The insurance company approved the repairs and the parts are ordered, now the waiting game.
Zu texted and she is coming home a day early as one of her traveling companions is suffering from an inner ear problem. I assume Zu will do most of the driving, but she is anxious to get Tinker on familiar ground.
My bachelor days are over; she will be back tomorrow night. None too soon, if you ask me.

I thought Iwas finished with the car but a routine service found a missing bracket and a damaged motor mount. They had the car 53 days, swore it was as good as new, and now they are waiting for the insurance company to come by 'in the next 48 hours" to inspect it. Just in time for it to sit over the weekend. When the insurance company approves the supplemental repair,it well take a day to order the parts and a day to install them. I won't see it until next Wednesday or Thursday. The defective parts caused a "Clunk" eachj time the motor mount flexed or jarred over a speed bump.
It is hard to trust any worker these days; so many times sloppy or inadequate work is acceptable. I wish dealers could be replaced by a corner garage where you knew the mechanic and he knew you.

Well, Zu left for Florida this morning; she's travelling with two friends. I got an indication when the friends showed up with pillows and plans to sit in the back seat and snooze all the way there. They took enough snacks and pillows and games and books to stay forever. I have the feeling that Zu is going to drive most of the time. They all met at the census of 2000 and have been friends ever since. Me, I'm "Home Alone" for the next week. I have a few chores to run and there is always the casino; who knows. Keep your fingers crossed on me losing my mind in the next week.

We decided to trade off my birthday for a family reunion Saturday. The reunion was wonderful with family and good food. The reunion was held on a 20 acre farm owned by Vanessa and her husband. We were going to celebrate my birthday Sunday afternoon with our daughter and her husband and John and Tracey. Sunday morning, while in the shower, my wife comes and drags me out, telling me to get dressed and come into the living room as my "birthday present" was being delivered. It was Rob. Our son had driven in from Manhattan [ driving all night] to surprise me. I was without words. I won't get to see him at Thanksgiving or tr Christmas, so I was resigned to waiting until sometime in February to see him. It is/was the best present I could get.
Even though we talk once a week, there is no substitute like looking in his eyes or seeing his reactions to reassure us that he is OK.

It's been a while. I returned to "work" today as an educational consultant. It sounds fancy, but it was a small job for an old friend at St. Catherine's College. It was the old "expert" role: I was 50 miles from home [although, I did not carry a brief case]. They were going through accreditation for the first time and I. in a prior life, worked for the state and was a visiting examiner for 12 other colleges and universities. So I gave them some ideas about what to expect in twp weeks. \It was raining or misting all the way down and back, bur I enjoyed the drive. Driving becomes almost automatic, and your mind can engage in other activities. I thought about my summers in Bardstown, at my aunt Margaret's; I thought about Brenda, her school, and how her life has changed. It was nice.
The stock market hit 10,000 + today and people are starting to talk like the light can be seen at the end of the tunnel; I hope they are right. It is interesting that the President won the Nobel Piece oops, peace. prize for what he says he will do. I've seen nothing but words and spending. Unemployment is higher, debt is greater, and he still keeps talking. I still hope what he promises comes true without destroying the nation or selling the next generation to China.
I recently got in contact with some old friends from PRP; long distance art teacher; a local English teacher; and an old friend who worked for the board. Funny how old friends are just that; catch up with events and, 5 minutes into the conversation, and they are just like they were years ago.
But, what the hay, I'm just an old man getting older who worries. I hit 66 in three days; am the participant in a government-run, single payer health system; and I'm on the government dole. Life is good.

So I went to Florida. Borrowed my niece's house in Destin and invited some friends to go with us. Found out that he is an alpha male and insisted on doing all the driving. Did some swimming; ate a lot of local oysters; and took a trip to Biloxi. We were in Biloxi in April just before Katrina hit there. The Grand was pushed from the shore line to 200 yards inland. After all this time, they are still rebuilding. The Grand converted a ballroom into a casino; small but nice. On the way back, we took the ferry across Mobile bay and went to our favorite restaurant in Gulf Shores.
It was nice to not to have to think about having to be back home for work. I guess this is really what retirement is all about. I recommend it highly.

State Fair

I went to the fair today. I have a food list for the fair with "A" selections and "B" selections. Every year, I eat a polish sausage with onions and peppers, followed by a pineapple whip. If I have time [I mean, if I stay long enough], I also have a funnel cake and some roasted almonds. I also have an "A" list for events. I go see the animals and the commercial exhibits.
I spent a lot of time today watching people. I noted a lot more young kids than before. I wonder if the economy or the day was to blame. I did notice that people are much nicer than at previous fairs. Families were friendly and all the vendors I met were the same way.
We used to go with bacon and tomato sandwiches; early to beat the regular prices; and visit all the free stuff. We would sign up for every thing and then spend the next six months dodging window salesmen. Now. just to get in and park costs more than we used to spend all day long. The fair is still a window to the real Kentucky. Not only the animals and the hams, but the people looking for a good time[cheaply] in hard times. Go if you can.