Something to look forward towards

It looks like the Chicago Cubs will at least make the playoffs as a Wild Card.  With 13 games left, they only have to win 4 more to make it in.  

Thus, I will pause my Chicagoan skepticism and think positively for this one.  They can clinch as early as Tuesday night.  They play the Pirates, who are already eliminated, and while they would love to be the spoilers, the Cubs have to win the series if not sweep.

Next, the Cubs play the Reds in Cincinnati this weekend.  They are 2.5 games back so they are still in it.  They will be fighting to win that four-game series.  

St Louis is hanging around because the Mets had a long losing streak, but the Cardinals failed to gain any ground during that time as well.  They lost a heartbreaker to the Brewers in extra innings that would have helped them and perhaps the Cubs.

The Cubs last two series are at home against the Mets and the Cardinals, respectively.  As of now both of those teams have something to play for.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee is already in the playoffs but can clinch the division by Friday.  They are on a bit of a decline down the stretch but there isn't enough stretch for the Cubs to take the Division away from them.  Other than the Padres, they aren't playing anyone really good but they also play the Reds and the Cardinals who might be still be in the hunt. 

I hope they can go deep in the playoffs and even get to the NLCS.  Given how they have been playing in August and September, I'm not confident they can go further than that but there is always hope.  

At the moment, I certainly cannot say the same for the Chicago Bears!

Overbooking my Thursday

 One of my superpowers is scheduling different things on the same day, which often leads to conflict.  I made an appointment to get a liver ultrasound today, not remembering that it was also the day our cleaning lady comes.  She doesn't have a set time, but it is usually the 9 am hour, often the last half of it.  

Fortunately, this is a small town and it doesn't take long to get across it.  Mrs E also came relatively early so I was able to give her some instructions that I needed to relay; otherwise, I would have left the garage door open and gone to my appointment early.  I also called them and they said i had a 15-minute grace period so no need to reschedule.  As it was, I got there at 9:35, no thanks to some black sedan that wouldn't make a left when the light turned green.  when it failed to move the second green light, I went around it.

next week I have my last eye clinical trial appointment.  It is on the day that our shower door is supposed to arrive.  The door was supposed to be here on Tuesday but they called and said it was delayed.  

Win some, lose some:  I paid my lawn guy an extra $150 to remove the weeds from the front of the house.  it might have been too much, but neither Nightingale or I were gonna do it.  I was so proud.  But after picking up the kids, I discovered that the stand-up freezer had been opened a crack all night.  For some reason, my kids (probably Boris) just cannot remember to close the doors correctly.  I'm not sure what we will do about all the food.  

This isn't the first time either.  Last week, they left the garage fridge wide open, and now NG won't let us use the 70 eggs for anything besides scrambled or hard-boiled.

Something to look forward to

 Eight days ago, I posted the Cubs' record.  Since then, they have only won 3 more games, lost a few heartbreakers and had a day off.  As it stands today, their Magic Number for the Division is 24, which they won't get because Milwaukee has a 6.5 game lead, and their MN is 11.

Happier Times

For the Wild Card the Magic Number is 10 and they have a 6 game lead for the top WC spot.  I believe there are 17 games left so if they go .500 and the Giants lose a couple, they are in.  The Cubs don't play a good team until they face the Giants in the last week of regular season.  They finish up against the Cardinals, who could make a run for the last playoff spot but doesn't seem likely.  They did take 2 of 3 from the Giants which helped the Cubs.

Meanwhile, the Bears managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  I don't know what is worse: seeing them get spanked from the start or them playing good football for 75-85% of the game just to lose in the 4th quarter.  We even had a pick six!

I will say this. The Bears looked better than last year even with all of Caleb Williams' missed throws.  I think they will get better.  Playoff Better?  Not sure.  Winning record?  perhaps.  I'm still glad that I opted not to buy any streaming service to watch the games.

This crate literally arrived via a slow boat from China

This crate looks like one of those crates you see in old Mummy movies, filled with Egyptian artifacts.  This one contains our new bathroom vanity.  I ordered it on July 28, 2025, and it took until Sept 2nd to arrive.  

Better not be any mummies in here

We ordered it through Amazon, but it was via a 3rd party vendor.  On August 25th, I got the following message from the seller via the Amazon portal:

"Dear customer, your goods have arrived in the western port of the United States, is arranging for the driver delivery, the driver will complete the distribution will communicate with you by phone time to sign for, please pay attention to answer the call, thank you!"

So it took a month to get here from China and then another week to get to my house.  It was delivered in a semi-truck, which creates its own issues.

The road that runs parallel to my subdivision prohibits trucks.  I'm not sure about the one on the other side but the truck driver who called me probably didn't want to chance it.  he called the local police and got permission to ignore the sign.

This is a case of the Spirit of the Law overriding the Letter of the Law.  You don't want trucks driving on certain roads because of long term damage.  But you need to be able to transport things to homes without having to offload to a smaller vehicle.

Technically, the delivery guy was supposed to leave it at the curb but he was nice enough to bring it up the hill (with my help) to our detached garage.  My contractor and his crew got to work on it the next day and it mostly went off without a hitch.  There are some issues and we are working on them.

Begin Rant: so while in hindsight I know there were things we could have done better and faster and maybe even cheaper, I refuse to let this damage my already life-long beaten confidence.  The learning curve is high and I did not get a lot of help from my contractor.  For something like this you need input from a designer and the only contractor to offer that was the guy who quoted twice what our contractor quoted.  I'm not saying Obi-wan wasn't helpful, he's been terrific, but I feel like he could have helped us more with the tile selection.

End Rant.

An Unhealthy Relationship with Chicago Sports

In past years, when I lived in Chicago, September signaled a key sportsball time.  Both baseball teams were still playing ball (occasionally still in it for a playoff spot) and Bears football was just starting, so they also were still in it, at least until October.  I recall once watching the Cubs game on one screen and the Bears game on another at the Cubby Bear while having brunch with a few friends -- Cubs were on the road that weekend.

This year the Cubs look like they will finally make the postseason, albeit as a wild card.  They had a division lead up to the All-Star break but had a weak August, while Milwaukee had two great win streaks in a row.  With 24 games left and the Cubs are looking like they are righting the ship.  In the previous two years, they came close but faded in August and by late September were eliminated.  That could still happen but I like the odds.

Watching games down here is challenging.  The Cubs put the majority of their games on the Maquis Network so you have to pay to watch, even if you live in Chicago.  I think there are some other streaming services that carry some of those games but the point is, there are less and less Over The Air games carried on my local network (streamed through Fubo).  

I often "watch" the game online at either Yahoo Sports or MLB.com.  These virtual games combined with chatting with the people over at Cubs Magic Number get me through the games I cannot watch.  It's kinda like the olds days at the No-Name Software Company where I would read the live blog of a game at the long defunct ChicagoSports and make a few comments while waiting for customers to get back on the phone after a long hold.  

Meanwhile, this region of the States doesn't usually carry Bears games so I usually get to watch a third of the season.  We are not gonna pay for the YouTube TV package this year because it is ridiculously expensive, not sure how the Bears will do and since too many games are Sunday at noon, it cuts the day in half when I need to be more productive.

The thing about Chicago Sports teams and their playoff potential.  It takes an entire season to get there and that means time is moving on.  There are more days behind me than ahead and investing in a whole season of games just to see them tank is frustrating.  Let me clarify that last sentence.  Of course I'm gonna watch the games regardless.  But I only have so many years left to see another Bears Super Bowl or Cubs World Series.  

2025 Bears Playoff Prediction: Who the hell knows

I'm not sure I have it in me to do another one of these.  Every year before the season begins, the Bears look good on paper.  But then the season begins and they find ways to snatch defeat from the Jaws of Victory.  For the last few years, most of the disappointment was because of organizational incompetence.  Mostly.  

Looking at their schedule and based on how the teams they play did last year, I'm saying they will go 9 and 8, though I secretly think it might be more like 7 and 10.  The two uncertainties for me is the game against Dallas and Green Bay at home.  SBNation analytics says they win 8.6 games and our picks match except they think the Bears will also beat the 49ers and the Steelers, but lose to the Bengals.  

That can be 8 or 9 games...or 7

A lot of winning in the NFL depends on when you play a team as much as how you play them. Catch a team before they find their identity and it looks like an easy win. Catch them during a winning streak and they blow you out. Or if they haven't won in 5 or more games, you are the trap game.

The Cowboys usually start off good but then get shaky as the playoffs draw near.  The 49ers are usually the opposite.  The Bears have a tendency to meet a struggling team after they have worked through their struggles.

Anyway here is my 2025 prediction.  I'm not planning on buying the expensive YouTube TV package this year.  I cannot justify the expense.  

Winning the Division:

As always, the Chicago Bears have two ways to make the playoffs: Win the Division or via the WildCard.  Given how well the other teams played last year, the odds are not in their favor to win the division against the Lions or Packers. The Vikings are a question mark because they have a rookie QB but they seem to have built a team that doesn't require an elite QB so they can plug almost anyone in and win. 

WildCard:

To earn a Wildcard seed, the Bears need to be in a position to win any tie-breakers.  I have been a fan long enough to see them miss the playoffs with a winning record because of losing tie-breakers.  And the NFC North is good enough that if all four teams have winning records, the Bears would likely be watching the playoffs at home.  

Note from The Past:  writing this in July, scheduling for Sept 1.  If anything significant changes between now and then, I reserve the right to edit.

They keep stringing me along

 Yesterday at 4:49 pm  Call-Center Recruiter reached out to me to tell me that Big Bank client wanted to do a 2nd interview.  He said I was shortlisted.  But when I pressed him, he said the other two candidates were also shortlisted.  

The available spots were today at 10:30 am or Thursday.  I didn't want to drag this out.  I also have a crew here working on the bathroom, and an HVAC guy coming to look at my AC, which is not behaving correctly.  Because that's how my life works.

As far as interviews go, this one went well.  We figured out the solution to the technical issues (log in as a guest).  That doesn't mean i have the job.  The primary person who was supposed to be on the call didn't make it.  And the techy who interviewed me had better things to do and was quite happy when half our time was over.  He did say I did well, and I think he was being genuine.

But here's the thing.  the job spec is for a hybrid with 3 days in a Big Bank Office.  If any of the other candidates live in a city where just one member of the existing team lives, that is an advantage because in in-person meetings.  

And I just checked.  Memphis has Big Bank locations, but I'm not sure they have offices for back office staff.  That could be a problem...for a fucking job that does not require being on site for any good reason!

kids extracurricular activities

 With the exception of Tuesdays and Fridays, our schedule is busy with kids' extracurricular activities.  They are both in martial arts twice a week but in different classes.  Natasha also has soccer practice twice a week: Mondays at 7:30 and Thursdays at 5:30 pm.

Can we just talk about how Fucking Insane that is?  One is too early the other is too late.  We have more flexibility with the Martial Arts, but Boris wanted to switch to Jiu-Jitsu instead of Tae Kwon Do (to be fair, he wanted that from the beginning, but we pushed him to do TKD with his sister so it would be easier...on us).  Unfortunately, Ju-Jitsu is only offered Mon and Wed at 7 pm.

The good news is he has found his people in that class.  There are at least two other kids who are just like him.

Natasha wanted one free day a week so we let her drop the second class.  She opts to go on Wednesdays at 5:30 pm when her cousin is there, along with Confederate Jethro.  We have great conversations.

The hardest night is Thursday because I have to have Natasha ready for her 530 practice by the time Nightingale comes home so she can put Natasha's hair in a French braid.  

And this is just practice...next month, the games begin.  

Last Week of August

On the way to school Friday, I turned on the radio and there was an advertisement for the K-Pop Demon Hunter Sing-along movie.  Natasha zeroed in on it and said we should go on Sunday because she had soccer team pictures Saturday afternoon (more on that later).

and I made shrimp scampi

I looked it up when we got home, and indeed it was for Saturday and Sunday only at participating Malco Theaters.  Since it's a cost item, I reached out to upper management (aka Nightingale) and we decided we would do it.  We also invited SIL and her crotch goblins to join us, but she was sick, perhaps with COVID.  

We offered to take the crotch goblins along without her, which she reluctantly agreed to.  She was hesitant because of costs, not trust.  Everything is so expensive now, and she, like everyone, including us, is stretched to the max.  That's what happens when you vote for a lying, petulant, insecure, thrice married, serial wife-cheating, porn star-banging, blue collar-worker-stiffing con artist.

With the soccer pictures being at 1:30, it meant we had to pick a later showing to be sure we could get changed and make it there in time. In the past, soccer pictures consumed at least an hour of your time, not counting the less than 10-minute drive to the field.  This time, however, was different.  We got there at 1:25 and, after filling out the required form, were in line immediately.  The total time investment was 30 minutes!

Something was different this time, and I think it was that they staggered the photo times between teams more widely, so that you weren't waiting for one team to finish before you got to take your photo.  Or maybe the later start time was when most of the other teams were already done.  Either way, yay! 

This coming weekend is Labor Day, and NG has invited the family over for a cookout.  Nothing is set in stone or finalized because we would need to check the weather.  The issue is that our kids like playing with their cousins.  But Confederate Jethro cannot go 5 minutes without saying something that would get you called into HR.

Going through the motions

 Follow-up to my job hunting post.  Have not heard from or reached out to law firm recruiter.  He obviously found some other candidates and/or read the fine print and realized I'd need to live in a particular city for that role.

The consulting recruiter asked me to suggest some times for an interview this week, and I gave him a half dozen, in order or preference.  He, or the person he forwarded them to, didn't "notice" my mention of Central Time Zone.  This is a common occurrence among lazy, incompetent people.  The recruiter also sent both versions of my resume that he requested rather than pick one.  Again, lazy.

I decided to just have the interview an hour earlier and get it out of the way.  It actually was one of the better interviews I've had but that is mostly because the majority of interviews suck.  

Since I had this interview and NG managed to get me a long overdue doctor's appointment, I proactively reached out to the Call-Center Recruiters to tell them that my Wednesday was no longer an option.  They called and what an amazing coincidence: the client reached out to them at the exact moment I sent that email.

They begged me to have a call with them on the same day.  So for those keeping score at home, two interviews with 2 hours between (thanks to time zone screw ups) followed by a doctor appointment.

I did it but regret it because the call didn't happen because the  Bank people had a Production Outage they had to deal with.  There were also technical issues because they were using WebEx and they have it so locked down, I could join the call but no audio.  

WebEx!   What, Skype wasn't available?  it's like using AOL chat instead of Slack. We rescheduled the interview for the next day and it went somewhat okay.  Still had technical issues so we just did a phone in.  They asked a question I couldn't answer and couldn't bullshit.  Call-Center Recruiter told me afterwards they had interviewed two other people so unless they fucked up more, I'm not getting this role.

Finally, Mid-August is bad for interviews because people are squeezing in last of summer vacations and Labor Day is fast approaching.  No one wants to work this time of year.  And interview fatigue is a thing.  If they talked to two other people before getting to me, they are exhausted of asking the same questions.  Throw in the technical issues so they didn't get a chance to introduce themselves and the overall dysfunction they have emanated and I think I will have to just settle for working overnights at the Home Depot.  

What I am watching or have watched these days

Unfortunately, I have too much time on my hands these days.  That is not to say I don't do things to keep up the household and take care of the children.  To be sure, in the mornings I feed them breakfast, pick out their clothes and make sure they brush their teeth and comb their hair. 

And then I try to get some things done around the house.  It might just be laundry or sweeping up the floors or picking up the yard after my douche nuggets leave all their toys in it.  

I also do the majority of the cooking

When I catch a break, I watch or have watched the following shows listed here in no particular order.

• Emily in Paris: This is essentially Friends in France.  A group of well-to-do young adults whose luck only surpasses their good looks.  
  
  
• Fallout: Season two will air in December, and there will be a Season Three, so if I can just stay alive, I have a lot to look forward to.
  
  
• School Spirits: Waiting for Season 3.  The first two seasons are spread around a typical school year, but how long can they reasonably stretch this out?
  
  
• Interview with the Vampire: Season 3 will premiere in 2026, and I just cannot wait.
  
  
• Mayfair Witches: This show has had the unfortunate problem of dealing with the source material and making it work.
  
  
• Watson: getting better.  It was a bit clumsy at first but that was because they were busy setting the table.  Investing in everyone's backstory, fleshing out the characters and building chemistry.  The last few episodes really stuck the landing.  
  
  
• Ghosts (US): it's kinda mailing it in this season, but we watch it as a family.
  
  
• Strange New Worlds: The first two seasons were great with one or two WTF episodes.  The 3rd season seems to have a few more WTF episodes.
  
  
• Alien Earth:

ththt

Still you gotta try

In my industry, I have three paths, if you will, for employment.  I could work for a law firm that uses the No-Name Software I am a SME in.  Unfortunately, the law firms in Memphis do not use it, so I either have to relocate to a state where a law firm that does use it has an office, or find one of the few firms that are set up to use remote workers from anywhere.  Or I get a contract job and the 3rd party is set up to pay me from the fee they collect from the firm, while skimming a little off the top for "administrative costs".

The second option is to work for a consulting firm that specializes in No-Name Software.  The challenge here is that I'm a tad bit too seasoned in that I would not likely be pushed around as much today as I allowed when I consulted in the naughts.  It doesn't help that I haven't been working in over a year either.

The third option is a non-legal entity that also uses No-Name Software.  This is my preferred option because for all its ups and downs, Corporate America is better than Legal America.

As it so happens, this month I have been contacted by three recruiters for a role at each.  

First up is a recruiter who previously reached out to me last year for a law firm role.  Apparently, someone else had already submitted my resume there without my knowledge or permission.  This time, he reached out to me about two weeks ago, for another law firm role, an hour before he left the office to go on vacation.  I'm not confident about this one because even though it is remote, the JD specifically mentions specific states one has to work in.  Recruiters miss this all the time because they just hear remote or assume they will find someone in those places.

The second is a guy who called me about a consulting gig at a place I interviewed at about 3 years ago to the date.  He actually acknowledged this but says the company has had an overhaul.  And he demonstrated this by reaching out to me periodically over the last couple of weeks to try and set up an interview.  Calendar invite pending.

Finally, a recruiter reached out to me about a role at a Big Bank that I would love to work for.  He is not the first to reach out about this role nor is it the first time.  This started in May but apparently the job req got put on hold.  At first it was contract.  then it was FTE.  Now it is back to contract.  And it is hybrid.  They would want me in a office 3x a week.  Chicago is one of those places.

So let's look at this.  Big Bank couldn't figure out the job req.  This happens a lot because of budgets and end of fiscal year, yadda, yadda, yadda.  Big Bank hired a bunch of low rent call center recruiter to fill this position instead of using their in-house people.  And the team is spread across several offices which means Teams Meeting but yet they want you in the office in one of those cities.

This screams disfunction and yet I would take this chance at earning money again in a heartbeat.  I don't even bother telling Ng about these interviews since they often go nowhere.  We would like to move back north and this might be a way but it seems to be on the highest difficulty setting.

If they actually hire me, I would have to move back to Chicago immediately.  katness said I could use her guestroom, but that would only last so long.  And the thought of being away from my kids for an extended length of time freightens me, inspite of their douche nuggetness.  

When we moved down here, NG knew it would only be two months of being separated.  This could take longer.  much longer.  

Note:   I'm writing these entries as they happen and as I have time to jot things down but I may not publish until months from now (or ever). Note: This post was written when the events were still fresh.  I waited for a while to post this because I didn’t want to risk my job-hunting efforts.

Saving some Java

 We waste a lot of coffee in this household.  many a morning, I pour myself a cup of coffee that gets cold before I can drink it.

Nightingale has decided that we should save the coffee since the cost has gone up so much (thanks Trump).  This works for me because that means setting the pot every other day.

We have an Alexa-enabled coffeemaker because I didn't want to go through the trouble of setting a timer once for the weekdays and once for the weekend.

Eleven down, one to go

Today I went for my 11th visit for the Clinical Eye Study.  This means I only have one left, and we are scheduled for 42 days from today: September 16th.  

I had, unrealistically, hoped to encounter a particular kind of conflict since I began this study.  I hoped I would either have a job that made it difficult to keep the appointment or that I would be back in Chicago.  Alas, neither occurred.  

On the It's a Small World After All scale, it is kinda ironic interesting that the place we bought our Bathroom tile from is literally around the corner.

***************

The Claw

In Chicago, if you needed to get rid of a mattress or sofa, or other such items, you put it on the alley and it would disappear within the week.  The garbage trucks would take it even though sometimes the item wasn't on the approved list.  As a good citizen, you would leave a case of beer out around the holidays.

Down here they have a vehicle called the Claw that comes around and picks up things that cannot go into ordinary trash bins.  The thing is, no one knows when it will come.  
It might come Monday afternoon, or Wednesday Morning or alternating Thursdays.  

Nightingale really wanted me to trim the tree branches that were practically touching the ground so they wouldn't slap our lawn crew in the face when they ride their lawn mowers.  That she wanted it done during the hottest part of the summer (yet) annoyed me, but to be fair I could have done it earlier in the year.   

So I did a little bit each day and Natasha helped me trim them into smaller manageable pieces to put out for The Claw, which didn't show up for a week.

Somebody that I use to know

 It was brought to my attention the other day that a friend from college died of cancer earlier this month.  Obviously, this sucks.  But what I'm finding strange is how I'm feeling about it.  Lily Hung and I were good friends in the early 90s.  We were at UIC together and our group would meet in the cafeteria before class and grab coffee or breakfast.  We would often have lunch together too.  I had my first Guinness with her at Hawkeye's.

Lilly also introduced me to volleyball and the Lincoln Park Volleyball club.  She was a far better player than I and she often played in tournaments, which is where she met her husband, Andres.  And that is when we started spending less time together.  A few times over the years, she'd make a half-hearted attempt to get together but our schedules never jived and it fell flat.

Again, I'm not sure why this is causing me so much confusion.  We had our Season in the Sun but then grew apart.  No big deal, really.  But perhaps my neurodivergent mind is telling me, while looking through the Lens of Time, that we could have had a different type of relationship.  

Could we have had a romantic relationship?  She often pointed out that I was good looking, but I guess I never made a move.  Could she have helped me navigate the Mysteries of Life better?  What would be her motivation to do so?

My short answer is that I guess I missed the lunches and dinners and good conversations we use to have and that they went away only because the dynamic changed.  She needed something more and I couldn't provide it.  

Bathroom Renovation Project to begin shortly

Update from the future:  This post sat in my drafts folder while I worked on other things, namely finding and ordering tile.  Our contractor completed demo and has done everything he can do until the tile arrives, hopefully soon. 

We are about to embark on a project we do not want to do but desperately need to do: renovate our master bathroom.  It has gotten to a point where it's only gonna get worse if we don't fix the issues now, and we want to enjoy it for a bit before we sell this place.  There is an assumption that we will sell this place, and it is one thing that keeps my will to live going.

To be sure, this should be an exciting, fun thing that we should want to do.  However, it isn't because this family only has one income, and it is stretched thin.

We could just replace the shower, but that still leaves the Jacuzzi bathtub unusable.  And our vanity is very outdated and looks just terrible.  Basically, it's almost a full gut rehab with the exception of the His/her Walk-in Closets.  Have I mentioned that this is the best bedroom-bathroom combo I've ever lived in?

 

FYI my contractor is rather annoyed that we don't have our tile yet.  I'm not too upset about it because when we first approached him, he did that thing people do to get customers to light a fire under their butt and commit.  He said he had a project in early August and would like to get us in before then. 

I knew he was blowing smoke up our butts but Nightingale kinda bought it and also wanted to get everything purchased before the next round of Tariffs increased prices.  However, we just didn't have the bandwidth to check out tile until the weekends and there is a learning curve. 

Two more to go

Yesterday I went for my 10th visit for the Clinical Eye Study.  This means I only have two left: one the first week of August and the last one will be mid-September.

That's still a lot of time that needs to pass before i get the check that will go directly to Home Depot to pay off the appliances we had to buy last November.  The kids will be back in class for their last year of Elementary School.  

The funny thing about participating in this is that it was almost doomed from the start.  At the beginning, almost every visit conflicted with something else.  The last few have been relatively drama free, however.

But...two weeks ago we went to Michigan for a graduation party.  I forgot my eye drops!  Luckily, Sister-In-Law wasn't leaving until the next day, and she phoned us to ask if we had forgotten anything.  So I only missed a couple of nights, but didn't record it as such on the log.  

My SIL, however, had some mega drama on the drive down.  They rented a minivan and were going to do the entire drive in one day.  But when they were around Nashville, the check engine light came on.  Turns out, the car hadn't had its oil changed in a long, long time.  They were going to try and swap out rentals, but instead had to just get an oil change and get reimbursed.  This delayed their arrival but many hours.

I'm torn because, as much as I dislike my BIL, it isn't fair that his wife and two young children had to endure that.  Speaking of Confederate Jethro, we got into it on Saturday of that trip when we were having lunch at Rainfall Cafe.  He just cannot got more than 5 minutes without saying something that would get you in front of HR in Corporate America.   His latest issue is men using the women's bathroom probably because Fox News told him this is happening.   

I told him to STFU at lunch but he refused.  When we got to SIL Adama's home, I told Nightingale's parents how pissed I am and that if they don't want me to go nuclear, it might be a good idea to back me up.  I had meant only after confederate Jethro said anything stupid but MIL preemptively got on his case when they arrived, so of course he was pissy the rest of the trip.  

It's officially summer and the entire United States is experiencing a heat wave.  It's actually hotter in Chicago than it is down here, by a few degrees.  This is the time of year I cannot really stand to be outside too long.  The kids are bored out of their minds.  

I have a few appointments to keep but once those are over, I hope to be able to get them out of the house more.  

This Trip was a Little Different

We just returned from a 10-day trip to Michigan for a high school graduation party, with a stop in Chicago on the way back.  As per our brand, we did it at the Highest Difficulty Setting.  

We were in Louisville on Thursday, and we got to see some friends who live there.  But then, as soon as they left, Nightingale left me in the pool to go talk to her parents.  The parents who 1) live in the same town we do and 2) were going to see every day for the next 4 days.  I was pissed because she didn't even give me a chance to get my iPad or swim wear.  She just went to her parents' room like her umbilical cord was tugged.

On Friday, after a 6-hour drive, we had to get some food and go to SIL's house, an hour away, even though we were going to (check notes) see her every day for the next 4 days.  To be fair, we just didn't think it through: we should have had her come to us, and the food would be warm, and we had access to a hotel pool.

SIL and Confederate Jethro opted to drive all the way to Dearborn on Friday, and this worked out for us because I had forgotten my eye drops.  It didn't work out for them because the car they rented had issues.  The check engine light came on because the oil hadn't been changed on time.  They had to scramble to fix the problem and didn't get to Dearborn until much later than expected, only to find their room had a lot of dead bugs in it.  I feel bad for the kids who had to spend 13 hours in a car.  I don't feel bad for my BIL.  

On Saturday, we decided to go to Legoland, and it was mostly okay.  But during lunch Confederate Jethro just couldn't stop from saying shit that would get you called into Human Resources in Corporate America.  I couldn't take it any longer and told him to stop, but he wouldn't. I mentioned this to his wife, and all she said was "I didn't hear what he said". Right, because he never says this stuff in the car or at home or at his Klan rally.

So when we got back to the ranch, I exploded on my in-laws.  MIL decided to take matters into her own hands and gave him a talking to when he got there, which made him sulky for the rest of the trip.  It didn't stop him from still saying shit but he did avoid me.  On the last day, his wife made him take a gummy so he was more chill.

Then there was the Chicago Leg.  We cannot stay at my mom's crapshack, so we need a hotel.  NG used points, so it was technically free, but really, we are using points for something instead of for something fun.  We have to pick my mom up, and she will stay with us the entire trip.  Her hearing is mostly gone, so I have to raise my soft voice for her to hear, which makes it sound like I'm shouting.  

I didn't get to see anyone this trip.  But at least I got the car washed and went to a spa for a facial.  Down here, men don't get facials.  They get face massages, which are very lame.  But I had to do something about all these white and black heads, so I indulged.  I also got our knives sharpened because everyone down here sharpens their own knives.  

The thing is, whenever we talk about going to Chicago, Nightingale mentions all these things we can do.  But once we get here, all we do is spend time with Katness and her boys and my mom.  We only have one vehicle, so it's tough to see anyone.  We are supposedly going back for Thanksgiving week, and I could literally tell Nightingale that I have no plans except to meet So-and-So on Wednesday at noon, and when we get there, she will forget and make plans for noon on Wednesday.

Werner 55-1 Attic Ladder Spreader Arm

 If you look to the left of this ladder, you will see a hinge. Formally known as Werner 55-1 Attic Ladder Spreader Arm.

About a month ago, the one on the right bent such that it was impossible to close the attic access.  We had to undo the spring and try to find a replacement part.  As you can imagine, these are very proprietary, and I ended up calling the manufacturer directly.

They, in turn, referred me to some vendors that supply the parts.  And not to get too political or anything, but they are both American-based.  Which doesn't really make a difference, except one place was significantly cheaper than the other and could ship sooner.

had to cut this part

So once the part arrived, I read the instructions (and turned in my Man-Card cause we ain't supposed to do that) and was please to find that it was a good thing I called the manufacturer's support line first.  If I had done something most guys would have done, I would need a new ladder.  But because I called and read, I saved myself about $500.

Perpetual Sleep Deficit

 Because of the weather, school was canceled on Monday and Tuesday.  This put a hold on some projects I wanted to get done.  With school resuming today, I got around to those projects.

I have been awake since -3:45 am.  I went to bed around 9, so I did get a good night's sleep. However, at my age and since having children, I feel like I am in a perpetual sleep deficit.  And when you have already been awake for 8 hours and it isn't even quite noon yet, you feel....strange.

First, I was able to go to my In-laws home and put a coffee table in their attic.  We like this table that we got for free but don't really have a place for it in our current home.  I've tried to sell it, but I just cannot give it away because I'm holding onto the hope that this will not be our last house.

Second, I was able to borrow FIL circular saw and cut a large piece of plywood down to a more manageable size to get into our attic.  Our attic is unfinished, and putting down random pieces of plywood increases storage space.

Over the weekend we fixed the broken attic ladder.

Third, I put in a shelf in the awkward base cabinet in our kitchen.  i can only assume it had a Lazy Susanne in it at one point based on shape and the drill holes in the bottom.  It wasn't a perfectly built shelf (FIL helped so I'm blaming him) but it will do to increase/optimize the storage space.

I did stuff like this back at my condo when DIY and HGTV were all the buzz.

Selling money for money

 Two collectors told me essentially the same thing.  These silver certificates aren't worth more than $1 each but I should hold onto them or sell them on Facebook Marketplace.  I did the latter and got some quick responses.  I took an offer for $20 for the fifteen of them.  (Some knucklehead offered me $14, probably as a joke and I quickly insulted him before the post got archived after the sale).

What this tells me is that One Dollar Silver Certificates, especially in the condition these were in, are not worth a professional collector's time and effort.  But perhaps an amateur collector can sell enough on volume to make a difference.

I asked the guy who bought them what he was gonna do with them and he said he just likes to collect old coins.  That's probably it.  

I'm now free of those dollars.  I will slowly reintroduce the coins back in the currency population and empty that box out.  The foreign coins and bills will go to the donation box the next time I'm at a museum.  Go Me.  

These Eyes have seen a lot of things

Since writing about the clinical trial for eye drops, I've made 3 more visits, the 9th one this morning.  It was probably the shortest I've ever been there.  My blood pressure was better than last time because I've gotten a little exercise in.  My diary/log sheet didn't have the usual re-writes since I took my time filling it out over the last six weeks.

The bad news is that I was hoping to get some lunch at Mr Rusty's Real Taste of Chicago.  It's about a 20-minute drive from the clinic, so I figured I'd be first in line.  Unfortunately, they changed their hours and didn't open until 10:30 am.  I couldn't wait another half hour, plus the wait time for food, so I headed home.  

So I just have three more visits to go.  I've earned $1175 but won't get paid until the end of the trail.  I'm hoping there isn't some loophole or something I've missed that will allow them to not pay me.  And I'd be happy if something happened like a job or relocation back to Chicagoland would make me have to quit the trial but with only three more to go, I think it will happen as planned.

Jerk in the truck made it hard to take this photo

The kids are finished with 4th grade next Friday.  The weekend after Memorial Day we are headed to Michigan for a high school graduation/big celebration which I am not looking forward to.  I do not like how the Adamas treat me in my own home, it's gonna suck even more on their terf.

On the return trip, we will swing through Chicago to check on my mom.  She isn't doing well and actually had a fall the other week.  We cannot manage her from here and she won't move down here.  Not that we have the space for her.  IF she would just sell her house, we could find a way to buy a better home in Chicago and take care of her.  

Cleaning Out My Closets

Every now and again,  I get a flyer about a roadshow where they will evaluate your old coins.  They will also look at comics, memorabilia and jewelry, specifically gold and silver.

I finally got my act together enough to go out there with my box of coins and a few other things I hoped they take off my hands.  I had no delusion that I owned anything of five-figure, four-figure or even three-figure value.  I just wanted to put my mind to ease that I wasn't putting a quarter back in circulation that might be worth a dollar.

It was a very pleasant experience.  I thought it would be a conference style format and you had to go to different booths, but instead it's two guys in a hotel's "We-Office" facility and you have a one-on-one discussion.  Along with my coins, I had brought some comics, some memorabilia and jewelry.  The only stuff that was worth his wild were some coins and some jewelry.

And that's fine. They have to make money and they likely know what they can sell for just a little bit more and what won't move.  

I left with a check for $225.  half was from some coins, specifically some coins the local coin shop didn't even bother taking out of the bag when I went there a few months ago.  The rest was for a silver bracelet I got in Mexico in 1994, a 10K gold ring and a couple of other items.  I actually took back two rings that weren't worth much but I thought my kids could enjoy.

But the best part is that now I am free to put the rest of the money back in circulation.  I've carted those boxes around from apartment to apartment to condo to house to house.  Why?  And I can pitch all that other stuff too.  

While I was there I was able to talk to Ronnie about his industry.   We talked about how those stories of someone finding a rare coin worth XXX money makes things harder for his industry because that is such a rare, rare event.  But people like my mom hoard things because they believe it will be worth more some day.

he said he has been doing this for almost a decade now.  it tickles my heart that someone could find something that they enjoy and pays the rent as an alternative to the florescent lighting of Corporate America Hell.  While I only spent less than an hour with this guy, he seemed intelligent, knowledgeable and could probably flourish in many other industries.  But he gets to do something he genuinely seems to enjoy.