As a long-time owner of a Honda Civic (it’s been eight years), I can tell you that it’s funny how much stuff can fit into a Honda Civic. Tonight, I proved just that. When I went to Home Depot to get my new grill, I found that it wouldn’t fit into the trunk of my car after all. Somehow, I managed to get it in the passenger’s seat.
My new grill is fully assembled now, but I think I have a few screws that need to be tightened. The model I got was the two burner one that cost $99. Well, that’s $99 for the grill. What they don’t tell you is that it’s going to cost another $50 for a tank and the propane that goes in it. And then the cover and the utensils. Shit this thing cost me close to $200 all in. But you know what? I still like it.
My only complaint is that it doesn’t have the faux-charcoal in the bottom, and that’s what soaks up all of the grease droppings, which gives meat more flavor off the grill. I remember my dad always saying that the best way to season a grill was to put on some cheap, fatty cuts of meat so that the bricks would get some flavor. I wonder if you can buy the faux-charcoal.
I did grill a burger (cheddar bacon burger from Whole Foods) and a couple of chicken fillets. I couldn’t assemble the thing without using it, could I?
After my foodgasm, I watched the new episode of Trading Spaces. Then I watched a movie from my Netflix queue called The Longing. I have Good Shepard at home, too, but it’s almost three hours, so I opted for the shorter movie. The Longing is a foreign film about three German friends who are on vacation in Brazil. It’s 80 minutes of my life that I’ll never get back.
At least Trading Spaces was decent. It was the first time this season that we’ve seen Laurie Smith, who is my favorite designer.
They say that friends are the family you choose for yourself. Well let me tell you…
On Thursday, Beth and Paul invited me out for part of the weekend, and having been cramped up in my condo for two weeks, I jumped at the chance. Actually, Paul suggested coming out Thursday night and helping him do some cooking before Beth got back from her business trip, and I was happy to help.
Reggie had some trouble, though. He kept running around the house looking for Beth. At one point, he went upstairs and scratched on the bedroom door. He didn’t completely settle down until she got back.
It’s been a good time. We’ve eaten well and played Rockband. I completely suck at this, partially because I don’t know the music particularly well.
I’ve been playing with Twitter the past couple of days. I signed up for it ages ago but never really used it.
I’ve been watching airfares to Pittsburgh. Reggie and I need to make a trip to see Sarah pretty soon. She was pretty upset that my parents came up without her, especially since they promised they’d bring her the next time they came to see Uncle Mike. I’m kind of glad she didn’t come up for that trip because I think she would have been bored just hanging out at the hospital and my condo all weekend, especially since I don’t get Boomerang. We can sit and watch that for hours together. Anyway, we need to make a trip pretty soon.
Tomorrow, I’m going to stop by Home Depot at some point and buy myself a gas grill. Its totally a testosterone thing, and I’m perfectly okay with that. While I really want a super mega grill that would do Bobby Flay proud, I’m still renting my place and want to get something that won’t be a total loss if I have to downsize again.
Last weekend, several friends went to a wedding in New York. I know the groom, but not enough to call him a friend. It turns out that the bride knows Wil Wheaton rather well, and he was at the wedding with his wife. So I know somebody who knows somebody famous. That still makes me a nobody, except for in my own little head, but that’s okay.
My sister called me on Tuesday and told me that she had bought a new car, a 2008 Honda Civic. She’s a visiting nurse who puts a ton of miles on her car. She had been driving a Santa Fe, which was great in the winter but got dreadful gas mileage. She was spending a small fortunate in gas. The Civic should be much nicer.
Now I don’t mind my little sister buying the same car as me, even if it’s a year newer. What irks me is that she went all out with the navigation system and XM. It was funny when my mom told me that my sister bought a car just like mine.
My dad is a card carrying member of the United Steelworkers. He swore he would never cosign a loan for a foreign car. As soon as I didn’t need my dad to cosign for a car, I bought my 2000 Civic. Now my sister and I each have a Civic. While my parents were here last weekend, my dad said that he liked my car, except that it was hard for him to get in and out of.
I went to BJ’s today to get out of the house for a while. As I was walking through the produce department, they had these strawberries that were huge. And I mean mutant huge. The quarter (yes, that’s a quarter) should give you some perspective. And they’re incredibly juicy and tasty.
For dinner tonight, I grilled a thin chicken breast and steamed some broccoli. Keep in mind that this is on a salad plate, not a dinner plate.
This afternoon, I went to Home Depot for some light bulbs. I’m trying to replace all of my light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. While I was there, I was looking at gas grills. This one will do, but it seems just a bit cheap with only two burners. For about $50, this one looks like a better option.
I’m still off work this week because of the surgery. The doctor agreed that with my MS, it would be a good idea to take the extra time. So until next week, I’m on short term disability.
Today, Reggie and I got up at 7:00 and did the potty/kibble thing. I tried lying back down but that wasn’t happening, so we migrated to the couch. Somehow, we managed to sleep away most of the day. It was kind of nice, and I think I needed the rest.
I’m recovering rather well, although my GI system is still trying to figure out its new configuration. Some foods are fine, yet other foods leave me running to the bathroom. And I think timing has something to do with it, too.
Yesterday, I was supposed to have the followup appointment with the surgeon, but she got pulled into emergency surgery. I don’t go back to see her for another week now.
Today, Woot has a Dyson for $250. As tempting as that may be for some people, I have no carpet in my place. Everything is original hardwood floors. A Dyson would be overkill for me.
A few weeks ago, I bought a Roomba 4260, and I have to say that it kicks ass. I turn it on before I go to bed and my floors are clean. Sure, I have to take a broom in behind the TV once in a while, but the Roomba really does well. It goes under the loveseats and tables, and when it’s done, it finds its way back to the docking station. I’m sure the thing has a ton of features that I haven’t figured out yet, but that’s okay. Reggie is less than thrilled with it. He’s not afraid, but when he sees it coming, he gives it enough space.
After it runs, I empty the bin and occasionally clean the filter. Over the weekend, I pulled out the brushes and cleaned them. Really, it’s pretty low maintenance. Yeah, it’s cool.
The news is out that Delta and Northwest plan on merging. If you follow the aviation industry, this is hardly a headline. The merger has been in the works for months.
What is really fascinating here is the labor relations aspect. Delta said all along that it wouldn’t go through a merger without the support of it’s pilots union. The Northwest pilots weren’t going to be happy with any decision regarding this merger, so they got shut out of the talks, and the Delta pilots are sitting happy, and the Northwest pilots are pouting and saying they’ll oppose the merger.
This is sounding a lot like the US Airways/America West merger of a few years ago. America West bought US Airways (keeping the US Airways name) and prevented the old US Airways from going belly up. Northwest isn’t in the best financial position and flies a fleet of ancient DC9 aircraft. I think Delta is rescuing Northwest, so the pilots should sit down, shut up, accept the seniority consolidation, and be thankful they have jobs. Sure the 747 pilots are going to get bumped down to flying 777s, but it’s not like they’re going to the complete bottom of the seniority list.
I remember saying to a coworker about four years ago how much it drove me crazy to see guys wearing eyeliner. Now it’s becoming much more acceptable and has even been dubbed “guyliner.” (link)
I still don’t get it.
Today’s MS Walk was an exhausting event. As I was sitting down for the VIP Breakfast (for people raising more than $1000, sponsored by Whole Foods), I sat down with a couple of guys at a table that had space. As we got talking, I was talking to another gay guy about my age with MS. It was great to talk to him and his partner and the rest of their crew. It turns out that our primary care doctors are in the same practice and our neurologists are at the same practice.
I was going to just turn in my fundraising paperwork and then go home. I wasn’t sure that doing the walk a week after surgery was such a good idea. Doing it with good company made it okay. Now I’m completely exhausted and sore.
PICT7419.JPG Originally uploaded by mikehillwig
I’ll never forget when I first told my dad that I had gotten Reggie and sent him a picture via instant messenger. His first reaction was that I had gotten an ugly, yappy dog and that he wasn’t going to like him.
A few weeks later, Reggie made his first trip to my parents’ house and it wasn’t long before I caught my dad feeding him carrots. Almost three years later, this picture proves that my dad is warming up to Reggie. How can he not?
My dad still tells Reggie “You’re still ugly!” and he still refers to Reggie as a “she.” I’m working on that one, though. The last time dad did that, I picked up Reggie and pointed out his boy parts, threatening to rub said boy parts in my dad’s face if I needed to. Suddenly, my dad is referring to Reggie as a he more frequently. I wonder why…
In my dad’s defense, we always had girl dogs growing up. My mom likes girl dogs. But still, Reggie is a boy, and he’s not ugly. My dad just doesn’t like to admit he’s wrong.
