I guess that's it until September 5

Just another thing to like about September, I suppose, as it's also a three-paycheck (2, 16, and 30) month.  Not that three-paycheck months have always been kind to me, but that's a story I'll save until later.  For now, it's back to the daily grind- and I'm not talking about coffee.  Then again, it is what it is and all there is to it is to make the best of it.  Beyond work, my step-grandson and I plan to go through the house and figure out what we want to donate of my deceased wife's stuff, mostly from the kitchen and bath as most of her items from the bedroom I've already sorted and boxed (as in put in boxes, not engaged in pugilistic encounters) and she didn't really have all that much in the living room. 

Blogged on the fourth of July... Random thoughts

1) I wonder what blogs would have looked like if they had them during the Revolutionary War?
2) Maybe it's just me, but fireworks aren't my thing.  I'd much prefer to witness a good thundershower myself.  Part of that may be that the latter are natural and a much rarer occurrence where I live.  Then again, being awakened/kept awake odd hours of the night might have something to do with it as well.
3) While I still like watermelon, it's not quite the treat it once was to me, either.  Maybe my tastes have changed, or that the old association of watermelon =  summer = vacation just doesn't work any more.
4) As for eating hot dogs... there's an activity I can get into.
5) I'm not starting to sound like Andy Rooney or Calvin Trillin, am I?
6) I'm trying to come up with a single Fourth of July memory that I and Lorena shared, but have been unable to do so.  Then again, I'm pretty much having trouble remembering anything that happened on this day for several years.  I suppose that growing accustomed to working most holidays tends to leave less room for memories on those days.

Finally, last but not least:

HAVE

A

HAPPY

FOURTH

OF

JULY!

Of Past Presents and the Past Future of Particular Pieces Thereof

Or, Gimme a Break, Gimme a Break... Wait! Belay That!

The quest for our one and only wedding present began in the living room of my father and step-mother with my step-mother returning after retrieving a plate¹ from a kitchen cupboard.  My wife and I were sitting on the sofa when she proceeded to drop the aforementioned plate¹ on the carpeted² floor.  Since we had not been forewarned of the whys and wherefores of her actions, my wife and I were shocked, SHOCKED, to find someone purposely dropping their own dishes in this manner since one would expect such an action would not end well for the plate¹, because E = mc^{2 3} or some other law of physics.  It turns out that it had been made by Corelle^®4, a leading manufacturer of glassware, dinnerware, and heart attacks sustained after watching someone drop one of his or her plates on the floor to demonstrate how break-resistant they are.  Seeing that dinnerware would probably as good a gift as other that my wife and I could think of, we accepted her offer to buy us some.  It was then that she told us that the closest Corelle outlet⁵ was in Gilroy, CA, about a 34 mile drive without traffic or 4 hour and 15 minute ride if one uses uses the Amtrak Thruway Connecting Service and then catches a local bus in Gilroy.  Since taking the Monterey-Salinas Transit 86 and then the (Santa Clara County) Valley Transportation Authority 17 would only take about 1 hour and 49 minutes, I'm guessing even that would be more popular than taking Amtrak for that purpose.  Either way, my step-mother drove us there, sparing us from having to find out for ourselves.  We eventually settled on several plates, bowls, and teacups, most of which had coral pink⁶ trim, while some of the plates had roses of the same or similar color⁶.
Note to anyone viewing this from the front page: feel free to ignore "And now the rest of the story" link at the bottom right.  There's nothing to see there.  Really.  Just move on to the next post.  Y'all come back now, ya hear?

The good, the bad, and the glasses

While the glasses I bought online probably wouldn't be ones I would buy in person at a brick and mortar, they aren't terrible. First, the negatives:

1. Not only are they not metal frames, but the plastic doesn't appear to be all that durable. I could be wrong, but, then again, I wouldn't stress test them to find out.
2. I don't like small frames as the tops and/or bottoms of the frames tend to get in the line of vision.  Also, anything in my line of vision that are above or below the frames aren't as sharp as objects viewed with the lenses and I find that annoying.
3. Progressive lenses are going to take some getting used to and I'm not certain I want to.  I'll give it a few days try before making a decision though.  However, I'm currently strongly considering seeing if I can get different lenses put in.
4. Looking at something while turning my head can be... interesting (as in "may you live in interesting times" type of interesting.)

Now, for the good:

1. They're cheap.
2. Polychromic lenses seem to work as advertised.
3. They're cheap.
4. They're better than having a pair of glasses that seem to be in constant danger of falling apart as long as I can get the lens issues worked out.
5. They're cheap.
6. They seem to function properly.
7. I would ask "Did I mention that they're cheap", but that tends to be overused, so I won't.  Forget I even mentioned it.

Jon Best's Groom's Guide to Planning a Wedding In Less Than One Week and On a Budget

I might not be Mary Fiore¹, but I can do in a pinch

1. Choose wedding date.  I've heard that the groom's birthday is an especially suspicious, I mean auspicious, date.
2. Have ring bought and marriage certificate arranged beforehand
4. Tell family, friends, and co-workers about wedding.  Financial tip: waiting until it's too late for people to RSVP makes buying and sending invitations unnecessary.
3. Tell family, friends, and co-workers² that you met a lady that you're considering marrying.  Wait... did I do that backwards?
5. Sometime during all of this, ask brother to be the best man and have him accept.
6. Have co-workers who refuse to go to the wedding if no (free) alcohol will be served.  Considering the wedding and reception will take place in a public park that prohibits such beverages, it's not really a choice.  Besides, such a move eliminates people who aren't there for the nuptials from attending and that's probably not all that great of a loss.
7. Although not absolutely necessary, having a father who has been a minister and knows someone who can perform the wedding (in Spanish and English, no less) certainly helps³.
8. Have step-mother willing to buy wedding cake and batteries for boom box to play music at reception.  Remember that it's only the latter that goes into the boom box.
9. On the day of the wedding, get up and get dressed, wife... I mean, bride (because she wasn't my wife yet) does the same and then prepares ceviche⁴ for the reception.  Besides the ceviche, I believe we also had tostadas and soft drinks.
   
   ⁵
10. Have co-worker who introduced you to each other do bride's hair and helps with her makeup.
11. Go to park (I'm 90% sure it was the McKinnon Neighborhood Park, but have a slight bit of doubt).  Did I see her before the wedding?  I believe so, but it's not like I believe in superstitions so it turned out ok after all.
12. Give a little time for anyone who wants to show up to do so.
13. Have wedding and don't mess up any lines.  Since I think all I had to say was "I do", that made it fairly easy.  Kiss the bride when minister gives the order.
14. Par-tay!  (Sorry, no bouquet or garter belt to toss)
15. Not know that one is supposed to pay the minister and have father volunteer to do so.  Have witnesses and minister sign form.
16. Cut the cake.
17. Have co-worker do the traditional (at least I guess it is in Mexico) smearing of a bit of frosting on my and my lovely wife's lovely nose (hers, not mine).
18. Get toasted with apple cider.
19. Get birthday card from father and step-mother.
20. That's pretty much it.  We took the remaining wedding cake home after that and lived more-or-less-happily ever (or at least until she died) after.

¹ Especially since I did not fall in love with the groom.
² If one of these co-workers happens to be the person who introduced you to each other, that's one less person you have to tell since she probably already knows.
³  And, yes, that does mean we did not have someone to perform the ceremony until a few days before the event.
⁴ Mexican sushi
⁵ Sorry, I couldn't find a ceviche⁴ recipe on YouTube in English.