days gone bad. That’s how Wednesday went. Set the alarm, crank myself out of bed because I never sleep when I know I should. Must be the four year old in me…no wonder Riot and I relate so well. I made Las Vegas by 10 a.m. Meaning I was a few hours early for my dental appointment and that made me happy.

I went to an ATT store to bitch about a wireless laptop card that has decided to pick up some signal interference that makes it buzz most of the time. That all started in the last month, when I was in Vegas, up North at the reunion, and now out in Pahrump. Freaking irritating as hell. It’s not my regular internet hook-up, I still have the Motosat satellite system for my main pc work and poker play. I use the wireless network card on another pc in the event of an emergency.

I went by the RV park, where I spent a year and a half, looking for a plant that was part of my landscape and I only needed one piece of it as it spreads out flat to the ground and has a gorgeous little purple flower on it. There wasn’t much of anything left there that I had planted and I managed to find a few small sprigs of the one of I wanted that had survived under the edge of a shrub. I dug them out and put them in a plastic cup for the trip home. I was actually feeling damned pleased with myself by now, two tasks accomplished and right on time for the dentist.

Crown replacement done, molds made for a hard night retainer, out the door and on my way to the old digs. I had a project planned for replacing some drip watering gadgetry like pvc pipe, PSI reducers, and electronic control valves. It was hot, the sun was right where I needed to be…not to worry, I was going to punish my son Darian and force him to help me. Riot was racing around being his fun boy self and anticipating going to Grandmom’s house when we were done and mighty impatient that we were not already on the way.

We were also waiting for a company to show up that replaces windows. I had to have the front window replaced on the Steed due to two different hits it had taken from small cars with hydraulic rock throwers built into them. The back window of Darian’s truck had to be replaced due to lack of anger management. The company was due to show between 1:30-3:00 p.m. About 2:40 I called. There had been a mix-up…wait…no…they’ll be there soon.

I rolled the windows down part way in the Steed. The guys arrived and started window replacement therapy for the 2 trucks. “You can’t drive the truck for two hours. Leave the windows cracked for two days and don’t wash the truck.”

Around 7:30, Mr. Riot and I had to make a run to Home Depot. WTF? The windows in my truck wouldn’t move. A few phone calls, a bit of stress, and nothing was solved – they weren’t going up or down. The downside is that I don’t live in Vegas anymore…Riot and I had a plan…it was hot out…there’s no Ford dealership in Pahrump…Grandmom wasn’t a happy camper.

I semi got the drip watering stuff put together, leaving the rest of the outside hook-up to Darian, called for pizza delivery because at least one of us was starving…that would be me…got Riot’s stuff together and we got down the road about 9:30. Hot, wind blowing hot air in the open windows, noisy wind, irritatingly tiresome, off we went, up through Red Rock Canyon and dark night.

Riot loves to yell, turning it into a guttural scream type of growl that possibly the Hulk or some monster would emit. He let out a huge yell. I started laughing. I yelled back at him over the wind rush howling in, “This is one time you can yell all you want, OK?”

We both yelled, we laughed our butts off, I toned mine down a bit so I didn’t end up with a sore throat from it, he gave it 110 percent, every now and then throwing in, “Yook at me, Grandmom!”

I couldn’t see him in the blackness behind me, and my radio didn’t work, and the overhead light didn’t either.

We made home by 11:15. Phew! Nice to be out of the hot, windy Steed.

We settled in to play the Hulk on the Wii for a few hours, snack it up, and then hit Sandboy and Sandwoman land. Love that kid! All that screaming helped relieve some frustration!