The Sasanian Empire Symposium at the Library of Congress

I don't like to get up early - but I will if I HAVE to! This morning was a program at the Library of Congress about the Sasanian Empire that started at 9 AM, which meant I would need to be up by 7:30. I don't have a lot of interest in the subject matter, but my husband does. So I go along for the ride, and it's been awhile since we have attended a program. This would be an all day event, but we would be attending the first part of it only. What I like about a symposium like this is that it is at the Library of Congress Jefferson Building. It's only two blocks away from our house and easy for us to walk to. The Library was also my place of employment for ten years and the reason we moved to Washington DC. I also have a dress from Isfahan that I donated to the Middle Eastern section. So this morning in a fairly crowded space in the beautiful room of the NE Pavillion, we heard about the garden, the walls, the maps, and the history of Iranshahr. The acoustics in the room make it very difficult to understand! When we left, the building was full of visitors admiring one of the most remarkable buildings in town. I'm astounded that I actually worked there - and I much prefer visiting.

GE Refrigerator Cleaning and Defrosting

I am not even sure if it is even needed, but my husband likes the idea of turning off the GE refrigerator for a day and then using the time to clean it out. Since we have two tiny apartments, we can move the contents of the two refrigerators between the two places. It is an odd situation the be in, but it works well for us, particularly when we have out of town guests. We have one side and they have the other. The ten year old refrigerator has required a couple of maintenance calls over the years, and one of the suggestions was to do this shut off thing routinely. And I can also say that the ice makers quit working on both of the models within the first couple of years. The same thing happened in Milwaukee. So since we are low on groceries, yesterday was the day to move everything around, get rid of junk, clean out the insides, then re do it all over again on the other side. I now know that I would definitely get a different type of refrigerator in the unit that has a table sitting in front of it. Having a one swing out door is unwieldy - a double door would work much better. And it is so big we can't open the dishwasher door. As for the other side? It has a double door but it can't be opened all the way because it hits a wall. The sizes of the spaces for the refrigerators in both units are odd because of the small spaces and limited options. Having two of everything has its advantages. But it also means double the cleaning time.

Contact Grip Premium Liner

We were just in the Container Store getting a couple of new linen laundry bins. Then I realized that the floor of the counter underneath the kitchen sink needed some attention and all the cleaning stuff needed to be sorted through and reorganized. There isn't enough space to put in a double rack to stack stuff and make more space, so there are limitations. I like bins for everything because they keep things somewhat in check. And under the kitchen sink gets messy over time - as evidenced by our clutter. I reclaimed two metal dish racks that were in the outside shed so I could put all the bottles in something and keep everything off the floor. Then we went back to the Container Store to find a shelf covering that was opaque rather than clear plastic. We found something called Contact Grip Premium Liner and got a roll big enough to do the job and then some. So we took everything out of the undercounter area, dumped a few things, and started to reorganize. Once done, there was a space in between the dish racks for all the plastic grocery bags. Does it look better? I think so. But I'm still glad there are doors to cover it all up.

DSW Badly Needed Visit

I think even before we moved to DC over ten years ago my husband had these shoes. And it was time to get rid of them. The soles were completely worn out and the inside stitching was falling apart. "But they are so comfortable." He told me he didn't even see the bottoms of the shoes - they looked fine to him. So we checked out LLBean for some sandals that looked like what he had, but couldn't find what he was hoping for. The shoes need to cover the toes, but breathe for summer. So we took a ride out to DSW in Rockville where we always have luck - or should I say - HE always has luck. And sure enough, there they were. The first pair my husband tried on were less shoe and more foot and didn't look at all like him. Then we found a couple of pair that had the same style and feel as what he was used to. Our house is so small that it is almost imperative to throw out something when you buy something new. He was heartbroken to thrown them away, but those black shoes had definitely seen bette days.  At least I got him to look for something more suited to today and he actually likes them. He's quite picky about what he wears - except when it comes to old shoes.

Dental Crowns Are No Fun - Especially With TMJ

I had bilateral TMJ surgery over thirty years ago. At the time, it was a relatively unknown surgery performed at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Ever since then, going to the dentist even for a routine cleaning can put stress on the joints. So whenever an even more elaborate procedure is required, I get rather nervous because my jaw is sore for several days. As luck would have it, the last molar on the lower side chipped off and needed to have a crown because the huge silver filling was probably the oldest one in my head! But the promise at Capitol Hill Dental Group was that the procedure could be done in one visit. I had one done a few years before, and it was completed in one visit. So, after the needle and the numbing, the drilling started. That went well until... the machine that made the crowns stopped working. That meant I needed a temporary crown until the machine got fixed. So what was supposed to be one visit turned in to two. But I had to keep calling the office for a status and try to schedule an appointment. In the mean time I was biting the inside of my cheek and feeling awkward. So after ten days, I finally had it replaced yesterday - but that required some cautery, pain, more anesthetic, and finally a new crown. My jaw was tight and hurt for the rest of the day and finally starting to feel better this morning - although my face is swollen and uncomfortable. At least it was the lower molar - otherwise I would have had to have a new splint made for the upper teeth. I really dislike the dentist, but I dislike lack of communication even more. I'm anxious for the day I don't have to think about it.

Williams and Sonoma Apilco Dinnerware

When we lived in Milwaukee we had three sets of dinnerware - very casual, every day, and China. The china was kept in the hutch in the dining room and rarely used. When we moved to DC over ten years ago, we left it all behind except for a couple of plates and bowls. With their encouragement, we decided to get the same dinnerware as our kids (who lived down the street) had. That way, we could borrow whatever we needed if and when the occasion arose. And it did happen a couple of times when we needed an extra plate or two. But since they moved, we no longer have that option. So when a plate chips or breaks - which is a very rare occurrence - we need to replace it just to have the minimum amount of dinnerware on hand. And so was the case when we went to Williams and Sonoma to find Apilco replacements. We decided to get two just in case there would be a other mishap in the near future. Because we don't have a lot of room around here, we only have on hand what we need. And if we need something more we get it at the time. It's a great way to downsize. I can't say I miss any of the stuff we left behind. But we really notice it when something needs to be replaced.

Next Day Blinds Correct This Time

A few weeks ago we ordered a black out shade from Next Day Blinds for the tiny bedroom we made from a 70x76 inch closet. Every square inch of space is used to the maximum in our small condo on Capitol Hill. All of the other five windows in the house have shades from Next Day Blinds. We have honeycomb shades to provide privacy, and black outs to create a better sleeping environment, add another layer of insulation in winter, and provide a finished and complete look at the top of the windows. When they installed the black out shade a week ago in the tiny space, they were late, the cord was the wrong length, and it hung crooked. The installer also left a drill bit behind. I contacted the company regarding our concerns and they scheduled another installation for this week. This time the installer came before the scheduled time, brought in a whole new shade, hung it straight, had the right length cord, and didn't leave any equipment behind. All I can think about is the waste of time, money, and material to have to do the job twice rather than get it right the first time. In my line of work, that sort of thing was barely tolerated. All it takes is a little effort - or so I thought.