Frigid Friday

It was cold again Friday morning: 16 degrees F. and the high was only predicted to be 20 degrees. But, the wind had lessened (although there still was wind) so it wasn’t that bone-chilling cold. However, I had to force myself to get out of the shower, knowing that would be the warmest I would be all day.

Again, my morning walk was taken inside.

I didn’t feel like driving home in a cold car for lunch, so I planned on going to the Time Out, hoping the fish and chips would be on the specials again (hey, it’s Friday, so fish and chips should be a natural). It turned out that Michelle had forgot to bring her lunch, so I invited her and Vicky to join me. While we were waiting for the waitress, Mike, our lead tech, accompanied by our receptionist came in and they sat in another part of the restaurant. Then all the other techs and Ben (he’s, well, Ben) came in. Seeing us, they sat at the table behind us and chided us for not inviting them. So much for “getting away from work at lunchtime” LOL!

Both Vicky and I got the fish, while Michelle got a salad. We all agreed the food was excellent in both taste and price but way too much. We each paid our tab and then headed back out into the cold and back to work.

Speaking of work, two things stood out. I told Vicky at lunch that, in no uncertain terms, she is NOT to refill the water cooler anymore that she inherited from Jake. I also told her I would kick her ass all the way back to Puerto Rica if I saw her doing it again. I told her to tell me when it needs to be done and I would ask the techs in back to do it (I can’t pick up that bottle without blowing out my back, so I will delegate). She hemmed and hawed and then agreed (prompted by Michelle).

Next was the infamous bug story. Michelle was talking on the phone (after lunch) and all of a sudden she screamed and, still on her chair, propelled herself across the room! WTF? It seemed that, when she hung up, there was a large bug on the counter next to her phone. I picked it up (to shut her up – okay, maybe to calm her down) and tried to crush it. But it had a really hard shell. So, being resourceful, I took it to the john and flushed it down the toilet. After posting a picture Fred took of it on her Facebook page, it turned out to either a White Oak Boring Beetle or (as Lenore suggested) a stinkbug. Had it been a stinkbug and I had succeeded in crushing it, apparently a skunk-like odor would have filled the room. Lenore said she just puts them outside, so I felt like a murderer.

Michelle apologized, saying she felt like Eve, tempting me with the apple. I tried to reassure her that she was not the first (nor probably the last) female who tempted me to bite that apple and I did.

The afternoon walk was inside as well.

Finally (and it took a long time, it seemed) it was 5:00 PM and I was headed home. I, of course, treated the cats before I made it to the bedroom to change my clothes. Had I gone there first, I might not have been so generous with the cat treats. Because there was a big hairball on the bed spread! I picked it up with a paper towel, and then took the bedspread and all the towels downstairs. I sprayed the stain and then filled up the tub with water and some laundry detergent. I started the washer and then (and only then) checked out the mail.

I made a cup of coffee and watched the news for a while. Then I went in and updated my check register spreadsheet (it was payday today and I paid some bills on line at work). I emptied the dishwasher and refilled it with a few items.

I watched the NBC Nightly News and then reheated my dinner. I warmed up the remaining mini burgers, covered them with the dinner rolls and with a glass of water on the side (I learned that 25 years ago from a guy in a deli – it keeps the bread moist).

I didn’t have any caramelized onions left. So I just went with mustard and pickles as my topping, still spreading mayo on the bottom of the bun.

I was getting the clothes out of the dryer when the phone rang, so I ignored it. But when I checked, it was my daughter Melissa. So, I called her back and we had our usual enlightening discussion.

After we hung up, I watched TV until bedtime.