My day, so far.....

Well, I woke up this morning knowing that thanks to the folks at AMAZON.com, I would have to drive to Jax to get the correct ink for my printer. I usually get it via the on-line site for Office Depot. This time, when I was about to run out with the next semester starting Monday, I figured I would check out AMAZON.com for a price check. Turned out they were maybe $7.00 or $8.00 dollars cheaper on $75.00 worth of Epson ink. Given my nothing but positive experiences with AMAZON heretofore, I figured I would give them the business. Well, when I inputted my brand and model number, up popped a page of unfamiliar looking cartridge packages. Fortunately, or so I thought, just before you placed your order, this pop-up screen, labeled "Will this work in my printer" popped up. It was as if they had read my mind. Once again, I inputted the make and model number of my printer, then hit "GO." Bingo! It came back with "Yes, this ink will work in your printer." So, I ordered it. That was a week ago. It finally got here yesterday - unusually slow for AMAZON. After I had already opened a couple of cartridges, I discovered that, in fact, my printer would not "recognize" any of them. Because I had taken out the empty black cartridge, I now was unable to print the damned post-paid shipping label to return the wrong cartridges. Hence, today's trip and the forking out of another $80.00 some odd dollars at an Office Max down by the airport. Well, seeing as how I was going anyway, it was as good a time as any to take my good rug down to Jax for a professional cleaning. Found a rug shop in San Marco run by a father -son team who I think are from Pakistan. Eighty bucks; ready in six days. Multi-tasking, I took a huge box with all of my size 10 & 1/2 shoes - about 25 pairs - from before my illness. Now, they will not fit over my braces. I dropped them by the I.M. Shulzbacher Center, a homeless service center, just behind the Jax sheriffs office and jail complex downtown. When I was there dropping off the shoes, if there was one person in line outside for the noon feeding, there had to be between 250 and 300. Many were of course the hard core homeless - the obviously mentally defective or mentally ill and the substance abusers. But there were also some cognitively more or less normal looking folks there too, including what appeared to be whole families. There were about a half dozen old men in ratty manual wheelchairs. It certainly brought home again what I've long known - that I was extremely fortunate that my illness was covered not only by Social Security but by Workers' Comp as well. Not to mention that the Gullain-Barre only effected my peripheral nerves and not my central nervous system. If you ever get a chance to donate to the I.M Schulzbacher Center, please do. They do good work for thousands in a years time. On the way down town, I had stopped off at that shopping center near the airport (well, at the airport exit, anyway) to buy the ink. That's when I noticed that they have a Red Lobster there. Made a point of stopping in on my way back. I think it was the first time in a Red Lobster in about 20 years. Got there about 1300. Lots of cars in the lot but plenty of room and wait staff inside huge facility. Off of the fresh fish du jour luncheon menu, I had the luncheon sized slab (about the size of my hand - and I wear extra large surgical gloves) of fresh, Atlantic salmon, cooked over a wood fire. The menu did not say what kind of wood, but it was definitely not mesquite, hickory, or pecan. I think I heard somewhere that a lot of these restaurants use apple wood, but I'm not sure. At any rate, it was my first "wood cooked" anything other than barbecue. It was quite good. The wood smoke flavor accented the salmon without overpowering the salmon and the seasoned butter it was basted in. With a little fresh squeezed lemon juice it was delicious. It was preceded by a nice house garden salad served with hot, killer biscuits slathered in a seasoned garlic butter. The entree came out with steamed broccoli florets and the signature Red Lobster, salt-encrusted, cannon-ball baked potato. Unsweetend iced tea to drink. The whole meal was delicious. It came to $14.00 and change. A bit pricey for everyday lunch, but a nice treat. And it's only a 20 minute ride. On my way out, I decided to clothes shop for next semester. I spotted one of those Ross stores. I had heard of them, but never been in one. Never will again. On average, the duds the folks were wearing in the noon feeding line looked better than the new offerings at a Ross store. Went over to the Walmart. If ours is a Super Walmart, that one must be a Super, Super Dooper Walmart. There is no doubt in my mind that our current Walmart would fit inside of that one with room to spare. In point of fact, I think that there is a goood chance that our old Walmart would fit in there as well. Time for more chow and a little national news. Later.