Katie had homework tonight. It was the start of a measuring unit in the math book. She had to write down objects that you use to measure things.
Katie wrote down, in her meticulous handwriting, "R-U-L-E-R."
Chris suggested "Measuring Cup." That was a little harder for Katie to spell.
Next was "Tire Gauge." My wife had to explain the what that measured.
I turned to the ladies on the loveseat and suggested "Brannock Device."
My wife was not amused.
My refrigerator makes this really loud rattling growl when its compressor starts to cool its contents. Chris and I have been expecting it to die any day now, because it is not a healthy sound. I’ve even got a Best Buy 10% off coupon at the ready under a fridge magnet. I’m just daring it to die.
I’m sure it is waiting until after the coupon expires in two weeks, but in the meantime it is taunting me. The automatic ice maker stopped making ice earlier this week. While I’m definitely a “write-a-check” kinda guy, I figured I’d attempt fixing the ice maker myself because, I’m not about to pay to fix an ice maker in a fridge with an uncertain future. And if I failed, it was another excuse to replace the entire thing.
I dug out the ice maker installation guide from basement. The water line into the back appeared to be in good shape, so I emptied the freezer of food, took out the racks out, and unmounted the ice maker. Behind the ice maker was a little panel with an inlet pipe blocked with solid ice. I could also see, peeking out of the panel, a block of ice behind the back freezer wall where some overflow water had frozen. I had to take apart the freezer back panel before I could take a hair dryer to melt everything.
With the water line restored, I put everything back in place and I wiped up the blood from a cut on my middle finger I received in the process.
The nine-year-old swordfish did not make it back into the freezer.
I rarely go on eBay. After about five years, my feedback score is a whopping 11 transactions.
I do however use eBay when the going price elsewhere is more than I want to spend. I was looking for a car charger for my cell phone and somebody had an auction for a new one last week. The guy was throwing in a holster for the phone too. And I had the winning bid of $0.01. Yes, one penny.
But this morning I was fiddling with the holster and, at a weak point in the plastic, it broke.
A half a penny wasted.
Yesterdar was Claire's Gotcha Day. It was three years ago in China that we became her parents. Although we plan on celebrating the event next weekend, we mentioned it to her yesterday.
While Marissa and Katie are well aware of the day's meaning, Claire thinks it is the day she'll get one of these pocket-sized trinkets, just like her big sisters.
