Labor Day 2021

 

Well, I was able to celebrate Labor Day authentically and unapologetically, because now I am employed again! Well, will be, in two weeks.

But more on that later, much, much later (if at all).

How was our Labor Day holiday down here in Dallas, our first holiday in the new home?

Not bad. In fact, pretty darn good.

The girls had both Friday and Monday off, giving them, in effect, a well-deserved four day weekend. And to reward all their hard work these past three weeks – adjusting to new schools, new schedules, new studies, new sports – the Mrs. decided to enable their newest obsession: Thrifting! On both Friday and Monday they disappeared for five or six hours. Friday to go to this giant outdoor flea market thing, and Monday to hit three or four area thrift stores. My girls have great, well-defined styles, and they know exactly what to look for when they’re out thrifting. But the big surprise had to be Little One snagging a Huffy bike – looks like it was mint in 1970 – for $60 cash. A great way to celebrate her learning how to ride a bike a few weeks ago (she, at age 16, is a late starter …).

Friday night we journeyed out to the local bar & grill to celebrate the job offer acceptance. I was craving some wings, and I had ’em, too, first wings in nearly two months. Washed it down with two giant mugs of ale. Little One revealed to me she had just listened to Led Zeppelin II, and that resulted in a long conversation of the pros and cons of what I am trying to convince her: that Zep was the greatest rock band that ever existed.

Saturday was errands. Since Texas is big, there seems to be a half-hour drive between stops. So we’ve been trying to cut down on the number of errands we run. I took the little ones with me in my new used 2015 Accord to the recycling center, then the trash center, then the local Krogers for sandwiches and snacks. You see, I was quite excited to watch the Texas game at 3:30. My brother-in-law is a huge Longhorns fan, and years ago he passionately encouraged me to watch them should we ever make it down to Dallas. So I’m here, I’m missing football, and since the NFL is anathema to me, I decided to check the game out.

2:30 came around and I had my chips, soda and sandwich ready. The Wisconsin – Penn State was finishing, with Wisconsin down 10-16 and looking to march downfield with a few minutes left.

Then, the cable went out.

Actually, our internet service went out.

Suffice it to be said it was not my finest hour. After 90 minutes troubleshooting the Indian techs – two of them – on the other side of the phone were unable to help. A technician would have to be called out. How soon? Earliest: Tuesday, 4 pm. To compensate for my trouble, they’d credit me … $10.

Well, it took a while to get the blood pressure back down to normal. And later that night I had to say several different versions of the Act of Contrition to assuage my guilty conscious.

But the day took a turn for the better. Patch and I went to a local volleyball court and practiced her serve for an hour. That translates close to a hundred serves. And it worked, as her over-the-net rate improved significantly. We drove to a nearby Chipotle to get dinner for everyone and I got myself two Modelo tall boys at a gas station. I drank them lovingly in the heat and humidity of my back patio and enjoyed the stars. Later, we all played a few rounds of Uno at the dining room table.

Sunday was a busy day. In the morning we went to our new church. Then my wife’s cousins came over to see the house and we all had some drinks and snacks. After they left the girls went out to toss the volleyball and ride bikes. I met two more of my neighbors while watching them ride around. I spent an hour doing dishes and cleaning up after the little party when the Mrs. took the girls out for ice cream.

Monday I had the day all to myself as the ladies were out thrifting. I walked in the morning, lifted some weights. Read over a hundred pages of Asimov’s The Stars, Like Dust, and finished it. I also started researching my new company. Had some wings for lunch, then went upstairs and hooked up the old DVD player. Ancient technology! Good thing we kept it. We wanted to end the girls four-day holiday with a family movie, but by the time they got back and we ate and they showered and got all ready for the upcoming week we only had time to slip in The Office Season One and watch the first two episodes.

All in all, a great weekend. Some minor downs but a lot of major ups.