The Spencers – Day 10

I woke up in a foul mood after once again not getting a good night’s sleep. I was proud of our new kitchen addition, but the physical and mental exhaustion was getting to me. I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast.

I’d grabbed my first few bites standing by the refrigerator and had to move out of the way so the kids could have breakfast, too. I joined Kylie on Cole’s bed and we ate breakfast together quietly. She could probably tell I was in another of my bad moods. I hope I snap out of it soon because it’s a bummer feeling grouchy most of the time.

I was in desperate need of a day off and some fun, so I skipped school. I waited until the kids had been picked up by the bus so they didn’t notice. It wasn’t exactly behavior I wanted to encourage — the old, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’

After I finished the breakfast dishes, I was going to head to the library and use their computer to play Blicblock and get my mind off my worries for a while.

As I began walking toward the road, I noticed the flag on our mailbox was up, indicating we had mail. I smiled as I opened the mailbox, wondering what could be inside. To my dismay, it was our first utility bills. Fabulous.

That wiped the smile off my face. I had enough to pay our $117 bill, but a mere $69 leftover. Thank goodness for our trusty frogs. I knew breeding them a couple of times would help with our income, and I really needed some time off. For good behavior. I snorted.

Before I left for the library, I received a text alert that GeekCon was in town. Now, that sounded like fun! I switched gears and headed to the Fashion District of San Myshuno instead. When I arrived, I noticed they had an observatory set up, so I ran straight for it.

I had to wait in line for a few minutes while someone else was using it. Soon, I was engrossed in viewing the sky. If I’d wanted to, I probably could’ve spied on some apartment dwellers but that seemed wrong. Maybe Kylie’s rubbing off on me.

Through my observations, I was able to obtain an ‘Animal’s Planet’ space print. From the literature inside the observatory, I learned that viewing the print could help a person focus. Sounds like it might help with homework. We’ll have to give it a try.

After exiting the observatory, I jogged over to the area where computers had been set up for the Hackathon. I didn’t have the skills to compete in the tournament, but since it was over by then, I hopped on an available computer.

I indulged myself in a game of Blicblock, which was my original reason for wanting to go to the library. Afterward, I looked up vampire lore to see what else I could learn about the creatures of the night.

The colorful, energetic atmosphere at GeekCon made it a fun place to hang out for the afternoon. I especially enjoyed people-watching because of all the cosplayers wandering the festival. Just before I left, I took a chance rummaging through one of the trash cans to see if there was anything cool that someone might’ve thrown away. It was a waste of time. Luckily, I don’t embarrass easily.

When I got back, I made our first home-cooked meal — tofu tacos. It was an inexpensive, but hearty meal, using one of the carrots from our garden. It cost me only $2 plus the carrot to make 8 servings — no complaints there!

Cole must’ve been hungry after school because, unbeknownst to me, he’d already grabbed a bowl of cereal before I’d started cooking. He worked on his homework while Kylie and I each grabbed a plate. Kylie took a bite and made an ‘Eww’ sound. Gee, thanks. I know I’m not a great cook, but I think it tastes pretty good.

As I took another bite, Kylie complained, “Yuck. Emma, I don’t want to eat this.”

I sighed. “It’s fine, Kylie. Don’t eat it if you don’t want it. That just leaves more for Cole and me. No big deal.”

While I was still eating, Cole went into the kitchen and packed the leftovers into sack lunches for school. I obviously wasn’t going to give one to Kylie since she hated it. Come to think of it, she hated her burger after karaoke, too. Her being a picky eater is a recent development, though, and one I hope doesn’t last because we can’t afford to be wasting food.

When Cole was done, he went fishing, and Kylie joined him after she finished her homework.

While I had the house to myself, I took a much-needed nap. That helped a bit and gave me enough energy to tackle cleaning the bathroom sink yet again. Now that we can wash our dishes in the kitchen sink, maybe this one won’t get dirty as often. Once the sink was sparkling clean, I soaked in the tub.

I hadn’t heard from Rocco since my ‘close encounter’ but he invited me to ‘aliens night’ at the bar. I chuckled to myself, responding to his text, “Sorry – can’t make it. Have fun!”

I tended the garden as Kylie and Cole returned from fishing. When I went back inside, Cole had fixed himself a PB&J, and Kylie decided to take a bath before bed to avoid the morning rush.

I Googled what we’d collected today, which was worth a total of $984 — not bad for the little effort we put forth. We needed a light fixture in the kitchen, so I purchased The Prestige for $75.

I was still exhausted and was the first one in bed for a change. I hadn’t done my homework yet, but maybe I’d have time before school tomorrow. I was too tired to care.

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For today’s look at skills, I’m using their 6 PM levels instead of those at day’s end as I usually do. Someone got caught up in playing and forgot to get screenshots. Oops!

Emma:

While at GeekCon, Emma gained a full level in logic and video gaming. Her gardening increase won’t show until tomorrow because it was after 6 PM.

Kylie:

Neither Kylie nor Cole show any skill gains because they spent most of the day in school and then worked on their homework. Their fishing was after 6 PM and will be shown tomorrow.

Cole: