A post in which it is ridiculously hot

I was up early today because well, I just don't sleep in any more.  But I got on up because Jeff was coming this morning.  I had coffee and a ciggie on the porch, and texted back and forth with him about directions and things.  I also tried to get in touch with Russ and Billy.  No answer.  I had called Jeff to see if he thought I would be a horrible person if I went on to the flea market with them, and he told me to go with a clear conscience.  Since they weren't responding  I went on out into the yard and started in while I waited for him to get here.

Jeff pulled up and I went through what needed doing with him.  I worked out there for an hour or so before calling it quits.  I just don't have the puff any more.  Plus the problems with my feet and legs just keep me from doing everything I want.  Not that I really wanted to do this, but it had to be done. 

Jeff worked his ass off.  I kept the cooler of ice water full, and checked on him every now and again.  He scared me half to death by slicing his finger open just as we got started.  He came in the house bleeding all over, but I got him bandaged, and he gamely went right back out.  He didn't stop for lunch. 

I finally got in touch with Russ and Billy about 11am.  They were still in the bed.  That was fine, I had thought that either a) Russ was much madder at me than I thought; or that b) they were dead.  I was glad that neither was the case.  We made plans to go to dinner.

I used to think that I was just born to have staff, but my proletariat roots were showing today.  I just couldn't relax in the house knowing that he was outside working.  I futzed.  I made tea, did laundry, changed the sheets, etc.  Every time I sat down to eat something, Jeff would come in for the bathroom or something, and there I would be, laid up like Lady Muck or something.  I needed to take a nap, but I kept hearing the local news anchor saying "Local sources tell us that the resident was in the house asleep while his friend died of heat stroke in the yard."  And then I would have to go look out the window again to make sure Jeff was still alive.

Eventually most everything was done, Jeff was hotted out, and he left.  I could hardly blame him.  He worked really hard, and got a lot more done than I thought he would.  It was such a relief to have it all done.

He went on home, and I headed for Russ and Billy's, where we started talking about dinner.  They just couldn't believe that I hadn't invited Jeff for dinner, this despite the fact that they had invited James.  Since James hadn't responded, I got in touch with Jeff about dinner.  He said he would meet us at Miyako in Spartanburg.  Russ wanted to go there anyway, because he was craving their tuna tataki.  I was just dying for sushi.  I had thought we would just run over to Irashiai, but Russ was determined to have Miyako if we were having sushi, and I was determined to have sushi.

About the time we were there, Jeff called to say that Miyako was closed for renovations.  We went on to another sushi place we had been before that had good food, but they were closed for good.  We wound up eating at a place Jeff knew called Wasabi Japanese Restaurant.  Billy was leaning towards going to Thai Taste, which we all love, but I just really wanted sushi tonight. 

As it turned out, this was a poor decision.  The trip started off on a good note.  There were articles from the paper posted in the front window, and one of the owners, who seated us, was very nice.  Our server was very pretty, and was quite patient during Russ's twenty minute ordering procedure.  He wanted Miyako, and was trying to order things from this place and get them the way they are made at Miyako.  And he couldn't make up his mind.  And he was grumpy because Miyako was closed.

The first problem was that the korrokke had chicken in them.  I have since read that that is apparently OK, but we had never heard of that.  I ordered some mussels yaki, which is one of my favorites.  They were made with honey mustard instead of mayo - bleah!  That was a really bad idea.  But since Jeff had been at the house all day I had been too embarrassed to eat much lunch.  He weighs like 160lbs soaking wet.  I was ravenous.  I ate the nasty mussels.  They didn't taste good, but they weren't rotten or anything.

The food was, well meh.  Russ ordered the tuna tataki and declared it inedible.  I ate it.  It was OK, but it wasn't tuna tataki.  The server disappeared.  We did finally get a refill on our drinks.  Overall, we paid big boy real sushi prices for some seriously either mediocre or downright yucky food.  I was quite disappointed.  Billy, with the patience of a saint, forbore reminding us that we could have gone to Thai Taste right down the street and had an excellent meal. 

But I had been starving, and the hole was full, so I felt better.

We went over to Jeff's house to hang out for a bit.  It was a little odd.  The place was very quiet without James there.  It was kind of sad to visit with him gone.  But Jeff seems to be in good spirits (if a bit too defiant at times, and a bit too timid at others - but I of all people have no room to talk there).  After talking with him for a while, we headed out.  I was exhausted - that hour and a half in the yard this morning had tired me out beyond all reason, and Billy's back was killing him.  So we headed home, and to our respective beds, after making plans for Russ and I to take the deferred flea market trip in the morning.