Tag: food

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On the Subject of Curing Teeth, Calculating Warranties, and Haunting Barns

I took the day off of work so I could get my wellness exam done first thing this morning. Summer came out with me to test my battery, and it predictably tested bad and then failed to start my car, so she had to pull around to jump me. I went home to clean up, then made it to my appointment with plenty of time to spare. Of course I didn’t even leave the waiting room until after my appointment time. I didn’t notice Lori was there until she came back out, and we caught up briefly.

I had a new nurse today. This makes three different people in the last three visits. I liked her quite a bit better just based on brevity alone. I got a new low score on my diastolic blood pressure, so she told me to quit taking my morning amlodipine. Now I’ve got to watch my blood pressure closely again for the next month, but maybe at least I won’t keep getting lightheaded every time I stand up.

The car struggled to start again, but I made it to the shop to pick up Summer, and we went to AutoZone to try and fight for a battery replacement. She went straight to the store manager, and he said he would take care of it, and then said my battery was out of warranty because it was a warranty replacement itself. That made enough sense to me at first, but after some more thought, I don’t think having a prorated warranty discount on this battery should invalidate its own warranty period. He said the original battery was purchased in 2014, and then replaced in 2017 with a prorated discount of $35. I still paid $114 to get a new battery at that point, and the receipt spells out the terms that the battery comes with a 5 year warranty from the date on the receipt. I’ve got another month to fight it, so I’m gonna get my battery.

I took Summer back to work for a while, but then had to jump the car again so I could pick up some breakfast for myself. I didn’t even realize McDonald’s would make a triple McGriddle, but they do, and it was glorious. I barely finished it in the parking lot before it was time to take Summer to her dentist appointment.

The filling of her two chipped teeth barely took any time, and I was surprised that they couldn’t have just taken the time to do it when we originally came in. Maybe it was just in case something else went wrong that would extend the procedure, but it was a pretty painless, quick in and out. The teeth were completely cured and ready for eating as we walked out.

The car wouldn’t start again when we tried to leave, so I called Dad and had him come jump us. Then I dropped Summer off at work and headed home to put the car on the charger. I moved the couch around a bit and did a little cleaning underneath it. I vacuumed out a bunch of spider egg sacks, but I couldn’t tell if they were new or old. It still made me feel better, and I never actually saw any spiders, so I assumed they were old.

I didn’t do a whole lot more before Mom got home from work and wanted to go out to eat, so I picked Summer up after work, then got the girls, and met my parents at New China for their COVID re-opening week. Their buffet was set up a lot less elegant than Mulan’s, but it could have been how many people were there. It just seemed like there was always a mob of people up at the bar, and there weren’t clear directions for people to enter or exit a certain direction. We missed the food though, so it was nice getting to have that brand of Chinese again.

Autumn volunteered for an Explorer’s event in Dardanelle that had her working a haunted house, so we left dinner and went to drop her off. There was no clear entrance or anything, so she and Summer wandered around the property to try and find an adult. It was set up in a barn at the Yell County fairgrounds complex, which was small anyway.

After dropping Autumn off, we went to get gas for both of our cars, then went to our respective homes until Autumn was finished late in the evening. I went to get her, and we got back to their house well after everyone had settled in to bed. At least all the battery charging seemed to help.

Pancake, cheese, sausage, cheese, sausage, bacon, egg, pancake.

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🍑

Summer took Eaddie to the gym this morning while I got ready for work. Then they picked up Autumn and left just as I was leaving for work. It was a beautiful day out, so I knew I’d be coming home for the bike at lunch time.

I got to sit with a teacher for a while first thing, and actually helped him create some filters and learn how to take advantage of some of Gmail’s more advanced features. It felt really good to make such a difference for him, but sometimes I still don’t understand how more people don’t already know about these things, or take the time to figure them out themselves.

The day went by pretty quickly from there. I ended up taking a late lunch and ate the beef stew Julie gave me the other day. I still felt a little off from the morning, but I pulled myself together and rode back in to work. Overall it was a really quiet day, and I didn’t hear much from anyone else, though I guess that’s pretty typical these days.

After work, I changed clothes and went to get the girls for dinner. We stopped at the Neighborhood Market for some super cheap peaches. I got two big bags for just over three bucks. Then we went to my parents’ house for some more chow mein. Summer met us there as soon as she could get out of work. Then we all went home separately.

I had to run next door to help Bác Vân with a DVD when I got home. Then I spent the rest of the evening cleaning up my email and getting ready for bed.

It looks like a butt.

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Beginning Batman

I got up this morning and picked up some Hardee’s for breakfast. Eaddie had some more school work to do, so she got on that while Summer and I poked around at her car’s tail light. I got to use my electronic probe after a quick reading of the manual, and it’s looking like there really is something breaking continuity inside the housing.

Eventually they left for the gym and to clean up at their house. I went next door to help reteach Bác Vân and Doug how to switch inputs to their VCR and Blu-ray player, and then again to hook up another VCR in the den. When I got back in, I did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Then I took a shower before the girls got back for the evening.

Summer brought some chicken, broccoli, and cauliflower to grill, so I threw that together while she and Eaddie went out to ride bikes. Nick dropped Autumn off shortly after the others got back, and just as dinner was finishing up on the grill. The chicken was a bit frozen when I started cooking it, so I think that made it a bit rubbery. Otherwise it was pretty good.

We started the Dark Knight trilogy while we ate, and everyone seemed to really like it. I still think they’re the best DC movies ever made. The trick is going to be finishing the rest of the trilogy in a timely manner.

You see, girls, it’s a time-honored tradition to kiss a boy for no reason and then leave him hanging.

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Are You Shedding Me?

The three of us got up and went to Denny’s for breakfast as a treat. We had what was probably the best service we’d ever had there, but then ran into an awkwardly slow checkout experience. None of the other customers seemed very happy about it, but I don’t know why they were all so surly.

On the way home we rescued a box turtle. Summer didn’t feel well for most of the day, and spent most of it on the couch. I hung the hammocks in case Eaddie wanted to do some school work outside. Then I cleaned out the shed where some animals evidently got in and shredded a bunch of cardboard boxes I had in there. Once it was cleaned out enough, Summer helped me move the kayaks out of the garage, so I’m just a little bit closer to being able to park in there again.

We came back inside to cool down in front of the TV, and when dinner time rolled around, we all agreed on pizza. I had some Papa John’s reward money expiring soon, so I picked that up for dinner and we watched some Glee. Then Eaddie and I ran to Julie’s house because she made some beef stew for us to try. Mom and Dad were there, but we didn’t stay long since Summer was still home on the couch. We watched a bit more TV, and then for some reason everyone went to bed really early.

How do I love thee?

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Trump Town

I got a bit sidetracked today, but that’s not out of the ordinary. I still felt alright about what I accomplished, but it also kind of feels like there’s never any way out. Summer took the girls to work with her, but none of them would respond to me all morning, so I took a late lunch and went home to eat a burrito by myself.

After lunch, I discovered that Summer had lost her phone. I was mostly concerned that someone had stolen it, and tracked it down to a specific house just south of Scottsville. It took me a while to get an answer out of anyone, but Summer realized she dropped it in a customer’s car and just didn’t feel the urgency of getting it back.

When I left work, I dropped by the shop to see them, then rode on up through Dover to retrieve it. It was a really nice ride, apart from all the bugs. Trump flags were out in full force, and someone had placed a hay bale on top of another and painted it to look like old Donnie. It was actually kind of cute. The “neighborhood” was actually really cute, and I was surprised at how many houses were out there along that road. Luckily I found an old lady outside, and I guess it was her family across the street that had the phone.

With that relief, I headed back to town and delivered Summer’s phone to her at Planet Fitness. Then I met them all at my parents’ house after the girls finished karate. Mom made chow mein, and we even got Autumn to eat some. We didn’t stick around too long since Summer was exhausted from her chaotic week. At least she managed to get her stitches out today. Next week has got to be better.

That’s 2020 for you.

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Sunday, Recovery Sunday

I got up and made egg sandwiches for Summer and myself this morning. Autumn got around, and asked to go to their father’s house for the day, which was only a minor inconvenience to our plans. Summer let them go until Noah had to go to work at five. The rest of us watched some Cobra Kai, then the first couple episodes of Jericho on a whim.

I helped Summer get cleaned up a bit, and even got her outside a couple times to stretch out her limbs. She was definitely feeling the ache in her muscles today. It was bright and sunny, but cool and quiet. I wished we could have been out enjoying it more, but it just wasn’t in the cards.

The girls showed back up at the agreed-upon time, and Summer and I took Noah to work on the way to my parents’ house. They grilled pork chops and shrimp to go with noodles. We didn’t get quite the backlash either of us expected for Summer’s condition, but it was a good evening.

We stopped by my house so I could take care of a couple chores quickly before heading back to her house for the night. The girls appeared to be doing the schoolwork we required of them. Summer went straight to bed, and I chatted with the girls for a while until they went to their rooms. Tomorrow will start to tell us how Summer’s week will go.

Why do all of my late night conversations with you make it sound like we’re stoners?

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Maybe It Wasn’t Jason

We had to meet at the shop this morning for a brief training meeting and then project work. The project work ended up being mostly already done though, so there was just a touch panel install in the afternoon. I ended up sticking around the shop all day anyway, so Ben and I could tinker with some of Impero’s broken features.

A group of us went to Fat Daddy’s in London for lunch, and it was some of the worst barbecue I’d ever had from them. I decided to get the brisket sandwich, and they forgot my slaw on the sandwich. I didn’t bother going back up, but then the brisket itself was dry and tough. Maybe I’m just spoiled now, or maybe the quality of the beef suffered due to the pandemic. I think I’m spoiled.

We stopped by the Ridgewood Brothers on the way back into town and chatted with Robert and Felix for a little bit just to complain on the way back to work. I wish they would hurry up and start service on Fridays so we could get some decent barbecue for group lunches.

The afternoon went by pretty quickly. I still mingled around the shop, partly waiting for our project at the end of the school day. Melinda had me go upstairs with her to fetch a couple stacks of boxes, and Josh called wondering where I was. He had the truck and trailer all loaded up and ready for the job, and I was making him late.

Evidently Zach and Greg were already there, but we didn’t realize they brought everything for the job already. Everything Josh brought was just extra, and they already had the old SMART touch panel down and the Newline up. We finished the wiring and tidied up a bit, and then we were out of there.

I wrapped up the day chatting with Ben for a while, then headed home just long enough to change before getting Autumn from therapy and taking her home. I cleaned up some leftovers there while we waited for Summer to get home from the gym. Then Noah called and needed a ride up. I didn’t even realize he was coming over this weekend, but everyone got along pretty well all night, so it really was a treat.

We got gas on the way back to my house, and then Summer pretty well passed out as soon as we got there. We tried setting up something for the kids to do, but nobody could settle on anything. I got Slender running for a bit and played through a round of it. Autumn went to bed before he got me, and afterward I crashed and left Noah and Eaddie up for some late night television.

Maybe we’re just bad at projects.

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You R1 to Talk

It was another pretty lovely day, so I got the big boy out for the ride in to work. I meant to call in for service, but never got around to it. The morning was relatively quiet, though I did spend some time with Ethan trying to troubleshoot a software installation.

I took another late lunch and just ran home to make a burrito. Then I went to the shop for a little while to sign some paperwork and put in for vacation time. Ben had me extract another headphone plug from an iPad, so I got to deliver that to Oakland on the way back to the high school.

The afternoon went by pretty quickly too, and I spent the last part of the day chatting with Karen in the library. I guess I caught her in a calm mood, because for a moment it felt a little like I was kicked back on a therapist’s chaise lounge. It was a good chat though, and I felt like we bonded a little.

Summer made chicken and dumplings for dinner that was ready before I got off, so I had to run straight to her house for dinner after work. The girls had karate, so she took them in while I waited. Then we chatted for a bit until she had to pick them up.

I went home for the evening with the hopes of getting a bit more cleaned up, but it just didn’t happen. I did get one relatively large object out of the house though. The cats never really liked their little play thing. Hopefully Kayla’s will. I ended up going to bed early with a headache and some congestion.

Let me get this straight. You desperately need this to do your job, but you don’t know what it does? Of course, how silly of me.

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Tropical Freeze

This morning was a pretty rough start for me, and I ended up taking a half sick day just to get a break. Summer took Autumn to work with her, so I had to get Eaddie home before ultimately making it in to work. We stopped and got Tropical Smoothie on the way up, and met the most chipper country girl I think I’ve ever met. Then we ate together at the house before I went on in to work.

I stopped by the shop first, just to see what was going on. It was pretty chilly outside from all the rain, but there was no new flooding yet. When I got to the high school, I spent the rest of the day working on imaging media some more. It ended up keeping me there a bit late, but hopefully I’ve narrowed down some repeatable steps to make working media.

After work, I went straight to Walmart to pick up dinner. I got everything to make burritos, then just barely beat the girls home to start cooking. Burritos are one of my favorite things to make, so dinner was great for me. I think everyone else liked it well enough, but I was too tired to care by the time it was all over.

Summer decided we could watch an episode of Glee with Eaddie before bed. Then I crashed. Half a day break just wasn’t enough.

Y’all have a spectacular day now, y’hear?

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Closing Time

The Murano was nearly out of gas, so I decided to take the Grom to work today. I started it last night just to make sure it would, but of course this morning it was totally dead. Being so light, it was super easy to push-start though, and I made my way to work.

Today was a day for closing tickets. Twenty four, in total. I was unstoppable. Of course I didn’t get to do anything even a little bit challenging, but I did at least identify one teacher that seems to know his way around the technology. I really appreciated that conversation.

I worked through lunch again, and just sipped on a leftover Soylent instead. I felt pretty good, overall, and it was good to get some of those older tickets closed out. Now I’ll have the opposite problem though, and be left with nothing but a bunch of tickets I can’t give to Greg to finish for me.

After work, I came home just long enough to change before going to my parents’ house for dinner. They bought a bunch of peaches and gala apples on sale, so after dinner they went back to the store and bought some more to bring over for me. Summer had her hands full with the girls, so all I could really do was check in.

The night sure went by quickly for so little accomplished. I guess it made up for the morning of overachievement.

Does everyone parachute in the Army?