Errands and Around Town

Tuesday 12/27

I’m taking Dawn around town today to show her the animal shelter and the IKEA store, and take her to lunch at Firehouse Subs. Our first stop is the animal shelter where I introduce her to Patsy Porter, the volunteer coordinator. Patsy is cordial to Dawn and I, but I can tell she is busy (as usual) so I keep things short, and I volunteer for a couple of additional shifts, which she puts me down for. Afterward, I take Dawn to the cat condo and the cat general population area, and we get out several cats and kittens to play with, which is very much fun. Dawn especially likes this particular grey kitten, and wants me to follow up to see whether it gets adopted.

We leave the shelter. It’s about lunch time now and we are getting kind of hungry. There’s a Jiffy Lube right on the way, and the Prius needs an oil change, so I stop for their standard $39.95 oil change, and it ends up costing me $91 with tax because I need a couple of air filters, one for the engine, and the other for the cabin, and those run me about $25 apiece. I know there’s a HUGE markup on those for Jiffy Lube, but I know it’s been ages since I’ve changed them, so I go ahead. There’s a 7-11 quickmart right next door, so I also fill up with gas, which runs me $30.

Next, we head over to the Firehouse Subs on Kirkman Ave. and I introduce Dawn to my favorite sub there, the “New York Steamer” sub, which is corn beef, pastrami, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, and dressing, all on a chewy sub roll. They steam the sub, prior to putting on the lettuce, tomato, and dressings (like all their subs) so the meat and bun are warm, and the cheese is all melty. We get the big 12-incher and split it, along with a medium drink, and Dawn gets to try out the big “Fantasy Coke Machine,” which dispenses 121 different kinds of soda and drinks. She agrees the sub is very yummy, and I’m sure Firehouse Subs will do very well in Wisconsin when they eventually arrive (the closest ones right now are in the Chicago area). While we are eating our subs, I notice a minivan out in the parking lot all decked out with "Five Hour Energy Drink." And sure enough, not five minutes later, in walks this chick who is stacked to the moon, and she starts handing out free samples of the energy elixir. Dawn and I both accept one. I have never tried this stuff, believing it to be yet another variation on snake oil, and whatever energy boost is experienced after swallowing this stuff is based largely in one's head. But I'll give it a try. Dawn and I have a little laugh about "this is how it starts," referring to the cocaine dealers who give first-time users "just a little taste" for free to get them hooked! At least these little bottles are "only" $2.99 apiece. (I wonder what they cost to make? .... About 2 cents apiece?)

From there, we drive back to the Millenia Mall area and spend the greater part of the afternoon in the IKEA store, including a stop in their cafeteria for an afternoon snack. Dawn has never been to an IKEA store before, so this is all new to her and she agrees with me that it’s a great concept to create this “one stop shopping” place for all your interior decorating needs, from rooms full of furniture and appliances, right down to the silverware and plastic plants. It is very crowded in the IKEA store, as well as the entire Millenia Mall. What the hell is everyone buying?

We go back to the condo and both of us go down for a little nap. But then we awake and wonder what to do for dinner. After some deliberation, we decide to drive to Kissimmee and eat at Tarintino’s (T's) for a little trip down memory lane from last winter. I believe I patronized T’s FOUR times last winter, between visits from Dawn, (sister-in-law) Julie, (brother and sis-in-law) Curt and Karen, and myself. The traffic west on I-4 is horrendous. I find out later that all the theme parks (Universal, the four main Disney parks) have all set records this Christmas week for attendance. I believe the news said that some of the parks had even reached capacity and had to turn some visitors away. No recession here I guess. Anyway, we eventually make it to Kissimmess and T's, and and we each order a custom 10-inch pizza and a side salad. (Pizza is about the only thing on the menu we HAVEN'T tried, and it always looks so good that we decide we must try it.) The meal is delicious. The pizza crust is fabulous. Everything is worth the trip. We find out that Leilani, the cute little hostess that worked there the winter before and gave us hugs, is no longer working at T’s, but has gone back to school. Good for her. There’s no future in being a hostess at a restaurant. We stop at a Publix market in Kissimmee on the way back because I am out of eggs and bacon, and we also pick up a slice of Tiramasu in the bakery to take back to the condo for dessert. Dawn also finds a pair of genuine Dearfoam slippers on sale for $6, and she is very happy about that.

The traffic back is not nearly so horrendous. Back at the condo, I make a French press of decaf coffee, and we split the Tiramasu from Publix. While it is edible, it’s not the greatest, so we just each eat a few bits and toss the rest. No big loss, as the dinner was fabulous. We should have taken a slice of T’s Tirmasu’s to go (it’s homemade). We’ll know better next time.

We hit the sack around 11 p.m. This is Dawn’s last night here; tomorrow I take her to the airport for her trip back home.

Expenses: Oil change/filters, $91; gas $29; lunch $11; snack at IKEA $10; dinner $45; groceries at Publix $10. Total: $196

Bruce