Thish

On Thursday, it redeemed itself.  I found  better office with nicer people, who told me (after I took a number and waited 20 minutes) I had the wrong office but I could go to this other one 5 miles away, where I went and took a number and waited an hour.  But after an hour I was helped by a nice person, who did all of my needed items in less than an hour, and with no eyerolls or condescension or personal phone calls (unlike the sewer and water board, where I was subjected to one half of an extremely heated cell phone conversation between the rep helping me and someone with whom she was not pleased.)  Then she told me the camera at this location was broken and I would have to go back to the first office to have my picture taken for my license. 

But at that office they didn’t make me wait in line again.  So there’s that.

Also, I know ALLLLLL about the terrain underneath the Westbank Expressway.  I could give tours of that place.  Which would be helpful to fellow out of town drivers, since most of the street signs have faded in the sun (or have been knocked off) so you just sort of have to guess the right direction.  I knew the DMV was near the police station, so eventually I followed a cop car around til he went "home" and that’s how I found it.  That and signs to City Maint. Off., which I correctly deduced was also near the DMV/police station/hell.

After my wild success, I returned home with the special treat of McDonald’s double cheeseburgers in hand, and we decided to further celebrate my victory against The Man by calling it a day and going to the Aquarium of the Americas.  At the start of this Aquarium (of which we are members, so we should be spending quite a bit of time there) it has one of those aquarium tunnels where the fish swim over your head and all around.  Jack was beside himself.  He was at turns scared, thrilled, and kept screaming DOG!  DOG!  It took us half an hour to get out of the tunnel, he was having such a great time in it. 

There was plenty of space to run and plenty of stuff to touch and nothing pointy or heavy to pull on himself, so we obviously loved it too.  Go, my child, go forth and wear thyself out.  After several hours of us saying "Fish!  Fish!" and him saying "DOG", we were all worn out and headed home.  Then in the car, I said "Did you like the fish, Jack?" and he finally said "Thish."  He said it twice.  I got it on video.  I have proof.

Now we’re home, and I have only a few days before school starts.  I have this ambitious reading schedule, but I’ve sort of abandoned it for two reasons: (1) I have read a LOT already, and I don’t want to be sick of reading before I even start, and (2) there are some things to get the house in order that I need to do.  I am stocking the freezer, making more bread, organizing photos, I swept and mopped the whole house (not an easy feat, I tell you!), and doing every other little thing that I think will need doing between now and December.  I’m battening down the hatches, yo!

Added some more pictures to the above album.  A few exteriors.  I may upload our aquarium video below, too.  You are awash in media today.  But don’t get too used to it . . .