Friday stuff and weekend plans.

It's about 3PM Friday as I begin to jot this down. I'm sitting here at the computer sweating like a slave, waiting for the air conditioner repair guy to mosey on over.

I came home from the pool hall at about 10:30 Wednesday night and found it to be 84 degrees in the house! I called the boys Thursday morning and they said they were booked up and it'd be Friday before they could see me. So here I sit, by balls stickin' to my leg, 88 degrees in the house, all the doors open, waitin' for this dude to get here. If he gets here and tells me it's a quick, cheap fix, all the stupid waiting is forgiven. I doubt it'll be cheap though. All my appliances, AC unit, Dishwasher, etc., are about 12 or 13 years old and due to go tits up on me at any time.

Just got the call that they're headed this way. Fingers crossed!

Later tonight Denise and I will meet the Moons, Wilson and his wife, at the Dynasty Chinese place dad and I used to frequent. It'll be fun to see them again and to chow down on that good shrimp fried rice and the generals chicken. After that we'll head over to mom's for a tipple. Then we have plans to go to the mall and see the new Indiana Jones flick. It looks cool as hell.

Mom and sis got back from their trip to Oklahoma last night and both called me, tellin' me their versions of how everything went down. It was hilarious to compare the versions. Mom calls me first and gives me the sweet, polite version, tellin' me that they'd only had a few screamin', yellin' fights. Then sis calls and tells me "Mom was SUCH a BITCH!". I just sat there and laughed.

Bottom line... All seems to be well. Sis had her interview and is excited enough about the idea of going back to Oklahoma that she's thinking about putting in more resumes up there just in case this one doesn't work out. Mom even told me that she was impressed with sis' professional demeanor when she was dealing with those folks. She's all excited about living up near Tinker Air Force Base, where she and mom and dad were stationed just before I was born. If she does get to do that I'll find myself envying here a lot. I really miss being near a base and hearing those jets every day. It's in my DNA.

She was there in the fifth grade, and then again in grad school, so now it feels like going back home to her. I hope everything works out. The job is dependent on state funding and the salary isn't what she was originally told it would be. Still, it's a start, and God knows she needs to get going somewhere.

FUCK ME IN THE ASS WITH A PRICKLY PAIR! It looks like I need a new AC unit. The compressor is history. Damn! And he says they can't get it done till Tuesday... The holidays and all. He's callin' someone now to see what he can do. Anyway, we'll be sleeping for the foreseeable future at Denise's place. SHIT!

We're stayin' around here over the weekend. Plans are to grill somethin' good at some point and maybe go swimmin' in a lake or river down the highway a ways. Sounds all summery, don't it? Wooohooo! There'll be more yard work, movin' the piles of crap we pulled from the yard out to the field across the road so it can all be hauled away by the city. There'll be new stuff planted and watered. I'll get pictures, no worries.

I've also got a knife project to get started on. Remember me postin' about the Damascus blade I bought and the walrus penis bone handle materials. Well, this weekend is when it will all get started. I told Bob when he was here for dad's funeral that I was gonna put it together and bring it up to hand over as a present for his new grandson.

I'll give it to his son-in-law, who's gonna join us on the fishing trip. I'll tell him it's for his son, but he can play with it till the gets old enough to use it. They're all avid hunters and fishermen up there, so it'll go over well. I head up the to see them in a week-and-a-half or so, so there's no time to waste. It's lookin' cool in my head, with the plan comin' together. I'll take pictures of it before I hand it over. You just wait!

Well, it just cost me $80 to find out that I'm gonna need to spent $3400 for a new AC unit outside, and it won't be till Wednesday or Thursday that they can get it here and install it. Sheeeeiiiittttt! They could replace the compressor, but the rest of the unit is 13 years old, past it's expiration date, so I might as well get a new one. Anyway, what do you guys think? I always feel like I'm getting screwed when I deal with these dudes. The new compressor for the old unit is $1500, with a two year warranty, and the AC unit is $3400, with a ten year warranty.

Needless to say we'll be transferrin' our operations to Base Camp 2 (Denise's house) for the next week or so. Denise's bed is smaller than my huge parade ground of a thing, but it'll have to do. You guys go crank up your AC and I'll suffer here in silence (NOT!).

I'm gonna go do a little work on the knife and then I'll take a cold shower and get the hell out of Dodge. You guys enjoy your coolness and I'll have another round of woodsy tales for ya on Monday. Happy Memorial Day, by the way. Cheers.