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Solar panels!

Coming straight off an Alaska cruise, you’d think that would be the most exciting thing on my mind. I promise, those photos are coming soon, we just haven’t sorted through them yet. When I had someone check the roof for hail damage, I was hoping they’d say the roof was fine and didn’t need any work. Obviously, that wasn’t the case. However, having a new roof put me in the position to do something I’ve been waiting for… adding solar panels.

When we picked this house a few years ago, it had exactly one tree – the silver maple near the back property line – and a small mulberry shrub. The mulberry is taller now (I’ll trim it down after mulberry season, for real this year), and we’ve planted an assortment of trees around the yard, all still fairly small. In other words, we have minimal sun blockage over the roof, making solar panels ideal. As with many home improvements, I opted to go through Costco when selecting a company. The sales rep was able to come out a couple days after we provided our contact information to the guy at our nearby Costco, and fully explained the process before I signed a ton of documents agreeing to the installation and the financing.

A dozen solar panels leaning against a blue house and a white-framed window

A week or so later (it’s all kind of fuzzy because I dealt with siding issues for so long), someone came out to photograph the space and check our circuit box to see what might be needed there. Sooner than I expected, I received an e-mail offering us an installation date… the week before our Alaska cruise. We deferred, as I had a ton of meetings at work that week, we had packing to do… and we weren’t quite done clearing the space in the garage they needed to do the work.

Overall, the installation went smoothly. There were clearly defined teams working on different pieces of the project – people installing the panels on the roof while another team did the electrical work inside and outside the garage, and another person on day two to install the backup battery. (The options were no battery, just a backup, or a fancy battery and pushing power back into the grid.) There was, of course, one hitch: the electrical team noticed some issues with previous wiring work done in the circuit box which were outside the scope of the equipment they came with. I’m working to get an electrician in to fix the box issues before the inspection, hoping (unlike my siding) for a pass on the first try. The inspecting organization (this varies by locality) will then notify my electric company that it’s approved so they can flip a switch and bill me for far less than they currently do.

The siding nightmare is over (I hope).

You may recall earlier in the year when I posted about getting new siding and how great it looked. A couple weeks after the installation, I noticed a section of siding sticking out along the south side of the house. When calling it to the attention of our sales rep, I noticed a small section near the shed that appeared loose. It got worse from there… specifically the day a piece of siding flew off the wall.

The original siding gap that I spotted. It pushed back into place easily, then blew loose any time the wind picked up.
A loose spot of siding near a window – the piece meant to hold it in place was cut shorter than needed, and the siding was cut short, so they tried a patch job with a smaller piece and some caulk.
The small piece of siding that had been caulked on fell off, making the dried caulk visible.
A loose piece of siding just north of the bay window… this is the piece that ended up flying off later.
The same piece of siding as the previous photo a day or two later, now looser, clearing sagging and taking the piece below with it.
A loose piece of siding under the front window.
The top panel of siding is down by the air conditioner instead of attached to the wall.
A loose piece of top siding by the kitchen sink window.
The previously caulked piece theoretically fixed – the piece above it now the appropriate length – but loosens with the wind.
This bottom section by the gas meter looked a little loose… it was. (Spare pieces left from the first repair guy’s siding bundle are stored along the ground.)
A loose section of siding under the bay window.
After a second failed inspection and the third set of fixes (a team this time), I walked around pulling at different sections and found three bottom sections that were clearly loose. This is one of them.
A bottom piece of siding being pulled away from the wall easily by my hand. This is one of the sections I found after three repair crews and two inspections.

It took about 6 weeks from identifying the first issue to getting someone here to fix the problems I had identified, and he wasn’t given the appropriate supplies (additional siding pieces) to do the repairs, so he had to return the next day. (He, yes, singular person sent to repair what a team of people got wrong.) The day after his repairs, the county inspector failed the siding and fascia work for assorted loose pieces that would be a problem. A week later one of the pieces that was theoretically fixed removed itself from the back wall, and it took another week to get a guy out here to fix that and other identified issues, including the ones the inspector noted on his first pass. A couple days later, I noticed that small square near the window appeared loose again, but my sales rep didn’t respond to that text or the one the next week letting him know that the siding work had failed a second inspection.

Conveniently, just under a week later, the company’s office reached out to my insurance for a copy of the approved estimate, and the Claims Adjuster copied me on the reply. I took that opportunity to reply to my insurance and the construction company asking if this was related to the failed re-inspection. And while I received no reply to that message, I did receive a “please leave us a review” e-mail which appears to trigger any time their office receives an e-mail. (I’m fairly sure I’ve gotten one each time I responded to Customer Service.) This e-mail includes buttons to review them on Google, Facebook, or the Better Business Bureau if you’re happy, and a button to contact them directly if you’re not.

I actually had a response from them within the hour and a team (two people!) out here the next day. They fixed – from what I can tell, properly – the issues I had identified. And while it looked good, given the problems so far, I went around and started poking at areas I hadn’t yet and checking everything I could think of, which unfortunately turned up three more sections of siding that were loose at the bottom. My understanding (all new from this year) is that this style of siding is assembled bottom to top, so if the bottom isn’t on right, they have to strip the entire section and reset it.

In addition to how unresponsive the company became until I started interacting with their Customer Service team, there were definitely attempts to shift the blame away from the company. When discussing it with the sales rep this week – he stopped by for the final payment – I was told that because the house is old the studs weren’t where they expected them to be (stud finder, anyone?), and then that they hire the crews without knowing what work they’ve done previously (huh?!?).

As a result, I have both removed the company name from my previous post about my new roof, and removed the Yelp review they had solicited (before I knew about the problems). This is my equivalent of being nice, since they have repaired the problems at this point. That said, if you ask me privately, I will let you know what company not to hire.

Kura Sushi, conveying food to your table

Salmon passing on the conveyor belt at Kura Sushi

Conveyor belt sushi is not a new concept – instead of placing a food order, every table is next to a covered conveyor belt the transverses the restaurant, carrying sushi from the chefs (usually somewhat visible) to hungry guests. One of the puzzles, however, was how much you’d be paying at the end of the meal. Typically (at the restaurants I’ve visited) the plates were color-coded, with different prices based on the plate color, and a reference sheet on the table.

Golden Crunchy Roll passing on the conveyor belt at Kura Sushi

Kura Sushi has taken a different approach, standardizing the plate price and varying the quantity on the plate. The next advantage – besides making it easier for guests to track their spending – is that each table has a receptacle (not pictured, sorry) to slide your empty plates into. In addition to keeping your table clear, it reduces the staff responsibilities at each table.

The robot at Kura Sushi carries a tray to deliver your drinks.

Of course, the robot delivery drinks helps too. When we first arrived, we were created at the door, and as we were seated, asked if we have visited a Kura Sushi before. If you haven’t, your waiter or waitress will bring a practice plate over, so you can practice popping up the cover and removing the plate. That process needs to be fairly quick, since the plate is trying to escape on the conveyor belt. At my second visit (just a week apart, at different locations and with different people), the entire chain had rolled into a Dragon Ball Z promotion, with a dispenser above every table automatically dispensing a prize when the table reached 15 plates in the receptacle.

That’s standard plates, mind you… there are some dishes (such as the fried scallops) that you can order that come on plates that clearly aren’t intended for the receptacle. There are also soups (miso, ramen, udon) that arrive in bowls… there’s no way they would fit. Those are added to your bill when you special order them.

If you do special order – from the touch screen above your table – the screen will announce your incoming order as it zips towards you on the upper level belt. Even if you special order something, the dishes that you see on the conveyor belt have the same price; all prices are noted on the screen.

Altogether, it’s a delightful way to enjoy sushi.

All… do what now?

All hail King Torg!

Whether the table next to you is playing Kobolds Ate My Baby! or Knuckle Sammich, you’re going to hear people repeatedly shouting “All hail King Torg!” Last year, as 9th Level Games prepared to launch a new edition of Kobold Ate My Baby! through Backerkit, they included an option to purchase a plush kobold.

Prince Torg, a plush kobold produced by 9th Level Games

I don’t need another role-playing game I’m never going to run (please ignore the two others I’ve bought from them since then), but I definitely wanted another plush inspired by John Kovalic’s artwork. I mean, check out the teeth on that kobold… isn’t he adorable?

When he arrived in March, I wavered on what to name him. He looks a bit young to be a king, yet I wanted to pay tribute to those many games of Knuckle Sammich we’ve played. I settled on calling him Prince Torg rather than King Torg (all hail King Torg!). That led us to last week, when instead of saying all hail Prince Torg, it changed to all hug Prince Torg.

And that seems to fit.

Thoughts on Witchy Winter

Sans spoilers, because I’m nice that way.

Normally when I receive an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of a book, it’s a few months before the publication date. Witchy Winter by D.J. Butler actually released in 2018, and joined my collection within the last year. One of the prizes for a reading challenge at our local library (they now have multiple challenges each year, including winter and summer) was the option to select a book.

You may be familiar with this problem… you’re presented with a decent selection of books across multiple genres, and you’re only allowed to pick one. How do you pick???

Our library simplified the process with some highlights about the book, helping narrow down the selection before flipping to the back covers to read the marketing blurbs. With highlights sticking out of every book, it reduced the immediate list to two or three books. One thing that jumped out for me, as an Illinois resident, was the mention of Cahokia; we visited the site in 2013 near the end of our big roadtrip.

This book hit so many high points for me: well-developed characters, multi-threaded plotlines tying together, various types of magic, and a neat alternate history that still has Europeans in the Americas while retaining Native American civilizations.

But… it’s the second book in the series. There are enough references to the first book that I could probably get away without reading it, yet enough hits at the past action that I definitely want to backtrack. Having just read Witchy Winter, I can then skip to books three and four.

Given the choice, I’d suggest you start with book one, Witchy Eye.

Find time for creativity

While I’m specifically taking about drawing and painting in this post, I’m really referring to any creative process you want to count, be that crafting, writing, making music… whatever! I’ve found myself needing a creative outlet a couple times recently, the first as I was preparing a bid to co-chair next year’s Capricon with a theme of Let Your Geek Flag Fly. The image below was me thinking through what could fall under that theme and which of those I could represent as meeple. It is certainly not all-inclusive, given how much different material falls under fandom. That said, if you’re not sure which fandom is meant to be represented by a particular meeple, take a moment to read through the ALT text.

Starting at the top left of the image, a Tree of Gondor with a unicorn meeple below it, a Stargate with a meeple bearing a question mark in front as something resembling a Godzilla meeple approaches, a TARDIS with a meeple outside. Arrayed at the front of the image are the following meeples, starting at the 5th(ish) row: Wonder Woman, Transformer, Death, Spider-Man, a furry creature of some sort; the 4th row features an Eevee, a figure wearing a Star Fleet emblem, Aang (the last Airbender), someone in a red & white striped (could be Waldo if Waldo were a meeple), and a little green alien with 3 eyes; the 3rd row has a cylon, an Among Us figure (with a flag that says "sus" pointing to the cylon), and a vampire; the 2nd row has Yoda and a figure wearing a "CHB" shirt; the first row has a goat holding a flag that reads "Geek".

A mini canvas being held by a green figure. The canvas depicts a sketch (black & white) of a unicorn in a clearing facing an open box.

More recently, our local library kicked off a Tiny Art Show, distributing mini canvas (3 by 3 inches) with a matching easel, along with a small paint set and pair of brushes. My initial plan had been to draw a person, a phoenix, and a dragon, based on a book I recently reviewed, but I didn’t really like the practice sketch I made. I didn’t even make it to the phoenix, as people – faces in particular, though hands are a difficult spot too – are not my strong suit when drawing. Then it occurred to me that I could draw something based on one of my stories. My most recently published story, “The Box”, in The Spaces In Between, provided the inspiration for this piece. The little green guy holding the sketch (second draft, I drew one on paper first) is a cell phone holder I picked up at the work conference I attended recently.

A mini canvas on an equally mini easel. The canvas depicts a painting of a pink & purple unicorn in a clearing facing an open box.

Happy with the sketch, I proceeded to attack the canvas with an eraser, reducing the lines to mere outlines to reduce how much pencil might show through in the final image. I then painstakingly painted it over three different sessions one dot at a time. It has been many years since I tried my hand at pointillism, and I’m fairly sure this is the first time I’ve tried it with paints rather than markers.

I deviated by making the unicorn pink with a purple mane and tail; she’s specifically mentioned as white in my story. I thought white would look too much like unfinished canvas.

Overall, I’m happy with both results, acknowledging that they’re very different stylistically. What’s your current creative outlet?

What a whirlwind week!

Last Friday, we attended C2E2 for the first time as volunteers for the Science Fiction Outreach Project, which gives away free books (mostly science fiction and fantasy) to promote literacy. Given limited time and the size of the exhibit hall, we took a focused approach of visiting just the Writers’ Block and Artist Alley (13 rows!), looking for people who may be interested in space in next year’s dealers hall at Capricon. We hit Chicago traffic coming & going, which is always not fun, though ultimately worth it for attending the event.

Chocolate cake with red roses and the phrase "The Cake Is A Lie" in icing.

On Saturday, we drove a different direction, hosting MarindaCon at a forest preserve to celebrate our dearly departed friend. We gathered with assorted friends – including people who drove from Michigan and Wisconsin as day trips, and some who joined via Zoom – for geeky conversations and a delicious cake (as well as other food). It turned out to be a beautiful day, except for the occasional gust of wind that moved some food and drinks around.

And then, before the crack of dawn on Sunday, I drove through a rainstorm to the airport’s remote parking garage and flew to Washington, DC, for a work-related conference. I took the opportunity to meet up with my cousin and his partner for lunch and some wandering along the National Mall in what was at that point the hottest day of the year. (The next day may have been warmer, but I didn’t make it outside until a late dinner time.) The sheer quantity of food trucks selling ice cream was amazing.

Had I realized that my conference days were 10-11 hour days, I might have taken the time for a nap after our wanderings. As it happens, I’ll be spending the next couple of days trying to catch up on sleep.

Another exciting spring moment

It’s been a busy week and my brain is working through a plethora of stuff, so this is a short post. I was super excited to notice flowers on the strawberry plants this week!

Two white and yellow strawberry flowers poking out among the strawberry plants and dried leaves.

Or as I prefer to refer to them… future strawberries.

Great, now I’m hungry. And we don’t have any strawberries in the house. I suppose that’s OK, I know storebought won’t taste as good as homegrown ones.

Gardening season begins again!

Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair ~~Verona~~ Aurora, where we lay our scene….

More alike than different, these plants are currently segregated: whites on one side, purple on the other. I know, nothing looks white or purple right now… that doesn’t happen until much later in the season, when the fruit ripens. They won’t even go into the ground for another month, at which point we’ll have to decide whether we really need sixteen plants worth of eggplants, or if I should hand some off to friends.

Oddly, I hadn’t intended to start plants indoors this year. I was taking a cavalier attitude of only using last year’s leftover seeds and free seeds from the library. (Yes, our public library has a seed library!) That worked until I found out about a free seed event near me – the selection was lovely – and I was halfway home before I remembered that eggplants require starting indoors for our climate.

If you’re wondering why there’s loose dirt in the box, that’s because a cat sat in it and knocked some of the starter pots over.

Let’s talk about perimenopause.

Growing up, most girls will learn about menstruation either from their parents (usually their mother) or their school system. That presentation can be at varying levels of enthusiasm based on cultural significance, among other things, such as the outdated “you’re a woman now!” concept. Bleh.

But nobody in my age group seems to have gotten the perimenopause talk. Part of that may be because of social norms that discouraged talking about menstruation, even more so for older women, and some because our mothers may not have reached that stage at the point when they were sharing the menstruation talk. All of this came to mind when I saw this BBC article about menopause today… older women are quitting their jobs because the system isn’t set up to support the changes we’re going through. The lady featured in this article said “She suffered with night sweats, heart palpitations and migraines that left her feeling weak and lethargic.” She quit because her management didn’t provide the necessary support to deal with those changes.

Like other people I know, perimenopause brought irregular periods – sometimes more frequent, sometimes less, usually heavier that before – which makes preparing for them difficult. When I still worked in an office, I gave up on planning and always carried supplies with me. Hot flashes led to clearing out any turtlenecks in my closet; I was too warm wearing them and the higher neckline made my throat feel constrained. There was a period when my breathe would catch at random intervals; while I received a prescription to deal with it, the doctor didn’t actually mention that it was common during perimenopause.

As to night sweats, well, it’s hard to tell whether that’s hormonal when multiple cats are sleeping on the bed. It’s probably a mix.