2005-07-28

I get up at 5; Thursdays are early mornings for me so I can get into work to backup some databases. I check my e-mail, as well as the status of the woot-off that is still going on from yesterday. I send Tom a quick message over AIM to let him know to not come over until 6:30 tonight since Shannon will be late in getting home. I get dressed and brush my teeth, figuring on taking a shower when I get home, and I'm out the door at 5:25. There's no traffic this early in the morning, and I get to work by 6.

While at work, I call FedEx to see what’s up with Dan's speakers, which I still haven’t gotten and there have been no further attempts to deliver them. Ideally, I'd have liked to have them sent to the giant FedEx facility next door where I could pick them up, but since FexEd Ground is handling the package, that apparently isn't an option. Whatever. They say that the package should be delivered tomorrow evening, sometime after 6:00 p.m. We'll see what happens.

I also have fun on the phone with some idiot Best Buy online support guy. I made a pre-order for something, but accidentally set my shipping address for my mom's house in Ohio. After a few e-mails, I got the shipping address corrected, but there is still sales tax on the order. I had to explain the situation to this guy at least three times before he understood what I was asking him to do. He was not able to correct the problem, and forwarded my request onto "level 2" support, from who I should get an e-mail response in the next day or 2.

I bail from work at 2:30, and hit some unexpectedly bad traffic a few miles up from where 476 hits 95. The radio man tells me there's an accident southbound on 95 that’s causing the delays, so I hop off an exit early and make my way via some back roads towards Industrial Highway to bypass the jam up. My route takes me through scenic downtown Chester, PA, which was a highly frightening experience [let's just say that I was glad to be driving behind a cop car through most of it.]

Before going home, I stop off to get some supplies for tonight's dinner with Tom and Betsy, some corn on the cob and potatoes for mashing, a bottle of coke and a 4-pack of 16 oz Yuengling cans, one of which I'll need for the beer can chicken which will be the main course. I end up getting home around 4:00, which is 45 minutes later than I was expecting thanks to the bad traffic I ran into earlier.

It's a beautiful day outside, so I turn off the AC and open all of the windows and the patio door. The place is a mess, so I'll have to spend the rest of the time before our guests arrive cleaning up the joint. In addition, I have to prep dinner, load and start the dishwasher, gather up the trash, and light up the grill [something that makes me very nervous now that I have recently found out that we're not supposed be doing it according to our lease]. I am also out of clean underwear, so I have to throw a few loads of laundry in as well. Needless to say, I'm fairly busy over the next couple of hours getting ready/stuff together [though I do manage to catch PTI live while working].

Shannon gets home around 5:45 and immediately sets about getting some cookies made; she's going to make cookie ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Tom and Betsy show up around 6:45, and dinner is finally ready around 7:15. We chit chat and enjoy dinner, afterwards we [as couples] play each other in Trivial Pursuit DVD edition. Shannon and I make a miraculous comeback to steal the victory. After that, we watch some world championship eating competition on ESPN and chit chat some more, before Tom and Betsy head out shortly after 9:00.

Now it's time finish cleaning up after dinner, I load up and start the dishwasher again, gather up the stinky trash [chicken bones and corn cobs], and put the grill away. Mt dad called a few times while Tom and Betsy were here, so I call him back to check in and see what's up. After that I call up Jeff to chat and tell him to return my Sopranos season 2 DVDs that he’s had for a while when he comes up next weekend.

During the call, Shannon informs me that she’s not feeling so hot, and instructs me to get her some Pepto. So I get dressed and head over to CVS, wrapping up my call with Jeff on the way. I get home, give Shannon her medicine, and we watch the first half hour of "The Fugitive" before heading to bed.