T Stands for Errand Day

Two weeks ago, Himself had the day off from school as it was finals week, and he didn't have a final exam scheduled. (If you're new to the blog or just forgot, Himself is a chemistry professor and teaches at a community college just outside of Boston)

One of his errands was to renew his driver's license and car registration. A trip to the Registry of Motor Vehicles is never fun. The state closed several offices so trying to find an office that is conveniently located, has adequate parking, and short lines and wait time can be difficult. Himself had heard that if one is a AAA (American Automobile Association) member, you can do license and registration renewal at AAA offices.

With the amount of running around to be done and the potential for waiting in lines, fortification was needed. As it turned out, the AAA office is close to Friendly's Family Restaurant and Ice Cream. During the week, Friendy's offers 50% off your entire breakfast. You can't go wrong with that.

Himself was a good sport and patiently waited while I photographe our breakfast.

 We both ordered the Big Two-Do breakfast. Two eggs (we had them scrambled), 2 strips of bacon (me), 2 sausage (Himself) and we both had the French Toast. I had a cup of tea and since Himself doesn't like tea or coffee, he had a Coke (beverage of champions). By the time we got moving and out of the house, breakfast was really brunch.

After breakfast, we walked over to the AAA office. No one else was there to renew a license or registration, so the whole process was very quick. Himself had been thinking that keeping AAA membership for emergency road service was a waste of money. Most car dealers offered emergency roadside assistance for free. Himself decided that not waiting in line at the Registry was worth the price of membership.

The view from the office . Glad we didn't have to be there at night as the area wouldn't be well lit.

After AAA, Himself had to go pick up his CPAP machine which had been repaired. He uses the CPAP when he sleeps because he has sleep apnea. The office wasn't too far away from the restaurant and AAA, but it was in a desolate office park. There were tiny signs to direct you to the building, The building was locked up tighter than Fort Knox. One had to wait to be buzzed in and then forced to sit in a drab, dinky waiting area. It was a very creepy place.

 On the return trip home, I asked if we could stop at Michael's craft store at the mall. I was looking for a small, portable cutting board to use for teaching workshops. I have two cutting boards, but both are big and bulky.

Wandering through the store, I saw the removable tape Reggie wants us to use in class. While at Staples I had purchased 3 rolls, so was happy to see Michael's also carried the tape as Michael's is closer

There were several cutting boards to choose from, and I spent a few minutes debating which to buy.

I finally decided on one that was a bit more expensive than I wanted to spend, but it also doubled as a scoring board, and I had a coupon for 40% off. The scoring tool stored in a slot on the side of the cutting board and the board folded in half which would take up less space in the tool bag. 

After Micheal's, we stopped at Great Clips to get our haircut. The salon is two miles from the house and in the new shopping area (grocery store, 5 Guys Hamburgers, Starbuck's, nail salon, bank, dentist office) The hair salon was offering a $5.99 haircut special.

After our busy morning, it was time to go home to a well-deserved nap.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Note to Self

One Word for 2015

The past couple of years, instead of making New Year's resolutions (which are usually broken by 2. Jan., I've picked one word to aspire to. This year's word is Routine.

The past few years with taking care of elderly parents, dealing with their time in the nursing home, legal issues, cleaning out and selling their home, all I seemed to do was run around in circles. My home front spiralled into chaos..

I can only work in and around chaos for so long. I'd find myself going into these cleaning frenzies only to emerge worn out, frustrated, and grumpy with no time for creating art.  Most of the clutter and chaos were my own doing. I'd come in like a tornado and whirl things into new piles of chaos.

It's hard working from home. Sometimes there's no separation between work and home. Easy to skip the domestics because let's face it, anything is better than having to man-clean a toilet. What I needed was a wife (I'll explain that in another post), but short of that, what I needed was a workable routine. A routine that would let me strike the balance between keeping up with the cleaning, and have time for creating. So, I created a routine that allows me to keep the house tidy and company drop-in ready. What has surprised me most is how much time I have for art without working in the wee hours of the morning.

The irony is this post was supposed to be ready last Tuesday! :-D  I still have some work to do, and little by little it will get done.

Do you make resolutions or pick a word for the year?

Waiting...

for news

The Friday Five

Five things I'll be doing today:

1. Going to the bank for my ma

2. My dad participated in a Veteran's project at his local library. The DVD of his interview is damaged. I'll be going to the library to see if I can get a new copy of his interview.

3. Waiting for the technician to check the furnace at my folks' house. There's a terrible heating fuel smell in the house.

4. While waiting for the technician to arrive, I hope to catch up on my NaNoJouMo. I'm three days behind.

5. Phone calls. Waiting for them, and returning them.

What's on your docket today?