and rested the warm laptop on my tummy. Through the bottom half of my bifocals, the screen is about 25% bigger than my 48-inch TV. And the controls for pause, play, skip forward or backward, toggle subtitles (needed with NZ accents!), are all responsive and intuitive.

So the streaming experience on the laptop is at least as pleasant as that on the big screen. But somehow, leaning back with a laptop on my chest seems more self-indulgent than sitting up, watching exactly the same content, on the TV across the floor.

Tuesday, 5/7/2019

I woke up at 4am and couldn’t get back to sleep. My mind wanted to fuss about a decision I made Friday. This is about a custom museum tour. I told on Day 151 about how I’d signed up to lead a custom tour of comp. sci. students on this coming Saturday. Then I had tried to contact Katharina, the docent manager, by email and phone, to express a concern about the timing and content. She’d ghosted me. On the Thursday, at Toni’s advice, I’d left a voice mail for the museum staff member who’d booked the tour, Poppy.

Well, Friday evening, after getting no call-back from Poppy, I removed my name from the schedule for that tour. Let them find somebody else. But now, at 4am, I am regretting that decision. My not leading the tour won’t help anything and probably won’t even be noticed by Katherina or Poppy. So at 4:30am I got up, got out the laptop, and re-booked myself for the tour. Now I see that another docent, Kim, has signed up for it as well. That’s appropriate, supposing the scheduled 30 students show up. If as is typical, it’s only half that, it’ll be overkill.

Then I did sleep until 6:40. About 8:30 I walked to the YMCA gym, for the first time in weeks. Back home, I tidied the house for showing at noon. I had been storing boxes containing disassembled, new furniture in the living room. I moved them to the middle room. Then I left and sat the local coffee shop until Chuck texted at 12:40 that they were out. This client is a single mom, an attorney, and she seemed interested. Chuck says she would like to see it again with her daughter and a friend. So that sounds good.

At 4:15 I went to CH for the sixth floor meeting. I’m trying to learn a lot of names. Phil, Jean, Ruth, Marcia, Gwen. Hope a few of those stick. After supper, came home to veg. out.

Day 153, Docenting

Well, that didn’t work out at all. I had planned to attend a concert at Dinkelspiel. This was an event I’d learned about from emails on the CH mailing list, promoted by a resident who is associated with the chamber group that would be performing. Fortunately (as it turned out) I didn’t buy a ticket in advance. It was only going to be $13 at the door, which seemed quite cheap compared to the $50+ for the Stanford Jazz Festival tickets I booked two weeks ago, so why not.

I left home at 7pm, and if things had worked they way they used to work, I’d have been sitting down in the hall well before start time. I got to the entrance to the nearest parking lot at 7:10. Times past, I’d have parked in a minute or so. I began circling, no space, several other cars circling. Went to the next further parking lot and circled. Now it was 7:20 and there was just nowhere to park. I knew that the next nearer parking was several blocks away; if I parked there I wouldn’t make it to the door in time to buy a ticket. Well, darn. I drove home.

I have no idea whether Friday nights are special, or maybe there were multiple things happening around that part of campus? Anyway, in July and August I will make it a point to arrive early. Or take a Lyft, one.

Saturday, 5/4/2019

Passed the morning deliberately not doing anything productive. Well, had an email from Harriet, passing on a document from Steve P, proposing a revival of the old Fast Break Club. Steve doesn’t live in the area now, but has been a SWBB fan for a long time, and for the last several years has been trying to promote a revival of the FBC. I read his document and don’t see anything new or workable, but we’ll see. Proposed meeting Harriet for coffee on Monday to talk it over.

Harriet is apparently planning a trip to Norway, and asked about my and Marian’s visit to Norway back in 2014. That prompted me to open up the old blog and I ended up reading the whole thing. A pleasant hour there.

Also had a friendly “how are you” email from neighbor Dan. Nice.

Put on my docent clothes (official red shirt, chino pants) and went to the museum. Led the 12:00 tour, about 17 people, went well. Afterward, talking to two other docents and they talked about how this is the weekend of Open Studios, when artists all around the area put up signs and invite people to stop in. Mike said that rather than driving around his neighborhood, he likes to go to Hunters Point where there are a bunch of artists in a single building. That sounds like a neat idea.

Bought a few groceries on the way home. Quiet afternoon.

Day 146, hazardous waste, docent,

Saturday, 4/27/2019

If the tentative schedule holds, exactly three weeks from today I will be moving into my unit at CH.

Took a leisurely start as usual on Saturdays, but at 9am arrived at the Palo Alto Utilities’ Household Hazardous Waste site. This is open Saturdays 9-11. I’ve been putting aside all the paint, bug spray, and other chemicals as I went through the garage, and now took three boxes of cans and bottles in the back of the Prius. They check your i.d. as a resident, take the containers out of the back of the car, say thank you, and off you go. Feeling morally and physically cleaner.

At home, I made copies of the five different forms that I’d filled out for Chuck, various disclaimers and disclosures and advisories one must sign to sell property. One, a detailed four-page questionnaire disclosing just about every possible thing that might affect the value of a property, was almost as much work to prepare as income tax. My first attempt had me trying to put explanatory notes in tiny little spaces provided. Then I got another copy and put the notes on a separate sheet. Anyway, done now. I put the originals in an envelope for Chuck to pick up next time he stops by, and my copies in a new Penda-Flex for the sale of the property.

Then, remembering that Chuck said he might bring a prospect to view the house Sunday, I tidied the shit out of things, made all ship-shape. While doing this, Chuck stopped by briefly and took the forms, saying he would probably bring someone to see the house tomorrow.

I changed to my docent uniform and went to the museum to lead a tour. A quiet Saturday, only eight in the group. Drove on home stopping to pick up a couple of food items, including some deli take-out for supper. Set out the foam mattress and waited for the junk guys to come by. Which took a while, but eventually two friendly dudes in a white truck came and took away the foam mattress. Another thing off my mind.

Tonight is “fireworks night” at the Sunken Diamond and I just don’t feel like going, sitting out in the chill — it has gotten chilly — through all nine innings to see fireworks. So, staying home and catching up on the DVR backlog. Amazing Race, Midsomer Murders, yeah.

Day 140, easy Sunday

Sunday, 4/21/2019

I deliberately did little today, and avoided looking at the full-page to-do list on the dining room table next to all the C.H. documents I should read and file. Had a pleasant coffee and crossword time at the local coffee shop, which was unusually quiet well past 8am. I guess people were either at church or preparing a Sunday dinner.

About 11 I drove to the museum to do the noon tour. Ken, another docent, was also there; they usually schedule two of us for weekend tours. But the parking lot was nearly empty and few people were in the lobby so we agreed there wouldn’t be enough people to split in two groups, so he went on home. I ended up with about 12 people.

For supper I thought about going to C.H. and decided I didn’t want to; and instead drove to Town and Country shopping center for a burger and a beer.

This exposed a problem I am going to have to deal with in coming weeks: general shyness and introversion and enjoyment of a quiet meal. For all these decades, Marian and I had the custom of sitting down with our plates in the living room and watching TV (often a cooking show) while we ate, and talking little.

This won’t be an option at Channing House. Once I take up residence, I will need to eat at least supper in the dining room. Which opens a whole can of (trivial, but real) worms for the born introvert. Which table to sit at? Who to sit with? What to talk about? Initially at least some residents are going to want to get to know the stranger in their midst. I’ll have to talk about myself and be affable and shit. I’ve eaten in the dining room twice now, once as Craig’s guest and last Friday — and I see I didn’t mention that in the blog! — I went back there and ate alone. There were enough tables that I could find an empty one and nobody came by, except the waiter. (You fill your plate in a cafeteria-style line but there are waiters who provide drinks and take away used plates.)

Choosing a table was fraught; I was early, and had no idea of the conventions and customs. I was afraid I’d end up at somebody’s regular table and they’d come in and… what? Be offended? Give me a break. But this is the kind of thing an introvert deals with. If you don’t understand it, consider yourself lucky.