The Radio Girl

Road Trip Eve

It's a big and busy Friday out here in the BC wilderness.

Not only is it trust payday today (my fave day of the month) BUT... only one more sleep until we pull up the jacks on JohnnyDisco and head south for the winter. 

We've been prepping for the past couple of weeks but My Fella and I still have a few things to do before take-off.

Him:

• blow out debris from the slides before we pull them in
• store Shelbys mutt hut (dog cage) in one of the outdoor bins
• dump the tanks
• run the engine, a/c, heat vents and get rid of the stinkbugs
• clean out the car

Me:

• sweep off JohnnyDiscos roof
• wrap the newly planted cedars in burlap to ward off munching deer
• take out all the garbages/recycling
• store any loose items from the kitchen counter
• pack up my mini-office (printer, laptop speakers, pictures)
• clean out fridge and freezer and secure everything for travel
• tuck away extra summer shoes (flip flops, golf cleats)
• store loose shower stuff (shampoo, body wash) in a plastic bin
• round up our foreign currency (American dollars and Mexican pesos)

There's probably more to do but I can't think of it right now.  Instead I may whip out the tamborine and get in the mood for warmer weather...

*More proof that I should have been born in the 60's instead of the 70's.

Need a Giggle?

Listen to 'Business Time' by two guys called Flight of the Conchords. 

This song is hilarious...

We're Hooked Up

We finally have a strong internet signal here in JohnnyDiscoLand.

Thank you Telus - you came through!  And now that we've had this little chat I hope we're straight on what we expect from each other.  I'll pay my bill on time and not surf porn and YOU get your customer service reps on the same page as your service techs.  Capiche?

And now on to other projects.  Like this one:

 
I've had this 6 string acoustic guitar for the past thirteen-or-so years, and still haven't learned to play it.  After the odd guitar lesson here and there, I'd get excited about it for a few months and then completely forget about it when the next shiny new thing came into view. 

So here's my goal:  teach myself (via the internet) to play chords and the classic campfire songs over the next seven months, before we head south for the winter.  If I'm not 'into it' by October, the guitar will have to find a new place to live, maybe Value Village.

Project #2 - Creating office space in JohnnyDisco. 

Here's the bunk area right now. 

 
My Fella has already removed the upper bunk and DVD player.  And a buddy is hauling away the two mattresses today - he wants to use them when his little girls have sleepovers.  They're brand new and pretty comfy so I'm happy they're going to a good home. 

Next step:  installing a desk and some shelves and setting up our laptops, printer and office stuff.  More pics to come in the next few weeks. 

Unless this project goes horribly wrong and I'm embarrassed to show you.  Then you just might see us featured on a TLC episode of When Power Tools Fight Back!  :)

Mex Road Trip 2010

... is under way.  Yee haw!

Next post will be from Washington or Oregon.

Nine More Sleeps...

...til our Mexico Road Trip.

 
This is the highway running through the Mexican city of Bucerias (Boo - ser - ee - us) about 20 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta.  My Fella and I spent a fair bit of time here last year looking for a 60 foot internet cable and a good vet. 

And if you feel like life's getting away from you and ya need a quick break, check out this tune from Baz Lurhmann.  It's a perfect for a snowy Friday.

What's Goin' On

It's been a busy week:

• Started the Rosetta Stone Spanish language course and trying to finish at least one lesson per day.  Love it.
• Had my first eye check-up in two years and ordered a new pair of prescription sunglasses.  "All the better to see you with, my sweetpea... So I can kick your butt at tennis in Mexico this winter ... mwa ha ha ha" - evil laugh  :)
• Researched/started a position in Davis + Henderson Income Fund (DHF.UN). Purchase price was $14.10 with a yield of 13%. It's trading at $14.81 this morning.
• Went through my clothes for the third time in 6 months, looking for more charity donations.
• Started a list of furniture we want to give away to friends (our sectional, queen size bedframe, bookshelf, etc.)
• Listed a bunch of furniture on Craigslist and made my first sale.
• Did more research on RVs since we've recently discovered the beauty of Airstream trailers. Good reno project?
• Currently making 'Bean Stuff' in the slow cooker this morning. It's pouring rain in my little Okanagan beach town - a great day for 'Bean Stuff'.

And in honour of the title of this post, here's one of my fave Marvin Gaye tunes:

Final Friday of the Summer

Fall begins next Tuesday so this is the last weekend of summer 2009. 

The Okanagan forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 28 today.  It's my day off but I have some quick errands to run (ship off those baby clothes, restock my fruit bowl, clean old plants off the balcony) and then I'm gonna take a walk to the dock this afternoon and say goodbye to summer :(

I watched this video on YouTube this morning - Richard Marx and Endless Summer Nights.  It is soooo eighties cheesey.  Love it.

And I had to laugh out loud at the gal in the video with the ponytail on top of her head.  There is no photographic evidence but I wore my hair that way almost every day in high school. 

I found this pic of Richard Marx with Daughtry.  Wonder if Marx misses his 80's hair...

Fave New Summer Tune

Colbie Callait and Falling For You. 

The video is pretty sweet.

Pave Paradise, Put Up a Parking Lot

Praying for rain today.

For the past couple of days I've been repainting the parking stall lines in our condo parking lot.  Sweeping, taping and then painting 57 sixteen foot lines. 

My knees hate me. 

When someone first brought up this project during a condo board meeting, there were tons of volunteers.  We'd save about $1000 doing it ourselves and we'd get it done sooner than waiting for a painting crew.  But now that it's time to actually do the work, everyone is suddenly busy. 

I'm on the condo board and couldn't really back out, so I:

• shlepped around our little Okanagan beach town searching for traffic paint and other supplies (which the strata will reimburse me for)

• put together a "Painting Schedule/Move Your Car" notice and hand delivered it to all 39 units

• have been crawling around our parking lot for the past two days, taping and painting white lines

Before:

After:

Tuesday I taped and painted 25 lines myself.  Wednesday My Fella helped me do another 14 lines before it started raining.  But today my knees and back are refusing to cooperate.

One more day of line painting should finish it off, but it looks like rain today.  I hope, I hope, I hope.

Friday/Payday

You made it to the weekend.

It's sunny ... AND it's payday.  Although for most of us, that paycheque slid in and out of the bank so fast, the ATM got whiplash. 

Here are the Beatles, Money - courtesy of YouTube: