Expenses Without Receipt

Starting from Friday, August 28:

• We go back to Thursday, August 27, the first day of the State Fair.  Didn't have as much money as I wanted, so I relied on my credit card for the Blue Barn Sweet Squeakers (which is fast becoming an annual staple), the Frozen Blue beer, Swedish coffee, and Cherry Jumbo Limeade Float from, uh, that place (I should commit the shop's name to memory; I can see getting this year after year, too).  But I shelled out cash for the Gizmo (first time ever I've eaten at this place), the corn, and the Peachey's Amish donut.  With a tip for the Gizmo the total is: $26.
• On Tuesday the 25th I went to Caribou before work partly so I could get cash.  A medium mocha (just a mocha, not one of their signature mochas), minus trivia and plus tip, gets to: $7.25.
• That evening I had to go to our alumni Game-watching place to make sure it was OK for us to watch our Game, which is that Saturday, there.  We could.  With tip I spent: $37.
• All the way back to Saturday, August 15, where I went to Porchfest at the Wedge neighborhood.  Wish I could have spent some more time down there, walking through the streets and catching bands playing.  I tipped the bands, and I also got a cup of lemonade from a family selling it.  Total amount I spent for Porchfest: $5.
• Monday, August 3: ******a, oh, ******a: $150.
• We hurtle back to Tuesday, July 28, where I had to see Supergirl a second time because I missed the very start of it the first time.  Ticket, popcorn, pop, minus my $5 discount because I used points (I got food with a movie for the first time in a long time, and knowing how much it regularly costs, I won't be buying food again for a while) comes out to: $17.30.
• Sunday, July 26 ... this is the day I wanted to drive to Iowa, but I had to wait for ****e* to get here, and I finally just left because her lazy but nice ass couldn't get out of her house when she promised she would.  Not mad, just disappointed.  I got to The Day The Music Died Memorial, which is out on a private cornfield, in the early evening.  Wish I had went when it wasn't blisteringly humid, but you can't predict the weather.  Still, it was eerie and moving, and I'm glad I got to pay my respects.  And I got to pay it alone; I got to the parking lot, which is across the gravel street from the memorial site, as another person was leaving, and no one came after me.  There was an RV of someone who was tending to the gravel parking lot I parked at.  I got the feeling she and her family appointed themselves as caretakers of the memorial and the parking lot.  They had little trinkets to sell, and they asked for donations.  I appreciated that someone is dedicating themselves to keeping up the area, so I donated: $5.
• On Saturday the 25th I went out to Stillwater and got Nelson's Ice Cream.  This place is famous for heaping scoop upon scoop upon scoop of ice cream.  Their smalls are large.  I appreciate that in these days of paying more and getting less, but this was ridiculous.  With tip: $8.
• I wanted to get ice cream after I saw *****y, but her hot but finicky ass made me cum see her after ice cream.  And then she made me cum: $150.
• Thursday, July 23: I don't know if the date is right.  But I have this as the day I went to Nelson's -- not the ice cream shop in Stillwater but the deli place close to home.  Got a Hero, a medium chicken wild rice soup, and a can of RC Cola.  With tip the total was: $17.32.
• Wednesday the 22nd -- had to buy lottery tickets, both lotteries.  Total: $14.
• I then got gasoline.  Paid cash for it: $32.
• To Sunday the 19th, where I went to Grandpa Joe's for a Whistler pop.  Minus the bottle deposit I paid: $1.62.
• I then went to the Black Hart to watch some World Cup soccer.  Can of cider plus tip: $7.
• That night I went to a local theater to watch The Odyssey.  This is an historic one-screen place (although it's owned by a company that has a few historic one-screen places) that showed the film in 70mm.  This is a theater where the person running the screening is an aficionado, and he showed how better the resolution a flick is in 70mm by bringing out the reel in which the film is threaded.  I like the presentation.  I love the movie, too; it's fantastic, and the probable Oscar favorite for Best Film.  Small popcorn, small pop, and tips for concessions and the organist (I used my credit card for the ticket): $14.
• Finally, on Wednesday, July 15, I took that day and the following day off for World Cup Semifinals -- and, on this day, to take my car in for maintenance.  After the oil change and tire rotation, I took my vehicle to the car wash.  Paid for the wash, but the tip was in cash: $5.
• Because there was nothing seriously wrong with the car, I had time to go to Flameburger to take in breakfast.  Great to eat there; will return next year.  Got their meal of half an egg, hash browns and toast, and with a small apple juice and tip it cost me: $15.
• Later that afternoon I went to Brit's Pub to see Spain handcuff France, 2-0.  There went my World Cup pick.  With tip: $54.

I keep saying this because it remains true: I have to do these EWRs more often.

Good through August 28.

Expenses Without Receipts

Starting from Saturday, July 11:

• Well, we're going back to Friday, July 10, the day I went to a party.  Because of that, I stopped by an ATM to get money that morning.  I was going to dump a bottle of motor oil in a trash can, as well as an old Chick-Fil-A milkshake cup I had in my refrigerator that had a little bit of milkshake left but somehow froze even though it was in the fridge, then I was planning to get a mocha from Caribou just a couple of suites away.  But standing ... there was some stringy White woman who asked me if I was going into Caribou.  She said she was kicked out of there for "trespassing."  Now that sounded weird, plus I had to go to work, so I just said I stopped my car to throw that bottle and milkshake cup away.  She then asked me if I could go into Caribou and buy coffee for her, and I refuse to help strangers that way, so I said no.  But that meant my cover was blown and I couldn't buy Caribou ... at least not from there, because thank Buddha there is another Caribou close by.  In fact, this Caribou is closer to work, but I always hated this one because of the shitty customer service.  This time around was OK, so maybe the bad baristas are gone.  Anyway, I hope the weird lady is gone now.  Mocha, pastry and tip equals: $11.75.
• The party after work that day was ... different.  Talked about *****y watching over me.  Again, I just wished I had performed better for ******e.  But at least she didn't charge me an arm and a leg over my pee-pee.  With cover it all came out to: $150.
• Monday the 6th ... this was the day where I went to the Black Hart after work to watch the Americans lose and be eliminated in the World Cup.  I thought I had used cash for everything I ate and drank there and just forgot, but turns out I only used cash for that busker who comes around selling her Mexican food.  Got an enchilada, but they didn't have any utensils to eat it with.  Come on, guys, do better.  Cost: $10.
• Back to Friday the 3rd, the start of a glorious long Independence Weekend.  I started it at the barber school so I could get a shave.  My hair was getting long.  Also, I was asked to do this video tribute to a guy who runs a men's basketball pool I've been a part of for almost two decades, so I needed to look good.  The shave was also good, even though I realized I needed to leave because I had things I needed and wanted to do.  Thought coming in on a weekday would allow me to get to my shave quickly, but since the 4th of July was the following day, everybody had this day off, so I had to spend a half-hour waiting.  Oh, well.  With tip: $14.
• This is The Summer Of Soccer, so I spent a lot of time, and money, reveling in it.  I went to the Black Hart after getting shaved for a Tripleheader of Round of 32 World Cup action.  I got there in time to order a Bloody Mary and a big Italian meat pizza.  I need to use cash more, and going to the barber school (I need money to at least tip), I had an excuse to use cash this time.  With tip, this meal was: $30.
• And I stayed from the early afternoon till deep in the night.  That night, that busker selling Mexican food at the Black Hart came around.  She knows my face now.  I ordered tacos, which were good, although a bit overpriced (IMHO) at: $10.
• Thursday the 2nd -- got out of work in time to see the Portugal-Croatia Round of 32 Match in its entirety, and in fact I had time to go to El Taco Riendo to watch it.  Had two rounds of food and drink: Chilaquiles and a Corona for the First Half, then esquites and a fountain Coke for the Second Half.  With tip it all came out to: $34.86.
• That night I wanted to see Switzerland-Algeria and this Mediterranean place close by me which was advertising them broadcasting the World Cup.  It was somewhat of a disaster, as I detailed here, but the food (Dubai chocolate cake) and drink (Adeni tea) was nice.  With tip: $16.
• Wednesday the 1st: More soccer.  Went to the Black Hart.  Decided on a whim that I was going to get a burrito from the Mexican food busker even though I wasn't planning on it.  Cost: $5.
• And since I used cash for her, I needed to use cash somewhere else.  Even though I charged everything at the Black Hart up till that point, I decided I needed to give a tip to stick to my OCD principle of using money at least twice if I am using it at all: $1.
• Looks like I have to go all the way back to Saturday, June 20.  I enjoyed some World Cup soccer in the afternoon at the Black Hart, where I got a dirty vodka martini.  With tip I spent: $10.
• I then went to see ******a at My Favorite Stripclub (I don't know if I need to say "Cover Version/Edition/Division" anymore).  This was the first time I saw ******a since she, uh, made all my stripper fantasies come true when she came over to rub me down, tee-hee.  It wasn't awkward, although I made a couple faint allusions over what she did to me.  Got 20 table dances from her.  With cover, tips and drinks for the both of us, the grand total came out to: $231.
• On Friday the 19th I went to Chimborazo to see my smart people group.  I hadn't seen them in a while, and I wanted to, especially since Chimborazo is both relatively close to work, from which I was planning on going to, and relatively close to home, to which I would leave Chimborazo to hopefully see the Brazil-Haiti World Cup Match in its entirety.  I was able to make it to the restaurant at our appointed time.  Work wasn't the issue; a sudden hailstorm was, but I braved through it.  The place was packed and therefore too loud for me to start any conversation with even the people at the table I was eating with.  That's not really conducive to a relaxing atmosphere (turns out that when I left, which was well after the Brazil-Haiti Match started), several other members of my party left, too), but I am glad this great Ecuadorean restaurant is doing well.  With tip I spent: $60.
• On Sunday, June 7 I went to my alumni spot to see my college baseball team choke away a lead both in this Game and their Super Regional series.  Very disappointing.  Plus tip: $35.
• Later that day I think I drove all the way to *****y's place to see her.  Gosh, I can't do that again - too far!  Anyway: $150.
• Wednesday, June 3: Quick tryst with ******e for only: $120.
• Finally, on Monday, June 1, ******a came over and made all the fantasies I had about a stripper servicing me come true.  Who says you can't have a clean dancer go dirty if you convince them?  All that and a bomb-ass massage for: $150.

Good through July 11.

Never-Ending Tea

I continued my World Cup-watching sojourn around the cities last/Thursday night at this new Mediterranean place for Switzerland-Algeria.  I saw it was a restaurant that was going to show Matches.  Unfortunately, that is not quite the case.

First of all, as I peered into the restaurant right after parking, their TV was not tuned to that.  Instead, their TV(s) was/were being used for their menu.  I don't know if the owners of the restaurant also own the Yemeni coffee place right next to it, but they were showing the Game on their outdoor patio.  Sold.  Plus, I heard good things about this place, so this was a good time to try it out and try something I've never tried before.

Well, the victuals and libations were great but the atmosphere wasn't.  Well, the Match-watching wasn't.  For some damn reason, the TV was using a stick or a streamer that tuned in to not Fox Sports 1 or Telemundo but the Arabic feed for BeIn, which I guess holds the rights to the World Cup in the Arab world.  Why they just didn't bleepin' get satellite is beyond me, because this feed or stick or streamer or television set had this nasty habit of cutting out and reverting to audio every five minutes, and the only way to restore the picture was to use the remote control and hit a button.  The first time this happened the people on the patio watching the Game were scrambling, and by the time we got the video feed back, Switzerland scored what eventually became the Match-winner.  I was going to stay the whole Match, but I was done after the First Half.  Well, the mosquitos biting me didn't help, either.

The problem with watching World Cup Games in restaurants and pubs is that I feel compelled to give them business by buying food and drink.  So I have bought a lot of food and drink, including yesterday/Thursday.  I got out of work at a very decent time, so I had the chance to see Portugal-Croatia in its entirety, and I decided to go to this Mexican place to see the whole thing.  And since I was staying for two hours, I bought a plate of barbacoa chilaquiles with a Corona before the First Half, then a cup of esquites with a Coke for the Second Half.  I got so damn full after that, but I was determined to try out this new place and challenge my palate with "ethnic" food and drink.

And, of course, my stomach is distended because of it.  I settled for Dubai chocolate cake, which has been a cliche for two years now, but it was good.  So was the Adeni tea that I had ... er, am still having.  As of press time, I'm still not done with the cup.  It's a medium-sized cup, something akin to a medium from Caribou.  And while I sometimes need to finish up the mochas that evening, the only times I haven't finished drinks like that is when I forgot, and then I have to drink quick in the morning.

That is not necessarily the case with this.  My stomach might have been telling me it couldn't, um, stomach any more liquids after eating at the Mexican place.  Also, I have to say that Adeni team was damn hot.  I got it early in the First Half, and even as the Game went to Halftime, the cup was hot to the touch.  The hot and humid weather can't explain that.  But I got home to drink this tea while watching from my bedroom for the Second Half.  I tried to drink it all because it was only warm at this point.  But by God, I couldn't get done with this.  Swear to God this is a bottomless cup of Adeni tea.  If this were a a mocha from Caribou, chances are I could finish it.  But there was still more, and still more, and still more, no matter how much I drank.

Finally, I remembered that I juiced the other half-lemon before going to the Mexican restaurant, so I needed to make myself a cocktail (a sidecar) to use the lemon juice.  So that means I have tea left over.  Oh, and I still have coffee from work yesterday/Thursday left over, too.  And I still need to drink my sidecar, but right now I am sipping only because I am damn full.

I checked the World Cup schedule for next week.  Since we're getting into the really important Games, the number of them obviously dwindles, and they'll be played in the afternoons when I'm working.  USMNT is playing Monday night.  Other than that, I do not need to go out and eat and drink to watch soccer the rest of next week until next Saturday.  Maybe I will stop eating and drinking so much then.  And hopefully I will have drank all the tea by then, too.

Expenses Without Receipts

Starting from Saturday, May 9:

• Let's go back to Wednesday, May 6 Thursday, May 7, when, before work, I went to the panaderia close to me and got, um, some pastry that was really good.  Also got a small mocha.  With tip (and rounding down because no more pennies), I paid: $12.
• That evening, after work, I went to the National Sports Center.  Minnesota United was holding a practice open only to season-ticket holders.  I was wondering if James Rodriguez was going to be there.  Didn't see him train, but near the end of the session, I saw him pop out for autographs.  And a horde of people, many of them holding either James Colombia jerseys, the flag of Colombia, or both, swarmed to him.  Really nice ... and apparently, if reports are correct, the last thing he will do in Loons-branded gear.  Anyway, there was a food truck there, KCM Eggroll.  Got a jumbo pork egg roll and a strawberry lemonade.  With tip it came out to: $18.
• Then, after that, I went to Chick-Fil-A to get my free nuggets after the Timberwolves eliminated The Denver Nuggets (get it?).  Got a watermelon hibiscus sunjoy, too.  But I charged all that to my credit card.  I was still hungry, and I hadn't been to Potbelly in a while, and it's right across the way from Chick-Fil-A, so I got a bowl of chili from Potbelly.  I was going to throw in a tip, but something got crossed up because the guy paid me my whole change without the tip.  I was going to round up to give a total of $8, but instead I only paid: $7.45.
• ETA at 1:40 a.m. on May 11 that on Wednesday the 6th I went to My Favorite Stripclub (Cover Edition) to see ******a, who had finally delivered on her promise to rub me down.  Unfortunately there weren't too many girls working the stripclub, so the amount of time she could be doing table dances for me was shortened, so I only got 16 from her.  Add that to cover, tips for ******a and two other strippers and security, and a drink for myself (with tip) and I spent: $186.
• Back on Saturday the 2nd I did my annual sojourn to Wings Financial to add money to my account in an effort to keep it active.  Threw in: $20.  (ETA on June 30 at 1:13 a.m. that I have a receipt for this and therefore I shouldn't have put this in as an EWR).
• That evening, after watching MNUFC win on TV, I celebrated by going to Zantigo.  Now, I know it's not "real" Mexican food, and that notion has been reinforced by all the Mexican and Central and South American mom-and-pop shops in the area.  But in total those restaurants are a force, and now I'm scared that Zantigo will go the way of the nearby Subway and close.  So I went there and got a "double-stacked" (in Taco Bell terms) taco and some ancho fries.  Zantigo also rounds down, so instead of $7.87 I only had to pay: $7.85.  (ETA on June 30 at 1:13 a.m. that I have a receipt for this and therefore I shouldn't have put this in as an EWR).
• We zip back to Sunday, April 26, when ***e* was in town.  Got a quick wank session in with her.  So glad to see her and her hand in person: $120.
• That afternoon I went to this combination antique store/coffeeshop that is right by my house.  If I didn't have to cross a busy street, I would walk there.  Funky place.  The antiques they sell include old Playboys at a dozen bucks apiece.  Didn't buy the mags; instead, I reconciled my monthly expense list there while eating a pesto sandwich with tomato soup as a dip, and I washed that down with an Italian soda.  With tip: $27.95.
• Saturday the 25th ... got a shave from the barbering school close to me.  This dude was much more professional than the previous one.  With tip: $14.
• MNUFC played in the afternoon.  Along the way I saw the local kids selling brownies.  Got one, and this time I did not get a smushed one; see below/earlier.  Cost: $1.
• Later that evening I went to Falling Knife Brewery to attend their Timberwolves outdoor watch party.  Good times, even if it was really crowded.  Saw a bit of the Wild Game before the Wolves started.  That Game was interrupted by Trump's second fake assassination at the start of the White House Correspondents Dinner.  When he came on to do his bullshit press conference, we booed until the brewery changed the channel from ABC to ESPN, where the rest of the Timberwolves' Win over Denver was airing.  Good times all around!  So the Potter's Pasties food truck was parked there, and I got a pastie.  With tip: $16.
• Also there was that woman I see sometimes at the Black Hart.  She sells homemade Mexican food -- tacos, burritos, etc.  Funny seeing her there.  But I like an entrepreneur, so I along with the pastie, I bought one burrito from her at a price of: $5.
• On Friday the 24th I was invited to a party that day (or the day before, can't remember).  I usually don't like doing that, but *****a was hosting it, and I hadn't gotten cranked from her in a long, long time.  Moreover, ****e* was going to be there, and I have seen her at many, many parties, but I have never gotten intimate with her even though I have always wanted to.  I finally arranged to be double-teamed by those two and it was as good as I had hoped.  We three bonded over being water signs, too!  Those two and cover ... wow, that's a lot of money ... came out to: $290.
• And later that evening I went to Bebe Zito for a late night burger and pop (and, well, Caffetto too, but I charged what I got there on my credit card).  With tip, that late dinner at Bebe Zito cost: $8.
• Tuesday, April 21 ... did I talk about the massage I finally got from ******a here on WAF yet?  Maybe I haven't, and maybe I won't.  Anyway, this was the day I finally got a massage from her.  Finally, after ... geez, maybe two decades, I got her to see me naked!  And she was good -- a 90-minute massage cost me: $150.
• On Monday the 20th I went to a stripper party *****y told me the day of.  I have said no to her so often that I felt like I finally needed to tell her yes.  Moreover, ****e was working, and I hadn't seen her in a long time, so I arranged them both to double-team me.  I quivered when I came -- quivered!!!  And man, that costs me a lot of money!  With cover: $320.
• Saturday, April 18: The neighbor kids were selling brownies on my way to the Loons Game.  Got a deformed one this time 'round.  Disappointing, but I figure they knew how to do business, unfortunately.  The brownie cost: $1.
• On Sunday the 12th I got wanked by ******e, who complained about Minnesota again and is planning to leave again.  HJ set me back: $120.
• I bid on this online auction for items from the now-closed institution SexWorld.  I got aced out on several things I wanted, like a few signs and a Shop-Vac.  But I won a hard hat!  It's not branded with SexWorld, rather the construction company that oversaw their renovation.  Yeah, the company just decided to, uh, leave a hard hat there, and it apparently stayed in the back all this time, and the owner made eight-plus bucks off of me so I could very tangentially own a piece of SexWorld.  Anyway, I had to go downtown on this day (and not at the SexWorld site but another place several blocks east) to pay and pick it up.  On my way back, I saw that the Rustica Bakery was open, and I figured I would stop and rest of my feet.  Purchased a chocolate croissant and a small lemonade.  They rounded down.  With tip this light snack was: $10.75.
• Finally, on Saturday, April 11, I went to the library to make copies of my tax forms, both for the state (I needed to make copies of my federal to send to the state) and for myself.  The county next to the one I live in gives everyone who either has their county's library card or has their library card from whatever county they live in linked to their system (like I do) gets five bucks' worth of copies and printouts each month.  (Up until maybe a couple months ago, it was five bucks a week.)  That saves me a lot of money, but I still had to make so many copies that I still needed to shell out money to get all the copies I needed made, even if it was only: $1.

Good through May 9.

Expenses Without Receipts

Starting from Saturday, January 17:

• We go back to Wednesday, January 14, when I summoned up the courage and went down to My Favorite Stripclub (Cover Division) to see my ATF, whom I hadn't seen in a while because my parents were in town.  Cover, tips, drinks for her and for me and 19 table dances that I rounded up to 20 to make the money exchange easier and I spent: $233.
• On Saturday the 10th I took my friend, who was in town for work, to my favorite speakeasy.  I feel like I need to impress people when I take them there, but I hope they like it.  I think my friend did.  There was a jazz band there and I wanted to tip them even though I mainly wanted to speak with my friend.  I tipped the band: $5.
• Tuesday, January 6 ... after I took my parents to the airport, I went over to ****e's place and fucked her.  She didn't go after my cock a second time in the living room like she did the time before.  But she seemed really enthusiastic when I finally got inside her.  Well, first I really ate her meat curtains, which looked really, really full.  Then, while I was plunging into her, she sounded really, really enthusiastic, like she really needed to be nailed.  I tried arcing her back (she was on the bed and I was doing her missionary style) and lifting her up and into me.  It probably wasn't smooth, but she acted like she loved it, and therefore I loved it.  Cost: $120.
• So now we go back to 2025, specifically Tuesday, December 23, when my parents paid me back for grabbing both Kentucky Fried Chicken and lottery tickets.  Mother gave me ten bucks when I came home that night with KFC, and either Mother or Father left a pair of $20's for me when I came back from shopping.  All told, this was an Infusion of: $50.
• Oh, and before I shopped I went downtown to make sure our watering hole was cool with us watching our Game down there.  With tip, I spent for a little snack and drink there: $10.
• To Sunday the 21st ... Father paid me back for more Powerball tickets I got for him.  And Infusion of: $11.
• And early that afternoon I went to my downtown watering hole (the same place I'd be going to on Tuesday) because I wanted to finally put in for new glasses with my new prescription, and I wanted to see the Vikings Game at a place besides my bedroom, and Warby Parker was just around the corner.  I was going to go to Warby Parker first, but I thought they would open at 11, and they opened at noon, which is when the Vikings Game kicked off, so I went to watch and eat first before ordering my new eyeglasses.  Anyway, with tip I spent at the bar: $38.
• To Friday, December 19 -- went to order in-person at Caribou a small ho ho mint mocha.  With tip it came out to an expensive: $7.38.
• Tuesday the 16th I had off because that's when I brought my car in for service.  Once it got a clean bill of health and routine maintenance was the only thing(s) it needed, I went to get it washed for all the snow, salt and gunk that had accumulated.  Charged the wash so the cash is for the tip only: $5.
• With my car being as brand new as it could be, I had the confidence (as well as the time; if there was something major that needed to be replaced, I would have had to spend my day at the shop) to call up *****y and say if I and my penis could make a house call.  She had moved to her new place close to the border, but my car could make it the morning after getting new oil and its tires rotated.  The apartment she shares with her son feels more like a cottage.  No matter; unlike the townhome she used to live in, where we had to hide in her bedroom, she wanked me on the couch in the living room, right where the front door is.  If the blinds weren't closed, someone would have been able to see *****y pull up her sweater to show her big tits inside her bra, me getting hard from seeing that, me slipping out of my jeans and her jacking me off.  I don't know if I would drive all the way to see her again, but maybe!  Total: $150.
• Later, when I came back home for dinner with Kentucky Fried Chicken in tow, Father paid me back for the chicken and for Powerball tickets.  An Infusion of: $31.

This list was getting long in the tooth, but I did this EWR faster than the past couple ones.  Good through January 17.

Expenses Without Receipts

Starting from Labor Day, also known as Monday, September 1:

• We start at Sunday, August 31, which was my last of four days at The Minnesota State Fair.  I noticed that did not get too many of the new foods because, like I said in a previous blog post, there wasn't a consensus new food (well, besides the soft serve beer, which may not be a food) that I would wait for hours to try.  (And by the way, the lines to the soft serve beer were non-existent.  It was hyped all over the place, as I did in that same previous blog post, but did it make enough money that justified a return on investment?)  There was that ube lumpia that I waited in line for, but it was getting late and the line didn't seem to move, so I bailed.  What I did get were the Maple Cream Nitro Cold Press Coffee from the Farmers Union; Granny's Green Apple Sucker Ice Cream; the new Aegean Dream beer from Dino's; a Cider Freeze, that iced apple juice in a plastic tube considered to be the cheapest Fair food you can find for many, many years; a corn dog (not a pronto pup, a corn dog, and it's the first time I've ever had a corn dog, I think); and an Aloha Pineapple Haze that was being sold only from the eating establishments inside the Warner Coliseum.  All told, I spent: $40.50.
• And Father paid me for getting Powerball tickets for him.  It's an Infusion of: $10.
• Saturday the 30th was the start of my alma mater's football season, and I'm glad they kicked ass.  This place upcharges for credit cards, and since the State Fair was replete with vendors that also did that, plus the Powerball being where it is right now, and I have used cash like I haven't since before the pandemic.  And this is a good thing because I should want to avoid giving away money if I don't have to, right?  With tip I paid: $32.
• Friday the 29th was my third trip to the Fair.  Had the yuzu meringue Croffle Cloud; the Bama! Lemon Sweet Tea mocktail; the Cherry Bigfoot Limeade Float from Tasti-Whip; the newest apple creation from the University of Minnesota, the First Kiss; a Bee-Nana Pie, one of the stalwarts of last year's rookie class of new foods; and the second time I had that Soft Serve Royal Raspberry Beer from West End Brews.  Total: $54.
• Tuesday, August 26 -- Father, paying me back for Powerball tickets, an Infusion of: $10.
• And I went to my game-watching bar to make sure everything was set for Saturday.  With tip I shelled out: $15.
• Monday the 25th: Father paid me back for Powerball, but I'm sure he didn't exactly pay me back on this date; I just put it here because I used cash on this day and I have a rule that if you are using one form of currency to pay for something, you need to use it again so it won't be lonely.  Anyway, this is an Infusion of: $50.
• To Sunday, August 24 ... I spent the evening going to Palmer's Bar, presumably for the last time, so I could see Cornbread Harris play as part of his longstanding Sunday night residency.  It'll end after three more Sundays because one of the owners stole from the century-old bar to pay for his drug addiction, and the other owners could not make up for that deficit, so they sold them the bar and, I assume, the land beneath it.  Fucking shame.  I tried to see Cornbread Harris play, but instead of the riser at the back of the bar, he just played on the floor at the front.  That meant there was a sea of people just standing in front of me, basically blocking my view of Mr. Harris for the whole two hours.  I was able to fight toward the band as other groups, who were talking to each other and not really there to see Cornbread, backed off.  But I got the feeling that in such a busy environment, everyone had the right to get close to the music as possible, so I cycled myself away, grabbed a second beer, sat outside and just drank through the end of the first set, intermission, and the beginning of the second set.  Not quite what I expected when my friend said we should go (she didn't join me), but I'm glad to have heard Mr. Harris and to be in that Minneapolis institution one final time.  Minneapolis Cider plus tip, tips for the band, and a mild polish sausage from a cart vendor who was just outside Palmer's: $17.
• Oh, before I took the light rail to Palmer's I dove into this, er, really clean downtown bodega called the Players Club.  I got Powerball tickets there totalling: $12.
• On Saturday the 23rd I went to The Great Minnesota Get-Together for the second time, primarily to see the Grandstand concert which was Atmosphere & Friends.  I wish I got the Somali Street Fries, but I had no idea at the time that the reviews would be nearly unanimous in their praise for it.  But I did go out on a limb and purchased the Sweet Squeakers (as well as a trusty small blueberry basil lemonade) from the Blue Barn; a frozen Blu from West End Brews (which I think is just LuLu's); and a Cherry Bigfoot Limeade Float.  Total damage: $44.75
• Thursday, August 21 ... went to the opening day (actually evening) of the State Fair since I got out of work at a decent hour to put in a properly long visit.  I usually go during the first day to knock off the mainstays I want to eat; my plan, even though I didn't really follow it this year, was to devote other visits to the new foods.  So, I got a pina colada from Manny's Tortas; the cheese curds from Mouth Trap; a honey lemonade (with tip) from the honey exhibit in the Agriculture-Horticulture Building; fried pickles; that soft-serve beer for the first time; a Minnecookiedough Pie; and a lychee colada from Union Hmong Kitchen at which I believe I got fucked out of six cents due to a combination of the owner not differentiating between cash and charge prices, the owner not getting dimes or nickels or pennies for change, and a really, really shitty cashier.  They had a new food for the Fair, but I stayed the hell away from them because I was upset.  Anyway, I notice that I usually get my fill of Fair food and drink once I cross the $50 threshold.  On this first day, I blew way, way past that: $72.75.
• To Wednesday the 20th, where I had the day off and spent the afternoon going to get my car washed.  I charged the wash, so I used cash for the tip: $5.
• I then got a shave from the learning school close by.  With tip: $14.
• Father paid me back for Powerball tickets, but I doubt he paid me back on this exact date.  An Infusion of: $20.
• On Tuesday, August 19 I fucked ***i*.  And thank Buddha inflation hasn't hit with her: $120.
• Monday the 18th ... I needed money to buy lottery tickets, so I stopped by the bank to get money.  I then walked over to Caribou to get a small mocha with oak milk, and I thought I might as well pay with cash instead of through the app.  I was shocked at how pricey it was.  Well, mochas these days are expensive, but I thought that oat milk for me was going to be free.  Turns out oat milk is free only if purchasing through the application; otherwise, it's a buck extra.  Well, shit, good to know.  But at least I got the trivia question right.  With tip: $7.03.
• Went to Hooters after work to use a calendar coupon.  Hooters also upcharges if you use your credit card, so I now primarily pay with moolah when at Hooters.  With tip: $32.
• Saturday, August 16 -- after watching the MNUFC Match I moseyed on over to the Midway Saloon.  I had a ton of beer that day, but I was thirsty, so I just bought a Coke.  With tip: $5.50.
• Father paid me back for Powerball tix, but I'm sure he didn't pay me back on this exact day.  Still, an Infusion of: $20.
• To Tuesday the 12th, where I went to my alumni game-watching bar to make sure 1) the bar was still standing and 2) that they would still welcome us.  With tip: $14.
• Father paid me back for Powerball tix, but I'm sure he didn't pay me back on this exact day.  Still, an Infusion of: $20.
• On Monday, August 11 I wanted to go to the Heights Theater to see Waiting For Guffman, which I have heard many great things about.  It's OK; it has those quotable lines ("I hate you, and your ass face!"), but otherwise it has that cringe mockumentary approach that I find somewhat condescending.  Paid money for the ticket, a small pop and popcorn, and tips for concessions and the organ player: $30.
• Back to Saturday, July 26 ... Palmfest was at Palmer's Bar.  It's a weekend-long festival of local bands just, you know, playing, which was Palmer's total reason to exist, and that reason was mover than enough.  Cover, an orange Jameson slushie, a Fulton 300, and tips for those two drinks came out to: $29.
• Wednesday the 23rd: Went to A Bar Of Their Own to watch a Women's EURO Semifinal.  It was raining cats and dogs out there, damn.  With tip I paid: $28.
• Father paid me back for Powerball tickets, and then some.  I think he paid me on this exact date.  An Infusion of: $20.
• Monday the 21st was the last week where **y said she could accommodate my, uh, carnal needs because her daughter was in class.  I hadn't been serviced by her in a long, long time.  Partly it was because of the distance, partly because she had people staying with her for an extended period.  But it was worth the wait because, like I said when I (kind of) blog posted about her, she bit my pee-pee.  Goddamn, that was glorious!  Total: $150.
• **y and I talked for a little bit, to catch up on old times.  She only went topless, but she put her bra and shirt on while I was laying on her daughter's bad, completely naked with my legs open.  But I had to leave, unfortunately.  Not only did she need to pick up her daughter, I had to go meet a friend who was only going to be in town until the next afternoon.  So I had to drive all the way from the south metro to the north to pick her up and decide to have a quick beer at this place I have never been to that's kind of close to where we both live.  She used her credit card for the both of us, so I paid her back for the drink and soup I got: $23.
• Finally, back on Saturday, July 19, after an alumni function, I made my (now annual) tradition of going to Tongue In Cheek to eat.  I was going to go for the steak, but because the guy sitting next to me did, I opted, for the second year in a row, for the ramen.  I think I was there a long time because I remember intently scrolling through my phone.  Anyway, with tip I paid a very, very expensive: $76.

And once again I say to myself I have to do these more often.  Good through September 1.

Expenses Without Receipt

Starting from Saturday, July 12:

• Went to the barber school to get my face shaved in anticipation of my big event on Saturday.  I complained about waiting to the point of missing most of the Sweden-Germany Women's EUROS Match in my previous blog post.  But I also have to note that I completely fucked up the handshake the guy shaved me gave me.  I went for the White one when he wanted to do, uh, something else.  God, I am so White.  I think I made up for it once I was done, but I mostly tipped to make up for my screw-up when we met.  So, with tip, the shave cost me: $14.
• Let's go back to Thursday the 10th, where, in anticipation of getting an HJ from ******e, I stopped before work at a bank to get some cash.  And since I needed to get gas, I figured I might as well spend more cash and walk over to Caribou for a mocha.  I cannot believe how expensive mochas are now, even with the ten cents off for getting the trivia question right, and I have to start thinking about cutting back for real.  With tip: $6.95.
• This seems like a mistake, but if not, I have to go all the way back to Thursday, June 12, when I visited my ATF at My Favorite Stripclub before my parents got home.  Cover, a bottle of Redd's, tips and 20 table dances from her equalled: $230.
• Back to Tuesday, June 3, where I did get an HJ from ******e, and we did it at my house because my parents were not home: $120.
• Sunday the 1st -- got my car washed.  Charged the wash but paid the tip in cash: $4.
• I then went to the coffeeshop real close by for a light lunch -- a bowl of their great chili and a can of Coke.  They sell ginger beer by the bottle there, too, so I grabbed one for cocktails at home.  With tip: $14.63.
• And now, back to Saturday, May 31, where, on my way to the United FC Match, I saw a couple local kids selling lemonade.  As a son of small business people, I want to encourage nascent capitalism, so I bought a glass for the low, low price of: 50 cents.
• Afterward I went to Bang Brewing, also in St. Paul.  I regaled you with this story before, but it may have been a mistake to follow up gorging on the free food I got in the VIP section at Allianz Field before and during the USWNT Match with a pizza here, but I did, and I needed to take a couple slices home for leftovers.  Anyway, I charged the pizza but paid for the Kernza Lager with cash.  And with a tip it totaled: $9.
• Sunday, May 25: Went to Hooters to use a calendar coupon.  With tip: $32.
• I then stopped by Dunkin' Donuts at the floor below for a couple donuts.  With tip: $4.47.
• Finally, back on Saturday, May 24 I got turned out by *****y, also here at home.  Man, I wish I had the run of the place to myself so I could get my pee-pee touched.  Total: $150.

I need to do these more often.  Good through July 12.

On The Hunt For Oral Rinse

I don't remember when, but whenever I brush my teeth (and I confess that it's not twice a day, and in fact it's not daily!), I use this oral rinse.  It's not Listerine, nor anything like that.  It is (I think) referred to as an oral rinse.  Specifically, if you look at what the active ingredients are used for in the back of the bottle, this is an anticavity liquid.  Some time ago, the American Dental Association, in my estimation, really pushed for the use of this formula to combat cavities.  And I, someone who battled cavities since I was a child (partly because I didn't brush my teeth daily, let alone twice a day), could use a magic bullet that would prevent them.

I don't have absolute proof, since my use of this oral rinse more than a decade ago coincided with greater brushing frequency and more diligent trips to the dentist, but I may have developed one cavity since I started using this oral rinse.  I was convinced that this indeed is saving my teeth, so I made it a routine to use it after brushing and, once I used it all up, I would go to Target, find that bottle of green liquid with the ADA logo signally approval and buy it.  This used to be ACT, but once I started becoming price-conscious, I switched to the Target's generic Up & Up brand, which had a similar formula and, more importantly, was also branded with the ADA logo.

And then, maybe a year or so ago, when I wanted to pick up yet another bottle at Target, I didn't see the logo anymore.  Freaked me the hell out.  What looked to be the replacement was not quite right.  I believe it said, instead of "oral rinse," "mouthwash" or "mouth rinse" or something.  I flipped the bottle to see the active ingredients and saw none of what I believe gave this product that seal of approval: Sodium fluoride and fluoride ion.  And it has to be at a certain percentage of those compounds: ACT currently has an oral rinse which I saw have sodium fluoride and fluoride ion in lower percentages in their bottles.  Guess what?  They no longer have the ADA seal of approval.

I ran out of my last Target bottle of oral rinse some time last week, and Saturday, the first time I stepped into Target since I started my boycott against this Trump-cocksucking corporation in early February, I was hoping to see if it was back on the shelves, but it wasn't.  I saw some Internet chatter that other people were wondering what happened to this product, so I began to worry that they just weren't making it anymore.  I can't conclude anything else than that now.

So the ACT oral rinse is now so weak the ADA doesn't believe it can prevent cavities.  Up & Up now touts "mouthwash" that is antiplaque and antigingivitis -- both good things, but dammit, I want something anticavity.  (More online sleuthing makes me think the main difference in what I want and I what I see on shelves is the prevalent use of alcohol.  The anticavity oral rinse I have used for decades does not give you that alcohol burn.  Listerine and I think these other mouthwashes do.)  I finally searched online and, after finding the magic words, it seems as though CVS has its generic brand of oral rinse.  And it's still in shelves ... even though it's not in all of them.  That kind of scares me.  If it's not just Target that's pulling this product, does it mean that there's something wrong with the formulation?  Is it not as anticavity as the ADA thought it was?  Or does this have something to do with a worldwide supply crunch of fluoride or something?

---

Yesterday/Monday morning I couldn't sleep.  I may have gotten an hour overnight, but I was well enough that I got out to the car early enough to buy myself a mocha and oatmeal for breakfast.  I didn't plan on spending any money yesterday/Monday, but since I did, I figured I could spend more.  And after seeing that a ticket to see Dave Wakelin and his version of The English Beat at The Dakota was a bit too rich for my blood (the band seems to tour all the time, so I maybe I'll catch them at First Ave or a larger venue that'll have lower prices than $75), I figured yesterday/Monday was the day to hunt and stock up on this oral rinse.  Having a weirdly light day when I was expecting to be at work for at least ten hours made that decision easy to make.  All I had to do was drive up past where I live to a CVS I've never been to.  They had three bottles -- and, in another instance that makes me think they're just clearing out this product, it was BOGO.  Maybe I should've grabbed that third, but I got two.  And it may be the last two of this formula I will ever be able to use.

But, I have these two oral rinse bottles, so I'm set for the time being.  (It'll help that I'm starting to use the free bottles of Listerine I get with my free toothbrush and floss every time I visit the dentist.  Have to use them at some point.  Hope using them doesn't give me cavities!)  I really hope this is a temporary blip and that this formulation will be back on the shelves.  If not, I would like to see some explanation as to why I can't buy this anymore.  Like I said, I could be wrong, but I think it's a tooth saver, and so I want to keep using it.

Too Much In Two Ways

Eating Mother's food is a double-edged sword.  Had egg rolls last night for dinner.  Damn, it's fantastic.  There might be one or two other things she makes that are better, but when I was devouring the egg rolls, it was the best damn thing she ever made.

However, I'm feeling the aftereffects of eating so much right now.  When I eat a lot of certain foods, I get thirsty as hell, and I am thirsty as hell, even as I type this.  I'm almost done with my Coke, but I'm not desperate enough to drink it all.  Had some lemonade that I'm almost finished with, too.  Drank all of the mocha I bought in the morning to bring into work, but let's face it, mochas aren't "quenching."  And while I need to drink more water, dammit, the water ain't cutting it.  I might need to buy a Big Gulp tomorrow if I'm still thirsty.

Oh yeah, there's also getting fat as hell.  That is one reason I kind of threw my parents a curveball late last night and told them I'm not eating dinner tonight.  If I do eat after work, I get to control what I eat, and I hope to Buddha I am smart enough to not buy something big.  Then again, I still might buy a huge bottle of pop.  And I might also feel as though I deserve to eat big if work is a bear today.  See, that's another reason I told my folks (well, just Mother, and I hope she told Father) that I'm not eating tonight.  The work that was supposed to come in from down South didn't.  There were hellacious storms (including nighttime tornadoes, yikes) that cancelled all flights from there.  I still stayed a half-hour over because there is just so much darn work in The Third Department -- and, as an addendum to my previous blog post, my boss gave me a quick rundown of all the changes that are to be made there yesterday, but I will hold off on talking about them until I implement these changes and see if they work -- but that indicates to me that there should have been a hell of a lot of work that came in yesterday, and that will (maybe?) come in today, along with the work that would normally come in today.  So we have two days' worth of work when I can obviously do only one.

See how the crap continues to roll down?  I'm fully expecting to be asked to come in to work tomorrow, and I'm debating whether to wake up early and do a normal day, come in for only a few hours so I can have lunch and dinner with my parents, or a hybrid of both.  (Heck, I'm still thinking I should take back not having dinner with my folks tonight because I might not have dinner with them tomorrow night.  We probably will be that backed up.)  And that affects something else I need to do: My taxes.  Yeah, I haven't even started on them yet.  I was going to this week, but I got both depressed over my team and tired because of, well, me, and so I was going to do them this weekend, but this damn storm has upended everything and given me the opportunity to take back the paid time off I took Tuesday and Wednesday.  Maybe I shouldn't take that opportunity; I really do need to look at my tax forms now.  But I won't make that choice until I absolutely have to, because that's, well, me.

Expenses Without Receipts

Starting from Monday, February 17:

• Well, I have receipts from this day back up to Groundhog Day, where *****y finally came over to give me some hand lovin'.  I think that, after I, uh, "finished" and she continued to wank me and I continued to wail, she finally "got" me, if you know what I mean, and if you don't, that's OK.  Unfortunately, she wanted an extra $20 beyond our normal price.  She said that with "inflation," her prices should also go up.  She's about to lose me as a customer if she keeps this bullshit up.  But I needed her to touch me, so I paid: $170.
• I was able to get *****y in before I headed off, for the first time, to the Trylon, to watch The Warriors for the second time in my life.  Despite my misgivings in this blog post, I was able to get to south Minneapolis with several minutes to spare.  *****y was really good in polishing me off, after all.  Anyway, I was surprised by how much of the movie I completely forgot the first time I saw it, which I think was when I rented a VHS cassette from the local rental movie place.  And that stuff I forgot, the scenes and segments and fights?  Yeah, they weren't all that great.  Well, the fights were cool.  But the plot didn't really hang together as well as I thought it did.  The acting was kind of wooden, too.  Still love the premise, but it turns out the premise was what led me to watch the second time.  And maybe two times is enough.  The Trylon prefers cash, so I used it on the ticket, a neat small popcorn and a can of Coke: $13.
• Tuesday, January 28, aka Chinese New Year's Eve ... you are supposed to eat a whole fish, head included (you're supposed to cook the fish with the head, not necessarily eat it) for New Year's Eve dinner.  I don't do that.  The next best thing I thought of was going to Anchor Fish & Chips for their, well, fish and chips.  Their fish is Alaskan cod, and even though I'm sure traditional Asians don't serve that type of fish, it's close enough for me.  With drink and tip: $32.
• After that, I went to Hy-Vee to grab some toilet bowl cleaner.  You're supposed to clean before Lunar New Year's Day, and my toilet was getting so bad that I really, really needed to clean, so I ducked in to Hy-Vee to buy it ... and, just because, a liter of regular Pepsi (fuck Coke for giving Trump a commemorative can, what a kiss-ass company).  The cashier rounded up to give me a nickel back in change instead of four pennies, so the total money I spent was: $7.65.
• On NFL Conference Championship Sunday I woke up early enough to go to Diamonds and work on some stuff.  An "Egg O'Muffin," a small mocha and tip equated to: $16.
• For the Games that afternoon I wanted to engorge on pizza, so I went to the local Carbone's for a small meat lover's pizza and a side of onion petals.  This is one of those places, I found out when I went in to pick up my food, that they're one of the places that charges extra to pay by credit card.  I've been noticing that a lot in the past, oh, year or so.  I should compile a list and, because I eat out a lot, I should start paying by cash more.  With tip: $24.
• Wednesday, January 22 -- I wanted to cash on the meager winnings I got as the Mega Millions jackpot soared past a billion dollars.  So I went to cash that ticket at the closest gas station.  An Infusion of: $2.
• That evening I stored new-looking dimes and pennies, two apiece: 22 cents.
• On Saturday the 18th I asked ******e to come around and work me over.  She didn't ask for an extra $20 like *****y did, thank Buddha.  No, she did that the last time she came over.  This visit cost me only: $120.
• Finally, back on Thursday, January 16 I visited my ATF at My Favorite Stripclub (Cover Edition).  Yeah, it hadn't been too long since I last saw her there, but this was several days before the Inauguration, and I finally decided I would see her again before January 20 because I was afraid of the MAGAts coming out of the woodwork if I saw her after.  (She says the club wasn't weird the week after the Inauguration, so I might see her again next month.  Hope it stays not weird.)  Got 20 dances with her.  Add cover, tips and my bottle of Redd's and I spent: $230.

Good through February 17.

Couldn't Hide My Annoyance

So whenever I buy coffee or a mocha before coming to work, I transfer the cup into my mug so it keeps hot.  I do this in the break room, obviously, so I can get a stirrer and to make sure I pour it into the mug over a sink in case I spill.

The break room, however, has only one sink.  I guess it doesn't need two, but when it gets crowded, and it oftentimes does at work because some departments get scheduled breaks, it would make sense.  But it would make sense for me in this different case because, the other day, as I was about to do this pour, this guy from the lab comes up and starts to wash his hands.  He has done this before, and that is what annoyed me on this day.  Since it would be weird to remain right next to him, I scooted a couple feet away.  

Because I didn't want him to splash water or soap onto or into my cup or mug (usually there is still coffee left in the to-go cup, so I drink what's left in that, pour out a little more from my mug back into the to-go cup, drink all of that, then drink from my mug -- it's my thing), I grabbed both (or maybe one of the two, I don't remember that distinctly) when I scooted over.  And then, well, I just looked at him.  I looked at him while he thoroughly washed his hands, then grabbed a couple sheets of towels to dry them, then he started to walk away from the sink as he was drying his hands.  And that's when I swooped in to do my thing.  So, I think he got the impression that I was impatient and annoyed with him and that I would have rather him not be there.

And you know what?  That's totally true.  He ruined my routine.  All I wanted to do was pour my coffee/mocha and he interrupted that, and it wasn't the first time.  My problem was that I didn't hide it or give off the idea that what he did was not a big deal.  But by staring at him and waiting, I was totally saying, "Are you done yet?"  I didn't sigh heavily, but I might as well have.

So I'm afraid this incident is going to come back on me.  What happens if he does this again?  What happens if we cross paths in the lab?  Will he throw soapy water into my drink when I'm not looking?  Will he tip it over?  I'm not saying it will happen ... but there's a non-zero chance.  Just sayin'.

Woke up early enough to go through with my plan of working on my monthly expense list at a coffeeshop not that far away from me.  Had oatmeal to keep the plumbing flowing, if you know what I mean.  But it was kind of dry.  Poured in some of my mocha to wetten it, but it didn't work.

Anyway, I drove my parents' minivan to the coffeeshop.  Want to put it through its paces.  Thought about driving my car instead because the car wash is on the way to the coffeeshop, but the weather said it was and will get gross, so I didn't think it would matter.  But the drive there and back was perfectly fine.

What wasn't fine is the oil level.  This coffeeshop has a level parking lot, so I was able to check the level, and dammit, it's even lower than it was the last time I checked it -- about a quarter, I think.  It was at half one or two weeks ago.  Is the van going through oil like it's going out of sale, or am I scaring myself?  I know for a fact Father put in oil before they left, and that was early this month.  Can't be ... I'm playing myself, I just know it.

I am seeing friends for our annual Christmas tradition.  Using my car, of course, but dammit, I'm scared that the weather will get bad enough that driving will be treacherous.  They're saying ice.  Great.

Running In Place Financially

So I went to the ATM yesterday/Saturday afternoon to get money for the first time in a long time.  And I saw the balance; it's still below five figures, which to me has become the threshold by which I feel I "have money."  Now, I do have money below five figures, obviously, but I noticed when I fell below that mark.  I think that was at least a few months ago, and I have not gotten above that mark since.

And this is where I take mental stock on all the things I spend my money on.  I think I have cut back on entertainment options, in particular messing around with strippers.  I do eat out, but I have cut back on that, too.  I think what has changed, or at least I thought would change, was all the food I would get in the morning before heading into work.  That adds up, and now that The Fourth Department has slowed down to the point where it now seems easy (and I never thought I would ever say that), I don't have the excuse/crutch of needing a mocha from McDonald's or Caribou whenever I'm back there.  Now, I don't think I can quit cold turkey.  But I think I have averaged three days a week, and I think I can cut it to two.  And I might go down to one if my checking account doesn't grow.

I may be over-emphasizing it in order to pity myself, but I do have those occasional big charges that come at me out of the blue.  There are necessary things, like car maintenance.  And then there are things such as travelling to Las Vegas to see my alma mater.  They come up on occasion, and if you have budgeted yourself up to some level of discipline, a big charge like that would ruin everything.

Speaking of which ... the reason I went to the ATM yesterday/Saturday afternoon was because my parents are now gone and I have the whole house to myself, so I invited ******e and her new friend *****a to savage me and yank on my cock.  It was worth spending the money.  And so I won't go online and look at my account for a while.

Another Week Where I Went From Getting To Do Nothing To Needing To Do Everything

This week I'm not in The Fourth Department.  I work from 7 till 3:30 every day.  Just like old times.

When I have that shift, I usually don't get stuff to eat before coming into work.  And when I don't get stuff to eat before coming into work, I am more likely to just drive home from work, stay in and not spend money.  That is what I need to be doing these days.

But am I doing that?  Of fucking course not.  To be fair, I was going (and went) to last/Tuesday night's USWNT Friendly versus South Korea (er ... Korea Republic), so I was spending money then.  I wasn't going to spend money Monday, but when my boss texted me that I was going to work at a different department, I thought the change necessitated a mocha and oatmeal from this place I like in order to adjust.  For today/Wednesday I thought I could go to work and then home, but then my therapist said he could talk over the phone after work.  I can't talk to him at home, so I will go to a park to speak with him instead, and if I'm starting my car up more than two times a day, I might as well start up my car four or five times that day and go somewhere.

Tomorrow/Thursday I thought I had nothing.  But that's when the NBA Finals start, and I'll be damned if I watch those fucking Dallas Mavericks on the TV after they beat the shit out of my Timberwolves.  I'm so irate I would rather go out somewhere than be tempted by turning on the television and watching.  And I also thought I had nothing on Friday, but out of the blue, ******e let me know that ***e* is back in town and want to double-team me.  I haven't had my pee-pee touched in a long time -- so much so that I was actually thinking about texting her last/Tuesday night to see if she had any free time for some sexytime -- so even though I don't want to go out on a Friday night, I will for this.

One of these days (well, probably tomorrow/Thursday) I want to just go to work and then home.  I am so exhausted today after staying up and then watching soccer in the pouring rain.  I don't know how I can keep up such a jetset lifestyle at my advanced age.  I will need to take it easy next week ... right?

Days To Spend Money/Days Not To Spend Money

Kind of riffing on a side note to my previous blog post: I was going to not spend any money this week, and then I wanted to spend money on one day this week, then it went up to two days, and now I'm afraid I lack willpower and will spend money on more than two days.

I had hoped to make a promise to myself not to whip out my wallet this week.  But then I remember that a junior hockey league, the North American Hockey League (NAHL), hosted its annual championship, The Robertson Cup, up here in the town north of here last/Tuesday night.  They are at this suburb every year, but I haven't gone since 2018 (my only time there) because ... uh, I got busy in 2019 (I guess), then there was the pandemic, and then I guess I got busy with work and I forgot to check.  I am glad I was reminded of The Robertson Cup in time, and I would've gone, but we had severe weather coming through here tonight, and I thought it best not to go lest I hit a flooded street or a tree felled by straight-line winds or something.

Remember that this was a day after I initially thought I wouldn't buy anything on Monday, but decided to treat myself because the Timberwolves upset the Nuggets in Denver to advance to the NBA Western Conference Finals.  (The mocha and oatmeal I bought that morning before heading into work was the only thing I bought when I meant to buy something else because I have a rule that if I buy one thing, I need to buy another thing ... it's an OCD thing I have.  But that's another story.)  And then, since I'm helping out with the Lynx Game Saturday afternoon (even though they're going to have to work around Game 2 of The Western Conference Finals at Target Center Friday night), I thought I should look at least half-decent and cut my long hair.  I have decided to just do it today/Wednesday because I want to catch up on my sleep Thursday for what should be a long day at the arena Friday.  Oh, and I'll make sure I use my credit card for the stuff I should have bought back on Monday.

Now hopefully I can resist temptation and just go to and from work tomorrow/Thursday.  I hope that my day at Target Center is so long on Friday that I'll just be too whipped to do anything else than go home.  Saturday's tricky; the Lynx Game is a noon start, and I don't really want to go home for dinner, so I might sneak in some sexy time with one of my stripper girlfriends that evening.  If not then, maybe Sunday afternoon.  So I guess you can see why I, who still isn't plugging the hole in my wallet, should lighten up on the spending.

By the way, I find it kind of ironic that the one day this week I initially was OK with spending money, Tuesday, could still be the one day this I don't spend money, if only because of the weather.

Running Over Something (It's My Fault)

I take a different route to work every morning if I am diverting to Caribou for my mocha, like I did yesterday/Monday.  I need to take a left to get to the main road that leads to my company.  But goddammit, many times when I take this left I hit what appears to be a pothole, and it's so jarring that I have to check my tires (and it's usually the right side) to make sure I didn't blow them out.

It's pissing me off.  I have looked on the pavement where I need to make the turn, and I have always tried to avoid this little pothole and this manhole cover because I think they're the ones that give me that jarring bump I feel if I don't drive over the smooth pavement.  But fuckin' A, there's some pothole or divot or ridge or something I'm missing, and I fucking damaged my car like that yesterday.

The rub of this all is is that I didn't plan on getting Caribou until I woke up.  My work schedule was such that I neither needed to stay late nor have any opportunity to go anywhere after work, so I thought there was a possibility that I could spend the whole workweek without popping open my wallet even once.  But ... dammit, the Timberwolves came back to win Game 7 and the series on Sunday, and I just felt like treating myself!  And shit, running over something real bad like this was karma's way of saying, "Yeah, big mistake, pal."  If I keep running over what I'm running over, maybe I shouldn't be getting Caribou anymore.  I can't take this any longer.

I'll Miss You, Rental Car

As much as I had complained in a previous blog post about not wanting to use my rental car, I just did, down to my favorite late-night coffeeshop.  And I did it just because -- the stripper party I planned on going to apparently fell through, I watched the hockey Games on TV (thank goodness sports seem to coming back from cable and satellite to over-the-air), and I was bored.  I didn't have to go.  But finally, I gravitated to the fact that I already paid for use of this rental car, and I might as well use it to go somewhere.  So I did.  And I didn't do much while at the coffeeshop, but the ability to go where I want in the area was something I wanted to know I could still do.

And you know, the car ain't bad.  I still chuckle that I got a rental that says it needs service.  Also, it's a bit big for me, the parking brake automatically kicks in whenever I turn off the car so that I have to disengage it when I start driving it again, and I kept banging my head against the top of the car as I was getting in.  But I was getting used to the controls.  For example, I am liking the dial in the middle console that I used to switch radio stations.  I could even use it without taking off my glove, something that I instinctive take off whenever I am in my car.  And again, it's a car that works.

So I'll miss you, rental car.  And you know, I'm still so scared of my parents' minivan now that I think I'll pay for another rental car for another 48 hours next week until the car finally gets fixed.  For all I know, I'll get that same car.  Wouldn't bet against it!

... And Now They're Gone!!!

The goddamndest thing.  So I was in total "fuck it" mode, and I was going to drive my car, with any and all indicator lights on, to work and back.  I would have to make time to bring it into the shop at some point, and so I was mentally preparing to ask my boss if I can come in late a couple days next week while those guys figure out why in the hell they made an oil change and those fucking lights still came on.

So yesterday/Friday morning I turn the car on and let it warm up while I scrape the snow and ice off the minivan in preparation for using that today/Saturday.  I get in and only three of the four that popped up both the night before and three weeks ago were on.  Specifically, the tire pressure, vehicle stability control and power steering lights came back on, but the check engine light stayed off.  OK.  Still in "fuck it" mode, I went to Caribou for the mocha and oatmeal I needed to get through my day.  Went inside, went back out, turned on the car again ... and all of the remaining lights stayed off once the car started.  And they have all been off since.

Phew ... I think.  I guess there's always a chance they can come back on, and the pessimist I am, I am half-heartedly expecting it as I drive the car through this weekend when the coldest weather of the year (it may not get above 0 Sunday and Monday) settles in.  But this spares a trip to the mechanic, at least for now.  This always brings up a question of whether those lights came on three weeks ago because of bad oil pressure and/or level, or if they came on because of something that has nothing to do with the operation of the car and more to do with the sensors for the warning lights.  I refuse to believe that the oil has gotten so bad over the course of three weeks that the car has to be brought in again.  Then again, unlike Thursday and yesterday, I turned on the car a few times three weeks ago and those four damn lights came up every single time.  Maybe the oil did need to be changed.  Or, maybe, there is some middle ground as to the reason those lights were thrown on -- that while maybe the oil needed closer monitoring, all the lecturing by the mechanic that I was totally riding the car too hard and stuff was a bit overblown when the sensors may act funny upon a downturn in temperature.  (I remember that, while this winter up till now has been very warm, the codes came on three weeks ago on a day the temperature plummeted into the teens.  I think it was in the teens Thursday evening when the codes came back on; it has been around that temp and colder since, and the warning lights are now off.)

I have plans to go out tonight, in the extreme cold, to a coffeeshop to try some Palestinian food, have some coffee and cake, and work on my receipts.  I will do so using my car which may or may not throw up codes again today.  Let's hope not.

Food And Porn, Man, Food And Porn

I continue to have credit card bills so big they eat up nearly my entire paycheck.  I mean, like every single check I get every two weeks.  It really boils down to food and porn.  And what I did yesterday/Tuesday is illustrative, and typical, of how I fuck myself.

Because I was working The Fourth Department yesterday/Tuesday, I was set on buying a mocha and breakfast before coming in to work as a way to ease into what would be a hectic day.  (By the way, the morning was; I don't remember having to go through so much bullshit in so few hours.  But there was a blessedly light load of new work, and I was able to clock out at just about eight hours, a first on a day I work back there.)  Caribou Coffee had an offer where I can buy a large drink for the price of a medium.  But ever since the company updated its application, I have never been convinced that they were charging me the correct price after I used the discount I was offered.  In this case, I wanted to buy a large mocha, and it felt as though the price I was quoted on the app was for a large, not a medium.  Moreover, there was no text indicating that that was the price of a medium.  I want to say that Taco Bell, for example, assures me that "the discount will be taken out upon checkout," and that would be enough for me.  But I don't see a "- $x" line item anywhere on Caribou's.

That has always cheesed me off.  That has discouraged me from going there as much as I had when there was the earlier version of the app.  But I am value-conscious, and if there's a large-for-the-price-of-a-medium deal Caribou is offering, I'm going to get it.  So I didn't use the app; I drove there and ordered there, old school-style.  And guess what?  It was more expensive that it was on the app!  Fuck if I know why!  Well ... I have a theory.  Caribou is now saying that anyone who participates in its rewards program can now get milk alternatives as a substitute for free.  With the oatmeal I had intended to buy and the tip I had intended to give, I think I paid, like, 27 cents more for my breakfast in-person than I would have through my phone.  I think that the upcharge for substituting non-dairy milk is about 20 cents.  Maybe it's the cashier or the register that fucked up.  But now I have evidence that I was wrong, and that the application actually does take all the discounts I think it should take.  (And by the way, a medium mocha at Caribou now costs about $6.50.  Damn, that's expensive!)

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So I charged my mocha and oatmeal on my credit card, and so by my OCD rules, I need to use that credit card one other time that day.  (Maybe I should reconsider that if I'm so damn worried about spending so much money.)  I was going to use it to donate to an alternative Commencement party for the New College of Florida, that university that fucking Republican fascist governor DeSantis has appointed other Republican pricks to run (into the ground).  That COVID-denying Stanford doctor asshole, Scott Atlas, is Commencement speaker, and the graduates are saying fuck that, we'll set up a GoFundMe so we'll actually have a good ceremony featuring people based in reality.  But the credit card I had planned to use for that GoFundMe was not the one I used at Caribou.  I will not use both of my credit cards on the same day.  OCD rule.

The credit card I did use at Caribou, however, is one I use for my OnlyFans account, and cha-ching, a-ruuuga-a-ruuuuga, I took that as a sign to buy porn.  And I did: Three photo sets and an introductory monthly subscription for a total of $25.  That amount is tame compared to what I have paid for in the past.  But is, oh, 2 1/2 hours' worth of take-home pay.  At least I got actual boobies and pussy; sometimes I charge my credit card on faith and get only the equivalent of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.  But is jerking off (and to a video of a woman [surreptitiously being videotaped by her husband] bending over while vacuuming her couch cushions with just a crop top on, thus showing her nice tits -- and for free, no less) worth yet adding more to my credit card bill?  While I was masturbating, the answer was yes.  As I type this, the answer is no.  And my answers are situational like that every time I do fall into this trap I set for myself.

Food and porn, man, food and porn.  They're going to put me in the poorhouse, and it'll be all my fault.

Expenses Without Receipt

Starting from Monday, February 20:

• Actually, let's go back to Friday, February 17, when, after work, I celebrated the retirement party of a co-worker I don't know but who was important to work with because she gave me part of the work I need to work on every day.  Does that make sense?  I am usually reticent in hanging out with people at work.  I think there's something good about keeping your social spheres separate.  But I don't want to be an antisocial dick, either.  And my, uh, social club was having its monthly dinner five minutes away, and this party was relatively close to work, so it made sense to pop in for a quick gingerbread cider to huff down in half an hour.  (Gingerbread cider, by the way, is a tad sweet.)  It was good; I had a nice time with these people, and I didn't overstay my welcome.  That cider plus tip: $10.
• That monthly dinner goes to different places every month.  I will tell you that this time around they/we went to Khan's Mongolian Barbecue, a place I had not been to in at least a decade and a half.  I detailed the, uh, somewhat gross details here.  I did remember that it's customary to tip the people doing up the stir fry.  So since I had two bowls/dishes I tipped a total of: $2.
• Back on Wednesday the 15th, ********a came over.  She was in town from western Minnesota for a few days.  It was supposed to be for a bed dance, but it morphed into a massage with me totally naked -- you know, the way ******a does ... well, did, since I think she's going through a mental breakdown right now.  She said that next month, when she's back in town, she'll rub me down good and proper.  Good -- even though I don't she'll touch my pee-pee.  The price I paid for the massage is the same amount I was going to pay for her dances: $100.
• When she was done I felt the need to eat, even though I probably didn't have to.  The local Chick-Fil-A was offering me a free chicken sandwich, so I took them up on it.  Paid for a bowl of tortilla soup, and I was surprised how big the bowl was (even though it wasn't that big, it's a hell of a lot bigger than the cups of soup you usually see).  Quite filling, too.  So a bowl of chicken tortilla soup and the free grilled chicken sandwich (got that instead of the original sandwich) came out to: $8.99.
• Back to Valentine's Day: Starting my day off at Caribou for a mocha and oatmeal.  I need to eat more oatmeal.  With tip: $11.27.
• When a loser like me goes to a strip club to find love.  I went to My Favorite Stripclub (Cover Division) to see my ATF again.  Yeah, I dropped 21 dances for her.  Don't think I mind it.  With cover, tips and an Angry Orchard I spent: $231.
• After the strip club I had time to dive into Pancheros, aka brokedown Chipotle.  I shouldn't say brokedown; they're cheaper, and they promote the fact that they mix up the ingredients in your burrito or bowl, which I think is a good thing.  Unfortunately, I got charged for extra guacamole when I didn't order it.  And the cashier said he couldn't take it off because he was new.  I wanted a drink to go, but he could only give me an item up to the price of the extra guac.  Hemmed in, and instead of offering a promise he'll discount me next time (I had no trust that this guy would still be working at this place next time), I got the guacamole I paid for and didn't want.  I like the food here; it's almost as good as Chipotle at a cheaper price point.  But this blown charge, man, means that I can't come back here for a while.  But I tipped anyway because I didn't want to look like the bad guy: $1.
• Assuming I had receipt stretching back till then, we go back to Friday, February 3 ... ***e* was in town, asked if she could get me off, and it just so happens that she is staying with ***u** while she was in Minnesota, so instead of just one person masturbating me, there were two.  Totally happy, I just wanted to be double-teamed when I wanted to be double-teamed.  Had to pay: $240.
• I don't know if this was the day I found a quarter and a penny on the ground, but I had to put this EWR somewhere.  An Infusion of: 26 cents.
• We go all the way back to Saturday, January 21, when I went to a party.  ***u** invited me, but at the time she still owed me money, so I tried getting any dance from her at a discount.  She finally relented, and thank God, because she is one hell of a lover.  I would stop seeing her if she kept saying she didn't owe me money when she did, but, well, she didn't.  With cover, this handjob only cost me: $100.
• Finally, on Friday the 20th ******a came over.  She was going through a mental breakdown, which I detailed here.  Suffice it to say that even though she is physically attractive and I appreciate her massaging me while naked, her paranoid bullshit had to stop.  I haven't seen her since this date, and while my muscles ache, I don't mind it.  Well, at least not right now.  Her going rate for rubdowns is: $120.

Good through February 20.