Bring the Heat

 As you are aware, we’ve done a great deal of work on the house this year, both inside and out.  However, there is still some more electrical work to do.  The water feature, festival lights etc. have enhanced our outdoor experience greatly, but even more power is needed for the heaters.  I have to admit I’ve really been stuck in my ways, thinking all these years that heating was for just the inside of the house.  But my wife assures me this final stage will run us less than $50k, so I am completely on board.  I can cover that with what I have in my Chinese bank account.

The household has a new guest.  The Wig’s younger daughter has joined us for a while.  She has taken over the back bedroom that was the boys' room.  She showed up Sunday and pulled a huge suitcase out of her car trunk before I was able to help her.  The kid’s got moxie.  So far, so good. I think she will be able to escape us on weekends, heading to her brother’s in SF.  I imagine spending Monday through Friday with us will be quite enough for her. She’s a pescatarian so I expect we’ll be eating better for the time being, although she had to settle for a grilled cheese last night as steak salad was on the menu.

The wife and I head to SFO today to interact with the gubmint.  We have our interviews to re-up our Trusted Traveler status.  There were zero appointments available for months, but things have opened up and we got a couple appointments at the same time, which are late in the afternoon, so I expect to do takeout tonight.  Shrimp pad thai and a few other delights from Sweet Basil should keep all current residents happy.

Our social life is gangbusters as usual.  Since my last post we’ve hosted driveway cocktails, although we did it in the backyard vs. our driveway.  Last Saturday we had dinner with Unc and Mashie at the Belmont home of our friends that experienced my wife’s al dente beans.  She said she’d bring beans to this event, which cracked up the hostess.  She had to clarify that these were different beans.  They were good and I froze the remainder for a future meal, as opposed to having to compost them.

This Saturday we head down to 4M’s house for dinner featuring brined double cut pork chops.  Yowzer, that sounds tasty.  I hope he doesn’t screw them up.  Then Sunday we head to the Banker’s home to join #1 and Barbie.  I would like to make a correction to my 8/23/20 blog post, in which I said Mrs. Banker does not have a bar name.  She does, and it is Tina.  However, TCG is not crazy about the bar names and neither am I, so the quest to reconfigure the blog naming convention goes on.  I’m sure I’ll be done by the end of the decade.

I taped the debate tonight, but I think I’d rather watch TNF, which will be a snoozer between the Eagles and Giants.  The NFC East champ will likely have a losing record and exit the playoffs, if there are any, after one game.  I am tied for second out of 41 contenders in my football pool.  If the season runs eight games, it is official as far as pool payouts.  If things continue to look up, maybe I’ll buy you a beer.

Speaking of beer, Unc introduced me to a new non-alcoholic product called Run Wild.  It is by far the best faux beer I have ever tasted.  I talked it up during our last FC boys’ call.  Unfortunately, we did not have call this week as several key players bailed.  I was crestfallen.  In any case, get yourself a sixer of Run Wild.

Given my track record, this will probably be my last post before Election Day.  Even though many of you are down in the dumps now that Quibi has given up the ghost, don’t forget to

Life's Rich Pageant, Continued

Bless me audience, for I have sinned.  It has been 18 days since my last blog post.

Since none of my readers are People of Praise or some other fringe religious outfit, I don’t think I’ll get a lot of crap for that opener. Btw, I did do some perfunctory research on People of Praise, like scanning their Wikipedia page, before making that wisecrack, but since Amy Covid Barrett is a member in good standing, I’m against it without knowing a hell of a lot about it.  

On this past Tuesday’s FC boys call, they suggested it was time for a post, and that is all the motivation a guy like me needs. I met a couple of them at B44 in the city for nice outdoor meal Thursday.  They offered slimmed down menus from both B44 and Café Bastille.  Business seemed pretty good, but there are only so many tables you can get outside, even in Belden Place.

We recently found out that the FCMC will be getting its first grandchild.  Congrats are in order for The Hotelier and wife, as their eldest will be having a bambino.  We had dinner at their house with the expecting couple, and we had a whole conversation about my stupid blog naming convention.  It was suggested that I will have to update it with this new generation coming in.  Also, on the boy’s call TCG stated he didn’t really dig the “bar names” for the FC wives.  What am I to do?  I didn’t want to use real names, in order to protect the innocent, when I started this mess out.  Did I expect it to be read outside of my small circle of friends?  If I did, I was delusional.  In any case, I’ll begin re-working the names, right after I organize my sock drawer.

The wife and I drove off to Portland on 10/3 for a week’s stay.  I came to the realization that I am not a big fan of the road trip, but we did manage keep a civil tongue towards each other for the majority of it.  We broke it up into two legs, staying in Ashland both up and back.  I mentioned that I would like to go to their Shakespeare festival this coming year, if Covid does not put the kibosh on it.  Otherwise it will be 2022.  We had some good chow in Ashland, while staying at the Bard’s Inn.

We hit great weather in Portland, which allowed the girls to go for some hikes and bike riding, as well as outdoor dining.  I worked the three days at the beginning of the week, which allowed them to have fun without me, which is the best kind.  We met our girl’s new girlfriend, who is a real sweetheart. She joined us for a few meals. The first one was at a German sausage place that I cannot remember the name of.  I had a brat and a schnapps, and that’s all you need to know.

We hit Shalom Y’all the next night, which was the wife’s favorite.  She got the lamb, since I will not bring lamb into our house.  The stink of my mom frying up some lamb chops for my old man put me off it for life back in the 70’s.  We had some cocktails while we waited for our table.  They could be described as “craft” or “artisanal”, of course.  I had a green drink of some sort but cannot remember what was in it and their website does not list the cocktails, probably because they are focused on takeout.  Regardless, it was good, as was the chow.

Our last meal out was at PDX Sliders.  We went there after a few beers in the burbs with some of the girl’s friends.  That meal was quite tasty as well, but they went a little heavy on the salt on our batch of fries.  That didn’t stop us from scarfing too many.

Strange as it may seem, I do not have any celebrity news to report.  I’m sure there has been some misbehavior or skimpy pics I’ve missed, but I’ve been focused on more important things, like making lists.  A flu shot is at the top.  I also need to pick up some hair gel, as I’ve recently changed my hair style, which may be one of the many things I have in common with celebs.  Actually, I told my wife I needed hair gel, because I’ve long been determined not to be caught shopping for hair products.

Our cornered rat president has been busy throwing super spreader events and fascist rallies.  I understand this is cutting into his TV viewing.  His clearly insane right-hand man Rudy has been stirring up shit lately.  Maybe they can be roomies in the slam.  Rudy’s daughter came out with a bold Biden endorsement.  How sad it must be to be that estranged from your kids.  Sadly, I may be in that situation soon because I plan to stop paying for their cell phone service. Becoming more frugal is on my list.

Hey, did you see Chris Christie telling people to wear masks?  Gosh Chris, I guess seven days in the ICU made you a convert. He’s lucky he didn’t croak.  And Ben Sasse came out with an anti-Trump screed.  How brave, now that the polls show His Orangeness is going down.  I will not believe it until I see it.  My vote will go out in the mail this week.  I’m just waiting for my wife to tell me how to vote on the propositions.  SB1, aka Lefty, has already told us NO on 22, which I’m fine with, since Uber has enough dough.

That pretty much covers this version of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.  The wife is heading into the city today so I may watch a little football in between episodes of Emily in Paris. Dig ya later.