Today was an okay day.

Last night, I ate dinner at about 11pm, I noticed a layer of dust had returned to my bedroom, so (with a little disinfectant and warm water in a bucket), I wiped down the hard surfaces in my bedroom. I used the Swiffer Sweeper to remove the dust from the floor, then I used the bucket of water and disinfectant to mop the floor. I showered and was in bed by 1am.

This morning, I got up about 7:20am. I took the Metro-North into Manhattan for the blood tests. I arrived at the medical center about 9:15am. I waited about 30 minutes before I had my blood taken. The nurse's bedside manner was a bit rough, but she handled the needle very nicely, I barely felt it going in, and I didn't feel it when she changed tubes and removed the needle. I flinched when she was about to reach for the bandage (the needle was already out). I really don't like needles, but this time it was okay.

Okay, I was finished and out of the medical center. My first impulse was to return home and wait for the time for me to leave again for my driving lesson. Even though there are dozens of things that I could have done to kill the time until it was time for my driving lesson, but my mind just went blank. I am a creature of habit, if something isn't written down or presented, I will usually fall back to the familiar, sitting and waiting.

When I couldn't make up my mind, I just started walking, hoping something would come to me. What came to me, was breakfast. I wanted to eat something healthy, but after passing a couple of Spanish restaurants, I fell back to the familiar, I returned to the place I went to yesterday. I ordered pancakes and beef sausages. I also ordered a medium milk and orange juice($8.00). After breakfast, I was at the 163rd street train station (the entrance is nextdoor). It took me a few minutes, but I finally made up my mind. I decided to go to the museum. A few weeks ago, I bought a few credit card size maps that fit in my wallet. Those maps are great! I should have gotten the bus map, but I thought I would not need it. The maps I have are: subway, Central Park, midtown, and downtown. Anyway, I decided on the museum. I wanted to see the Mythical Creatures exhibition.

I arrived at the museum at about 11am. I told myself that I should leave the museum at 1pm to be at the meeting place (Lehman College in the Bronx) on time (2pm). The "suggested" admission price was $18 not including the special "Creature" exhibition. The cheapskate in me came to the surface. Since I would only be in the museum for a couple of hours, I did not want to pay $18, so I paid $10. I stayed in the African and Asian areas until 1pm.

I arrived at the meeting place with one minute to spare. Since the guy was not there, I made use of the public bathroom. When I returned to the meeting place, the guy was there. The guy was there in a very old car. Duct tape on the break peddle, junk in the back seat, broken knobs on each of the two-door locks. Broken knob on the gearshift. Oh and a upside-down steering wheel. The car was bought second-hand "a few years ago".

Okay, guessing game.

What year was the car bought?


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I'll make it easier for you. Give me a decade.


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Time's up!


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1972

The driving experience was okay, but not very good. It was strange. The guy was more uptight with the junkmobile than he was with the company car. The guy insisted that I use the balls of my foot on the middle of the the break peddle (even if it meant sitting at a 45 degree angle). And, the steering wheel could not be turned completely because "it (the car) would make strange sounds". Oh, and the gearshift marker in the dashboard would only point between the labels, so reverse was located between the N and the R. And finally, the guy was charging me more than I paid for the 45 minute lesson in the company car($25). He told me that he would give me a good deal. He told me the good deal was 1/3 of what the company was charging. He told me the company usually charged $30 for an hour lesson. He charged me $28. Maybe he meant to say he would charge me $3 dollars less, but then wouldn't that by $27.

At the end, the guy told me how future lessons would be along the routes students would take to go to work, and how we would be practicing on the highways. I didn't say anything, but I knew I would not be calling this guy again.

After the lesson, the bus going to Yonkers just happened to stop it front of where the junkmobile was parked. I got on the bus, and another stroke of luck, the Westchester buses were now taking Metro cards, so I was able to use my unlimited Metro card. Unfortunately, the bus turned into a cell phone call club. I was in the back of the bus. There were 4 people talking on their phones (about nothing -- in my opinion). The bus making the usual bus noises, only encouraged the talkers to talk louder.

When I arrived at downtown Yonkers, I went shopping. I bought a fitted sheet for my futon/couch. The blanket was making me sweat. I bought a beach towel to cover the moon chair in my bedroom. I can wipe down the hard surfaces, but there is not much I can do about dust accumulation on the chair, so with the beach towel on the chair, when I am in a cleaning mood, I can just wash the towel. I also bought a half gallon of skim-milk. The gallons were due to expire tomorrow. A couple of weeks ago, I bought milk from the local bodega. Now, I always check the expiration date. I always go by the NYC date because it is a day or two earlier. Anyway, the problem was that I'd forgotten the date. I thought I had the date correct, but it turned out, I bought the milk that was already expired...by three days! One of the down sides to a long vacation, the days bleed and run into each other.

I was planning to walk back, but I started getting aches in my mid region, so I decided to take the Metro-North back.

When I returned, I decided to do a blog entry now, because I knew I would not be in the mood to do one later. Before doing my blog, I loaded the typing program on my computer and took the skills test. My level was "touch and type" (means I can type mostly without looking at the keys).

Well, I think that is about it. I think I will play another game of solitaire on my computer (I'm getting a bit addicted to that game). My solitaire skills are poor, but it is still enjoyable. I am currently at the 52% in terms of wins. After solitaire, I will eat dinner (most likely frozen chicken, frozen vegetables, and rice all microwaved). After, I think I will set up my new PlayStation 2. I was about to buy a vertical stand on Amazon.com, but in a rare moment of willpower, I decided to wait until I open the box and see if I need to have the console vertical. The PS2 does not include any extras like the vertical stand.

Post Date - Saturday, August 18, 2007 7:59pm