Thursday

I was the first person at the gym this morning. Another joined me about the time the front desk person came to unlock. The one today is my favorite and she let us in even though it was still 5 til. So I was in the pool by 8 and it was lovely. For most of an hour the pool wasn't crowded at all. Everybody had their own lane. Towards the end of my swim, however, activity picked up. People who were clearly regulars but not morning regulars. I didn't know any of them. Once showered and in the locker room getting dressed more swimmers were heading to the pool. I was glad to be done.

The locker room is at the back of the gym so to get out, you have to walk through the entire gym and it was shocking. The place was more packed that I had ever seen it. All 25+ treadmills/elliptical/stair machines were in use. Most other machines were also in use. The bike room had a nice population as did the studio.

Clearly 4 hours of open isn't enough!

I came home and fried eggs for breakfast. Yum. I have plenty of other food on hand and Instacart is delivering all the Chex Mix stuff between noon and 1. (I spent way too much time last night comparing all the delivery services. Two of them had enough of the same stuff I ordered to do a direct price/convenience test. Safeway was cheaper (less than 10% cheaper) BUT I would not get the stuff before Saturday and with a 4 hour window.) The Instacart delivery cost $150 a year to join (I'm using a free trial).

I think I'll be going back to getting off my ass and out the door for my groceries.

I need to make a new holder for my credit cards and a new pouch for my sunglasses. I figured out new schemes for both while swimming this morning. So I think I'll put those schemes to the test. And then make dolls. This afternoon there will probably be some Chex Mix Makin'. I saved enough of the good stuff from the bake sale so I can test and adjust my own recipe.

Delivery tolerance level too high

When my parents lived in Manhattan, we all learned about deliveries and how fabulous they were. Especially groceries. Having grown up in the land of station wagons and shopping centers, a big grocery trip was a nothingburger. But, in Manhattan, a big grocery trip was a huge deal of planning and queuing and then when it was all done, getting the stuff home (and, in a small Manhattan apartment, finding a place for all of it).

At the A&P nearest us in mid-town Manhattan, my Mom was best friends with Jerry, the delivery guy. She'd go first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. Buy everything she needed and then later that day, Jerry would deliver it all. It was a good system.

When HomeGrocer.Com appeared on the scene I used them constantly. I loved them.

And now we have so many options. But, I'm over delivery, I think. I tried Instacart because I got a free delivery coupon. Well, free except for the 10% service fee and the delivery tip (15%) recommended. So... not free at all. (Normally you pay them $150 a year PLUS the 10% service fee and the recommended 15% tip.)

I 'shopped' yesterday. Delivery window noon-1. I got a text at 11:45 saying they were making substitutions and if I didn't want them, to text them right away. I did and immediately got a response that I was too late. WTF?

So out of 10 items I got 8 I wanted and 2 I did not. The delivery guy was pleasant enough and figured out the front door buzzer system (which is obvious but most delivery people don't get it even with instructions). He was here within 5 minutes of the start of the hour delivery window. I'm glad to have the stuff.

After I bitched they gave me credit for the wrong items BUT it is account credit so I can only access it if I use them again which I'm not going to. Lesson learned. Instacart, you are an uninstall.

On the up side, I feel better now, about doing my own shopping and, I'll tip myself 20% cause I am that good.

And NOT jumbo!

I have a thing about jumbo eggs. I love them. I always get them instead of any other size. I eat at least one egg every day and when a jumbo gives me two yokes, it feels like the lottery.

Instagram guy brought me large instead of jumbos. Really??? So, to recap. 10 items ordered. 7 delivered correctly.

Now I am moving on. I made my little purse items. I'd found some pajama pants with large cuffs in my fabric stash. They came from the free shelf in the garage. One of those cuffs is not my credit card holder! And part of the leg is now a sweet little folding sunglass holder with a little earbud compartment. I carry the smallest pocketbook on the planet. There's no room for a proper wallet. I constantly evaluate what's in there. It must be critical and small. I'm good for now.

I found this picture in the camera that I took at the computer museum. It's now my phone wallpaper.



My house smells like Chex Mix. I made up a regulation size batch BUT then measured out the dry parts for another two batches so I could flatten the boxes and pack up all the paper for the recycle bin. Now I have two more whole batches nearly ready to be born!



And I cut out a bunch of dolls and organized some fabric so that the room is tidy and I can easily select new doll bits. I need to make some more faces. I think I have enough for the rest of the dolls this month but it may be tight.

I did get one finished. And now I'm going to watch an episode of Black Mirror.