Household – joeyhand.com

Rare events today

December 3, 2010December 29, 2020Joey

I had four rare phenomena happen today. Any one by itself would not be remarkable, but all four together warrant a blog posting that few people will read.

I got new contact lenses. I usually only wear contacts for bicycling with sunglasses or days when I’m outside a lot, like at the beach. When I do wear them, I seem to be fairly light on them, and they last well: I still had 3-1/2 pair of disposable lenses left from when I last got them two or three years ago, and at the same prescription. So my eyes are in good health and have not changed much–don’t need bifocals quite yet. With no reason to get new glasses, I used my vision benefits to get contacts instead. My optometrist suggested daily wear, which seem ideal for what my usage pattern and carry no marginal cost. I’ve been wearing a trial pair today, despite no bike riding, and I’m looking forward to just taking them out and throwing them away rather than going through the cleaning routine. Rarity: getting new contacts as well as wearing contacts when I’m in the office all day.
When I got to the office after my appointment, I felt a static shock as I put my computer in it’s port at my desk, and then it would not turn on. I called the company Helpless Desk, and they referred me to another number. Fortunately, it was easily remedied with that Help desk (yea Lenovo support in ATL). At their instruction, I unplugged it, removed the battery, pressed the power button 10 times quickly, then held it the 11th time for 30 seconds. All this was to discharge any static buildup, or something like that. When I plugged the AC cord back in, it worked fine. Rarity: My computer not powering on and having to call the Help(less) desk(s).
We had to get a new toilet in the kids’ bathroom, which is the first toilet we’ve every bought that didn’t come as part of a house. It supposed to be a nice one, and we got a good deal on it. Still, pretty hard to get excited about a toilet. Rarity: eh…
I stayed in the office on a Friday night until almost 8pm. Working into the night is not as uncommon as I would like these days, but I’m working from home more often than not these days, and almost always at home if it is night. So being there after 6pm on a Friday was unusual, and the buildings seemed strangely deserted when I realized what time it was and eventually left. Even though it was dark outside, I have to look on the bright side and be glad I wasn’t my co-worker in the UK who was still online at 1:30am there when I got home here at 8:30pm here.

Tonight at supper, Pete complained that he didn’t want to eat his squash because he didn’t like squash. Hard for most parents to imagine, I’m sure. I commented, “The parenting books say that if your child says he doesn’t like something, he should try it 15 times before you stop forcing it on him. 15 times!”

Pete made a funny face, laughed, and said “Parenting book?!?!!” thinking that I was pulling his leg that there would actually be A Parenting Book. Apparently, to a 9-year-old, a book on parenting is just a big joke. At which point Debbie, who procures our vast library of parenting books, went and pulled one from the shelf that seemed relevant to the conversation at hand, “Kid Cooperation: How to Stop Yelling, Nagging & Pleading and Get Kids to Cooperate.” … Frankly, with a title like that, I have to admit I’m more with Pete’s “You’re kidding me, right?” reaction. But Debbie turned to one of the 5 pages flagged with Post-It notes, and read a few items from the list, “Reminder Page – Cooperation” [p. 55]. I particularly noticed the next to last one, “Use Humor,” which actually works pretty well with Pete.

I walked in to the bookshelf and grabbed several more off the shelf to show Pete there was actually more than one and then read the titles:

“Perfect Parenting. Obviously, Daddy’s got this one down pat. Look, there’s even a bicycle on the cover because a perfect parent rides a bicycle.”
“When We’re in Public, Pretend You Don’t Know Me: Surviving Your Daughter’s Adolescence So You Don’t Look Like an Idiot and She Still Talks to You. … Ok, this one, I think the secret is not to use so many words and you don’t look like an idiot.”
“101 Essential Tips: Cat Care” [no comment–self explanatory]
“Kids, Parents, and Power Struggles“
“and finally, Migraine: The Complete Guide.”

(He finally ate the squash.)

Pfun with Pfaltzgraff

November 13, 2008December 29, 2020Joey

Villa della Luna 5-pc place setting (plate and bowl recalled)

After using the same everyday plates and dishes since I was in grad school and Debbie was still an undergrad, we decided to get some new dinnerware about two years ago. We browsed the Pfaltzgraff outlet over in Burlington, but could not find a pattern we both liked. Last year, we decided to make a more concerted effort as our Christmas present to each other. After going around to several department stores, we had found exactly one pattern we both liked, but agreed it was too expensive. Browsing more online, I found the Villa della Luna pattern by Pfaltzgraff. It was bright and a little more showy than what Debbie and I had been considering, but when she saw it, she immediately agreed that it was for us. After looking at actual pieces in a local store, I made a last-minute run to the Burlington outlet the night before we left for Christmas in SC. When I got there, they had some very pretty blue salad plates in addition to the square salad plates Debbie had admired. Not only were they attractive, but they were on sale, so I bought a half-dozen of them as a bonus Christmas surprise for Debbie, in addition to a ‘traditional’ set for 12–dinner plates, square salad plates, and soup/cereal bowls (who needs mugs?)–that we had agreed on.

In SC, Debbie had another dinnerware surprise in addition to the blue salad plates. We showed my parents the one place setting we had brought down for that purpose. My mother then showed us the Christmas present she had intended for us–a ‘new’ set of the pattern she had given us 17 years earlier that she had found in a local antique/used-furniture store.* On the bright side, the new pattern did give my mother a whole new realm of gifts that she likes to give.

Then, in the spring, I read about a recall of the Villa della Luna plates and one of the two patterns of soup/cereal bowls. We called the store, but they said they did not have any information about when or if new plates/bowls would be available. We then had to decide whether to 1) return everything, in case the pattern was discontinued, 2) return just the plates and bowls for a credit to use against new plates in a different pattern, or 3) hold on to them until we knew more about Pfaltzgraff’s plans for the pattern. We chose #3–wait and see.

In the summer, we heard they planned to make the plates again in October. In October, we saw a new dinner plate one the website where there had been no dinner plate, but it was very plain compared to the one we had. However, after eating off an assortment of mismatched plastic plates for six months, we were ready for some real plates. I took a half-day off so that we could go to the store together to see the new plate and other, similar patterns and to return our recalled pieces.

Before we went, I called the Pfaltzgraff store and their recall hotline, where I found out that 1) they planned to have the original pattern available (hopefully without the lead and cadmium) before Christmas and 2) the Pfaltzgraff outlet stores were closing and had everything 40% or more off. (Future purchases could be made online.) We ended up returning our recalled pieces for a TBD credit, hoping to get a 1-for-1 swap when the new pieces are available. We took advantage of the 40-60% off sale to get more assorted, non-recalled Villa della Luna pieces.

Just before we left, Debbie peeked in a separate room where they had some deeply discounted merchandise. At first nothing interested us, but in the back were some really ugly dishes in a brown Caramel Swirl pattern that looks straight from the 1970s. Somehow, thinking of them in our 1969 ranch house made them irresistable–sort of like slowing down when passing a car wreck for some people. At only $1.58 per plate, we ended up buying 8 plates and 4 pasta bowls so we could have real plates for the next six weeks, as well as appropriate tableware when we haul out the fondue sets.

*Incidentally, this was the second time we told them about something we had just bought for ourselves only to have them say they had just gotten a different version for us. The first was after we got Coppi Dog, and they had just gotten a cocker spaniel that they ended up keeping.