Didn't sleep well Thursday night, but made up for it Friday night. Stayed up going down rabbit holes until after midnight, and when I finally went to bed, I slept the sleep of the gods for 7 1/2 solid hours. No bathroom visits overnight, just blissful slumber. This happens very rarely.
So I woke up at 8:00, and the sun was shining, and I showered and put on clean clothes, and I felt like doing stuff. Not Immaculate Grid or Spelling Bee, but breaking down boxes to recycle at the township and loading the car with them.
That was the first task on the list, since all the boxes piled one on top of the other blocked my view of the rear view, so getting rid of them had to be first. After that, to Wegmans for the standard list of groceries; milk, sugar, salsa, and bananas (yes, we had no bananas).
Stopped at the Wild Birds Unlimited a couple of blocks from the Wegmans, and was impressed that the manager behind the counter remembered us, even though it had been weeks since our previous visit. I mean, not only did he recognize us, he pulled up our frequent shopper account and helped remind us what we usually bought. He had a shaved head and a bushy beard, but he's as good a businessman as any clean-shaven man in a gray flannel suit.
Returned home, dropped off the groceries, had half an apple with peanut butter, and back out again to shop. First, though, to the new car wash a couple of miles from home. We had been mass-mailed a card containing a code for a free wash, which I had forgotten but which PG remembered, saving me thirteen bucks. You bet I thanked her.
At Costco, it seemed like every space in the parking lot had been filled, so we gave up and instead got a few things at the nearby PetSmart. Then home again for the rest of the day. We made a pot of chili and ate some of it, and I took a nap in the rocker/recliner with Good Queen Swirly on my lap. She got down eventually, I woke up soon after, and fiddled around with the drumsticks on shuffle beats for some time. Play for awhile, watch a video lesson for awhile, play some more, watch some more. Nothing intense, just a low simmer.
PG wanted a kitchen gadget from Amazon, so I ordered a couple and added some small stuff for myself. We'd just bought a set of kitchen chairs to replace the worn-out set we'd gotten in 2006 or so. That purchase was good for 5% cash (or store credit) back, so today's much smaller purchase cost us nothing.
Today's mail brought the yearly letter from our accountant, providing a checklist of required tax documents. We'd been dumping the W-2, the 1099's, and cumulative statements in a tray, and today I went through them, organizing and listing them on a cover letter that will go out soon. Not expecting a big refund; in fact we try to break even or owe a little bit, hanging on to our money the way tax advisors recommend rather than make interest-free loans to Uncle Sam.
One last thing: in the Philip Wylie rabbit hole last night, I learned about a 1915 book which described a superweapon that strongly resembled an atomic bomb. Immediately I went to Gutenberg and downloaded a copy of The Man Who Rocked The Earth. The book looked a year ahead and described the destruction caused by the world war, and while I don't know my history that well, I bet the story wasn't way off in its predictions. I don't take for granted having near-instant access to documents and information that were out of reach the first forty years of my life. What a time to be alive, y'know?
No comments:
Post a Comment