“Remoted” – Day 481 (Saturday)

It was another day that had a loose plan for the morning. The “plan” was to help with a volunteer cleanup at a park in the Centralville neighborhood. When I checked on the parking, it seemed a bit vague with guidance to park in a downtown garage which would have involved a bit of walking to the site. The idea of going alone and wandering for blocks to get to the event where I would know nobody felt unappealing and I chickened out. When it started raining I felt less bad about it.

Omelet muffin cups.

The day wasn’t all about laying around. To atone for the failure in attending the park cleanup, vacuuming was accomplished at home. The bedroom window and screen were raised for an overhead check of the front gutter, accomplished by hanging out the window a bit. The broom from the front porch was fetched with the idea the stuff in the gutter could be swept out. The gutter was filled to the top with water that seemed to be blocked with clots of the helicopter wing tree things from the tree across the street, what appears to be a tennis ball, which could not be reached from the window, and who knows what else.

Some of the water, but not much, was pushed over the edge of the gutter and rained down upon the front stairs. The broom came out full of muck and carrying it back through the house to the porch seemed like a terrible idea. The brilliant solution was to toss it out the window onto the lawn. That’s when I saw the new neighbor sitting on the front stairs looking at his phone screen. While retrieving the broom, I saw black gutter water splashed all over the storm door, front steps, and vinyl siding, prompting a spontaneous front door cleanup.

To combat the rain and chill and stock the prepared meals, individual omelet muffin cups were baked. Nine eggs make a dozen muffin cups. Half were loaded with diced tomatoes, onion, mushroom, and cheese for me. The other half were egg, chicken bits, and cheese for the dogs to help stretch the chicken, potato or rice, and veggie meals.

A trip was made to the outside world retail circus for a cable that is small at one end to plug into the phone and a regular USB at the other end to plug into the media port in the car. A Morotola cord was ordered from Amazon which even specified my phone model and for which my account was charged but the item didn’t arrive. Ever. A refund and even a customer service apology $5 credit were received, but in the end, I still don’t have the cable.

The first stop was Verizon, but the rep said they didn’t have “micro cables” and suggested Target or Best Buy. Target had a wall filled with cables. Most said “for iPhone” and some said “USB-C.” I have an Android and even after a Google search while in the aisle, no idea if “USB-C” is different from the “USB” referenced in the Jeep materials but it feels like it would be. There was nobody to ask, so it was off to Best Buy, where, based on past visits, the expectation was to be either hounded by sales help or ignored. It’s always a crap shoot. A young team member at the door offered a greeting, asked if I needed help, then pointed in the general direction of an aisle.

Like Target, Best Buy had an impressive wall of cables, most marked for iPhone and specifying USB-C. I found one that said just “USB” but I couldn’t tell if the small end was the right size for my phone, and ripping open the packaging seemed like an invitation for a personal visit from security. I left, empty handed.

Fruit and unintended desserts.

On the way home, I ended up in Market Basket to get a roasted chicken for Moose’s meals. It was less crowded than the last time I was there, so I could study the popular attraction near the roasted chicken display. There is a large sushi counter staffed by sushi chefs, pizza counter, grill section, and “entrees” section. Wow. 

In addition to the roasted chicken and tomatoes which I swore would the only items bought to get me out the door at under $10, somehow a guava and cheese pound cake, Italian cookies, ice cream, potato chips, and various fruits landed in the cart. The $25 tally could be worse, but I need to return to the days of focused and responsible spending and eating.