I'm Not Lovin It

It will come as no surprise to anyone with small children that we visit McDonalds an average of once a week.  Usually, it's because we are on a road trip, or we want to burn their energy so we go to one with a playroom.  Sometimes there's a playdate involved or it's a reward bribe for good behavior.

In any event, we use the McDonald's App because it's easier to order Natasha's special cheeseburger (ketchup, pickle only) than to trust a drive-through window order.  And in theory, there are some rewards and deals.

In Theory

As you might expect with a points system, the amount of points you need to purchase any item is high.  something like 4500 for medium fries, 6000 for large.  And you can only redeem one item per order.  So even if you have enough points to get a sandwich and fries, tough.  You have to pick one.  This seems like Bullshit because I've already paid for those points, I should be able to buy as much as my points allow.

And they don't let you redeem points on the same order you are using a Deal.  Also Bullshit.  I only put up with it because we do it frequently enough and it's better than nothing.  

Oh and the app defaults to the closest McDonald's, which is 2.2 miles away in neighboring South Haven.  But the one with the playroom is 4.6 miles away in Olive Branch.  [We live practically on the border of South Haven and OB].  So even though I explicitly selected the OB one today, it flipped back to the SH and I had to cancel the order (the cancel button is buried within the app) and re-order.  

I have found some workarounds that I'm sure McD's Headquarters is working on fixing.  

When the kids were younger, Boris wanted the chicken nugget Happy Meal and Natasha wanted the cheeseburger one (it's a burger and you have to pay for the cheese upgrade!).  

When we visit to play at the playpen in person, I will place the kids' order and usually get the Happy Meal with points for one of the kids and pay for the rest.  This earns me more points.

After their food comes, I will place my order.  Often I have enough for a free sandwich myself.  So I just get a free sandwich and pay for my fries.  Now that they are older, using some of the Deals is advantageous instead of getting two Happy Meals.  Especially since Boris's appetite is larger.  

Case in point: today I used their $5 bundle to get the cheeseburger for Natasha -- the McDouble is essentially a double cheeseburger and I could customize it.  I still got Boris his 6 PC McNugget Meal which then gives him 10 total McNuggets.  Natasha got both the small fries with her order and the medium I got for the Happy Meal, so I ordered Boris a large fries.  I also got to use a 20% off Deal on the meal because none of those items are Deals themselves.

Together this cost $14.45 with tax.

After their food arrived, I had to wait a few minutes to place my next order since I wanted to use a deal.  I think the default is 15 minutes.  They had a Deal where you can get 30% off ANY Quarter pounder.  The assumption is you're gonna grab one of the cheaper ones but I opted for the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe.  This normally sets you back $6.99 but I got it for $5.33 after tax.  

I suspect this will be quietly coded such that you cannot select certain quarter-pounder options the same way my free breakfast sandwich won't show me the Steak Biscuit option anymore.  

 Immediately after placing it, I ordered a medium french fries using points.  The girl behind the counter knew what I was doing and gave me a smile since Gaming the System is the War Cry of the working class.  

Between the three orders, I got to feed two kids and myself for $19.78.  Go me.  

Last Sleep in Day for a While

The kids go back to school on Thursday.  Tomorrow is Boris' OT appointment so we get up at 7 to be out the door by 7:50 for a 30-minute session that begins at 8.  And Saturday at 8:30 is Natasha's soccer practice.  

One of the problems with living in the South is the summers are just too hot to really be outside.  And almost everything we can do inside costs money.  it's not that we cannot afford it, but like a lot of things, it has its limits.  We can only do so much bowling, arcade, Urban Air, and swimming pool (that one is free) before the kids get tired of it.  

The seasons down here kinda work like this:   

• From the end of May to the middle of September it is too hot to do much outside and it doesn't really cool off in the evenings.
  
  
• From the middle of Sept to mid-November it's nice and you can get things done.  Even on the hotter days, there is a morning window and an evening window.
  
  
• mid-November to the end of February is what is considered winter here. And it might snow or you might need some warmer clothes but it's great for being outside.
  
  
• March to Mid-May is spring and it's the opposite of Fall.

Wild, Wild, Week Review

 Last week Katniss and her boys came down to visit.  They were supposed to fly in late Friday night, July 12 but one of the kid's softball team made the playoffs, so they rescheduled for late Saturday night.  This had advantages and disadvantages but it is what it is.  We were more distraught that our cleaning lady had to cancel so we didn't have a spotless house.  Reminder to the future: it takes 20 minutes to get to the airport from here and usually incoming flights are delayed.

We had enrolled our kids and hers in a day camp because she and Nightingale had to work, or at least so no need to consume too much PTO, thus stretching vacation time.  This meant I got to drive them to and from camp, which is only 25 minutes away.  

We bought more food than we could eat.  We also went out for Pizza on Tuesday because we found a place where the kids eat free if you order a large or extra large pizza for the adults.  The kids get to build their own pizza, while the adults try to compromise on the toppings.  Katniss is a picky eater.  

On Thursday the weather broke and we decided to go out to eat and later watch the bridge change colors.  We went to our newly discovered haunt, the Overton Square area.  

At the end of the week, we left for Hot Springs to visit the Magic Springs, the water park that our kids love so much (and we have season passes for).  It was just a 2-night stay but even so, with seven people, the trunk was full and the seats were up.

We stayed at the same motel as the first time we visited and though we got a non-smoking room, since people go outside to smoke, the room smells a little smokey.  however, it is only 6 minutes from downtown and Magic Springs (in the other direction), and it costs less than half what the higher-end hotels cost this time of year, we dealt with it.  That's easy enough to do when all you do is use the room to sleep.  The hotel pool was open so we took advantage of that too.  

Unfortunately, the restaurant we went to Friday night had a kitchen fire so our food was delayed getting to us.  They did the best they could and gave us a 20% discount on the food (not the expensive drinks) but it was still tough because we were getting hangry.

For the most part, this was a fun visit.  There were some tense moments scattered here and there.  Katniss parents different than we do.  A lot of times we'd be in a shop and she'd get something her kids were asking for, so we had to do the same with ours, whereas we'd normally either skip the gift shop or not get anything.  She also manages to find something wrong with any restaurant we go to but that is just her nature.

We will next see her and the boys in November when we visit my mom for her birthday and Thanksgiving.

Salt Shaker and Baseball Games

This isn't a Living in the South Thing:  Even back in Chicago, even before the World Series run in 2015, it was getting harder and harder to watch Cubs games.  

Pay Us! 

I'm too lazy to look it all up but it might have started with the 2015 playoff games and only being able to watch those on streaming services.  

I don't like the Cubs, let alone baseball enough to pay for a subscription.  But i do like the Bears and football.  It was worth it to buy the YouTube TV Sunday package (or whatever they call it) so I could watch my terrible Bears games.

I have to make a decision on whether to renew the package this year in the hopes that Caleb Williams elevates the Bears and they are at least exciting to watch, or save the money and do something else on Sundays.  

What a waste of a perfectly good power cord:  For Christmas last year, at Nightingale's request, I got her this electronic salt and pepper shaker set.  it came with a warranty and I actually remembered to register the product.  

One of the shakers broke, in that you couldn't lock it closed because the glass was broken.  I contacted Cuisinart support via telephone and they told me they don't replace individual shakers and would have to send me a new unit.

Wasteful, but okay.  But the catch was, I had to cut the power cord and send them a picture.  I asked why and the support person agreed this was wasteful, but policy.  Also, while she took all my info, she did not send me any email with instructions or confirmation.  She said that the email address was just to send me tracking information after I sent the picture.

So I do as instructed, which admittedly is a rarity for me when something doesn't make any sense.  I get a confirmation "we got your email" message.  After a bit of time goes but I contacted them again, via the website online form (I should have done this in the first place).

They claimed they never got my email with the picture of the severed cord.  Oh no, now you've done it.  I emailed back attaching the email with my picture and the "We got your email" message attached.  They respond that they cannot open/read the attachments.  I copy and paste the picture within the email and they tell me they will expedite sending me the shaker.  It still took another week or two before it arrived but I did get it.

Since the warranty is now completely over and I don't want to go through this again, I've saved the working shaker and power station although I really would have liked to have a second working cord.

Happy Birthday to our 4 year old Cats

 Ryder and Elsa turned four on July 11th.  Although we don't know their exact birthday, it was around this time and Seven-Eleven is as good as any other way to remember it.

We got these cuties the weekend after the twins' birthday when the kittens were about three months old.  The kids named them Elsa and Ryder and Boris was highly allergic.  But as it turns out, if you are allergic to cats, often you will become not allergic to your own cat.  As is the case with Boris, Ryder, and Elsa.

This gives me pause over how many people got rid of a cat because of a relationship.  

Boris is also mostly over his dairy allergy.  He can eat pizza with cheese, ice cream, and a few other dairy-infused items.  He hasn't tried milk yet, but I don't blame him for that one.  

More Car Trouble

During our vacation, we had to replace the battery in the Minivan.  Less than a week later, I had to replace the thermostat.  On Wednesday of this week, the car wouldn't start while I was at Boris' OT.  I got a jump and made it back home, but then the car died again.

When this light comes on, it's serious

Since Thursday was July 4th, no auto shops were open.  For fun, I tried jumping the car again and had mixed results.  The car did power up but I accidentally crossed the streams of the jumper cables when I took them off the car providing the recharge.  This caused the car to turn off and a red dot to appear on the dashboard.  Uncle Google said this is a security feature that supposedly makes your car inoperable in case...it's not clear why this would help.

Working on your car in the South be like

There was no power to anything else.  Which means car doors don't work.  The trunk door won't open.  The driver and passenger have manual door openers but you really need to be able to open side doors and trunks.  

I didn't spend too much time on it because it was so Fucking Hot yesterday I couldn't be outside without breaking into a sweat even just standing still, let alone trying to troubleshoot a vehicle.

This morning, for grins and giggles, I decided to try again.  The red dot was still there.  I put my jumper cables on my battery and purposely cross the other set to see if I get a spark.  A spark would mean the battery has power.  I did get a spark.  But only one.  the second time I tried, there was nothing.  I removed the cables and checked the cab.  This time, the lower-level things did work, but the car didn't start.

I went back and attempted to put the cables back on.  when I put the red on the positive side of the battery, the battery shook, and the car simulated the sounds it makes when you try to start it up.  

I tried to start the car and it powered up.  Yes!  And then I put on my Bad Decision Jeans.  I told the kids that they had to come with me or go over to Kendra's house.  They chose the latter and wisely so, as it would turn out.

For some reason, I was locked into the idea that the car didn't have enough charge.  So I decided to drive it around for 30 minutes.  But about 15-20 minutes into that, the dashboard display and other electrical systems started to flicker.  I decided that I should turn around and go straight to the automotive place I had tried calling all morning with no answer.  I was about 2 miles away when the car went dead while driving.  I didn't have the smarts to pull over because Missippippi Road shoulders don't really exit.  I was trying to make it to a cutout to a subdivision but was stopped 50 yards short.  While driving, I put the car in Neutral and tried to restart, no luck.  So I put it in Park, which was good and bad.  Bad in that there was now no way to push it. But good in that it wouldn't get into an accident by suddenly moving on its own.

So there I am dead in the water at Pleasant Hill, between Goodman Rd and Nall Rd.  At the moment I decided to enact a U-turn and head toward the auto shop, I was also talking to my FIL.  I would need a ride home.  At his bequest, I called Triple-A again because we would need a tow.  I wanted desperately to avoid that because it is such a painful process to get them to send anyone (feature, not bug), but I did so.  

Because I wasn't completely off the road -- not even close -- all the cars going North had to go around me in a No-Passing Zone when it was clear to do so.  Many good samaritans wanted to give me a jump but I explained that was not the problem.  And because I was in Park, there was no way to move the car.  

While we were waiting for the Tow Truck, I tried to repeat my earlier steps to see if I could get the car started.  My FIL felt it was futile but I've learned to go against his recommendations and once again I was right.  I got the car started and was able to drive it to the Autoshop, where I learned why they weren't answering their phone.  They were closed.

It makes sense.  Nobody wants to work anymore.  They are closed on the weekends and were obviously closed for the 4th.  Why not give your crew a 4-day weekend, especially since it likely doesn't cost the shop owner since the mechanics probably get paid only when they are working.  

Triple-A called at that exact moment to tell me they were on the way so I was able to cancel the tow.  The options were to leave the car there or find an open place.  The risk was driving a car that might become disabled at any moment.  A quick call to Nightingale confirmed the right decision was to leave the car.  

Next week Natasha starts Soccer Camp.  We could technically walk there but the heat will still be terrible.  So we will rely on the In-Laws to get her there and back, while I deal with the car.

Update from the Future: The problem with the battery was the connection.  Between the plastic pads I was required to buy with my new battery and the existing corrosion on the battery terminals, it was causing the battery to "act as if it were not attached to the vehicle".  The Autoshop charged me $40 cash (aka under the table, off the books) and we have been good to go ever since.