(no subject)

The roof is done. They finished up around five. Scott didn't end up working late after all, so he came home in time to talk to the guys who'd done the work. They were happy to show off what they'd done. Scott is pleased by the solution to the venting problem. He thinks it's clever and likely to work even with our attic insulation. Of the other two companies we got bids from, one didn't mention venting at all, and the other proposed a solution that wouldn't work with our insulation (unlike the Neighborhood Roofing guy, he didn't bother looking in our attic). The one who offered a venting solution didn't bother including the cost in his bid, so it would have been an unpleasant surprise.

The one thing we need to get them back here for is that, when they replaced the pipe for the bathroom vent (something we wanted and signed off on. The old one was just a bit of dryer vent hose, not up to code, and it kept falling down), some debris got stuck in there. When we turn on the fan, it rattles around, and that bothers Scott and scares Cordelia. I haven't actually heard it yet, so I don't know how I feel about it.

I didn't have a phone number for the mother who was going to take Cordelia to practice, so I couldn't cancel. Scott was exhausted, and his shoulder was hurting a lot, so he was just as happy not to go to soccer practice. I feel like a bad mother. I should have asked for a phone number. I should have at least remembered the woman's name and/or her daughter's name. I was just so relieved to have a way to get Cordelia to practice that I blanked on getting details.

Scott wasn't up to actually going out for dinner, but he felt good enough to get carry out. We went to Zoup. Scott got chicken and dumplings soup and a toasted cheese sandwich. I got the chicken pot pie soup. It was nice to have something different. We didn't tell Cordelia what we did; she would have gotten upset to have missed it.

After dinner, Scott and I played a game called Paperback. It's a word formation card game. We weren't playing seriously. We'd have lost if we'd really been playing because there's a turn limit when one plays cooperatively-- One has five turns from the time a certain type of card is exposed to buy it. If no one does, the game ends, and the players lose. Since this was more about me figuring out how the game works, we didn't bother counting turns. We just worked at building words worth as many points as we could manage. The challenge of the game is that there aren't many vowels. Most of those available are either single use or on a card with a consonant. There are wild cards, but as the game goes on and one's deck grows bigger, the odds of getting a wild in one's hand go down.

I started a new hidden object game, Mystery Trackers: Four Aces. It's glitchy, too. A lot of the text boxes are blank, so I'm missing important information for going forward with the game. When I click on the hint button, I get a blank text box, so I'm on my own for figuring things out. I should complain about this one, too, even though it's more playable than the other game. I'm not sure what it is to have gotten two bad games in a row. I played ten games with no problems, apart from the one that I think defaulted to a hard setting instead of the casual play setting I prefer. Of course, six of those games were from the same production studio which seems to have high standards for quality. I may simply have gotten lucky. Still, I've played two other Mystery Trackers games, and they were both fine. I don't know.

(no subject)

Today, I tried two Adagio teas.

The first was the rooibos vanilla chai. This is the one uncaffeinated chai included in the chai sampler I bought. I don't always like rooibos teas. There's something in the flavor that doesn't work for me. That said, this one works. I didn't sweeten it because I didn't expect it to be bitter (and it's totally not). I let it steep for ten minutes, the maximum recommended time, and I don't regret that. I like strong flavors. Of course, there's enough cinnamon or something else in the tea that my tongue feels a little odd. Not in a really bad way, just noticeably. I'll see if Cordelia wants to try this. She might actually like it.

The second was the masala chai. The package for that recommended a five minute steep. I was hesitant because I don't like bitterness, but I suppose that the other ingredients (beyond the tea) require a longer steep. I was surprised when I tasted the resulting brew-- It wasn't particularly bitter. I decided to try it unsweetened. As the mug sat next to me, cooling, I got a strong scent from it; it smells a lot like tiger balm which leads me to think there must be a considerable amount of cloves in the blend (I haven't checked the bag to see if I'm right). The flavor isn't what I'm looking for in a chai.

(no subject)

Some time between now and the beginning of December, we have to shop for performance clothes for Cordelia. She's doing orchestra this year, playing viola, and that requires a certain type of clothes. They want a white shirt, preferably button down, and all black below the waist. We have the choice of a skirt (must be at least knee length) with tights and pants with black socks. I think Cordelia's current dress shoes are black as required, but we'll have to see (they may not even still fit). The sad part about all of this is that she'll wear all of this stuff twice if we're lucky (assuming it still fits come the spring concert), and she may need a different shirt anyway given the difference in weather between December and May.

As Cordelia was preparing for soccer practice last night, she put on her new soccer shoes and discovered that, with shin guards and soccer socks, they were too tight. Then we put them next to her old shoes and discovered that they were the same size. At least we've got the receipt and no game this weekend.

The shoes that have been pronounced too small were sevens. That's what I wear. That means Cordelia's feet are now bigger than mine. I don't think she realizes that yet. It will please her. She has ambitions to be taller than my 5'2". She's 5'0" now, so I expect she'll manage at least my height. Genetics might be on her side-- Scott's 6'2", and the women in his family are all several inches taller than I am. On the other hand, the tallest woman in my family (counting my grandmothers) is my sister who's 5'3". Who knows?

I have registered my LARP for UCon. I ended calling it Succession Plot which is accurate but uninspired. I simply decided that it was better to get the event in than it was to find exactly the right title. People will likely look more at the blurb and at the fact that it's a LARP than they will at the event title. Now all I have to do is send in our GM deposit. Hopefully the fact that I'm sending in Scott's registration at the same time won't confuse the UCon staff. It's unusual, but I did it last year, and it worked out.

We're hoping to get a room at the hotel for UCon again this year. Scott thinks we can afford it (as long as we don't look at how much money we owe Cordelia), and it really does make everything much easier. Cordelia likes the mini-vacation. I do hope, though, that it's warmer in the hotel room this year. Last year, I had to use my down coat as a blanket for Cordelia because the rollaway bed had really inadequate blankets. I think I'll encourage Scott to make the reservation this weekend. Well, I suppose I could do it. It would be hard because it requires a phone call, but I probably could manage it. I just might end up putting it off for several days first. Reserving early makes getting a room with a king sized bed more likely, and we really do need a king.