Pre Christmas Adventure

Friday, Dec. 18th found me on my way back to our new home with a car loaded with things the movers couldn’t/wouldn’t/didn’t take. Like all the house plants. Which was primarily the reason for my going back to NC the Sunday prior. That and a few other tasks, like cleaning the oven, cleaning the fridge, scouring the kitchen floor, scouring the sunporch floor, raking the ditch leaves, picking up sticks and setting fire to the pile that’s been sitting there for three months. Plus going to the skin doc and the chiropractor. And I even managed to get in a game of tennis.

The heat in the house was not acting right. Had noticed it before we left but tried to believe it was just my imagination. I’ve never known heat pumps to produce much heat to begin with so it’s difficult to determine when they’re not. But after a couple of nights on the air mattress on the floor and feeling cold air blowing on my head all night long, and the unit never shutting off, I opined that, yes, something was definitely not right. I was hoping it was just a thermostat problem.

Wednesday I had a plumber over to fix the hot water faucet to the washing machine. When the movers took the unit out, the hot water tap kept dripping. Fortunately the entire valve didn’t have to be replaced, just the washer. And he did both.

Thursday the heating guy came over. Nope, not a simple thermostat problem. An expansion valve problem. Which means they have to order the part. Which means the heat will be on emergency until then. Which means we’ll be running off the heat strips and it’ll be costing an electric fortune. Think I’ll invest in Duke Power. He sets the system to ‘emergency’ and leaves. I notice after a while that it’s still not getting any toastier in the house. I call Waldrop. “Uh, it doesn’t seem to be getting any warmer.” “Well, give it a half an hour and if it’s still not warm call us back,” came the reply. It had already been about an hour, but I did as told.

Half an hour later the thermostat indicates the temperature has DROPPED a degree. I call again. The guy who came originally has gone home. A new one is sent out. He arrives about an hour later. Is in the basement a LONG time studying the unit. Then comes upstairs and looks at the thermostat. He determines that whomever put the thermostat in didn’t hook it up so that it could use the emergency setting. How is this possible? Who knows. Anyway, we chatted at the folding bridge table in the kitchen until he was satisfied that there WAS heat coming out of the vents. He said they’d let me know about the part and how much it would cost the next day. That night I got a cold.

Snow was predicted for the next day, Friday. It was coming up from the coast and expected to get worse throughout the day and into Sat. Especially in the higher mountain regions which was exactly where I was heading. I really didn’t want to spend two more nights on an air mattress on the floor. Husband and friend advised me not to leave. I left anyway. I’ve always enjoyed an adventure. HA!

It’s normally a four hour trip. But because of a rock slide on I 40, one has to go all the way up North to Johnson City on I 26, and then take I 81 South to re-connect with I 40 to get into Knoxville. Which takes another hour.

North of Asheville the road gets worse and worse. Somewhere after Johnson City everything came to a standstill. Two hours later there was a little movement and I managed to sneak my way ahead. People of this region just don’t know how to drive in this stuff. Cars were in the ditch on the left and off the road on the right. Finally managed with a great sigh of relief to get to an exit and a convenience store bathroom. I think it was then around 6 pm. I’d left at 12:30. Some other stragglers came in. They had been stuck for SIX HOURS. I was lucky with my two. Talked to more people as they came in. The highway ahead was a parking lot. A local cop came in. He said there was a jack-knifed tractor trailer up ahead. How long before he thought it would be cleared? His guess was at least three hours. Called husband. I gave him the info. Told him I’d keep him posted.

Went off to find something to eat. Burger King had just closed. There was a grocery store open, Food City, I was told. The road was ice and slush. The plows must have all been on the highways. Managed to slip and slide my way into the parking lot. They had a deli, which was closed, but had some tables and chairs at which to sit. I had brought some sliced ham in a cooler, bought a loaf of bread and made a sandwich. Most of the pre-packed warm food had already disappeared, like the rotisserie chicken, etc. There were a couple of salads left, which were unappealing. I kept inquiring about the roads. The local state trooper was of little help. He didn’t know how he was gonna get home himself.

There are no motels in Gray, TN. If I had stopped in Johnson City, I probably would have been nice and snug by now. Food City closed at midnight. I managed to get my car over to their gas pumps where there was an overhang. At least I’d be out of the way of the plow which was attempting poorly to plow the lot. And the overhang would keep the snow off my windshield so I wouldn’t have to scrape it. My cold was in full bloom. It was 28 degree out. Christmas music was coming out of the speakers around the pumps.

I listened to this music for six hours. Every half hour I turned on the car to get some heat so the plants wouldn’t freeze. I nibbled on peanuts and carrots and drank Dr. Pepper. But not much, because I didn’t want to have to get out my sheinal (a woman’s urinal) which I’ve learned to carry in the car. It’s not the easiest of items to use under spacious conditions (like in a tent). When you’re behind a steering wheel and have on long underwear...let’s just say it’d be better to HOLD IT!

My poor husband was so worried. At 6 am the store re-opened. I walked across the lot ‘cause I was afraid that I’d get stuck if I tried to drive. The plowing job was a joke. One of the gals had crossed over the freeway on her way to work and said it looked like there was one lane open and cars were moving. I had a cup of coffee. “What time does dawn arrive,” I queried one fellow. “Around 7:15,” he said. God. Another hour and a half to go. I didn’t want to attempt leaving until I could at least see the road ahead.

Finally things started to lighten up. Still snowing and grey, but it was now or never. Grabbed another cup of coffee and a banana and prayed that I’d managed to get out of the parking lot.

I did. I was two exits from I 81. Within that stretch of road there were over 100 cars on either side. They looked like tinker toys. Seven in a row on the right, four on the left, then more...and more...and more. What happened to all those people I wondered? And how long will it take to haul their cars out.

The snow continued until Knoxville, where it became a sleety rain. I got more coffee. I was getting mighty sleepy. As the elevation rose in the Highland area it turned back to snow. It seemed like an endless drive. Took four hours. I finally pulled into the driveway at 11:30 am. And walked into husbands arms. Then unloaded the car, took a shower and crashed ‘til 6 pm.

The heating company did not call. We had to call them. Estimate is $650. The heat in our new home I noticed was acting similarly to that at Tranquil Lane. Naw - can’t be. But...why is there cold air blowing in the bedroom? Get a heating guy over the 22nd. There’s a problem with the defrost board. Need to order a new one. Fortunately it’s still under warranty. Unfortunately we’ll now be running off the emergency heat strips in this house too. And being Christmas week, the part won’t be ordered ‘til next week. Now gonna also invest in Upper Cumberland Electric. My portfolio will be overloaded in the energy sector......

But the cows are back in the back field. And that’s what really matters.

Moving

Before:



After




Before:





After:



Before:



After:





It only gets worse from here......

There's nothing more to say. And no time to say it.

Moving is DREADFUL!!!

Another Lady

So I'm out on our front porch a couple of weeks ago and up in the corner is another spider of questionable descent. Looks exactly like the one I saw last year on that same porch. Last year I made a couple of inquiries but got no specific answers but more or less assumed it to be a Black Widow or (according to the descriptions I read, an Australian Redback spider which made no sense as to why it would be here in North Carolina. I mean that's a LONG swim.) She was quite unique looking. That's what caught my attention in the first place. Like someone had splashed three drops of blood on her back. But there are NO descriptions of Black Widows with red on the back, so it was most curious to me. Husband caught her in the bug jail and we took her FAR away. I didn't have the heart to kill her, as she was really quite a remarkable looking lady.

And now here's another one. And I'm equally curious to find out what she is. So I find a site on the internet. The correspondence of which follows.


July 23, 2009 (Spider Question)

To "Peter Bryant"

Dear Mr. Bryant,

You have a great spider page on the internet. And since you seem to be quite knowledgeable I was wondering if you could answer this question for me.

See attached photo. This is the second one of these I've seen at our house. I'm assuming it's a Black Widow, because the abdomen has that red hourglass shape. (At least I assume it does. The one I found last year that I caught in a bug jail, had it.) But I've never seen a description of a Black Widow with red drops on her back? So is this indeed a Black Widow? Makes a very sticky web. From the description of an Australian Red Back spider I would have thought that's what this is. But I live in North Carolina, so that doesn't make any sense.

Any help would be appreciated.

You've got fabulous spider shots!

Giulia Pagano

(His:) Hi! Please contact my friend Lenny Vincent at Atypoides@aol.com < mailto:Atypoides@aol.com>, who knows a lot more about spiders than I do.
Thanks!

Peter J. Bryant, Ph. D.
Developmental Biology Center
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-2275
Phone: (949) 824-4714
Fax: (949) 824-3571
e:mail: pjbryant@uci.edu

July 23, 2009 (Spider Question)

Dear Mr.l Vincent

I was advised by your friend Peter Bryant (Please contact my friend Lenny Vincent) to contact you regarding my spider question. So this is all HIS fault. This is what I sent to him:

"...since you seem to be quite knowledgeable I was wondering if you could answer this question for me.

See attached photo. This is the second one of these I've seen at our house. I'm assuming it's a Black Widow, because the abdomen has that red hourglass shape. (At least I assume it does. The one I found last year that I caught in a bug jail, had it.) But I've never seen a description of a Black Widow with red drops on her back? So is this indeed a Black Widow? Makes a very sticky web. From the description of an Australian Red Back spider I would have thought that's what this is. But I live in North Carolina, so that doesn't make any sense.

Any help would be appreciated."

So, since he says you're the one in the know, I pass the question on to you. I have a love/hate relationship with spiders. They fascinate me and I have spent many hours studying them. Really. And taken many photographs of them. However, when vacuum day comes around - that's it! But I have gleaned much knowledge and appreciation of them over the years from observation of their amazing capacities. How many of us could grow a new leg in a molt had we the capacity? (Or if molt is not the right word, you know the one I mean. I'm not an entomologist, just your normal every day bug lover. And especially the Peter Ustinov documentary taught me the brilliance of the creature. And if you're unfamiliar with that documentary - find it!)

Anyway, if you could view the photo in the attachment and give me your words of wisdom, I'd appreciate it. Because I'm still trying to learn what a Black Widow looks like. If this is SHE - she's a real handsome lady.

Thanks for any spider wisdom you can impart.

Giulia Pagano


(His:) From: Atypoides@aol.com
Subject: Re: Spider Question
Date: Friday, July 24, 2009, 7:04 PM

Hi Giulia,

Looks like a black widow to me. Many of the immatures have the red along the dorsal surface. Yours looks like an adult which would make this an unusual case. I agree that it looks like an Australian redback. It would be interesting to know if you come across another individual with the same coloration.

Cheers,
Lenny Vincent


(Mine:) Re: Spider Question
To: Atypoides@aol.com

Lenny,

Thanks so much for your response. If this is an "immature" I'd hate to see what a grown up looks like! 'Cause this one's pretty hefty. As I said, this is the second one of these I've seen. The one last year, that I put a LONG way away across the road and into the woods, was exactly the same and both were found on our front porch. I guess they like to welcome guests.

Hey, I'd be HAPPY to sent her to you, postage paid. HA!

Take it easy.

Giulia


(His:) Hi Giulia,

Hey, if you are serious, I'd like to have it. I stick spiders in small vials filled with alcohol and placed in altoid tins. Those go in mailing envelopes. Let me know.

Cheers,
Lenny

(Mine:) Lenny,

Spiders in altoid tins - now THAT's a novelty. Hope you don't grab the wrong tin and pop one in your mouth by mistake!

Well now I have only two problems with sending her to you. One is - I really hate to kill her for no reason at all. Though if it would serve the purpose of scientific study....

BUT

There ain't NO WAY I can put this large lady in some little vial even if I had one. She's much to vial to put in a vial small enough to fit in an altoid tin. A big jar - yeah, maybe. Unless I squashed her first and then, what would be the point.... How do YOU get them in little vials?

So, unless this is probably the most unusual spider found in North America and needs to be examined for posterity, my tendency would be to take her off down the road across the stream, where I put the other one last year.

What do you DO with the spiders you have? Are you an entomologist? An arachnidologist? Or just bug crazy, like me? With an email address of atypoides I guess you're a specialist in them?

Giulia

(His:) Hi Giulia,

Yeah, I do specialize in spiders, when I'm not teaching. Yes, just let it go. and, in any case, I now know what it. It is the Nothern Black Widow, Latrodectus variolus. They always have a row of red spots.

Cheers,
Lenny

(Mine:)
Message contains attachments
IMG_2873.JPG (788KB), IMG_2869.JPG (1584KB)

Lenny!

Thanks for the Latin name. I looked her up and came across some great photos of her: Pippin Widows (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/arachnids/nblackwidow080314-3006gate48z.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/arachnids/blackwidow.htm&h=470&w=600&sz=59&tbnid=op8KK1y1J27SbM:&tbnh=106&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLatrodectus%2Bvariolus&usg=__5NXJkxWF6HAL8sU26eAl87KQZWw=&ei=NMFwSqGOBJCNtgfaoqH-DQ&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=7&ct=image).

If I find any more unique visitors, you'll be the first to hear.

Have attached a photo of one of my favorites, the black and yellow argiope. I'm particularly fond of her trampoline act.

Thanks for the many responses.

Giulia

--------------------------------------------
Here's the photo I attached to that email.



And I wonder why I don't have a lot of friends...... HA!

Comcast Episode

This event took place in 2005.
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An Actor’s Life Part XXX

We get a call from our agent in Knoxville to go for a Comcast audition in Nashville Nov. 22nd. They wanted real married people. They’d already gone to NY to look there, but wanted a "southern" type. They're too stupid to realize that NY actors can do southern accents. We’re told it’s supposed to shoot in LA on Dec. 15th.

So we go in half pretending to be southerners. And slow southerners at that. Cute, dry copy. “Frank & Janet Slowsky, DSL Customers.” He: “We come from slow. We like slow.” She: “With Comcast you download music and photos and bam, they’re right there.” He “I mean we’re not hares, we’re tortoises. Give me a little spinning ball time, a stuck loading bar, something...” She: “I mean his middle name is slow.” You get the idea.

They said there weren't call backs which was good, as it's a 7 hr. drive to Nashville. Arrived at the hotel and check in. As I'm making up and Rand is changing, guy comes to give us a mini fridge which was supposed to come with the room but wasn’t there. Timing is everything and we don’t have a lot of it. Get to audition 3:30. They have a lap top which is playing the auditions that were held in NY for all of us “southerners” to see. They all looked bad to me. Our audition goes well. Back at hotel, notice there are bugs in the room. Not good. Go to dinner. Come back, more bugs. Change rooms at 11 pm. Drive the 7 +hrs. home the next day in horrendous pre-Thanksgiving traffic.

Following week we are told there ARE call backs and they want to see us again. Great. Told to wear the same outfits we were in originally. They send new copy of scripts. Now the characters are turtles. “Open on a turtle and his wife in their living room.” Visions of having to wear hideous turtle outfits come to mind. Why does it matter that we wear the same outfit we did for the first audition? Hmmmm? We’re turtles! Leave Wed., another 7 hr. drive. Spend night in non-buggy hotel. Audition next day (Thurs.). Swedish director about 29 years old and about 4 other various sorts - the obese casting girl, the scruffy, un-shaven 25 year old, the young girl, etc.. They spend half an hour having us ad lib into the copy. They seemed to like us. Another 7 hr. drive home.

Get home around 8:00 pm. Phone rings. Agent says they have 6 Nashville couples they're interested in - we're at the top of the list. She says the production company may be calling later - if they’ve chosen us. We then find out it's a demo. And a voice over only . Turtles are gonna be animated characters like the Budweiser lizards. We’ll be doing the voices. Whomever gets it has to go to NY tomorrow (Fri). Rand tells our agent he doesn't fly. Calls back and forth. We're already exhausted. No calls from the production company. We figure we didn’t get it.

Friday morning we awake to find our digital thermostat - and hence the heat - is not on. Call a heating man. He comes. Says we have a bad circuit breaker. He doesn’t have any in his truck. He can’t get the old breaker back in. He shows me how to re-wire a new one. I say that’s all fine, but if YOU can’t get it in, how am I supposed to. He doesn’t answer and leaves. I go to Landrum to get a new breaker - the only place nearby that carries them. The guy there tells me how it should snap in once wired. I spend a LONG time and finally manage to get the thing in. This on a ladder in back of the heating unit in the basement with a trouble light and zero room to move. Thermostat’s now on but heat pump isn’t working. Maybe it’s a fuse I think. Rand goes off and gets two fuses. Meanwhile I call another heating place. Guy says he’ll stop by later.

4 pm Agent calls and says we got the job. One train out of Spartanburg (20 min. away) at 11 something. Calls back and forth. Packing. Trying to arrange for 3 cats should we be gone longer than expected. With these people ya never know. Meanwhile I put the new fuse in and the heat seems to work. The other heating guy calls, I tell him it’s working, not to come.

Train sleeper is booked by them. 11:40 out of Greenville (an hour away). Great. We wanted to leave from Spartanburg which is closer. We have to find out about parking at the station. Never been there before. Station is supposed to be open at 9:30 pm. No answer. Many calls to Amtrak. Short term parking is only 24 hrs. More calls. Eventually find out "short term" parking is for up to 2 weeks. Main office didn't know that. Still no answer at the Greenville station. We manage to cook dinner.

Find out the train is running two hours late. Well, at least that gives us more time. Get there at midnight. Station is locked up, no stationmaster there. And you have to get the ticket before you can board the train (even if it’s pre-paid - which this one was by the prod. company.) One 76 year old woman had been sitting there since 9:30 in the cold. Eventually station master limps in - literally. He had just gotten out of the hospital. His relief never showed.



Get on the train, it leaves at 1:40 a.m. A sleepless night. Arrive 4 pm Sat. Jason, a typical young man of these days with no brains, says he'll meet us at the 34th St. entrance to Penn Station. He'll be wearing a baseball cap and have a BRIDGES sign. We look for the 34th St. entrance. There is none. Call him on his cell. Oh, he meant 33rd St. “Do you have the BRIDGES sign so we can find you?” No, he forgot it . We finally find each other. He cabs us to the studio. They're currently taping the NY couple they’ve chosen. We sit around for an hour. They call me up to read with the NY actor. I thought they wanted real married couples? Rand falls asleep on the couch. I spend an hour taping, then they bring Rand up. The director has to fly back to Sweden, he leaves as Rand comes in. We two tape 'til 9 pm sans director. Then a cab ride with Christmas music blaring on the radio and a ride over the worst cobblestone street in NY - I thought my teeth would crack. Arrive at Grand Soho ($300/night). Live music blasting in the lobby. Can't hear yourself think. We're totally exhausted by this point. Go to check in. The room is not paid for. Whadda ya mean the room isn't paid for?! They need a fax from someone saying something..... Fortunately the bright girl at the desk eventually found whatever it was that was necessary. Gave us a couple of free glasses of champagne.

Head out for dinner at 10:30. I could barely walk. Go to Italian restaurant and have one of the best meals I've ever eaten. Finally sleep - without motion. 2:15 train out the next day (Sun.). It’s drizzling. We find out they had booked a smaller room on the train for our return. Swell. They're small enough to begin with. Picture, if you will, my 6'6" husband on a small train sleeper. They ain’t what they used to be. Arrive Greenville 4:55 am Mon. Driving home in the pouring rain my speedometer stops working. Swell. Get to bed at 6:30. Sleep for a few hours, then I head off to unemployment in Hendersonville for my monthly review. And later in the day I get a call from our other agent saying I have an audition in Wilmington the next day for a Denzil Washington movie. Probably a one-liner. It's a 7 hr. drive. No thanks....

If this ad runs, and if they end up choosing us and not the NY couple or whomever, (they said they might want us back in mid Jan. to shoot the real deal) we could be sitting pretty because it's a huge campaign and will be shown across all venues, national, regional, cable, internet, etc. And it’s three different spots. If it doesn't - we’ve had one heck of a story to tell.....

Meanwhile I just took the car in to check the speedometer problem, heat pump stopped working again and we had the other guy in to fix it, and we’re waiting for four days in a row without rain so we can stain the decks which we power washed over a week ago now and are already dirty again. Never a dull moment in the Bridges household.