FDOS

 Here in Miami Dade, today is a day that always brings back happy memories: the first day of school! I always loved it -- no matter how busy I was at work, I was in charge of FDOS.

I'd bring the Ds outside, and take their pictures near a growing tree. In post Andrew Kendall, that was a black olive by the front of the property. Each year, we'd compare the photos to see the Ds growth versus the tree. The tree always won.

I'd walk them into class. The supplies were all new. The screw ups hadn't yet screwed up. Everyone had straight As. As an academic dilettante, FDOS represented so much to me -- school was where you got better as a person. My beloved Dad was always far more impressed by an educated man than a rich one, and I guess I inherited that. And FDOS was sort of the Rosh Hashonah of that concept.

Alas -- the Ds are long since graduated from Graduate School. But this year, our little man has an FDOS at preschool! He's been attending for awhile, but the official start of his year is today -- D1 already sent a photo of him IN HIS UNIFORM! The cuteness should have been illegal -- he's 20 months old, and already looking like he has a school agenda.

During the past months, he would approach his friend Clio, and touch her pigtails. It was his morning ritual. Clio liked it. This year they're in different classes -- so our guy will have to find some other adorable way to begin his day.

Meanwhile, on the home front, there is a First World crisis. The refrigerator, which I've never liked, is finally kaput. It's one of those built in Kitchen Aid jobs -- I guess about 10 years old. We replaced the icemaker a few months ago, and since then the damned thing taunts me -- sometimes it works, but often it doesn't. I bought old fashioned trays, as well as a $100 icemaker from Walmart for emergency cocktail use.

I also told Wifey to get on the new appliance project -- of course she wants all the appliances to match, and I reminded her it takes months to get new built in refrigerators on account of Covid.

Well, Wifey still can't seem to locate that tool essential for any of life's tasks: the Round Tuitt. So the kitchen thing never happened, despite months of reminders.

Today, the damned thing went from spotty working to melted stuff and a ruined InstaCart order. So I sprang into action.

I went online and ordered a standard type refrigerator from Home Depot -- one in stock that can be delivered, hopefully, this coming Saturday. It's just south of $2K, as opposed to the $10K to stupid "built in" models cost, but it'll have to do for awhile.

If Wifey finds that ever elusive Round Tuitt, which I bet against, the new Home Depot model gets to go to the garage as the auxiliary refrigerator -- the one there now is a cheap model probably nearing 10 years old as well -- and these days 10 years for any appliance is a victory.

Again -- classic First World issues. May they be the only type we deal with. But I AM looking forward to hearing the happy sound of lots of ice being made, from an actual working icemaker -- as opposed to the possessed one now sitting behind me and making, I'm sure, silent faces at me.

Also -- I'm off -- to vaccine #3. The Israelis have started giving third doses of Pfizer to everyone over 40 , as long as it's been 6 months since the second jab. I figure if it's good enough for my counterparts in the Holy Land, it's good enough for me -- especially since lots of doses are just being wasted and expiring anyway due to the moron vaccine hesitants. So I get the jab at 9 -- the third, largely because of all the dunces afraid to get even one. Eh -- what are ya gonna do, as Tony S used to say.

But most importantly, my thoughts are with all the kids at FDOS. Soar on, students. And learn, for example, that science saves us. Get your information from trusted sources -- not drop outs on the internet. Wouldn't that be something?