A Small Win...
I won the lottery today; Not the big prize unfortunately, but an extra $50 in my pocket from a $5 ticket is a nice return on the investment. :) Later in the evening, I was preparing lottery tickets for the display rack, and I accidentally ripped the corner of one of the big $10 Instant Millions tickets. Taking that as a possible sign (and because I had damaged the ticket, though not really affecting its playability) I purchased it, and doubled my money with a $20 win! So, for a $15 investment, I made $70 today. Not bad...
It was a long day though; We had to get up early as we had to be in Swift Current at 11am to meet Trixstir's Mom, followed by Trixstir's appointment with the doctor. Her regular doctor is on vacation, so we're seeing a different one two blocks away. The clinic that Trixstir has been going to didn't send over her medical charts, which is yet another example of the issues we've been having there. I don't know if their receptionists are overworked, or just careless, but this sort of thing has been going on for a while now. We were very impressed with the doctor we saw today (a more mature lady doctor) and Trixstir says she'd like to have her for her doctor for the next round. We shall see... :)
I bought a new toy today, a Hobart LX 235AC/160DC Stick Welder. As the name suggests, this welder can put out 235 Amps on AC, or 160 Amps on DC. I've been waiting for almost six months for this particular welder to come on sale, and this week Peavey Mart had it for $100 off the regular price. I have the cash for it, but I put it on my Canadian Tire Mastercard to get the CT-Money for the purchase; Once the bill comes, I'll just pay it off.
I had originally been looking at the Lincoln Electric AC/DC welder, but I asked the Kidling's welding instructor for some advice, since he's been doing this sort of stuff for over 25 years. He says that Lincoln, Hobart, and Miller are all really good machines, and it's mostly just a matter of personal preference. I checked the specs, and the Hobart unit has a little more range than the Lincoln, and costs (even at full price) $50 less. That's what influenced my decision: More ability, less cost. Sounded like a win-win to me! Then it was just a matter of playing the Waiting Game for it to come on sale.
I've got another five lawnmowers sitting in front of the shop, courtesy of the Ability Centre. I'm pretty sure that four of them are just in need of a tune-up, but the fifth is really old and not ideal for their purposes. The cement company phoned while we were driving back from Swift Current, and they met me at the Co-op Gas Bar to arrange to drop off the auger engine. It wasn't here when I got home tonight, so I guess maybe they'll drop it off tomorrow. Jack also dropped by the station, and brought a package that had arrived from Yetman's. This was the last part of my long-overdue back-order, and contains the fly-wheel removal tools that I need to finally repair the two Tecumseh engines in my shop. After such a very long delay, I'm sure my customers will be happy about that! I also asked Jack about the Sea-Can that he's supposed to be bringing me, and he said if I was willing to wait a few days more (I am) he can get me a 45' unit for less than the 40' unit would have cost! Sounds like a deal to me!
It was 3:45pm by the time I got to work this afternoon, and I had Ryan and Kevin on with me. Either of them by themselves isn't too bad of a working arrangement, but having them both on at the same time and being the only adult on shift is really not fun. Thankfully Kevin's shift ended at 7pm, so at least the last two hours were a little easier to deal with. Winning that $70 also helped, but I really hope I don't get stuck with those two again. Ron Swanson also dropped in for fuel, and we set up a tenative dinner-date for ourselves and our respective wives on Saturday. We need to do this soon, as Ron and his wife are moving back to Calgary soon and there won't be many more opportunities. It's really a shame he's heading back; He really liked it here, and I think the town was better for having him here. But he was made "an offer he couldn't refuse" back in Calgary, so that's why he's moving back.
Nine more days of working for the Co-op... I'm excited, apprehensive, eager, and feeling just the slightest twinge of mis-placed guilt about leaving for greener pastures.
It was a long day though; We had to get up early as we had to be in Swift Current at 11am to meet Trixstir's Mom, followed by Trixstir's appointment with the doctor. Her regular doctor is on vacation, so we're seeing a different one two blocks away. The clinic that Trixstir has been going to didn't send over her medical charts, which is yet another example of the issues we've been having there. I don't know if their receptionists are overworked, or just careless, but this sort of thing has been going on for a while now. We were very impressed with the doctor we saw today (a more mature lady doctor) and Trixstir says she'd like to have her for her doctor for the next round. We shall see... :)
I bought a new toy today, a Hobart LX 235AC/160DC Stick Welder. As the name suggests, this welder can put out 235 Amps on AC, or 160 Amps on DC. I've been waiting for almost six months for this particular welder to come on sale, and this week Peavey Mart had it for $100 off the regular price. I have the cash for it, but I put it on my Canadian Tire Mastercard to get the CT-Money for the purchase; Once the bill comes, I'll just pay it off.
I had originally been looking at the Lincoln Electric AC/DC welder, but I asked the Kidling's welding instructor for some advice, since he's been doing this sort of stuff for over 25 years. He says that Lincoln, Hobart, and Miller are all really good machines, and it's mostly just a matter of personal preference. I checked the specs, and the Hobart unit has a little more range than the Lincoln, and costs (even at full price) $50 less. That's what influenced my decision: More ability, less cost. Sounded like a win-win to me! Then it was just a matter of playing the Waiting Game for it to come on sale.
I've got another five lawnmowers sitting in front of the shop, courtesy of the Ability Centre. I'm pretty sure that four of them are just in need of a tune-up, but the fifth is really old and not ideal for their purposes. The cement company phoned while we were driving back from Swift Current, and they met me at the Co-op Gas Bar to arrange to drop off the auger engine. It wasn't here when I got home tonight, so I guess maybe they'll drop it off tomorrow. Jack also dropped by the station, and brought a package that had arrived from Yetman's. This was the last part of my long-overdue back-order, and contains the fly-wheel removal tools that I need to finally repair the two Tecumseh engines in my shop. After such a very long delay, I'm sure my customers will be happy about that! I also asked Jack about the Sea-Can that he's supposed to be bringing me, and he said if I was willing to wait a few days more (I am) he can get me a 45' unit for less than the 40' unit would have cost! Sounds like a deal to me!
It was 3:45pm by the time I got to work this afternoon, and I had Ryan and Kevin on with me. Either of them by themselves isn't too bad of a working arrangement, but having them both on at the same time and being the only adult on shift is really not fun. Thankfully Kevin's shift ended at 7pm, so at least the last two hours were a little easier to deal with. Winning that $70 also helped, but I really hope I don't get stuck with those two again. Ron Swanson also dropped in for fuel, and we set up a tenative dinner-date for ourselves and our respective wives on Saturday. We need to do this soon, as Ron and his wife are moving back to Calgary soon and there won't be many more opportunities. It's really a shame he's heading back; He really liked it here, and I think the town was better for having him here. But he was made "an offer he couldn't refuse" back in Calgary, so that's why he's moving back.
Nine more days of working for the Co-op... I'm excited, apprehensive, eager, and feeling just the slightest twinge of mis-placed guilt about leaving for greener pastures.