This Particular Situation Should Be Answered In An Advice Column

OK, this kind of is an addendum on this blog post, but 1) that blog post really was about not going to see Fleet Foxes on the 4th of July and 2) I am going to take this situation a little farther afield, so I think this should stand on its own.

So yeah, I was kind of regretting committing to the Nickel Creek concert I had some buyer's remorse over, and I was hoping for a lifeline/miracle.  And yesterday/Sunday afternoon, I got one: He could not go because the childcare that night fell through.  He was going to sell the other ticket.

Yes, this was my chance to undo all I did -- get my money back, go to the United Match, all that.  But ... and I do mean this sincerely, there are a couple logical, non-nefarious thoughts that popped into my head that led me to ask this man to undo our arrangement.  First, I know it is quite difficult to sell single tickets, especially when compared to selling two.  I can see a couple wanting to see this concert because their Saturday night suddenly came free.  This guy wouldn't be able to do that if I still had this seat.

Second, and I hope this doesn't sound creepy: I had the expectation that I was going to see Nickel Creek with him.  I don't know the guy, and I'm not really into strangers, and I sure as hell am not looking at this like a date.  But we are in the same affinity group, so we have that to talk about as we're getting drinks or waiting for the main act during intermission.  I am definitely not looking forward to sitting next to some random person.  I know I need to reach out beyond my bubble of trust, socialize, and take a risk by talking to someone I don't know.  But I'm not into looking at the seat next to me thinking that he or she (probably he) thinks that our seats used to belong to someone and his spouse.  That's just too weird, man.  Maybe that shouldn't matter.  But considering the circumstances by which I became aware of this ticket, I think at least meeting up with the person selling it is not too much to ask.  And so if he can't go, I don't want to, either.  Does that make me an asshole?

Problem potentially is, I did not say that, or anything implying that, when I texted him that it might be best if I get my money back and he gets the ticket back because he can now attempt to sell a pair.  From his point of view, maybe my request to take this all back would come off as weird; why would I care if I don't know the person I sit next to when we're both just there for Nickel Creek?  He must think something else is going on ... like I was really looking forward to seeing the concert with him.  Oh God, he must think I'm a creep.  Not to mention that I am actually asking for money back.

Seeing as I want to un-fuck myself, and since he asked that I choose whether to keep or sell back the ticket by this/Monday afternoon, I just transferred the ticket back to him.  And I texted him (at 12:02 a.m. -- I have no boundaries) that I gave back the ticket to him, please give me back my money when he can.  I'll tell you that just before I bought the ticket from him, I suddenly had the idea that this guy could be catfishing me.  I've never seen him; he could be an elderly woman living in Alaska for all I know.  But he had enough of a Facebook trail that I believe he is who he says he is.  And assuming that we are upstanding members of this same social group, I will trust that in the morning, he will give back the money.

And yet I wonder if I'm being a dick for doing all this.  Maybe I should just go to the concert, just because I did all this and I have left a trail of destruction and, possibly, mistrust in order to un-do what I kind of think is a rash mistake.  On top of all that, I'm doing this so I can go watch Minnesota United, who I watched piss down their legs Saturday night to Austin, 4-1.  LAFC is in bad form right now, but they're in playoff position and the Loons are not.  Another ass-kicking could be in the cards, and I decided to put this poor dude through a bunch of crap so I could witness a bunch of crap?

This is like a Seinfeld episode from hell.  Miss Manners, what should I do?

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -1).  Gotta be honest with you, I'm not in a good place right now.  I'm actually kinda pissed off, actually.  Last/Saturday night was a #MinnesotaIsLoservilleUSA day, and I was at The Nest to witness the Looooooooons shit the bed and complete the Twin Cities loser trifecta.  Every fucking team in this fucking town fucking sucks.  Don't ever be a sports fan.  You'll lose years off your life if you do.

Against that backdrop, it's the Minnesota Lynx that once again redeems all the other pitiful teams playing this time of year.  (And thankfully, they didn't play yesterday/Saturday.)  Don't look now, but this club has won five in a row after avenging in earlier home Loss to Indiana on Wednesday and defeating Phoenix Friday, both at Target Center.  Sure, their five-Game winning streak has come against squads currently in the draft lotto: Said victory over the Fever, two Wins over the Mercury, and two over Seattle.  But hey, they don't control the records of the opponents they meet.

I think they would be the seventh-Seed and thus face New York in the First Round of the WNBA Playoffs.  That "superteam" hasn't put it all together yet, but they lead Connecticut by 1/2 Game, so they might be.  (By the way, the Lynx and Dallas are tied for second in the Western Conference, but they trail first-place Las Vegas by seven Games.)  At any rate, I can't see them winning that series, let alone the title, so I'm not exactly enthused about them righting the ship from an 0-6 start.  As I've said many times, it would be a lot better for them if they tank for the lottery.  Then again, if they start to lose, then every fucking team in this fucking town really is fucking losing, and then I would probably lose my mind.  And beyond that, the Chicago Sky are currently in eighth but recently lost their Head Coach, who skedaddled in the middle of the WNBA season to be an Assistant Coach with the Toronto Raptors, so the Lynx might be in the postseason anyway.

But this screening Week, the last one before the All-Star break, brings in two teams that are ensconced in the playoff picture: Said Aces tonight/Sunday night, said Wings Wednesday.  These two help Minnesota finish their four-Game homestand and the first half of the regular season.

#-2: Twins (Last Week: -2).  Believe it or not, the Twins have not been more than 1/2 Game behind the leader of the AL Central all Year.  Good, because as of press time they are now in second place by that 1/2 Game behind Cleveland after having a 3-3 screening Week.  Failed to complete the sweep of the Orioles in Baltimore, swept the Kansas City Royals at Target Field across Independence Day (on Wednesday Pablo Lopez, called up yesterday/Saturday as a replacement for the All-Star Game, pitched a Complete Game Shutout, winning 5-0), but then dropped the first two Games of a three-Game series versus The Bastard St. Louis Browns, also at home).  They can't rely on the Guardians sucking when they do; they have done just enough to nose ahead of the Twinks for only the fourth time all season.

Yesterday/Saturday afternoon, Twins Pitcher Sonny Gray, who was called up to the ASG in the official announcement of reserves and Pitchers, got shook down for six Runs, all of them surrendered in the Second Inning.  Manager Rocco Baldelli let him stay, and he didn't yield another Run as he went six Innings.  Obviously the starting pitching has been the strength of this ballclub, not just subjectively but objectively.  For all of the faults I point out about it, the relief pitching, according to advanced stats, has also been a rock.  It's just the hitting that has failed them.  And I am afraid that the current output of this team is not going to last.  This is a long season, and I can definitely see the pitching regress violently to the mean in the second half of the season.  That doesn't bode well when it comes to fending off Cleveland.

They finish up the first half of the season this/Sunday afternoon.  While Gray and Lopez travel to Seattle for the All-Star Game, the rest will be taking a load off, I assume.  (Me, I have no fucking plans to watch that exhibition.  I think I'll either go to a show or take in a movie.)  They resume Friday for a three-Game set at Oakland vs. the soon-to-be-stolen Athletics.

#-3: United FC (Last Week: -3).  Right now is another of those times I want to beat myself over the head asking myself why in the hell do I have season tickets to this shitty club.  Off far and away their most impressive Win of the season, 4-1 over Portland at home last Saturday, they follow that up with possibly their most unforgivable Loss of the season, 4-1 by Austin at home last/Saturday night.  They looked really good in the First Half; they had chances, but they just couldn't finish them.  Then, late in that half, Austin struck twice.  It was pretty much over by that point, but once they got that third Goal in the 51st Minute (the second by Sebastian Driussi in the Match), that's when I devoted my attention to scrolling through my phone.  Missed their final Goal in the 95th, although Devin Padelford did get MNUFC on the board in the 85th.

Both Michael Boxall and, wouldn't you know it, Head Coach Adrian Heath were unavailable because both were suspended this Game for Yellow Card accumulation.  Would their presence have made a difference?  Believe it or not, I think so.

This ass-kicking at home is probably service as a cold splash of water to the face of the fanbase.  We're more than halfway through the season and United FC sit in 11th in the West.  Sure, they're only a Point behind Vancouver for the final spot, but this side has had numerous chances to climb up the standings and have been unable to do so.  And I don't know if new Striker signing Peemu Pukki is going to turn things around.  (Man, the hype around this guy is so huge -- the organization posted a video of state dignitaries such as Gov. Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey welcoming him to Minnesota -- that I am frightened he will fall on his face during his stay here.  He didn't look all that impressive coming on as a sub in the Second Half.  Just sayin'.)  They are the only team in the Western Conference to have reached the postseason five Years in a row.  That's in serious jeopardy right now.

Busy Week this Week: At Houston, scene of the only other contender for Shittiest Performance Of 2023 By Your Loons (a 4-0 beatdown that eliminated MNUFC from the U. S. Open Cup), Wednesday, then at home to play out-of-form LAFC Saturday.  I will not be at that Match because I agreed to go to the Nickel Creek concert that evening after buying a ticket from some guy I have never seen nor even spoken to online.  I should talk more about that leading up to the concert.

#-Infinity: Aurora FC (NEW SEA ... WELL, NOT REALLY LOL).  Maybe I shouldn't beat up on a semi-professional team.  But when you follow up a second straight perfect regular season with another upset Loss -- well, isn't Minnesota Aurora living up the "Minnesota" part of their name?  This was played on the road even though they have (of course) the better record.  I think, however, that the Vikings' practice field, which is the Aurora's home pitch, is reserved for some lacrosse showcase, so they couldn't host.  And besides, they hosted the WSL Championship last season and got beat.  So maybe there isn't a fucking difference where they play.  Maybe they're soft.  Maybe they're getting a (deserved) reputation for not coming through when it counts.  Maybe they're just a bunch of fucking show ponies who can roll up scores of 8-0 and 10-0 over feeble competition during regular season play, but then once the finish line comes over the horizon, they piss down their legs.

There is a small but passionate fanbase that tweeted thoughts that basically were, "That's OK.  We'll get 'em next time."  Bullshit.  Fucking bullshit.  A team supposedly so good they're bulldozing foes should still be getting it done in the postseason.  The fact that this fucking organization has failed to do it not once but now twice in a row is an indictment on the whole fucking organization.

I don't care if these players are semi-pros.  Fucking do something.  My fucking God, every fucking team in this fucking town fucking sucks.

Hottest Babe In The Hooters Calendar: June 2023

Overall not a great month nor a bad month.  I can single out and recognize six of the ten babes here (only ten?  I think that's the fewest number of waitresses I see in a given month).  But frankly, the top girl is a runaway.  I knew once I opened up to the month.

So, starting in sixth is Orlando's Alexis.  She has long blonde hair and is wearing a red two-piece bikini.  What bothers me, unfortunately, is that she's grabbing her bikini top straps with both hands.  Instead of implying she's taking off her top, she's just making her picture all arms.

In fifth is Emily, out of Knoxville, Tenn.  Long dark brown (or is it black?) hair, a yellow two-piece.  Her boobs are kind of on the flat side, and she's angled mostly away from the camera, but somehow that shows of the flat but smooth contours of her body.  She's lean, alright, and that elevates the photograph.

Fourth place goes to Ayansley, hailing from Gainesville, Fla.  Dark brown hair with strands of blonde, an orange two-piece bikini that is bordered in white.  What I actually find fascinating is the backdrop in her pic, a rocky beach that I 60-70% believe is real.  Hooters shoots spreads in pools and lakes, but a natural beach?  I notice, and I like it.

Third place goes to Madison, also of Knoxville, Tenn.  What I like about her most are her long, fiery red hair and her pale skin.  I'm a sucker for hot women, but redheads in particular.  Oh, and her sizable tits are about to burst under her blue two-piece with a crossover top.  I have to say, however, that I don't like that she's crossed her arms around her ribs and that she's posing next and in front of brick.  It makes me think they shot this at the entrance to a women's restroom on the beach.

In second place, out of Albuquerque, N.M., is Janelle.  Long black hair, an acid-washed-looking orange-and-blue two-piece bikini.  She is almost crotch-deep in a forest lake, I think.  She also has lips that are a tad on the puffy side.  What I like most about her, however, is that she's wearing one of those really, really cropped tops, the one that has those long sleeves but only go down to her clavicles, thus "exposing" her breasts.  Perverted morons like me look at that and think that she's lifted up her shift to show us her goods underneath.  I know it's not true, but damn, it works every time.

Finally, the top spot goes to the main girl, Allie, from Long Tree, Colo.  Long blonde hair, sporting a lavender two-piece, the top of which is on the sporty side.  I say that she's the slam-dunk winner for June 2023 because I've actually been served by her before.  When I was vacationing in Denver (have I already told the story here?  I probably have), Allie was working and I had her sign the calendar I had brought along on vacation.  She wouldn't recognize me from that visit, but I feel as though I have a connection to her, fuck it.  Trust me, she's fucking gorgeous in person.  She is fucking gorgeous in the photos she has shot over several years of Hooters calendars, too; she's a veteran, but she remains goddamn hot, as she is here.  Honestly, this may not be her hottest picture, but that's like cold pizza: It's still pretty good!

So congratulations to Allie, and to all the other women I have singled out for the month.  Unbeknownst to Allie and them, I will be beating off to them some time soon.  Would it be awkward if I did that, then saw her at her Hooters again?  Fap-fap-fap!!!

Rocking Out With My Cock Out Again

After a couple weeks, I'm thinking about buying some OnlyFans again.  I'm not flush with money right now, but I'm kind of on one right now.

But I have to be careful not to touch myself.  I think I have arranged another double-team with ***e* and ******e at a hotel about 15 minutes from now in a city I don't think I've ever been in.  Again, maybe I should be saving my money, but I haven't had my dick cranked in a while, so I have been saving money and I've been storing up my cum.  Plus I've bargained those two down, so I think it's worth it.

Oh, by the way (and I don't think this is an addendum, more like an update), I went downstairs the evening after the dirty washing machine water went all over the floors of the laundry room and the pantry, and I swear that there was a musty odor -- smelling like, well, dirty washing machine water -- permeating those rooms.  I don't think mold will build up since the air the past couple days has been dry enough to evaporate any water we didn't get Tuesday night.  But if it seeped into the walls and is just sitting back there, who knows?  That stank smell has to be coming from somewhere, right?

This Perfect(-ish) Day

According to Channel 4, today is a Top 10 Weather Day.  And it was.  And I just so happen to have taken this day off.  Total luck!

I planned to just, well, eat.  Dine al fresco, at that.  Went to Centro for an early lunch, then Glam Doll (hadn't been there in a long while) for a mid-afternoon snack (it was a shake; bought donuts to bring home), then Bebe Zito at the new Eat Street Crossing to eat cheese tots as, well, another mid-afternoon snack.  Had Glam Doll in the car as I waiting for my psychiatrist to call, but he was an hour late, and by the time he called, I was about to get my tots at ESC (I think we have rescheduled for tomorrow).  But Centro and ESC were both outside.

I used to not be a fan of eating outside.  The wind, the bugs, the sun beating down on you -- didn't seem to be an ideal combination to eat, you know?  The pandemic changed my perspective some; I was wearing my mask, but I now seek dining out as an excuse to take it off and keep it off.  Also, I keep remembering the winters we have, not just with the cold but with the snow.  Because of that, over the course of a year, we Minnesotans don't have too many days in which we can dine al fresco.  Moreover, there are some days when it's too darn hot, and that narrows down the days you can do what I did twice today even further.

Because of all that plus the (for lack of a better term) perfect storm of summer conditions, I made it a point to eat out.  And there are a few things I noticed about myself today.  First of all, I am still way too in my head for my liking.  At Centro I was scrolling through my phone; at Bebe Zito/Eat Street Crossing I was lamenting how my therapist missed our appointment again and when I could reschedule.  I had to be conscious of what I naturally do, basically wipe my mind of these thoughts, and just look up and around me.  And when you just unplug from your phone and your brain and just look up at the sky, then around at the other people fortunate enough to enjoy the workday (some of whom are gorgeous women showing off their flat bellies), it's pretty nice.

So it hit the mid-seventies this afternoon, I think.  No chance of rain; not great for our deepening drought, but I selfishly take today without it.  Dewpoint in the forties, so it was not humid at all, and that's huge.  No wildfire smoke from Canada nor activated ozone, so the air quality is as good as it can be, and that will be an important factor to mind as, unfortunately, knowing what the Air Quality Index is during the summer will be a part of Our New Normal.  Those pretty much are the reasons why this was a Top 10 Weather Day.

But ...

Well, it wasn't really windy, but there was a rogue gust of wind that blew a few of the scraps on the tray of cheese tots off my table at Eat Street Crossing.  That's a reminder of the dangers of outdoor dining.  Moreover, while eating under the sun sounds great, I was reminded that actually eating under the sun isn't.  The patio at Centro put up these triangular-shaped shades that only caught parts of the chairs and tables under them.  I was standing near a table, figuring out if I wanted to sit there and, if so, which chair to sit on when the sun's rays started to bother me a tad.  I figured out a seat where the rays would be blocked by the shade the whole time I was there.  Better yet, the patio at ESC has a lot of trees.  Still, I took a seat while a stray cloud passed in front of the sun.  When that cloud cleared, the sun warmed me and made me uncomfortable enough to find a part of the table that would be shielded by the branches of a tree.

Also, there were more clouds than I thought there were going to be today, especially around 11:30, when I was at Centro.  And actually, that was great.  In those several minutes I had the temperature and the dry air and the good air, but I didn't have to worry (at least as much) of getting shot with radiation.  That's why, for me, my perfect weather would be sixties (maybe even fifties), no humidity, good air and overcast skies, but with no chance of rain.  Today was fantastic, but my little, downcast heart would be ecstatic over a fall-like day such as that.

I finished up my afternoon out with a brisk walk at a nearby park.  I have seen many articles, especially the last couple years, tout the underrated health benefits of walking (such as this one), especially walking in nature (such as this one).  And while I think just being outdoors in this type of weather is beneficial, I don't know if walking down a street next to buildings is the same as walking in a park, so I made a point of doing that.  Got lost in it, though I found my way out to get home for dinner in time.  But again with the sun.  Walking underneath the sun's rays is, well, acceptable.  You are pushing yourself through air, which cools you down.  Also, if you want, you can walk under shade, and I was in the park most of my time there and so I was under tree cover.  But standing in the sun is like being a sitting duck.  When I was stationary, I just felt the radiation infiltrating my body.  That thought doesn't thrill me, so I kept walking.  Does not liking standing underneath the sun mean I should in fact hate days like this?

This might be a ponderous, navel-gazing blog post.  But still, this was a perfect weather day, yeah-yeah ...

I Am Afraid I Am Getting Mask Fatigue

I continue to wear surgical masks at work.  You never know, and besides, if there is ever a place to keep wearing a mask, it's in an indoor setting where you're relatively close to people for 8 1/2 hours a day, right?

Well, sometimes the masks I get are bad.  I've come to the conclusion that the boxes the masks come in have varying degrees of quality.  Sometimes the masks are relatively small for my face, so when I stretch the loops to take it off (to drink, to blow my nose, etc.), they snap loose.  If one does, it's almost certain that the next mask I get, which likely will come from the same box as the first one, will also be too small and also will snap.  And they do.  I have gone through half a dozen one morning.

And I am going through a similarly bad run as of late.  I believe I had to get a new mask twice on Monday and twice one day last week.  Yesterday/Wednesday was going to be different; it was going to be a day where the mask lasts the whole day (it usually does).  But about an hour before I was done with work, I unhooked myself to finish off my coffee and snap! there went the loop of the mask.

And to be quite honest, my initial thought was: "Well, I'm only going to be here for an hour longer.  I can go without it."  But then common sense (as well as a pull to toward the routine) kicked in and I grabbed another mask.  (It seemed larger than the one I had been wearing all day, for the record, so I'm guessing it came from a different box, a better one.)  But that thought wasn't uncharacteristic of me as of late.  I am getting mask fatigue.

I have resumed how I lived my life before the pandemic began: I go out to eat a lot and attend movies and concerts when I want (well, my previous blog posts about passing the Fleet Foxes show notwithstanding).  I usually wear a mask, and quite often an N95 mask I have hoarded (and sometimes, at least for this hazy summer of smoke, a ventilated N95) over a surgical one, either one I have in my car or, if I'm going somewhere straight from work, the one I have been wearing at work.  But I've been slipping.  I have slipped my masks off indoors when eating or drinking something, and now, when I sit down to eat, I keep it off until I put it back on.

Lately I have stopped putting a mask on if I'm dashing into, say, a gas station to pay for gas.  I have let my guard down for longer periods as of late, too; I watched Bullitt Monday night (and have I told you how much of a badass motherfucker Steve McQueen is?) and I kept my mask off after I got done eating my popcorn and drinking my Coke.  Moveover, the past couple weeks I have become acutely aware that I am one of the vanishing few walking around with a mask on when I have been at, say, Target or the Mall Of America (I really felt awkward when I was at the latter Independence Day/Tuesday).  I hate that I have allowed to creep into my head the thought: "Do other people think I look stupid still wearing a mask?"

I don't know if COVID-19 has reached an endemic phase.  Maybe it's still a problem but The Media isn't covering it, so it's easy to dismiss now as a dark chapter in humanity's history that's finally behind us.  But like I said, you never know if some chump coughing up a storm next to me while pushing past me on the concourse at Allianz Field (I know I'm going to lose my temper there again on Saturday) is spewing the 'Rona.  Or the flu; that can still circulate during the summer.  And heck, mask-wearing might come back into vogue in the winter months, when more people are cooped up indoors and the coronavirus won't be automatically vitiated by the outdoor air.  But yes, I am catching myself slipping from mask-wearing.  Some of it is risk I'm willing to accept.  But I think some of it is me finally getting tired of a killer that might not be tired of me.

Now I Know I Should Have Gone To The Concert ...

... because I flooded the basement.

Well, I don't want to say that I flooded the basement.  Anyway, since I wasn't going to the Fleet Foxes concert, I figure I should do a load of laundry.  What I didn't notice -- and I guess I should have -- is that for some dumb reason, one of my parents moved the drainpipe.  I've blog posted about this before: Other families have their washing machine drainpipe shoved into their standpipe which takes the dirty laundry water out of the house.  We don't, and I think we're one of the few who just hangs our drainpipe in our sink.  Well, either Father or Mother was doing something in the laundry room sink and thought that drainpipe was in the way, so he or she tucked it behind the faucet and didn't aim it back into the sink once he or she was done.  I should have noticed this because whoever was doing work in the sink left some things in the sink, stuff I thought needed to be moved so that the drainpipe had room to spray into the sink ... even though I didn't check to see if the goddamn drainpipe was aimed into the sink.

Yes, I should have checked, but it didn't have to be moved in the first fucking place!

OK, got that off of my chest.  I had a large-enough load to set the wash cycle for 90 minutes.  I checked the washer at Halftime of El Trafico, which I seeing on Apple TV+ on my phone.  Thank Buddha I did; I stepped into the pantry, which is on the way to the laundry room, and then I put my foot down and splashed water, and that freaked the shit outta me.  The drainpipe was aimed out the door of the laundry room.  But there was enough water that there was standing water on the floor of the laundry room and the pantry.  I thought that somehow the sink was so clogged that the water came over its walls.  That's when I noticed the fucking drainpipe shooting out where it wasn't supposed to be.

So fuck watching the rest of that soccer Match, and to hell with listening to "4th of July" before the end of the 4th of July.  I had major water clean-up to do.  I had some Shamwows I thought I left in the laundry room, but I couldn't find them.  They would have helped a lot, but apparently I put them in storage.  So I need a mop.  The mop is supposed to be in the laundry room, but I couldn't find that, either.  But there was a tiny mop I saw, and I had to use this inadequate, shrimpy thing instead.

The next big concern besides trying to mop up the standing water is moving the stuff on the floor of the pantry.  I hadn't really noticed until last night that there is a lot of stuff everywhere, including the pantry.  And unfortunately, most of the things on the floor are boxes, and so the water ruined them.  So I had to get to moving those and hopefully saving whatever the hell's in them.  But I saw stuff on top of these boxes, namely shoeboxes -- piles and piles and piles of shoeboxes.  These belong to Mother, but I damn sure know she doesn't use them.  Why in the hell does she have so many?

That small mop wasn't working, so I relied on this childish trick to get Father's attention without actually going over to ask for his help.  I just started moving the shoeboxes over to a dry area in the basement really, really loudly.  He finally got up from the computer room, where he was, to ask me why I was making such a commotion.  That's when he saw the piles of shoes in the exercise room and that is when I asked where the hell the mop is.

I suspect Father was the one who moved the drainpipe and didn't put it back.  I am still in a stage where I reflexively blame my parents whenever I can prove they have done something wrong.  That is in reaction to all the times I was a kid and they yelled at me for doing something wrong, and not wrong.  But I have to give him credit.  He helped with finding the mop and then mopping the whole pantry floor.  And he said he would put everything back where it was once everything was dried up.

That's real cool, seeing as I have work in the morning.  But he may be, in fact, too chill.  For example, there are a lot of bottles that we put underneath the sink, and the dirty water got down there, too.  One of them put paper bags underneath the bottles because some of them contain cooking oil (don't ask).  Those got super wet, so I figured I would replace them.  But I was going to wait until I finished drying my laundry to do that.  Well, I met Father when I went upstairs to wait, and by the time I went downstairs to get my clothes, he had already put these wet bags in another bag, but they were so waterlogged that they were leaking through that paper bag and onto the tile floor.  I think he knew that  was going to happen but didn't care, he was just going to clean that all up in the morning.  I happened to sweat my way through mopping, and so I was going to take a shower I didn't plan on taking, so I figured I would take those bags out to the recycling bin and clean up the dirty water with the, well, Shamwow that, turns out, was in the laundry room.  I didn't look hard enough.  That's further proof that I maybe should have looked to see where the drainpipe was before I started the wash, and therefore I might need to take some responsibility for all this.

Look, I think I have done all I can do.  I wonder if I moved the stuff back under the sink too quickly.  I wonder if we should mop that area with clean water before putting everything back.  What I'm really worried about is how much water damage there is in the pantry.  Water might have seeped beneath the floorboards and into the walls.  There is no standing water, however, and the humidity is going to come down a lot the next couple days, thank God, plus Father says he's going to mind it, so I hope there is nothing lasting.  All in all, could be worse.  And, again, Father really did help out a disaster I didn't help avoid, to be diplomatic.  But if I were at the concert instead of washing my clothes, this probably wouldn't have happened.  

I Should Have Gone

Thought about going to the Fleet Foxes concert tonight.  But as you see on my time stamp, I am not.  I am home.  And I regret it for a couple reasons.

I thought about going for a while.  I obviously didn't have work today, even though I (and probably everyone else) does go back to work tomorrow.  And that there is a concert on a major holiday -- "Fleet Foxes on the Fourth!" -- is a unique set of circumstances that always intrigues me.  Oh, and while I'm not a huge Fleet Foxes fan, I am familiar with a few of their songs, and I love "Mykonos":

But I balked at the price.  With fees, it was about $75.  I like Fleet Foxes, but I don't know if I like them to the tune of $75.  I had been canvassing third-party sites, but they were selling tickets that were even more expensive, which is odd considering that First Ave. still had tickets to sell at face value.

There were other reasons for me to balk.  I hate feeling this way, but I feel uneasy whenever I go out in the evening while my parents are here.  I go out too much and they'll start asking questions about me that just drain me of my will to live.  If I go out the occasional evening, they don't bitch, and I already stayed out after work yesterday/Monday to watch a special screening of Bullitt (I told them I wanted to exercise straight after work ... and by the way, this is the first movie I have seen Steve McQueen, and you know, this guy is a badass cool motherfucker) and I'll need to go out Saturday night for an MNUFC Match.  Plus I went out this afternoon to go to Hooters and to make an exchange at Target.  If I didn't feel the need to see cleavage and tight shorts this Independence Day, I could feel as though I could go out tonight.

Yeah, that is a weird, if not submissive, set of logic that keeps me at home right now.  Let me give you more.  In the days leading up to tonight, there has been a chance of storms, some severe.  I didn't know if I wanted to walk downtown in the middle of a storm, although I think the place will be dead because there's little open during the holiday, which would have been great for parking.  But after waking up from my three-hour nap at 7:30, I checked the forecast and the chances for rain, let alone storms, has just about evaporated.  I could go and not get wet.

Moreover, I just agreed to give a guy I've never met money to accompany him to the Nickle Creek concert in St. Paul next week.  We are in the same Facebook group, and he and his wife were going to go, but his wife, I think, was called to a work trip, and so he just asked if anyone wanted to buy the ticket.  I said yes even though 1) it turns out he wants about $70 for the ticket; 2) I like Nickle Creek but not as much as I like Fleet Foxes; and 3) there is a United FC Match that evening and my dumb ass didn't even check to see if there would be a conflict before I said I wanted the ticket.  Now, you can argue that I am spending the same amount for Nickel Creek as I am for Fleet Foxes, and I have hectored myself that I spend too much money.  This is all true.  And yet I can't help but think that I should go to both shows.

Ultimately, I would have gone if I could go to First Ave. and buy the ticket there, thereby saving money on all those damn "convenience" fees.  It may have saved me just five bucks for all I know, but that is worth it for me on principle.  I woke up at 7:30, checked the First Ave. website, and they said the show was sold out.  Maybe I should have woken up earlier.  Maybe they weren't really sold out and I could just go and get a ticket, but ... well, it's now a bit past 9, and Fleet Foxes took the stage at 9, and it's too late.

I should have gone.  Man, the self-hate continues.

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Anyway, this is the Fourth Of July, so here's Soundgarden:

I Told Myself Not To Lose Those Sheets. And Guess What?

I've lost those goddamn sheets.  Yep, another blog post where I hate myself.

Specifically, these are the copies of the dental claim forms I need to fill out every time I go to the student dental clinic.  After I get my itemized list, I have to download and fill out the form, then hand it in.  The problem is that this form is so complex, I had to have someone from the insurance company walk me through it over the phone once so I know what information to put and where.

I made a copy of that form so I know what to write down after every visit.  In fact, I have a couple copies from my last couple visits, just in case.  But I have misplaced them.  They were on the dining room table, but I had to put them somewhere else when my parents came home.  I've looked everywhere -- the dresser, my desk, even my storage unit -- and I can't find it.  I don't remember where the hell I put them.  And I knew they were important, and I swear I put them somewhere important, but they're not there.  Dammit!

The only saving grace right now ... well, there are two of them.  First, it looks like I have some time to turn in my claim.  Second, filling out the form is useless right now because I don't have my itemized bill.  I've been calling the U.'s billing department, but it looks like we're playing phone tag right now, plus they're probably closed until Wednesday at the earliest.  Once I get the list from them, then I'll go back to really hating myself for losing the copies of these claim forms.