Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Chores In Overdrive

We have this flexitime thingy at work. That is, we can always be within ±40 hours of the time we are acutely supposed to work. However, if I'm over +40 hours at the end of the month, my caring employer cold-heartedly erases those above the +40 as if I had never lived through them. Yesterday, my figure was at about 42. Hence, I decided to stay at home this morning.

I woke up at 6am and remained completely idle was meditating until 9am. Then in the next 4 hours I:
  • cleaned the coffee machine
  • recycled glass (who drunk all that champagne?)
  • shopped groceries
  • yelled at the credit card bill (why is a hedonistic life style so bloody expensive?)
  • baked an apricot pie (with organic whole grain dough) for dinner (see picture below)
  • paid the bills (who ordered all that wine?)
  • washed and hanged to dry three machine loads of laundry (I strongly believe tumbling destroys the fabric)
  • swum a nautical mile (first time since a week, caught a spasm in the calf on Saturday during some nice activities :p)
  • sorted jocks and socks while watching The Daily Show.
  • fixed myself a quick lunch.
So, It's time to get some work done. I'm off to the office.



Added later Here at work, I first had to clean the coffee machine. My colleagues have ignored its blinking begging for being cleaned for weeks. We really need at least one of torchy!'s cb.
Added even later Decalcifying of the machine took 2 hours and coffee is tasting a bit funny now. I did not make many friends with this.

12 comments:

Suf n Steve said...

gomad darling

where is the picture of that pie u are talking about?

gives us the recipe, pls

Mickle in NZ said...

Uum, yes - I can't see the pie picture either. And I was going to be really nice and encouraging about it, despite the wholemeal nature of the crust.

Did Mr Mac push the appropriate button on your work phone? Voice messages on my work phone remain a mystery - none of us know the access password. BLISS!

Mr. Urs said...

Big sorry! My provider where I host the pictures went off-line for about an hour :(. They are back again.

@Suf Steve.. here would be the recipe in Spanish. Give me some time and bring it up in English.

Mickle in NZ said...

Oh Gomad, the pie looks utterly luscious and thoroughly munchable. With a thick style of cream or yoghurt beside each lovely slice - yummy.

What a hassle to have to clean the coffee machine. Hope you got the first serving after your hard work. Go and get yourself another for me (I have to be wary of coffee).

care and huggles, Mickle xxxx

Suf n Steve said...

don't worry darling,

my Spanish is very satisfying.

thank you so much

Mickle in NZ said...

just discovered is 27C temperature in Zurich - dear friend, rather you than me, too hot for me!

Mr. Urs said...

Mickle, yesterday they measured 21.7C water temperature in the lake of Zürich. That's 0.7 more than required for the lake crossing swim event tomorrow :)

Unknown said...

I'd gladly go for a swim and eat some pie with you! That looks so yummy! I am supposed to clean more today.... fun!

naturgesetz said...

Cleaning coffee pots is risky. I am told that in the U.S. Navy they *never* clean the pots. There is even a story about the junior officer who didn't know, and cleaned the pot and landed in figurative hot water when his deed was discovered by the ship's commander.

Of course with these automatic machines things may be a bit different. I have a drip style pot, and of course I dump the used grounds and wipe the last of them out with a paper towel. And If I'm away for a couple of days and the pot has sat there for a couple of days with the last couple of teaspoons of coffee in the bottom, I'll rinse it with hot water to try to get rid of most of the bacteria that have grown there, but I never wipe it.

So I'd say your colleagues had the right idea, as your experience also suggests.

Mr. Urs said...

@Expat... I fear you would shake me off in not time.

@naturgesetz... I cross-checked that with a former officer of the Aussie navy. He claims this is apocryphal and only related to the U.S. Navy. It also seems to be common in the U.S. Navy to put a tiny pinch of salt into the coffee.
I once gave a course to the Turkish Navy and had a break of some weeks. In the mean time, somebody who might had been in the U.S. used my mug and did no clean it. When I came back, my mug was covered in orange mould.

Mickle in NZ said...

You'll get to swim in the lake this year?? And Tono??? and the Divine Ms Mac???????.

Suggest make your own (sneaky, in your own coffee pot) coffee. The others will then be mystified that your own cup tastes so good.

No letting on to the others, but please ensure your personal coffee brew is shared with Mr Mac - life will be very unpleasant if you don't do this. And I really care about the divine Stella.

Mickle in NZ said...

oh - learn't from an English Woman who'd worked as a house keeper and/or cook in minorly stately homes - clean decanters (port, whiskey etc...) with denture cleaner in water. Can be fully rinsed with no soapy residue.

Now, you didn't know that, did you!

toothpaste might do good stuff too... and .....

I'll clear off to my snuggly bed, and snooze - for now, dear friend.