What's In A Name?

When Chris and I got married, I didn't change my name. Even in 2010, and now five years later, this seems to confuse people. I'm not militant or angry when people call me by his last name, in many ways it's easier and more convenient...you know, addressing things to both first and last names, filling out forms etc.

It's been more complicated since we headed out on the road because we've been applying for jobs together. With Amazon I felt like I had to keep reminding them that we were married so they wouldn't put us on different shifts. In Amazon's defense, they never gave any indication that they didn't understand the situation, but I was paranoid.

At our current jobs, the customer we're working for asked if we were actually married and though he didn't seem judgmental about it, he seemed confused. I tried hard not to have a "What the hell is wrong with you" look on my face. Seriously, is it that uncommon?

We spend a lot of time in the car together in our current jobs which resulted in a recent conversation about combining our names in some way.

Here are some of our ideas for combining Fitzgerald and Pinkston

Pinkgerald
Fitzton
Finkston

Or maybe an amalgamation of some or all of the letters.

O'Zinger
O'Pinger


Or how about
Chris and Sue Danger?

Or maybe we should just use that as our middle name.

Suggestions?

More About Our New Jobs

Last time I shared the fascinating details of how to wiggle for gas leaks. BTW---I'm starting to get some muscles in my forearms from all the wiggling.

Our current assignment is to survey the inactive services. If you decide you don't want gas service at your house any more, the gas company will remove the meter but the gas line is still there. It's just capped off. I know, I never gave it a thought before either.

Or, if a house is empty, abandoned, or ought to be condemned, it usually has inactive service. When we turn onto a street and are trying to figure out where we're supposed to go, we look first to the dumpiest location. We're usually right.

Armed with a stack of maps where each inactive service is represented by a little green square, we head off into the wilds of South Carolina. Sometimes we drive for 10 minutes just to survey one house in the country. Other times we might have several together on one street in a town.

There's a fair amount of detective work that goes into this. Some houses don't have numbers on them. Sometimes I have the map upside down.

Earlier this week I was wiggling a house and I could not find the riser (that's the tech name for the piece of pipe sticking out of the ground that would attach to a meter if one was there. Usually about 6-12" high.) I looked all around, but nothing. They'd built a deck on the back and I feared it was underneath, so I peeked below and didn't see it. Chris came and helped me, but didn't see it either. Then I noticed a tall decorative plastic thing. Yep, it was covering the riser.

Our New Jobs

Sorry I haven't been a very diligent blogger. A few weeks ago I mentioned that we'd applied for new jobs. Well, we got them and have been working for a couple weeks now. When we get home, I'm pretty tired and sort of sit and stare for most of the evening. But, we're getting into the groove and feeling a bit peppier.

So, what are the new jobs?

We're natural gas meter surveyors.

Well, that explains it all, right?

Every year, the government mandates that 20% of all active natural gas service lines be surveyed for leaks. The company we work for contracts w/the local natural gas providers and sends crews (like us) out to perform those surveys.

We each have a piece of equipment called a flame pack. It weighs about 6 pounds and detects gas leaks. We take our flame packs and walk along the gas line moving it back and forth and then we go to the meter at the house and check it for leaks.

Basically, you wiggle the flame pack back and forth. So, I call it The Wiggler. And if I have checked a service for leaks, I tell Chris "I wiggled it."

I know you all sleep better knowing I'm responsible for gas line safety.

Why I Haven't Been Blogging Lately

A few weeks ago, I saw something online about the popularity of adult coloring books. Click here to see that inspiring piece.  I thought it seemed interesting and since I had a couple of gift giving events coming up, I sent some coloring books and colored pencils to a couple friends.

Then I decided I needed one for myself. I got this one. And I got this set of colored pencils (and a sharpener).  

This is supposed to be a relaxing hobby. However, my first creation stressed me out. Too many small spaces and not enough different colors. Clearly a 24 pack was insufficient to get the job done.

 See all those little spaces left blank? It was too much pressure. 

You probably know that I'm a knitter. However, I do not knit fancy, intricate patterns. In an ideal world, I'd knit with all the same color yarn. I like the rhythm and monotony of it. I would wear all black clothing all the time. Coloring, with all the demands for more and more colors in more and more little spaces...well, it scared me. 

But then I sort of found a style I liked. I found that if I pressed hard on the pencils, I got a deeper color than if I used lighter pressure (it's like I'm freaking brilliant, isn't it?). So that sort of doubled the colors I had available. I also found that I liked keeping the different flowers all one color. Or mostly one color. I got crazy and did a bit of shading. 

And that resulted in this one: 

Sorry this one seems a little fuzzy. It's poor photography that makes it look like I couldn't stay in the lines. Really. 

Still, I needed more colors. I bought a pack of gel pens at Office Max and a few loose pencils at a craft store. I should have bought a 48 pack of pencils, but if I buy one now, won't I have duplicates of the first twenty four? Seriously, it's stressing me out. 

But, I colored on. I think this one is the best yet. 

It's a combo of colored pencils and gel pens.

Coloring is relaxing, despite my issues with color selection. It's repetitive and somewhat creative. Someone else has put all the lines in place, I just have to stay inside them. I've been having some issues w/my right thumb which are exacerbated (and probably the result of) knitting, so coloring may be a good substitute (I'm a lefty colorist).

However, the refrigerator in the MH is brushed aluminum and we can't get magnets to stick to it so I can't post my work.

But that doesn't mean you can't. Be on the lookout, you may be getting some new refrigerator art.

Hello Dolly

We bought a tow dolly!

Now, I must clarify something from a previous post when I talked about actually being able to travel in the MH together...I said that we didn't get a dolly because we didn't think it mattered since we could drive the car all over the country for less than the cost of the dolly...well, I need to make a correction. I didn't think it mattered, but Chris did and he knew it would be much better if we could travel together...he was right.

What a treat to travel down the road with a big windshield to see everything and being perched above most of the traffic. Of course, the real thrill is being able to get in the fridge for a drink or the cupboards for a snack while still going down the road.

Wait...another correction, the real thrill is being together and talking while we travel rather than traveling separately. Plus, if we're together, I can get drinks and snacks for Chris.

We're very happy with the dolly.

What Is Dry Camping?

Over Labor Day Weekend we traveled to Ohio and dry camped the whole time.

What's dry camping, you ask?

Dry camping, also called boondocking, is when you camp without being hooked up to water, sewer or electricity like you would at a campground. Our MH has a generator to provide power, a holding tank for water and a holding tank for you-know-what, so we can stop anywhere, fix a meal, take a nap, or go to the bathroom.

Why dry camp? For one thing, it's less expensive than paying for a camp site. It's also faster and offers more flexibility. Plus, with it being Labor Day weekend most campgrounds were full and also charging holiday rates.

On our first night, we stopped at Scioto Downs Racetrack and Casino south of Columbus. They have a large lot for RVs and were very welcoming. After we got situated, we went in and promptly blew the equivalent of one night's campground fees on the slot machines. We stayed at Scioto Downs when we were in Ohio in July and enjoyed it. Maybe on one of our trips we'll get there in time to actually see the harness racing.

The next morning we drove to Tiffin (see last post about lunch at Phoebe's/138 in Tiffin) where Chris's mom lives in an apartment in a senior citizen complex. We parked in the parking lot (they had free wifi!) and spent two nights visiting with Chris's mom and other family in Tiffin without anyone having to worry about getting out the fancy guest towels.

After that, we drove to Ada and parked across the street from our house there while we did some home repairs and visited friends. This was particularly handy since the water is off at the house, but with the MH we had a bathroom when needed and didn't have to go running to McD's.

Dry camping is also fast when you're just trying to make time. On the way home, we didn't want to bother going off the highway to find a campground so we simply pulled into a rest area, put out the slides and went to bed. Next morning we had a nice breakfast and then pulled back onto the highway.

Some people make it their goal to never pay for camp sites so they dry camp or boondock all the time. That doesn't appeal to us at all, but we are glad that our MH has all the things we need so that we can dry camp if and when we want to.

Maybe we'll be pulling into your driveway next.

Restaurant Review: One Thirty Eight

During a recent trip to Ohio we visited our favorite vegan restaurant...which is also the only vegan restaurant we've ever eaten at intentionally, One Thirty Eight in Tiffin, Ohio.

Here's what the folks on Yelp have to say about the restaurant, also known as Phoebe's, click here.

What inspired a couple of overweight carnivores to dine on sprouts and kale? Well, the owner is also my favorite brother-in-law, Mike Pinkston. He's also a darned good cook as those who have attended Thanksgiving at the 'po in Ada, Ohio can attest.

I had a cup of fabulous tomato basil soup---so fresh. I also had an Asian stir fry with rice. I don't remember the name, sorry. Very tasty and filling.

Chris had a black bean burger sort of wrap thing. I don't know why more restaurants don't invite me to do reviews since I clearly have a handle on all the foodie terms.

My mother-in-law, Kate, joined us and she had the same dish I had. She was a clean-plater.

In addition to enjoying a healthy lunch and awesome company, we got a tour of the renovations taking place at the building next door. In just a few months, little ol' Phoebe's is going to transform from a lunch place to One Thirty Eight, a fancy, full service restaurant serving fresh, delicious, local food (including some meat, I've been told) for lunch and dinner. They are taking reservations for Christmas parties...hohoho.