Monday Seem to Keep Happening

I find Mondays to be my new Saturday. Like most folks on Saturday or Sunday morning, I just want to sleep in and go slow. Why, I believe, brunch was invented. I have no plans for Monday, but Wednesday is my travel day to Michigan, and I will arrive in Detroit on Thursday morning. I only have a few days to clean and pack, but my flight on Wednesday is at 11:15PM, so I have all of Wednesday packed and cleaned. Still, I wrote the blog slowly and even looked up some things to include in the blog. I was not done until the afternoon. Going slow.

I filled out the form for my healthcare selection for COBRA at Nike. I get a year more coverage, but I have to cover the monthly cost of just under $800. This process will continue my existing coverage, including vision, and I will upgrade my dental. Nike offers improved dental care this year for $10 more monthly. Yes.

I filled out the form and discovered a website option, which was a mystery as it did not recognize my user. Hmmm. I put the form in a large letter envelope. I also wrote my usual memo to hold and then deliver the mail in mass when I return. I put the memo in the mailbox. There was no mail on Veterans Day, off to the closed Post Office.

There, I saw many folks leaving disappointed—many seemed to have forgotten it was the eleventh day of the month. I went to the machine, got my letter accepted, and paid the cost to send it to the healthcare vendor in Kentucky. I also bought some stamps that the machine just printed. They were boring US flags. I would have liked some more colorful.

I returned home, but earlier, I had a liberal cup of coffee to get me started. I also had cereal with milk. I consumed the other walk of my tuna fish sandwich from Subway while surfing the email and not getting anything done. I was distracted most of the early afternoon and was looking at other travel options for 2025, including a possible trip to the UK. Flights are cheap in the winter, but hotels are high in London, especially nice ones by the sights.

I decided to make beef stew today following a recipe from the NYT, but adding a few items. I found my Netflix account on my Apple and put on a murder mystery TV movie, Glass Onion, which was fun to watch again while cooking and chopping. The stew was better than average, but I couldn’t get that strong stew flavor I sought. I enjoyed the show and would recommend it as it is a fun murder mystery. It was also made during the pandemic, and seeing folks in masks and keeping their distance is fascinating. Questions like, “Can we hug?” are flashbacks to darker times.

I had three bowls and added salt to the last two, improving the flavor. My lack of salt while cooking may be the issue. While cooking, I opened a nice bottle of wine I got when Linda and Jesse visited. It went into the stew and into my glass. I was pretty relaxed by the time the stew was ready.

While enjoying the stew, I watched more of the post-apocalyptic episodes of Silo. What a surprise that the evil is in IT. I am nearing the end of the first season and enjoying the show, but it is dark and hard to recommend. The acting, story, and camera work make it all seem real. I will likely finish season one just in time for season 2, which is starting to be released this week!

I washed all the dishes, pans, and everything in the sink or loaded them into the dishwasher and started it. Next, I swooshed the toilets and brushed them. I would either keep cleaning…or head somewhere…

I am writing this at Wildwood on my second beer, all small ones. The La Maison Du Bang!, a barrel-aged blend of barleywine and stout cuvee, is an excellent finish for my day. I have been writing tonight (I have a 9:30 board game on Tuesday morning in Portland). The folks were happy to see me, and I updated them on all my travels.

Thanks for reading. I am closing the bar at 10.