12-29-08 Monday (Winning the Lottery)

Jack update: Jim has called FedEx this morning. Now, mind you he's been tracking it on their website which shows it's been in Portland since Tuesday, 12-23-08. We understand the weather delays, but it's been clear for 3 days at least. Today, the woman says the facility where it is, is closed today. On a Monday? Why? That's just their schedule. It hasn't made it to the home delivery division. Jim has asked for a supervisor to call him. Since they are closed today, that won't happen until tomorrow. The lady explains they were closed Christmas Day, the day after, Saturdays are no home deliveries and Monday they're closed. What the F*&K?



Leak update: The water leaking into the bedroom window was quite a lot. We had to put a bowl to catch the dripping water, and a fresh towel under it everyday. The leak seems to have stopped now that the snow is completely gone. It's been raining since last night yet no drip. Melting snow makes it leak, but not rain. Interesting.



Itinerary Update: Who the hell knows when we'll be able to leave. It's all dependent on the jack and then the mobile guy. Jim and I just discussed whether we minded travel on New Year's Day. Is it important for us to go out? If it is important than we need to stay here to go out to local gay bar for the festivities because our next destination isn't a very large town (Oakland, OR). For the past few years we've hosted a New Year's party or just a gathering amongst close friends so we haven't gone OUT in a few years and I doubt I'll miss it.



Weather Update: So we looked into going to the Japanese Gardens, the website says they are closed for snow removal. There's hardly any snow left, so perhaps an old message? Nope, it specifically said today's date. They must be related to FexEx. OK, so we look at going to the Chinese Gardens. As I gaze upon their website, a torrential rain storm blows in. So I look into the weather for the rest of the week, and the 5 day forecast is rain, rain, etc.



We took a drive to that Custom RV place again to look through the mistake pile of window shades. 2 would fit but then would be mismatched from all othe others so we'll pass. We spoke with Dana at Custom RV for a long time. We exchanged traveling stories back and forth and she had suggested keeping a journal of our trip, so I passed her a business card with the blog address on it. If you're reading this, welcome Dana.


For tonight's meal, we have chili in the crockpot. Last night was stew in the crockpot. I love the simplicity of crockpot cooking. Most recipes are throw it in and leave it alone. Over the years, I've mentioned crockpots to my mom. She's always had a fear of it burning down the house, doesn't trust them and therefore won't buy one. This week she told me she got one for Christmas and the next time she's home all day, she'll try it out to see how it works. Her statement came out more like she planned to watch it cook to see how it does but what she probably really meant is that if it goes up in flames, she'll be ready with a fire extinguisher in hand.

We've just gotten back from a short trip to some of the downtown area. The traffic to get 3 blocks up the road to the interstate made for a trip 30 minutes longer than we anticipated. We stopped at a bar, The Eagle, and had a drink. I had one drink and my lips went numb and I was buzzed. It didn't last long though, which was fine. Part of that is me being a light weight mixed with we hadn't eaten yet. This bar and a lot of other places have video slot machines. Only here, it's all part of the Oregon Lottery system. Bizarre. I went to their website and they boast all about video poker and slots. All governed by Oregon Lottery. Anyway, I played the machine on the penny setting. I walked away $2.10 wealthier.

By the way, we had our favorite drink which is Amaretto, sour, and maraschino cherry juice. Yummy if you like a sweet drink. Try it sometime but if you ever should become an alcoholic as a result of trying it, don't blame me.