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