Congrats, Suzi!

Jesse, the Chicago cast won't tour.

Really I just mean the Chicago cast.

Timelies all!

Have had a headache on and off all day. Advil works a little. Doesn't help that I've got tension in my jaw/neck.

Retirement party for my sorta boss-mentor today. I didn't cry. Tomorrow is her last day. Then I'll cry.

Went to start the Jeep this morning. Click click click. Swear swear. The garage said a couple of weeks ago that the batterly was flirting with disaster. Instead of trying to cadge a jump from somebody, I call Roadside Assistance (for the record, Firestone's roadside assistance people are terrific).

RA guy comes out, with a device he brags "This can jumpstart a semi." But it can't start my Jeep. RA guy is offended. "It's not the battery, your cabin lights come on, and the alarm goes off when the key's in."

So I call a tow truck (again, these folks are terrific, prompt, professional, clean). Clean is important, because I ride up to the garage with the Jeep. The garage folks say, "But you were just in for the inspection two weeks ago." I smile thinly: "Yes, I know."

So I wander off to Wendy's for comfortable seating and munchies. Meanwhile, garage tests the battery again. Not dead, but sickly. Starter: not dead. Alternator (one year old): dead. They fiddle with the alternator, adjust some bolts. Alternator: not dead. Battery: still not dead. Starter: rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible.

Tech decides to go Old School and whacked the bottom of the starter with a hammer. Starter shows signs of life. Apparently, whacking a starter with a hammer and having it work is proof that the thing is really dead. Clearly we are in the realm of mystic arts, here, and why I take the thing to professionals to be worked on.

So, in summary: Alternator: not dead. Starter: brand new. Battery: is now showing as a good, strong battery as opposed to being at death's door. IE: cars are weird.

I hate car issues because I am just without adequate knowledge and have to depend on others. Most uncomfortable. We have a trustworthy mechanic, but still. Uncomfortable.

I trust my garage because Faux-Son used to work there, and they haven't steered me wrong yet. But I know I'm lucky in that. Plus I know the theory of automotives well enough to know if a diagnosis makes sense.

I think I did the starter/alternator/battery dance three times over the life of one particular car. They always seemed to go in pairs for me.

New ceiling! Week after next! Construction mess! I gotta clear out the front room, fuck me! And I think I'll start interviewing cleaning services to come in after and do all the dusting and windows. Because, nope.

And get my vpn to work. Cause I'll be working from next door with the cats again.

I am giving the side-eye to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law kind of hard right now. (In case I haven't mentioned it, Tim's family is the nicest damn family in the world. Not saccharine and ridiculous, but just genuinely good, kind, more-or-less wholesome people. [Which is part of why I'm side-eyeing them so hard right now -- this is a bit unexpected.])

Tim's dad just turned 79, and still lives alone, though he probably shouldn't. He's in good health in the sense of no disease -- no heart disease, no cancer, no prostate issues, nothing that is common in older people. But he also gets zero exercise/activity. His doctor is constantly telling him to at least walk a couple of "laps" around the house, but he doesn't.

So Tim's brother bought their Dad a Fitbit (or similar tracker) for his birthday, and put the tracking app on his (brother's) phone so that he can see how much activity their Dad is getting. My reaction was "You lo-jacked your *Dad*???" And they're basically fine with this. I think it's kind of shitty to do that.

Ultimately, their Dad will probably toss the Fitbit on his dresser and not even wear it, so in practical terms, it's a non-issue. I just think it's shitty to lo-jack their Dad and see how much activity he's getting. (I mean, they know the answer is "virtually none.")

And same BiL and his wife (who, again, I really love) are being really pushy and weird about vacation. Tim's Dad has said he doesn't want to go on the family vacation -- he doesn't want to ride in a car for 12 hours to get there and back, and he can't handle the stairs at the beach house. He's pretty well established that he has no interest in going.

SiL said that they'll just wait until the week before vacation and then go over to his house and cheerfully TELL him that he's going and pack his bag for him if he won't do it. And I am HUGELY opposed to them treating him like an imbecile with no autonomy. He DOESN'T WANT TO GO. What the shit, people.

So I told Tim that I don't want any part of the plan to bully his Dad into going on vacation, and, to that end, we are NOT driving his Dad down to the beach in the event he caves to the bullying. (He is INTOLERABLE on that drive, to the point where it almost ruined my vacation last time.) If BiL and SiL want him to go so badly, and are willing to bully him and ignore his autonomy, they can fucking drive him. And I will tell them that if it comes to it. (I think the family assumes that Tim and I will drive his Dad everywhere because we don't have kids and therefore have room. But you know what? You have this shitty little plan to bully your father into vacation, then you figure out how you're going to get him down there. I want NO part of this.)

I'm having serious raaaaaaaage over this. I think it's really shitty.

The Fitbit thing doesn't strike me as strongly as it does you, but their plan to harass him into going vacation? Hell no.