(no subject)

[stormdog]

I won't say that our dryer is irreparable, but I will say that the repair process seems to be over my head. I spent most of an hour playing with it on Saturday and I have the top and front off, but I can't figure out how to dismount the drum. It may not matter; I've looked around online for any info on parts or instructions for this machine and didn't have much look. It's pretty old and is oversized and may be a weird make and model.

But after giving the bathroom a thorough cleaning, I really want to get working on the rest of the house, and since the major obstacle to me right now, as it has been for the past few months, is the absence of a combination of working wash machine and working dryer. I finally have a working washer; I want a dryer now! I guess I can't have one now, but I have arranged to buy one from someone from Chicago's Craig's List on the weekend of September ninth. It's kind of frustrating, but I guess I can wait that long. That gives an excuse to keep going further south afterward and connect with crim_ferret and wyldekyttin for dinner afterword.

Looks like we're going to be down there after work this Friday too; my amateur mechanic's skills are in demand. I'm off work at noon, and Andrea is probably knocking off early too since it seems like no one in her company works after noon on a Friday. With the extra time, apart from driving down to Glen Ellyn, we're also going to stop in at a Thai place that my team lead told me about. I haven't had good Thai in a long time. I want to have food again that's so hot it give me an endorphin rush strong enough to rule out driving until the dizziness goes away. Oh yeah.

Good things happened this weekend that I entirely forgot to write about. Saturday was a birthday part at my aunt and uncle's house. I can't remember which of their birthdays it was, but in either case, wooisme and I had really good food and a really good time. I got to see my grandparents and great aunt and uncle again, along with all my cousins whose names I can't remember. I feel a little bad, but I honestly can't tell them apart.

I brought my Cobalt Flux pad and DDR Max one and two to the enjoyment of some of the assembled children. I spent a while in pool throwing a ball back and forth with a couple people at the shore. My brother, Jim, actually got on top of one of the big inflatable rafts fully clothed, and his girlfriend and I played tug-of-war with him. Later on, though I couldn't get my mate to join me, I sat in their hot tub for twenty minutes or so, and then spent another twenty minutes trying to resolidify my legs again. Ooh, that was nice! It was so cool to look at their in-ground pool in their fenced in yard surrounded by burning yard torches in the dark... it must be nice to be able to have a place like that.

The next day, while my dear one was in Chicago for a wake (it was someone I didn't really know very well so I didn't go with), I hung out with todd_riverden and serinthia for a while. We went out and played pool at Bacchus Billiards. I guess I can't offer my opinion on the pool hall as such since I've never been to one before, but the place seemed pretty cool. There were a lot of dogs-playing-pool pictures on the wall which I found amusing for obvious reasons. Much like any pool hall I suppose, there was a layer of cigarette smoke on nearly everything and after a while my throat began to get sore, but all in all it was a pretty good time.

Then we went back to their place where Serinthia and I watched some more Lain until the time came for me to drive down to Waukegan to pick up my raccoon from her trip. Her train was a full half an hour late, so I spent a while sitting on the hood of my truck and gazing out over the train tracks. There wasn't any rolling stock moving around, but it was still a pleasant idyll as I lay back against the windshield and let my mind ride the rails for a while.

Finally she got home and we were on our way north, stopping at a little diner called Bob and Anne's for a spot of dinner. While we ate, she talked about the conversations and revelations of the day, and I presented her with the set of Art Nouveau-themed (do you capitalize an artistic movement?) tarot cards that I bought for her to try to make up for having been rater difficult to get along with that morning.

The shop I was in had a really neat selection of decks. I was enraptured by the unicorn themed deck, and there was another one that I know Andrea would love with a gypsy theme. So pretty! I talked to the owner for a while. Rather out of character for me, but in a small store I feel sort of obligated. I told her about how why my sweetie was going to Chicago and that I was getting her a gift because she was having a hard day and I hadn't been as understanding as I might have, and she offered to gift-wrap it, put a pretty bow on it, and put it in a nice bag for me. That was so nice!

Finally, after lovely conversation over diner fare, we got home. I, according to the new list of tasks I've set for myself, got lunch and clothes ready for the morning and, soon enough, was off to bed.

And now I'll sign off since Bob has just arrived home and I have to drive myself to the same place. 'Till later!