Airport Dry Run

Previously we were able to get direct flights from an airport just North of us to Momoko's dad's city. After the pandemic, the only flights from there require at least 1 layover. I hate wasting time touching down in some random airport, only to catch a connecting flight to my destination.

Earlier this year, Little Kat discovered that an airport just South of a major city by us offers direct flights. The only problem is getting to this airport. We can take the subway there. But the walk from the subway exit to our terminal is very long.

Today I did a practice drive with the family to this new airport. It was treacherous driving through the city to get to this airport. People drive crazy downtown. The walk from the parking garage took 7 to 8 minutes to the terminal. That is pretty good. Even Momoko could walk it with a bad leg.

On the drive home from this airport, I tried to take a faster route. We ended up getting stuck in construction traffic. Then we somehow were driving even further South from this Southern city. Google Maps helped us get back on track. It was a treacherous ride home. Not sure if it is even worth driving there. The subway is sufficient.

Kit Kat Car Shopping

Kit Kat has been getting serious about car shopping. Previously she wanted a Toyota Prius. But with apartment prices rising like crazy, she thinks she might want a more economical model. Say hello to the Hyundai Accent. She likes this car in the admiral blue color. She wants Apple Car Play. That requires at least the SEL trim.

Today coming home from work, Momoko called around and could only find a 2019 used Hyundai near our closest college town. So after work, Kit Kat and I drove there. We tried to speak with the sales guy Momoko spoke with. It took a while for him to become available. He told us they already sold that car.

Kit Kat got nervous. It seems there are no Accents around anywhere. She called up a dealership that is usually an hour north of us. They had a blue model. But it was not the SEL trim. We decided to brave the rush hour and rain. Google Maps told us it was an hour and a half drive. We went through a tunnel we normally don't travel. Eventually we arrived.

We spoke with a guy. He pulled up the only Accent they had. The color was admiral blue. It looked nice. Kit Kat and I fit fine in the front seat. It was hard to get into the car because you had to duck your head. The display screen on the dash was small. But the SEL trim has a larger one. The trunk space was fine.

In the rear set, my head was hitting the ceiling. Kit Kat took the car for a drive. The acceleration was much better than her current anemic car. She was able to drive around in the rain. For a small car, I thought it handled the bumps well. With destination charges included, this car cost $18k. That is a bargain for car prices these days.

We left the dealership and ate at a local McDonalds. It required that we place our orders via kiosk. I tried to pay at the register. The lady had trouble finding my order. We were the only people in the restaurant. We got our burnt food. I ate it because I was hungry. Kit Kat called a dealership 4 hours away. The admiral blue SEL trim they had was "on hold". Kit Kat asked them to hold it for her if that deal falls through. Fingers crossed.

Office Furniture Shopping

 

My brother and I attempted to move my heavy desk from my study to the library. We got it up a few stairs. Then my brother was unable to move it up any further. I had him come down and take my end. I ran out the back door and took up the position on the top. We struggled, but got the thing to the main floor. I decided there was no way to move this thing any further. It needs to go to the dump.

The desk had a lot of cubby holes and four drawers. So I ordered a shoe rack to replace the cubbies. Then I went to Office Deport looking for a filing cabinet to replace the drawers with the hanging folders. I saw a lot of options. I was not sure if my folders were letter or legal size. At home I found them to be letter.

I also spotted a dent and scratch deal at Office Depot. It was a black filing cabinet with two small top drawers. It was perfect for me. But it was a letter sized cabinet. The best part was that it was a $200+ item on super sale for $27. The next day I returned to buy it. But it had already been sold. I opted to get a used $77 similar cabinet from Amazon. I hope since it is used, it will come assembled.

Downsizing the Library

Little Kat is moving into my study. And I am relocating to his bedroom. My space is going to be cut in half. So I am seriously downsizing my footprint. First thing to go is most of my technical books. My buddy is learning the Python programming language. I must have over 20 books on Python. Today I met my buddy for lunch, and gave him 2 of my best Python books.

There are a few choice books I will keep, such as The C Programming language. I will also keep Oracle SQL*Plus. My Java book has my name written on the edge of the pages. Until I figure out how to easily remove that name, I will hang onto that book as well. For now, all the other books have gone out on the patio. There are too heavy to dump into the recycle bin all at once.

I still have 8 more Python books relating to data science that I need to read. And I have a ton of fiction waiting for me to read. Those will stay too. I figure I will go from 3 bookcases down to just 1. I still need to determine how many desks I can fit in my new rook. Right now I have 3 big desks. Will keep at least one.

A Nice Lunch Surprise

I ate some grilled chicken early for breakfast. The I spent time trying to make some progress at work. When it came time to take a break, I went out to check out shed in the back yard. There was a mouse in one of the mouse traps I set up in the rafters. I wrapped it up and threw it out. Set up some new traps to catch more mice.

Since I was already dressed, up, and about, I figured I should maybe get a little lunch. I am going out to dinner with a college friend tonight. That might be a late dinner. So I should prepare now and chow down. I got a coupon for Burger King. Three bucks gets me a double cheeseburger, small fries, and a small drink.

I drove to the nearest Burger Kind. I saw a truck with a trailer attached at the drive through. I placed my order, and the truck was still at the drive through. I could not get close to the window to pay. Then there was some commotion at the food window. The truck driver paid some more money, got their food, and left.

As I drove up to the pay window, the employee told me my meal was already paid for. He handed me a realtor business card. That was strange. The truck in front of me was some type of lawn service vehicle, with a bunch of chopped trees in the trailer. Interesting way to do advertising. I do have my own realtor who is very good a assisting sales and purchases of homes. But you never know.

Grill Repaired

This winter, I finally received a replacement part for our grill. The igniter would not light the flames on the burners. The item was back ordered for a long time. Eventually they sent me one as long as I paid the postage.

It was too cold to work on the grill recently. But today the weather was okay. So I unscrewed the old igniter. I left it hang underneath the grill with all the connection wires. Then I slowly, one wire at a time, disconnected the old igniter, and connected the wires to the new one.

Then I moved the battery into the new igniter as I screwed it in and secured it to the grill. Initially, this replacement would not light any of the burners. But I remained calm. I replaced the battery with a fresh one as the old was seemed a bit corroded. That did the trick.

Now we can light all the burners and cook food on the grill again. There is no doubt that the quality of our grill is super low. So I plan to buy a replacement grill, maybe within the next year. Next time I will get one with a slightly higher quality. I don't want to spend a fortune, as grills break down and rust. I also don't want to cheap out and end up with another dud.

Superbowl Pizza Problems

Momoko wanted pizza for our Superbowl watch party. I volunteered to go pick it up. One and a half hours before kickoff, I called in an order to 2 large pizzas. I knew it was busy because I was on hold for a while. They told me it would take 20 to 25 minutes to have the food ready.

I headed to the gas station to fill up my car. Had to kill a little time. I arrived at the store 30 minutes after I placed my order. The guy behind the counter said it would take another 5 to 8 minutes. I figured that short duration meant I was good.

There were a ton of other people waiting for pizza there. Most were Door Dash drivers. I just sat tight. Thirty minutes later, I was still sitting there. Eventually the guy who initially helped me found my order. He apologized for the delay. He said I could have some free food.

When I got home, I saw the free food was some plain wings, and another medium pizza with black olives, onions, jalapenos and other toppings. Momoko actually liked that one. I did make it back just in time for Superbowl kickoff. Not a good move to order pizza on that one day of the year.