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Jan. 2nd, 2025 08:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dmxratedAfter Dad's body was taken away for cremation, I had to help Brian carry his bed out into the boathouse, and he made a point afterwards to clean up the garage, which usually functioned as his workshop but was used as actual storage for our car for a while late in the '0s.
At some point, Emily brought over some sandwiches, black-and-white cookies, and two black-and-white fudge brownies that Bagels Your Way Cafe had (and only that place had) once or twice I went there, from that place for lunch. I had a BLT and the remaining half of a brownie that she had half of. I also passed my phone around to let everyone each order a drink to bring to the beach; Brian and Emily declined to come with us, but me, Mom, and Marie each ordered a peppermint mocha, and Aunt Marie ordered a caramel brûlée latte.
We ended up not heading out, though, after deciding that the weather was not conducive by that point despite being nice not long earlier. (I had already saved the actual checkout for when we would head out, so this would give Brian and Emily another chance if they decide to come today.)
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At some point, Mom and Aunt Marie watched part of A Child's Christmas In Wales. About a third of the way in, I decided to join them, but then Aunt Allison called, Mom brought the phone into her room, and Aunt Marie offered to let me choose something different if I'd like.
With the main TV to ourselves now, I decided to hook my laptop up right there to set up Release the Spyce, and Marie came inside just in time (would've otherwise backtracked and shown just Aunt Marie episode 1). Mom commented at one point that this is the kind of background she can expect from now on, whenever I decide to watch anything after I start settling back into the house after everyone leaves, now that Dad's not around to put on history videos, Epic Fail/Win videos, work or boating accident videos, clips of The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, Stephen Colbert, or Saturday Night Live, web series like Your Daily Dose of Internet, OzzyMan, or Veronica (ToonTribe Animation), or so on. (He was never into anime, and would often snark about Pokemon and Digimon, my first two anime, back when I was watching those.)
Following the episode, the three of them then started watching this biography called Martha, about the life of Martha Stewart, something Dad would've never sat through. (Mom commented this morning how much it focuses on the negative aspects of her life, overlooking things like her relationships with her children and grandchildren.)
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For dessert, Marie treated us all to Monster Mash sundaes at Friendly's. Mom initially told me that we were all getting those, and to begin with, I wasn't going to be such a cheapskate as to get something much more elaborate than everyone else, but I did suggest we all get our own thing still on the kids' menu.
We all had a look at the different flavors of ice cream in general, before deciding which actual sundaes to get. I decided upon a Worms & Dirt Frend-Z, which is normally soft vanilla with Oreo bits and sour gummy worms, but after Mom and Brian specified that the place doesn't have an actual soft-serve machine, and that a different flavor wouldn't make any difference in hardness, I decided to have what was basically gummy worms on Vienna mocha chunk, without even any Oreos. (Mom, meanwhile, had the basic coffee flavor for a Cone Head, also normally vanilla.)
Upon leaving, I noticed the row of tables then to our left to feature a few seasonal sundaes on one side of their four-sided standing menus, that weren't on the regular kids' menu. I probably would have gotten that Friend-Z either way, but if we ever come back on such terms as we had agreed upon, we should definitely account for those for everyone else's options.
At some point, Emily brought over some sandwiches, black-and-white cookies, and two black-and-white fudge brownies that Bagels Your Way Cafe had (and only that place had) once or twice I went there, from that place for lunch. I had a BLT and the remaining half of a brownie that she had half of. I also passed my phone around to let everyone each order a drink to bring to the beach; Brian and Emily declined to come with us, but me, Mom, and Marie each ordered a peppermint mocha, and Aunt Marie ordered a caramel brûlée latte.
We ended up not heading out, though, after deciding that the weather was not conducive by that point despite being nice not long earlier. (I had already saved the actual checkout for when we would head out, so this would give Brian and Emily another chance if they decide to come today.)
-----
At some point, Mom and Aunt Marie watched part of A Child's Christmas In Wales. About a third of the way in, I decided to join them, but then Aunt Allison called, Mom brought the phone into her room, and Aunt Marie offered to let me choose something different if I'd like.
With the main TV to ourselves now, I decided to hook my laptop up right there to set up Release the Spyce, and Marie came inside just in time (would've otherwise backtracked and shown just Aunt Marie episode 1). Mom commented at one point that this is the kind of background she can expect from now on, whenever I decide to watch anything after I start settling back into the house after everyone leaves, now that Dad's not around to put on history videos, Epic Fail/Win videos, work or boating accident videos, clips of The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, Stephen Colbert, or Saturday Night Live, web series like Your Daily Dose of Internet, OzzyMan, or Veronica (ToonTribe Animation), or so on. (He was never into anime, and would often snark about Pokemon and Digimon, my first two anime, back when I was watching those.)
Following the episode, the three of them then started watching this biography called Martha, about the life of Martha Stewart, something Dad would've never sat through. (Mom commented this morning how much it focuses on the negative aspects of her life, overlooking things like her relationships with her children and grandchildren.)
-----
For dessert, Marie treated us all to Monster Mash sundaes at Friendly's. Mom initially told me that we were all getting those, and to begin with, I wasn't going to be such a cheapskate as to get something much more elaborate than everyone else, but I did suggest we all get our own thing still on the kids' menu.
We all had a look at the different flavors of ice cream in general, before deciding which actual sundaes to get. I decided upon a Worms & Dirt Frend-Z, which is normally soft vanilla with Oreo bits and sour gummy worms, but after Mom and Brian specified that the place doesn't have an actual soft-serve machine, and that a different flavor wouldn't make any difference in hardness, I decided to have what was basically gummy worms on Vienna mocha chunk, without even any Oreos. (Mom, meanwhile, had the basic coffee flavor for a Cone Head, also normally vanilla.)
Upon leaving, I noticed the row of tables then to our left to feature a few seasonal sundaes on one side of their four-sided standing menus, that weren't on the regular kids' menu. I probably would have gotten that Friend-Z either way, but if we ever come back on such terms as we had agreed upon, we should definitely account for those for everyone else's options.