Longtime readers of this blog know that the scourge of my existence for the past three and a half years has been my bathtub. When I moved in, it had this ground-in gray scum/dirt that I’ve never been able to get rid of since. I’ve tried everything – cleaners, bleaches. Nothing worked. All I’ve been able to do is make sure the shower curtain was pulled shut when people came over.
Well, today it occurred to me: I have access to the great minds of the world, via the Internet. So I did some searching on cleaning bathtubs. One of the solutions I came across was to clean the tub using Comet and something called a Magic Eraser, made by Mr.Clean. It seemed too easy to be true but the suggestion was highly rated among readers.
So, at lunchtime I went to get my car tags renewed, and unbelievably, there was no line at the Prescott branch office. I was out in 5 minutes, plus another 5 to put the new plate on the car (TN has new plates this year). So I decided to stop by the nearby Rite Aid and pick up some Comet and a couple of 2-packs of Magic Erasers. “These things look like nothing but white sponges!” I thought. “They couldn’t possibly work.” But, I figured, everything else has failed, might as well try this too.
So after work I came home and gave it a try, and lo and behold – clean tub. For the first time since I’ve lived there. Because of something that looks like a sponge. Who woulda thought.
Speaking of the car tag renewal – sometimes it pays to break the law. As I mentioned previously, my registration expired June 30, but I didn’t get it done because I didn’t feel like waiting in a long line the last day of the month. So, I went today, and got right in without a line. The fee to renew was exactly the same as it would have been if I had done it on time, and they gave me a “JUL” sticker rather than a “JUN” one, so I effectively got a month free.
I updated my address while there. That will allow me to mail it in next year and avoid this mess altogether.
I thought I had another reason to celebrate today, but I was wrong. I got an e-mail reading, “This is Chip – Master Polo from MySpace.” He told me that he had heard I was “obsessed” with finding out his identity, and he didn’t mind revealing it to people who were “certifiably normal.” He told me that if there was anything I wanted to know about him, just ask.
Later in the day I e-mailed my friend Mendi aka Master Polo II and said, “Chip e-mailed and told me he was Master Polo and asked what I wanted to know about him. The mystery is solved!”
Not two minutes later I had an e-mail back from her: “Who’s Chip?” So I forwarded the message he sent me.
She replied: “Haha. His name is not Chip. He’s very good. I will compliment him at once.”
BLAST!!! Foiled again!
[By the way, “Chip” is not the alias he used, but in the interest of protecting his identity (even if it is a lie) I used a pseudonym for his alias.]
In other news, my friend Mike recommends this product as an option to chase away pigeons downtown. I have no idea if it actually works.
In addition to the helpful cleaning tip, I have a helpful consumer tip as well. It’s July. This is about the time of year when stores start putting summer clothes on clearance to make way for their fall lines. Usually the items considered peak-of-summer items, such as bathing suits and tube tops, are the first to be marked down. But, of course, July is hardly the end of tube top weather here in Memphis – buy one now and you’ll still have three months to wear it. So what are you waiting for? Maybe there should be a tube top edition of my Deal of the Week blog.
And that’ll do it for this post – staying in tonight. Now that I have momentum because of the tube I figure I might as well clean the rest of the place too. It needs it. Thinking about doing the Peabody rooftop tomorrow (Yes, No, Maybe is playing). No plans for the weekend beyond that, as of yet. ‘Til next time…