“Maedhros laughed saying: 'A king is he that can hold his own or else his title is vain.' "

[dorchadas]

Good and bad news right away. The good news is that I refinanced my home today, dropping the interest rate from 3.75% to 2.875%. I've only owned it for less than a year, so this will save me something like $40,000 over the lifetime of the loan! The actual process was just as annoying as it was last time, with everything seeming to take place at the last second and with Guaranteed Rate having to send a person over to my home to sign the documents, but it all worked out in the end, even with the surprise $688 dollar extra charge that we had to track down the reason for. The reason is interest. Interest accumulates really fast on a six-figure sum.

The bad news is that adult Jew camp was cancelled thanks to the climbing rates of plague. I was expecting this--honestly, I'm surprised it hadn't happened sooner--and I was almost definitely going to cancel myself if they hadn't cancelled it for me, since while most of the events were taking place outdoors, lodging was inside in cabins. Maybe I'll go next year!

I'm thinking about the indoor/outdoor thing lately as I read that Chicago's beaches won't open soon, which is hilarious in line of how many people I've seen at the beach every time I've gone. Last Saturday, I went to the lakefront with britshlez and arsduo, to the path that was destroyed by the winter storms and still hasn't been repaired, which has formed little tide pools by the border of the swollen lake, because in the sun and the sea wind and the heat, the danger from the plague is reduced to almost nothing. But apparently for the mayor, opening indoor bars is okay but opening the lakefront isn't? She talks about making decisions based on the science right up until beach-goers don't provide extra tax revenue, and that means that plague-ridden indoor dining comes back. We've been doing very well in Illinois so far, but I'm looking forward to the rising numbers now that people are crammed into spaces with recirculating air together. All those articles about coronavirus spread with photos of beaches are eye-catching, and editors probably want an excuse to run women in bikinis, but the real photos should be lines to get into bars.

Go to the beach, not to a bar.

sashagee is coming tonight for her weekend (Thursday and Friday)! Last week I took Thursday off and had Friday off due to Independence Day, but this week I'll be working. She's planning on bringing her PS4 and playing FFXV, so I'll finally see how Noctis and the bros' roadtrip ("bro-dtrip"?) goes!


Went and got this early due to the mortgage signing, which meant I had to stand in line for a few minutes in the hot sun. I feel really bad for the haredi Jewish guy and his wife that were waiting in tzniut dress. Even if they were used to it, they must have been sweating to death.

Cauliflower curry coconut soup from Karl's Craft Soup, topped with fresh oregano from Piscasaw Gardens and the last of the leftover broccoli greens from Wild Coyote Farm. On the side is habanero jack distributed by the Stamper Cheese Company and a country loaf from Lost Larson with cherry preserves from Hillside Orchards.

The biggest expense at the farmer's market is buying new vegetables, since meat keeps--I have leftover burgers from two weeks ago and a leftover tikka sausage from last week in my fridge right now. The first week I got a pre-made meal, and this time I really wanted a soup, so I went with one that sounded like it had a bunch of veggies in it. Putting in the herbs and greens was kind of a mistake, I think--I was expecting a chunky soup with some texture, and as you can see, it was actually a purée, so the smooth, coconuty soup was constantly interrupted by stuck-in-your-teeth greens. It tasted delicious, but the texture was distracting.

The bread was amazing, though. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, good with the cherry preserves, good with the spicy hummus I tried it with, probably good with butter, good with everything. I'm definitely going to be getting that again.

The cheese was spicy and good. I think it'd make a great grilled cheese sandwich.

Apple apricot crostata from Letizia's Natural Bakery, with store-bought vanilla ice cream. Dessert from a farmer's market is harder, since I'm not going to make it myself, though there are some options I haven't explored yet.

I don't think this was the best choice I've made. It was much more crust than fruit, and while it was good warmed up and with vanilla ice cream, it seemed basically like putting ice cream on a sugar cookie. I also ate too much of it--I should have eaten half of the crostada and saved the rest of it for later. Not bad, but not something I'd get again.


neilworms has been doing a series of Anime Deep Dives on Discord, and last night I watched 走れメロス / Run, Melos!, a film based on the book of the same name, about the tyrant of Syracuse and two friends, one of whom is accused of treason and sentenced to death and the other of which takes his place in order to allow the first to attend his sister's wedding. In the Anime Chicago Spring Sampler, we watched an anime called 文豪とアルケミスト / Bungo and Alchemist that heavily referenced Run, Melos!, so neilworms put it on the schedule. It was...hmm. I thought it was a fine story, but nothing special. On the other hand, unlike most Japanese children, I haven't read the book it was based on, so there's no nostalgia there. I'm glad I watched it, but I wouldn't seek it out again.

Book club just finished, so now it's off to prep for when sashagee gets here!

Comments

[helvetica]

Congrats on your mortgage!!! That's such an awesome deal for you :)

I loved Final Fantasy XV!!! I couldn't get enough of it

[dorchadas]

Thank you! I took the money I'm saving and started socking it away in my 401K so I can be fiscally responsible. Maybe the world will end before I retire, but it's not like I have room to store bullets and rations here anyway.

FFXV is half off on Steam but I keep being hesitant about pulling the trigger...I hear so many mixed opinions! What did you like so much about it?

[tuulentupa]

All that food looks so delicious it's almost making me hungry...

apparently for the mayor, opening indoor bars is okay but opening the lakefront isn't?

That kind of logic just about break my brain. >_>

[dorchadas]

Only almost? I'll have to take better pictures next time!

Yeah...I can only assume it's about tax revenue from businesses, since by law all Chicago beaches are free. There's no other reason that makes sense.

[tuulentupa]

Well, it was after midnight, I had eaten very well that night, and I was about to go to bed, so maybe that's to be blamed rather than the quality of your pics. xD I could take that crostata right now though, I just ate but there's no dessert...