I haven’t updated supafly.com over the last few weeks because I’ve been inundated with the busyness of life. Here’s my drama:

Thinking About Cars

I had “scheduled service” done on my car and Candyce’s car over the span of two weeks. This was unpleasant. Car owners have a complex relationship with mechanics. Mostly, it comes down to the fact that people don’t like to spend money repairing/maintaining a car they already pay for each month. (Not to mention the fact that we pay for insurance as well.) Plus we’ve all heard horror stories about how greedy mechanics scare you into doing work that doesn’t need to be done.

So when it is your turn to stand in front of the auto repair shop as the mechanic preaches about the hell and damnation waiting for the car owner who refused to be saved,  you can’t help but feel like discouraged. Why me?! Why now?! Although I understood in my head why I had to pay out $1500 to keep our cars running strong, that didn’t mean I had to like it. The only way I can make myself feel better is to imagine we avoided a massive mechanical overhaul that would cost us $5000. That’s a savings of $3500.

Restoring the Kitchen Floor

Eighteen months ago, my dad and I laid the travertine tile in the living room, dining room, and kitchen at the beginning of the massive remodel of the first floor of my home. We had to work fast so my brother could install the baseboards, door casings, and finish the kitchen island. The end result? My brother’s trim work looks great, and our grout job looked uneven and sloppy. After a year-and-a-half of living with this ugliness, I recruited my brother-in-law to help me make all things new.

We cleaned the kitchen floor with soapy scrub brushes and the shop vac. Then we did it again, and again, and again. There was a lot of dirt that had settled in the natural “craters” within the stone tile. If we left that dirt no the floor, our grout wouldn’t adhere and we’d have another problem to deal with down the road. Then we floated grout, let it dry, and then sponged off the excess. I woke up every three hours through the night to put on coats of sealer/polish. By morning, the kitchen floor was so smooth and shiny I wanted to ice skate. Next step? Fix the tile in the dining and living rooms. (See July 2009)

Robber!

I am sad to say that I was not apart of this next story because I was out of town. The location: Seattle Espresso, Tempe. The crime: robbery. A punk kid grabbed the tip jar from the counter and bolted out the door. Richard, the emo-Jesus barista, sprinted out the door and down the sidewalk. Four hundred yards later, Richard is gaining on the thief and shouts to him, “I can do this all day!”

The chase halted 100 yards later when the robber was blocked by a busy street. Now just steps away, Richard shouted a few curse words and yanked the jar from his hands and marched dutifully back to the coffee shop. Richard was greeted by a long line of confused customers. He placed the tip jar firmly where it belonged on the counter, then turned to first customer in line and started taking orders like the whole “I just chased a crook thing” never happened. What a rock star.

Mother’s Day

I wanted to treat Candyce to a tour of the Queen Creek Olive Mill because she’s addicted to olives and sometimes you just have to feed the fire. But they didn’t offer tours on Mother’s Day.

Plan B it is. Candyce, Norah, and I ran 4 miles on the Tempe Canal. What a beautiful run! Later in the morning, Candyce and Norah put on fancy dresses and sun hats and we drove downtown to have lunch at Postino Central. We hung out at Lux and then explored Haus before heading back home to Tempe.

Traveling

We made a last minute decision to hitch a ride with John out to San Diego to surprise Candyce’s family. I enjoyed lounging in the backyard and reading Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company, a book Jeff gave me for Christmas. Did I mention Life Teen had a staff retreat in Georgia earlier this month? It was fun to have our staff from around the country come together again. Plus, I got to see Mom, Dad, and Grammy. I’m excited to get back to Georgia in next week.

Now it’s time to get along with my day.