I had been hording so much scrap metal in the basement over the last 5 years. Today I decided enough was enough and it was all going out. The old car dashboard that came with the house, the old furnace and tons of broken fixtures and pipes.

It was back breaking work. I managed to move 440lbs of metal into the truck and then drive the stickshift pickup to Twin city Recycling on Broadway in Depew.

Driving a stick shift was quite an ordeal but I only stalled once trying to turn around in our driveway. The last time I drove stick was in 1999.

In the end I made $118. The 22 lbs of copper was almost half of it. The rest doesn't seem worth it for 5 years of collecting and 4 hours of back breaking work. I think next rime I have scrap its going out with the regular recyclables so the scavengers can get it along with the beer bottles.

Still it feels good to have the basement clear. Eventually I would like to refinish part of it to put a little gym in.

I was totally amazed at all the stuff in the scrap pile. People basically bring anything that contains metal and then they way your car coming in and going out. The give you the price of the difference in weight for scrap. Precious metals go in a different area where they are sorted and weighed individually.

This morning we heard a lot of noise in one of the servant bedrooms on the third floor. At first I just thought it was the tortoise in his room on the 2nd floor but as we listened you could hear the pitter patter of a squirrel.

When I got up there I expected him to be in the attic above there but he was in one of the rooms. I seriously have no idea how he got in but he tore stuff up so he must have been there a while.

We chased him around and around with blankets till we finally caught him but not before ran up (e:terry) 3 times. I just wrapped the blankets up real tight and brought him outside. My worst fear was he would somehow get set free as I was carryong him out.

Last night we went to Left Bank for one of (e:terry)'s friend's surprise birthday party. We didn't sit down for dinner but we had some delicious seafood apetizers including shrimp on a base of artichoke hearts.

Saw this woman tossing a sign around in stiletto heels in 20 degree weather. I was thinking what a freakin redic job being sexy outside in the tundra like wind. Once I got closer I realized it was a robot. A robot in stiletto heels.

Its true they are, "takin our jorbs."

I think I eat a balanced diet but I realized I barely eat carbs. The carb pile was black rice, while grain rice puffs and mung bean noodles. They never made it into the pic.

I love grocery trips that involve both clam and lamb.