Wednesday, May 01, 2019

Spring Cleaning and Other Day Off Tales

Awoke to a cloudy, cold day, much colder than it has been lately. It actually felt rather cozy as I had breakfast and put on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Mel Cooley is so impressed with Laura after she dances at a party, he lets her fill in for a dancer on The Alan Brady Show. He eventually offers her a contract, to the dismay of Rob, who's been eating frozen meals all week. He has to decide "To Tell or Not To Tell" his wife that she may have a shot at a dancing career.

Charlie had come up shortly after I started breakfast. He started putting the new siding on the house as I was leaving. Despite the gloomy day, I had to get all the paperwork I needed to renew my food stamps. I'd already planned on volunteering there today anyway. I organized the DVDs, then went on the computers to print out my electrical bill, once I finally remembered the password, and made a copy of my rent. (I still haven't figured out how to get my printer at home working.)

Next stop was a quick pop into Five Below. They sell electronics accessories, including ear phones. The only ear phones I have are the small ones I use for my iPod when I travel. I wanted a larger pair that would be more comfortable, so I can watch YouTube and online streaming after 10 PM without bothering the residents downstairs. Found a neat pair with a padded band in bright coral red.

I was mainly there to print out my pay stubs. I direct deposit my paychecks. One of the head managers helped me get onto the computer. From there, it was easy to print everything out. I didn't really need anything else. Bought a pretzel for a snack and headed out.

Ducked around Charlie when I got in, then went right into signing the remaining paperwork. Slid everything into the envelope that came with it, then took it downstairs and put it in the mailbox. I'm now glad that I had these three days off in a row. Unlike last year, when I had to rush to get everything out by the right time, this time I'm pretty proud that I got everything in the mail three days ahead of schedule.

Made a quick chocolate-banana smoothie when I came back upstairs, then started the spring cleaning. Scrubbed the bathroom and drowned out Charlie's potty mouth with more Dick Van Dyke. Laura has to remind Rob and Buddy that "Sally Is a Girl." They tend to treat her like one of the guys and forget she's even female half the time. Rob attempts to be a gentleman and take her out to dinner, which makes Mel and Buddy think they're having an affair.

Buddy's saying "Buddy, Can You Spare a Job" when he gets Mel and the others to write a bad letter of recommendation to get him to leave, only to not get the job. Sally and Rob find someone even more obnoxious to annoy Mel into taking Buddy back.

"Empress Carlotta's Necklace" is huge and gaudy, too much for Laura's taste. She can't bring herself to tell Rob that she loathes it. Rob bought it from a jewelry salesman and is thrilled about it. It takes a visit from Rob's parents to give Laura a way to get rid of the necklace without hurting Rob's feelings.

Did some writing after I finished the bathroom. Luke and Leia are chased to the edge of the unfinished catwalk...but Leia has a better solution for getting across the room than swinging. Her flame allows her to fly. She easily carries Luke to the other side of the room, where they join Chewbacca and Harris behind the Falcon. They're about to leave when Luke sees Ben and Vader burst into the room...and Luke doesn't like how the fight's going...

Broke for dinner at 6. Made macaroni and cheese with broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and the last of the ham and asparagus in the refrigerator. Yum! The white sauce came out a bit clumpy, but it mostly tasted delicious, just the thing to hit the spot on a chilly day.

Did one more Dick Van Dyke episode as I ate. Rod's buddy Sol from the episode where he met Laura turns up at his house one day for a visit. He'd be happier if the sponsor of The Alan Brady Show wasn't coming for dinner. Sol is a loud mouth mechanic and car salesman with questionable taste. Things don't look like they're going well for "Sol and the Sponsor" when he gets into an argument with the man over his taste in cars, only to end up helping him solve a major problem.

Finished the night with Lego Star Wars. The two rounds that have you rescuing Princess Leia are long and involved. Thankfully, I did find a way to build the mosaic in the second without getting shot at. The "power up" ball that you get from one of the explosives in the room lets you move twice as fast...and build twice as fast! I actually managed to get True Jedi on both rounds, though not much in the way of pieces. Both of these rounds will require far more exploring in Free Play.

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