Weekend Update

Well I don't have any pictures, just an update.

The basement renovation is in full swing. I've had to move all my stuff (never realized I had that much crap!) into my parents basement until the workers are finished with the drywall, painting, shelving, and carpeting. I had so much and had to create a walkway for them to bring the materials through that all of my mom's canned goods were blocked which didn't make her happy. I haven't been able to find anything for a month. My house is a disaster with boxes all over my living room and bedrooms. The problem is that the contractor went for a "minor surgery" and ended up with cancer so he's been going for treatments up to Mayo clinic weekly and fitting in this project when he can. Then Friday I was in for a big shock as I went to the local furniture store and found that it would be $1600 for the cheapest carpet that had for a 600 ft area!! In other words, I will have to settle for a cheap remnant.

Then while in South Dakota, my friend Nat thought her friend might be interested in me, and he and I have talked on the phone a few times and he came up Thursday to spend the weekend in a nearby hotel. That night we went out for dinner and I was good, only ordering a sandwich, soup, and a couple of happy hour drinks. The bill comes and he--I am not joking here--brought out his cell phone calculator, and said he was willing to buy ONE of my drinks! This, after I told him I had steaks and had bought wine for us, etc. So it wasn't like I planned not to put in my share.

My rule is, if the guy doesn't pay on the first date, there isn't a second one. So next morning he was on his way home, having said he needed to do research on some paper at some library hours away. I was very relieved. We did have lunch downtown (and split the cost of the meter even), then he didn't put in a tip at all for his share of lunch so I had to get on him about that. Then he was off, thank God. I could not ever put up with a tightwad like that, except as friends only.

Sat night we went to a barn party at our relatives' whose barn blew down in last year's tornado and they had rebuilt it and had a party. I brought the boys. Lk just wanted to play in the sandbox all night as he was afraid of the firetruck. Lm though was fascinated with the fire truck and was the first one to hop on when they said the kids could get in the back (and the shortest so I had a hard time seeing him as I held tightly onto the back--this thing went at breakneck speed down some gravel roads). When we returned 20 mins later, I was relieved to get off the thing, and they were taking a second set of kids on there. Well when the driver went to the restroom for a minute, Lm climbed into the driver's seat and held onto the steering wheel. The driver returned and Lm would not let him have his seat back! The driver even offered to let him sit up front between he and his wife and Lm just looked up at him calmly but stubbornly and said "No. I drive." I ended up having to literally pull him off of there as he kicked and screamed and made himself dead weight. "My firetruck! Me drive!" he yelled all the way to the car, putting on quite a spectacle.

Yesterday I took it easy. My guys went in the pool and I talked to Nat trying to diagnose the whole situation with men; I think we should co-author a book on the subject, quite honestly.